Shaare Shalom Synagogue

Kahal Kadosh Shaare Shalom "Holy Congregation of the Gates of Peace , also called the United Congregation of Israelites, is a ancient synagogue in the town of Kingston on the island of Jamaica. Today, it stands as the most effective Jewish house of worship within the entire u . S . A .. With the inflow of Jews to Jamaica inside the 17th century, more than one synagogues had been constructed across the island in such towns as Montego Bay, Spanish Town, Port Royal, and Kingston. Originally, two synagogues had been constructed in Spanish Town, the Sephardi K.K. Neveh Shalom consecrated in 1704, and the Ashkenazi K.K. Mikveh Yisrael erected in 1796. These two congregations could later merge as Jews started out to migrate from Spanish

Town to Kingston, the new capital city. As in Spanish Town, two congregations Sephardi and Ashkenazi existed in Kingston. Initial attempts to shape a merger had been unsuccessful. The United Congregation of Israelites constructed the original Shaare Shalom synagogue in 1885, however an earthquake destroyed it. The constructing was reconstructed with the aid of the Henriques Brothers in 1912. This shape still stands. In 1921, the Ashkenazi community merged with the Shaare Shalom Synagogue to form a unified congregation which continues to exist.