by Shai Yosef, Aug. 2014

Bror Chayil is a Kibbutz in the Negev, not far from Sderot. It was established in 1948 - the last new town in the Land of Israel before the birth of the State of Israel - by new immigrants from Brazil.

Though it is secular, it has a synagogue (shul), named "Am Yisrael Chai." The shul was built some 50 years ago by a Brazilian Jew named Pinchas Goldberg, who moved to Bror Chayil after his retirement; there he is buried as well.

There is one Jew in particular who takes special interest in the Bror Chayil synagogue - and that is resident Rafi Ben-Amo. He works hard to keep the synagogue running, and even donated a Torah scroll to it five years ago. "Rabbi Moshe Shachor came to celebrate at the time, together with his students, and they certainly made a joyous event," Ben-Amo recalls.

Ben-Amo donated a second Torah scroll to the nearby community of Ruhama - but made it conditional on it being housed in a permanent synagogue. And in fact, a synagogue was ultimately built in Ruhama, and leading rabbis participated in its dedication ceremony: Rabbi Tzion Cohen of the local Regional Council, Rabbi Shachor, and Rabbi Shomo Raanan, head of the Ayelet HaShachar organization.

Asked why having a synagogue is so important to him, Ben-Amo explained, "I'm not religious, but I'm a Jew, and as such, it's very important for me that we preserve and maintain our identity. The synagogue is one of those things that make us special."

The Brazilian olim maintained the synagogue and its customs carefully. For a while a joke was making the rounds of Bror Chayil, according to which when the older generation dies out, the synagogue would become a bar - but it never happened! Instead, it was refurbished with new air conditioners and, as mentioned, a new Torah scroll.

Prayer services are held there every week to conclude the Sabbath, as well as on the High Holidays, under the guidance and with the participation of volunteers from the Ayelet HaShachar organization. 

Rabbi Raanan and Ayelet HaShachas have raised tens of thousands of shekels to revamp and refurbish the site.

Asked how the residents are dealing with the rockets Hamas continually fire in their direction during Operation Protective Edge, Ben-Hamo says, "I'm not afraid. I've learned in life to be calm. There are not a few people here who say that when they pray in our synagogue, they are totally calm, because they feel that the Torah scroll defends them.