Judah Touro - Touro College Named in His Honor

Touro College Named in His Honor

Touro College, chartered in New York State in 1970, takes its name from the Touro family of Judah Touro and Isaac Touro (father of Judah). Judah Touro and Isaac Touro were Jewish community leaders of colonial America, who represent the ideals upon which Touro College bases its mission. Inspired by the democratic ethos enunciated by founding US President George Washington at Newport, Rhode Island when he visited the Touro Synagogue in 1790, the Touro family provided major endowments for universities, the first free library on the North American continent, community health facilities in the United States, and pioneering settlements in Israel.