Pacific Palisades Jewish Institutions Rebuild 22 Months After Fire, One Sanctuary at a Time

Illustration by The LA Jewish Home

Kehillat Israel has been back in its Pacific Palisades sanctuary since May, but about half of its member families lost their homes or were displaced, and Chabad of Pacific Palisades, which lost part of its campus and preschool, had not returned classes to its damaged school building as of last winter.

The reopening came on Friday, May 15, about 16 months after the January 2025 Palisades Fire. The congregation's nearly 900 member families planned to carry their Torah scrolls back into the sanctuary, one of the first returns by a religious institution to the Palisades since the fire, according to the Jewish Journal. A Shabbat dinner at 5:30 p.m. was scheduled before a 7 p.m. rededication.

The building never burned. ABC7 reported that it was built nearly 30 years ago to be fire-resistant, with a metal roof and concrete walls, while homes burned around it. But ash and smoke left lead, lithium and toxic compounds on every surface, the Palisadian-Post reported, and remediation turned targeted repairs into a fuller renovation.

The human toll was larger. About 250 member families lost their homes and about 250 others were temporarily displaced. All three of the congregation's clergy lost their homes, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported. During the closure, the congregation met at several temporary locations, including the Cayton Children's Museum in Santa Monica for Friday night services, and held b'nai mitzvah services at neighboring synagogues, homes, hotels and a restaurant.

"When your home burns down, one of the first questions you ask yourself is, 'Do I return?'" said Emily Kane Miller, a member of the Board of Trustees who lost her home. Associate Rabbi Daniel Sher told congregants before the 2025 High Holy Days, "This High Holiday, we go in with baggage." Sher received hundreds of donated mezuzahs for families returning to rebuilt homes.

The reopening coincided with the 40th anniversary of Cantor Chayim Frenkel's service to the congregation, and the new ark was dedicated to him and his wife, Marsi. "Music and prayer have carried us through these past 16 months," Frenkel said. Board President Matthew Ross said, "It's been a long road to our reopening."

Herman Coliver Locus Architecture redesigned the 4,700-square-foot sanctuary to hold more than 400 people, with a new entry called The Portal, a new ark and updated memorial walls. The congregation is raising $8 million for the sanctuary renewal, funded entirely by congregant donations, to cover costs insurance will not. The insurance dispute is ongoing.

At Chabad of Pacific Palisades, directed by Rabbi Zushe Cunin and Zisi Cunin, the fire partially destroyed the campus and preschool. Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters reported in August 2025 that roughly 70 percent of the community lost their homes and that renovations were expected to be finished in time for the High Holidays. "We're here, and we're rebuilding bigger and better," Zisi Cunin said. About 11 months after the fire, the Forward reported that classes had not returned to the damaged school building. "It's been hard," Rabbi Cunin said. A more recent update was not available.

Kehillat Israel is located at 16019 West Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades.