Located in the heart of the city of Curitiba, in a high-density urban setting, the synagogue’s immediate surroundings consist primarily of commercial buildings and a square which runs along one side of the property. The project’s design is based on the kabbalistic explanation of the existence of the universe: the phenomenon of tsimtsum – the retraction and contraction of the infinite. The square conveys the vacuum formed when the infinite folds in on itself, giving way to the finite at the time of creation. This is turn leads to the overall architectural theme, which is in keeping with the ten divine emanations, as well as time or the spatial experience that occurs when these elements of Jewish history are experienced in space. The idea of this succession of sensations, combined with divine service, helps worshippers to achieve the state of keter – the crown or super-conscious, which in kabbalah is considered an adjunct of the intellect, referring to the state of direct perception of the soul – divine inspiration.

The interior is defined by the divisions of the three basic principles of the synagogue: the sacred, the intellectual and the social. Symbolically, the steel crown caps the upper portion of the religious area. The entire design is governed by proportions of the number 9, which in kabbalah represents the truths contained in the Torah. The interior, which covers 18 x 18 meters (a number representing life) and points in the direction of Jerusalem, is permeated by different types of natural lighting during the day, creating an atmosphere conducive to religious services.

The design is centralized by a memorial embedded in the square, which honors the memory of the countless people who were subjected to the unimaginable horrors of humanity. And how the strength of a diamond, found in the depths of the earth, keeps an eternal flame to represent the need for all peoples to join together in peace.

Curitiba, Brazil