February 17, 2012 ~ 24 Shevat 5772

Dear Friends,

Sunday the Rabbi went to the Racetrack. And I took my kids.

Alexander Barkoff, renowned horse photographer, who was my guide for this first time experience, was afraid he’d be corrupting our family. But no bets were placed and no deals were made. Instead, the kids fed mints to the horses, got to stroke their manes, and were awed by their speed, strength and beauty. I was most intrigued by the people along the rails and in the grandstand. They represented every type of New Orleanian, and here they were, side by side, enjoying the experience.

This time of year, as Mardi Gras rolls around, I often find myself explaining to old friends and family in the North how I’ve come to live in New Orleans and how I justify the debauchery this town is famous for. Of course, I can’t justify the lewdness when it rears its unholy face in isolated places, but most of us know that overall we’ve been given a bad rap for a culture that has a lot to teach the nation. This town, through its revelry, finds a way to bounce back from disappointment and tragedy. Built into our calendar of festivals is a self-healing cycle that reaps great rewards – economically, emotionally, and spiritually. But most of all, a quick glance around any Mardi Gras parade, JazzFest stage, or any other Po-boy/Creole/Tomato/Zydeco/Oyster/Strawberry/Wine/Literary/Voodoo/White Linen festival, shows a mass of people all across the generational, religious, ethnic, and social class spectrum celebrating together as one people with a common love.

This Shabbat is Parshat Shekalim, when we begin reading the first of four special Maftir/Haftorah readings. Shekalim is a meant to remind us of the half-shekel annual contribution expected from every Israelite – no more or less for every member of the tribe. Obviously, we are not meant to create a society where everyone lives the same lifestyle and has the same checkbook. But the half-shekel teaches us that we are meant to open our doors, like Abraham and Sarah’s tent, and recognize the humanity we all share as beings equally created in the image of God.

Shabbat Shalom. See you in shul!

Rabbi Uri

*Please welcome back our Rabbinic Intern, Aaron Potek, who will be with us this Shabbat.

February 10, 2012 ~ 17 Shevat 5772

Dear Friends,

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Israel was a guided tour of the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem. The museum opened its doors in 1992 and is the only museum in the world dedicated to the history of the biblical period in the ancient lands of the Bible. At the museum entrance, there is a large inscription capturing the vision of its founder, Dr. Elie Borowski, which reads: “The future of mankind has its roots in the past; only through understanding our history we can build a better future.”

This Sunday, our congregation will bid farewell for the last time to our old sanctuary at 7000 Canal Blvd. When we decided to have a final minyan there and unlock its doors one last time for our community to share its memories, several people felt it was unnecessary to open up old wounds. After all, we have moved on and are already watching with great anticipation the new building rise along West Esplanade (the windows went in yesterday!).

But a people with 3000 years of shared history have learned the value of bridging past and future. A community is inspired and energized by its future, but also strengthened and fortified by its memory. A healthy community is an intergenerational community – L’dor V’dor. The fallacy of this principle is that it works best when one generation steps aside to make room for the next. In fact, the truth is just the opposite. A vibrant community is represented by generations that stand side by side seeking to learn from each other; each equally invested in the well being of the other; each appreciating that institutional memory and youthful energy are both vital for a sound future. How often do those with the memory not know who are the youth, or the youth not know those with the memory?

Dr. Borowski’s vision is complemented by the Biblical figure Malkitzedek, King of Shalem, who presented Abraham a gift of bread and wine in recognition of his leadership (Gen. 14:18). Bread is better fresh and wine is better aged. But together, they make a fine meal.

Shabbat Shalom. See you in shul!

Rabbi Uri

**This Shabbat we welcome back Rabbi Etan Katz and an NCSY group from the Maayanot Girls Yeshiva in New Jersey. Join us for some extra spirited davening throughout Shabbat and a lively Seudah Shlishit!

February 3, 2012 ~ 10 Shevat 5772

Dear Friends,

Having just returned from my trip to Israel hours before Shabbat, I thought I would just share one quick story with you. Last Friday night, I went to the Kotel, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, to relish in a spirited Kabbalat Shabbat. It was raining, so everyone packed inside the covered section of the Kotel. Because the inside area is considerably smaller than the outside plaza, I found myself pressed up against Jews of all stripes, pushed and pulled beyond my control deeper into the interior. Finally, I found some breathing room and opened my siddur to begin the prayers. I listened to find my place. To my immediate left, a group of young religious Zionist Yeshiva guys dressed in untucked white shirts were passionately singing and dancing to random Shabbat songs in preparation for the service. As one song would die down, another yeshiva bachur would shout out and start a new one. As I learned in towards them, I was distracted by a group of Chassidic men behind me who had just begun to chant an unfamiliar tune to Lecha Dodi. These men were intensely shuckling, their peyot and fur streimels swaying back and forth. There was beautiful power in their kavannah. My eyes, feet, and song shifted back and forth between these two groups for a while when suddenly, to my right, a large group of young boys from a Chabad community had gathered and began singing aloud, in their high pitched voices. They had launched into an old, complex niggun – a song without words that rose and fell at irregular intervals. As I looked around, smiling, I found myself appreciating the three minyanim that were thriving inside this compact space – a space that probably could fit within the walls of our little synagogue here in New Orleans. Each minyan was singing beautiful tunes, and while they all sang proudly, none was trying to outdo the other. To top it off, squirming between the Chabadniks, the Chassidim, and the yeshiva boys, were dozens of out of place tourists with their wide eyed faces trying to soak in the experience. This was a wonderful shared space, albeit for lots of different types.

