Dear Shir Chadash family,

We hope you all had a happy – and most importantly, healthy – New Year.

The coming weeks bring a very important step in our rabbinic search process: candidate visits. We currently have two visits planned, scheduled for the next two weekends.

Given the current Covid conditions, we have planned the visits to make them as safe as possible for our candidates and congregants, while still giving each party ample opportunity to get to know one another. This means a combination of virtual and in-person activities. Masks and social distancing will be required for all in-person activities, as advised by our Health Committee.

Please participate in as many of these weekend activities as you can, whether attending services (virtually or in person), participating in learning activities led by the candidates, or joining scheduled social activities and discussion sessions. It is critical that we take these opportunities to learn about our candidates and to help show them the very special nature of our Shir Chadash family and the beauty and energy of New Orleans.

January 14-16: Rabbi Daniela Szuster and Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky

This weekend, January 14-16, we will host husband-and-wife pair Rabbi Daniela Szuster and Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky, who will be visiting from Lancaster, Pennsylvania along with their three children Uriel, Meital and Yael (ages 15, 13 and 10).

Rabbis Daniela and Rami are originally from Argentina and studied and trained in Israel before being ordained at the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The pair have worked as a rabbinical team since 2004, first at Congregación B’nei Israel in San José, Costa Rica, then in Central Pennsylvania, where they have served at Lancaster’s Temple Beth El since 2015. Read more about Rabbis Daniela and Rami’s professional experience in their CVs.

Rabbi Daniela taught the Shir Chadash Sisterhood class, “The Diversity of God's Names,” on December 29th. Watch a recording of Rabbi Daniela's sisterhood class.

The schedule of events for the upcoming visit by Rabbis Daniela and Rami is below. Please register for events you wish to attend in person; due to Covid-related capacity limits, registration is required for all events. Registration closes at noon on Friday, Jan. 14. If you are attending via zoom please visit www.shirchadash.org for all links.

Schedule of events (open to all congregants):

January 21-23: Rabbi Jesse Nagelberg

Rabbi Jesse Nagelberg will be visiting from New York, where he is currently finishing his studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary, with expected graduation and ordination in May 2022. Rabbi Nagelberg hails from New Jersey. In addition to his Jewish Studies background, Rabbi Nagelberg earned a B.S. from the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. Rabbi Nagelberg also has a deep interest in youth education and programming, having worked at Ramah Day Camp in Nyack, New York for nearly a decade. Read more about Rabbi Nagelberg’s professional experience in his CV.

Rabbi Nagelberg taught the Shir Chadash Sisterhood class, “Why Moses?,” on December 22nd. Watch a recording of Rabbi Nagelberg's sisterhood class.

The schedule for Rabbi Nagelberg’s visit is being finalized and will be shared shortly.

We appreciate your patience with any schedule changes as we try to present a series of visits that are informative, engaging and safe for everyone in a changing public health environment. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.