The São Paulo Hebrew Congregation (, abbreviated as ''CIP'') is a

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, with this to the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

movement, located in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is the largest congregation in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

, serving more than 2,000 families. The congregation was established in 1936 by a group of refugees from

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

History

The rabbinate of the congregation that follows the liberal movements of Judaism (although not only affiliated to the Reform movement, but also affiliated to the Conservative movement), is currently composed by

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

s Michel Schlesinger, Ruben Sternschein, Rogério Cukierman, and Tamara Schagas. There are also the chazanim ( cantors) Avi Bursztein, Alexandre Edelstein, and Alexandre Schinazi. The CIP is known for being the largest Jewish congregation in Latin America, estimated at ninety eight thousand Jews. They promote a diverse number of activities: religious services, Jewish study groups, informal Jewish school,

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

, activities for

senior citizens Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

, fields of study, Zionist youth groups (Chazit Hanoar),

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and

Girl Guides Girl Guides (or Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) are organisations within the Scout Movement originally and largely still for girls and women only. The Girl Guides began in 1910 with the formation of Girlguiding, The ...

(in Avanhandava), distinguishing itself positively in São Paulo's Jewish community.

Activism

The congregation has historically engaged in several types of political activism. Maria Luiza Tucci Carneiro of the University of Sao Paolo, wrote 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 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

* * * 1936 establishments in Brazil 20th-century synagogues in Brazil Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Brazil Ashkenazi synagogues Conservative Judaism in Brazil Conservative synagogues in South America German-Brazilian culture German-Jewish diaspora Jewish organizations established in 1936 Reform synagogues in Brazil Religious buildings and structures in São Paulo Synagogues completed in 1936 {{Brazil-synagogue-stub

History

Activism

Leadership

See also

References

External links