Shir Chadash Newsletter

January 19 - January 25, 2023

26 Tevet - 3 Shevat 5783

Our Annual Congregational Meeting will be held THIS SUNDAY, January 22nd 

at 11 AM, with a delicious pancake breakfast starting at 10 AM.

Your input will be important to the incoming board and officers. While in-person attendance is optimal, for those who cannot attend in person, you may also attend the meeting by Zoom by following THIS link.

In order for us to estimate how many persons we can expect to attend in-person and by zoom, we ask that you register HERE by the end of today indicating whether you will attend in-person or by zoom, and if in-person, whether you will be attending both the pancake breakfast and the meeting or only the meeting.



Registration is encouraged but is not required.

Dear friends,

We are looking for a few strong men and women to help us on Sunday morning for about fifteen to twenty minutes prior to the congregational meeting (i.e., from about 10:40 to 11 AM). No, you don't have to be an experienced powerlifter, or be a Crossfit champion, just someone with steady hands and a good back.  

We will be removing a few stained-glass windows from the shed behind the synagogue and placing them on the ground outside. These windows are being repurposed for a very special project which you will hear more about in the near future.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Rabbi Scott Hoffman

CHESED OPPORTUNITIES

Some of our congregants have some difficulty driving at night, but still wish to attend evening services and programming. Shir Chadash wishes to be as inclusive as possible and hopefully provide assistance to those who may need it.

If you need assistance in getting to shul in the evening OR are able and willing to provide a ride to those in need, please fill out the survey below.

Jewish student from New Orleans

requesting help for undergraduate thesis

Blake Ziegler, a New Orleans native and Gates of Prayer member, is now a senior studying political science and philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. As part of his degree, he is completing an undergraduate thesis that explores how political affiliation influences interdenominational relations in the American Jewish community, particularly how American Jews consider their political and religious identities when voting. 

The primary aspect of his thesis involves a survey of American Jews that will take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Anyone interested in assisting this young man is encouraged to participate by clicking the button below. Information pertaining to informed consent is available on the first page of the survey along with Blake's contact information if you have any further questions about the study or his thesis.

Thursday, January 19th

6 pm, YAS (Young Adults at Shir Chadash) Happy Hour at Cooter Brown's Tavern (509 S. Carrollton Ave.)

Friday, January 20th

6:15 pm, Shabbat Evening Services

Saturday, January 21st

9:30 am, Shabbat Morning Services, followed by Kiddush lunch with dessert sponsored by Sandy & Elliott Raisen in honor of Sandy's birthday

10 am, Babysitting

10:30 am, Children's Services

Sunday, January 22nd

8 am, Teen Mitzvah Project

9 am, SHUL SCHOOL

9:15 am, Minyan with Men's Club

10 am, Pancake Breakfast, followed by our Annual Congregational Meeting - Registration is appreciated

Wednesday, January 25th

10 am, Sisterhood Class: The Land of Truth

Thursday, January 26th

8 am, Morning Minyan on Zoom

Friday, January 27th

6:15 pm, Shabbat Evening Services

Saturday, January 28th

9:30 am, Shabbat Morning Services, followed by Kiddush lunch

10 am, Babysitting

10:30 am, Learn to Lead (for ages 7-12)

Sunday, January 29th

9 am, SHUL SCHOOL

9:15 am, Minyan with Men's Club, followed by breakfast

10:30 am, Good Lookin' Cookin' with Sisterhood - Hamantashen Baking

Tuesday, January 31st

11 am, Lunch & Learn

Wednesday, February 1st

10 am, Sisterhood Class: The Land of Truth

Thursday, February 2nd

8 am, Morning Minyan on Zoom

6 pm, YAS (Young Adults at Shir Chadash) Happy Hour at Parleaux Beer Lab (634 Lesseps St.)

Our Health Committee update as of December 7, 2022 is as follows:



'Tis the season for respiratory viruses . . . A "tridemic" of COVID, influenza, and RSV is currently upon us. As a result, we strongly encourage you to stay up to date with your COVID and flu vaccines. Bivalent COVID boosters are available for those ages 5 years and older. Flu vaccine is available for those ages 6 months and older.  Please visit vaccines.gov to find a location near you.  We also encourage frequent handwashing and wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces. And if you are feeling sick, please stay home to help reduce the transmission of virus to others. Zay gezunt! Be well!

Please click HERE to read our guidelines in full.