As I walked away elated, I stopped to introduce myself to Rabbi Sheinberger, a famous Rabbi from whom many seek blessings. He asked me where I was from, and I replied, “New Orleans.” He had a puzzled look on his face, but before I could say more, one of his followers leaned over and said, “It is next to Texas!” That got me a big smile from the Rabbi who had just lumped me and all proud New Orleanians in with Texas. So much for being different and unique! But that’s OK – a healthy humbling is also good for Shabbat!

Shabbat Shalom.

See you in shul!

Rabbi Uri

I invite you to join me this Shabbat morning as I share some of my experiences from my trip to Israel. I have entitled my talk, “A Split Personality Within a Split Sea.”

January 20, 2012 ~ 25 Tevet 5772

Dear Friends,

Almost 50 years ago, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel walked arm and arm with the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in the third attempt to march peacefully from Selma to Montgomery for Civil Rights. Rabbi Heschel later wrote, “When I marched in Selma, my feet were praying.”

In the spirit of those protests, communities around the country host marches to commemorate Dr. King’s legacy on his birthday weekend. This past Monday, my family joined with others from the Jewish Day School, the Jewish Federation, and Touro Synagogue, in a small group of about 30 people, in New Orleans’ city-sponsored march (see pic below). While it was a wonderful experience for my family, I was also surprised to see that we were the only predominately white organizations marching. In fact, I do not think I would be exaggerating if I were to say that our group doubled the numbers of white people anywhere in the parade. And I’m not proud of those numbers, especially since these Jewish organizations have only been marching for the past two years of this annual event.

In Mayor Landrieu’s opening speech at Congo Square, he focused on crime and violence in the city. His message was important as violence has been spiraling out of control lately, and it certainly seemed to resonate amongst the overwhelmingly Black crowd, whom themselves have been most impacted by this culture of violence. Yet, I couldn’t help see the irony in it all on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, wondering where the white community was to stand with our Black neighbors and friends. As he focused on Black violence, did the Mayor recognize the segregated nature of the event which itself was the particular issue of Dr. King’s activism? In so many ways, the march felt just as it did 50 years ago: a black march, with a few white folks that had the courage to stand with them. But of course, it took no courage to march on this Monday. It should have been the normal thing to do in our generation. The civil rights marches weren’t just about ethnic equality; they were also about building a community that is stronger because of the sum of all its parts.

Shabbat Shalom. See you in shul!

Rabbi Uri

January 13, 2012

Dear Friends,

Nine year old Christina Taylor Green was shot and killed in a Tuscon, Arizona shopping center one year ago this week. Christina had recently been elected to her school’s student council and was taken by a neighbor to meet her Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords. There, a gunman opened fire on the crowd assembled and killed 5 other people with Christina and wounded thirteen others, including the Congresswoman.

Christina was born on September 11, 2001 and was featured in a book entitled, “Faces of Hope,” that included the pictures of 50 babies born on that horrific day. Christina would show the book off and say, “See, I was born that day. Some good things did happen that day.” Even on the day she died, Christina gave hope to others by donating her organs. Her untimely death has enabled three other people to live and Christina has also given three children the gift of eyesight through corneal and retinal implants.

President Obama, who spoke in Tuscon after the attacks, had this to say about young Christina: “Imagine: here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted. I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. I want America to be as good as she imagined. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.”

May this Shabbat give us pause, after a month of loud Republican debates, and partisan sparring, to think of Christina and aspire to build community and country to be as good as she imagined it.

Shabbat Shalom! See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

Click here to read more about Christina and the foundation her family established in her memory.

January 6, 2012 ~ 11 Tevet 5772

Dear Friends,

This past Monday morning, January 2, my son Itai woke up and was so excited to finally begin 1st grade! We were a bit confused, because after a two week break, he was simply heading back to the Jewish Day School for the second half of his kindergarten school year. When his brother broke the news to him, Itai was in hysterics and it was a rough back-to-school morning.

My children are my teachers, and Itai’s little confusion mirrored so many other experiences I’ve had when misinterpreting the bigger cards. How many times does a blessing turn out to be a curse, and a curse actually a blessing?

Rabbi Dov Linzer, the Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah where I was ordained, comments on the blessings that Yaakov gives to his hot-headed sons Shimon and Levi. Yaakov says, “Cursed be their wrath, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.” (49:7) This blessing, delivered on his death bed, appears to be much more of a curse. And indeed it is the curse that befalls Shimon, who is not given any tribal land to live in Israel. However, Levi hears it as a blessing, and while he too is excluded from receiving a tribal land, Levi’s descendants find a holy way to be scattered. They live in Jerusalem, servicing the Temple, and they dwell in special cities of refuge throughout the land, where they will care for fugitives, who themselves were perhaps a bit hot-headed in life. A blessing can be a curse. And a curse can be a blessing.

