79th Annual George Washington Letter Reading: Honoring Religious Diversity

Every summer, TSF Newport (formerly known as Touro Synagogue Foundation) hosts the George Washington Letter Reading, an event honoring our nation’s heritage of religious diversity and our history of the separation of church and state.  

George Washington’s 1790 letter to “To the Hebrew Congregation in Newport” was written after his first trip to Rhode Island as President. In his eloquent reply to a letter by Moses Seixas, warden of the local Jewish congregation, Washington attested to the new government’s commitment to freedom of religion, an entitlement he regarded as an “inherent natural right.” The federal government, Washington stated, “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance” — borrowing the now-famous phrase from Seixas’ letter that expressed their shared vision for America’s government.

August 2026 marks the 79th reading of the famous letter.

The event will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 16, at The Old Colony House, at the head of Washington Square in Newport. While in-person seating is limited, the event will be live-streamed, and all may attend virtually via a link on the TSF Newport Facebook page: facebook.com/TSFNewportRI

The annual event has a long tradition of distinguished keynote speakers and letter readers, including Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan.  

Keith Stokes, Vice-Chair, TSF Newport, Associate Director of the Rhode Island Division of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and  Rhode Island's Historian Laureate, will read the Washington Letter.

Samuel Shamoon, city planning and historic preservation consultant, member of the TSF Newport board of directors, and journalist who has written on Newport's Colonial Jewish community and its connection to our nation's history of religious freedom, will read the letter to President Washington from Moses Seixas of Newport’s Hebrew Congregation, which inspired Washington’s famous response.

Rachel Laser, President & CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church & State, will deliver the keynote address.

For more information or to inquire about in-person attendance, please email tsfn@tsfnewport.org or phone (401) 847-4794 ext. 207

To learn more about President Washington's 1790 letter to the congregation that worshiped in Touro Synagogue, our nation's oldest surviving Jewish house of worship (dedicated 1763), visit this webpage:
tsfnewport.org/history/george-washington-letter/

About TSF Newport (formerly known as Touro Synagogue Foundation:
Founded in 1948 as the "Society of Friends of Touro Synagogue" following the designation of Touro Synagogue as a National Historic Site, and most recently known as "Touro Synagogue Foundation" — TSF Newport is a nonsectarian 501(c)(3) educational foundation dedicated to teaching and promoting religious diversity, equality, and the American history of the separation of church and state. 
Through educational programs, TSF Newport encourages people of all ages to learn the richness of this country's religious heritage, thereby fostering dialogue and understanding among individuals of diverse backgrounds and faiths.
TSF Newport is affiliated with the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
To learn more, please visit tsfnewport.org/