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About Lavi

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About

Lavi, the inspired source for synagogue interiors, is the place where we Envision, Design and Build your Synagogue.

We`ve come a long way since our start in the early 1960’s.

Today we`re the undisputed leader in supplying furniture and furnishings for synagogues and Jewish centers.

Our Five Decades in this Specialized area have given Lavi a unique insight into what is required to Build or Refurbish a Synagogue with Style and Dignity. Over 5,300 Jewish communities around the world have placed their Trust in our Craftsmanship and Know-how.

They have experienced the extraordinary feeling of entering a Lavi-inspired synagogue and the feeling of pride that this is their place of worship.

Our plant covers 5000 square meters and employs 100 individuals of the highest caliber: Architects and Designers, Artists and Craftsmen, Production managers, Quality control inspectors and more.

They all take pride in working closely together to ensure that synagogue seating and other furniture items meet the client`s full satisfaction – and in particular to create an environment of worship that is comfortable, pleasant and unique.

We follow three fundamental guidelines:

Safety – We use quality materials that undergo a special process for safe long-term use. For all products, in particular the Aron Kodesh/Holy Ark, safety features are added to guard against events such as fire and burglary attempts.

Environmental protection – We pay particular attention to environmental issues and use wood, natural products and water-based paints. The `green environment` means a great deal at Lavi because the plant is located in the countryside, in Kibbutz Lavi, and most employees come to work by foot or on bicycles.

Accessibility – The professionalism, experience and creativity of our employees finds the greatest expression in the solutions they develop for people with disabilities. Synagogues and furniture are designed to be comfortably used by this important sector of society. We are proud to be in the vanguard of companies encouraging this approach, since synagogues should be accessible to all.

After over six decades of achievement and more than 5,300 synagogues in Israel and abroad that we have furnished and renewed, we can summarize one central fact. When Lavi works on your present or future synagogue, it will be the place in which you rejoice and are proud to pray in. 

Our History

A Triumph of Tradition and Craftsmanship

Craftsmanship in wood and attention to detail for synagogue furniture have always been the distinguishing features of Lavi Furniture Industries.

Quality started early

The small carpentry workshop established in 1950 was staffed by craftsmen intent on doing quality work. The first job was to build temporary housing using Swedish wood supplied by the Jewish Agency. The carpenters built the cabins so well that three of them still serve the kibbutz today. They also built the first kibbutz dining hall as well as tables and chairs for the new immigrants.

Studying the details

In 1954, when neighboring Moshav Sde Ilan decided to build their synagogue, they asked Lavi`s workshop to supply the seating. Abush Levin, carpentry manager from 1950 to 1958, remembers the hesitation. “We`d never done a project like that before,” he recalled. “The pews for worshippers had to be twice as good as the chairs.” The carpenters modeled the pews on a design from one of Haifa`s synagogues. Moshav Sde Ilan was thrilled.

Inspiration from the past 

In 1956 Kibbutz Lavi used the same carpenters to construct its own synagogue.

Avush and an additional kibbutz member visited several Jerusalem synagogues to look at seat designs that were popular in East European synagogues before the Holocaust. The final style resembled the `Classic Series` offered for sale today. As well as the seating, the carpentry workshop also built the Aron Kodesh/ Holy Ark and the Bimahh. The kibbutz`s ironsmiths supplied decorative metal elements according to instructions from the carpenters.

An event to remember

The dedication ceremony for the new synagogue drew a large crowd, underlining the progress of the religious public settling in the Galilee area. Visitors were impressed at how skillfully the craftsmanship evoked the Talmudic period for the shul furniture created. New clients began to line up. A synagogue in Bnei Brak was the next to order special furniture and other synagogues soon followed.

However, business survival remained precarious due to the manual labor needed – alleviated only by a few elementary machines. When the second of two devastating fires devastated the workshop in 1981, it threatened to close the business for good.

A phoenix arises from the ashes

Fortunately Kibbutz Lavi decided to rebuild. This time modern and high-capacity woodworking machinery was added – transforming the artisan workshop into a large and professional plant. Productivity and viability increased. The phoenix arose from the ashes, stronger than ever.

Today Lavi is the supplier of choice for Jewish communities. It has furnished over 5,300 synagogues and study halls in Israel and around the globe.

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