Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue

Extraordinary and can’t miss in Curaçao 🇨🇼 It’s the oldest functioning synagogue in the Americas. It’s reform nowadays, very welcoming. Rabbi Hirsch is wonderful. Breathtaking beauty and you can’t help but get watery eyes after you understand the historical significance of this place.

Beautiful synagogue. Great museum. Friendly staff. Was one of the highlights of our time in Curacao.

We are not Jewish but love historical buildings. This place is simply beautiful. The sand floors. The museum. The timeline of Curaçao’s history and how the Jewish community impacted it. Highly recommend a visit! Check out our full video and other videos of our Curacao adventures on YouTube: Wandered Off

very few people know of the jewish community in curaçao and even fewer know that it has been the first in the americas and the richest and most important until the mid 19th century. the synagogue is still active although the community is dwindling. the museum is small but very well organized and undeniably deeply cared for. definitely worth a visit.

Beautiful synagogue, as many have already mentioned it’s the oldest in the western hemisphere that still functions today! It’s apparently a replica of the original in Amsterdam, complete with the sand floor. I didn’t come for shul on Shabbat (I’m observant/orthodox and this is reconstructionist — observant folks, go to Chabad!) but I did morning prayers here before going to the museum. Such a joy to daven within the same walls as thousands of our ancestors have for hundreds of years.

The Synagogue/Museum is well worth a visit. The Synagogue is the oldest in the Americas. It is still active and many of the items in the attached museum are still used for worship. We had a great time speaking with Phyllis. Doesn't take long to visit, but if you are interested in historical places and places of worship it is well worth your time.

The history of the Mikve Israel-Emanuel Synagogue, the oldest surviving synagogue in the Western Hemisphere, invites visitors to think about what it must have been like to resettle in a distant land where a sand-floor synagogue would be part of the new way of life. A comprehensive timeline posted outside the museum includes the arrival of Jews in Curaçao almost four centuries ago fleeing persecution from Crusader pogroms. It begins with information about an Arawakan language people group Indigenous to Venezuela populating Curaçao as early as 500 BC. Progressing through various struggles for freedom, and Curaçao's history as it relates to the larger world.

A visit to the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas is an absolute must. The history of this synagogue is very interesting and is explained in detail through a timeline display. It also goes into some of the history of Curacao which I found very useful and informative. Next to the synagogue is the museum, which is considered to be a "living museum" meaning a lot of items on display are used for service or special ceremonies/events.