Centro Israelita do Paraná

Israelite Center of Paraná
Spanish: Centro Israelita do Paraná
The entrance to the synagogue, in 2017
Religion
Affiliation	Conservative Judaism
Rite	Nusach Ashkenaz
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Synagogue and cultural center
Leadership	Rabbi Pablo Berman
Status	Active
Location
Location	248 Agostinho Macedo, Curitiba, Paraná
Country	Brazil
Location of the cultural center and synagogue in Brazil
Geographic coordinates	25°24′52″S 49°16′21″W
Architecture
Style	Modernist
Date established	1913 (as the Kehila)
Completed	2011
Website
kehila.com.br

The Israelite Center of Paraná (Spanish: Centro Israelita do Paraná) is a Jewish cultural center and Conservative synagogue, located in the city of Curitiba, in the state of Paraná, in southern Brazil. The synagogue is called the Beit Yaacov Synagogue (Spanish: Singagoa Beit Yaacov). The centre was completed in 2011 and in addition to communal space, it houses a synagogue, Jewish day school, and a Holocaust museum.

History

The first Jew to arrive in Curitiba was José Flaks, who in 1889 arrived with his wife Roni and their children Michael and Frederick. Shortly thereafter came Max Rosenman. Both were originally from Galicia and settled in the area of Curitiba known as Barigui. The Flaks family were recognizable by their traditional Orthodox costume. Max Rosenman hosted religious services and even the manufacture of matzot for Passover. In 1913, the capital of Paraná had around 12 families and more than 20 single men. On 27 July 1913, at the initiative of Julius Stolzenberg, Bernard Schulman, Leo and Jacob Charatz Mandelman, it was decided that founded the Union Israelita do Parana, to care for cultural and religious needs of the community. In 1929, the first community centre was founded and it served as a synagogue, a school and a social club, under the stewardship of the Kehila.

Today, the community is one of the largest of southern Brazil. It has an active Zionist youth movement in Habonim Dror and many other departments. A newsletter of community events called Oi Kehilá (English: Hi Community) is produced and sent via E-mail to community members. In 2009, the community hired Argentine Rabbi Pablo Berman, formerly the rabbi of the Israeli Community of El Salvador.

Facilities

Escola Israelita Brasileira Salomão Guelmann

Housed within the compound of the Jewish center is the Jewish school named after Salomão Guelmann who built and donated the school to the community in 1921, to serve as a foundation for the education of the Jewish children of Curitiba.

See also

• History of the Jews in Brazil
• Holocaust Museum in Curitiba
• List of synagogues in Brazil

External links

• Official website (in Portuguese)
• "Homepage". Escola Israelita Brasileira Salomão Guelmann. (in Portuguese)
• "Official blog". Oi Kehila. n.d. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. (in Portuguese)