SJL New Orleans, September 2015

Southern Jewish Life INSIDE:

NEW ORLEANS EDITION

BUILDING THE NEW UPTOWN JCC LOOKING BACK FOR TEN YEARS FORWARD BETH ISRAEL SOFTBALL CHAMPS AGAIN “WELCOME HOME” RATTLES LOUISIANA TOWN IS THE NEW ORLEANS DUCK KOSHER? September 2015 Volume 25 Issue 9

Southern Jewish Life 3747 West Esplanade, 3rd Floor Metairie, LA 70002

2 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

shalom y’all shalom y’all shalom y’all Yes, this is the September 2015 issue, right after the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation along the Gulf Coast and the levee disaster in New Orleans.

By the time this hits homes, the commemorations will be well in the rear-view mirror, and even at the beginning of the summer there were a lot of people who were already sick of all the “nostalgia.”

As Jews, we remember things, good and bad, and this is no different. So, apologies in advance, but we have our Katrina 10 pieces in this issue.

That said, let’s take a different topic for Page 3.

We’re approaching the 25th anniversary of this publication, and a great benefit of doing this work is the wide range of Jewish experiences we get to enjoy as we cover the communities in our region.

In an eight-day span before this issue wrapped, I did some Torah reading Shabbat morning at my lifelong congregation (Conservative), went to the evening service later that day at the Orthodox congregation in Metairie, was at Mississippi’s only Conservative congregation the next Shabbat evening, and at one of Baton Rouge’s Reform congregations the next morning.

During our summer travels, our boys spent time at the JCC day camps in Metairie and Birmingham, Chabad day camps in Metairie and Little Rock, and our older son spent a week at Ramah Darom, the Conservative movement’s summer camp.

We have a wide range of experiences and see the full range of philosophies under the Jewish umbrella, from all-Hebrew and strict shomer-Shabbat to mostly English and iPhone photos during the Torah reading, from mechitzas to entirely female-led services.

One thing remains: All are part of the Southern Jewish community that we call home.

One message that came out of Katrina was the need to work together. As one example, it was said that after the storm, New Orleans didn’t have Reform rabbis, Conservative rabbis — it just had rabbis who needed to be there for anyone and everyone. While there are

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commentary certainly still differences in the New Orleans area’s Jewish community, there is also still a willingness to work together and to blur the lines of separation.

In other communities around the South, there is also much more cooperation across Jewish groups than one is likely to see in larger communities. Part of that comes from numbers — there aren’t as many of us to divide, so to have a viable community even without the immediate focus a disaster brings, we need to work together.

We have seen so much division in the Jewish world in recent years, and this is often a time of year when those divisions are shown into sharp relief (such as when some groups run ads saying if you hear the shofar in a Reform or Conservative congregation, it is as if you did not hear it at all).

We don’t have to agree on everything (in fact, I worry about people who say they always agree with everything in this column). But we should work on being agreeable and respectful of those who have different views.

Is that difficult to do? Of course. You should see some of the nonsense on my Facebook feed. But it’s still the goal we should set, the direction we should head.

As we embark on 5776, let’s make this a year of more experiences, more variety — and more peace.

Shanah Tovah, y’all!

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The most unlikely kippah collection

by Cantor Daniel Gale

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incitement to German anti-Semitism between the wars. (He attributes the greatest influence over the German people’s views about Jews to Julius Streicher, editor of the anti-Jewish rag Der Stürmer beginning in the mid to late 1920’s. Not sure about that, but it’s an interesting thought.

As a side note, the rabbi of my youth, Josef Kratzenstein, was an early critic of Streicher; it was Kratzenstein’s criticism of Streicher which caused him to flee to Switzerland before the war.

Kratzenstein’s family perished at Auschwitz.)

Rainer and I continued our conversation as we walked toward the synagogue’s front door.

Suddenly he stopped, and placing his hand atop his head said, “I’m so sorry! I forgot to wear my kippah (yarmulke) tonight! I always wear my kippah when I speak at a synagogue.”

Somewhat taken aback, I offered how incredible it was that the grandson of Rudolph Höss has his own kippah. Rainer told me that he actually has a collection of kippot from every synagogue where he has spoken.

I asked him if he has one to remember his talk tonight at Midbar Kodesh Temple. When he said no, I took the kippah from my head and offered it to him. He accepted it with thanks.

(He actually clicked his heels as he thanked me.)

As I watched the grandson of Rudolph Höss — commandant of Auschwitz-Birkenau and one of the most horrific mass-murderers in all of Jewish if not human history — walk through the Midbar Kodesh Temple parking lot with my kippah in his pocket, what I saw was a clear vision of hope despite the darkness of the past, and strength to confront the uncertainties of the present.

Even if it takes generations.

The next day, I am still processing the events of Aug. 26.

That evening, Midbar Kodesh Temple in Henderson, Nev., along with the Zachor Holocaust Memorial Foundation, hosted a program featuring some remarkable speakers. The first was Ben Lesser, a Holocaust survivor who shared his remarkable story of courage, perseverance and survival from Auschwitz and Dachau. Ben has spoken before at MKT, recently to our older Religious School students. His story is eloquent and moving.

The next speaker, Khubaib Ali Mohammed, was one of the members of the prosecution team which recently convicted Oskar Grüning, the so-called “book-keeper of Auschwitz.” He spoke about Grüning’s trial, as well as the challenges involved in prosecuting Nazi war criminals so many years after the Holocaust.

The final — and perhaps most remarkable — speaker was Rainer Höss, grandson of Rudolph Höss, commandant of Auschwitz-Birkenau — the man responsible for the brutal and systematic murder of over a million souls, 90 percent of the victims Jewish.

Rainer told the story of his discovery as a teen of his grandfather’s role in the Final Solution, his gradual disassociation from his unrepentant family, and his recent work around the world speaking out against right-wing extremism and for the prevention of genocide through the work of his foundation, Footsteps.

After the event, I found myself, along with a few congregants, engaged in conversation with Rainer. It was a fascinating discussion of about Daniel Gale is cantor at Midbar Kodesh in 30 minutes. He has a historian’s grasp of events leading from the First World War to the Second, Henderson, Nev., formerly of Temple Beth-El, and some intriguing thoughts about the primary Birmingham.

NOLA

4 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

agenda interesting bits & can’t miss events

At the JCC Maccabi Games in Dallas, the New Orleans JCC 16U Boys Basketball team won the bronze medal, defeating Dallas White, 61-46.

Australia kept New Orleans out of the championship game, 61-54.

Uptown JCC launches capital campaign for major expansion, renovation The New Orleans Jewish Community Center is embarking on a capital campaign to fund a major expansion and renovation of its Uptown facility.

“It’s because of the demands of the community,” JCC Executive Director Leslie Fischman said. “Our nursery school is capacity, our camp is past capacity, our fitness center is capacity, our swimming pool is outdated.”

“Building for the Next Generation” has raised $5 million in the preliminary phase, with a goal of at least $8 million. Part of the campaign is an endowment component.

With Jefferson Avenue repairs next to A conceptual drawing of the new aquatics complex the building scheduled to be completed in mid-summer, construction on the JCC is expected to begin in fall 2016, Foundation. The $1.5 million commitment will lead to the naming of the Oscar J. Tolmas Aquatics Complex. the 50th anniversary of the current building.

The complex will have two outdoor pools — a 25-meter, 6-lane lap The Metairie campus, which was completed in 2003 and had to receive extensive renovations after the 2005 flood, will also receive updates and pool, and a family recreational pool with water features. There will be new men’s, women’s and family locker rooms. enhancements.

There will also be an indoor heated pool for hydrotherapy and teachThe first major renovation of the Uptown building since 1997 will add about 16,000 square feet to the facility, expanding down the Leontine ing.

The fitness facilities will include a dedicated yoga and Pilates studio, Street side.

Two new classrooms will enable expansion of the preschool and its and a dedicated indoor cycling studio. Currently, the programs have to “significant” waiting list, and the rooms will also be used for an expansion alternate and share space.

There will also be an enhanced and enlarged personal training studio, of the day camp. There will also be two new youth activity spaces.

Additional space will also be dedicated to the Alzheimer’s Care and and 2,500 square feet of cardiovascular space, along with new massage studios.

Enrichment program.

Fischman said the expansion will serve all ages, from children to the A cornerstone gift has been made by the Oscar Tolmas Charitable NOLA

September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 5

agenda

Upcoming Events Wednesday, Sept. 9 JNOLA Rosh Hashanah New Year’s Toast. Publiq House.

6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 10 Building New Orleans: A Jewish Perspective. Julie Schwartz, speaker. Old U.S. Mint. 6 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 13 Erev Rosh Hashanah Chabad of Louisiana Rosh Hashanah Dinner for Young Jewish Professionals. 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 14 First Day Rosh Hashanah JewCCY Food, Fun and Forgiveness. Audubon Park.

3:45 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 15 Second Day Rosh Hashanah Thursday, Sept. 17 Annual Meeting. Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. Uptown JCC. 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 18 “A Look Back, a Look Ahead” with Rabbi Edward Cohn.

Temple Sinai. 6:15 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 22 Kol Nidre Wednesday, Sept. 23 Yom Kippur Thursday, Sept. 24 From Ferguson to Charleston. JCRC new initiatives meeting. Uptown JCC. 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 25 Jewish Babies Club Play Day with Ellie Streiffer. Jewish Community Day School. 1 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 26 NO/AIDS Walk.

Sunday, Sept. 27 Erev Sukkot Try a Triathlon. Uptown JCC. 8:30 a.m.

Monday, Sept. 28 First Day Sukkot Tuesday, Sept. 29 Second Day Sukkot Wednesday, Sept. 30 92nd Street Y with Harold Kushner and Rabbi Peter Rubenstein. Temple Sinai. 7:15 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 4 Hoshana Rabbah Zusha concert. Beth Israel, Metairie. 10 a.m.

Touro Synagogue Simchat Torah in the Park. Danneel Park. 9:30 a.m.

NCJW Sukkot program on City Park. Home of Bill and Susan Hess. 11 a.m.

6 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

more physically active Baby Boomer generation to the elderly. “There’s something for everybody.”

The Jewish Community Center is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year, having been formed as the Young Men’s Hebrew and Literary Society in 1855.

In 1891, the Young Men’s Hebrew Association was formed by members of the Harmony Club, and the first building, the Athenaeum, was completed in 1895 on the corner of St. Charles and Clio.

After a fire destroyed the Dedication of the first JCC facility at the current site, in 1948 building, it was rebuilt at the same site and renamed the Young Men and ing a separate organization in 1976.

When the JCC moved in, the Home’s third Women’s Hebrew Association. After another floor was removed because it was in bad refire eight years later, the decision was made to pair. In 1966, the Home was demolished and relocate to the Jewish Children’s Home. replaced by the current JCC building. A $4 milThe Home was established in 1856, and in lion upgrade was completed in 1998.

1887 it moved to a new building on St. Charles, In 1986, with community migration to Medesigned by Thomas Sully. After World War II, tairie, a satellite location was established. In orphanages across the country closed. In No- January 2003, the larger Goldring-Woldenberg vember 1946 the Jewish Children’s Home closed Jewish Community Campus opened on West as a residential institution, becoming a regional Esplanade. social service agency.

After Katrina, the Metairie location was The Home was sold to the JCC in July 1948 closed for several months as repairs were made. as the Home continued its transition into what The Uptown JCC had minor flooding and was is now the Jewish Children’s Regional Service. able to reopen its fitness area after seven weeks.

Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans The front of the building was used as a base of also was created when the Home closed, becom- operations for FEMA.

Landmark JCC gift just part of Oscar J. Tolmas Foundation activities In just over a year of existence, the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust has been very active, making major gifts in the New Orleans Jewish and general communities.

Gates of Prayer Rabbi Robert Loewy said what the Tolmas Trust is doing “is similar to the will of Judah Touro” in its scope and effect on the Jewish and secular communities.

Tolmas was born in New Orleans in 1920 to parents of Russian and Polish origin who had immigrated in 1915. He graduated from the Tulane University School of Law and was a member of the Louisiana Bar for 70 years.

He fought in the Pacific Theater in World War II, then practiced law with his siblings until 1948, when he became interested in real estate development.

The Tolmas Tract in Metairie has been the largest undeveloped tract on heavily-commer-

cial Veterans Boulevard, but it will soon become the site of a development that includes the first Trader Joe’s in the New Orleans area.

In 1952 he was bitten by the horse racing bug, and began Tolmas Racing Stables, and had racing silks in the motif of the Israel flag.

He became so involved, in 1992 he was asked to chair the Louisiana Racing Commission.

In 1963, he married Marjorie Ella Skinner, who was chief of nursing at two New Orleans hospitals. They did not have any children. She died in September 2013, and he died just over two months later, on Dec. 2. He left his entire estate to form the Trust, which was approved by the IRS in July 2014.

This month, three major gifts in the Jewish community were announced. The New Orleans Jewish Community Center received a $1.5 million gift toward its capital campaign, which

seeks to raise $8 million for expanded facilities at its Uptown campus.

The JCC’s aquatics center will be named for Tolmas.

“We are excited to honor Oscar’s memory and charitable interests with this donation to NOJCC,” stated Trustees Vince Giardina and Lisa Romano. “Oscar’s legacy and generosity will be remembered by many in the Jewish community and the community at large. We encourage others in the New Orleans community to also support this worthwhile cause.”

At the 10 Years Forward anniversary weekend at Beth Israel in Metairie on Aug. 23, an announcement was made that the Trust is making a significant gift to Beth Israel to fund the Oscar J. Tolmas Rabbinic Chair.

Beth Israel President Bradley Bain noted that Beth Israel “was his synagogue.”

Eddie Gothard, who emceed the evening, said Tolmas “was quiet. He didn’t want a whole lot of acclaim or attention.”

The congregation presented the trustees with a Gary Rosenthal Tzedakah box in the shape of a New Orleans streetcar.

Later that week, Gates of Prayer announced the Trust was providing a “significant gift that will help to fund a variety of activities” with new Assistant Rabbi Alexis Pinsky, who will be reaching out to the 20- and 30-something community.

Activities will include, but not be limited to, alternative worship experiences in various locations throughout the city, Shabbat dinners, formal and informal learning, tikkun olam activities and a variety of social gatherings.

In April, the Jewish Children’s Regional Service announced that the Trust was underwriting the major expenses of the agency’s Chanukah gift program. The program currently serves approximately 200 Jewish minors and residents of state institutions, clients of the social service agency. Each recipient receives eight small gifts, one for each night of Chanukah.

Many gifts have been made in the general community. A scholarship named for Tolmas will be presented by the Folds of Honor, which provides provide educational scholarships for children and spouses of military service men and women killed or disabled during service.

The Creativity Hub at the new WYES-TV Media Park will be named for Tolmas. The $20 million Breaking New Ground campaign will construct a complex for production and educational outreach. The Hub, which will be the second floor, will be used for the creation of content for productions.

The Trust also funded the Louisiana SPCA’s animal shelter in the

NOJCC Executive Director Leslie Fischman with the Tolmas trustees

September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 7

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Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans BizTown program for the 2015-2016 school year.

An upcoming improvement at City Park will be the Oscar J. Tolmas Center, which will serve as the main entrance for the Botanical Garden and Storyland, with ticketing for both venues accommodated. The building will serve as an information center for Park visitors and will include access to light refreshments and expanded restroom facilities. An addition houses the expanded gift shop and an adjacent exterior retail area includes space for plant sales, garden accessories, and novelties.

The entrance will be across from the Goldring/Woldenberg Great Lawn.

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra announced a new program, Soul Strings for Kids, made possible by the Trust. Starting in the fall, the orchestra will provide music-informed therapy to students at St. Michael Special School. St. Michael Special School is designed to help students with major learning difficulties that hinder their ability to achieve success in a regular class setting.

The Trust also made a donation to Shriners Hospital for Children to purchase a new van, used to transport area children to Shriners hospitals in Galveston and Shreveport.

JewCCY will have a Rosh Hashanah opportunity for teens, Sept. 14 at 3:45 p.m. at Audubon Park. There will be “food, fun and forgiveness” and all in grades 6 to 12 are welcome. The group will meet at the St. Charles entrance.

Touro Synagogue will hold Simchat Torah in the Park, Oct. 4 at 9:30 a.m. at Danneel Park, featuring the Panorama Jazz Band. The day will start with a brunch picnic, followed by dancing and celebrating with Cantor Mintz and the band at 10:15 a.m. At 10:45 a.m. the Torah will be unrolled, with Rabbi Berk and Rabbi Silverman going through the entire Torah in 10 minutes. After the Torah ceremony, there will be free time to enjoy the park.

Northshore Jewish Congregation will have a Taste of Art and Jazz gala on Oct. 24 with the St. Tammany Art Association at the Art House in Covington.

The series of Jewish ethics classes for professionals continues at Touro Synagogue on Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. with ethics for physicians and health care providers. Rabbi Alexis Berk will lead the session on how to bring Jewish ethics to professional lives.