The Chassidic Master, Reb Simcha Bunim of Pesishcha, claims that the same twist of curse = blessing can be seen in the expulsion from Eden. The antagonist – the snake, appears to have received a blessing, not a curse at all! Now that he loses his legs and is forced to his belly, food will always be at his lips and easy to find. Whereas Adam and Eve’s curses of labor seem most severe. Yet, Reb Simcha says that the snake is truly cursed because it will never have to rely on another for help, but man and woman will always seek the support of others due to their hardships. That need for support will lead to beautiful deep relationships, including one with God – the greatest blessing of all.

This Shabbat, may we find the strength to overcome the curses in our blessings, as well as the insight to reveal the blessings in the curses that come our way. Even if it means another half a year of Kindergarten!

Shabbat Shalom. See you in shul!

Rabbi Uri

December 23, 2011 – 27 Kislev 5772

Dear Friends,

Lighting Chanukah candles in our home doesn’t always lead to that blissful holiday moment you might imagine. I like to think that our experience the last several nights is one that is shared by many young families. Chanukah is, at times, an event with several children aggressively vying for their place in front of the chanukiyot; where at least one or two of the menorahs get knocked over and crack in pieces each year; where two parents become acutely aware how outnumbered they are as they try to create a safe atmosphere in the presence of a dozen teetering lit candles; where the songs die quickly as presents are spotted and a maniacal frenzy of gift opening begins; where “it’s not fair” and “I hate my present” vastly overwhelm the thank yous and smiles; where dinner is lost in a sea of chocolate coins and jelly donuts; and where some parents wish we had just one night of presents like other lucky families!

Don’t get me wrong, we are good parents! We establish rules for safety and work on manners and values of sharing. We spend lots of time preparing healthy dinners and managing the flow of presents from double sets of grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins, and neighbors. We carve out time to light candles with our kids and even bring out the guitar to make the ritual meaningful and memorable. Yet, somehow, every year, well before each night’s little candles burn down, we are completely burnt out!

If you can’t tell, writing this brief message is cathartic for me. So thank you for giving me the veiled impression that I have a caring, listening friend on the other side of this email. I feel better already! But even as I write this, it is hard to ignore how fortunate we truly are. After all, my children are blessed to have two parents, healthy lives, siblings to play with, extended family to love them, a financially stable home, food on the table, and exposure to a beautiful religious tradition that I can tell is already touching their souls.

A teacher of mine once pointed out that Chanukah is celebrated nine months before Rosh Hashanah and can be likened to a spiritual moment of conception – symbolized by the spark of the candle flames that we pray will bear beautiful fruit by the time the next year rolls around. Meaning, this is a time to recognize potential, to think optimistically, and dream for our future. For myself, I am not ashamed to wish for calmer Chanukah nights, but I can also pause and imagine more broadly about all the wonderful things that lay ahead for our highly engaged children. Perhaps we can each benefit from a dose of “future perspective” and use these nights to conceive of the hopes we each wish for in the years to come, for our families, our professional lives, our spiritual pursuits, and all our varied goals.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah!

Rabbi Uri

December 16, 2011 ~ 20 Kislev 5772

See you in shul!

December 9, 2011 ~ 13 Kislev 5772

See you in shul!

December 2, 2011 ~ 6 Kislev 5772

November 18, 2011 ~ 21 Cheshvan 5772

Dear Friends,

Mrs. Radosh says to the rabbi, “My husband keeps shrinking! When we married he was five foot eight, and now he’s five foot four. Can you say a blessing for him?” “Of course,” said the Rabbi, “May he live to be four foot ten!”

I came across this little joke in an article in last week’s New York Magazine entitled, “What Do a Bunch of Old Jews Know About Living Forever?” The article highlights a scientific gene study of hundreds of elderly Ashkenazi Jews in New York managing to live long lives. The scientists hope to uncover the “secrets of the alter kockers,” with the goal of producing drugs to enhance longevity. Medical advancements have already led the National Institute on Aging to predict that the number of centenarians (those living beyond 100) will grow from the 37,000 counted in 1990 to as many as 4.2 million by 2050. The new Ashkenazi study could uncover new secrets that drastically increase that number! (The big revelation so far is that the top correlate for longevity is one that requires no blood test to discover: having a centenarian in your family already!)

The article makes this following point: “Even with the miraculous enhancements sure to come in the next decades, longevity is a mixed blessing. For Jews, who are enjoined by their faith and history and meddling grandmothers to be healthy and live long, and to have children who will do the same, it can become such an obsession as to make the time gained seem unworth the worry.”

At his checkup, Schwartz asks the doctor, “Do you think I’ll live to 100? I don’t smoke or drink or eat rich food or date loose women.”

“So why do you want to live to 100?”

