When Kehillat Israel reopened in Pacific Palisades after the Jan. 7, 2025 closure, families who lost homes—including members still sorting insurance, permits and toxic smoke remediation—filled the sanctuary for Shabbat services and a dedication of a new Torah
At the moment the doors opened, it felt like time slipped backward for people who had been living in the aftermath. In Pacific Palisades, where so much around the neighborhood still bears the marks of the Palisades fire, Kehillat Israel reopened Friday after being closed since Jan. 7, 2025.
Steven Lewis came into the sanctuary remembering how his volunteer work years earlier became an emotional lifeline. In 2022, he volunteered to co-chair a renovation committee for his Pacific Palisades synagogue. “It was something positive that I could focus on,” Lewis said. “I don’t know how I would have gotten through the past year and a half without this project.” Three years later. his home burned.
This reopening wasn’t a fresh start for everyone. Kehillat Israel didn’t burn in the fire, but it suffered significant smoke damage. For some families. the synagogue’s return arrived before their lives were fully reset—bound up in insurance claims. permit approvals. and construction decisions about whether they would rebuild from the ground up or salvage homes through remediation of damage caused by toxic smoke.
The congregation’s stakes are measured in scale. Lewis and his family are among the 230 Kehillat Israel families who lost their homes in the Palisades fire. An additional 250 families were displaced. Roughly 480 Kehillat Israel families lost their homes or were displaced after the Palisades fire. meaning the grief inside the room came with an unusually wide orbit.
On Friday, the community leaned into that reality without letting it swallow the day. The synagogue hosted Shabbat services as part of an opening reception. Its 400-person capacity sanctuary was packed. In the courtyard and social hall, neighbors embraced and caught up, while kids zoomed around with friends. When it was time for services to begin. attendees clustered in “joyful chaos” as they tried to enter the newly remodeled sanctuary.
Inside, the mood was unmistakably celebratory. With a full band accompanying the Reconstructionist congregation’s services, congregants sang, listened to speeches, filled the rows, lined the walls, and spilled into the aisles.
For Meredith Kaplan. a multigenerational temple member who lost her home in the fire. the day carried two truths at once. “It was a monumental moment, which we were so grateful for,” she said. “But it also just felt so normal and good. Back in the synagogue, almost, in a weird way, like no time had passed.”.
The reopening included a dedication of a new ark—where the temple’s Torahs are kept—to Cantor Chayim Frenkel and his wife Marcy Frenkel. Frenkel has been with the synagogue for 40 years. “The Torahs are always the first things we rescue from the sanctuary when there are fires,” he said. “Knowing that our story is safe and surrounded by this beautiful design. and to have it dedicated in honor of me and my wife. Marcy. is extremely powerful.”.
Even the details were designed with ordinary believers in mind. The clergy placed the handles of the tall ark at the bottom so that preschoolers would be able to open it.
For the first time since the fires, the congregation stood before the ark within the bowl-shaped sanctuary. Rabbi Amy Bernstein performed the blessing used to dedicate the first Jewish temple in Jerusalem 3,000 years prior. “May it be a place where all who enter find inspiration, affirmation and connection,” Bernstein said.
Kehillat Israel’s position to reopen early was shaped by what the fire did—or didn’t—touch. While many faith institutions closed because of the Palisades and Eaton fires. Kehillat Israel was uniquely positioned to be among the first to reopen. At least 14 sanctuaries burned to the ground last January. At least for this congregation, the earlier groundwork mattered.
In 2022, the temple staff began a limited revitalization project. Handles were falling off and fabrics were showing their wear since a major remodel 31 years prior. Technology needs also long had been eclipsed, and Kehillat Israel has been live-streaming its services since the pandemic. The committee hired architects and builders, made plans, got permits, and—crucially—raised funds before the Palisades fire.
The original plan was to retain the beloved sanctuary’s original design while making technical and some aesthetic upgrades. Originally slated for completion in fall 2024. project delays left the synagogue able to start work quickly after the fire—this time with the added task of smoke damage remediation. For many, preserving the sanctuary’s look became even more significant. It is one of the last few remaining familiar spaces.
Not far away, other faith communities are on their own timelines. Other synagogues. churches and mosques are rebuilding or planning to rebuild. but they face the same hurdles as their congregants—then some. L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park. who represents the Palisades. said she has been working closely with faith institutions. but insurance disputes and fundraising have been a challenge. Park. who attended the reopening. said. “Their ability to rebuild is very much tied to their active membership. but their own members have lost their homes and are mired in their own uncertainty and financial challenges.”.
Even for those not inside Kehillat Israel’s walls, the reopening has spread outward. Rabbi Daniel Sher, also of Kehillat Israel, said he received texts from rabbis across the city encouraging him to bask in the moment.
Bernstein is also close friends with Rev. Grace Park of the Palisades Presbyterian Church, which burned in the fire. The two are excited about what this reopening means for forging ties between their congregations—ties they say the fire made possible in a new way. “It sounds cliche, but the walls between our communities literally burned to the ground,” Bernstein said. “We are both aware that we’d like to start doing more things together—not just for Grace’s congregation and my congregation—but bringing people of the Palisades. or those who want to come to the Palisades. together.”.
Outside the service program, the day carried another kind of proof: a few inches closer to home. Carole and David White, who lost their Palisades townhome, had been anticipating the reopening services. “It means the world,” Carole White said. “It’s truly one day at a time. and some days are better than others.” David White added. “And today is a good one. It’s the closest we’ve been to coming home.”.
Palisades fire Kehillat Israel Pacific Palisades Shabbat services synagogue reopening Torah ark dedication Steven Lewis Meredith Kaplan Cantor Chayim Frenkel insurance disputes smoke damage remediation