Dear Jewish Women's Archives-- Thank you so much for your reminder of the flooding of our Beth Israel Synagogue following Hurricane Katrina. TODAY--AUGUST 29--is the 6th Anniversary of that devastation. And I am so happy to update you on our progress to date. Yes, we lost our lovely synagogue and EVERYTHING in it, but our CONGREGATION is alive and well! We now have 4 more Torah Scrolls donated to us--from caring Families and Congregations--to replace the 7 Scrolls that are buried in our Cemetery. We are still temporarily using space for our Services, programs and office at Gates of Prayer Reform Temple. But our membership regrouped shortly after Katrina, realizing that a synagogue is only a building--the membership is the heart of Beth Israel. We have Rabbi Uri Topolosky as our pulpit rabbi, dedicated, energetic and out-reaching! We are smaller in number, but slowly regrowing with new, younger members and lots of babies. AND, OUR NEW SYNAGOGUE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, in the Metairie suburb of New Orleans. Shalom, Shalom--Jackie Gothard
Dear Jewish Women's Archives-- Thank you so much for your reminder of the flooding of our Beth Israel Synagogue following Hurricane Katrina. TODAY--AUGUST 29--is the 6th Anniversary of that devastation. And I am so happy to update you on our progress to date. Yes, we lost our lovely synagogue and EVERYTHING in it, but our CONGREGATION is alive and well! We now have 4 more Torah Scrolls donated to us--from caring Families and Congregations--to replace the 7 Scrolls that are buried in our Cemetery. We are still temporarily using space for our Services, programs and office at Gates of Prayer Reform Temple. But our membership regrouped shortly after Katrina, realizing that a synagogue is only a building--the membership is the heart of Beth Israel. We have Rabbi Uri Topolosky as our pulpit rabbi, dedicated, energetic and out-reaching! We are smaller in number, but slowly regrowing with new, younger members and lots of babies. AND, OUR NEW SYNAGOGUE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION, in the Metairie suburb of New Orleans. Shalom, Shalom--Jackie Gothard