Isabel Cohn: Belonging is Resisting – The Strength of the Jewish Community
A Yom Kippur reflection on community, tradition, and belonging.
Isabel Cohn, President of the Congregação Israelita Paulista – Templo Beth-El in São Paulo, Brazil, shares a profound and inspiring reflection on the challenges and strengths of contemporary Jewish life. In her Yom Kippur message, she invites us to look beyond difficulties and recognize the privilege of belonging to an ancient, vibrant, and resilient culture. Isabel speaks about antisemitism, community, and unity, but also about the beauty of finding welcome, tradition, and continuity anywhere in the world.
Regarding the message:
In recent years, the Jewish community has faced difficult times. Antisemitism, persecution, and global conflicts reignite historical wounds and remind us how challenging it can be to be Jewish. Yet Isabel Cohn urges us to see the other side: the privilege of belonging to a culture that has crossed centuries and borders, remaining alive and shared.
During the Maccabiah Games in Israel, Isabel witnessed the strength of this collective identity. Athletes from different countries gathered like old friends, exchanging experiences and familiar habits. In Tel Aviv, strangers danced together on the sidewalks; in São Paulo, at Hebraica, the same music and choreography united people in a harkadá. Jewish culture builds invisible bridges that connect individuals anywhere in the world.
This network of belonging also manifests in hospitality. Young people who leave home to study abroad find at Hillel or Chabad invitations to Shabbat meals, even far from family. It is the community that embraces them, offering continuity and memory. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, taught, community is the backbone of Jewish identity and the cure for modern isolation.
At Beth-El, for 93 years, this collective experience has been renewed daily. It is the space where births, commitments, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, weddings, and mourning are celebrated. It is where children grow in learning and maturity, where values such as love for one’s neighbor are lived in practice. The synagogue is not just a building, but a living organism sustained by generations who chose to take responsibility for maintaining it.
Isabel reminds us that preserving Jewish life is not an abstract task. It becomes real when we study, pray together, celebrate, welcome, and support our institutions. Belonging strengthens us, protects us, and connects us with our history and with God.
This Yom Kippur, her message is clear: being Jewish is a privilege. It is to live an ancient culture and be part of a community that transmits values, creates bonds, and ensures continuity.
Her final invitation is for everyone: that members participate more actively, bringing children, friends, and family; and that non-members join Beth-El, making it their spiritual home. Because keeping Jewish culture alive is a mission entrusted to every generation – Ledor Vador, from generation to generation.
Gmar Chatimá Tová.
