Nidhe Israel Museum, Bridgetown, Barbados - History Museums on Waymarking.com

The Nidhe Israel Museum is located in the same property complex as the historic Nidhe Israel Synagogue and the Jewish cemetery in Bridgetown, Barbados. Nidhe Israel Museum, literally meaning "the scattered of Israel," depicts the story of the Sephardic Jews who fled the Portuguese Inquisition in Dutch owned Recife (Brazil). Escaping to Barbados, these people played a critical role in the development of the sugar industry in Barbados. They established the Nidhe Israel Synagogue In 1654 which is the oldest synagogue in the Americas (North, Central, and South).

The museum was built in 2008 and is located in what was once an old Jewish schoolhouse. The museum provides interactive displays and exhibits telling the stories of the scattered children of Israel. Inside large cement slabs connect the visitor to the cemetery outside connecting the visitor to the reality of the area and the exhibits presented.

Created by Montreal-based Groupe DES many of the exhibits are “touchable” and the artifacts presented of perfume bottles, pipes, and fragments of dishes are relics from Bridgetown’s past. All the senses are engaged as the visitors tour the museum they inhale the scents of various spices used in every day Barbadian life.

“The museum was under construction for two years at a cost of $1.5 million, two-thirds of it donated by the Monaco-based Tabor family. It's a new chapter in the island's Jewish history, and visiting the museum is fascinating, especially because the synagogue is a stone's throw away, and the Jewish cemetery, with graves dating back to 1658, is in the immediate vicinity.”

In March 2008, the original rabbi's house was unearthed by a team of archaeologists from the University of the West Indies. Alongside it they discovered what just might be the oldest mikveh in the Americas.”

Sources Used:
(visit link)

Theme: Cultural History of Barbadian Jewish Community Street Address: Synagogue Lane Bridgetown, St. Michael, Barbados Phone: 246-436-6869 Food Court: no Hours of Operation: Hours: Mon: 9:00AM - 4:00PM Tues: 9:00AM - 4:00PM Wed: 9:00AM - 4:00PM Thur: 9:00AM - 4:00PM Fri: 9:00AM - 4:00PM Cost: 1.00 (listed in local currency) Museum Size: Small Gift Shop: Not Listed Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/06/2010 PersonsMD visited it