[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 118 (Thursday, July 20, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1479-E1480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


RECOGNITION OF THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HEBREW CONGREGATION LOCATED 
                           IN ST. THOMAS, VI

                                 ______


                         HON. VICTOR O. FRAZER

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 20, 1995
  Mr. FRAZER. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, I would like to share with the Members of this body, and the 
people of this country, a distinction of which we are proud but a fact 
that is little known to most of our fellow Americans, namely that the 
Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas, VI proudly boasts that it is the 
oldest synagogue building in continuous use under the American flag.
  In 1976, a small Jewish community of St. Thomas founded the 
congregation and called it Blessing and Peace. Comprised of only nine 
families in 1801, the congregation increased to 22 with the arrival of 
Jewish settlers from England, France, St. Eustatius, and Curacao in 
1803. In 1804, the small synagogue was destroyed by fire and was not 
replaced until 1812. This thriving congregation continued to grow, and 
in 1823 the building was dismantled and a larger one erected and 
renamed ``Blessing and Peace and Loving Deeds,'' the Hebrew name it 
carries to this day. This structure was built in the city of Charlotte 
Amalie on one of the city's historical landmarks known as Synagogue 
Hill; it is here the current synagogue stands.
  In 1831, the congregation, which by now numbered 64 families, 
witnessed a citywide fire which destroyed the synagogue. This dedicated 
and closely knit congregation rebuilt and reconsecrated their synagogue 
in 1833. The entire island community, along with assistance from the 
worldwide Jewry, assisted in this noble undertaking. The lovely 
synagogue is still actively used today by over 200 families and is the 
only synagogue on the island of St. Thomas. Since the doors of the 
synagogue opened in 1833, there has always been a weekly Shabbat 
Service. Our synagogue also has the distinction of holding the first 
confirmation ceremony for Jewish youth ever in the Western Hemisphere. 
This monumentous event took place on October 14, 1843.
  In 1850, the congregation numbered between 400 and 500 members and 
the King of Denmark sanctioned and approved a constitution for the 
Kehilla community. This code of law governed the Jewish community, 
regulated its membership dues, and established its voting procedures 
with great precision. Members of the Jewish community held offices of 
trust and honor on St. Thomas. This period of Jewish activity on St. 
Thomas was significant and can only be equaled by the present day 
accomplishments.
  Everything in the synagogue is original and dates back to 1833. The 
benches, the Ark, and the bima are all made of mahogany wood which 
flourished on the island, but were decimated through overuse by the 
lumber industry. The chandeliers are from Europe. The lamps are made of 
Baccarat crystal. The peripheral chandeliers have since been 
electrified, but the central ones are still lit by candles on important 
holidays. The walls are specially designed to be hurricane proof, as 
are the windows. They allow for the free passage of air while blunting 
the force. The stones are locally quarried, but the bricks come from 
Europe. The huge sailing ships that arrived from Spain, Portugal, 
England, Holland, and Denmark had relatively little to sell in the 
Virgin Islands, and so, filled the hulls of the ships with bricks to be 
used as ballast. Once they arrived in the islands, the bricks were 
unloaded and used for local building needs while the ships took back to 
Europe the locally produced rum and sugar. The cement that holds the 
bricks together is a mortar made from sand, limestone, and molasses. It 
is said that in earlier years, children used to lick the walls of the 
synagogue to taste the sweet molasses. The four pillars that support 
the building symbolize the four matriarchs in Judaism; they are Sarah, 
Rachel, Rebecca, and Leah. These pillars, like those at the entrance to 
the building, were handmade in Denmark from rounded bricks especially 
for the synagogue.
  Another unusual feature of the synagogue is the sand floor. Legend 
tells us that it is symbolic of the desert through which Moses and the 
children of Israel wandered for 40 years. The more acceptable 
explanation had to do with the fact that this was originally a 
Sephardic orthodox community. During the Spanish Inquisition, when 
Catholic Spain persecuted all other religions and forcibly converted 
them to Catholism, the Jews were forced to practice their religion in 
the privacy of their home. This was an offense punishable by death. 
Since religious worship had to be performed in secrecy, they met in 
cellars and used sand on the floor to muffle the sound of their 
prayers.
  Our beautiful synagogue is a gem in the midst of the Caribbean. 
Visitors of all faiths experience wonder and awe when standing within 
its simple and stately interior. On behalf of the Hebrew congregation 
of St. Thomas 

[[Page E1480]]
and the people of the Virgin Islands, I invite you, Mr. Speaker, my 
colleagues, and my fellow Americans to visit this treasure in the 
American paradise, and join us in celebrating the bicentennial of this 
national treasure.


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