Shir Chadash Newsletter

March 30 - April 5, 2023

8 Nisan - 14 Nisan 5783

PESACH IS ONLY A WEEK AWAY!

Friday, March 31st

6:15 pm, Shabbat Evening Services

Saturday, April 1st

9:30 am, Shabbat Morning Services, followed by Kiddush lunch sponsored by Mark & Diane Schleifstein in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary

10 am, Babysitting

Sunday, April 2nd

9 am, SHUL SCHOOL

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

Tuesday, April 4th

7 pm, Great Jewish Books (of the Last Decade) - Rescheduled to April 27th

Thursday, April 6th - Day 1 of Pesach

OFFICE CLOSED



9:15 am, Passover Services, followed by oneg

6:30 pm, Jazz Seder - Registration is now closed

Friday, April 7th - Day 2 of Pesach

OFFICE CLOSED

9:15 am, Passover Services, followed by oneg

6:15 pm, Shabbat Evening Services

Saturday, April 8th - Day 3 of Pesach

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

10 am, Babysitting

Sunday, April 9th - Day 4 of Pesach

NO SHUL SCHOOL - PASSOVER BREAK

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

11 am, Rescheduled WJWD (What Jewish Woman Did) with Sisterhood

Wednesday, April 12th - Day 7 of Pesach

OFFICE CLOSED

9:15 am, Passover Services + Yizkor, followed by lunch

Thursday, April 13th - Day 8 of Pesach

OFFICE CLOSED



9:15 am, Passover Services, followed by oneg

Friday, April 14th

6:15 pm, Kabba-Lot of Laughs Shabbat & Dinner with The Bible Players - Register HERE

Mark & Diane Schleifstein invite you to join them in celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with services and lunch on THIS Saturday, April 1st, starting at 9:30 AM.

Save the date for this fun-filled weekend with The Bible Players, a Torah Comedy team who use theater and improv to infuse comedy and laughs into tales from the Torah and beyond!

We ask that you register for these two parts of The Bible Players weekend,

so we can properly prepare! Thanks so much!

Click on either of the flyers or the button below to RSVP!

TORAH COVER CAMPAIGN

LAST CALL to have your dedication on one of the new white Torah covers to be on the Torah for the High Holidays or one of the blue covers for the rest of the year.

Call the synagogue office (504.889.1144) for details about the amount needed to get your name or event commemorated on one of these covers. Deadline for donation commitment is April 4.

Everyone who donates at least $100 will be invited to

take part in a “Changing of the Covers” Shabbat in the fall.

Please note that the above images are not representative of what we will be purchasing, but merely examples of other Torah covers.

CLASSES WITH RABBI HOFFMAN

WJWD (What Jewish Women Did) is Back!

Sunday, April 9, 2023 at 11 am

In-person at Shir Chadash or on Zoom

Join us for a brief bio of one or two Jewish women who have made contributions in science, literature, etc. will be discussed while munching on pastries and coffee. 



So many women and so little time …  

Sisterhood Lunch & Book Review

Wednesday, April 19th at 11:45 AM

Lunch with your friends and participate in a stimulating discussion of the book Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir of a Woman's Life by Anna Quindlen which will be led by Karen Sher. This exciting event will be held at Shir Chadash on Wednesday, April 19th and begins at 11:45 a.m. 

For those who would like to study and discuss The Book of Legends with Rabbi Hoffman, please join us for Sisterhood class from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. 

Lunch: $10. Please RSVP to Charisse Sands at (504) 231–6464.

The third annual GatesFest Music & Arts Festival is back and better than ever, THIS Sunday, April 2, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., on the grounds of Congregation Gates of Prayer (4000 W. Esplanade Avenue S. in Metairie).

Gates open at 12:00 p.m. General admission tickets cost $25, with children under 12 admitted free. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit GATESFEST 2023. All proceeds from the event support Congregation Gates of Prayer and the Gates Preschool.  

Renowned social psychologist Dr. James Waller will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Yom Ha’Shoah Community-wide Holocaust Memorial Program, held Sunday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Uptown JCC.

Dr. Waller is the inaugural Cohen Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College in New Hampshire. He will discuss the internal and external factors that can lead ordinary people to commit extraordinary acts of evil, as outlined in his groundbreaking book Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing. During the program, the 15th annual Educator of the Year award will be presented to Cassady Cooper and Samantha Burleigh for the outstanding work they have done integrating Holocaust education into the curriculum at Belle Chasse High School. A reception and book signing will follow the program. This event is free and open to the community. 

Celebrate Israel Independence Day at the Uptown JCC with dinner and a live concert by Ethiopian Israeli Gili Yalo on Tuesday, April 25. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. with a brief Yom Ha’Zikaron ceremony led by members of the New Orleans Jewish Clergy Council and a performance of “Hatikva” by students from the Jewish Community Day School. The Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration follows at 6:00 p.m. with delicious Israeli food prepared by Dvash Catering.

This fun evening is free and open to the community.

Register at nojcc.org/Israel75 to join the celebration.

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 until May 31, and mention that Shir Chadash is your congregation for a discounted ticket!

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.

Assistance Requested

Beloved member of the New Orleans Jewish community, Nita-Joan Sams, is seeking a full-time, live-in mature female companion who can also assist with transportation. Free room and board plus payment for services. Respondents must have a current driver's license and computer skills. If interested, please call 504.831.8475 x7245 (ask for Kiolga) or email kiolga@jfsneworleans.org.

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.