This Shabbat, we read in the Torah portion about the death of our matriarch Sarah at the age of 127. The Torah writes her lifespan as “100 years, and 20 years and 7 years.” This particular division of her years points to a message, and the commentator Rashi quotes the explanation of the sages: “At the age of 100, Sara was still as pure of soul as a 20 year old, and at the age of 20, Sara was as beautiful as a child of 7.”

While Sarah may have been unique, the Torah’s contemporary message about longevity could be restated as follows: may we live each day of our lives with the innocence of a 7-year-old, with the strength and idealism of a 20-year-old, and yet with the humility that most of us have not achieved the life experience of a 100-year-old.

 Shabbat Shalom!

See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

 Click here to see a one minute video of our new foundation slab being poured… Remember, it’s never too late to make your capital campaign gift!

BCS/SUGAR BOWL RAFFLE TICKETS: Tickets are now available for our 2012 Chanukah Raffle, for which the Grand Prize is two (2) Loge tickets to the BCS Game (Bowl Championship Series) on January 9, 2012  and 2nd Prize is two (2) Loge tickets to the Sugar Bowl on January 3, 2012.  You will not only have a chance to help Beth Israel, but you may find yourself in some of the very best seats in the Dome at a great game!  The winning tickets will be drawn on December 25, 2012.   Single raffle tickets are $25, and we have a real deal, for five (5) tickets for $100.  Contact Rabbi David in the synagogue office to buy your tickets.

November 11, 2011 ~ 14 Cheshvan 5772

Dear Friends,

Just a few days ago, we marked the anniversary of Kristallnacht – the Night of the Broken Glass, recalling those horrific evenings in 1938, on November 9 and 10, when mobs rampaged through Germany and other German territories in a government-sanctioned reprisal against the Jews. At least 96 Jews were killed and hundreds more injured, over 7,000 Jewish businesses, and more than a 1,000 synagogues had been ransacked or destroyed. Jewish cemeteries and schools were vandalized, and 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to concentration camps.

As a child, one of my most powerful Jewish experiences took place during an annual Kristallnacht commemoration at our synagogue. I remember being a part of painting a beautiful mural of Jewish life onto a glass panel with my classmates, and then witnessing as it was shattered during the program and reduced to shards in several large cardboard boxes. Carefully, at the end of the evening, a group of adults had taken the glass pieces and re-constructed an image of Jewish life reborn.

For me, it recalls the quote from Rebbe Nachman that I have grown fond of here in New Orleans – “Im Ata Ma’amin SheYicholin LiKalkel, Ma’amin SheYicholin LiTakein” – “If you believe in the ability to destroy, then you can believe in the ability to rebuild.”

While there can be no comparisons to the Holocaust, I still am struck that 73 years to the day after Kristallnacht, when so many synagogues were burnt to their foundations, we at Beth Israel, here in New Orleans, witnessed the whole concrete slab being poured on our new synagogue (pic below). The parallel was moving for me.

Of course, we are not rebuilding the communities lost in the Shoah. We can hardly imagine all that was lost, and in such brutality. Yet, we are a part of the incredible dedication and continuity of our people who, throughout the millennia, have continued to face destruction in the eye, and build anew the next day.

May we draw strength from our collective memory, but also from our shared drive to build for our future. L’dor v’dor.

Shabbat Shalom! See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

Thank You to Alexander Barkoff who woke up before the crack of dawn on November 10, 2011 to take these pictures!

***THIS SHABBAT BEGINS EARLY FRIDAY NIGHT DAVENING: Please remember that today’s Friday Mincha will be at 4:45PM, followed by a class with Rabbi Uri and then Kabbalat Shabbat at 5:30PM. We will continue with this schedule for the next few months.

Shabbat Schedule Parshat Vayeira:

4:45PM Friday Night Services (Candle Lighting at 4:49PM.)

9:00AM Shabbat Morning Davening followed by GALA Kiddush Luncheon sponsored this week by the JWV Jules Lazard Post 580.

5:00PM Seudah Shlishit at the Rabbi’s home (Shabbat ends not before 5:44PM.)

***JWV SHABBAT: In commemoration of Veterans Day, our congregation will be welcoming members of our local Jewish War Veterans post this Shabbat. Rabbi Uri will be delivering a special Shabbat morning derasha entitled, “The Meaning of a Jew in America.” Services will conclude with a presentation by a color guard made up of our Jewish War Veterans, and a few remarks by the Post Commander, Judge Sol Gothard. A gala kiddush lunch will follow. All are welcome! This Shabbat, we also welcome again Aaron Potek, our YCT Rabbinic Intern.

November 4, 2011 – 7 Cheshvan 5772

Dear Friends,

Dahlia and I went in for parent teacher conferences this week and noticed that on a chalkboard outside our son’s classroom it was written: “Word of the Week: Stereotype.” The teacher explained that the word was chosen in reaction to an incident that took place during a field trip that week to see a production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” The play touches upon issues of interfaith marriages and conflicts between different cultures and ethnicities. On top of that, one of the students, during the show, noticed a young girl wearing a hijab head covering sitting a few rows away. The teacher shared that this second grade student shrunk down in the seat saying, “There’s an Arab girl. I don’t want her to see me because the Arabs hate the Jews.” From the teacher’s perspective, this was an extremely unfortunate response, but also a perfect opportunity to begin a new “Thanksgiving Unit” on negative stereotyping, as well as healthy ethnic pride.

