LIFTING THE SKY: A CAMPAIGN FOR TOURO SYNAGOGUE | 2020-2024

This modernization was enabled by the generosity of so many…
Our Donor Wall can be found in the Living Room at Touro Synagogue.

The Lobby
For the first time, we truly have a lobby. A welcoming, comfortable, and beautiful space for congregants and visitors.
The new Living Room, as it is called, features a light fixture created by an Israeli artist commissioned by Touro Synagogue.
The Lobby area is brightly and beautifully lit with both natural light from a skylight and an LED perforated lighting system. Cove lighting completes the ambiance.
The Administrative Offices are visible and are integrated. The staff have new attractive and functional furniture.

The Library
Facilitated by the new, long wanted elevator, the library moved to the second floor. The arched windows were uncovered and restored. New, flexible/re-arrangeable furniture was acquired and technology incorporated.
The result is a beautiful multi-functional space.
Adjoining the library is an adult sitting room and a children’s library.

The Children’s Library
This creative new space adjoins and is connected to the Library.
The Children’s Library has shelves of children’s books and activities and features kid-friendly seating that is easily moved around to accommodate multiple ways of using the space.

Adult Sitting Room
Adjacent to and connected to the new Library is the Adult Sitting Room – a space totally new for Touro.
The Adult Sitting Room features comfortable seating, a small meeting table, and bookshelves. It is a cozy place to hang out – or maybe play a game of mahjong!

Beit Midrash
This new cozy, functional, technology-enabled space is for our teens who are preparing for their Bar or Bat Mitzvahs.
They can meet with the Cantor and Education Director who have their offices in this education-focused space and study in groups or on their own.




Classrooms
Our classrooms were furnished with new kid-sized tables and chairs, technology and a fresh coat of paint – bringing new life to these rooms.

Elevator
The long-awaited elevator was installed, making all three floors of our Education Building accessible to all and enabling the major reconfiguration of spaces in this part of our facility.

Windows
Our history uncovered and restored!

What you don’t see…
The 40+ year old air conditioning and heating system was replaced with modern, efficient, automated systems.
The 30+ year old roofs were replaced – and will be good for decades ahead.
And there’s more…
- We converted a single gender bathroom to an all-gender bathroom in our main hallway and added a new women’s restroom on the first floor.
- We added all-gender bathrooms to the third floor – a floor that had never had bathrooms previously.

A tribute to the Clergy and Lay Leaders who led the way
This cornerstone can be found inside our new lobby at the St. Charles entrance.
This project was supported by a grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places, a program of
Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.