Text written by Rabbi Kelita Cohen
“Everything we’ve done since the creation of AIC until today, IT WAS ALL VERY GOOD!”
Paraphrasing the divine reflection upon creation, this is how Mr. Valdemir Duarte – one of the pioneers of the Associação Israelita Catarinense (AIC) – opened the celebration of 35 years of Jewish community life in Florianópolis.
This very special Shabbat was filled with tefilah, study, reunions, and tributes. The hall was packed: with people who came from afar, those who are always nearby, and so many presences evoked in the memories that walk with us.
The wall with the gallery of former presidents at AIC’s headquarters tells, through images, a story of courage, commitment, and continuity. Names like Rosita Schmid, Eduardo Gentil, and Denise Pizelman remain present—today as in the past—offering support and inspiration to the current leadership. Other leaders remain alive through the actions of their families—like Ioki, whose memory was recalled with emotion and reverence by his wife, Betina.
The current leadership, in the hands of the beloved Miriam Lafer and the tireless Gustavo Costa, reflects this spirit of dedication: the first to arrive and the last to leave, ensuring that every detail of the Kabbalat Shabbat and Shacharit services was carried out with dignity, beauty, and soul. And as Ricardo Levi, director of culture and religion, rightly noted, all of this is done with nadiv lev—hearts willing to volunteer for the common good.
As a rabbi, it was an honor to lead these services and share reflections with the community. We delved into the receiving of the Torah, in resonance with the festival of Shavuot, and moved forward with the teachings of Parashat Nasso—which calls us to turn revelation into action, and transcendence into daily responsibility.
AIC is a community that looks to the past with gratitude, lives the present with intensity, and faces the future with hope. At every gathering, we renew the collective commitment to keep the Jewish spark alive in Santa Catarina.
I leave Florianópolis with a warm heart and the certainty that many paths still lie ahead—together.