I am thankful that our children are being exposed to these ideas, but also so sad that we live in a world in which seven year olds experience not-so-subtle ethnic discrimination, hatred, and distrust – whether real or imagined.

In this week’s Torah reading, I find it instructive that before we launch into the story of Avraham and the foundations of our people, the immediate pre-text offered is the Tower of Babel. “The whole land was of one language and one purpose…And God dispersed them from there over the face of the whole land.” The take away message is clear: God demands diversity.

Shabbat Shalom! See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

October 28, 2011 ~ Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan 5772

Dear Friends,

After a month filled with holidays, today we begin the new month of Cheshvan. Our Rabbis nicknamed the month “Mar-Cheshvan,” adding the word “Mar” (like Maror) to signify the “bitterness” of a month. This is because, in contrast to Tishrei, this month contains no holidays. In addition, our tradition maintains that the flood of Noach and Naama’s generation (which we read about tomorrow in shul) began during Cheshvan, lending to the bitterness attributed to this month.

The Chassidic masters had a different understanding of the nickname for this month. Reb Leibele Eiger suggested that the name Marcheshvan is related to the word “Meracheish,” which means “whispering.” It is a month that requires no Yom Tov to uplift it, since our lips continue to “whisper” the beautiful melodies of the High Holidays, and the spirit of those days still lingers in the air.

Recently, I read a book called, “The Traveler’s Gift,” in which the author imagines a frightening encounter with, “the place that never was.” In a dream, an angel walks the under-achieving main character around an enormous facility and explains, “This is the place where we keep all the things that were about to be delivered, just as a person stopped working and praying for them. The contents of this warehouse are filled with the dreams and goals of the less courageous.” In the warehouse are brilliant manuscripts, technological inventions, medical cures, lists of good deeds, and even photos of children that were dreamed of, but never conceived.

In my mind, this warehouse also represents the whispers of Cheshvan. This is the month were we determine if the ideas, passions, hopes, and dreams that were whispered amidst the High Holiday prayers will come to fruition, or whether they will just remain ghostly whispers of our past.

Let us reach for our goals and fulfill the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, who would flip the word “Mar” and call this month, “Ram-Cheshvan”, literally, the “Great Cheshvan!”

Shabbat Shalom! See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

Dear Friends,

What a great start to 5772! Thank you for a wonderful holiday thus far at Beth Israel!

I have linked here copies of the sermons I delivered this Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I have humbly endeavored to explore and unpack central ideas relevant to these Holy Days. I welcome your feedback, loving critique, and opinions.

Rosh Hashanah 5772 Day 1 – “The Dove Found a Foothold”

Rosh Hashanah 5772 Day 2 – “Fear the Lord”

Kol Nidrei 5772 – “Fate and Destiny”

Yom Kippur 5772 – “The Butterfly Effect”

But there is to be no rest for the weary!

 It’s time for Sukkot!!

Today, we built the BI Sukkah – Click here to watch how to build a Sukkah in under two minutes!

(video courtesy of Alexander Barkoff)

Many thanks to all our volunteers: Alan Katz, Alexander Barkoff, Yehuda Halper, Peter Seltzer, Kotel Sadrusi, Vladimir Kolenko, Leo Golubitsky, Sidney Cotlar, Jacob Kansas, Rabbi David Posternock, Ken Levin, Stephen Blitz, Ben Gothard, Eddie Gothard, Justin Jacob, Phil/Ethan/Avishai Taylor, Elyon/Itai Topolosky, Binah Klafert (moral support), and Aaron Potek!

NOW… You are cordially invited to celebrate IN the Sukkah!

Here’s the full lineup… Commit to joining us in the Sukkah at least one time, if not every day!

Wed, Oct 12 at 8:30PM Oneg at the Rabbi’s Sukkah. (Desserts/Drinks/Song)

Fri, Oct 14 at 6PM CHINESE SUKKAH DINNER followed by Services. Your RSVP needed! ($18p/p)

Sat, Oct 15 Guest speaker: Bill Hess (AZM President) “Impact on the bid for Palestinian Statehood”

Sun, Oct 16 at 7PM Cork and Canvas in the Sukkah. Your RSVP needed! ($15p/p)

Mon, Oct 17 at noon Lunch and learn with Rabbi Uri. (Bring your own lunch. Desserts & drinks served.)

Mon, Oct 17 at 7:30PM Monday Night Football on the Sukkah Big Screen. (Hot Dogs & Beer served!)

Tue, Oct 18 at 6:30PM Sukkah Hop Neighborhood Sukkahs (meet first at Ungars – 4000 Rivage Ct)

Thu, Oct 20 at 7PM Simchat Torah Bash! Torah dancing, Buffet Dinner, Jello Shots, Jewish trivia, & more!

 See you in the Sukkah! 

