The Congregação Israelita Paulista ( en, São Paulo Hebrew Congregation) in São Paulo, is the largest

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

in Latin America, serving more than 2000 families. Established in 1936 by a group of refugees from Nazi Germany, it is a Reform synagogue, but also has ties with the

Conservative movement Conservative movement may refer to: *Conservatism in the United States, in politics *Conservatism, a political philosophy *Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious moveme ...

. The rabbinate of the congregation that follows the liberal movements of Judaism (although not only affiliated to the

Reform Movement A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary mo ...

, but also affiliated to the

Conservative Movement Conservative movement may refer to: *Conservatism in the United States, in politics *Conservatism, a political philosophy *Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious moveme ...

), - is currently composed by rabbis Michel Schlesinger, Ruben Sternschein, Rogério Cukierman, and Tamara Schagas. There are also the chazanim (

cantors A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds. In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...

) Avi Bursztein, Alexandre Edelstein, and Alexandre Schinazi. Because CIP is known for being the largest Jewish congregation in Latin America, in membership, they promote a diverse number of activities: religious services, Jewish study groups, informal Jewish school, choir, activities for senior citizens, fields of study, Zionist youth groups (Chazit Hanoar),

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

and Girl Guides (in Avanhandava), distinguishing itself positively in São Paulo's Jewish community which is estimated at ninety eight thousand Jews.

Activism

The congregation has also historically engaged in several types of political activism. In her history of the congregation, Maria Luiza Tucci Carneiro of the University of Sao Paolo said that the congregation "is seen as a space of resistance and memory because it initially welcomed German Jews, persecuted by Nazism, and later Italian Jews, persecuted by fascism. Then a resistance nucleus emerged that left a very important legacy in Brazilian culture". Following the death of Jewish journalist Vladimir Herzog during the Military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1970s, the congregation's chief rabbi

Henry Sobel Henry Isaac Sobel (9 January 1944, in Lisbon – 22 November 2019, in Miami) was a Portuguese-American Reform rabbi, and was president of the Congregação Israelita Paulista (CIP), a major Jewish congregation in São Paulo, Brazil. Biography ...

stood with interfaith leaders to denounce Herzog's murder by security forces.

Leadership

*Rabbi Michel Schlesinger *Rabbi Ruben Sternschein * *Rabbi Rogério Cukierman *Rabbi Tamara Schagas

References

External links

Official site
1936 establishments in Brazil Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Brazil Ashkenazi synagogues Conservative Judaism in Brazil Conservative synagogues Reform synagogues in Brazil Jewish organizations established in 1936 Religious buildings and structures in São Paulo German-Brazilian culture German-Jewish diaspora {{Brazil-synagogue-stub