The Kehillat Israel Synagogue is set to reopen for the first time since its damaging by the Palisades fire last January, with a rededication ceremony scheduled for next Friday.
“This is more than a physical reopening,” said Senior Rabbi Amy Bernstein. “It is a moment to gather again in a familiar space that has been transformed to meet our community members where they are now, a place of calm, reflection, and belonging.”
The congregation said in a press release that its almost 900 families will welcome the return of their Torah scrolls back into the synagogue’s sanctuary, which was remodeled to accommodate 400 people.
“Returning home as a community is deeply emotional and personal for me,” Cantor Chayim Frenkel, who is marking 40 years of service with Kehillat Israel the same day as the rededication, said in a statement. “Music and prayer have carried us through these past 16 months. Now, to be welcomed back into our cherished holy space, my family’s spiritual home for the past 40 years, is a blessing.”
The synagogue building had survived the fire, but had sustained significant smoke damage. The community had continued to gather for prayer services in several temporary locations across Los Angeles.
The fire that caused 12 deaths, destroyed thousands of buildings, and caused tens of thousands of Californians to evacuate also took the homes of 250 Kehillat Israel congregant families. A further 250 were forced to temporarily relocate.
KI Board of Trustees President Matthew Ross said in a press release that the congregants, clergy, and staff had relied on one another since the devastating fire.
‘A long road to reopening’
“It’s been a long road to our reopening, but now that we’re back in our reimagined building, we’re excited once again to have a central gathering place for our beloved community.”
Jewish Californian communities, like the rest of the state’s residents impacted by the fires, have been working to rebuild in the wake of the Palisades and Eaton Fires.
The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center was completely destroyed, but its Torah scrolls were rescued by community members. According to the synagogue’s website, they have salvaged what they cold, cleared the site, and secured temporary housing for their prayer services and school. They are still working to get city approvals and permits to rebuild.
A Jewish Federation of Los Angeles January report estimated that 45,000 to 59,000 Jewish households and 122,000 to 171,000 Jewish residents were impacted by the two fires, which collectively claimed 27 lives. Synagogues reported to JFEDLA that 1,000 congregants lost their homes, and more than 50 Jewish owned businesses were destroyed.
JFEDLA said in December that it had allocated over $9 million in funding to Jewish and non Jewish programs and charities to benefit those impacted by the fires.
In October, Jonathan Rinderknecht was arrested and charged with maliciously setting the Palisades and Lachman fires. CNN reported on Wednesday that the alleged arsonist had been inspired by vigilante murderer Luigi Mangione, who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024. Rinderknecht is set to face trial in June. According to the California Central District US Attorney’s Office, the Palisades fire was “one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.”
