Centro Hebreo

Tuesday afternoon, after a string of exchanged emails with the director, I visited the Centro Hebreo, which is the heart of the Jewish community in Guatemala (yes, there is a Jewish Community). I was very curious to see what they had to offer. Security was tight--there is no published address, one must get it personally from the director. The cast iron wall has no sign, and one must submit a photocopy of one´s passport at the door.
The Centro Hebreo, like many places I´ve been in this city, is a geode: Dull and camouflaged on the outside, beautiful and brilliant on the inside. The synagogue is breathtaking, with stainted glass, and a white roof shaped like an inverted lilly. It conjured the aesthetics of the Bahai house of worship in India (though about 1/50 the size). Behind the synagogue is a 3 story school/community center, complete with a social hall, an indoor preschool playground, administrative offices, a conference room, and even a tiny kosher grocery story in their underground parking lot.
I was received with a typically guatemalan abundance of warmth, but with argentinian accents to boot! A significant portion of the community is in Guate via Argentina. They look like me, but smoke fashionable cigarettes and are dressed to kill. It was very unusual, but a delightful experience. I was given a tour of the whole facility, and am very impressed with what I saw. I even accepted an invitation to attend Shabbat services this weekend.

P.S. On an unrelated note, I learned how to make tamales from scratch.