Casa do Povo is a cultural center that revisits and reinvents notions of culture, community and memory.
Inhabited by a dozen different groups, movements and collectives, some for decades, others arriving more recently, Casa do Povo expands the notion of culture. Its interdisciplinary, process-based programming and socially-engaged activities see art as a critical tool in an ongoing process of social transformation. Literally “The People’s House”, Casa do Povo has flexible hours and no fixed events schedule, adapting to the needs of each project in order to attend to neighborhood associations as well as unconventional artistic proposals. Its work axes (memory; collective and socially-engaged practices; dialogue and involvement with its surroundings) stem from contemporary contexts in direct relation with Casa do Povo’s historical, Jewish and humanist premises. In this endeavor, the audience is not a target, but rather an active participant who, in addition to visiting, can also propose activities, making the space a locale for encounters, development and experimentation: a living monument, a place where to remember is to act.
Founded by a non-profit cultural association right after the end of World War II, in 1946 Casa do Povo was erected through the collective efforts of a politically engaged portion of the Jewish community then thought of as “progressive,” hailing from Eastern Europe, most of them resided in the neighborhood of Bom Retiro.
The space was born of a double desire: to pay homage to those who died in the Nazi concentration camps and to create a space that would unite the wide variety of associations that had been born here, in the international struggle against fascism – thus providing continuity to the secular, humanist, Jewish culture that nazi-fascism had attempted to suppress in Europe. This double desire was realized in 1953 with the inauguration of Casa do Povo as a living monument, a place where to remember is to act. The translation of this idea materialized through the construction of a modern building, designed by young architect Ernest Carvalho Mange. The ample halls on each floor are malleable spaces that adapt to different uses. In 1960, in the building’s basement, the Teatro de Arte Israelita Brasileiro [“Brazilian-Israelite Art Theatre”], or TAIB, was inaugurated, designed by Jorge Wilheim with murals by Renina Katz, stage design by Abrahão Sanovicz and panels by Gershon Knispel.
More than just a memorial, more than a cultural center, the building was once home to the Ginásio Israelita Scholem Aleichem [“Scholem Aleichem Israelite School”] (GIBSA), reading groups, amateur theater groups and Yiddish theater, a library, the Kinderland club, editorial committee meetings for the newspaper Nossa Voz, neighborhood associations, as well as the SESI Teatro Popular, plays staged by Teatro de Arena, by authors such as Plínio Marcos, Gianfrancesco Guarnieri and Augusto Boal; concerts by MPB4, classes by Lygia Fagundes Telles, book releases and many other activities that marked the avant-garde of the time. During the Brazilian civilian-military dictatorship, Casa do Povo established itself as a place of cultural and political resistance. While the sons and daughters of the politically persecuted studied in the school with scholarships and under fake names, many performances staged at TAIB were censored and teachers were arrested and tortured. The institution survived the so-called ”Years of Lead” but, from the 1980s onward, it was stricken by an institutional crisis that accompanied São Paulo’s relative inner city decay. However, at the end of the 2000s, Casa do Povo began a renovation project with the objective of continuing its founder’s ideals. It returned to the city’s cultural scene and has firmed its role as one of the few spaces that develops, houses and encourages artistic practices focused on creative process, experimentation and interdisciplinarity, establishing a strong connection to its neighborhood and its past. Today, the institution’s mission can best be described with reference to its history, employing three words in Yiddish, the language spoken by the Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who founded this house in the middle of the last century.
Gedenk [memory]
A place of living memory, in this case, that of the institution, the neighborhood, the migrations and the resistances.
Farain [association]
A platform around which assorted collective initiatives, artistic or otherwise, gather.