The Touro Synagogue walking team will be participating in several community walks. On Sept. 26, the group will participate in the NO/ AIDS Walk to benefit the NO/AIDS Task Force and its work with those affected by HIV and AIDS. On Oct. 24, there will be the National Alliance on Mental Illness walk around Audubon Park. Light the Night for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will be on Nov. 5 at Lafreniere Park, starting at 5:30 p.m. Touro members may register individually or as part of Team Sessions, which has raised $100,000 in the last four years. The Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be Nov. 14 at La Salle Park, behind Zephyr Field.

B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge will have Art & Soul on Oct. 22, which will benefit the congregation’s musical programming. A silent auction will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Bill Grimes Quartet, featuring vocalist Stephanie Jordan. Tickets are $50 per person. Auction items include an Ultimate Wildflower and Mountain Escape in Mt. Crested Butte, a luxury chartered fishing trip off the coast of Louisiana, a spring getaway at Historic Coco Farm near Woodstock, N.Y., airplane rides, tickets to events, tickets to LSU games including the Alabama and Ole Miss away games, LSU memorabilia, and dinner at several restaurants, including Shaya in New Orleans. Auction items can be bid online at bnaibr.org.

israelbonds.com Rabbi Edward Paul Cohn of Temple Sinai was the speaker for a Katrina 10th anniversary commemoration at St. Louis Cathedral on Aug. 24. He spoke of Psalm 30, “Weeping may tarry for the night, But joy cometh in the morning,” which he called “a past lamented but ultimately succeeded by the promise of a joyous today and a reborn tomorrow.” He said the ongoing lesson of Katrina is “how much can be done when, with the strength of faith, the love of family and the steadfast loyalty of human friendship, we lift up one another from the floodwaters of despair.”

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Orthodox Union names first Southeast regional director Naftali Herrmann has been appointed the first Southeast regional director of the Orthodox Union Department of Community and Synagogue Services.

Based in Boca Raton, Fla., Herrmann will work with synagogues and communities in the Southeast, including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida.

“The OU Southeast Regional office provides resources including services and programming through Yachad, the OU’s National Jewish Council for Disabilities; and NCSY, the OU’s international youth movement,” explained Herrmann. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations has “always focused on the support of our synagogues. We are now adding a regional director to underscore that commitment — to enable community and synagogue services to provide leadership, resources and programmatic support to southeast Orthodox communities and congregations.”

OU national vice president and lay chair of the Department of Community and Synagogue Services, Barbara Lehmann Siegel of Silver Spring, Md., said Herrmann “will serve as our ambassador to strengthen the bond between the OU and the region’s Jewish communities, as well as to deepen the relationships among the various synagogue communities.”

Rabbi Judah Isaacs, director of the OU’s Department of Community and Synagogue Services, said the second-largest Jewish community in America is South Florida. “The OU also aims to bring to the entire Southeast network of Orthodox synagogues and communities positive vitality, shared resources, programming ideas, and solutions to varied challenges.

We deliver strength in numbers and are a respected, powerful voice in the political arena. Herrmann will listen, ask and learn from the region’s rabbis and lay leaders, to help determine their communities’ and synagogues’ Delicious Flickr Facebook

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10 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

individual challenges and needs.”

Isaacs added that Herrmann “will be able to forge deeper relationships with our southern Jewish communities, and will be able to offer the full menu of support that Synagogue Services offers OU member shuls. He will enhance the role of the synagogue as the gateway to the wide range of OU services that runs the gamut of support for all ages and backgrounds.”

Herrmann said “While this is a brand new initiative, the Southeast office is not an island. I am in constant communication with other regional directors throughout the country and we are joining forces and working together so that we don’t need to recreate the wheel in addressing the different issues in our constituencies.”

He expressed his enthusiasm for how the OU will serve the Southeast.

“The regional office creates a giant tent to house all current OU Southeast services, while simultaneously developing and addressing the changing and growing needs of our synagogues.”

The initial function of the Southeast office, he said, “will be to connect, network and develop meaningful relationships with the region’s synagogue rabbinic and lay leadership, as well as local Federations and Jewish organizations… We need to better understand each unique community’s story so we can properly address the needs of their synagogues and beyond.”

Hebrew sign prompts terrorism suspicions

12/12/2012

Numerous concerned citizens in Gardner, La., contacted the Rapides Parish Sheriff ’s Office in mid-Au11:22:58 AMgust to report a suspicious Arabic sign, thinking it might have something to do with ISIS or support of Jihadists. Their concerns were picked up by media around the world.

The Sheriff ’s Office reassured the tiny town about a dozen miles west of Alexandria that the signs were harmless.

Indeed, the three signs were something a bit more Photo courtesy KALB-TV “romantic,” according to Rabbi Harley Karz-Wagman of Gemiluth Chassodim in Alexandria. And they weren’t in Arabic — they were Hebrew, with a message of “Welcome Home Yamit.”

Karz-Wagman said a man in the town had met a young Israeli woman who worked in the local mall, and a couple of years ago they married. He explained that she was frequently away on business for a while, so her husband approached the rabbi a year ago and asked him to write out a welcome message in Hebrew so he could copy it onto a card for her when she returned.

This time, he decided to make three yard signs for her return — but when they were seen by neighbors, alarm bells rang. “Because they were in a foreign language, obviously that spooked a lot of people to think this was some kind of code,” Karz-Wagman said, adding that it speaks about today’s suspicious society.

Nevertheless, “I thought it was hilarious” that it got so much attention, especially in Israel.

10 years forward

“It tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.”

New Orleans Jewish community marks Katrina anniversary with reflections, celebration of progress On Dec. 20, 2005, a community homecoming and Chanukah celebration at the Uptown Jewish Community Center drew a huge crowd as the first community-wide event held since the flood. Donated Chanukah menorahs and other ritual items were distributed to those who were able to make it back to New Orleans and needed to replace what was lost in the storm.

In that same room on Aug. 28, the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina was marked with a decidedly more upbeat event, featuring music, dancing and a New Orleans-style kosher feast of jambalaya, beef debris po-boys, corn and potatoes.

It was even a birthday party, as a large cake was served after everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Sara Stone, “the matriarch of our community,” for her 100th birthday.

Allan Bissinger, who served as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans for two years just after the storm, summed it up by adapting the traditional joking definition of a Jewish holiday: Katrina “tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat.”

The New Orleans area rabbis and cantors held a remembrance of the storm and its aftermath The evening started with remembering the storm and how the community pulled together afterward, with a lot of help from the rest of the world. That Chanukah party from 2005 was referenced several times.

Bobby Garon, who emceed the evening, opened by saying “We commemorate the memory of Katrina, the tragic loss of precious lives and the hardships that all of us who were here 10 years ago endured,” but the evening was also

September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 11

10 years forward

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“to celebrate the tremendous success and progress that our city and the Jewish community have accomplished over the last 10 years.”

Garon was finishing his term as Federation president when the storm hit.

“We could not remember Katrina without doing something pro-active,” Garon said, mentioning the TikkuNOLAm program building houses with the St. Bernard Project that had taken place on Aug. 9, and the effort that evening to partner with and collect items for the Youth Empowerment Project.

The rabbis and cantors from Greater New Orleans did a reading, remembering everything from the initial forecasts to those who welcomed evacuees, newcomers and those who contributed to the rebuilding. There was a moment of silence for “those who died in their homes, in the streets and from the stress of the experience.”

“Knowing that there remains much work to be done to bring wholeness to all,” Cantor Joel Colman led a group Shehecheyanu because “still we celebrate having reached this moment.”

In another room, the Federation’s video, “Our Hurricane Katrina Story,” which was used to tell the city’s story when raising recovery funds years ago, was screened.

Several out-of-town guests were recognized by Garon for their roles in the community’s recovery. Lee Wunsch, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, “welcomed so many of us into their community and adopted us as their own.” The New Orleans Federation set up a “Federation-in-exile” in the Houston office until they could return to New Orleans.

Howard Feinberg, former managing director of United Jewish Communities Consulting, “spearheaded the fundraising effort that helped not only our community but also the Gulf Coast.”

Rabbi Deborah Hirsch was co-director of the Union for Reform Judaism’s disaster relief, assisting the four Reform congregations in the community.

Arnie Fielkow, who played a role in keeping the New Orleans Saints in the city after Katrina and was elected to the New Orleans City Council, was also recognized. He is now CEO of the National Basketball Association Retired Players Association, but Garon reminded him that he will eventually be returning to New Orleans.

Eric Stillman was also recognized in the out-of-town segment, but Garon said he could officially announce that Stillman has returned to New Orleans. Stillman was executive director of the New Orleans Federation from 2000 to 2006.

Garon was scheduled to step down as president a week after Katrina hit, with Bissinger succeeding him. Despite the hardships everyone was

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10 years forward enduring, Garon said “Allan did not hesitate a bit” to take the reins. “We are hugely indebted and grateful to Allan for his time, energy and devotion, and his vision to make sure this community survived.”

In his remarks, Bissinger recalled how so many packed for a two or three day evacuation “like you had done for so many hurricanes… just part of being in New Orleans.” With most of his family safely elsewhere, he decided to ride it out.

Bissinger said the three days after the levees broke were the quietest he would have for a couple of years. He stayed on the second floor of his home reading Harry Potter books. Finally on Thursday after the storm, he realized the waters weren’t going down and he was starting to run low on peanut butter and bottled water, so he swam out of his house and was rescued by a passing boat, and made his way to Baton Rouge.

“Normalcy was gone,” he said.

In Baton Rouge, Rabbi Martha Bergadine, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge, had secured some apartments for New Orleans evacuees. “In every community… there was an outpouring of heart-felt compassion” for the evacuees, Bissinger said.

A three-year plan with UJC began, and the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana and the Goldring Family Foundation also kicked in a great deal of relief assistance.

Bissinger said that was important, so New Orleans could tell the world “look at what we are doing to help ourselves. Want to join us?”

The community gradually went from survival mode to rebuilding mode. While estimates vary widely, anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 Jewish volunteers have come from around the world to help rebuild New Orleans, he said.

Over $19 million that was raised nationally was allocated through the New Orleans Federation to keep the 19 community organizations and congregations going. “All Jewish institutions which were here before Katrina are still here today, with some new ones,” he said. A community-wide strategic plan was developed to help the community “get past it. And as a community, we have.”

A key component was the newcomers program, to replenish the numbers of those who did not return. About 2300 newcomers benefited from the program, and the Jewish community now numbers 10,300, and still growing.

The evening was jointly sponsored by the 19 local institutions.

The formal part of the program concluded with Colman leading the room in “God Bless America,” then the party began.

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Starting Shabbat services at Beth Israel’s former site in Biloxi

A brief Biloxi return to quietly remember Katrina Before Shabbat services began on Aug. 28, Milt Grishman looked at the empty lot at the corner of Camellia Street and Southern Avenue in Biloxi and remarked, “these palm trees are like old friends.”

The trees are at the perimeter of what used to be the site of Biloxi’s Congregation Beth Israel, until Hurricane Katrina flattened the Mississippi coast in August 2005, and Grishman said they gave a Middle Eastern atmosphere to the site.

While much of the focus on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is on New Orleans and the levee breach there, Mississippi’s Gulf Coast felt the brunt of the storm itself. There were 238 Katrina-related deaths in Mississippi, 167 of them along the coast.

The congregation marked the storm’s 10th anniversary by starting Shabbat services at its former home, then finishing the service in its new post-Katrina facility, 14 miles away in Gulfport.

After the congregants sang “Hinei Mah Tov” as the sun began to set over the Biloxi site, Beth Israel President Brad Kessie said “It is appropriate that we start here, because this is where we began.”

Though many felt an obligation to mark the 10th anniversary, there seemed to be little enthusiasm to relive those days and a desire for the anniversary to pass quickly.

After Kessie’s opening remarks, Goldin started leading a typical Kabbalat Shabbat service as 25 members stood in the location where the sanctuary and kitchen had stood.

At the new building, Amy Goldin led the rest of the service, with little mention of what had happened 10 years earlier.

The August 2005 storm brought a surge that flattened structures, often leaving just a concrete slab as the only evidence buildings had been there. Casinos that had been built over the

Gulf were lifted and placed on what was left of the beach highway.

Though Beth Israel’s building was still standing, much of the brick façade had been peeled off the building, and water ruined the inside.

The Torahs had been placed upstairs and were safe, and many of the fixtures were able to be salvaged and included in the new building.

Of the congregation’s 65 members pre-Katrina, 13 lost their homes, while most others were displaced. Many left the region, and the congregation’s overall numbers are still down.

In the days after the hurricane, a Chabad team wandered the Mississippi coast along now-unmarked streets, checking on Jewish families by using a list compiled from years of travels through the area, offering assistance with everything from food to ripping out moldy carpets.

With a rabbi and cantor sent by United Synagogue, Beth Israel was able to hold High Holy Days services at Keesler Air Force Base five weeks after the storm.

There was a debate over whether the old building could be renovated or rebuilt, while weekly services were held at Beauvoir United Methodist Church.

When it was determined that the building could not be saved and new guidelines made rebuilding prohibitive for a 50-family congregation, plans began for a new facility, much further inland on property donated by the Goldin family.

Contributions from all over the country brought in about $600,000 toward rebuilding.

Ground was broken in late 2008, and the new building was dedicated in May 2009.

The Biloxi site still sports a for-sale sign, and bits of the building’s bricks remain embedded in the ground. With many lots for sale in Biloxi, there is no telling how long it will take for the congregation to sell the land.

Rabbis Robert Loewy and Uri Topolosky reminisce with Eddie Gothard

Not the “victim” synagogue, Beth Israel celebrates renewal in Metairie While Beth Israel became the symbol worldwide for the devastation affecting the New Orleans Jewish community when the levees broke following Hurricane Katrina, the message from its 10th anniversary weekend was that it should not be considered the “victim synagogue.”

While every Jewish institution was affected by the flood, Beth Israel was one of only two institutions in Greater New Orleans that had to rebuild completely, and the only one that moved to a new location.

After the levees broke, Lakeview was one of the harder-hit areas, and Beth Israel had at least 10 feet of water inside the building.

Photos of the congregation’s ruined Torahs being removed from the ark in a sanctuary that still had chest-deep water ran in just about every Jewish newspaper following the flood, and became iconic images of the storm’s effect.

Eddie Gothard, past president of Beth Israel, said it wasn’t an easy decision to have the commemoration weekend. Many thought there should not be a weekend revisiting the storm, and it couldn’t be considered a celebration, especially given the death of the congregation’s long-time gabbai, Meyer Lachoff, during the storm.

But, he said, “we are the shul that survived Katrina. We understand the moral imperative to remember.”

Bradley Bain, president of Beth Israel, said the weekend was to reflect on the last 10 years, but also to “celebrate our accomplishments as a community,” and “to look at the next chapter we will write together, 10 years forward.”

Eddie Gothard noted that the congregation is stronger than it was 10 years ago. In his 30 years on the board, balanced budgets were a dream, but since 2006 it has been a reality each year.

Today, “no one has a conversation any more about if we will survive,” and the congregation is attracting newcomers who wouldn’t be there “if we were that pathetic remnant.”

It was noted that four Beth Israel representatives were interviewed for the JTA national wire service piece about Katrina — and three of them arrived in New Orleans after the storm.

Soon after the waters receded, Beth Israel began holding services at Gates of Prayer in Metairie.

Gates of Prayer Rabbi Robert Loewy admitted his “inner Orthodox Jew” never existed as he is a life-long Reform Jew, but he always has believed that a Jewish community should have Reform, Conservative and Orthodox elements. When Beth Israel’s then-president Jackie Gothard inquired about Beth Israel holding services at Gates of Prayer, Loewy said “that’s cool.”

But “if you thought I’d ever see a mechitza in a Reform synagogue…”

When Gates of Prayer built its second social hall, which Beth Israel used, they had installed an ark in the room. Jackie Gothard asked Loewy why they had done that, and Loewy did not have any idea why. “We looked at each other. We knew.”

In 2007, Beth Israel hired Rabbi Uri Topolosky. The Topoloskys left in 2013, but returned to New Orleans for the anniversary weekend.

The relationship between the congregations grew, and in 2009 Beth Israel decided its new building would be next door to Gates of Prayer, on

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September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 15

10 years forward

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land purchased from the Reform congregation.

Groundbreaking took place in 2010, and the building was dedicated in August 2012.

The Beth Israel history video that debuted at the building dedication was screened during the gala, and a multimedia presentation on “Our Past to Our Present” was narrated by Jackie Gothard and Lee Kansas.

A procession from Gates of Prayer to Beth Israel included five Torahs that had been donated by individuals and groups across the country, to replace the seven that had been ruined in the flood.

The morning of Aug. 23, Beth Israel Rabbi Gabe Greenberg led a Torah study session at the Beth Israel cemetery, right by where the seven Torahs are buried. Two weeks after the levee breach, Rabbi Isaac Leider of ZAKA made his way to the still-flooded building and removed the scrolls.

