Recorded on 3 August 2025

Shalom y'all! Join us for an exclusive virtual tour of America's third oldest Jewish Congregation and the only neo-Gothic synagogue in the United States. In 1733, a group of mostly Spanish & Portuguese Sephardic Jewish immigrants arrived in Georgia from England, where they had found refuge from the horrors of the Inquisition. Bringing with them a Torah scroll from London's Bevis Marks, the group settled in Savannah and founded Mickve Israel, the state's first synagogue, in July 1735. Construction of the sanctuary began in 1876 and was completed in 1878. New York architect Henry G. Harrison pure neo-Gothic design reflected the fashionable architecture of the Victorian era. Congregation Mickve Israel was named one of the “15 Most Beautiful Synagogues in the World” by Condé Nast Traveler and rated among the “15 BEST Things to Do in Savannah” by Trip Advisor.

Your guide for this tour will be Rabbi Robert Haas, a native of McAllen, Texas, who became the 14th spiritual leader of Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, Georgia, in 2012. After receiving his B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin, he began his first career as an elementary school teacher before matriculating at Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem and Los Angeles, where he earned his Master’s Degree and Rabbinical Ordination. After graduation, he served as an associate rabbi in Dallas and in Houston, Texas. He then spent a year volunteering in Africa with American Jewish World Service before moving to Savannah. Rabbi Haas is a sought-after comedian, lecturer, preacher, and interfaith leader, regularly speaking and performing for organizations, radio shows, colleges, theaters, houses of worship, and institutions.