LOS ANGELES — Members of Kehillat Israel plan to carry their Torah scrolls back into their rebuilt sanctuary in the Pacific Palisades on May 15, 2026, more than a year after a wildfire damaged the synagogue. Rabbi Amy Bernstein, who leads the congregation, will take part in the procession.

A wind-whipped wildfire swept through much of the Pacific Palisades in January 2025, scorching the neighborhood, damaging the synagogue and destroying Bernstein's home. More than a dozen houses of worship were burned to the ground or damaged in the fires. Of the 900 families that make up Kehillat Israel, 300 lost their homes.

Bernstein described how the disaster affected her congregation. "If our hearts must break, let them break open. This tragedy has really pushed us closer to one another. We're working to change the things we need changed," she said.

She also spoke about what she said her congregation has carried through the recovery period. "It's encoded in our cultural approach to the world, that there are things that can always be taken away from you. But what you become can never get taken away," Bernstein said.

Sixteen months after the fires, faith leaders in the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and Pasadena have relied on interfaith and community partnerships to support congregants still recovering. Clergy in the affected areas have had to learn about insurance coverage and local land use regulations while tending to their congregations and raising money for basic needs. More than a dozen houses of worship were burned to the ground or damaged in the fires, leaving many faith communities without permanent gathering spaces for an extended period.

The May 15 procession will return the Torah scrolls to the rebuilt sanctuary in the Pacific Palisades. Kehillat Israel's congregation includes 900 families, and Bernstein has led the community through both the immediate aftermath of the fire and the longer rebuilding process that followed.