St. Thomas Synagogue

The Synagogue of Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim — the Blessing and Peace and Deeds of Loving Kindness — is one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the western hemisphere, and the oldest under the American flag still in continuous use. The current building dates from 1833, though the congregation has worshipped on this site since the early 18th century. It is a small, intimate space: whitewashed walls, carved wooden pews, brass chandeliers, and the famous sand floor that covers the entire interior.

The synagogue sits on a hillside street above the main shopping district, in a neighbourhood that was once the heart of Charlotte Amalie's Jewish community. Visitors are welcome during the week; a small museum in the adjacent building covers the history of the congregation and the remarkable story of the Sephardic Jews who established it — the route from Spain to the Netherlands to Brazil to Curaçao to St. Thomas, losing and rebuilding communities along the way.

things to do sight
A story
The sand floor of the St. Thomas Synagogue has two competing explanations. One holds that the original Sephardic congregation, descendants of Jews who had fled the Inquisition through the Netherlands and Brazil, spread sand to muffle the sound of footsteps during services — still dangerous in some jurisdictions when Jewish worship was not legally protected. The other explanation is simpler: it commemorates the Exodus, the desert wandering of the Israelites. Both may be partly true.