Loeb Visitors Center

08/14/2026

REMINDER: HONORING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM & THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE
Please join TSF Newport for the 79th Annual George Washington Letter Reading, Sun. Aug. 16 at 1 pm at the Old Colony House, Washington Square, Newport.
In-person seating is limited and by reservation only. The event will be live-streamed here, on Facebook, TSF Newport
📜PROGRAM - click graphic to enlarge
📜To learn more about the George Washington Letter, please visit our webpage:
https://www.loebvisitors.org/george-washingtons-letter/
👉 INQUIRIES: Meryle Cawley at [email protected]

07/29/2026

🚶‍➡️🚶🏽‍♀️‍➡️ WALKING TOURS: Offering tours out of the Loeb Visitors Center 4 days a week in August.
Follow in the footsteps of Newport’s colonial-era Jewish community and discover where congregants lived, worked, and worshiped in the 1700s. This 1-hour guided tour leads you through the historic Touro Synagogue neighborhood, bringing the synagogue’s rich history to life.
Sun, Mon, Thurs & Fri. @ 11 am
DETAILS & RESERVATIONS: https://tsfnewport.org/plan-a-visit/hours-admissions/...
Before or after your Walking Tour, explore interactive multimedia exhibits at the Loeb Visitors Center and browse our gift items. Celebrate over 250 years of Touro Synagogue history, Newport’s colonial Jewish community, the origins of religious freedom, and the separation of church and state in America. Discover how Newport and the colony of Rhode Island laid the groundwork for our First Amendment rights.

Tours are offered by our colleagues at TSF Newport (formerly known as Touro Synagogue Foundation)

07/25/2026

UPDATE: The recording of the July 26 webinar is now available via this YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSs2Zlsnr8U

On behalf of our colleagues with the Jewish Heritage Alliance, we are pleased to share an announcement of their America 250 national program, a webinar titled:
From Exile to Freedom:
Sephardic Jews and the Making of Early America
📅 July 26, 2026 | 1:00 PM ET
👉 This educational program is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. Program details and registration link here: https://jewishheritagealliance.com/from-exile-to-freedom.../
This program explores the remarkable role Sephardic Jews played in the early history of the United States and their contribution to the foundations of American religious liberty. Through leading scholars in early American Jewish history, constitutional law, and colonial studies, the program examines how a community seeking religious freedom helped shape the principles of liberty, tolerance, and equal citizenship at the heart of the American experiment.
Guest speakers include TSF Newport board member and Rhode Island's Historian Laureate, Keith Stokes.

From Exile to Freedom: Sephardic Jews and the Making of America- Explore the extraordinary journey of Sephardic Jews from the Iberian Peninsula to America. As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, discover how these pioneers helped shape religious liberty, pluralism, and American democracy—fr...

07/22/2026

HONORING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM & DIVERSITY
On behalf of our colleagues at TSF Newport, you are invited to the 79th Annual George Washington Letter Reading, Sun. Aug. 16 at 1 pm at the Old Colony House, Washington Square, Newport.
In-person seating is limited and by reservation only. The event will be live-streamed the TSF Newport page.
📜PROGRAM INCLUDES:
- Seixas Letter Reader:
Sam Shamoon, longtime TSF Newport board member.
- Washington Letter Reader:
Keith Stokes, Vice-Chair, TSF Newport, Assoc. Director of the R.I. Division of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and R.I. Historian Laureate.
-Keynote Speaker:
Rachel Laser, President & CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church & State.
📜To learn more about the George Washington Letter, please visit this webpage:
https://tsfnewport.org/history/george-washington-letter/
👉 INQUIRIES: Meryle Cawley at [email protected]
If you cannot join us live, the program video will be available on this TSF Newport webpage at a later date: https://tsfnewport.org/.../george-washington-letter-reading/

