GETTING THERE

In some ways the São Paulo community’s development has mimicked that of British Jews, moving out from immigrant neighbourhoods such as Bom Retiro to the more affluent Jardins and Higienópolis, now home to a kosher butcher and restaurants.

Because there’s also a significant Japanese community in São Paulo too — the largest outside of Japan — Japanese food here is excellent; sushi and sashimi merging with zingy South American flavours. From grab-andis

DIRECT flights from Heathrow to São Paulo cost around £750 with British Airways. ba.com

A deluxe room at Palácio Tangará costs from around £250 per night, B&B. oetkercollection.com

go options to upscale eateries such as Nakka and Jam, Japanese food is a must-try in this city. Paulistanos enjoy sweet treats too — Brigadeiro chocolates, made with condensed milk, are delicious.

While we are cautious about safety, not walking around in the dark and sticking to recommended neighbourhoods, we feel much safer than expected, although in Higienópolis, we spot several apartment buildings guarded by security firm Haganá, a private security company set up by former IDF officers in the 90s.

There are numerous shuls, Chabad houses and several Jewish schools, but the focal point of Jewish life in Brazil are Hebraicas — Jewish sports clubs or community centres, which galvanise the community. São Paulo’s Hebraica immense: it has 18,000 members, an auditorium, tennis courts, swimming pools and a food court on site.

However, while the Jewish community is well-integrated and antiSemitism is not perceived as a threat in São Paulo, there are other issues. “Assimilation is unfortunately a very big problem,” Chabad Rabbi Dovid Goldberg of Beit Chabad Morumbi tells me via email.

“The community is warm, close and traditional, but the assimilation rate is taking its toll. The community is shrinking — partly because of assimilation, and also people leaving the country because of the bad economy, security and so on.” EDITED BY CATHY WINSTON cwinston@thejc.com

Jewish life aside, there is much to do. São Paulo is home to the world’s second oldest art Biennal after Venice. The Pinacoteca art museum and Museum of Contemporary Art are worth a visit — the former’s architecture is particularly special — and for the less artistically minded, head to Mercado Municipal and Ibirapuera Park. One of the city’s key attractions, it is the equivalent to New York’s Central Park: an oasis in which you can grab a fresh coconut water and admire the black swans.

We also loved the buzzy Avenue Paulista, which is pedestrianised on Sundays. With buskers, people selling shmutter and artists drawing portraits of those willing to pay for them,

you can while away a whole morning here. You can’t talk about a stay in São Paulo without a mention of its traffic, some of the worst we’ve ever experienced. Uber is the easiest way to get around, but do factor extra time into your plans.

And while Carnival is famously associated with Rio (this year it begins on March 1), São Paulo has its own growing carnival scene. In the run-up to it, there are shows with huge crowds, live entertainment and dancing. Music is a huge part of life here in São Paulo, and its energy is everywhere.

With so much to discover in this vibrant multicultural city, Rio, your days might just be numbered.