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Shir Chadash Newsletter
February 22 - February 28, 2024
13 Adar I - 19 Adar I 5784
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Security Reminder: Please be aware that due to security concerns, we are, for the time being, implementing a new security protocol in which we will require Photo ID from non-members or unfamiliar faces joining us for services. We hope you understand and still decide to join us in prayer as we observe and celebrate Shabbat. | |
Health Reminder: With the return of Winter, also comes the return of rising numbers of Covid, flu, and RSV in our community. If you are feeling ill, please consider staying home and participating in services online to protect those around you, especially the more susceptible members of our Congregation. | |
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Dear Shir Chadash community,
Over the past several months, I’ve written on a weekly basis about ways you can connect with Israel. Here’s yet another way – through the use of music.
The writer Yossi Klein Halevi wrote a recent piece about twelve songs that “made him an Israeli” after making Aliyah in the 1970’s. I don’t have space for that many selections, but I will share with you three that made an impact on me.
First, and perhaps best known, is Naomi Shemer’s “Jerusalem of Gold.” The 1967 Six Day War upended the modern Middle East, and perhaps divided the state of Israel – and the entire region – ever since. But there is one aspect of the war which was an undisputed success, and that was the reunification of Jerusalem. It’s impossible to listen to the song and not tear up when singing its lyrics.
Second, also written by Naomi Shemer – was there ever a better Israeli song writer – is the 1973 “Lu Yehi”, roughly “Let It Be.” This haunting song, which calls to mind the dark weeks of the Yom Kippur War of 1973 – a period which remains in the memory for any Jew who lived through it – also contains an expression that our dreams will, in the longer term, be realized. It’s perhaps the most appropriate song for the period in which we currently find ourselves.
Finally, I always loved “Ani Noladti l’Shalom”, “I Was Born for Peace.” It’s difficult during wars to imagine a different time, but in fact it’s always possible. Just a few years after the Yom Kippur War, a peace treaty was signed with Egypt. Not long after the first intifada, a similarly durable treaty was signed with Jordan. It’s a reminder that wars are necessary, but they are not desired.
Whatever song you choose, I hope it brings you peace as we enter Shabbat.
Of course, if you need additional help, the leadership of both Shir Chadash and of the New Orleans Jewish community, are here to assist you. Below, you will find link to resources which can help, whether you are seeking pastoral support, an opportunity for pro-Israel advocacy, or a chance to help Israel financially, spiritually, or through volunteer work. Please feel free to take advantage of these resources as fully as you like. And if you need additional help, please feel free to call us in the office.
~ Rabbi Scott Hoffman
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משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה
"When we enter the month of Adar, our joy is multiplied."
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Maia Sibony was born
February 4, 2024 to proud parents, Goldi & Joseph Sibony
of Jaffa, Israel.
Mazel tov to our proud new grandparents, Judy & Bruce Yaillen, and excited big brother, Leo Sibony.
Welcome to the world, Maia!
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Boaz Asher Blum was born
February 5, 2024, to proud parents Lauren & Ariel Blum
of Tel Aviv, Israel
Mazel tov to our proud new grandparents, Sheryl & Peter Title, and excited big sister, Bria Blum.
Welcome to the world, Boaz!
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Looking Ahead: Shir Chadash Calendar
All links have migrated to our webpage. Click here to get there!
WWW.SHIRCHADASH.ORG
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Friday, February 23rd
6:15 pm, Shabbat Evening Services
Saturday, February 24th
9:30 am, Shabbat Morning Services, followed by Kiddush lunch sponsored by Lis & Hugo Kahn in honor of Hugo's birthday
10 am, Babysitting
7:30 pm, Hatikvah: Hope Reborn - at Loyola University's Rousell Performance Hall - Purchase tickets HERE
Sunday, February 25th
9 am, SHUL SCHOOL
9:15 am, Minyan with Men's Club, followed by breakfast
Wednesday, February 28th
10 am, Sisterhood Class: The Bible Says...That?
Thursday, February 29th
8 am, Morning Minyan on Zoom
7 pm, Women's Mega Challah Bake - Register HERE
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Friday, March 1st
6:15 pm, Shabbat Evening Services
Saturday, March 2nd
9:30 am, Shabbat Morning Services, followed by Kiddush lunch
10 am, Babysitting
Sunday, March 3rd
9 am, SHUL SCHOOL
9:15 am, Minyan with Men's Club, followed by breakfast
10:30 am, Rosh Chodesh Gathering with Sisterhood
Tuesday, March 5th
7 pm, Great Jewish Novels (of the 20th Century)
"Call It Sleep" by Henry Roth -
email rabbiscott@shirchadash.org to RSVP
Wednesday, March 6th
10 am, Sisterhood Class: The Bible Says...That?
Thursday, March 7th
8 am, Morning Minyan on Zoom
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Shir Chadash Events & Announcements | |
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With special guest, Seminary Student Jonathon Adler,
leading us in a melodious Shabbat Evening Service
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Led by Rabbi David Cohen-Henriquez
Everyone is welcome to join us in the main service afterwards!
