Henry Sobel

Who is Henry Sobel?

Henry Sobel is a Brazilian reform rabbi and an American citizen, and was president of the Congregação Israelita Paulista, the second largest Jewish congregation in Latin America, in São Paulo, Brazil.

Sobel was born in Lisbon, Portugal. While he was an infant his family moved to New York where he grew up and was eventually ordained a reform rabbi in 1970. In the same year, he accepted an invitation to be the rabbi at CIP and established himself in São Paulo, Brazil. In his own words, it "made possible my actuation in the social and politic fronts and gave me the chance of engaging myself". As of 2007, he had two colleagues sharing the rabbinate, Rabbi Michel Schlesinger and Rabbi Yehuda Busquila. Sobel has one daughter, Alisha, born in 1983. During the 1970 and 1980's Sobel had an extraordinary role in protecting the human rights in Brazil. Alongside with catholic Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns and others, Sobel showed great courage in denouncing the assassination of journalist Wladimir Herzog by right wing military in Brazil.

He had also a great role in promoting inter religious dialogue in Brazil and elsewhere by cultivating excellent relations with Catholic dignataries including the Pope Johan Paul II. During more than 30 years, Sobel was recognized as an informal leader of the Jewish community in São Paulo.