Sholem Aleichem
In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil a library named BIBSA – Biblioteca Sholem Aleichem was founded in 1915 as a Zionist institution by a local Jewish group. Next year, in 1916 same group that created BIBSA, founded a Jewish school named Escola Sholem Aleichem that was closed in 1997. BIBSA had a very active theatrical program in Yiddish for more than 50 years since its foundation and consistently performed Sholem Aleichem plays. In 1947 BIBSA evolved in a more complete club named ASA – Associação Sholem Aleichem that exists nowadays in Botafogo neighborhood. Both the library and club became communist institutions due to a normal transition of power in the founding group. After the 20th Communist Congress, in 1956, some members left the group because of its communist ties and founded their own school, Colégio Eliezer Steinbarg, which still exists and is one of the best Jewish schools in Brazil. It is named after the first director of Escola Sholem Aleichem, who was a Jewish writer born in Romania, that immigrated to Brazil.