{"id":148339,"date":"2026-05-20T11:15:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T11:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/20\/kehilat-israel-in-pacific-palisades-reopens-after-fire\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T11:18:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T11:18:19","slug":"kehilat-israel-in-pacific-palisades-reopens-after-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/2026\/05\/20\/kehilat-israel-in-pacific-palisades-reopens-after-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Kehilat Israel in Pacific Palisades reopens after fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When Steven Lewis volunteered to co-chair a renovation committee for his Pacific Palisades synagogue in 2022, he had no idea that the project would become his emotional support when his home burned down three years later.<\/p>\n

“It was something positive I could focus on,” Lewis said. \u201cI don’t know how I would have gotten through the last year and a half without this project.\u201d<\/p>\n

The synagogue reopened on Friday after being closed since January 7, 2025, following a devastating fire. Kehilat Israel did not burn but caused significant smoke damage. What started as a revitalization project years ago has added a layer of improvement. It is now one of the first places of worship in Pacific Palisades to reopen since the fire tore through the neighborhood where more than 70% of its members live.<\/p>\n

Lewis and his family are among 230 Kehilat Israel (KI) families who lost their homes Palisades Fire<\/u>An additional 250 families, including the congregation’s two rabbis, were displaced. Most people, including Lewis, are in various stages of grappling with insurance, permits and construction, whether they have to rebuild from the ground up or repair the damage and save their homes. From poisonous smoke. <\/u><\/p>\n

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Approximately 480 Kehillat Israel families lost their homes or were displaced after the Palisades fire. The reopening of the temple was a joyous moment for the grieving community.<\/p>\n

(Robin Aronson Photography)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

As part of its opening reception, the synagogue hosted Shabbat services. The sanctuary, with a capacity of 400 people, was filled. Neighbors hugged and gathered in the courtyard and social hall, children were hanging out with friends, and, when it was time for services to begin, there was joyful chaos as attendees attempted to enter the newly renovated sanctuary. Services were filled with singing and speeches as congregants filled rows, lined the walls and crowded into the aisles. With a full band accompanying the services of the Reconstructionist congregation, the tone was one of joy, reunion and celebration.<\/p>\n

“It was a monumental moment that we’re very grateful for,” said Meredith Kaplan, a multi-generational temple member who lost her home in the fire. “But it also felt very normal and good. Back in the synagogue, almost, in a strange way, like no time had passed.”<\/p>\n

A new ark, containing the Temple’s Torah, was dedicated to enthusiastic cantor Chaim Frenkel and his wife Marcy Frenkel.<\/p>\n

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Cantor Chaim Frenkel and daughter Mandy Frenkel sing together in front of the new Torah ark.<\/p>\n

(Robin Aronson Photography)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

“When there’s a fire, we’re always the first to rescue the Torahs from the sanctuary,” said Frenkel, who has worked at the synagogue for 40 years. \u201cKnowing that our story is protected and surrounded by this beautiful design, and dedicating it in honor of me and my wife Marcy, is extremely powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pastor placed the handle on a particularly high ship at the bottom, so that even preschoolers could open it. As the congregation stood before the ark inside the bowl-shaped sanctuary for the first time since the fire, Rabbi Amy Bernstein delivered the blessing used to dedicate the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem 3,000 years ago.<\/p>\n

“May it be a place where everyone who enters finds inspiration, affirmation and connection,” Bernstein said.<\/p>\n

While the Palisades and Eton fires caused the closure of many faith institutions, Kehilat Israel was distinguished as one of the first institutions to reopen. at least 14 sanctuary<\/u> Burned to the ground last January.<\/p>\n

In 2022, temple staff began a limited restoration project. The handles were falling off and the fabrics were showing their wear since a major renovation 31 years ago. The needs of technology were also long overshadowed; Kehilat Israel has been live-streaming its services since the pandemic. So the committee hired architects and builders, drew up plans, obtained permits, and \u2013 crucially \u2013 raised money before the Palisades fire. The plan was to maintain the original design of the beloved sanctuary while making technical and some aesthetic upgrades. Originally planned for completion in autumn 2024, delays to the project allowed KI to begin work on the building immediately after the fire \u2013 albeit with new work to remediate smoke damage \u2013 and made the decision to remain faithful to the form of the sanctuary even more important. For many, it was one of the last few familiar places.<\/p>\n

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Hugs and selfies abounded at Shabbat services.<\/p>\n

(Robin Aronson Photography)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Other synagogues, churches and mosques are on the path to rebuilding, but they face the same obstacles as many of their congregants and members, and then some. L.A. City Councilmember Traci Parks, who represents Palisades, says she’s working closely with faith institutions, but insurance disputes and fundraising have been a challenge.<\/p>\n

“Their ability to rebuild is very much tied to their active membership,” said Park, who attended the re-opening. \u201cBut their own members have lost their homes and are trapped in their own uncertainty and financial challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite differences in rebuilding efforts, the faith community celebrated a congregation’s victory, even if it was not theirs. Rabbi Daniel Sher of Kehillat Israel said he has received messages from rabbis across the city encouraging them to enjoy the moment. Rabbi Bernstein is a close friend of Rev. Grace Park of Palisades Presbyterian Church, which burned in the fire, and he is excited about what this re-opening means for building relationships between their congregations only made possible by the fire.<\/p>\n

“It sounds clich\u00e9, but the walls between our communities were literally torn down,” Bernstein said. \u201cWe both know we want to start doing more things together \u2013 not just for Grace’s congregation and my congregation \u2013 but to bring the people of Palisades, or people who want to come to Palisades, together.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The congregation gathers for a Shabbat meal, packing a temple hall. <\/p>\n

(Robin Aronson Photography)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

The reopening of the synagogue signals that the wheels of Palisades recovery are in motion. Carol and David White, who lost their Palisades townhome, were anxiously awaiting reopening services.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means the world,\u201d Carol White said. “It’s really one day at a time, and some days are better than others.”<\/p>\n

“And today’s a good day,” said David White. “This is the closest we’ll get to returning home.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Steven Lewis volunteered to co-chair a renovation committee for his Pacific Palisades synagogue in 2022, he had no idea that the project would become his emotional support when his home burned down three years later. “It was something positive I could focus on,” Lewis said. \u201cI don’t know how I would have gotten through<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":148345,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[231,528,32276,4638,24346,5107],"class_list":["post-148339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bible-verse","tag-fire","tag-israel","tag-kehilat","tag-pacific","tag-palisades","tag-reopens"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148339"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":148346,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148339\/revisions\/148346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}