Liberty & Legacy: Boston and the American Jewish Story

We begin at Congregation Shearith Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in North America, before traveling to Newport, where questions of religious liberty, identity, and belonging became part of the emerging American story. Here, we’ll experience one of the most memorable moments of our journey, a private Shabbat at historic Touro Synagogue, welcoming Shabbat and gathering for prayer within a sanctuary where Jews have worshipped for centuries.

From colonial Newport and the grandeur of the Gilded Age, we continue to Boston, following the story of Jewish immigrants as they built neighborhoods, synagogues, and institutions of their own. We’ll walk the Freedom Trail, discover Jewish Beacon Hill and Chelsea, visit Brandeis University, and encounter some of the communities that have helped reimagine Jewish ritual, learning, and belonging.

Along the way, we’ll ask the questions that have accompanied American Jews for generations: How do we preserve a distinct Jewish identity while becoming part of American society? What does religious freedom really mean? And how has each generation reshaped what it means to be Jewish in America?

Through history, learning, conversation, shared meals, and an unforgettable Shabbat in Newport, Liberty & Legacy: Boston & the American Jewish Story brings the American Jewish story to life in the very places where it unfolded.