The Jewish Community of New Orleans

By Bear Gruzen

Countless groups and cultures have influenced New Orleans history and way of life– some of which include the Irish, French, Spanish, Jews, Haitians and many more– all of which formed and shaped the city we know and love today. In this series, we will focus on the many peoples that helped form this beautiful city.

Today, we are spotlighting the Jewish community, their impact on New Orleans, and the notable figures and places of the group’s history in the city. Despite making up only 1% of the New Orleans population throughout history, the impact by the Jewish community can’t be understated. The first recorded instance of Jewish settlers was in 1757, when Isaac Monsanto arrived in the city with his business associate, and eventually his six siblings followed suit. Does this name sound familiar? It's the same family whose later generations founded the famous agrochemical company Monsanto.

Monsanto arrived from Curacao (a Dutch colony in the Caribbean), although he was originally from the Iberian Peninsula (specifically Portugal). At this time, New Orleans was viewed as a meritocracy, where those seeking fortune could venture to the city to amass their wealth. Under the Code Noir of 1724, Jews shouldn’t have been able to settle in Louisiana, however the vast economic opportunity that the Jewish community offered was of great importance to the colony, so many looked past the Code. Monsanto was no exception; thanks to his religious and familial connections, he grew a great fortune trading across the Atlantic, with business primarily in the slave trade. Monsanto and his associates were incredibly successful, up until Spanish rule, in which the new Spanish governance expelled the Jewish populations from the city in 1767. From there he moved to Florida, although he and his family eventually returned back to New Orleans when the Spanish left.

Central City Jewish population and the Anshe Sfard congregation:

Large waves of Jewish immigrants began settling in New Orleans in the mid-1800s. They arrived from all parts of Europe–primarily Eastern European countries such as Lithuania, Poland, and Prussia. The Anshe Sfard congregation is a notable synagogue in New Orleans; founded by Lithuanian Orthodox Jews, this congregation still remains active today since its founding in the late 1800s.

Touro Synagogue/Touro Hospital:

To discuss the development of the Jewish community in New Orleans without mentioning the Touro family would be unjust. In 1801, Jonah Touro moved to New Orleans. He had grown up in a Sephardic Jewish household in Newport, Rhode Island. His move to New Orleans was unexpected, although many theorize it was because he was refused the right to marry his cousin by his uncle. Upon settling in New Orleans, Touro quickly established himself as a merchant in the city, selling various goods and services to the community. Growing up, Touro’s Jewishness was a large part of his life; his father was the hazzan of his synagogue. Touro’s charitable giving to Jewish foundations in New Orleans was immense; for instance, he established the city’s first Jewish hospital. Jonah Touro died on January 18th 1954, and after his death, he left a large fortune: $100,000 to two Jewish congregations in the city and another $150,000 to various congregations across the country. The Touro Synagogue was named after his home synagogue (which had originally been named after his namesake). The Touro Synagogue which is still active today is the oldest synagogue outside of the original 13 colonies.