Interesting history of this very beautiful synagogue; photos don't do it justice. Various Judaic items on display, as well as presidential letters. Knowledgeable and friendly tour guide/ volunteers, with a wonderful gift shop that carries books, children's items, jewelry and various Judaic items such as candles/ candle holders, mezuzahs, menorahs, cards... Shalom y'all!! read more

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Amazing and historical! You will learn a lot. A recommended stop and recommend taking the tour! read more

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This is kind of a hard tour to get into. Part of this is because the religious services are on the weekend when tourists would be coming, but I am also still kind of miffed that when I tried to stop by on Christmas day, which was a weekday, they were not open, leaving me to go get some Chinese food instead. Of all the Jewish holidays, I did not know that Christmas was one of them. Anyway, assuming that you get in, it is a majestic structure. However, the tour is kind of limited. An audio recording giving a historical overview plays in the main hall, and then there is a visit to a one-room museum. The views are impressive and the history is interesting, but there just wasn't a ton of tour. For reference, the term "mickve" refers to a ritual bath, which I learned about on a tour of a different historic synagogue that actually took us under the building to view one of these. This tour here, despite the name, did not include an actual mickve. Our tour guide opened by saying he was not local and did not know much about the area; self-deprecation is archetypically Jewish, but given the history of the congregation one would think they could find a more salt-of-the-earth tour guide. So all things considered, the tour experience was not that great for me; the community I'm sure is a different matter. read more

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Great docent, very interesting history, gorgeous sanctuary, and small but mighty museum with incredible pieces. The gift shop is also worth a visit. Go see this wonderful synagogue! read more

This is a great historic site. The tours are great - we enjoyed Marc and his stories about its history and the Jewish history in Savannah. The synagogue itself is really nice with incredible stained windows. The congregation has a lovely rabbi and warm and welcoming members. Cool artifacts upstairs. I highly recommend visiting. read more

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Excellent and informative tour with a docent who was a great storyteller. The place is beautiful in a late Victorian style. Fascinating history. read more

Extremely interesting tour for both Jews and non-jews. Very helpful volunteers and fascinating history. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area. Also, they have beautiful merchandise in the gift store. read more

Third oldest Jewish Congregation in the US is not the first thing you would think is located in Savannah. Well, I didn't, anyway. I was very surprised to learn that Congregation Mickve Israel (CMI) is such a place. Designed by New York architect, Henry G. Harrison, CMI is an example of Neo-Gothic architecture. If you go on a rainy day like I did, you might just get lucky and get a private tour by one of their knowledgeable docents, eager to share the tale of how The William and Sarah set sail from England, carrying 42 Jews and their settlement in Savannah dating as far back as the city's history. - Parking - Metered street parking. $1/hr. CMI is located right in front of Monterey Square. - The Tour - When you arrive at the entrance door, you will need to ring the doorbell to get in. The tour costs $8 a person and was about 45 minutes long. I called ahead of time to see when the tours ran. Tour hours are from 10 am to 3:30 pm. The lady said that the tours are dependent on the walk-ins, so she advised to come when I could. There are several docents on standby who are all volunteers and members of the congregation. My friend and I lucked out because no one walked in when we arrived, so we got a private tour! The docent first brought us to the sanctuary and gave us a little introduction. He then played a recording that went into greater detail about CMI and its history. After the recording, we were led upstairs to the museum where we ended the tour. He pointed out certain things and talked a little bit about them and then left us to look at the articles at our leisure. He was so nice and so knowledgeable. There are so many cool facts and interesting artifacts to be found there, like the reasoning behind the long and narrow layout of the synagogue versus the traditional round structure; the Spock sign found on the stained glass as it relates to Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek and the Jewish faith; why an organ was used in the services which was unprecedented for a Jewish service and the synagogue's survival from a fire. They still have the original torahs brought over from England that they still use to this day for special occasions. In the museum, you can find a "Presidential" wall with letters from most of the presidents addressed to CMI (only missing a few presidents) and you can also find a 600 year old torah, hand scribed on deerskin. Holy! (pun intended). I kid you not, the handwriting could very well be mistaken for a laser printer. The letters are uniform and so straight! Could you imagine if you screwed up? No, no I cannot. There's also a pretty neat connection between 5 congregants, the Girls Scouts and one of my fave bakeries, Gottlieb's Bakery! This is such a beautiful place and I highly recommend anyone, regardless of your faith to check it out! CMI also organizes The Shalom Y'All Jewish Food Festival, so I'm definitely going to keep my eyes peeled for that! read more