- Rabbi Uri

Friends,

In September of 2005, a 10 year old boy with a big heart named Ethan Ulanow, was devastated to see pictures of our ruined synagogue and Torahs, as news reports told of the failure of the federal flood protection system in New Orleans. Not long after, when his family began to speak with him about his bar mitzvah, Ethan decided that he wanted to dedicate a new Torah for our shul to replace one that had been lost. And that is how, in January of 2008, Ethan arrived in our hearts with a rare gift of a Torah scroll.

In this week’s Torah reading, we learn of the last of the 613 mitzvot: the mitzvah for every Jew to write a Torah scroll. Thankfully, Maimonides adds a holy rabbinic loophole that if one is not competent enough to write a Torah, one may hire a Sofer/scribe instead! In this way, Ethan did his part in fulfilling this mitzvah.

Unfortunately, the sofer who scribed Ethan’s Torah might not have been as virtuous as our young man. Recently, the sofer made the news for all the wrong reasons. He was indicted on fraud charges in federal court. The sofer had claimed that the Torahs he sold, including Ethan’s, he had personally rescued from a monastery in the Ukraine – so called “Holocaust Torahs.” He called himself the “Jewish Indiana Jones.” Allegedly, he fabricated all of his stories so as to place a higher price value on Torahs he fixed for resale. Our local newspaper, The Times Picayune, picked up the story, connected the dots, and is likely running a feature on Ethan’s Torah this Sunday.

I reached out to Torah scribes and Rabbis around the country to ask about the ramifications for our Torah if its scribe was found to be corrupt and unethical. Not one of them said that the Torah was unfit for use. Despite the unethical and disgraceful business actions of the sofer, whom I’ve known personally for nearly 20 years, the Torah itself remains kosher – the sofer, not so much.  The most problematic scenario would have been if the Torah scroll was stolen and resold, but there have been no such allegations in this case.

This week, I spoke with Ethan’s family about the situation and they are at peace with it. For them, the story hasn’t changed. We still have a beautiful Torah, imagined for us by the incredible thoughtfulness of their 10 year old, gifted to us by the surprising maturity of their 13 year old, and linked to us forever by a terrific young man who inspires us all to think as intentionally about life as he does. Ethan once said, “Each time the congregation takes the Torah out, I feel like I am doing another mitzvah.” As we continue to read from this holy scroll, I pray that the sofer finds the healing he needs during these High Holidays; I acknowledge the pain we and others feel by this news; I extend my feelings of forgiveness to him, if he is found guilty of this fraud, even as I recognize that others may need more time to heal; I pray all those who were allegedly duped in his scheme are recompensed; and I am comforted and uplifted knowing that the actions a young man are capable of redeeming even the most fraudulent schemes of an adult. Our children are our future.

Shabbat Shalom!

See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

P.S.  This Shabbat is the LAST SHABBAT OF THE YEAR! Don’t miss it. It only comes once.

Friends,

This past week, I met our synagogue architect to create a full-scale working model of the new proposed synagogue sanctuary. We used tables, chairs and tape to mark off the space and to get a feel for how the sanctuary will function and flow when it is built. After we took down our temporary model, I was tempted to go home and recreate it with my kids’ legos! It was exciting to get a glimpse of our new home.

Before I became a Rabbi, I had enrolled in architecture school at the University of Maryland. At the end of my first year of five in the program, the Dean of the school sat all the first-year students down and reminded us that we were about to sell our soul to the studio and we better be prepared to eat, sleep, drool, and dwell in that place! Well, his pep talk worked, and I decided to drop out of the program and focus on other interests – which ultimately led me to the Rabbinate! I do not regret my decision, but I will never get out of my bones my love for the spirituality of space.

You can position all the right ritual objects, chairs, doors, books, and even mock “people,” but the key to creating a meaningful space is to consider a design that is informed by values.

This is true for our homes, our cars, our offices, and of course, our synagogues. Your space should convey what is important to you and the values that drive your vision and mission in life. This is spiritual feng shui.

At a synagogue meeting this past week, we discussed our mission and the values we hold most dear. To speak in general terms, we underscored Beth Israel’s commitment to three central values: orthodox tradition, accessibility/inclusiveness, and family. These, among others, have been driving the design of our project and must continue to inform the interior aspects of our space. As we work on the Ark design now, I wonder what other values we should incorporate into its design… (please send me your thoughts! seriously, I would love to hear your ideas!)

Shabbat is a wonderful time to think about values and to consider all the spaces in which we operate – do they reflect who we are and who we want to be?

Shabbat Shalom!

See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

P.S.  Thank you to all those that supported our 9-11 Interfaith Service Day. We had an incredible turnout with over 100 people at the work site and more than 400 people for our Gumbo Feast! Shkoach!

September 9, 2011 – 10 Elul 5771 (Don’t forget to blow the shofar!)

Friends,

This Shabbat, I wish to share with you a statement I helped draft and release to the media and our public officials this week…

A Statement of Solidarity from the East Jefferson Interfaith Clergy Association

We remember with sorrow those of all faiths and nationalities that lost their lives on September 11th, 2001 – in the Twin Towers, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We remember in sorrow the broken hearts of all those who grieve their loss. And we remember, in sorrow, our feelings of safety and invincibility as a people and a nation, now lost forever.

