R.I. judge rules congregation evicted from Newport’s Touro Synagogue can continue worship at nearby house

Congregation Jeshuat Israel can continue to gather at the Levi Gale House, across the street from the synagogue, according to the judge’s decision

A closed gate outside the entrance of the Touro Synagogue which is the oldest standing synagogue in the US, and a symbol of religious freedom in America.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

PROVIDENCE – Congregation Jeshuat Israel can continue to worship at a 19th century building near Newport’s historic Touro Synagogue, from which the group was evicted last year, a judge has determined.

Newport County Superior Court Judge Sarah Taft-Carter, in a 26-page decision filed on Tuesday, ruled against the synagogue’s owner, New York-based Congregation Shearith Israel, which had argued it is also the owner of the Levi Gale House across the street at 85 Touro St. that has long been associated with the synagogue.

“We are encouraged that the court addressed several key issues favorably to our congregation, and we will necessarily continue to defend our organization and its important mission against the aggressive tactics of Congregation Shearith Israel,” Michael Pimental, president of Congregation Jeshuat Israel, said in a statement to the Globe on Thursday.

Congregation Shearith Israel did not immediately returned a request for comment.

Congregation Jeshuat Israel has been hosting services at the Levi Gale House since being evicted from the 18th-century synagogue – the nation’s oldest – over the past year. In April 2025, the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled Congregation Shearith Israel could evict Congregation Jeshuat Israel from the synagogue, where the group had worshiped for more than a century.

In the latest case before Taft-Carter, Congregation Shearith Israel had argued Congregation Jeshuat Israel had no legal interest in the property because the building is tied to a fund created by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 1823 under the last will and testament of Abraham Touro.

The fund supports the upkeep of the synagogue, and a similar fund created in 1879 through the last will and testament of Judah Touro, provides funding for the salary of a rabbi at the synagogue. Under state law, both funds are administered by the Newport City Council and Rhode Island general treasurer.

According to Taft-Carter, in 1914, the Abraham Touro Fund statute was amended to allow the general treasurer to provide funding to purchase the Levi Gale House, and to place the premises in the hands of five trustees: The general treasurer, the mayor of Newport, and three people selected by Congregation Jeshuat Israel.

Taft-Carter wrote that Congregation Jeshuat Israel was unable to provide adequate evidence that it owns the house. But Congregation Shearith Israel is also not entitled to a court declaration that the Congregation Jeshuat Israel has no interest in the property because the “lack of ownership does not preclude it from enjoying some other interest in the Levi Gale House,” the judge wrote.

“For example, CJI is presently worshiping in the Levi Gale House, and nothing in the statute or the record precludes CJI from enjoying that use of the Levi Gale House so long as it is consistent with the testator’s intentions,” Taft-Carter wrote. “The plain language of Abraham Touro’s will makes clear his intent not only to support Touro Synagogue, but also to support Jewish worship in Newport.”

Taft-Carter also rejected Congregation Shearith Israel’s assertion that it is entitled to distributions from the Abraham Touro Fund because it is the owner of the synagogue, finding “the Newport Council is the only entity authorized to draw on and expend funds for the benefit of the synagogue” under the law. Congregation Jeshuat Israel is also not entitled to the funds as it is no longer worshiping at the synagogue, the judge wrote.

Congregation Shearith Israel also argued it should receive distributions from the Judah Touro Fund because it currently employs a rabbi at the synagogue, according to Taft-Carter’s decision. The judge, however, wrote that much like the Abraham Touro Fund, only the Newport City Council can “draw on and expend its funds” under the law.

Congregation Shearith Israel filed the lawsuit in May 2025 against Congregation Jeshuat Israel, alleging the group misappropriated funds set aside for the synagogue’s upkeep, among other claims. Congregation Jeshuat Israel filed a counterclaim in June 2025.

This story has been updated to include comment from Michael Pimental.