Leider transported them out by boat, and congregational secretary Becky Heggelund met him at Zephyr Field to claim the scrolls and bury them in her backyard with the help of a neighbor. The congregation later recognized her as a Righteous Gentile.

Months later, the scrolls were reburied in a single plot that was next to Lachoff. Jackie Gothard commented, “for 25 years as our gabbai he watched over our Torah scrolls, and he still is.”

Topolosky recalled Gothard’s comment to visiting groups that most Jews never see the burial of a Torah scroll in an entire lifetime, but this congregation saw seven at one time.

A headstone where the Torahs are buried carries three significant dates — the storm, the burial of the scrolls and the date when the headstone unveiling was supposed to be — in an ironic twist, the August 2008 ceremony was postponed due to evacuations for Hurricane Gustav.

There was also the burial of 3,000 holy books in the far corner of the cemetery.

The weekend began with Shabbat services and a musical Havdalah.

The culmination was a packed house for the Aug. 23 gala dinner.

Much of that evening was devoted to looking forward. It was announced that the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust was underwriting the rabbinic chair at Beth Israel. Rabbi Gabe Greenberg, who Bain then introduced as the holder of that chair, said that contribution “allows us to focus more narrowly on the mission of Beth Israel — spiritual life, learning and community.”

Greenberg said they will “double down” on children’s education and adult programming. “We’re confident about our future success.”

Part of the evening was a discussion between Loewy and Topolosky about the relationship between the Reform and Orthodox congregations, “two synagogues side by side with a playground in the center, where the kids can play together.”

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10 years forward

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Topolosky commented that uniformity “is not the value. We can be united, we can work together, but to be homogeneous is not the value of the Jewish community.”

Loewy said New Orleans is all about family, and half of the Gates of Prayer leadership had family connections to Beth Israel — not to mention other connections, including how Loewy officiated at the baby naming for Greenberg’s wife in Houston.

Topolosky said Katrina pushed the two congregations closer than they otherwise would have been, but also mentioned that the fundraising for Beth Israel’s first building a century ago included significant support from the Reform community of New Orleans.

While much was made of how Topolosky and Loewy studied and taught together, along with Rabbi Ethan Linden of Shir Chadash, they said it was not unheard of in New Orleans, with the legacy of the Melton program. The relationship continues during Greenberg’s tenure.

After Katrina, “We became the poster children for the concept that Reform and Orthodox congregations, rabbis and communities can work with each other in close, personal ways,” Loewy said.

At the beginning of Yom Kippur in 2006, Beth Israel was finishing Kol Nidre in the social hall as Gates of Prayer was just starting. Eddie Gothard said “we hear this sound system and a woman’s voice.”

Loewy quipped, “it was good for you.”

While some feared the visiting rabbi, Joseph Friedman, would walk back to Memphis in disgust, instead he said he was going in to the Reform service.

Loewy was told that Friedman wanted to address the congregation.

“I can’t say no,” he remarked. Naturally, Friedman would not use the microphone, but “he shared one of the most meaningful and touching moments of worship one could imagine.” He spoke of the midrash about the line in the Kedusha, “Holy, holy, holy,” when the angels turn toward each other. At that point, the angels who usually are rivals reconcile with each other before God. Topolosky recalled having national officials from the Orthodox Union and the Union for Reform Judaism sitting at the same table when the congregations signed the land deal that paved the way for the new Beth Israel building. “It was an incredible statement for this community… sending a message well beyond.”

Greenberg closed the evening by relating how Judaism has a blessing for everything, including a little-known one he had never done — a blessing for a destroyed synagogue that has been restored to its former glory.

The blessing praises God “who sets limits for a widow.” There is a time for grieving, he explained, but at some point “there can be rejoicing again.”

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September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 17

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Ten years ago, when the orders were given to evacuate New Orleans because of the approaching massive Hurricane Katrina, most figured it would be another typical two or three day trip, then going home to repair some damage from what was then a Category 5 storm.

“I certainly thought we’d be gone for 3 days” over the weekend of Aug. 28, said Deena Gerber, who was executive director of Jewish Family Service of New Orleans.

Sarah Rivkin of Tulane Chabad planned to ride out the storm, but when the announcement was made that there would be no 911 emergency services and since they had young children, “it would be the responsible thing to leave.”

Some chose to ride out the storm, which made landfall as a strong Category 3 hurricane near Buras and again at the Mississippi-Louisiana state line. After the storm passed, some who stayed ventured outside and saw that the city had survived the storm.

A couple of hours later, the levees started giving way, flooding the city.

Looking back at those events 10 years later, Carol Wise remarked that “having to go back through this whole thing could be particularly upsetting. Somehow, we had to be able to tell the story of our modern Exodus in Jewish terms,” as a story of “strength, love and perseverance.”

In a column written days after the storm for the Baltimore Jewish Times, Gail Chalew said that before Katrina “the Jewish population has been declining, primarily because of the poor New Orleans economy that provided few high-tech or corporate opportunities. In recent years, many young people have moved to Atlanta or Houston in search of good jobs.”

With the entire community scattered around the country, there was an open question as to if the community could survive, and if it did, what form it would take.

On Sept. 10, a team surveyed the Jewish institutions in the New Orleans area.

Institutions along West Esplanade in Metairie, including Chabad, Shir Chadash, Gates of Prayer, Torah Academy and the Goldring/Woldenberg Jewish Community Campus, had several inches of water, ruining floors, carpets and walls.

Rabbi Robert Loewy from Gates of Prayer noted that 30 percent of his congregants’ homes were uninhabitable and another 30 percent had serious damage.

The Northshore Jewish Congregation also had some roof damage and interior flooding. Most congregations were able to complete renovations by the first few months of 2006, though Torah Academy had to completely rebuild, a process that would take until the summer of 2014.

Beth Israel in Lakeview was flooded by at least 10 feet of water, ruining the congregation’s Torahs and over 3,000 books (see story, page 15).

In Biloxi, Beth Israel, Mississippi’s only Conservative congregation, suffered extensive damage to its building, located just two blocks from the beach (see story, page 14).

10 years forward Uptown congregations Touro Synagogue and Temple Sinai, along with Anshe Sfard, had little physical damage, but delays in opening surrounding areas due to lack of electricity and other infrastructure stalled the return of many members. Basement flooding at Touro led to an oil leak that kept the main sanctuary unusable until January.

There was little damage at the New Orleans Jewish cemeteries, but the Jewish cemeteries in Osyka, La., and Summit, Miss., had extensive damage from fallen trees.

In Hattiesburg, despite the city looking like a “war zone, a war we lost” according to Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn, the damage at B’nai Israel was limited to shingles and a tree that fell near — but not on — the building.

Because of slow disaster response and uncertain conditions, the Birmingham Jewish community was prepared to evacuate the entire Hattiesburg Jewish community, but it was determined that would not be necessary.

The Union for Reform Judaism set up Jacobs Ladder, working with the Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, Miss., to set up a relief distribution center in a vacant 24,000-square-foot warehouse. The Utica City Council approved the plan on Sept. 6, and the project launched on Sept. 9.

While ambitious projections anticipated that 1.25 million pounds of relief supplies would pass through Jacobs Ladder, the total turned out to be over 3 million pounds before the warehouse closed on Oct. 24.

The camp itself was a refuge for about 150 evacuees during and immediately after the storm. Though there was no electricity, camp staff cooked with gas and secured generators until the evacuees could find more permanent housing over the next 10 days.

Jonathan Cohen, director of Jacobs Camp at the time, said its founders “couldn’t possibly have anticipated what we ended up doing during and after Hurricane Katrina. Still, to be able to be there for people in the ways we were — and, to have been able to be a conduit for America’s Jewish community to do something — was a most special opportunity.”

The camp did not escape unscathed. There was significant damage to its lake, as the storm destroyed the drainage system and the lake emptied.

Aside from that there was minor damage to some roofs and downed trees.

A benefit concert for Jacobs Camp was held on Sept. 29 in New York City.

Houston was the destination for roughly half of the New Orleans Jewish community, and the Federation office there also became headquarters for the “New Orleans Federation in Exile” as Bissinger described it.

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September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 19

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and find out where others had gone.

ZAKA and Chabad rescue teams evacuated dozens of Jews and many non-Jews who had stayed behind.

A Chabad team wandered the Mississippi coast, checking on Jewish families by using a list from years of travels through the area, offering assistance with everything from food to ripping out moldy carpets.

Birmingham welcomed at least 100 from the New Orleans Jewish community, with some remaining in the city permanently. A reception was held on Sept. 15 to welcome the newcomers and let them know what services the community had to offer, whether they were staying for a few weeks or long-term.

Baton Rouge was also a destination for many in the New Orleans Jewish community, as were Mem- The satirical Jewish Krewes had phis and Atlanta. no lack of targets for the 2006 About 80 took refuge in Jackson parade as the city’s overall population doubled temporarily. Shreveport had about 70 from the New Orleans Jewish community.

Bluma Rivkin commented that as someone who hosts guests all the time, “being forced to be a guest after being a host” was a new experience, and “it was torture” to receive instead of give.

When school began a week after the storm, 85 children from New Orleans were enrolled in Houston’s Jewish schools as of that date. Ungar pointed out that a lot of non-Jewish families hadn’t been able to enroll children in schools by then. “The Houston community was extraordinary to us,” and noting the floods in Houston this past May, added “it’s now our turn to take very good care of them.”

Margolin Hebrew Academy in Memphis enrolled 24 students from New Orleans within a week of the storm. With children settling into new schools and New Orleans schools not opening for several months, many young families decided not to return.

The New Orleans Jewish community in Houston held its first meeting on Sept. 7 at Beth Israel, with about 200 attending. That was originally the date for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans’ annual meeting.

That same evening, Bobby Garon and Allan Bissinger were having dinner in Baton Rouge with representatives of United Jewish Communities, now Jewish Federations of North America, and the Association of Jewish Family and Child Agencies, where the representatives “discussed their vision of being able to assist our Jewish community getting back on our feet.”

At the previously-scheduled annual meeting of the Federation, Bissinger was to succeed Garon as president of the agency. As they sat in the restaurant, Garon took Bissinger’s napkin and silverware and hid it. When the meal arrived, Bissinger looked for his utensils. Then Garon produced them and said “consider this, my friend, the passing of the gavel.”

Jewish Family Service and the Jewish Endowment Foundation set up Baton Rouge offices to assist evacuees.

On Sept. 18, another “originally” was reworked as the New Orleans Federation held a meeting in Baton Rouge, at the Louisiana State University Faculty Club. The evening was originally going to be a celebration of the Baton Rouge Federation’s 36th anniversary.

At the Baton Rouge event, Carol Smokler of UJC presented the first third of what became an initial $1 million to help with the recovery effort. A delegation from IsraAID, which had been working quietly in St.

10 years forward Bernard and Plaquemines Parish, spoke about their efforts.

On Sept. 23, Hurricane Rita followed, making landfall at the Louisiana-Texas border and forcing evacuations in Houston.

In Baton Rouge, Beth Shalom had been preparing for a huge Rosh Hashanah crowd, but roof damage from Rita flooded the building.

They had to re-evacuate Torah scrolls that had been brought there from Touro Synagogue and the New Orleans Jewish Day School.

This hallway at Shir Chadash five weeks after the storm was a scene repeated across the community

Beth Shalom held High Holy Day services at Jefferson Baptist Church as they began to repair their damage.

With the High Holy Days starting late in 2005, two New Orleans congregations held Rosh Hashanah services as some community members began making their way back to New Orleans Federation leaders and national UJC representatives the city despite few gathered in Baton Rouge on Sept. 18 services, questionable housing and spotty utility service. Several had been brought to Baton Rouge from Gates of parts of the city were reopened a few days before Prayer before the flood.

Rosh Hashanah.

Touro Synagogue’s service the next morning While Shir Chadash held its main service in packed over 200 into their chapel, including Houston, led by Rabbi Theodore Lichtenfeld, relief workers, military personnel and FEMA New Orleans native Anne Brener, a Reform rab- workers. binical student, led Rosh Hashanah services in Across the lake, Northshore Jewish CongreMetairie. About 100 crowded the chapel at Shir gation had been holding outdoor services since Chadash, where the carpet had been ripped out the storm until their building was deemed safe and one Torah was in the ark — a Torah that two weeks later. They had about 300 for Rosh

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Beth Israel in Biloxi held services at Keesler Air Force Base, with a rabbi and cantor who were sent from United Synagogue.

With its Lakeview building unusable, New Orleans’ Beth Israel was able to hold a Yom Kippur service at the Comfort Inn in Kenner. In addition to losing their building, long-time gabbai Meyer Lachoff died just before Woldenberg Village was evacuated when the levees broke.

For the service, Beth Israel received surplus books from a New York congregation that had just dedicated new books in memory of their long-time gabbai. As dedication plates were prepared for the surplus books in memory of the two gabbais, it was noticed that the New York congregation had originally received those books from Chevra Thilim in New Orleans, one of the congregations that merged to form Shir Chadash.

Beth Israel’s Rabbi Yisroel Shiff, whose home was lost in the flood, took a new position in New Jersey two months after the flood.

Regular services began at most congregations in mid-October, though at first, curfews meant Shabbat evening services had to be held early.

As community members continued to trickle in, the community’s divisions fell by the wayside. Rabbis were not Reform, Conservative or Orthodox, they were simply New Orleans rabbis, doing what they could for whoever needed help.

The Uptown JCC was able to reopen its fitness area on Oct. 20, with the rest of the building, including the nursery school, opening on Jan. 3, 2006. Before then, the JCC offered a “Katrina Recovery Daycare Center” for parents trying to get their homes livable or get jobs started up.

Arlene Barron, then executive director of the JCC, had spoken at the JCC Association board meeting in New York on Sept. 12, after which an effort was made to have the national group pay employees and keep the institution on track to reopen.

FEMA used the JCC auditorium as an operations headquarters for several months.

The Metairie JCC required extensive first floor renovations, with the gym floor being

10 years forward a major project. All of the workout equipment on the second floor was damaged by the humidity and had to be replaced. The facility finally reopened on March 26.

The Federation reopened its Metairie office on the third floor of the Metairie JCC on Oct. 24. By then, approximately 1,000 to 1,500 members of the Jewish community had returned. Jewish Family Service also reopened its Metairie office that month.

“It was important that Federation hung its shingle in the city” as quickly as possible, Ungar noted.

In late 2005, it was estimated that Jewish organizations and congregations would have $20 million in losses and operational deficits through the end of 2007.

National organizations agreed to cover salaries and keep all New Orleans institutions open. Ungar said many of them would have done the work regardless, but having a paycheck coming in was very important and it enabled them to concentrate on their work rebuilding the community.

With UJC consultants and staff from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, a two-year plan was launched to keep the community working through survival mode into rebuilding mode.

Beth Israel, needing a new permanent home, took up residence at Gates of Prayer, receiving international attention for the novelty of an Orthodox congregation meeting at a Reform congregation.

As the year continued, New Orleans Hillel embarked on a national “Reunion Road Trip” for Tulane students who found themselves at other universities across the country.

Young Judaea organized a Caravan for Katrina, which stopped in Montgomery and Mobile on the way to New Orleans.

National Jewish organizations issued numerous grants across the region, concentrating on New Orleans, the Mississippi Coast and Baton Rouge, but also Lake Charles, Lafayette, Alexandria, Shreveport, Jackson and Hattiesburg; as well as places like Nashville, Houston and San Antonio, where large groups of evacuees lived.

The Birmingham Jewish community immediately set a high goal for hurricane relief, raising over $1 million in cash and in-kind donations.

Birmingham’s BBYO chapters raised $6500 in two events, and national BBYO sold 1500 relief T-shirts as a fundraiser.

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger issued $1 million in grants to organizations working on disaster relief.

The Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana, Damage inside Biloxi’s Beth Israel which returned to its offices on Dec. 5, issued $1.4 million in grants that month from rainy-day funds.

Jewish Family Service processed need-based financial assistance, and the Federation launched a grant program for one-time expenses incurred in returning to the area.

Rosh Ha’Ayin, New Orleans’ Partnership 2000 community in Israel, got into the act and a Children to Children campaign raised $4,000 for hurricane relief.

One campaign that did not take place was the 2006 Annual Cam-

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September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 23

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paign for the New Orleans Federation. Instead, the Super Sunday-style phoneathon in January was to contact community members and see what forms of assistance they needed.

By the end of 2005, over $30 million had been raised by Jewish organizations. UJC had raised $25.5 million and URJ had raised $3.5 million, and over $600,000 for SOS New Orleans, to help maintain operations at the four New Orleans Reform congregations.

Rabbi Robert Loewy of Gates of Prayer noted that they have a display in their building listing “the hundreds of people and organizations that donated to us. It’s something we will never forget.”

At the Union for Reform Judaism biennial in mid-November, held in Houston, about 40 delegates from the New Orleans area’s four Reform congregations, including all four rabbis, marched Torahs that had been rescued from the flood during the opening session. The Torahs were then used for the convention’s Shabbat services.