We remember in sorrow on this tenth anniversary, but we go forward in hope, as Isaiah says, “Those who went out weeping, carrying the seed, will come back rejoicing carrying the sheaves.”

Three years ago, the members of the East Jefferson Interfaith Clergy Association came together to combat the fear and ignorance which caused a few individuals to sear the letters “KKK” into the lawn of newly arrived black residents in Bucktown. We came together to support the family and to repair the lawn, but also to stand up against the fear and ignorance which are the breeding ground for hatred, at home or abroad

That event planted the seed that has become The East Jefferson Interfaith Clergy Association. We realized at the outset that, if we were to have an impact on our congregations and our community, we needed first to be in authentic, ongoing relationship with one another. So, we met month after month, to share our faith journeys and to learn about one another – both as people and as congregational leaders.

We visited one another’s places of worship. We broke bread together in places we could all eat. We shared one another’s joys and concerns. We explored our Scriptures together. We gave programs at one another’s houses of worship. Our youth worked together on projects.

Now, on this solemn anniversary, we come together as Jews and Muslims and Christians to work together in a service project to beautify Kenner’s Rivertown so as to make our community better, and then to share a meal of chicken gumbo – a symbol of our common citizenship as Americans and Louisianans. But most importantly, we come together because we represent to the world the steadfast belief that knowledge can overcome ignorance, familiarity with the other can overcome the fear of the stranger, and love can overcome hatred. We come together as a living embodiment of the saying in Christian Scripture, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” and with the hope that we can, as the Koran says, “Repel evil with good. You shall then find that he, who once had hatred for you, will become your closest and most beloved companion.”

September 11 Anniversary Program Steering Committee:

Rev. Jay Angerer – All Saints’ Episcopal Church

The Ven. Priscilla Maumus – Archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese

Imam Omar Suleiman – Jefferson Muslim Assoc. / Masjid Abu Bakr Al‐Siddique

Rabbi Uri Topolosky – Congregation Beth Israel

Rev. Sheri Zehner – St. Paul’s UMC, Harahan, LA

Hope to see you there,

Rabbi Uri

Dear Friends,

In case of high winds, lots of rain, and an overdose of boredom, Beth Israel is here for you!!

Come to shul to hunker down this Shabbos with good friends, holy davening, and great food!

Spirited davening tonight at 6:30PM followed by an open meal at the Rabbi’s home.

Spirited davening tomorrow at 9:00AM followed by a gala deli kiddush sponsored by the Lachoffs and Pollacks.

Shabbat Shalom! Stay safe and I’ll see you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE at www.BethIsraelNOLA.com!!

Follow us new on Twitter at BethIsraelNOLA and on Facebook!

Click here to watch a 2 minute video of the steel construction of our new shul! (courtesy of Alexander Barkoff)

And don’t forget…

SEPTEMBER 11 INTERFAITH AFTERNOON OF SERVICE & MEAL:

Friends,

This Shabbat, we read a section of the Torah dedicated to teaching the laws of war. Amongst these fascinating rules is one that requires a Jewish military to be conscious of the trees surrounding their target city, and not to cut them down needlessly. This passage in Deuteronomy 20:19 is every Eco-Jew’s dream verse!

It also reminds me of my favorite environmentally conscious Jewish text in the Talmud (Bava Kamma 50b), which teaches as follows:

Our Rabbis taught: A man should not remove stones from his ground on to public ground. A certain man was removing stones from his ground on to public ground when a pious man found him doing so and said to him, “Fool, why do you remove stones from ground which is not yours to ground which is yours?” The man laughed at him. Some days later he had to sell his field and when we was walking on that public ground he stumbled over those stones. He then said, “How well did that pious man say to me, ‘Why do you remove stones from ground which is not yours to ground which is yours?’”

The Talmud invites us to blur the distinctions between public and private and wonder about what we truly own…

This past Shabbat, our rabbinic intern, Aaron Potek, offered an insightful talk on a related topic, which he entitled, “The Jewish Way to Eat Meat.” In his concluding remarks he quoted Giambattista Vico, an Italian political philosopher (1668-1744) who said, “People first sense what is necessary, then consider what is useful, next attend to comfort, later delight in pleasures, soon grow dissolute in luxury, and finally go mad squandering their estates.”

As I reflect on these passages during hurricane season, with storms brewing and a week long brush fire in east New Orleans eating up even more of the wetlands that are our barrier defense, I am all too conscious of how we interact with the world around us.

Shabbat Shalom. See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE at www.BethIsraelNOLA.com!!

*** FRIDAY NIGHT DAVENING FOR SEPTEMBER MOVES EARLIER THIS WEEK TO 6:30PM.***

Friends,

In case there was any doubt, everyone should know that our new building is rising under proper rabbinic supervision! (See pic of our new steel columns below courtesy of Alex Barkoff.)

As I have been watching our synagogue construction site out the office window, I am reminded how odd it is that we search for God indoors. After all, isn’t Divine inspiration more easily felt in the great outdoors?

Along these lines, the Chafetz Chaim explains that there is a requirement for every shul to have windows because we inevitably get distracted in prayer, and we can then turn and look outside to nature and be inspired to return to our davening (Mishna Berurah 90:8).