Tsukunft [future]
Space that brings the future to the present, developing experimental practices.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Artistic Director: Benjamin Seroussi
Operations Director: Marcela Amaral
STAFF
Program: Benjamin Seroussi, Caio Lescher
Communication: Laura Viana, Catarina Shoji, Isabella Barros
Institutional Development: Wallace Jesus
Production: Francesca Tedeschi, Olga Torres
Community Articulation: Lívia Kishimoto
Financial Analyst: Daniela Miranda, Felipes Leite
General Services: Rafaela Temoteo da Silva
Security: Grupo Pronto
Past collaborators at Casa do Povo: Alita Mariah, Amanda Caiuby, Ana Druwe, Anderson Oliveira, Carlos Henrique Pereira, Carlos Rezende,Chico Daviña, Daniel Lie, Eliana Vilaça de Souza, Erell Le Pape, Fábio Zuker, Fernanda Morse, Frederico Vergueiro Costa, Geovanna Santana, Jean Camoleze, Joel dos Santos, Juliana Abreu, Leonardo Monteiro, Lourival Fialho, Lucas Rodrigues, Luciano Macovescy, Lucienne Cunha, Maiko Oliveira, Mariana Lorenzi, Marília Loureiro, Mila Zacharias, Milena Edelstein, Mônica Novaes Esmanhotto, Paul Duboc, Paula Garcia, Paula Salles, Pedro Köberle, Rodolfo Bonifácio, Ruth Santana, Thiago de Melo, Vivian Mota.
BOARD
Deliberative Council: Iara Rolnik, Inês Mindlin Lafer, Lia Vainer Schucman, Marcelo Behar, Renato Sztutman, Ricardo Indig Teperman.
Fiscal Council: Emil Eskenazy Lewinger, Mariana Kiefer Kruchin, Rubens Kon.
Advisory Council: André Degenszajn, Daniel Douek, Denise Grinspum, Diogo de Moraes Silva, Eliana Finkelstein, Fabio Tofic, Helena Katz, Helio Goldsztejn, Iso Sendacz, Jairo Okret, Laura Daviña, Lilian Starobinas, Maguy Etlin, Miriam Biderman, Renata Schmulevich, Renato Cymbalista, Sarah Feldman, Téo Vilela Gomes.
MEMBERS
Benefactor: Cleusa Garfinkel
Supporters: Airton Bobrow, André Reinach, André Vainer, Arthur Hirsch, Arturo Isola, Célia Cymbalista, Clara Politi, Denise Grinspum, Eliana Finkelstein, Elisa Grinspum, Fábio Tofic Simantob, Fernanda Diamant, Greta Sarfaty Marchant, Helena Katz, Ilana Katz, Inês Mindlin Lafer, Jeanne Marie Gagnebin, João Manuel de Sousa Duarte Fernandes, Joyce Pascowitch, Laura Gorski, Lenina Pomeranz, Lilia Katri Moritz Schwarcz, Luiz Schwarcz, Marcelo Semiatzh, Maria Klabin, Mauro Pergaminik Meiches, Miriam Biderman, Nilton Gurman, Paula Clerman Bobrow, Paulo Kuczynski, Patrícia Wagner, Renata Schmulevich, Roberta Saraiva Coutinho, Roberto Wolfenson, Samuel Seibel, Sonia e Silvio Hotimsky, Stela Goldenstein, Tania Liberman, Tatiana Cymbalista, Telma Wajskop
Basic members: Alita Mariah Amorim de Souza, Alice Noujaim Teixeira, Ana Druwe, André Degenszajn, André Vereta Nahoum, Benjamin Seroussi, Bianca Santana, Bianca Volpi, Caio Lescher, Cecilia Reichstul, Ciro Biderman, Cláudio André Kahns, Daisy Perelmutter, Daniel Annenberg, Daniel Douek, Diogo de Moraes Silva, Diva Sanovicz, Eliane Okret Diament, Emil Lewinger, Enio Alterman Blay, Ernesto Mifano Honigsberg, Esther Império Hamburger, Fabio Weintraub, Fernanda Brenner, Flávia Gleich, Flávia Odenheimer Trevisan, Gabriel Neistein, Gustavo de Oliveira Emos, Helio Goldsztejn, Hugueta Sendacz, Iara Biderman, Iara Czeresnia, Iara Rolnik, Isa Grinspum Ferraz, Iso Sendacz, Jacques Grinspum, Jairo Okret, Jean Marcel Caum Camoleze, João Batista Franzin, Joana Reiss Fernandes, Joana Zylbersztajn, Jorge Schwartz, José Orenstein, Julia Kovensky, Julia Rettmann, Lara Vainer, Leda Mariana M.S. Tronca, Lia Vainer Schucman, Lidia Nobel, Lilian Starobinas, Luiz Meyer, Marcela do Amaral Britto de Castro, Marcelo Behar, Marcelo Hotimsky, Marcos Gorelik Ajzenberg, Maria Laura Daviña, Mariana Kiefer Kruchin, Marilza Carvalho, Marina Sendacz, Matthieu Rougé, Maurice Jacoel, Michel Rosenthal Wagner, Moisés Goldbaum, Mônica Fagundes Klein, Mônica Novaes Esmanhoto, Natalia Timerman, Nathaniel Braia, Nelson Kon, Nilson Sibemberg, Nina Nussenzweig Hotimsky, Nochem Sktinevsky, Paula Ester Janovitch, Paula Rodrigues Alves Signorelli, Paulina Cho, Pedro Cardoso Zylbersztajn, Peter Pal Pelbart, Rafael Righetto Raphaela Melsohn, Raquel Rolnik, Renato Cymbalista, Renato Sztutman, Ricardo Indig Teperman, Roberto Sanovicz, Rosa Iavelberg, Rosara Frenk, Rubens Kon, Sara Cunha Lima, Sarah Feldman, Sergio Blasbalg de Arruda Sampaio, Sergio Suchodolski, Silvio Oksman, Suzana Salama, Tania Christopoulos, Tiago dos Santos Mesquita, Vanessa Joda Alves, Vivian Altman, Yudith Rosenbaum
Instituto Cultural Israelita Brasileito [Brazilian-Israeli Cultural Institute], the organization responsible for the management of Casa do Povo, is a private non-profit association constituted in 1946. For more information about our structure, check ABOUT.