Helping the food situation for much of the community, Kosher Cajun reopened on Nov. 18 after extensive renovations from flood damage and the loss of $100,000 in inventory.

By Chanukah, the festival of rededication, more of the community was able to return, and December saw several “welcome back” events. Rabbi Irwin Kula and Rabbi Tzvi Blanchard of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership held events in Baton Rouge and New Orleans’ Temple Sinai on Dec. 12 and 13.

The community-wide Chanukah homecoming was held on Dec. 20 at the Uptown JCC, with Dashka Roth teaming with artist Gary Rosenthal and Rosenthal’s Hiddur Mitzvah project. Communities from across the country made hundreds of mosaic glass Chanukah menorahs and dreidels that were distributed at the event, along with toys and school supplies that had been donated.

Chabad and Krewe du Jieux held a Chanukah menorah lighting and parade at Riverwalk, and Hadassah held a Chanukah party as its first post-storm gathering.

In Biloxi, a group of Jewish volunteers was surprised to stumble upon a Chanukah celebration at Beauvoir United Methodist Church on Dec. 18, where the community was holding its annual party.

Still, in early December the Federation had found only 845 Jewish households that had returned. An initial survey gave better than anticipated results to the question of how many would eventually return, but congregations started their planning with the idea that one-third of their membership would not return.

With winter break approaching, Jewish groups were among those that flocked to New Orleans to volunteer in the recovery. The Federation set up a Volunteer Referral Program to coordinate the Jewish groups with

Dancing at the Jewish Music Festival 24 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

10 years forward local agencies that could use their help.

Representatives from Minneapolis-based Nechama worked for several months in Hattiesburg and Gulfport, and organized teams of volunteers for week-long trips to New Orleans.

Saying they had never considered not marching, the Krewe du Mishigas and the “wandering” Krewe du Jieux took to the streets with a FEMA-skewering agenda for the Krewe du Vieux’s “C’est Levee” parade on Feb. 11, in the early days of a controversial Mardi Gras season.

While members paraded in Hazmat suits or blue tarp outfits, Mishigas’ “NOLA’s Ark” sailed through the Quarter. Because local suppliers had been closed after the flood, the group had to import bagels for their prized throws.

On Feb. 16, the Federation held a community celebration in place of its annual campaign celebration, recognizing UJC and the East Baton Rouge Sheriff ’s Office, which helped coordinate rescue missions that retrieved about 50 members of the New Orleans Jewish community and many non-Jews. The event also featured guest speaker Carl Bernstein, and it was announced that half of the community had returned.

By March, the Federation had listings of 177 New Orleans Jewish households in Houston. Another 106 were reported to be in Baton

Rouge, and 96 in Florida. Another 81 households were in Atlanta, 65 in Dallas, 35 in Memphis, 29 in California, 21 in New York and 21 in Birmingham.

Also in March, Federation Executive Director Eric Stillman announced he was taking a position with UJC of Broward County, Fla. An “inaugural” New Orleans International Jewish Music Festival was scheduled for April 1 and 2 with many nationally-known performers, organized by Hiddur Mitzvah, Moment magazine and the Federation to help revitalize Jewish life in the area.

For those still without a kitchen as Passover approached, the community held a joint Seder at the Hilton Riverside on April 12 coordinated

by Hadassah.

In May 2006, the North American Association of Synagogue Executives held its meeting in Biloxi, holding a service outside the ruined Beth Israel building.

For Jacobs Camp, summer 2006 was important because the previous summer was the last “normal” experience before Katrina. Over onefourth of the campers had been displaced by the storm and scholarship demands were expected to be high.

Aside from the lake draining when a tree

went through the dam, the Museum building’s air conditioning was fried by a brownout during Hurricane Rita.

Still, the camp reported record enrollment for 2006.

The Foundation for Jewish Camp set up a $1.5 million emergency scholarship fund for 2006, estimating about 400 families that sent their children to Jewish summer camp had been economically devastated by the storm. Jewish Children’s Regional Service was tapped to administer “Habayita: Coming Home to Jewish Camp.”

Fall 2006 saw the reopening of a much smaller New Orleans Jewish Day School, which has since been renamed Jewish Community Day School. Since the storm, the school has gone through fifth grade, making the Class of 2005 the only eighth-grade graduates in the school’s history.

The first anniversary did bring celebrations.

The first Torah donated to Beth Israel was dedicated, following the effort of Los Angeles teen Haley Fields to raise funds.

Tulane Chabad also held a groundbreaking for a previously-planned new facility.

At that point, roughly two-thirds of the New Orleans Jewish community had returned, and it

September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 25

10 years forward was time to face hard choices. The community had an infrastructure for at least 10,000 — should there be downsizing to match the returnees’ numbers, or should there be an effort to expand the community’s size?

Jewish Family Service launched an interest-free loan program to bring back community members, with loans of up to $15,000 per household or business. When Gerber stepped down from JFS in 2013, 97 percent of those loans had been repaid, and she figures it is closer to 99 percent now.

It wasn’t just the money, she said, it was being able to sit with people and listen.

The first anniversary was also the day that the Federation interviewed Michael Weil, who would become the Federation executive director, using his background in urban renewal and strategic planning.

In 2007, the Federation implemented a newcomer’s program, offering incentives for those who agreed to move to the area. A renewed effort was made to retain Jewish graduates of Tulane, and social service agencies drew a large number of idealistic Jewish young adults.

That, and a renewed entrepreneurial spirit in the area, have helped turn the New Orleans Jewish community from one where the young people went elsewhere for opportunity to one that has opportunities to attract young people.

The Federation states that over 2500 newcomers arrived through the program, and the Jewish community now stands at 10,300.

Almost every large national Jewish group held a major meeting in New Orleans in an effort to help the recovering convention and hospitality industry. The UJC’s General Assembly was in New Orleans in 2010, attracting 5,000 delegates.

There are still struggles — membership numbers are still down somewhat at most congregations. The Federation’s annual campaign is now about where it was before the storm.

Cutting the ribbon at Beth Israel’s new building in Metairie in 2012 But innovation continues in the community, from the arrival of AVODAH and Moishe House to the inauguration of LimmudFest. Touro Synagogue embarked on an experiment where the dues structure is entirely voluntary.

The three Reform youth groups combined into one JewCCY chapter, and the Jewish young adults groups combined into JNola.

Weil said that in 2015, the New Orleans Jewish community “is strong, robust, growing, rejuvenating and thriving in ways that many would have deemed impossible at the time.”

The Jewish Women’s Archive embarked on Katrina’s Jewish Voices, an oral history archive available online. At a June program held at Touro Synagogue, JWA Executive Director Judith Rosenbaum said “what happens when the world splits open? Women tell the truths about their lives.”

In one video from 2006, Julie Wise Oreck went out on a limb, figuratively, by saying “it is possible we are going to be a better community.

We’re going to survive together. We’re going to come together in a way that no other community has done.”

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10 years forward TikkuNOLAm participants learn much work remains in Katrina recovery Ten years after the levees broke, the recovery effort still continues in parts of New Orleans.

Despite an excessive heat warning, about 60 members of the New Orleans Jewish community got up early on Aug. 9 to spend the day working on rebuilding four homes with the St. Bernard Project.

TikkuNOLAm was coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans as a day of community service with the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaching.

The Federation presented the St. Bernard Project with a check for $5,000 as part of the day. It costs St. Bernard Project roughly $40 to $50 per volunteer for staff oversight and building materials.

Liz McCartney, who co-founded St. Bernard Project with Zack Rosenberg, said they have completed 604 homes since they came to New Orleans nine and one-half years ago “to volunteer for a couple of weeks. And here we are.”

They founded the organization in August 2007. “Our goal is not only to finish the job in New Orleans, but to make sure there is no other community that 10 years after a disaster is still trying to recover,” she said.

To that end, in addition to the 80,000 volunteers they have had in New Orleans, the project is also in New York and New Jersey working on Hurricane Sandy recovery, has rebuilt 200 homes in Joplin, Mo., following tornadoes there, and is now working on flood recovery in Texas.

The need is still great, explained Carol Ramm-Gramenz, in neighborhoods that tourists never see. “We get calls every day,” and with the 10th anniversary coming up, people who had given up hope Rabbi David Polsky tries his hand at cutting sheetrock of having their homes repaired are inspired by stories of the groups tially rebuilt, with progress halted when the clithat are still out there, working to rebuild. ents ran out of money. Some are living without Some of the clients have homes that are par- working plumbing or electricity, or living with

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hazardous mold. There are also those who want to return to the city but still haven’t been able to rebuild.

The day was co-chaired by Peter Seltzer and Julie Wise Oreck. Oreck, who was sidelined by a foot injury, called the day “a perfect example of rebuilding.”

Seltzer, a paramedic, spoke about how he was in New Orleans when Katrina hit “and saw what the storm did to my city.”

He ended up in Philadelphia, knowing that he would return to New Orleans. “I always felt I had a responsibility to come back and do this type of work,” he said.

Patricia, a client of the project whose home in the Lower 9th Ward was completed earlier this year, said the project is “a gift that keeps on giving,” especially for someone like her who is in a wheelchair from a traumatic car accident after Katrina. “The city was trying to take my property,” she said, but St. Bernard Project got everything figured out and “the next week they were building my home.”

Many of the volunteers were relative newcomers, but some were veterans of the storm. Saying “we’re all part of this,” Karen Remer related that her Uptown home was not livable until December 2005, but they remained in Maryland for the rest of the school year, returning in the summer of 2006.

Other volunteers came from the ranks of Tulane students or JNOLA members. Ivy Cohen, director of youth engagement with JewCCY, had hoped to bring some of her teens, but the project was limited to ages 16 and up.

Most of the work for the sweaty day was hanging drywall, after a brief tutorial on measuring, cutting and the proper technique for the power screwdrivers.

Three of the homes are on St. Roch Avenue, with a fourth home that is closer to completion on Louisa Street.

Patricia talks about how her home was redone by St. Bernard Project 28 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

September 2015 • The Jewish Newsletter 29

30 The Jewish Newsletter • September 2015

From Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans Friends of JFS Campaign starting soon!

Staff Updates

Once a year, we ask the community to help support the work that we do for the benefit of thousands in the Greater New Orleans area. Our programs serve all ages and all faiths — from Teen Life Counts, our teen suicide-prevention program; to Bikur Chaverim, which offers companionship and friendship for the home-bound or partially home-bound; to our extensive counseling services for individuals, couples and families; to Lifeline and Passover baskets, among others.

Before the High Holidays, you should receive our annual Friends of JFS appeal, which is our most important campaign of the calendar year. Because all of our services are offered on a sliding fee scale, we depend on Friends of JFS contributions to underwrite our programs for the coming year for individuals who are facing urgent, critical needs or simply seeking to improve their quality of life. Please respond as generously as possible. Please visit our website to donate today! http://www. jfsneworleans.org.

Kim Nonemacher joins the staff as the new Lifeline Manager and brings extensive experience to the position. Previously, she was a marketing and business development consultant for AMED Ambulance Service. She has also served as the Executive Director of Hospice Care of Louisiana and as the Administrator of the Inpatient Hospice Unit at Memorial Hospice and Palliative Care. Tracy Kinamore joins the staff as a counselor student intern. She is an MS candidate in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Loyola University.

Fall Continuing Education Workshop “Left to Their Own Devices: The Prevalence of Gaming, Sex and Social Media as Behavioral Addictions” Presented by Leslie Todd, LCSW-BACS, ACSW Friday, Oct. 23, 8:45 a.m.-noon Integrating DBT Skills into Clinical Practice Presented by Marvin Clifford, Ph.D., LCSW and Helen Stavros, Ph.D., LCSW Friday, Nov. 20, 8:45 a.m.-noon

Homemaker Services Available!

Homemaker is a light housekeeping and transportation service at JFS for older adults who need extra assistance to maintain their independence at home. It is particularly helpful for individuals who are going home after a hospitalization, who struggle with routine housekeeping, who are adjusting to a disability or who recently stopped driving. Each visit with one of our highly trained and experienced Homemaker staff is 2 ¼ hours, and sliding scale fees are available. There is no long term contract and you only pay for the visits you receive. Each client receives a professional in-home assessment with a social worker prior to starting services. Please contact us for more information.

Location: Congregation Beth Israel, 4004 West Esplanade Avenue (Note new address!)

Each workshop has been approved for 3 General Continuing Education hours by the LCA and for 3 Diagnosis hours by the LABSWE. Pre-registration (up to 24 hours before) $60 for 1 event, $110 for 2 events Day-of Registration: $70 per event For more information or to register, email jfs@jfsneworleans.org or call (504) 831-8475

From Tulane Hillel Tulane Hillel is excited to welcome two new staff members: Community Outreach Manager Ali Bloomston and Israel Program Fellow Inbal Sason!

Ali graduated from Tulane University in 2015 with a BFA in Musical Theatre and Political Science. During her college career, she participated in student government, performing arts organizations and worked as a university tour guide. Ali was also very involved with Hillel, working as a development intern and a NOLA Explore orientation coordinator her sophomore, junior and senior year.

Born in Birmingham, Ali fell in love with New Orleans during her four years at Tulane and decided to stay put. Ali joins the staff as the Community Outreach and Engagement Manager, where she will be mentoring Tulane Jewish Leaders and help to shape their initiatives. Ali is looking forward to furthering her connection with the New Orleans Jewish Community!

Inbal Sason joins the staff as Tulane Hillel’s new Israel Fellow. Inbal arrived from Tel Aviv, where she worked for the past several years in the media industry, specifically with a sports channel, an economic newspaper and most recently, a news channel. She graduated from Tel Aviv University with a degree in Communication and Art. The Hillel staff is extremely excited that Inbal selected Tulane and New Orleans as her placement site. Inbal is looking forward to meeting the incoming students, and also to learn more about the city and student interests.

September 2015 • The Jewish Newsletter 31

From the Jewish Endowment Foundation JEF Grants Sustain Our Community Every year, the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana allocates a portion of its General Fund for its Constituent Agency Block Grant. This pool of money is used to make grants to support programs at Jewish Family Service, the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Community Day School and Tulane Hillel.

Community Day School. In the school’s early years, JEF funded a feasibility study and startup grants for each new grade. JEF has also provided funding for the Day School library and for innovative Hebrew learning, among other programs. In the coming academic year, JCDS is adding new Pre-Kindergarten and Young Baby programs.

The grants are reviewed at a joint meeting of JEF’s Grants Re- JEF’s grant for these programs will provide training for teachers and view Committee and Federation’s Allocations Committee and are education opportunities for parents to learn about the stages of approved by JEF’s Board of Directors. This year, JEF made the fol- children’s early development and gain a working understanding of how play enables and encourages healthy social, emotional, cognilowing grants, totaling $46,875: tive, spiritual and physical development, and to purchase materials • Jewish Community Center: 2015 Community-Wide that will be used in the school to support young children’s play.

Chanukah Concert and Celebration JEF also makes grants from its General Fund to other Jewish • Jewish Community Center: Summer Day Camp Shlichim agencies and programs of Jewish interest. Over the years, JEF has • Jewish Family Service: Intensive Case Management also made emergency grants to Israel and to support disaster relief Services efforts both in the U.S. and internationally. Immediately after Ka• Jewish Family Service: Geriatric Family Consultation trina, JEF allocated $1.5 million from its General Fund to FederaServices tion and to Greater New Orleans synagogues to support rebuilding • Jewish Community Day School: Curriculum Mapping efforts here at home.

• Jewish Community Day School: Young Baby Program • Tulane Hillel: Shabbat Dinners on Campus JEF president Richard Cahn says, “Our General Fund enables • Tulane Hillel: Tulane Jewish Leaders Program us to sustain JEF and support projects that maintain and enhance An additional $22,076 was provided for these grants from the Jewish life. When you make a donation to JEF, you are helping to Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans’ new Constituent Pro- support these projects. The needs will always be here and with a growing General Fund, JEF will be here to meet them.” gramming Fund.

It’s easy to give — no gift is too small and every gift helps JEF sustain our community. To learn more about how you can help For the seventh consecutive year, JEF is providing funding for JEF support important community projects and secure the future the Jewish Community Center’s Community-Wide Chanukah of our Jewish community, please contact Sandy Levy (sandy@jefno.

Concert, Candle Lighting and Dinner, which brings the New Or- org) or Patti Lengsfield (patti@jefno.org) at (504) 524-4559. leans Jewish community together for a joyous holiday celebration For information on how to apply for a grant, contact Ellen featuring outstanding Jewish musical performers. Each year over Abrams at ellen@jefno.org or (504) 524-4559.

400 people attend this festive event.

The programs that these grants support have touched many lives.

Since 2010, JEF has supported Intensive Case Management Services at Jewish Family Service. Through this program, JFS is able to reach out in the spirit of Tikkun Olam to find solutions and treatment options for low-income and disadvantaged Jewish adults and families in Greater New Orleans. ICM provides holistic services with Jewish values, offering support and guidance to Jewish individuals who are in physical, social, legal, mental or financial crisis. Case managers work closely with rabbis, Federation and other Jewish agencies, as well as other general community resources and agencies, to ensure that clients receive the help they need to overcome short- and long-term obstacles.

