March 15, 2002 – A breeze blows through the arched windows and around the newly restored columns of the synagogue built on St. Thomas nearly 170 years ago by Sephardic Jews.
The synagogue, built in 1833, is the oldest in America that has had continuous religious services through the years, according to Eric Yoffe, the president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
But the tropical rains, hurricanes and salt air take their toll, and in recent years the elegant building, which is registered as a National Historic Landmark, has been in dire need of repairs.
On Friday evening, members of the congregation will gather in the synagogue to celebrate completion of extensive restoration work on the structure perched on Synagogue Hill.
The $600,000 restoration was a major financial burden on the congregation, but members felt it was their duty to maintain the building, said Trudie Prior, president of the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas.
"This structure has a symbolic importance," she said. "It is a legacy that was given to us by the Jews that first came here."
William Taylor, the St. Croix-based architect who oversaw the restoration, said the work was necessary to ensure the structural integrity of the wood and masonry building, but also restored the building to the original design.
Workers completely restored the building's façade and interior walls, rebuilt the interior columns, replaced plaster protecting the walls, and rebuilt decorations inside the temple, including the ark that holds the Torahs, Taylor said.
"It was a real privilege to work on such a wonderful building," he said, adding that the synagogue combines the best of early 19th century Classical design with West Indian traditions of solid masonry. "It's not a large building, but it makes up for its size in the quality."
The synagogue is designed in the Sephardic tradition of having congregants face each other across the middle of the sanctuary, he said. The floor is covered in loose sand, a tradition believed to have come from Sephardic Jews in Spain and Portugal who spread sand to muffle the sound of banned worship during the Spanish Inquisition, Taylor added.
Completion of the restoration work is a sign of the resiliency of the congregation of fewer than 80 families, well down from the 135 families that were members before Hurricane Marilyn, said Rabbi Jay Heyman.
"This is one of the smallest synagogues in the world that has maintained ongoing services," Heyman said. "We've had our ups-and-downs, and the number of people is in one of the downs right now. But we're an optimistic people.
This synagogue has always survived before, and it will continue to do so."
Jewish people have been on St. Thomas since 1672, but the number swelled in the 1780s with an influx from the Dutch island of St. Eustatius, according to local historian Isidor Paiewonsky, a member of the congregation.
The congregation was founded in 1796, and after fires destroyed two synagogues, the current building was constructed in 1833, Taylor said.