Ironically, though, the Chafetz Chaim’s comment assumes that we are indoors, looking out. Similarly, throughout halachik literature, we find a clear preference for davening indoors. Why is this so?!

One answer may relate to the notion that a synagogue is man-made and thus stands in stark contrast to the natural world.

When we stand in Yosemite, the Rockies, the Ozarks, the Appalachians, or even in the Bayou (but not in the summer), we are awed by the awesomeness of the Creator. We can be literally bowled over by the grandeur of creation. The mountain and the field are God’s pristine domain. They are untouched by man; uninhabited. In short, nature is the perfect place to simply find God.

While this is a powerful way to experience prayer, ironically, it may not be the only experience intended for shul.

One could argue that, in addition to finding God in shul, we are also challenged to find each other. Perhaps the Rabbis preferred for us to daven in a house we built, rather than in the “house” God built, because one of our central goals in prayer is to embrace our larger communal family. When we daven, we not only seek to fulfill our spiritual duties to the Creator, but we also wonder if we have done so towards our family and neighbors. Just as God’s house welcomes all people, we must endeavor to build an accessible space where ALL members of our community – the children, the elderly, the women, the singles, the disabled, the poor, the converts… would also feel at home.

Shabbat Shalom. See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

*This Shabbat, we welcome Aaron Potek, a student at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School, who will be visiting our community 10 times this year as our Rabbinic Intern. Please give him a warm, southern welcome! Aaron will be delivering the derasha on Shabbat morning.

** We begin blowing Shofar this week on Wednesday of Rosh Chodesh Elul.

I

A Taste of Comfort for Shabbat
August 12, 2011 – 12 Av 5771

Friends,

Nearly two thousand years ago, as our ancestors looked out upon a devastated Jerusalem, they composed a special prayer known as “Nachem – Comfort.” This prayer was inserted in the concluding services of Tisha B’av, our national day of mourning, which was observed this past Tuesday. The Nachem prayer begins, “Comfort, O Lord our God, the mourners of Zion and the mourners of Jerusalem, and the city that is mourning, ruined, despised and desolate: mourning without her sons, ruined without her dwellings, despised and bereft of her glory.”

However, since the 1967 Six Day War, many have struggled with these words. While it is true that our Temple has not been rebuilt, can we really say that the whole of Jerusalem is in such a state today? Can we ignore the miraculous birth of the State of Israel and the momentous re-unification of our holy city? Can we turn a blind eye at the bustling tourism, the city building projects, and the aliyah charter flights landing at the new Ben Gurion airport?

Consider Yosef Ben-Brit, a holocaust survivor who made aliyah and fought in Israel’s early wars, whose national pride caused him to suggest that the Nachem prayer be toned down to read instead, “Comfort, O Lord our God, the mourners of Zion and the mourners of Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount that is in mourning without a Temple and without Jewish prayer upon it.”

Consider also the late Dr. Ephraim Urbach, a professor of Talmud at Hebrew University, who lived in a vibrant Jerusalem, and who suggested a radical re-read of the text as follows: “Have mercy, O Lord our God, with Your great compassion and Your faithful lovingkindness, on us and on Your people Israel, and on Jerusalem Your city, rebuilt from its ruins, risen from its rubble, and resettled from its desolation.”

On this Shabbat, known as “Shabbat Nachamu – the Shabbat of Comfort,” I invite you to consider your 21st century perspective of Jerusalem. Is it a city that needs comforting, or is it a place that is comforting? How do we reconcile the two? And how does your answer inform your prayers?

Shabbat Shalom!

See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri

Friends,

See below a picture I attached from our recent trip to Israel. It was taken at a gas station where the sign reads:

FREE ON FRIDAYS: NEWSPAPER AND SHABBAT CHALLAH. (the fine print:) With a gas purchase of 180 shekels or more.

Only in Israel! I’ve seen gas station giveaways that have included a free drink, coffee, or pastry. Once I even got a basketball. But where else could you pick up a challah for filling up your tank!

In Israel, our tradition’s culture lives all around you. In America, we have to work a little harder.

One of the most distinctive features differentiating US and Israeli communities is the centrality of the synagogues. In Israel, most synagogues function simply as a place to pray. In the US, the synagogues tend to be more of the organizing centers of our Jewish lives. Classes, programs, and community support groups operate out of synagogue, instead of out of people’s homes and neighborhoods as is often the case in Israel. Underlying these differences is the experience of living as a minority or a majority. In the US, we seek institutions to symbolize our presence and feel a sense of belonging. In Israel, you feel Jewish at an Exxon station.

This Shabbat, as I straddle both of these communities having just returned from a wonderful Israel trip to the community I call home, I acknowledge the beauty of living in our Homeland where your pizza delivery man expresses his hopes that the pizza will be a fulfilling end to a meaningful fast. But I also acknowledge the empowering spirit of living in the US, where one is forced to make more conscious decisions to bring Jewish values and focus into their daily lives.

Shabbat Shalom!

See you in shul,

Rabbi Uri