Hillel’s Tulane Jewish Leaders program has received ongoing support from JEF since its inception in 2009. TJL is Hillel’s leadership incubator, bringing together a diverse group of Jewish students to create meaningful and engaging Jewish life on Tulane’s campus and in the Greater New Orleans community. Students have partnered with more than 50 local, national and international organizations. In the 2014-15 academic year, more than 260 students were involved in the program, launching more than 100 initiatives throughout New Orleans. Over the years, students have raised over $100,000 for various charities and have acquired leadership skills that will stay with them throughout their lives.

Gabriela Lehmann’s Yahrzeit Legacy Gabriela Lehmann was born in Israel and moved to New Orleans in 1952. She was a devoted member of the New Orleans Jewish community and was active in several charities and philanthropic endeavors in New Orleans and Israel. Before her death in 2010, Gaby established the Kurt J., Molly S. and Gabriela Lehmann Yahrzeit Designated Fund at the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana.

Through this fund, donations are made to Reform, Conservative and Orthodox congregations in metropolitan New Orleans to inscribe the names of her loved ones, as well as to remember all those who have passed away and no longer have friends or family to remember them on Yom Kippur, in the synagogues’ memorial books. By establishing this fund and providing generous donations to these congregations, Gabriela Lehmann created a meaningful and important Jewish legacy for our community that benefits our Greater New Orleans congregations and will endure forever for future generations.

If you would like to create your own Jewish legacy, please contact Sandy Levy (sandy@jefno.org) or Patti Lengsfield (patti@jefno.org) Over the years, JEF has provided significant support to the Jewish at 504-524-4559.

32 The Jewish Newsletter • September 2015

From the Jewish Community Day School Be in our 20th Anniversary Homecoming Gala book inently displayed at Jewish places of business, community centers, synagogues and the Jewish Community Day School.

Contact Lauren Ungar at lungar@jcdsnola.org to place your ad.

Tashlich at the Kahns!

In August 1995, for the very first time, a small group of fiveyear-olds walked through the doors of the New Orleans Jewish Day School, a landmark event in the life of the New Orleans Jewish community. Through their efforts, parents and community members had brought to being a school that welcomes all members of the Jewish community, of academic excellence in a nurturing environment, and of Jewish values meaningfully brought to life for today’s world. Now, 20 years strong, we are the Jewish Community Day School, and we are ready to celebrate!

JCDS Students will visit the home of Hugo and JCDS Board President Lis Kahn on Sept. 10 for Tashlich, a metaphorical casting away of their sins by assigning pieces of bread the sins they wish be rid of and throwing them into the bayou. Older students will create their own Tashlich paper boats with Jewish Life Coordinator Eileen Hamilton using recycled, origami folding paper. They will place their sins in their boats and cast them away!

We invite you to purchase an advertisement in our Memory and Advertisement Booklet, which will be viewed by approximately 250 Homecoming Gala guests. We welcome advertising and messages from businesses and individuals. You may purchase an ad to honor JCDS alumni, current students, faculty past and present, a special birthday or anniversary, or just because!!

In addition to placement at our 2015 Homecoming Gala at Temple Sinai on Nov. 15 at 5 p.m., this booklet will be prom-

A High Holy Days Reminder from JEF:

AUDIO BROADCASTS ON WRBH 88.3 FM OR WWW.WRBH.COM Erev Rosh Hashanah • Sunday, September 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Kol Nidre • Tuesday, September 22 at 7:30 pm

LIVE STREAMING AT WWW.TEMPLESINAINO.ORG Erev Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Rosh Hashanah Day Monday, September 14 Morning Service at 10:00 a.m., Young Family Service at 2:00 p.m.

Kol Nidre Tuesday, September 22 at 7:30 pm Yom Kippur Day Wednesday, September 23 Morning Service at 10:00 a.m., Young Family Service at 2:00 p.m.

Afternoon Service at 3:00 p.m.

Yizkor Memorial Service and Neilah at 4:00 p.m.

September 2015 • The Jewish Newsletter 33

From the Jewish Community Center Try-A-Triathlon The seventh annual JCC Super Sprint Triathlon will be held Sunday, Sept. 27, at the Uptown JCC. Heats begin at 8:30 a.m. Triathlon participants will swim 17 laps (.25 miles) in the pool, cycle 6.2 miles on a stationary bike, and then run 2.2 miles down St. Charles Avenue. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers. Triathlon experience is not necessary. In fact, this is the perfect distance for novice triathletes! Registration is $40 for members and $60 for non-members. Individuals must sign up before Sept. 23 to be eligible to compete.

Melton Offers Classes at the Uptown JCC Described as “Adult Learning for the Wondering Jew,” the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning offers a well-rounded and comprehensive course of study in a user-friendly format. In a relaxed setting, without homework, tests or prerequisites, this pluralistic, interactive program provides spirited dialogue and meaningful study, leading to a deeper appreciation for Judaism — past, present and future. Beginning Oct. 13, classes will be held on Tuesday evenings at the Uptown JCC. The first year curriculum focuses upon the “Rhythms of Jewish Living” and the “Purposes of Jewish Living.” Second year students will analyze “Ethics of Jewish Living” and “Crossroads of Jewish History.” For additional details, visit www.nojcc.org or contact Liba Kornfeld, Director of Jewish Family Life, at (504) 897-0143, or liba@nojcc.org. Students may register online at www.events. org/MeltonNewOrleans.

Congratulations!

The JCC Summer Day Camps was once again named Best Summer Camp in Gambit’s Best of New Orleans 2015 reader’s poll. Congratulations to the dedicated, caring and creative camp counselors and staff who work so hard to provide an outstanding summer to JCC campers!

34 The Jewish Newsletter • September 2015

SAVE THE DATE! November 7: The Lupin Foundation and the JCC present Center Celebration: Comedy Club, a fun, laughter-filled evening featuring two of today’s hottest comedians, Johnny Lampert and Dan Naturman.

November 17: Coats for Kids, a free benefit concert featuring the Faubourg Quartet and Ellis Marsalis, will be held at the Uptown JCC this year. Musicians from NOCCA’s Classical Instrument department also will perform at this popular annual event.

November 11 to December 13: Big names are coming to the J! The Cathy and Morris Bart Jewish Cultural Arts Month features a wide range of events including book talks by Yossi Klein Halevi, Mitch Albom and Shulem Deen, a screening of the film “Felix and Meira,” and a performance by Listen Up! December 13: The Chicago-based a capella group Listen Up! brings its unique sound to the Uptown JCC for the annual Community-wide Chanukah Celebration, generously sponsored by Cathy and Morris Bart, the Jewish Endowment Foundation and the Feil Family Foundation. All ages will enjoy the concert, dinner, and candle lighting as the community comes together to celebrate the eighth night of Chanukah.

Register for Classes and Sports Leagues Today Try something new this fall at the JCC. Between the adult basketball leagues, the children’s after school activities and new adult classes in art, fitness and Jewish enrichment, there’s something for all interests and ages. Most classes are open to non-members. Visit www.nojcc.org for class details, call Uptown (897-0143) or Metairie (887-5158), or stop by to register today!

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36 The Jewish Newsletter • September 2015

Is this New Orleans duck kosher?

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It’s complicated…

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by Dan Nosowitz Reprinted with permission from Modern Farmer

The fact that the New World is home to a peculiar species of duck, the Muscovy, was of no real concern to the vast majority of Europeans who emigrated to the United States and Mexico.

The Muscovy, native to Mexico and Central America, and seen all over New Orleans, is large, almost goose-sized, with long claws on its toes and a wrinkly bald face like a turkey’s.

This is all fine, maybe even interesting, unless you’re hungry and happen to have some incredibly strict but simultaneously kind of vague religious dietary laws.

The duck family is large and varied: There are tropical ducks and arctic ducks, ridiculously colorful ducks and boringly drab ducks, ducks that hunt for fish or other prey, and ducks that are obligate vegetarians.

Almost all breeds of domestic duck are descended from the very familiar mallard, but the Muscovy duck is an entirely different species. The Muscovy duck has no close relatives, and scientists aren’t really sure how to categorize the thing. It’s been variously placed in the “perching duck” group along with the wood duck; the “dabbling duck” group along with the mallard; and these days, some mitochondrial DNA sequencing suggests it might be in the shelduck family, along with a bunch of other ducks from halfway across the world.

So you can understand why the Muscovy duck was so confusing to the new residents of the New World, who were only familiar with the common mallard-derived domesticated ducks.

When Europeans arrived in the Americas, they found that the Muscovy had been semidomesticated and used for meat and eggs by various peoples, but those Europeans were barely convinced it was even a duck. There is nothing like it in Europe, Africa or Asia, which makes the Muscovy like a lot of other flora and fauna in the Americas, except the Europeans

immediately wanted to eat the thing.

As the breed is native to the warmer parts of the New World, it achieved some popularity among the residents of such cities as New Orleans by the mid-1800s. At that point, New Orleans had a smallish but observant Jewish community, which was eating Muscovy duck just like the rest of the locals.

That is, until one Rabbi Dr. Bernard (Yissochar Dov) Illowy moved from what’s now the Czech Republic to New Orleans to lead the Jewish community there, serving at Shangarai Chasset from 1861 to 1865, when he left after years of clashing with the community over what he perceived as their lax level of observance. That congregation merged with Dispersed of Judah around 1880 to become Touro Synagogue.

Illowy, through sheer force of personality, created a firestorm of debate about the Muscovy duck that exists to this day.

The rules of Kashrut are scattered across the Torah, declaring foods kosher with little to no explanation. Many of the rules are viewed as guidelines for Biblical-era food safety, a sort of Health Department of the time: pork goes rancid quickly, so don’t eat it. Shellfish are bottom-feeders and can have parasites, so don’t eat them. But the rules for eating birds are surprisingly vague, given the prominence of fowl in Jewish cuisine.

Instead of providing guidelines about which edible birds are kosher and which aren’t, Leviticus 11:13-19 simply lists 24 birds that aren’t kosher, leaving observant Jews to assume that any birds not on the list are OK to eat. That list: 13 “These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the red kite, any kind of black kite, 15 any kind of raven, 16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl,

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September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 37

community the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.”

Biblical scholars got together and analyzed those verses, reading between the lines to come up with some guidelines. Those guidelines were sorely needed because the scribes that composed the Torah were not aware of the existence of, say, the prairie chicken, or the American turkey.

In general, the scholars’ rules prohibit the eating of birds that are predators (dores, in Hebrew), citing all the birds of prey in the list that appears in the Bible. (This turns out to not be that helpful; hawks are easy to peg as predators, sure, but many birds are omnivorous, or mostly vegetarian but occasionally found to feast on bugs or small amphibians or who knows what else.) But the guidelines, not being as binding as laws that actually appear in the Bible, are a little fluid, and if a biblical scholar makes a strong enough argument, he can ban or allow the eating of certain birds within his community.

Those rules include stuff like “does the gizzard have an inner lining that can be peeled?” and “do Jews have a history of eating this creature?” Even with more specific interpretations like these, it can still be very difficult to figure out whether it’s okay to eat a bird if the bird is so unlike any you’ve ever seen.

Domestic ducks are kosher, though duck is not a particularly common

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38 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

Muscovy duck is seen along waterways in the New Orleans area and on the menus of many high-end restaurants. But will it be on the menu of an event in the Jewish community where the dietary laws are followed?

Not according to the Louisiana Kashrut Commission. Rabbi David Polsky stated that the Orthodox Union, which is the largest kosher-certifying body in the United States, treats Muscovy duck as not kosher, and other major agencies share that opinion.

According to OU, “It is clear that many authoritative poskim permitted it, and others did not. In such a case, OU certification will not be given.”

As for a local ruling, the issue is moot because there is no supply.

The local agency could not certify it on its own, as there is nobody in New Orleans that does shechita, the process of kosher butchering.

Therefore, “there’s no real way it could be sold or served without it being certified by other reliable agencies,” Polsky said.

In the decades following Rabbi Illowy’s ruling in New Orleans, other rabbinic authorities around the world were asked to weigh in on the issue, with mixed results. Among them was Rabbi Shmuel Salant, chief rabbi of Jerusalem and great-great-great-grandfather of Birminghamian Nate Salant, who recently stepped down as commissioner of the Gulf South Conference.

Rabbi Salant decreed in 1908 that the birds were kosher.

Decades later, most rabbis reversed the permissive rulings, stating that the earlier rabbis did not have the opportunity to observe the Muscovy’s behavior, and as a predatory bird it is not allowed.

The duck’s popularity in Israel is attributed to the early days of the state. Raising the Muscovy was inexpensive and very attractive as the new state struggled economically in the 1950s, leading some rabbis to be lenient in their interpretations. That does not seem to be the case any more.

In a paper in the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society, Rabbis Ari Z. Zivotofsky and Zohar Amar state “In 2003 there are no Israelis whom we know of who raise muscovy for its own sake” and “We are unaware of mulard or muscovy currently being sold as kosher in other parts of the world.”

In 2010 a kosher processor in Kiryas Joel, N.Y., issued a recall after it was determined that it had sold a batch of Muscovy duck.

community protein on the Jewish table (except perhaps in Sephardic, or Mediterranean, families). But the Muscovy was so weird that Rabbi Illowy, upon moving to New Orleans and finding it eaten there, immediately declared it off-limits.

New Orleans Jews were familiar with the Muscovy, and told the new rabbi that there was indeed a history of eating this bird, therefore making it kosher, but Illowy arbitrarily declared, according to Kashrut.com, that he doubted the expertise of the rabbis who had allowed the eating of the Muscovy in the past. He is quoted as having bemoaned that there were just four rabbis in all of the United States, and the other three were not at his level.

Various other rabbis in other parts of the world—Argentina, Jerusalem, Hungary—took up the debate, arguing whether it was permissible to eat this weird American duck. No real conclusions were reached; Jewish law is a serious matter, but so is arguing, and rabbis never pass up a chance at a truly epic argument.

Eventually most rabbis declared that if you had already eaten the Muscovy, you had a history of eating the Muscovy, and were therefore allowed to continue eating the Muscovy. But if you had never eaten it, you had no history, and were thus banned from eating the breed.

The Muscovy duck never became nearly as popular as the mallard in the U.S., but bizarrely enough, it became very popular in, of all places, Israel. A scholarly paper from late 2010 from Zohar Amar and Ari Z. Zivotofsky documents its wide acceptance there.

The duck was fairly common in Israel by the late 19th century and was never really considered anything but a kosher duck there. In fact, in early 2010, an Israeli duck farmer shipped, by accident, a huge shipment of Muscovy ducks instead of mallards to kosher communities in the U.S., where the shipment of strange alien-looking ducks was greeted with horror.

The final ruling on whether the Muscovy is kosher comes down to which community’s rules you follow. It’s not nearly as simple as reading the Bible and making a note; this is an argument that can, and probably will, go on forever.

Happy New Year

to my friends and supporters in the Jewish community Judge Regina H. Woods

Orleans Parish Civil District Court Division B

L’Shana Tovah!

Nashville to host first kosher Hot Chicken festival and contest While kosher barbecue contests continue to proliferate across the country, and other contests involve everything from chili to red beans and rice, the Nashville Jewish community is unveiling the first Kosher Hot Chicken Festival.

Nashville-style hot chicken isn’t Buffalo wings. Several Feel the burn: Nashville hot chicken, restaurants serve up the city’s extra-hot. fiery signature dish. According to legend, hot chicken was born when a woman found out her man was cheating on her. For revenge, she made his favorite meal, fried chicken — only, she coated the chicken with cayenne.

He loved it, and thus an industry was born.

In the hot chicken spectrum, mild is about equivalent to a Popeye’s spicy. Medium is much hotter, hot is even more extreme and people work up to sample extra hot — which some people eat while soaking in a cold bathtub, and others have likened to a religious experience.

Since this is a kosher event, there won’t be any dairy products to help with the pain.

Teams in the Nov. 8 contest at the Gordon Jewish Community Center will deliver entries in medium, hot and extra hot categories. Prizes will be awarded for tenders, drumsticks, team name and people’s choice.

Registration and event information is available online at nashvillekosherhotchicken.com.

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40 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

community Reform rabbis join march from Selma to Washington Reform rabbis from across the country have been in the region over the last month, active participants in America’s Journey for Justice.

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is one of several groups partnering with the NAACP on the march.

The 40-day protest march started in Selma on Aug. 1 and will arrive at Washington Hebrew Congregation on Sept.

15 for an interfaith service and teach-in, followed by an advocacy day on Capitol Hill.

Each day, two or three rabbis are marching with the group, carrying a Torah brought by Rabbi Seth Limmer of Chicago.

“I knew the Jewish community needed to be on this march, from beginning to end,” Limmer said.

Rabbi Robert Loewy from Gates of Prayer in Metairie Rabbi Robert Loewy from Gates marched early in the journey. of Prayer in Metairie with Cornell He attended a rally on the steps William Brooks, president and CEO of the Alabama Capitol Build- of the NAACP ing on Aug. 3, then took part in the march on Aug. 4, walking along U.S. 80 to an evening teach-in by Tuskegee.

