Tucked away at the top of one of St Thomas's never ending hills in town (Charlotte Amalie) is the synagogue of St Thomas. The Hebrew congregation, founded in 1796, has built this historical landmark building in 1833.
The interior is beautiful and symbolically built to last. The benches, the ark and the bimahs are all made of mahogany.
Fresh tropical flowers are on display daily for visitors to enjoy.
One of the more unique aspects of the building is the sand covered floor. There are a couple of theories about why this is done, but the prevailing idea is that this is symbolic of the Israelite journey through the dessert.
The building has an historical center with more background information on the congregation as well as the building, plus a visitor's gift shop offering beautiful Judaical items with a Caribbean flair.
I was reading about the synagogue before I went to St. Thomas but unfortunately we never got to see it. It really looks lovely and if I ever get to go back to St. Thomas again, we will definitely stop in to take a look. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a beautiful building, inside and out... and that sand floor is just so NEAT. :)
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