“All the invitations for the inauguration were already sent out. We had to cancel it over the phone,” said Bernardo Schvartz, an engineer who oversaw the renovation.
The impetus for the Jewish center, which is part of a neighborhood redevelopment project, came after remains of the synagogue’s mikvah were found.
The second floor of the center, which is furnished with newly crafted period furniture, was rebuilt according to the synagogue’s original specifications
Approximately 1,500 Jews live in Recife, which has two other functioning synagogues.
The synagogue was used between 1641 and 1654, when it served many in the Brazilian Jewish community.
After that time, the building housed Catholic institutions.
Much of the community fled in 1654 for the American colonies after the Portuguese ended Dutch rule in Brazil and told both Dutch and Jews to leave.
The center was funded by the Brazilian government, the city of Recife and the Joseph Safra Foundation.