Bridgetown - Synagogue

Bridgetown is home of the oldest synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. It dates from 1654, though the current structure was erected in 1833 replacing one destroyed by the hurricane of 1831. Tombstones in the adjacent cemetery date from the 1630s. The site was abandoned in 1929, but saved and restored by the Jewish community in 1983 and is now under the protection of the Barbados National Trust.

The jewish community has been strong in Barbados because 300 Jewish immigrants from Brazil in the 1620s introduced sugar cane, which became the basis of the island's economy.

The fully restored synagogue is open to visitors.