Sinagoga Kehilat Israel - The Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art - Center for Jewish Art at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

District: Bom Retiro – São Paulo – SP – Brazil

Location:  Graça Street

Founded: January 21, 1912

Project inaugurated in 1957: Technical Office of Engineering Prumo, by Maurício Sznelwar and Aaron Raw. The solemnity of the Fundamental Stone occurred on November 28, 1954, with the presence of Munkatcher Rebe, Rabbi David Valt and Rabino Menachem Diesendruck. Reforms were carried out between 1975 and 1978, with the support of the community itself, and the families Tabacow and Rosset …

Description of the building: Initially, prayers and ceremonies were performed in private homes, or “Schtibalech”. The arrival of new immigrants to the city, and the growth of the community in the early twentieth century, necessitated the organization of this and the construction of synagogues, many of which were built in the Bom Retiro neighborhood. Israeli Community of São Paulo “Kehilat Israel” was structured in a manner similar to the synagogues in Europe, consisting of synagogue, school, library, minyanim, Torah, Aron Hakodesh, Bimah, kosher food. It was founded on January 21, 1912 by the Jewish community from Bessarabia.

In 1913 they settled in a house, in Rua da Graça, in adapted house, in spite of the financial difficulties of those who helped to found it. In this initial building, a mixed-use townhouse, the ground floor was occupied by both men and women, with a curtain as a division of the space. In the basement, there was a kitchen and accommodation for immigrants in search of work. The building also had a small library and idishe classes. With increasing attendance at the synagogue, a larger space became necessary. In the 1950s, a new synagogue was established as a priority.

The current building, inaugurated in 1957, as well as other synagogues of the same time, had the first floor for the male sector and the upper floor for the women’s sector, benches and Aron Hakodesh in wood, Torot, Bimah and Ner Tamid. One detail to be quoted: the dome vaulted at the top, and which nowadays has a painting that highlights it. In the year 2000 Ten Yad goers began to attend the synagogue, which remained active. A new Sefer Torah was donated in 2003 and new reforms occurred.

Current state: The project for the creation of the Jewish Memorial came in the year 2004, on the initiative of those responsible for the Kehilat Israel Synagogue with the intention of preserving the memory and history of the pioneers and founders who built this synagogue. The project went ahead, being the “Fundamental Stone” launched in 2012. The Memorial of Jewish Immigration was inaugurated on February 23, 2016 in the building of the Synagogue of “Graça Street”, Kehilat Israel. This synagogue and its configuration can be seen nowadays in a visit to the Jewish Immigration Memorial and the Holocaust.