The Jewish High Holidays also fell in the first weeks of our arrival. Numbering somewhere between 9,000 and 15,000 Jews, Porto Alegre has a considerably smaller Jewish community than São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, to say nothing of Buenos Aires. Nonetheless it boasts a certain pride in its affiliation with this distinctive state, exemplified in books and flyers we’ve seen.
The religious services of most if not all the synagogues, however, depend on leadership and, consequently, liturgical music from elsewhere, mainly Argentina. The rabbis of the two Reform synagogues are both Argentines in their late-30s to mid-40s. At the small Sephardic synagogue an Ashkenazi Lebavitcher rabbi was brought from São Paulo and apparently is learning the Sephardic melodies and chanting style. A French Lebavitcher rabbi started his own minyan in Bom Fim, the historically Jewish neighborhood. And so on. A wife of one rabbi said that the services of the Reform synagogues are ‘mirrors’ of those in Argentina and their musical repertoire is continually replenished by Argentine musicians who visit. Not as many families with kids Noa’s age appeared at the services we attended as they have in the playgrounds near our apartment, but we were pleased to find many welcoming and helpful people in both synagogues.
Of the two Reform synagogues we attended on Rosh Hashana, one per day, the melodies of the Centro Israelita (which was Orthodox until 15 years ago when they changed affiliations to attract younger congregants) sounded closer to Jewish summer camps in the U.S., though with four-part choral arrangements and the accompaniment of electric piano and clarinet. The other synagogue, SIBRA (founded by German immigrants in the 1930s as a social welfare organization) featured more chasanut, that is to say an elaborate repertoire of seemingly older melodies sung in a more operatic style.
Because of heavy rain on Yom Kippur, we returned to the closest synagogue rather than venturing out to the small Sephardic synagogue. The only differences from R.H. were that the hall was packed with people, probably twice the numbers from before, and there was non-stop chatter, especially during the day of Yom Kippur. During the Torah service, leaders on the bimah tried to quiet the congregation, but their success was only temporary. The congregation was only quiet when asked to stand, after which they resumed chattering.
The religious services of most if not all the synagogues, however, depend on leadership and, consequently, liturgical music from elsewhere, mainly Argentina. The rabbis of the two Reform synagogues are both Argentines in their late-30s to mid-40s. At the small Sephardic synagogue an Ashkenazi Lebavitcher rabbi was brought from São Paulo and apparently is learning the Sephardic melodies and chanting style. A French Lebavitcher rabbi started his own minyan in Bom Fim, the historically Jewish neighborhood. And so on. A wife of one rabbi said that the services of the Reform synagogues are ‘mirrors’ of those in Argentina and their musical repertoire is continually replenished by Argentine musicians who visit. Not as many families with kids Noa’s age appeared at the services we attended as they have in the playgrounds near our apartment, but we were pleased to find many welcoming and helpful people in both synagogues.
Of the two Reform synagogues we attended on Rosh Hashana, one per day, the melodies of the Centro Israelita (which was Orthodox until 15 years ago when they changed affiliations to attract younger congregants) sounded closer to Jewish summer camps in the U.S., though with four-part choral arrangements and the accompaniment of electric piano and clarinet. The other synagogue, SIBRA (founded by German immigrants in the 1930s as a social welfare organization) featured more chasanut, that is to say an elaborate repertoire of seemingly older melodies sung in a more operatic style.
Because of heavy rain on Yom Kippur, we returned to the closest synagogue rather than venturing out to the small Sephardic synagogue. The only differences from R.H. were that the hall was packed with people, probably twice the numbers from before, and there was non-stop chatter, especially during the day of Yom Kippur. During the Torah service, leaders on the bimah tried to quiet the congregation, but their success was only temporary. The congregation was only quiet when asked to stand, after which they resumed chattering.
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