With homes still charred lots, Palisades fire survivors find solace in temple reopening

When Steven Lewis volunteered to co-chair a renovation committee successful 2022 for his Pacific Palisades synagogue, helium had nary thought that the task would go his affectional anchor erstwhile his location burned 3 years later.

“It was thing affirmative that I could absorption on,” Lewis said. “I don’t cognize however I would person gotten done the past twelvemonth and a fractional without this project.”

On Friday, the synagogue reopened aft being closed since Jan. 7, 2025, pursuing the devastating fire. Kehillat Israel didn’t pain but suffered important fume damage. What had begun years agone arsenic a revitalization task added a furniture of remediation. It’s present 1 of the archetypal spiritual spaces to reopen successful the Pacific Palisades since the occurrence swept done the vicinity wherever much than 70% of its members lived.

Lewis and his household are among the 230 Kehillat Israel (KI) families who mislaid their homes successful the Palisades fire, including the congregation’s 2 rabbis, with an further 250 families who were displaced. Most, including Lewis, are successful assorted stages of grappling with insurance, permits and construction, whether they person to rebuild from the crushed up oregon salvage their homes by remediating harm caused by toxic smoke.

Roughly 480 Kehillat Israel families mislaid their homes oregon were displaced aft the Palisades fire. The temple’s reopening was a nourishing infinitesimal for a grief-stricken community.

(Robin Aronson Photography)

As portion of its opening reception, the synagogue hosted Shabbat services. The 400-person capableness sanctuary was stuffed. Neighbors embraced and caught up successful the courtyard and societal hall, kids zoomed astir with friends, and, erstwhile it was clip for services to begin, attendees clamored successful a clump of joyful chaos arsenic they attempted to participate the recently remodeled sanctuary. Services were afloat of singing and speeches arsenic congregants filled the rows, lined the walls, and spilled into the aisles. With a afloat set accompanying the Reconstructionist congregation’s services, the code was 1 of joy, reunion and celebration.

“It was a monumental moment, which we were truthful grateful for,” said Meredith Kaplan, a multigenerational temple subordinate who mislaid her location successful the fire. “But it besides conscionable felt truthful mean and good. Back successful the synagogue, almost, successful a weird way, similar nary clip had passed.”

A caller ark, which houses the temple’s Torahs, was dedicated to the ebullient Cantor Chayim Frenkel and his woman Marcy Frenkel.

Cantor Chayim Frenkel and girl Mandi Frenkel sing unneurotic successful beforehand of the caller Torah ark.

(Robin Aronson Photography)

“The Torahs are ever the archetypal things we rescue from the sanctuary erstwhile determination are fires,” said Frenkel, who has been with the synagogue for 40 years. “Knowing that our communicative is harmless and surrounded by this beauteous design, and to person it dedicated successful grant of maine and my wife, Marcy, is highly powerful.”

The clergy specifically placed the handles of the gangly ark astatine the bottom, truthful that adjacent preschoolers would beryllium capable to unfastened it. As the congregation stood earlier the ark wrong the bowl-shaped sanctuary for the archetypal clip since the fires, Rabbi Amy Bernstein performed the blessing utilized to dedicate the archetypal Jewish temple successful Jerusalem 3,000 years prior.

“May it beryllium a spot wherever each who participate find inspiration, affirmation and connection,” Bernstein said.

While galore religion institutions had to adjacent due to the fact that of the Palisades and Eaton fires, Kehillat Israel was uniquely positioned to beryllium among the archetypal to reopen. At slightest 14 sanctuaries burned to the crushed past January.

In 2022, the temple unit began a constricted revitalization project. Handles were falling disconnected and fabrics were showing their deterioration since a large remodel 31 years prior. Technology needs had besides agelong been eclipsed; Kehillat Israel has been live-streaming its services since the pandemic. So the committee hired architects and builders, made plans, got permits, and — crucially — raised funds each anterior to the Palisades fire. The program was to clasp the beloved sanctuary’s archetypal design, portion making method and immoderate aesthetic upgrades. Originally slated for completion successful autumn 2024, task delays allowed KI to commencement enactment connected the gathering rapidly aft the occurrence — albeit with the caller enactment of fume harm remediation — and the determination to enactment faithful to the sanctuary’s look became adjacent much salient. For many, it was 1 of the past fewer remaining acquainted spaces.

Hugs and selfies abounded astatine Shabbat services.

(Robin Aronson Photography)

Other synagogues, churches and mosques are connected the way to rebuilding, but they are facing the aforesaid hurdles arsenic galore of their congregants and members, and past some. L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Palisades, says she has been moving intimately with religion institutions, but that security disputes and fundraising person been a challenge.

“Their quality to rebuild is precise overmuch tied to their progressive membership,” said Park, who attended the reopening. “But their ain members person mislaid their homes and are mired successful their ain uncertainty and fiscal challenges.”

Despite differences successful rebuilding efforts, the religion assemblage celebrated the triumph of a congregation, adjacent if it was not theirs. Rabbi Daniel Sher, besides of Kehillat Israel, said helium received texts from rabbis crossed the metropolis encouraging him to bask successful the moment. Rabbi Bernstein is adjacent friends with Rev. Grace Park of the Palisades Presbyterian Church, which burned successful the fire, and they are excited astir what this reopening means for forging ties betwixt their congregations successful ways lone the occurrence made possible.

“It sounds cliche, but the walls betwixt our communities virtually burned to the ground,” Bernstein said. “We are some alert that we’d similar to commencement doing much things unneurotic — not conscionable for Grace’s congregation and my congregation — but bringing radical of the Palisades, oregon those who privation to travel to the Palisades, together.”

The congregation gathers for a Shabbat meal, packing a temple hall.

(Robin Aronson Photography)

The synagogue’s reopening signals that the wheels of Palisades betterment are successful motion. Carole and David White, who mislaid their Palisades townhome, had been eagerly anticipating the reopening services.

“It means the world,” said Carole White. “It’s genuinely 1 time astatine a time, and immoderate days are amended than others.”

“And contiguous is simply a bully one,” said David White. “It’s the closest we’ve been to coming home.”