77. Reading of Washington's letter at Touro Synagogue honoring religious freedom

On August 18, the Touro Synagogue Foundation, in partnership with Jeshuat Israel Congregation, will host the Reading of the George Washington Letter, an event honoring the legacy of religious freedom in our country. This year marks the 77th anniversary.^th Anniversary of the reading of the famous letter.

George Washington's 1790 letter, “To the Hebrew Congregation at Newport,” was written after his first trip to Rhode Island as president. In his eloquent response to a letter from Moses Seixas, the head of the local Jewish congregation, Washington affirmed the new government's commitment to religious freedom, a claim he viewed as an “innate natural right.” The federal government, Washington said, “does not condone bigotry or support persecution”—borrowing the now-famous phrase from Seixas' letter that expressed their shared vision for American government.

The program begins at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 18, at Touro Synagogue in Newport. While seating is limited on site, the event will be live-streamed and all can participate virtually via a link on the Touro Synagogue Facebook page: facebook.com/TouroSynagogue.

The annual event has a long tradition of distinguished keynote speakers and letters to the editor, including Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan. The program also includes the presentation of the Judge Alexander George Teitz Award and the Aaron and Rita Slom Scholarship for Freedom and Diversity.

Sharon Handler-LoebAdvocate of religious freedom and democracy, together with her husband, Ambassador John L. Loeb Jr., was given the honor of reading the George Washington Letter this year.

Gregg M. Love, Secretary of State of Rhode Island, will read the letter from Moses Seixas of the Hebrew Congregation in Newport to President Washington, which inspired Washington’s famous response.

Sian L. Beilock, The President of Dartmouth College will deliver the keynote address.

To learn more about President Washington's 1790 letter to the congregation worshiping at Touro Synagogue, our nation's oldest surviving Jewish house of worship (dedicated in 1763), visit TouroSynagogue.org/Religious Freedom.