Where have I been?

(This post was my first post since early January, but held until after our annual meeting on Sunday, January 22)

Now that I have picked up the blogging habit, I find that I miss it when my schedule doesn’t allow me the time to write.

Do not take my absence from the blogosphere to mean that nothing is happening at Beth Shalom. We are working at a furious pace to secure the funding we need for our reconstruction. That work is now more critical than ever. Although we knew there was a good possibility that our insurance coverage would be denied, we were hoping that we were misreading the signs. We weren’t. Our official notice of the denial of coverage came last week.

This was certainly unwelcome news, but as we have been planning for this possibility it does not change our strategy. The Renewal Fund Committee is moving forward with its fundraising plan. My part is to travel to selected Jewish communities around the country in order to tell the Beth Shalom Katrina/Rita story and solicit support.

The tracking software we use to monitor this blog’s readership tells us that it is being read across the country. If any of our readers have suggestions of communities to visit or people to talk to, please leave them as comments to this post. We welcome your assistance.

Blogging on an article on blogs

I was interviewed recently by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency for an article on Jewish oriented blogs. In deference to the self-referential character of this medium, here is the link to the article:

http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.aspintarticleid=16223&intcategoryid=5

Martin Luther King celebration

I have many difficulties with Baton Rouge’s official observance of Martin Luther King’s Birthday, the most significant of which has consistently been that it is not a truly interfaith service. People of many religious traditions are invited, but the tone is predominantly Christian and I feel that I am a guest at a Church service, rather than a participant in a civic event.

I go every year despite my reservations because I believe in the holiday and in the message of Dr. King (who incidentally would probably not approve of a service in his honor that marginalized people) and because I feel that it is important to represent the shul at the largest MLK celebration in the city. I would not want my absence read as a sign of disrespect for any community or for the cause for which Dr. King gave his life.

There were some moving moments in this year’s service. It was a privilege to hear former Senator John Edwards speak. He is an electrifying speaker in person and his message on the dire need to address poverty in this country was certainly appropriate for the day. His repeated question is a haunting one: Where is America?

One of the other speakers was a pastor from New Orleans whose parishoners are scattered and who himself is an evacuee. He spoke eloquently, but his most moving words were his simplest---“Thank you Baton Rouge”--which he spoke while choking on his tears.

As usual, the choir was spectacular. They blew the roof off with the spiritual “Oh Freedom”. The chorus is:

And before I’ll be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave
And go home, to my Lord, and be free

Many people can sing such words. Dr. King lived them.

Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

When I was in Washington with the Interfaith Alliance in November I met a reporter and producer from the PBS television program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Last week the producer called me and asked if she and her cameraman could stop by Beth Shalom as part of their tour of the Gulf States. They are doing a story on how religious institutions are faring after the hurricanes.

The producer was very interested in the story of Beth Shalom’s work during Katrina and our recovery from Rita. They may return when construction begins or for our rededication celebration.

The segment that includes Beth Shalom will likely air on January 20th. Unfortunately, none of us down here will see it as LPB does not carry the program. The producer said she would send me a tape, which I will be happy to share around. The audio of the program is available as a podcast. You can download it from iTunes or find your way to the podcast through the PBS website.