06/29/2026

JOIN US ON "RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DAY" - TUES. JULY 7, 10am-4pm
The Loeb Visitors Center in collaboration with TSF Newport is proud to celebrate Newport's rich tradition of religious diversity on Religious Freedom Day! Eleven historic Newport houses of worship, including Touro Synagogue, will be open to the public from 10am to 4pm. A complete list of participating sites & map are available on this Newport Historical Society webpage:http://newporthistory.org/.../independence-week.../
• Begin your Religious Freedom Day open house experience at the Loeb Visitors Center, where you can explore 2 floors of interactive multimedia exhibits, browse the unique gift shop, and enjoy a walk through adjacent Patriot's Park.
• Celebrate more than 250 years of Touro Synagogue history, Newport's colonial Jewish community, the origins of religious liberty, and the separation of church and state in America.
• Discover how Newport and the Colony of Rhode Island laid the groundwork for our religious freedoms protected by the First Amendment.
• Admission is free; donations are warmly welcome.
🚶‍♀️‍➡️Also, TSF Newport (formerly known as "Touro Synagogue Foundation") offers a Colonial Jewish Walking Tour of the Touro Synagogue neighborhood at 11:00 am on July 7 (see info. in comments)
QUESTIONS? Contact TSF Newport at [email protected]

12/31/2025

Sharing this post on behalf of our colleagues at TSF Newport (formerly, "Touro Synagogue Foundation"). Please read the post and follow their NEW page (link embedded in post text).

🔔 We have created this NEW page to reflect our organization’s new name, "TSF Newport" (previously "Touro Synagogue Foundation") Our website address has now changed to:
https://tsfnewport.org/ (previously "TouroSynagogue.org).
We hope with this rebrand to build excitement for fresh content as we move into the new year. Education remains the cornerstone of our mission. By focusing on education, we hope students of all ages will learn about the richness of this country’s past regarding First Amendment rights, thereby encouraging dialogue and understanding across diverse backgrounds and faiths. Stay tuned as we add information on how to learn about upcoming programming, tours, events, and more.

07/18/2025

😊“We All Smile in the Same Language”😊and other warm & wonderful BOOKS for KIDS are in stock at the Loeb Visitors Center gift shop. Stop in to see our unique selection of gifts while you’re in the neighborhood or during your visit to enjoy our interactive exhibits and presentations on the history of Touro Synagogue - Newport, RI and the establishment of religious freedom in the U.S.
Inquiries: [email protected] Phone: (401) 847-0070.
Location: 52 Spring Street, between Touro & Barney Streets.
Hours: Sun. through Thurs., 9:30 am-1:30 pm

06/27/2025

Your visit to the Loeb Visitors Center includes not just two floors of interactive exhibits and presentations on the history of Touro Synagogue - Newport, RI and the establishment of religious freedom in the U.S., but also one of Newport’s most unique shopping experiences—the perfect place for GIFTS for all occasions!
Location: 52 Spring Street, between Touro & Barney Streets. Phone: (401) 847-0070.
Hours: Sun. through Thurs., 9:30 am-2:00 pm

01/29/2025

Join us for our WINTER FESTIVAL OPEN HOUSE, Sun. Feb. 16, 10 am-2 pm
Start your visit here at the Loeb Visitors Center (52 Spring St.) and explore multimedia exhibits about Newport’s colonial Jewish community and the origins of religious freedom in the U.S. Then step inside Touro Synagogue - Newport, RI, one of the most architecturally distinguished buildings of 18th century America, where our knowledgeable guides will provide historical information and answer questions. End your visit with cookies & cider on the patio. $5 or FREE with a Newport Winter Festival Bracelet. Questions: [email protected]

08/13/2024

HONORING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Join us Sunday, August 18 at 1 pm EST via Facebook Live for the 77th Annual George Washington Letter Reading at Touro Synagogue - Newport, RI. Click to enlarge and read the event program graphic.
To learn more about the annual George Washington Letter Reading, please visit this webpage:
https://tourosynagogue.org/touro-synagogue-foundation/george-washington-letter-reading/
INQUIRES: [email protected]