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CLASSES WITH RABBI HOFFMAN | |
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Great Jewish Novels
(of the 20th Century)
Once a month, Tuesdays, 7 PM
@ Rabbi Hoffman's Home
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Next Class: March 5th
"Call It Sleep"
by Henry Roth
The twentieth century saw the flourishing of multiple genres of Jewish literature. Great novels were written in pre-war Europe, the newly-established state of Israel, and the first immigrant generation in the United States. Come and discuss the ways in which this literature shaped, and was shaped by, our Jewish world.
Please RSVP to Rabbi Hoffman at rabbiscott@shirchadash.org
Click here for the full 2023-2024 schedule and book list
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Lunch & Learn:
Codes of Jewish Law
With gratitude to the Nat Leon Fund
Once a month, Tuesdays, 11 AM
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Next Class: March 19th
Join Rabbi Hoffman for a one-hour session followed by a delicious catered lunch, provided free of charge thanks to the generosity of the Nat Leon Fund. We will be looking at the various codes of Jewish law and see how Jewish sources have wrestled with questions both timeless and current. You do not need to bring anything but a hunger to learn – and perhaps a hunger for lunch. Translations will be based, wherever possible, upon the materials found in www.sefaria.org.
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Sisterhood Class: The Bible Says... That?
Wednesdays. 10 AM
In-person and available on Zoom
The so-called “historical” books of the Bible – that is, Judges, Joshua, I/II Samuel, and I/II Kings are filled with exciting and colorful stories. But are these stories satirical? Are they filled with hidden messages? Are they both didactic and entertaining? Come and join us for an exploration of these books of the Bible and learn that our ancestors’ tastes were not always far removed from our own. All materials will be provided, so just come and enjoy.
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MAH JONGG SUNDAYS AT SHIR CHADASH | |
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Come play Mah Jongg at Shir Chadash once a month on Sundays at 10:30 AM!
New and experienced players are welcome!
Upcoming Dates: March 17
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Minyan will be in the Chapel
at 9:15 am, followed by breakfast.
Zoom participation remains an option.
Everyone welcome!
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Thursday Shacharit Minyan | |
Join us at 8 am for our
virtual weekday minyan.
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Click here for the most recent
Family Newsletter
to learn more about upcoming
children's programming!
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Click here for the most recent Shul School Recap!
If you have not yet registered your child(ren) and wish to enroll them,
please do so HERE or contact
Chaviva Sands at educationdirector@shirchadash.org.
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Top 10 Reasons to Join Sisterhood! | |
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10. Sisterhood needs & values you
9. Interesting discussions & conversations
8. Opportunities to learn new skills
7. Being a part of something bigger than yourself
6. Connections to individuals around the world
5. Longest ongoing Torah study class in NOLA
4. Innovative programming
3. Increased longevity & decreased stress
2. Unmatched support system
1. Lasting friendships
For details about membership, dues payments, or contributing, please click HERE.
Information and/or questions, contact Charisse Sands at 504-231-6464 or annsandsc@aol.com (Sisterhood in subject line)
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UPCOMING CLASSES & PROGRAMMING! | |
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Rosh Chodesh Gathering & Learning
As advertised, Sundays at 10:30 AM
Next Session: March 3rd
Rosh Chodesh is a special time for women to gather and learn. This year Sisterhood will be studying the Girls in Trouble curriculum, a project of Alicia Jo Rabins. We will follow individual women through their stories in the Torah by engaging in studying Torah text, considering the story’s relevance to our own lives, and generating our own creative interpretations. This curriculum brings biblical women to life, demonstrating the power of these often understudied stories and highlighting the ways in which they can help us navigate our own complicated lives.
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Community Events and Announcements | |
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Join us for Jewish Community Night with Tulane Basketball in partnership with Tulane Hillel!
Join us for a thrilling game fostering unity and celebration within our local Jewish community. Discounted tickets are offered starting at $5/seat and the first 500 fans will receive Tulane Jewish t-shirts!
THIS Sunday, February 25th at 3 PM
Devlin Fieldhouse
Free parking in the Loyola Garage
Reserve your seats now and feel free to share with friends and family for a memorable day of basketball and community spirit. Tickets may be purchased at this link and by scanning the QR code in the above flyer.
| Author Stephanie Deutsch will present on her book, You Need a Schoolhouse, which dives into the historical partnership between Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, two dynamos who changed the fate of thousands of Black students across the South in the Jim Crow era. | Kicking off our new Jewish & New Orleans Cuisine & Heritage Series is this delicious event with Kugels and Collards authors Lyssa Harvey and Rachel Barnett. Through recipes and stories, the two food authors will explore the food history, traditions, and memories of South Carolina Jewry. The Jewish & New Orleans Cuisine & Heritage Series is a collaborative project between MSJE, the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, and the Tulane Grant Center for the American Jewish Experience. | |
Now on exhibit at the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, “A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America” is an evocative series of black-and-white photographs by Andrew Feiler memorializing the Rosenwald schools, a network of nearly 5,000 modest schoolhouses built to educate underserved Black students in the segregated south. The project, the joint dream of a Jewish philanthropist and a Black educator, narrowed the Black-white education gap that plagued Southern and border states, strengthened Black-Jewish relations, paved the way for the civil rights movement, and helped to build a new African American middle class. | |
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Contact Us
OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Friday, 9 AM - 3 PM
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