No registration required. If you can't find the group,

please text or call Chaviva Sands at (504) 237-1522.

We look forward to seeing you TONGIHT!

Have a challah baking BLAST as we make and braid some challah together! 

Join us on February 5th at 3:00 pm, 

for a fun-filled afternoon with family and friends at the 

KID'S MEGA CHALLAH BAKE and Tu B'shvat fair!

Fun for all ages. 

- Make your own challah (from scratch!)

- Tu B'shvat crafts and activities!

- Interactive game show!

- Souvenir challah apron!

-Special activities for toddlers!

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

(Adults attend for free.)

For more info, please reach out to Zalman 704-648-7966 or Libby libby@jewishlouisiana.com.

Take advantage of early bird pricing and register before January 30th!

Registration closes on February 5th.

Everyone can be part of the campaign to replace 19 of our worn Torah covers. Giving opportunities from $36 to $2000+ (including inscription, 17 still available). From now almost until Passover (April 1, 2023) your donation to the Fred Bronfin Torah Preservation Fund will be a part of this campaign. Give in honor of any occasion: birthday, anniversary, thank you, or just because. The goal is to have the new covers on display for Rosh Hashanah 5784.  

To make your donation, contact the shul office or click the button below.

CLASSES WITH RABBI HOFFMAN

2023 MAH JONGG CARDS

It’s time to order your 2023 Mah Jongg cards. A portion of each card sold is donated to Shir Chadash Sisterhood. Thank you for your support! 

The selling of Mah Jongg cards last year earned $182 for Shir Chadash Sisterhood. Let's try to reach $200 for this year!

Regular cards are $14 and large cards are $15.

To order a card, please send a check made out to:

Harriet Hillson

4839 Bissonet Dr.

Metairie, LA 70003.

The deadline for ordering cards is TOMORROW,  January 20, 2023. 

On Sunday, February 5, volunteers from all over Jewish New Orleans will come together between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the Goldring-Woldenberg Jewish Community Campus in Metairie for Federation’s annual phonathon benefiting the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign. At this energetic event, we will reach out to hundreds of members of our Jewish community to raise the dollars necessary to support our community’s agencies and organizations.

Phone and clerical shifts are available throughout the day, and breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided for all volunteers.

We invite volunteers to dress in Pelicans colors and join us at 9:45 a.m. for coffee and bagels - phone calls will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m., and clerical work will begin at 11:00 a.m.

The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience is excited to announce the opening of its newest Special Exhibit! Titled “God, Goats and Pickup Trucks: Maurice Schmidt’s Visions of Texas,” the exhibition features 23 artworks celebrating the deep connection between the land and the divine that has come to characterize life in the Bible Belt. The collection ranges over the diverse Texas landscape through subjects both pastoral and holy.

Come see the exhibit, on display at MSJE from January 26 through May 31, and mention that Shir Chadash is your congregation for a discounted ticket!

SAVE THE DATE!

LIMMUDFEST 2023 SCHEDULE GOES LIVE! 

The lineup of local, regional, and national presenters and information on their sessions is now available! This year's sessions will cover a wide variety of issues and topics, such as:

• Arts and Culture
• Contemporary Jewish Life and Identity
• Family
• Food
• Hands-on
• History
• Israel

• Music
• Social Justice
• Southern Jewish Life
• Spirituality
• Text & Thought
• Teen Limmud
• Young Limmud

More presenters and sessions are being added every day, so check back often to see additions to the line-up. Please note that the individual sessions have not yet been allotted time slots so the scheduled times are not accurate.

Each week we will be featuring two of their amazing presenters!

Vanessa Cohen is an early childhood educator at the New Orleans JCC. This will be her sixth year teaching there. Vanessa was recently diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer. She is taking at least the first semester off from teaching to undergo aggressive cancer treatment which includes radiation and chemotherapy. If you know Vanessa, then you know she is one of the most caring and loving humans on this planet. She takes an interest in every single student. Teaching young and curious minds is Vanessa's greatest love, so for her to have to take extended time off of work must have been an especially challenging decision for her. As a teacher at the JCC, Vanessa has always supported her students and their families with so much enthusiasm and warmth. 

Even with health insurance, Vanessa will have many medical bills and extra expenses as a part of her treatment. FMLA will not be enough to support Vanessa with all of her routine and extra expenses. Now is our time to give back and show our support for Vanessa. Please donate if you can and please feel free to pass this on to anyone who may be willing to help.