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In 1733, a ship named "The William and Sarah" left London, sailed across the ocean to the new world, and landed in Savannah, GA. It carried 41 Jews who were welcomed and settled in a city with a culture of religious tolerance. This was the beginning of the Congregation Mickve Israel. Surprisingly, Savannah is home to America's third oldest synagogue, following New York City and Newport, RI. The synagogue is still operating today and it contains a wonderful museum to share the story of those 41 pioneers. read more

Great tour. Beautiful Our guide was very helpful and interesting Neat place to walk to read more

Fabulous tour guide, David, gave an awesome tour. Started in the sanctuary of the third oldest congregation in the country. Then went upstairs to a magnificent museum with Torah scrolls from the 1400s and other treasures. Don't miss this! read more

Congregation Mickve Israel - Stained glass windows - Synagogues Near Me - Savannah, Georgia

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This is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States and houses the third oldest Torah in the Americas. We took the guided tour. Our guide helped us to understand the history of Judaism in Savannah and Georgia in general. It was interesting to hear how a jewish doctor saved the community. At first it was difficult to find because of it's appearance. With its Gothic styling it look more like a church then the Synagogue that it was built as. It has a beautiful interior with lovely stained glass windows. Worth seeing. read more

Shalom y'all located just off Monterey Square on Gordan Street. The Only Neo-Gothic and third oldest Synagogue in North America Founded 1733. Our docent was very knowledgeable of the history and artifacts. The tour started in the sanctuary with a DVD describing the synagogue's history and the how the Jews got to and lived in Savannah. The explanation of the historical background was in great detail. Temple today has a reform congregation. Although blind he was able to fully explain each item as he pointed them out. The stain glass windows are very pretty. This building represents more than just a place of worship...it's the history of how Jews came to Savannah and how they earned their place in society. Upon the Ark we had the opportunity to view their Holocaust Torah. The building's architecture and decorations are magnificent. The small museum upstairs was neat contained letters from various US Presidents, Torah's written in the 1400's on deer skin plus numerous other items. The tour took about 45 minutes and well worth the time. We most definitely recommend a visit/tour if you like to visit churches and cathefrals. read more

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If you are Jewish, and even if you're not, do not miss Mikveh Israel. They offer 45-minute guided tours throughout the day. The docents (volunteer temple members) were extremely knowledgeable about this history of this third oldest temple in the US and of many of its most important leaders. The temple is a beautiful example of gothic architecture, and the museum portion of the temple contains many artifacts from its earliest days, including the two oldest Torahs in North America (behind glass). We also learned how the most important members sided during the civil war (mixed). Interestingly, there are letters on the walls from many of our countries great (and not so great) Presidents. Friday night we went to shabbat services which were intimate and lovely. The rabbi seemed to recognize visitors and personally welcomed us. Services were followed by an Oneg to which we were all invited. Had I known that the Saturday morning service was a bigger deal, I might have gone then instead because everyone is welcome to have lunch with the congregation. However, we did stay and talk with members at the Oneg to get a feel for the Southern Jewish community. They were very welcoming. read more

Beautiful Synagogue. I think its done in a neo gothic style architecture. I drove right past it a few times before I found it. One of the oldest congregations in the US. I loved that friday night shabbat services were held outside in the summertime. Rabbi Belzer and the Congregation were so friendly and welcoming. Oh and every year they hold a Jewish Food Festival in Forsyth Park. Shalom y'all!! read more

If interested in Jewish history, then this is a stop for you! Give yourself 45-60 mins to tour the synagogue, museum, and gift shop. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and personable. For an $8 donation per adult, it was well worth the money. Definitely a must-do while in Savannah! read more

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I'm a Jewish history professor so I'm inherently interested in this sort of thing, but also have a high bar. This way exceeded expectations. A really beautiful old synagogue built in 1878, for a congregation founded in Savannah in 1733. The synagogue is exquisite. The guided tour begins with a recording, which through me off a bit but it's quite informative. Upstairs is a small museum. Small, but packs a lot in there, including the two oldest Torahs in America, crafted in the 1400s in Spain or Portugal, brought over in the 1730s and used by the congregation. Lots of other old and interesting objects. Our tour guide was nice and knowledgable. Everyone on the tour who was not a history professor seemed to love it as well. This was much better than similar tour and museums I've seen in old synagogues around the country. read more

