Nidhe Israel Synagogue

Sephardic Jewish families arrived in Barbados from Brazil in the 1620s and 1650s, bringing with them the sugar-making techniques that transformed the island's economy, and the synagogue they founded in 1654 is among the oldest in the western hemisphere. The building was rebuilt after the 1831 hurricane, fell out of use as the community shrank, and was restored from near-dereliction in the 1980s. Beside it a museum covers the community's history, and behind it archaeologists uncovered a mikveh, a ritual bath fed by a natural spring, dating from the seventeenth century and now displayed under a canopy. The cemetery holds stones in Hebrew, Portuguese and English.

What you actually see

• The 1654 foundation - among the oldest in the hemisphere.
• The mikveh - a seventeenth-century ritual bath excavated behind the building.
• The cemetery - stones in Hebrew, Portuguese and English.
• The museum - the community's role in bringing sugar technology.

When to go

Year-round; open weekdays with limited hours and closed on Saturdays for Shabbat. Mornings are quietest. Two hours covers the synagogue, mikveh and museum together.

Honest expectations

Hours are limited and it closes on Saturdays and Jewish holidays, which catches visitors out. It is small and takes under two hours. The surrounding streets of central Bridgetown are busy and unremarkable. Modest dress is expected.

Nearby

Bridgetown's centre and the Careenage are a short walk; the Garrison is south.