[b. 1775, Newport, RI; d. 1854, New Orleans, LA]
His father, Isaac Touro of Holland, was chosen in 1762 (Judah was then 7) as the hazzan of Portugues Sephardic congregation [later, to become the iconic Touro Synagogue extant todayas a Moden Orthodox synagogue] in Newport. The synagogue itself was built from 1759 to 1763 for the Yeshuat Israel congregation.
Merchant-philanthropist. Judah Touro moved to New Orleans at the age of 22 and became a successful trader. He enlisted in the War of 1812 under Andrew Jackson and was wounded in the defense of New Orleans. Touro never married but left large funds (estimated $500,000) for various philanthropic purposes. Some of them included completing the Bunker Hill monument, enclosing the Jewish Cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island, and numerous almshouses and Jewish congregations in New Orleans and other cities. His funds joined with Montefiore’s to help build the first housing complex outside the walls of the old city of Jerusalem, Mishkenot Shananim.
The Touro Synagogue of Newport and the Spanish Portuguese Synagogue of Central Park West, Manhattan, both Sephardic, are the oldest synagogues in America.