We really enjoyed our visit to the beautiful Mickve Israel Temple in Savannah. Our docent guide, Julie, was well-prepared, eloquent and passionate. She patiently answered questions and made us feel welcome. We were very interested in the amazing history of this special, sacred place. Our visit to Mickve Israel Temple was a peaceful and meaningful respite on a busy day touring Savannah. read more

This old synagogue goes back to 1733 and was a beautiful wonder to discover in the city of Savannah. We did the tour of the synagogue and their museum for only $8 per person and the knowledgable guide walked us through the history of the place in relation to Savannah. This place is great to visit if you're interested in history, even if you're not Jewish. read more

Gorgeous Temple, inside and out. Lovely square, beautiful Gothic architecture. Museum is very interesting and nice little gift shop.

This stop was not a place I thought we would be visiting. I was pleasantly surprised. While in the Synagogue itself, the guide was very enthusiastic and interesting. However, once we walked up the stairs, I would have preferred to look around and read about the items in the room. Instead, he seemed to just ramble on and lost my attention. The Synagogue was loaded with history and the architecture was amazing. Worth the price of admission. Shalom y'all!! read more

Went here with my friends and had an amazing experience. Tony, our guide, was phenomenal. He spent a significant amount of time telling us the history of the synagogue and the artifacts it contained. So much history from colonial times. Loved it and very highly recommend this tour. read more

We were happy to find this synagogue on one of the stops of our hop-on-hop-off trolly tour. As luck would have it, we made it in time to catch one of their tours. It was interesting and informative, and a stop we are happy we made. You will notice how the building really looks like a church, but no, it never was one. Friendly and knowledgable tour guides keep the tour interesting, and are more than happy to answer questions. read more

We enjoyed visiting this synagogue tremendously. Our tour guide Joel was extremely knowledgable about the temple and its people. We were amazed to see torahs from the 14th century, documents signed by G Washington, R Lee and others. Beautiful place to visit and suggest a must stop for all individuals interested in the history of the Jewish people in USA. read more

Beautiful temple and very informative tour given by Joel. Definitely worth the time to stop in and see a very unique place of worship.

NobisWorld.org brought a group of educators to the Temple to learn more about Savannah's history. The guide, Tony L., was knowledgeable and eager to present a thorough timeline of the Mickve Israel congregation and the role of the congregants in establishing the Colony of Georgia. read more

The second oldest house of worship in Savannah is a treasure of history as well as both architectural and religious interest. The beautiful sanctuary is unusual for a synagogue, with many details more typically found in churches, but reflective of the neo-Gothic architectural style so popular at the time. This is the third building, as the first was lost to a fire and the second became too small for the growing congregation. The museum holds what are most likely the oldest torahs in the US and among the oldest in the world. The docents were very knowledgeable and passionate about their synagogue, its history and significance. They were open to our questions and comments. In fact, we asked a question about one of the inscriptions on a stained glass window and when they weren't certain of the answer, they Googled it right away! They'd not been asked that question before. They told us that about 1/3 of their visitors are not Jewish. The gift shop has a great variety of items, including some local pieces. I bought their cookbook and look forward to trying out some new recipes. read more

This Jewish Congregation dates back to 1630's and is the 2nd oldest in the USA. Tours are available, but we walked in after the tour times and "Pepi" (the tour guide) gave us a look at the sanctuary. The stain glass windows are superb and the history of the congregation is remarkable. I was surprised to find it so interesting. read more

What a beautiful temple with so much interesting history. We came here on a Saturday and it was not open to visitors but a temple member took pity on us and let us in to see the main service area. It turned out he actually does a lot of the tours and was such a special experience to connect with him. The temple has 2 of the oldest torahs in the world (written on deerskin to avoid parchment paper suspicion during the Spanish Inquisition). This was the highlight of our trip and we felt so lucky that our son got to come here as his first synagogue. read more

Beautiful building. Excellent tour including history of Savannah and informative museum and guides. A must see!