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

“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.”

On Friday, the synagogue reopened after being closed since Jan. 7, 2025, following the devastating fire. Kehillat Israel didn’t burn but suffered significant smoke damage. What had begun years ago as a revitalization project added a layer of remediation. It’s now one of the first religious spaces to reopen in the Pacific Palisades since the fire swept through the neighborhood where more than 70% of its members lived.

Lewis and his family are among the 230 Kehillat Israel (KI) families who lost their homes in the Palisades fire, including the congregation’s three rabbis, with an additional 250 families who were displaced. Most, including Lewis, are in various stages of grappling with insurance, permits and construction, whether they have to rebuild from the ground up or salvage their homes by remediating damage caused by toxic smoke.

As part of its opening reception, the synagogue hosted Shabbat services. The 400-person capacity sanctuary was stuffed. Neighbors embraced and caught up in the courtyard and social hall, kids zoomed around with friends, and, when it was time for services to begin, attendees clamored in a clump of joyful chaos as they attempted to enter the newly remodeled sanctuary. Services were full of singing and speeches as congregants filled the rows, lined the walls, and spilled into the aisles. With a full band accompanying the Reconstructionist congregation’s services, the tone was one of joy, reunion and celebration.

“It was a monumental moment, which we were so grateful for,” said Meredith Kaplan, a multigenerational temple member who lost her home in the fire. “But it also just felt so normal and good. Back in the synagogue, almost, in a weird way, like no time had passed.”

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

Cantor Chayim Frenkel and daughter Mandi Frenkel sing together in front of the new Torah ark.

(Robin Aronson Photography)

“The Torahs are always the first things we rescue from the sanctuary when there are fires,” said Frenkel, who has been with the synagogue for 40 years. “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.”

The clergy specifically placed the handles of the tall ark at the bottom, so that even preschoolers would be able to open it. As the congregation stood before the ark within the bowl-shaped sanctuary for the first time since the fires, 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.

While many faith institutions had to close 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.

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 had also long 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 all prior to the Palisades fire. The 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 allowed KI to start work on the building quickly after the fire — albeit with the new work of smoke damage remediation — and the decision to stay faithful to the sanctuary’s look became even more salient. For many, it was one of the last few remaining familiar spaces.

Hugs and selfies abounded at Shabbat services.

(Robin Aronson Photography)

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Other synagogues, churches and mosques are on the path to rebuilding, but they are facing the same hurdles as many of their congregants and members, and then some. L.A. City Councilmember Traci Park, who represents the Palisades, says she has been working closely with faith institutions, but that insurance disputes and fundraising have been a challenge.

“Their ability to rebuild is very much tied to their active membership,” said Park, who attended the reopening. “But their own members have lost their homes and are mired in their own uncertainty and financial challenges.”

Despite differences in rebuilding efforts, the faith community celebrated the win of a congregation, even if it was not theirs. Rabbi Daniel Sher, also of Kehillat Israel, said he received texts from rabbis across the city encouraging him to bask in the moment. Rabbi Bernstein is close friends with Rev. Grace Park of the Palisades Presbyterian Church, which burned in the fire, and they are excited about what this reopening means for forging ties between their congregations in ways only the fire made possible.

“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.”

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

(Robin Aronson Photography)

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

“It means the world,” said Carole White. “It’s truly one day at a time, and some days are better than others.”

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