Congregation Amijai is a Conservative Jewish Synagogue in Buenos Aires, Argentina. History In 1993 several Jewish families in the Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires decided to form a new Masorti synagogue and chose Darío Feiguin as their Rabbi. The name of the new synagogue, "Amijai" means "my nation lives" in Hebrew. Their first few services were held at the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano. In 2001, thanks to a donation from businessman Natalio Garber, former owner of Musimundo, the congregation purchased an old safe factory next to Chinatown to construct their own building. The congregation chose architecture firm Urgell-Penedo-Urgell, winner of the Konex Award for architecture to design their building. The building took 16 months to complete and involved input from a variety of different architects. After the 1994 AMIA Bombing, the synagogue was built to be bomb-proof. In total, the space takes up about 3,500 m2. The building includes a community dining hall, classrooms, administrative offices for staff and Rabbis, a library and meeting spaces. The building was constructed out of reinforced concrete and includes a V-shaped roof which allows for 25 meters of light to enter the building. The main temple is used for concerts and is known for its good acoustics. In 2008 the building won the First Prize in Architecture from the Government of the Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires as one of the best examples of architecture in the city. The doors of the main temple are made of natural bronze. The Altar was made of carved wood by local artists. The main temple seats 900 people. The architectural work was selected for the 2012 Venice Biennale and was featured in that year's arts and architecture catalog. Religious life Congregation Amijai is dedicated to the study of Torah. It respects the dietary laws of kashrut. As a conservative synagogue, religious life is egalitarian. Women count toward a minyan, can read Torah during religious services, wear a Kippah, a Tallit and/or Tefillin. The synagogue also considers Organ donation to be a Mitzvah. The congregation believes "in a Judaism far from bourgeois comfort, ignorance, individualism, compulsion and fear." The synagogue gives back charitably to the community, with monthly tzedakah collections, collaboration with the local non-profit Sonrisas in the town of Esteban Echeverría, a community dining room/soup kitchen for homeless and low income residents and winter clothing drives. The Congregation supports the Argentine Ecumenical Movement and participates in the National