Partner with us as we build our new synagogue! Click here to make your gift to our capital campaign and help secure the future of a vibrant modern orthodoxy in New Orleans! Click here to view our construction progress!
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov once said, “If you can believe in the ability to destroy, then you can believe in the ability to rebuild.”
WE HAVE A HISTORY
Congregation Beth Israel was founded in 1904 and has its roots dating to the mid-1800s. The congregation worshiped on Carondelet St. and then on Canal Blvd. until Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters destroyed our synagogue and all of its contents. Yet, what seemed unimaginable in 2005 is today a reality. With resolute commitment and a healthy blend of seasoned and fresh leadership, we have reconstituted ourselves and have emerged as a stronger community than we were before the storm.
WE HAVE A MISSION 
The focus these past few years has been about rebuilding our community. Now it is time to provide our Beth Israel family a new home. We will build a new spiritual home for our growing congregation that will also embrace unaffiliated Jews and newcomers. We will build a sacred space for our five new Torah scrolls, our uplifting services, our engaging programming, and our congregational family. We will build on our legacy as a vibrant Modern Orthodox presence in New Orleans as well as a partner within our larger community. We will build all of this with your help.
WE HAVE A PLAN
In April of 2010, we held a groundbreaking for the new synagogue building, which will be built along West Esplanade Ave, adjacent to Congregation Gates of Prayer in Metairie. Our relationship with Gates of Prayer since Katrina as neighbors within their building has been enriching and energizing, and we look forward to being next-door neighbors for a long
time. Gates of Prayer’s playground will stand at the center of the two synagogues, with shared access, as a symbol that while we have different worship practices and ideologies, we are still one Jewish family.
Our capital campaign goal is $3.5 million. We anticipate the global construction project cost to be $2.5 million. We will also require an additional $1 million to increase our existing endowment for long-term operational sustainability.
As of July 2011, our capital campaign has secured $3 million in pledges and gifts, and we have commenced building with Goliath Construction. Click here to see pictures of our construction site! Through your generosity, we will raise the final $500,000 for our new congregational home. Make your gift today or contact our office to arrange your pledge!