According to the best practices of transparency, we make our results and institutional documents available for consultation. Documents are available in portuguese.
INTERNAL REGULATIONS
The following document governs the operations of Casa do Povo, which is guided by its mission, principles, and values, as set forth in its Bylaws. Read it here.
CERTIFICATIONS
Casa do Povo is an organization certified in Good Practices in Transparency and Management by Phomenta, a member of the International Committee for NGO Monitoring (ICFO). The certification follows the Committee’s ethical principles and aims to develop good practices in transparency and management for organizations and to build trust among partners and civil society. Access here.
Casa do Povo’s community articulation is recognized by the 7th edition of the Selo de Direitos Humanos e Diversidade (2024–2025) from the Secretariat for Human Rights and Citizenship of the city of São Paulo, which recognizes best practices in diversity management and the promotion of human rights in companies, public agencies, and third-sector organizations. Learn more.
Casa do Povo is a cultural center that revisits and reinvents notions of culture, community and memory.
Inhabited by a dozen different groups, movements and collectives, some for decades, others arriving more recently, Casa do Povo expands the notion of culture. Its interdisciplinary, process-based programming and socially-engaged activities see art as a critical tool in an ongoing process of social transformation. Literally “The People’s House”, Casa do Povo has flexible hours and no fixed events schedule, adapting to the needs of each project in order to attend to neighborhood associations as well as unconventional artistic proposals. Its work axes (memory; collective and socially-engaged practices; dialogue and involvement with its surroundings) stem from contemporary contexts in direct relation with Casa do Povo’s historical, Jewish and humanist premises. In this endeavor, the audience is not a target, but rather an active participant who, in addition to visiting, can also propose activities, making the space a locale for encounters, development and experimentation: a living monument, a place where to remember is to act.
Founded by a non-profit cultural association right after the end of World War II, in 1946 Casa do Povo was erected through the collective efforts of a politically engaged portion of the Jewish community then thought of as “progressive,” hailing from Eastern Europe, most of them resided in the neighborhood of Bom Retiro.
The space was born of a double desire: to pay homage to those who died in the Nazi concentration camps and to create a space that would unite the wide variety of associations that had been born here, in the international struggle against fascism – thus providing continuity to the secular, humanist, Jewish culture that nazi-fascism had attempted to suppress in Europe. This double desire was realized in 1953 with the inauguration of Casa do Povo as a living monument, a place where to remember is to act. The translation of this idea materialized through the construction of a modern building, designed by young architect Ernest Carvalho Mange. The ample halls on each floor are malleable spaces that adapt to different uses. In 1960, in the building’s basement, the Teatro de Arte Israelita Brasileiro [“Brazilian-Israelite Art Theatre”], or TAIB, was inaugurated, designed by Jorge Wilheim with murals by Renina Katz, stage design by Abrahão Sanovicz and panels by Gershon Knispel.