On Aug. 16, Rabbi Barry Block of B’nai Israel in Little Rock marched between Atlanta and Athens. Rabbi Jeremy Simons, director of rabbinic services at the Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, and Rabbi Alexis Pinsky, assistant rabbi at Gates of Prayer, marched on Aug. 17.

Simons noted that of the 24 marchers who set out from Crawford, Ga., that morning, seven were Reform rabbis.

Loewy said they were marching “in the footsteps of history,” recalling that Rabbi Maurice Eisendrath carried a Torah in the 1965 Selma march, next to Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel.

“Compelled by the legacy of our Rabbi Eisendrath, I thought it would be powerful if our Torah scroll didn’t just appear in DC for the final rally, but accompanied us the entire 860mile journey,” Limmer said.

Loewy said carrying a Torah is a “wonderful vehicle for explaining Jewish values to those who are not Jewish.” They also taught Hebrew songs to the marchers, including “Hinei Mah Tov.” When Loewy marched, the Rabbi Barry Block of B’nai Israel, leader was 83-year-old Hazel Little Rock, with Keshia Thomas Dukes, a Montgomery native.

community Loewy thought her name sounded familiar, so after chatting he realized that she had moved to New York as a teen and was a civil rights leader when Loewy was a teen in Nassau County.

The march is focusing attention on several issues — voting rights and barriers to exercising that right, violence and policing, mass incarceration and education.

Block said he was marching because “America cannot fulfill its promise until we end mass incarceration of African American males and restore universal suffrage as envisioned by those who framed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

Marching with Block and carrying the Torah for a time was Keshia Thomas, who was captured in an iconic photo in 1996. She was part of a counter-protest against a Ku Klux Klan rally in Ann Arbor, Mich., when someone said there was a Klansman in the crowd. As the man was being beaten, Thomas, then 18, threw herself on top of him as a shield and shouted for the attackers to stop. It turned out the man had not been a Klansman, but was wearing a Confederate flag T-shirt and had an SS tattoo.

“She did the Torah scroll honor by carrying it for a mile,” Block said, and she has continued to carry it throughout the 40-day journey.

JCRS reaching over 1500 youth this year While there is still more of 2015 to come, Jewish Children’s Regional Service is already on a pace to serve over 1500 Jewish youth in seven states of the mid-South this year. Youth in 200 communities in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas receive assistance each year.

Many of the programs offered by JCRS, such as special needs scholarships, Chanukah gifts and outreach programs are unique, and not offered by other Jewish social service organizations. Eligibility for all of the scholarship programs is based on documented financial need.

This December, over 200 Jewish youth and 30 state hospital residents from the region will each receive a bag of eight Chanukah gifts. Each bag contains gifts that were selected, individually wrapped and shipped by volunteers and staff of the 156-year-old agency.

The youth who received these gifts are either ongoing clients of JCRS, whose needs are known to the JCRS, or new clients referred by local rabbis and Jewish Family Service agencies. Families who reside in the region can register for gifts now, but they must act quickly by emailing ned@ jrs.org. They will be sent a registration form for each child in the family.

Gifts are age and gender specific, and the form contains a place for children to list their interests.

This year’s Chanukah gift wrap-a-thon will be on Oct. 11 at the Goldring-Woldenberg Jewish Community Campus in Metairie from 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up and help wrap the mountain of gifts.

During 2015, 900 Jewish youth, ages 8 and under, are receiving free monthly books from JCRS through PJ Library, a national outreach program that brings literacy and Jewish learning into family life.

Approximately 70 dependent and special needs youth are being funded or served through the efforts of the JCRS Case Committee, while the JCRS studied the needs of other Jewish youth for whom case plans and funding are pending.

Over the summer of 2015, JCRS funded 316 Jewish campers, who annually attend 35 to 45 different Jewish, non-profit overnight camps across the United States. Financial aid is being provided to approximately 120 college students during 2015, and these students attend undergraduate programs throughout the U.S. as well.

Funds to support the annual budget of JCRS comes primarily from large and small contributions from individuals, families and foundations, and the annual income derived when a family starts a scholarship fund at the agency.

To learn more about the oldest Jewish children’s agency in the U.S., visit the website: www.jcrs.org or call the office at 1-800-729-5277.

September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 41

community

Rick Recht leads Birmingham youth in song at community concert Performing in New Orleans on Oct. 18 On Aug. 15, students in Birmingham’s Jewish community joined Rick Recht onstage during a free community concert.

The evening was organized by Robin and Hilton Berger in celebration of their children’s B’nai Mitzvah that morning at Temple Emanu-El, Mason, Adison and Kyra. The concert was co-sponsored by the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, LJCC and N.E. Miles Jewish Day School. The next day, Recht led a teacher training at Temple Emanu-El. After opening with Havdalah, local high school song leaders Ben Honan and Max Klapow accompanied Recht. He was also joined by former Birminghamian Abraham Hausman-Weiss, who now lives in Houston.

Recht will perform in New Orleans on Oct. 18 in the Touro Synagogue main sanctuary. There will be a community lunch at 11:30 a.m. with a $5 suggested donation. The concert will follow at noon.

Auburn offers study abroad at Ben Gurion Auburn University has announced two study abroad programs for students with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, though there is some extra red tape associated with the programs.

They are listed at Auburn Abroad’s Office of International Programs, but on a separate page for ”travel warning” countries according to the U.S. State Department.

According to the site, “Auburn University has implemented a policy precluding all student travel associated with Auburn activity to such countries. However, specific academic activities within countries under travel warning can be allowed under certain circumstances.” Those who want to study at Ben Gurion must apply for a waiver of the warning policy.

The first program offered to students is the Global Health International Summer Program. The scope of this program includes Health in the Age of Globalization and Israeli Public Health Innovation for the world, selfstudy, professional field trips, exercises and small-groups mentoring in the following key areas: public health, globalization, and development.

The second Spring Break program features an Entrepreneurship and Innovation track. Participants in this track develop career skills that will be fundamental to their future work as entrepreneurs or employees, and will be inspired in the same country that created successful products like PillCam, Waze, ICQ and the Intel Pentium MMX chip technology, as well as cellphone and voicemail technology.

42 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

community Chabad expanding campus presence throughout South This fall, Chabad on Campus is opening centers at 19 universities, including the University of Alabama and Louisiana State University. Meanwhile, the Chabad staff at Tulane is expanding, with family ties to the new Alabama center.

The over 230 Chabad on Campus centers are partially funded by a seed grant through the Rohr Expansion Initiative of philanthropists George and Pamela Rohr, and are financially independent.

Chabad at the Capstone

Emory and Central Florida, and a week before they moved to Tuscaloosa, brother Leibel started at Tulane Hillel.

Lipskier said they were attracted to Alabama because it is a growing school with a growing Jewish student enrollment, one that has doubled in the past decade to around 700.

“Our goal is to create a thriving Jewish student community with students from all backgrounds, and create more Jewish awareness and pride on campus and a comfortable place where students can socialize and explore their Judaism on their level in a informal and comfortable homeaway-from-home environment,” he said.

They plan weekly services, a weekly barbecue and holiday observances.

The center is currently being run out of their home at 50 Sherwood Drive.

After finishing his rabbinic studies, Lipskier traveled the world, leading Birthright trips to Israel and providing education and aid to Jews in Brazil, Morocco, Ukraine, Australia, Guatemala and Thailand.

Mrs. Lipskier recently spent a year doing outreach in Florida, and her mother runs a large overnight camp for Jewish girls.

In the short time they have been in Tuscaloosa, “the feedback that we’ve received was incredible, with the students being very excited in joining and being a part of Chabad at Alabama,” Lipskier said.

A Brooklyn rabbi and his wife have moved to Tuscaloosa to “Roll Tide with Jewish pride.”

Seven months after their wedding, Rosie and Rabbi Kussi Lipskier are heading the new Chabad House at the University of Alabama. For their first event, they had a Shabbat dinner with 26 students in attendance on Aug. 21.

Though Lipskier is 26, he isn’t a newcomer to Baton Rouge debut campus outreach. He is After a summer of directing the rejuvenated Gan Israel Day Camp in the ninth of 11 children New Orleans, Chaya Mushka and Rabbi Peretz Kazen have arrived in Bain his family, and for ton Rouge with their infant daughter to establish a Chabad Center there. years two older brothers “For the time being, our house will double as our Chabad center,” said have been with Chabad at Kazen, who grew up in Brooklyn, “so moving into our home is essential-

September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 43

simchas community ly opening up our Chabad House as well.”

In addition to opening a Chabad Center, they will also head the local Chabad on Campus, catering to the roughly 350 Jewish students at Louisiana State University.

The Baton Rouge Chabad will be a branch of Chabad of Louisiana, from New Orleans. The Mississippi Coast Chabad that opened last year is also connected with New Orleans.

Before moving to Baton Rouge in August, they visited several times, getting to know members of the community and distributing holiday supplies for Purim and Passover. Baton Rouge has the second-largest Jewish community in the state, estimated at about 1200, with two Reform congregations.

Kazen has served Jewish communities in Japan, Virgin Islands, Ukraine, Greece and Arizona. His father, the late Rabbi Yosef Yitzhak Kazen, was regarded as the “Father of the Jewish Internet,” helping develop the Chabad presence online and serving as a “virtual rabbi” worldwide.

Mushka Kazen is the daughter of Rabbi Zelig and Bluma Rivkin, founders of Chabad’s presence in Louisiana. They had been sent to New Orleans in 1975 to establish a presence near Tulane.

“People have been very welcoming,” Kazen said. “There is an upbeat positivity in the air about this great community and what the future will bring.”

Expanding at Tulane

After 16 years of directing the Rohr Chabad Jewish Student Center at Tulane University in New Orleans, Sarah and Rabbi Yochanan Rivkin are expanding.

Mushka and Rabbi Leibel Lipskier have moved to New Orleans with their two young children to become the directors of undergraduate student programming at Tulane Chabad.

The Rivkins will focus on the graduate student population, especially providing programming and services for medical and law students who have more diverse schedules. “They don’t really feel like there’s much of a platform for them to meet other young Jews,” said Rivkin. “So that’s something we hope to be able to provide.”

Rivkin said “undergraduate programming is going to grow” because the Lipskiers “will be focused full-time on this significant population.”

There are an estimated 2,000 Jewish undergraduates at Tulane, and about 500 graduate students.

Rabbi Lipskier is one of four siblings running Chabad on Campus efforts. One brother, Rabbi Kussi Lipskier, runs the new Chabad at the University of Alabama.

Mushka Lipskier, who grew up in an emissary family in Montreal, is eager to “really get to know” Tulane’s many Jewish students. She says she values the opportunity to have an impact on them and to learn from them as well.

“College is a pivotal time in their lives,” she says. “There are so many choices, and many are on their own,” away from their families for the first 44 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

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community time. “These are important years to tap into their Judaism.”

The couple organized “Welcome Week,” a back-to-school barbecue and a resource fair as the students returned to campus.

In addition to regular Shabbat dinners, services, social and educational programs, and one-on-one meetings with students, Mushka Lipskier will also hold challah-making classes and a monthly women’s group. “I want them to learn about powerful Jewish women in history,” she said.

Rising senior Sophia Waldstein, 21, met the new Chabad couple at a “meet-and-greet” lunch earlier this year. “I felt like I really connected” with Mushka Lipskier, adding that she looks forward to getting to know the whole family.

Garrett Langfeld, a junior, said “What I’m excited about is that they’ll be able to focus exclusively on undergraduates. They’ll also be a little bit closer in age.”

Langfeld also likes that they seem interested in educational, yet entertaining, ways on engaging students in Jewish life. “I hope they continue ‘Pizza & Parsha’ and many of the other fun programs that might attract students who don’t normally come to Chabad.”

He added that the Rivkins “have been absolutely terrific here; they’re both really warm, welcoming people. They make you feel at home when you’re at Chabad. I’m sure the new couple will follow in their footsteps.”

(Reported with material from chabad.org)

Mobile Dialogue hosting Amy-Jill Levine

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46 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

Amy-Jill Levine, a self-described “Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches in a predominantly Christian divinity school in the buckle of the Bible Belt,” will speak at numerous venues in Mobile during a scholar-in-residence weekend for the Mobile Christian/Jewish Dialogue.

Levine is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of New Testament Studies, and Professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School and College of Arts and Sciences in Nashville. Her books include “The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus” and “The Meaning of the Bible: What The Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us.” Her most recent work is “Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi.”

Last November she was the Usdin Lecturer at Temple Sinai in New Orleans, and in January she was featured in a joint weekend coordinated

by Ahavath Rayim and the Episcopal Diocese in Greenwood, Miss.

Her Mobile talks will be announced in more detail later. On Oct. 8 she is scheduled to speak at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Daphne. She will address students at Spring Hill College on Oct. 9, then speak as the Paul and Fran Brown Scholar in Residence that evening at Springhill Avenue Temple.

On Oct. 10 she will speak in the morning at Ahavas Chesed, and that evening at Our Savior Catholic Church. The weekend will conclude with a morning talk at First Baptist Church on Oct. 11.

The Dialogue will also bring in Rabbi Joseph Polak from Nov. 8 to 10. Polak is assistant professor of public health at the Boston University School of Public Health and rabbi emeritus of the Hillel House at Boston University.

A child survivor, he is author of “After the Holocaust the Bells Still Ring.”

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Photo courtesy Derek Bridges CC BY 2.0

Louis Armstrong’s cornet

MUSEUMS

Satchmo: His Life in New Orleans While it’s easy to conjure visions of Louis Armstrong traveling with his horn, it’s more difficult to imagine him schlepping a heavy Smith-Corona typewriter everywhere. But that’s just what he did, and his typewritten and handwritten notes, including remembrances of his time growing up with the Jewish Karnofsky family, make up the beginnings of the “Satchmo: His Life in New Orleans” exhibit going on now through Jan. 15, 2016 at the Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans.

The young Louis Armstrong would point to a cornet in a storefront as he made deliveries with Karnofsky and sons, and that Karnofsky would one day purchase for him, explaining that Louis could work it off. The one on display in this exhibit is not that one, but the one Armstrong received and learned to play at the age of 12 while he lived at the Colored Waif ’s Home.

Included in his “Louis Armstrong + the Jewish Family in New Orleans, La., the Year of 1907” written in 1959 and 1960 is a story of Mother Karnofsky rocking baby David to sleep while singing. “Of course I sang the Lullaby Song with the family... When Mrs. Karnofsky would start singing these words to ‘Russian Lullaby’ we all would get our places and sing it. So soft and sweet.” He also wrote, “I will love the Jewish people, all of my life.”

The exhibit includes family photographs, television clips, artifacts from the Colored Waif ’s Home, and two of his instruments.

DATES

CALENDARS FOR 5776 The Jewish Museum Calendar 2016 Featuring 16 images of paintings, prints, sculptures and ceremonial objects from The Jewish Museum, New York

Hebrew Illuminations: 2016 Calendar Jewish artist Adam Rhine’s Judaic paintings that combine modern styling with medieval illuminated manuscripts and lettering

The Jewish Eye: 2016 Calendar Fans of D. Yael Bernhard’s children’s books and illustrations will especially appreciate her art here, such as ‘Amidah’ and ‘The Rabbi’

Jewish Celebrations 2016 Paintings by Malcah Zeldis Each month, a work by Malcah Zeldis draws on her childhood memories and experiences of Jewish tradition

HIGH HOLIDAY APPS

WAKE UP WORLD! Your phone can be a shofar.

In G-dcast’s “Wake Up World with Randi Zuckerberg” app, children get the choice of reading a very sweet story about waking up everyone for Rosh Hashanah along with the narrator or with a parent. And how do we wake up everyone? Simply blow into the phone’s microphone and the shofar feature gets all those sleepy-heads dancing and happy about the holiday.

While the app is geared toward kids five and under, the shofar feature is fun for all.

Two other very nice features include being able to pick either a girl or boy to star as the main character, and the ability to choose to read or be read to in English or Hebrew.

Available in iOS and Android. g-dcast.com/wake-up-world/

September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 47

culture EXHIBITION

‘Darkness Into Life’ at Vulcan The traveling exhibition “Darkness into Life: Alabama’s Holocaust Survivors Through Photography and Art” reaches new heights this month as Vulcan Park and Museum hosts the exhibit for an eightmonth run.

Vulcan, the world’s largest cast iron statue, towers above Birmingham in a facility that includes a museum about Birmingham’s industrial history. In recent years, the museum has explored the diverse immigrant groups that formed communities in the area and helped contribute to the city’s growth.

Ruth Siegler at the first public showing of “Darkness Into Life” in 2007

According to the museum, “One of the most important groups was the Jewish immigrants who played a vital role in keeping Birmingham financially, educationally and industrially relevant. The continued pride in their heritage is now reflected in a moving tribute not only to Birmingham, but to the world itself.”

