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The Barbados Synagogue, known as the Nidhe Israel Synagogue, is the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. It remains a central part of Barbados’ Jewish heritage and is now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Founded in 1654 by Sephardic Jews fleeing persecution in Brazil, it’s located in the capital Bridgetown, on Synagogue Lane and is one of the oldest surviving in the Americas. It was abandoned in 1929, seized by the Barbados Government in 1983, with intentions to raze the building and erect the Supreme Courthouse. Two years later, it turned the building over to the Barbados National Trust which ended up being a very wise decision. Thanks to petitioning by the local Jewish community, it was restored and is now active again. It is now part of the Synagogue Historic District, and area of about one city block which includes a Jewish cemetery, mikvah (ritual bath), and museum. The district was officially opened in 2017 as a major heritage tourism site. Barbados’ Jewish community today is small but continues to worship at the synagogue.

One of the more interesting things at the site is the mikvah, a rare surviving example of a 17th‑century Jewish ritual bath in the Americas. Buried beneath a parking lot since the 1850’s, it was unearthed in 2008 while archaeologists were searching for the original rabbi’s house. It measures about 8 ft. x 4 ft. has a granite tile floor and coral stone walls with alcoves for lamps. Fed by an active underground spring, it ensures a natural flowing water source, used for ritual purification, especially by women, converts, and before certain religious observances.

The Barbados Synagogue Museum is a living record of how the Jewish diaspora shaped Caribbean history from their arrival in 1628. The building originally constructed around 1700, houses many exhibits including artifacts from daily life like pottery, tools, and trade items. Interactive displays about the Jewish role in the sugar industry and records of community life, including wills, tombstones, and synagogue archives can also be found here.

Nidhe Israel Synagogue Cemetery dates back to 1658 and is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the Western Hemisphere. It contains around 400 graves, with inscriptions in Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, and Ladino. Older Sephardic graves are flat, made of marble or granite. Later Ashkenazi graves reflect the 20th–21st century Jewish community. Between 1999–2003, consultants from the UK restored the cemetery, cleaning and repositioning tombstones after years of sediment and litter buildup.

The Sephardic Jews that arrived in Barbados in the mid‑1600s became active in commerce, particularly in sugar trading, finance, and small-scale mercantile businesses. Archival evidence confirms that Jewish merchants did participate in slavery. For example, a deed from 1661 records Aaron Baruch Lousada, a Jewish merchant, selling an enslaved woman named Debby to Rebecca Bennett, a free woman of color. Jews in Barbados were not major plantation owners; they were often restricted by colonial laws that limited their ability to own land or engage fully in the sugar industry. Their slaveholding was typically domestic or small-scale, connected to mercantile activity rather than large plantations. This reduced their economic role compared to that of the English planters.

Here’s a practical visitor’s guide to the Nidhe Israel Synagogue & Historic District: it’s open Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM, with admission around US $12.50 for adults. Tours include the synagogue, museum, mikveh, and cemetery, making it a rich cultural stop.

Artisan Workshops: Weekdays, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Historic Fire Brigade Station Café:

• Weekdays: 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM
• Weekends: 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM

To delve more into the history of the synagogue and the Jewish influence in the Caribbean, click the link here.

You may also be interested in the Curaçao (Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue): The Jewish congregation was established earlier, in 1651, but the synagogue building itself wasn’t completed until 1732. It is notable for being the oldest synagogue still in continuous use in the Americas, learn about the symbolism of the sand floor tradition. Find out more here.

 

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