The Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue (Hebrew: קהל צור ישראל, lit.

The synagogue was established in 1636 by Portuguese and Spanish Sephardic Jews who had taken refuge in Dutch Brazil, fleeing forced conversion, and were joined by New Christians, who possibly helped to build the structure and were already living in the colony.

The museum features a Torah and bema, as well as archeological excavations displaying various parts of the original synagogue, such as the mikveh.

In 2001 the decision was made to create a Jewish museum in the two-story house with two shops located on the first floor then standing on the site of the old synagogue.

[7] The Jewish museum, designed to resemble synagogues built in the 17th and 18th centuries by Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal, opened in 2001.