The exhibit, which opens on Sept. 25, is coordinated by the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center. Originally created in 2007, the exhibit combines paintings of the recollections of Holocaust survivors in Alabama with present-day photography and stories of how the survivors rebuilt their lives. The paintings are by Mitzi Levin and the photography is by Becky Seitel.

The exhibit started with nine survivors but eventually expanded to 20 and has traveled to numerous venues across the state. The survivors originated from several different European countries including Germany, Poland, Romania, and Belgium. All tell their unique stories in the exhibit of life before World War II, during the Holocaust, liberation and life thereafter.

“We are looking forward to our partnership with the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center to bring this exhibit to Vulcan Park and Museum’s Linn-Henley Gallery,” said Vulcan Park and Museum President/CEO Darlene Negrotto. “In keeping with our mission to share the history of Birmingham’s diverse community, this display portrays the triumphant stories of human survival and the impact these survivors had on our community upon re-entry into society.”

The exhibit will be at Vulcan through May 16, and additional events connected with the exhibit will be announced soon.

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New Orleans, from the rooftop of the Monteleone

DISCUSSION DISCUSSION Building

New Orleans, from the rooftop of the Monteleone

New Orleans: Building Orleans: A Jewish New Perspective A Jewish Perspective Friends of the Cabildo’s second Thursday lecture series will welcome one

of its guides, Schwartz, to speak at The Old U.S. Mint, 10 atone 6 Friends of theJulie Cabildo’s second Thursday lecture series willSept. welcome p.m.

She will discuss the Jewish history and influence of New Orleans. of its guides, Julie Schwartz, to speak at The Old U.S. Mint, Sept. 10 at 6 Admission is free andthe open to the community. p.m. She will discuss Jewish history and influence of New Orleans.

Admission is free and open to the community.

Courtesy Jerry Speier

Artisanal gefilte fish from The Gefilteria Courtesy Jerry Speier

TELEVISION TELEVISION

Artisanal gefilte fish from The Gefilteria

Holy & Hungry Holy & Hungry Sherri Shepherd hosts Cooking Channel’s new show, “Holy & Hungry,”

discovering people across the nation who feed with a& helping of” Sherri Shepherd hosts Cooking Channel’s new others show, “Holy Hungry, faith and tradition. discovering people across the nation who feed others with a helping of

faith tradition.

In theand premiere, Sherri visited the kosher eatery Holy Schnitzel in Staten Island, and in the Sept. 13 episode at 9 p.m., entitled Cakein&Staten In the premiere, Sherri visited the kosher eatery Holy“Bible Schnitzel Gefilte shethe meets Theentitled Gefilteria in Brooklyn.

Island, 2.0, and” in Sept.the 13co-founders episode at 9 of p.m., “Bible Cake & Their gefilte terrines, crafted from fish brought Gefilteseasonal 2.0,” shesmall-batch meets the co-founders of The Gefilteria in Brooklyn. in from the Great Lakes, are gluten-free and certified by the Next Their seasonal small-batch gefilte terrines, crafted from fish OU. brought year, they’ll be publishing a new cookbook, “The Gefilte Manifesto: New in from the Great Lakes, are gluten-free and certified by the OU. Next Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods. ” year, they’ll be publishing a new cookbook, “The Gefilte Manifesto: New Recipes for Old World Jewish Foods.

From visiting Italian pasticcerias and”Hindu restaurants to a church where “Jesus and Mary Biscuits” with chorizorestaurants gravy is served, the show From visiting Italian pasticcerias and Hindu to a church confirms what we know: food brings people together. where “Jesus and Mary Biscuits” with chorizo gravy is served, the show confirms what we know: food brings people together.

September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 49

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50 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

mazel Matt Schwartz named Tulane Hillel’s Big Pastrami Tulane Hillel announced that Matt Schwartz, a leader in real estate and community development, is the recipient of the second annual Big Pastrami Award.

The award recognizes leaders in New Orleans who have made an impact in its resurgence and recovery. The award will be presented on Nov. 19 at Schmancy, Tulane Hillel’s annual community celebration gala at its new facility on Broadway.

Schwartz first came to New Orleans from New York in the mid-1990s to attend Tulane University. A few years after co-founding The Domain Companies in New York, Schwartz returned to New Orleans with his family. Domain Cos. has become one of the nation’s preeminent real estate investment and development firms with a strong focus on community development.

Domain ignited the redevelopment of Mid-City’s Tulane Avenue corridor with the development of The Preserve, The Crescent Club and The Meridian apartment communities, along with the renovation of single-family homes, neighborhood commercial spaces and community amenities. Most recently, the company created the South Market District, a $250 million project that transformed an area of underused parking lots in the Central Business District into 700 apartments and 200,000 square feet of retail space.

Rabbi Yonah Schiller, Executive Director of Tulane Hillel, said Schwartz “provides an inspiring example of an innovative leader. His passion for building community paired with his entrepreneurial mindset and business skills have provided a much-needed spark for the city’s redevelopment. These efforts and his civic engagement make him a powerful role model for the more than 250 Tulane undergraduates who participate in Tulane Hillel’s leadership incubator each year.

“Even more important than his business success, Matt understands the importance of giving back. As a principal of the Domain Companies, he has created a culture of community involvement that is deeply infused into all aspects of the organization. We are so lucky that Matt and his family have made New Orleans their home and we are very excited to celebrate his accomplishments.”

As part of Schmancy, Tulane Hillel established the Leading Forward Awards, which will be presented to five to seven individuals nominated by the New Orleans community. The Leading Forward Awards recognize local community members who represent the mission of Tulane Hillel.

Nominations are open now and will close on Oct. 2. For more information or to nominate an ideal candidate, visit Tulane Hillel’s website.

Schiller said “As we inspire our student leaders to make an impact in the local community, we will showcase local leaders, across a wide variety of professions, who have made community involvement a priority in their busy lives.”

Rutsky honored for quiz bowl advocacy The Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence presented the 2015 Benjamin Cooper Academic Ambassador Award to Joshua Rutsky of Hoover High School in Alabama. Rutsky was recognized for his efforts in spreading pyramidal quizbowl in Alabama, including spearheading the transition of the ASCA state championship to a pyramidal format, as well as his enduring willingness to help out new teams and coaches in need of advice. PACE is a national organization that promotes high school quiz bowl and runs the National Scholastic Championship. This year’s national tournament was held June 6 and 7 in Reston, Va.

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Greenberg serving as Alabama SGA V.P. Branden Greenberg of Montgomery is serving as Vice President of Student Affairs on the University of Alabama’s Student Government Association this year.

Greenberg won a runoff election on March 30. A senior Honors and Blount student, Greenberg is majoring in political science and plans to attend law school after graduation. He previously was speaker of the Senate and a senator representing the College of Arts and Sciences.

During his term, he is emphasizing transparency, working with the administration to lower the burden of college costs, organize a philanthropy event that will also include the greater Tuscaloosa community, and expand activities regarding veterans and the Honor Flight Funding Initiative.

Last fall, he was part of a predominantly Jewish group of Alabama students to co-found Alpha Mu Omega, a community service fraternity.

Other co-founders were Abigail Greenberg, Elie Allen, Jon Knohl, Matthew Filderman, James Futterman, Joe Bloomston, and Alex Pattie.

There are approximately 120 members to date.

They provided over 300 meals at Thanksgiving to a homeless shelter, provided and served at the Tuscaloosa community soup bowl, raised school supplies for Al’s Pals, and have visited patients at the Hope Lodge in Birmingham.

They played an active role in Greek Week, which provides community service throughout the Tuscaloosa area.

Alpha Mu Omega was awarded the “Greek Week” Grant and recognized by the University for outstanding service.

Positive Maturity presented its second annual Birmingham Top 50 Over 50 Awards on July 30 at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center.

The awards recognize outstanding citizens who have continued to achieve, dream and contribute to the community on many different levels after the age of 50. Among the honorees were Judy Abroms, Rabbi Jonathan Miller, Lester Seigel, Mike Slive, T.K. Thorne and Linda Verin.

automotive an annual SJL special section

Car manufacturers keep wheels of innovation turning for 2016

by Lee J. Green Automotive manufactures are driving forward innovation, advanced technology, improved fuel economy and performance with their new models for 2016.

Long-Lewis Ford Lincoln

The best-selling vehicle in the world for 22 years in a row, including all cars and trucks — the Ford F-150 pick-up truck — is even more advanced for 2016.

It is the first to have an aluminum alloy body that makes it 700 pounds lighter; more dent resistance; increased towing capacity; improved fuel economy approaching 30 miles per gallon thanks to Ford’s Ecoboost 2.7 engine technology, and it is 100 percent recyclable.

“Ford always wants to be ahead of the curve and to improve what is the world’s most popular vehicle to make it even better,” said Gary Mason, new vehicle manager at Long-Lewis Ford Lincoln. The Ford F-150 with 3.5 Ecoboost engine can pull 12,000 pounds and now offers an automatic, key fob-controlled lift gate.

Mason said the 2015 50th anniversary Mustang has been generating great buzz and sales at the Birmingham area dealership. “We’ve had four times the retail orders with this Mustang than in previous years. It has a vintage feel new design, and is the first Mustang to offer Ford’s Ecoboost technology. It delivers 325 horsepower but still gets 32 miles per gallon.

It’s sportier than anything else on the road with great gas mileage,” he said.

The company has launched its Sync 3 technology in the 2016 Ford Fiesta and Escape. This integrates the technology features on the vehicles, such as phone, climate, navigation, entertainment on its eight-inch screen, for the first time, offering “pinch and zoom” features along with voice control.

From a safety standpoint, Ford’s Adaptive Cruise Control will brake if someone gets too close to a vehicle in front while on cruise control. The vehicles also offer lane-detection features that notify a driver if the vehicle

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drifts into another lane. Additional airbags have also been added to the Fusion and other Ford vehicles.

As for Lincoln, the Ecoboost engine technology was added to the MKZ luxury sedan, which now gets 31 miles per gallon on the highway.

The Lincoln MKX mid-sized crossover vehicles offer the Sync 3 technology as well as push-button transmission to allow for even more interior room.

Mason said Long-Lewis stands behind all its Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

He has been with Long-Lewis for more than 20 years and still drives his 1992 Ford truck with 334,000 miles on it.

“It is amazing to see how much Ford and Lincoln have advanced the brands, especially in the past six to seven years,” he said. “These are American-made products that are more advanced and on-par with anything else in the U.S. as well as across the world.”

Brannon Honda

Honda continues to cross over into some rarified air with its crossover vehicles as well as others that rate best in class in fuel economy as well as resale value.

Patrick Brannon, co-owner of Birmingham’s Brannon Honda, said the Honda CRV crossover vehicle was named 2015 Crossover of the Year and for 2016 Honda has introduced a new HRV compact crossover.

“Honda continues to advance its crossover vehicles to offer even better fuel economy, technology for convenience and safety as well as more features to satisfy all types of customers,” said Brannon.

The Honda Pilot minivan, built nearby in Lincoln, Ala., has been redone for 2016 with a new look and added technology features, including seven USB ports. “It’s the first full makeover of the Pilot since 2008. It is sleeker, aerodynamic and with added features along with improved fuel economy,” he said.

Also new for 2016 will be the popular, redesigned Honda Civic. Brannon said it will be revealed this month at the national Honda dealers show in New Orleans and released shortly after.

Some of the Hondas come equipped or can be equipped with the Honda Sensing Package that offers early collision warning systems including enhanced safety cruise control and lane guidance technologies that can pick up the paint of highway lines to help someone keep a vehicle in its lane.

“Honda doesn’t believe that safety should be an option,” added Brannon.

He said that Brannon Honda now is the only Honda dealership in Alabama to also sell Honda power equipment, including lawnmowers, generators, tillers and pumps.

Ray Brandt Infiniti

Ray Brandt Infiniti in Metairie is the only Infiniti dealer in the Greater New Orleans area, specializing in new and preowned vehicles while providing the Total Ownership Experience.

For 2016, Infiniti is expanding its lineup with a longer, roomier Infiniti

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automotive

QX50 premium crossover. The QX50 offers greatly increased rear passenger room, as well as additional cargo space. It also features new exterior styling.

The QX80 full-size SUV, which is limited to 1,000 Special Edition units, features Driver Assistance and Split Bench packages, Saddle Tan high-contrast interior, bodyside moldings and chrome mirror caps.

The flagship Q70 sedan enters the 2016 model year with a new Premium Select Edition package for the standard wheelbase models, featuring unique exterior and interior accents, unique 20inch aluminum-alloy wheels and a rear decklid spoiler. The Q40 is being replaced by a new entry-level model, the Q30 premium compact, in late spring 2016.

Ray Brandt Infiniti earned the coveted Infiniti Award of Excellence for outstanding sales, service and customer satisfaction. They work to exceed the norm and go beyond cars to build life-long Infiniti owners.

The Total Ownership Experience includes complimentary car washes at every service, courtesy loaner vehicles during overnight services and convenient service hours, including Saturdays until 5 p.m. A café-style atmosphere features complimentary fresh pastries and gourmet coffee, sodas and much more.

In addition to new Infiniti models, Ray Brandt

56 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

has luxury pre-owned vehicles ranging from Audi, Mercedes and BMW to Toyota, Nissan and Jeep. A new easy-to-navigate website features chat service and online pricing, allowing for prompt response and information.

Med Center Mazda

Mazda’s Miata sports car has become even sportier and more advanced for 2016, but Med Center Mazda’s Bobby Bloomston said what is great about Mazda is that all its vehicles drive like sports cars.

“Mazdas are fun to drive and thanks to the Skyactiv engine all vehicles get among the best fuel economy in their class,” said Bloomston, an involved member of the Birmingham area Jewish community and a top salesperson at the Birmingham area Mazda dealership for many years.

The new 2016 Mazda Miata boasts a sleeker body style and advanced technology features. The Miata also has a convertible option and starts at $31,000. “The new design is just beautiful and it feels so good to drive it,” added Bloomston.

Also new for Mazda in 2016 is the CX3 crossover vehicle. It is a subcompact SUV that offers an advanced navigation system, blind-spot monitoring and 19-inch wheels. It gets 38 miles per gallon on the highway and starts at around $23,000.

“The CX3 also features Mazda Connect which integrates the technology on the vehicle to offer touch-screen and voice-operated controls on

the console so people can keep their eyes on the road,” he said.

The all-wheel-drive vehicle also offers several other features designed for a safe and comfortable ride. For those that need a bit more interior space, Mazda sells the CX5 mid-sized crossover vehicle and larger CX9.

Bloomston said that currently the CX5 and the Mazda 3 sports sedan have been the highest-selling vehicles at Med Center Mazda. The Mazda 3 gets 40 miles per gallon on the highway and the 2016 Mazda 3 models should be in full supply this month at Med Center Mazda.

“Mazda believes you can have it all — performance, luxury, fuel economy, affordability and enjoyment of the driving experience,” he said.

Benton Nissan

Nissan believes that a sports car can have four doors, and its 2016 Nissan Maxima is proving to be the best of all worlds.

The Maxima has a 300 horsepower engine and increased fuel economy of 30 miles per gallon on the highway. Several added technology features — for performance, convenience and safety — have been added to the Maxima for 2016, which is available now at Benton Nissan in Hoover as well as Anniston.

“The new Maxima brings greater performance, luxury and is even more technological savvy than previous models. It has been a very popular seller for us,” said Tom Morgan, owner loyalty manager for Benton Nissan.

Some of the Maxima’s safety features include predictive forward collision warning, forward emergency braking, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert and rearview as well as aroundview monitors.

Morgan said the new Nissan Murano crossover SUV for 2015 came out earlier this year and is selling well at Benton Nissan, which opened in July 2014 and is the largest volume dealership for Nissan in Alabama.

The Murano is Nissan’s mid-sized crossover SUV, larger than the subcompact Rogue but smaller than the Pathfinder SUV. Morgan said the new Murano features a “sportier look and complete redesign.” It also has advanced technology amenities that can be voice-activated.

In Nissan’s truck line, the Titan has been redesigned for 2016 and has gone to a diesel engine.

This allows for more towing power along with greater fuel economy.

“Nissan continues to push forward with advancements in technology that lead to even better vehicles. There is a Nissan that is right for every type of driver need,” added Morgan.

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Front row, from left: Rabbi David Posternock (catcher), Randy Opotowsky (pitcher). Back row, from left: Justin Napoli (3rd base), Henry Opotowsky (Right Center Field), Gerald Levin (1st Base), Jason Feder (2nd Base), Hilton Title — Team Captain (Right Field), Dylan Laventhal (Left Center Field), Austin Kirzner (Shortstop), Cameron Kirzner (Left Field). Not pictured: Rabbi Gabe Greenberg, Alvis Wilson, David Higgins and Lee Kirzner

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Once again, lowest-seed Beth Israel claims softball championship The Beth Israel softball team embodies the saying that “it’s not how you start, but how you finish.”