More than just a memorial, more than a cultural center, the building was once home to the Ginásio Israelita Scholem Aleichem [“Scholem Aleichem Israelite School”] (GIBSA), reading groups, amateur theater groups and Yiddish theater, a library, the Kinderland club, editorial committee meetings for the newspaper Nossa Voz, neighborhood associations, as well as the SESI Teatro Popular, plays staged by Teatro de Arena, by authors such as Plínio Marcos, Gianfrancesco Guarnieri and Augusto Boal; concerts by MPB4, classes by Lygia Fagundes Telles, book releases and many other activities that marked the avant-garde of the time. During the Brazilian civilian-military dictatorship, Casa do Povo established itself as a place of cultural and political resistance. While the sons and daughters of the politically persecuted studied in the school with scholarships and under fake names, many performances staged at TAIB were censored and teachers were arrested and tortured. The institution survived the so-called ”Years of Lead” but, from the 1980s onward, it was stricken by an institutional crisis that accompanied São Paulo’s relative inner city decay. However, at the end of the 2000s, Casa do Povo began a renovation project with the objective of continuing its founder’s ideals. It returned to the city’s cultural scene and has firmed its role as one of the few spaces that develops, houses and encourages artistic practices focused on creative process, experimentation and interdisciplinarity, establishing a strong connection to its neighborhood and its past. Today, the institution’s mission can best be described with reference to its history, employing three words in Yiddish, the language spoken by the Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who founded this house in the middle of the last century.
Gedenk [memory]
A place of living memory, in this case, that of the institution, the neighborhood, the migrations and the resistances.
Farain [association]
A platform around which assorted collective initiatives, artistic or otherwise, gather.
Tsukunft [future]
Space that brings the future to the present, developing experimental practices.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Artistic Director: Benjamin Seroussi
Operations Director: Marcela Amaral
STAFF
Program: Benjamin Seroussi, Caio Lescher
Communication: Laura Viana, Catarina Shoji, Isabella Barros
Institutional Development: Wallace Jesus
Production: Francesca Tedeschi, Olga Torres
Community Articulation: Lívia Kishimoto
Financial Analyst: Daniela Miranda, Felipes Leite
General Services: Rafaela Temoteo da Silva
Security: Grupo Pronto
Past collaborators at Casa do Povo: Alita Mariah, Amanda Caiuby, Ana Druwe, Anderson Oliveira, Carlos Henrique Pereira, Carlos Rezende,Chico Daviña, Daniel Lie, Eliana Vilaça de Souza, Erell Le Pape, Fábio Zuker, Fernanda Morse, Frederico Vergueiro Costa, Geovanna Santana, Jean Camoleze, Joel dos Santos, Juliana Abreu, Leonardo Monteiro, Lourival Fialho, Lucas Rodrigues, Luciano Macovescy, Lucienne Cunha, Maiko Oliveira, Mariana Lorenzi, Marília Loureiro, Mila Zacharias, Milena Edelstein, Mônica Novaes Esmanhotto, Paul Duboc, Paula Garcia, Paula Salles, Pedro Köberle, Rodolfo Bonifácio, Ruth Santana, Thiago de Melo, Vivian Mota.
BOARD
Deliberative Council: Iara Rolnik, Inês Mindlin Lafer, Lia Vainer Schucman, Marcelo Behar, Renato Sztutman, Ricardo Indig Teperman.
Fiscal Council: Emil Eskenazy Lewinger, Mariana Kiefer Kruchin, Rubens Kon.
Advisory Council: André Degenszajn, Daniel Douek, Denise Grinspum, Diogo de Moraes Silva, Eliana Finkelstein, Fabio Tofic, Helena Katz, Helio Goldsztejn, Iso Sendacz, Jairo Okret, Laura Daviña, Lilian Starobinas, Maguy Etlin, Miriam Biderman, Renata Schmulevich, Renato Cymbalista, Sarah Feldman, Téo Vilela Gomes.
