The Revised Statutes of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

(AMERICAN JUDAICA)

Sayles, Miller and Simons

Providence

1857

On title, Seal of Rhode Island.

The Colony of Rhode Island was founded in 1647 by Roger Williams, a dissident from the Plymouth Colony of Massachusetts. Thanks to the religious tolerance of its founder, an anti-authoritarian theologian, Rhode Island immediately became a safe haven for the religiously persecuted - indeed Jews settled there as early as 1658. The laws of Rhode Island continued to reflect this notion of religious tolerance. The present law-book contains three subjects of Jewish interest: *The Touro Fund, a bequest by Abraham Touro of Boston, which significantly, maintained the synagogue and Jewish cemetery of Newport when no Jews remained in the city (pp. 156-58). Abraham Touro was the brother of Judah Touro of New Orleans and son of Rev. Isaac Touro, Hazan of the Newport congregation. * A special clause exempting Jews from the prevalent laws of consanguinity (p. 312); * And another special clause permitting the conduct of business on Sunday - "All the professors of the Sabbatarian faith or of the Jewish religion… may labor in their respective professions or vocations on the first day of the week" (p. 545). See JE, Vol. IX, pp. 294-96.