For the second time in three years, Beth Israel went into the New Orleans Synagogue Softball League playoffs as the fourth seed with a 5-4-1 regular season record, yet emerged victorious, defeating next door neighbor Gates of Prayer both times to take the newly-named Epstein Final SSL Regular Season Standings Trophy.

Team Record Games Back The playoffs were held on Aug. Temple Sinai 7-2-1 * — 2 at Wally Pontiff Playground. Due Shir Chadash 7-2-1 * — to an unprecedented four week- Gates of Prayer 7-3 1/2 ends of rainouts, the entire playoff Beth Israel 5-4-1 2 was held on the same day.

Touro 2-7-1 5 The first semifinal game of the Chabad 0-10 7 1/2 day was between second-seed Shir Chadash and third-seed Gates *Temple Sinai won the tie-breaker over Shir of Prayer. After being behind 7-5 Chadash by going 1-0-1 head-to-head. after 4 innings, Gates of Prayer erupted for 12 runs in the top of the 5th and then added 5 more runs in the 7th to cruise into the Finals with a 22-7 victory.

The second semifinal game, matching top seed and regular season champion Temple Sinai with fourth-seed Beth Israel, was much closer.

Beth Israel struck first, scoring all 5 runs in the top of 3rd inning, with Temple Sinai scoring all of their 4 runs in the bottom of the 4th. Neither team was able to score again, with Beth Israel prevailing by the final score of 5-4.

Strong pitching performances were turned in by both teams’ respective pitchers — Eli Ackerman for Temple Sinai and Beth Israel’s substitute pitcher Randy Opotowsky, starting in place of regular pitcher Lee Kirzner. For Temple Sinai, third baseman Andy Weinstock went 3-3 at the plate with 1 RBI, Ackerman went 2-3 with 1 RBI. Beth Israel’s left fielder Cameron Kirzner had a diving/sliding backhand catch of a foul fly ball, left center fielder Dylan Laventhal went 2-4 with an opposite-field triple and 1 RBI, and both first baseman Gerald Levin and catcher Rabbi David Posternock had RBI singles.

The rematch of the 2013 championship game was also closely contested. Gates of Prayer went up 1-0 in their bottom of the 1st. In the top of

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community the 4th, Beth Israel pushed across 2 runs on RBI singles by Dylan Laventhal and Gerald Levin to take a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the 6th, Beth Israel added 3 runs via RBI singles by Jason Feder and Justin Napoli to go up 5-1. In the bottom of the 6th, Gates of Prayer added 3 runs, scoring two of them on a towering two-out opposite-field triple to the right field fence by left center fielder Brad Rosenblatt.

In the 7th, Beth Israel added 2 runs on RBI singles, making the score 7-4, setting the stage for Gates of Prayer’s last at bat. In their bottom of the 7th, Gates of Prayer rallied for two more runs on right fielder Martin Fischman’s 2-out inside-the-park home run, making it a one-run game at 7-6. Beth Israel held on, retiring the final batter to win the championship, 7-6.

Beth Israel’s Laventhal was named most valuable player, going 5-8 with a triple and 3 RBIs in the playoffs.

Winning Pitcher for Beth Israel in both playoff games was Opotowsky, who only three weeks prior to the playoffs had knee surgery and played courageously throughout the season

to help Beth Israel make their “minyan” of 10 players on the ballfield.

On Aug. 9, Beth Israel had a victory barbecue party at the home of team captain Hilton Title.

The Epstein trophy, named in honor of 23-year league commissioner Richard Epstein, who retired last season, was presented.

This year the league fielded six teams with the return of a Chabad team for the first time in three years. In 2013, the Beth Israel team was a combined Beth Israel, Anshe Sfard and Chabad team, called BIASCHA. The league is open to synagogues and groups, male and female, in Southeast Louisiana. Anyone interested in fielding a team for the 2016 season should contact league commissioner Brian Shepard, who is Touro team captain, or the captains of any other team — Ben Horwitz of Shir Chadash, Rabbi Yochanan Rivkin of Chabad, Fred Shear and Allan Berger of Gates of Prayer, Hilton Title of Beth Israel and Jake Weinstock of Temple Sinai.

The 2016 season will run from March to July on most Sunday mornings at Miley Playground in Metairie.

NCJW celebrating Sukkot with program about City Park The Greater New Orleans Section of National Council of Jewish Women will celebrate nature during Sukkot with a program about City Park.

In an event that is open to the community, City Park CEO Bob Becker will speak about the park’s history, including its Jewish connections, and discuss details of its post-Katrina renaissance.

New Orleans Magazine recently named Becker one of the “Heroes of Recovery,” credited not only with repairing the catastrophic damage done by Katrina but also remaking it into one of the Top Ten public parks in the country, now visited by 14 million people annually.

Since the storm, Becker has put together a public/private financing plan that has raised over $122 million.

Before coming to City Park, he was the senior vice president for the Audubon Nature Institute and was the executive director of the New Orleans City Planning Commission during most of the 1980s.

Event Chair Brenda Brasher said Sukkot “is a time when we take meals in temporary dwell-

ings open to the sky and when we celebrate how our life is lived under the shelter of the divine. It is very appropriate that we have as our topic the past, present and future of City Park — a public outdoor space with strong links to the Jewish community from its inception to the present.”

The event will be on Oct. 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the home of Bill and Susan Hess. Reservations should be made by Sept. 26. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at www. ncjwneworleans.org or by sending a check to NCJW, 6221 S. Claiborne Ave., Suite 208, New Orleans, LA. 70125.

Chassidic soul band Zusha performing at Beth Israel Chassidic soul band Zusha will be at Beth Israel in Metairie for the end of Sukkot.

Their self-titled debut EP reached No. 9 on Billboard’s World music chart. They have played to sold-out audiences in New York, Washington, Chicago, San Francisco and Jerusalem.

Guitarist Zachariah Goldshmiedt told Huffington Post that they seek to promote the joy in 58 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

Judaism. “Chassidic teachings are about being happy, being truthful. We want to reconnect to what it means to be a person, and our music is coming to bring back the raw emotion of what everything is about.”

There will be a Hoshana Rabbah service and concert at Beth Israel on Oct. 4 at 10 a.m.

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L’Shanah Tovah cards from Rudman’s Card and Party, Metairie, $2.51/ea set of 25

Original Creole Pralines from Aunt Sally’s Pralines, New Orleans, $14.99/ box of 6

Michael Aram Pomegranate Candle from Adler’s, New Orleans, $60

KOSHER

WAFFLES ON MAPLE x 2 IN SEASON

MUSCADINES Muscadines and scuppernongs (a variety of muscadine) are indigenous to our area, and they’re ripe for picking right now. Whether found at roadside stand, farmers market, or farm (perfect field trip: round up the family and bring home a bucket hand-picked from a local vineyard found at pickyourown.org), these juicy orbs make fabulous jams and jellies and lend extra flavor to everything from ice cream to chess pie.

Most wineries in our area — there are over 20 — base their stock on the fruits. Start your amateur operation now and you may be able to serve your own vino by Pesach: a little immature, but poured with a well-developed sense of satisfaction.

Kosher dining options in the New Orleans area will expand soon with the announcement of a second Waffles on Maple location in Metairie.

The original Uptown location, on Maple Street near Tulane University, was opened by Belinda and Rotem Dahan in spring 2014. Certified as Cholov Yisrael, the restaurant is under the supervision of the Louisiana Kashrut Commission.

While the specialty is upscale sweet or savory waffles, the restaurant also does a range of pizzas, cheddar garlic bread and even king cakes. This summer they introduced paninis and salads, and have a Nespresso café.

Belinda Dahan said “With our high demand of Waffles on Maple we thought what better place to open than in Metairie.” The new location is at 4650 West Esplanade, in the former C’s Pharmacy building, which had been purchased by CVS in 2012 and closed in 2013 because of its proximity to another CVS location.

The location is in the middle of a Jewish corridor that includes Shir Chadash, the Metairie JCC, Gates of Prayer, Beth Israel, Chabad and Torah Academy.

Belinda Dahan said they purchased the building as a commercial development, and it will have as many as six businesses. The signature waffle exterior at the original location will be replicated in Metairie, and the restaurant will front West Esplanade. The property’s remaining spaces are listed for lease with Skip Weber.

They anticipate opening toward the end of this year.

COOKBOOK

SPIRITUAL KNEADING THROUGH THE JEWISH MONTHS

by Dahlia Abraham-Klein (Shamashi Press)

Conceived as a jumping-off point for a women’s Rosh Chodesh Challah Baking Group, “Spiritual Kneading Through the Jewish Months” starts of with the background and rituals for making challah, then moves into the spiritual aspect of challah baking for women. There are numerous recipes, themed for each month of the Jewish calendar, including the Seven Species Pomegranate-shaped Challah, Flame-shaped Challah with Corn Grits, and a Moroccan Purim recipe, boiled egg in challah. Each recipe includes an introduction to the challah theme, a meditation during kneading, and for group activies, discussion topics for while the dough is rising.

September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 59

Happy New Year Thank you to all my friends in the Jewish community for your continued support!

Judge Paula Brown Civil District Court, Division J

community Touro Synagogue becomes birthplace for area schools As Cypress Academy opened its doors on August 12, it became the third New Orleans charter school to be incubated at Touro Synagogue in the last few years.

This is in addition to the Reform congregation’s historic partnership with the Sophie B. Wright Charter School.

The schools’ sole relationship to Touro has been as tenants leasing space. Many congregations around the country lease space for secular programs, including schools, and the Union for Reform Judaism has a booklet, “Maintaining Your Holy Place,” to assist congregations that want to pursue such relationships.

Because many Touro board members hold positions at non-profits and charter school boards, anyone who is a board member of Touro and a charter school seeking space at Touro must recuse during discussions and votes involving the relationship between the institutions.

The schools using Touro facilities pay fair market value rent and reimburse all operating costs. The Touro board approves all leases and the rental income goes to the congregation’s budget.

Touro is also renting office space to the New Orleans branch of AVODAH: Jewish Service Corps.

Encore Academy, an open admissions Orleans Parish School Board authorized charter school, leased space at Touro in the fall of 2012 while awaiting completion of the Crocker Arts and Technology School building. For 2014 it renovated a school building in St. Roch to provide an even larger facility, from pre-Kindergarten to eighth grade, and aimed to have an enrollment of over 500 this year.

From 2013 to 2015, Bricolage Academy was at Touro, stating with Kindergarten and adding first grade the following year. Touro member Josh Densen designed and wrote the charter for Bricolage, which outgrew Touro and moved into a bigger school building this year. The school emphasizes “academic excellence, educational equity and student diversity.”

The charter for Cypress was written by Bob Berk, former director of the Jewish Community Day School, and Teri Hunter, a developmental learning specialist.

Berk said they wanted to open a school “of excellence for all children,” but with unique programs to proactively work with the 20 percent of students who are at risk of developing reading disabilities, including dyslexia.

Government guidelines call for working with dyslexia around age 8 to 10, but Berk said early intervention “saves kids time and angst.” It also saves money, as intervention is much more effective in Kindergarten than in third grade. The school has a speech pathologist on staff.

He said the school’s program is based on problem-based learning to encourage critical thinking instead of teaching to tests, and the development of life-long learners.

Cypress opened with Kindergarten and first grade, and plans to add an additional grade every year until eighth grade.

Last year, Touro’s religious school had to share some space with Bricolage, but this year that will not be an issue. The congregation has done some updating to the classroom area to bring it up to current fire, safety and accessibility codes, with rental income offsetting the cost of “necessary” renovations.

Getting their hats ready

On Aug. 30, members of New Orleans Hadassah decorated hats for this year’s gala, the Mad Hatter’s Hadassah Tea Party, a champagne jazz brunch on Oct. 18 at 11 a.m. at the Pavilion of the Two Sisters at City Park.

60 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015

ExtErior DEsigns, inc.

Continued from page 62

Hanukippur, either latkes or sufganiyot were to be eaten, but not both on the same night.

Candles would still be lit, and gelt offerings would still be provided. Remember, gift giving used to be on Purim, and only recently landed on Hanukah.

Telfon even suggested some whimsy to lighten up the atonement. As people would recite the confessionals, they’d spin the dreidel. How much they had to atone for each transgression depended on how the dreidel landed.

Unfortunately, this holiday was lost to us for centuries. With any luck at all, it will stay that way.

By Beverly Katz

“Problem Yards Our Specialty” DRIVEWAYS POOLS LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE

COURTYARDS PERGOLAS CARPENTRY/ PAINTING

Doug Brook is a writer in Silicon Valley who never, ever participated in a game of strip dreidel.

Nope. Not him. Okay, but he just played it for the articles. For past columns, other writings, and more, visit http://brookwrite.com/. For exclusive online content, follow facebook.com/ the.beholders.eye.

On Sept. 18, Temple Sinai in New Orleans will have “A Look Back, A Look Ahead,” as past president Sheila Gold interviews Rabbi Edward Cohn about his years at Temple Sinai. Congregants will also be able to ask questions. Cohn has been at Temple Sinai for 28 years and will be retiring next year. The service will be at 6:15 p.m. An April 9, 2016 date has been announced for Gala 2016, which will honor Cohn.

(504) 866-0276

exteriordesignsbev.com

Moshe Kornfeld will return to New Orleans as the guest cantor for Anshe Sfard’s High Holy Days services. Kornfeld is a last-minute addition as the previously-scheduled cantor had to cancel. In January, he received his doctorate in anthropology and Jewish studies at the University of Michigan, where his dissertation was about Jewish community responses to Hurricane Katrina. He lived in New Orleans for two years while completing his degree, and will do postdoctoral work at the University of Colorado this fall.

Rabbi Alexis Berk of Touro Synagogue in New Orleans will receive the Forum for Equality’s Acclaim Award, Sept. 26 at the Westin Canal Place. She will receive the Faith and Equality Award as part of the evening recognizing those who are building a Louisiana of equality.

The next 92nd Street Y program simulcast at Temple Sinai in New Orleans will feature Harold Kushner and Rabbi Peter Rubenstein, discussing “Nine Essential Things I’ve Learned About Life.” They will be joined by Rachel Cowan, author of “Wise Aging.” The program will be Sept. 30 at 7:15 p.m.

September 2015 • Southern Jewish Life 61

rear pew mirror • doug brook

Hanukippur In case either of you missed it, this year’s High Holy Days column appeared in July. Riding on that early arrival’s tallis-tails, it’s now time to talk about Hanukah.

After all, isn’t it nice in September to think about Hanukah instead?

Hanukah, by any other spelling, is a whole lot less effort.

Or is it? Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur involve dressing up, reflecting on the past year, eating apples and honey without getting the nice clothes sticky, perhaps a couple of big meals, one large absence of meals, and attending extensive amounts of services.

Hanukah involves getting eight presents for everyone, hiding and wrapping them, scraping off eight nights of melted wax from last year, realizing at the last minute you don’t have enough candles but they’re all sold out, baking many more latkes than actually get eaten due to burnage, schlepping to Krispy Kreme for sufganiyot, working off the sufganiyot, resolving to buy a home gym to help work off the sufganiyot, coming up with excuses to not buy the home gym, trying to remember how you used to get away with cheating at dreidel, reflecting on that late night college game of strip dreidel that you never told your spouse about, wondering if your spouse isn’t telling you about a secret strip dreidel game too (because, unlike yours, that would be wrong), and girding up to repeatedly answer WHY NOT A the time-honored Talmudic question, “why is this December holiday different from all other MASHUP OF HANUKAH AND December holidays?”

Which list made you more tired to read?

YOM KIPPUR? So, why is Hanukah more relaxing to think HERE’S WHY about this time of year? Perhaps there’s a NOT reason that’s been long forgotten but is buried somewhere in our unconscious psyches.

Embedded in a piece of the Jewish DNA that has gone untapped for centuries.

According to the recently-discovered Mishnah tractate Bava Gump, there once was a proposal for a merged holiday. Yom Kippur was deemed too dreary to survive, and Hanukah too festive and cheerful to be truly Jewish. Thus, there would be the hybrid holiday of Hanukippur: The Festival of Light Atonement.

The most challenging question was when to celebrate it. Rabbi Telfon, the great communicator, offered the most logical perspective.

He said that atonement should not be limited to one day of the year.

Therefore, spreading it out over all the nights of Hanukah made sense.

But the Torah says when to have the Day of Atonement. Therefore, the first night of Hanukippur would be observed on the traditional day of Yom Kippur. Then, reasoning that if the miracle of Hanukah could last for eight days, it could also last for eight weeks, he said that each additional night of Hanukippur would occur once per week, every week until the traditional date of Hanukah.

Telfon believed that this starts the year with people reflecting and atoning on a weekly basis, which could carry through the entire year.

Also, it would give a more festive, less self-flagellating feel to atonement that might foster more participation.

This was all well and good until one of Telfon’s students pointed out that there are over 10 weeks between Yom Kippur and Hanukah. Tarfon decided to skip the weeks of Sukkot and Simchat Torah, and sent that student to another school to become an accountant.

As an homage to the fasting of Yom Kippur, on any weekly night of continued on previous page 62 Southern Jewish Life • September 2015