Shabbat in São Paulo

We arrived in São Paulo on Thursday afternoon and we went right to touring. We had a fascinating visit at the Universidade de São Paulo to meet with Dr. Suzanna Chwartz, who is the head of the Jewish Studies program. During our stimulating visit, we had a glimpse into what life is like at the largest university in Brazil (70,000 students), while also learning about the Jewish Studies program- both the wonderful successes and everyday challenges.

Following our meaningful visit, we then took a tour, by bus of São Paulo- the largest city in Brazil and truly one of the largest cities in South America. To say that the traffic was heavy is a HUGE understatement! However, we had a chance to see how the city grew (which happened VERY rapidly), take in some of the wonderful monuments and even make a quick visit to Japantown, as São Paulo is home to over 1 million people from Japan or of Japanese descent.

Next we went to check into our wonderful hotel- the Caesar Park. We had a little time to freshen up and then it was off to dinner at another authentic Brazilian Steak House. However, since Thursday was December 1^st ,which is World AIDS Day, it was very important to me that as a group we took some time to reflect on the impact HIV/AIDS has had on our lives and lives of the entire world. We had a little service, and I felt like I was able to truly give honor to the memory of my Uncle Marty Finkelstein (may his memory always be for a blessing). It was also wonderful to see how one of the major monuments in São Paulo had a giant red ribbon draped on it, in honor of World AIDS Day.

Friday was packed with visiting Jewish sites...we went first to Congregação Israelita Paulista (CIP) one of the largest Reform synagogues in São Paulo. We met with the Rabbi- Ruben Sternschein  And boy, is it a small world! As soon as we saw each other we knew we had met before. In fact, we met on a number of occasions, as he had previously been the rabbi at Har-El in Jerusalem. I spent many Shabbatot (Shabbats) there while I was living in Jerusalem (2001-2002). 

http://www.cip.org.br

Also, check out more of the photos of our historic visit at http://www.cip.org.br/fotos/verFotos.jsp?albumID=332

After a wonderful visit, we then went to see an amazing social action program run by another synagogue- Comunidade Shalom. (http://www.shalom.org.br/)  We spent the afternoon with intellectually challenged individuals who are able to learn many wonderful skills.  It was a truly emotional experience as we spent time with the workers/clients (or as they call them- apprentices).

From there, it was on to Comunidade Shalom for a tour of their amazing new building- which even includes a Mikvah.  We stayed with them for a ruach (spirit)-filled Shabbat service complete with wonderful melodies. Of course we did not fully understand the sermon (it was in Portugese) but we fully enjoyed the entire service experience!

Today, we spent Shabbat morning back at CIP for a very interesting Shabbat experience. It was a bit more traditional (what we might call Conservadox), but still they were incredibly welcoming.  It was such a treat to see and celebrate with two couples who were about to be married, a beautiful baby girl who had her Simchat Bat (baby naming), and of course- the Bar Mitzvah boy.  After a fantastic Kiddush, we spent time at A Hebraica. WOW! It is one of the largest Jewish Community Centers/Country Clubs in all of South America with 25,000 members. To say that it was BEAUTIFUL is a huge understatement. I can only compare it to a Disney World version of a JCC- complete with 6 pools, 2 theaters, a 3000-person stadium and 17 places to get something to eat or drink! WOW!

After that, we went back to the hotel to relax, have a snack and pack.  Then, it was off to the airport for a post-Shabbat flight to Rio de Janerio.