MEMBERS
Benefactor: Cleusa Garfinkel
Supporters: Airton Bobrow, André Reinach, André Vainer, Arthur Hirsch, Arturo Isola, Célia Cymbalista, Clara Politi, Denise Grinspum, Eliana Finkelstein, Elisa Grinspum, Fábio Tofic Simantob, Fernanda Diamant, Greta Sarfaty Marchant, Helena Katz, Ilana Katz, Inês Mindlin Lafer, Jeanne Marie Gagnebin, João Manuel de Sousa Duarte Fernandes, Joyce Pascowitch, Laura Gorski, Lenina Pomeranz, Lilia Katri Moritz Schwarcz, Luiz Schwarcz, Marcelo Semiatzh, Maria Klabin, Mauro Pergaminik Meiches, Miriam Biderman, Nilton Gurman, Paula Clerman Bobrow, Paulo Kuczynski, Patrícia Wagner, Renata Schmulevich, Roberta Saraiva Coutinho, Roberto Wolfenson, Samuel Seibel, Sonia e Silvio Hotimsky, Stela Goldenstein, Tania Liberman, Tatiana Cymbalista, Telma Wajskop
Basic members: Alita Mariah Amorim de Souza, Alice Noujaim Teixeira, Ana Druwe, André Degenszajn, André Vereta Nahoum, Benjamin Seroussi, Bianca Santana, Bianca Volpi, Caio Lescher, Cecilia Reichstul, Ciro Biderman, Cláudio André Kahns, Daisy Perelmutter, Daniel Annenberg, Daniel Douek, Diogo de Moraes Silva, Diva Sanovicz, Eliane Okret Diament, Emil Lewinger, Enio Alterman Blay, Ernesto Mifano Honigsberg, Esther Império Hamburger, Fabio Weintraub, Fernanda Brenner, Flávia Gleich, Flávia Odenheimer Trevisan, Gabriel Neistein, Gustavo de Oliveira Emos, Helio Goldsztejn, Hugueta Sendacz, Iara Biderman, Iara Czeresnia, Iara Rolnik, Isa Grinspum Ferraz, Iso Sendacz, Jacques Grinspum, Jairo Okret, Jean Marcel Caum Camoleze, João Batista Franzin, Joana Reiss Fernandes, Joana Zylbersztajn, Jorge Schwartz, José Orenstein, Julia Kovensky, Julia Rettmann, Lara Vainer, Leda Mariana M.S. Tronca, Lia Vainer Schucman, Lidia Nobel, Lilian Starobinas, Luiz Meyer, Marcela do Amaral Britto de Castro, Marcelo Behar, Marcelo Hotimsky, Marcos Gorelik Ajzenberg, Maria Laura Daviña, Mariana Kiefer Kruchin, Marilza Carvalho, Marina Sendacz, Matthieu Rougé, Maurice Jacoel, Michel Rosenthal Wagner, Moisés Goldbaum, Mônica Fagundes Klein, Mônica Novaes Esmanhoto, Natalia Timerman, Nathaniel Braia, Nelson Kon, Nilson Sibemberg, Nina Nussenzweig Hotimsky, Nochem Sktinevsky, Paula Ester Janovitch, Paula Rodrigues Alves Signorelli, Paulina Cho, Pedro Cardoso Zylbersztajn, Peter Pal Pelbart, Rafael Righetto Raphaela Melsohn, Raquel Rolnik, Renato Cymbalista, Renato Sztutman, Ricardo Indig Teperman, Roberto Sanovicz, Rosa Iavelberg, Rosara Frenk, Rubens Kon, Sara Cunha Lima, Sarah Feldman, Sergio Blasbalg de Arruda Sampaio, Sergio Suchodolski, Silvio Oksman, Suzana Salama, Tania Christopoulos, Tiago dos Santos Mesquita, Vanessa Joda Alves, Vivian Altman, Yudith Rosenbaum
Instituto Cultural Israelita Brasileito [Brazilian-Israeli Cultural Institute], the organization responsible for the management of Casa do Povo, is a private non-profit association constituted in 1946. For more information about our structure, check ABOUT.
According to the best practices of transparency, we make our results and institutional documents available for consultation. Documents are available in portuguese.
INTERNAL REGULATIONS
The following document governs the operations of Casa do Povo, which is guided by its mission, principles, and values, as set forth in its Bylaws. Read it here.
CERTIFICATIONS
Casa do Povo is an organization certified in Good Practices in Transparency and Management by Phomenta, a member of the International Committee for NGO Monitoring (ICFO). The certification follows the Committee’s ethical principles and aims to develop good practices in transparency and management for organizations and to build trust among partners and civil society. Access here.
Casa do Povo’s community articulation is recognized by the 7th edition of the Selo de Direitos Humanos e Diversidade (2024–2025) from the Secretariat for Human Rights and Citizenship of the city of São Paulo, which recognizes best practices in diversity management and the promotion of human rights in companies, public agencies, and third-sector organizations. Learn more.