On the 19th of Tevet 1638, the Catholic Church in Recife, Brazil closed the two shuls then in existence there.
The Kahal Zur Israel (“Rock of Israel”) was the first synagogue built in the New World. It was established mainly by Jewish immigrants from the Netherlands, joined by New Christians already living in the colony. The synagogue flourished in the mid-1600’s, when the Dutch briefly controlled this part of northeastern Brazil. The synagogue served a community of approximately 1,450 Jews. It had a cantor, Josue Velosino, and a rabbi, Isaac Aboab da Fonseca.
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