The oldest synagogue building in America, Touro is an enduring symbol of our freedom of religion. Fearful of the Inquisition, many Jews migrated to new world colonies not under Spanish or Portuguese control. The Torah pictured was a gift from a congregation in Amsterdam and is over 500 years old. Rhode Island was founded as a religious sanctuary by Roger Williams, with help from John Clarke and Anne Hutchinson, who was banished from the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony for having the audacity to argue that women could discuss and help interpret scripture. The synagogue occupies a prominent location in Newport, along with other faith centers, away from the political center to help show the separation of church and state. And, since it is still being used by the local congregation as a place of worship, the park receives no federal funding.

Several Presidents have visited, but the first was George Washington, who wrote a thank you letter expressing his view that beyond mere tolerance, religion is a natural American right shared equally, including full liberty of conscience for all, guaranteeing protection against fear. Today’s Christian Nationalists should be ashamed of their profoundly un-American views.