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'From a shtetl to a diaspora’: After the fire, a Palisades synagogue forges through a year in exile

JL;DR SUMMARY Kehillat Israel, a synagogue in Pacific Palisades, remains resilient one year after a devastating fire destroyed homes and dispersed its community. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CommunityDiasporaRabbinic LeadershipSynagogue EventsKehillat IsraelCommunity ResiliencePacific Palisades FireInsurance ChallengesRitual Items DonationHousing Displacement

Places mentioned

Pacific Palisades, California, United States
"Twelve people were killed and nearly 7,000 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire."
Los Angeles, California, United States
"Another 250 or so families were displaced. And as the first anniversary of the fire arrives, the vast majority remain dispersed across Los Angeles County and beyond."
Santa Monica, California, United States
"Weekly services are held in a childrens museum in nearby Santa Monica; a synagogue close by has been hosting KIs religious school."
Bel Air, California, United States
"Roughly 300 people attended Kehillat Israels Passover Seder, which it hosted at a hotel in Bel Air."
Hermosa Beach, California, United States
"A congregant hosted a Sukkot gathering in Hermosa Beach nearly 20 miles away (and a lifetime in traffic) from KIs main sanctuary."
Hollywood, California, United States
"and other events as far east as Hollywood and north in the San Fernando Valley."
California, United States
"and north in the San Fernando Valley."
Brentwood, California, United States
"Shers family, which has been living in Brentwood for the past year, is currently debating whether to rebuild on the lot that previously held their home, or find a different one."

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This item was indexed and curated by Cairo, JL;DR's web crawler.
Cairo Item ID 72191
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-01-08 05:30:56 UTC
Curated 2026-01-08 08:32:31 UTC