San Francisco II

Our major fundraising event on the San Francisco trip was a presentation Sunday night, March 26th at Town’s End Restaurant & Bakery. The restaurant is owned by friends and Sherith Israel congregants David and Mary Sperber. They generously opened their restaurant for this private gathering and donated an incredible spread besides. Town’s End is the place for Sunday brunch in San Francisco, so I know Mary and David were exhausted when they reopened at 5 for us. Many, many thanks. Any Beth Shalomite who visits San Francisco is obligated to eat at Town’s End. Not that this is any hardship---Mary and David’s food is the best.

More than sixty people, including Rabbis Raphael and Weiner, came to hear our story. It was clear they were moved by what they heard and what they saw in the DVD. Everyone contributed and most took multiple copies of the materials, including the DVD, to show to friends. Rabbi Raphael took almost everything we had left to continue his assistance to us. Again--a mentsch.

I saw too many old friends to mention them all here. It was particularly good to shmooze with fellow former Sherith Israel staff members, like Gail R. Here husband Art is a synagogue administrator and he was dismayed to learn that he is using the same insurance carrier that we had. Svetlana and Bob, a couple I married just before we left San Francisco were at the gathering, with their two children. How swiftly the time goes.

Immediately after the event, Bob and I headed for the Oakland Airport to begin our journey home. We brought a bundle of checks with us as well as the good wishes and support of Sherith Israel.

On the whole, our visit to the Bay Area was productive and very moving. We will never forget the kindness and generosity we experienced.

Berkeley

Thanks to Laura G., of my Chochmat HaLev chevre, we were able to tell the Beth Shalom story in Berkeley as well as in San Francisco. Our event was on Saturday night, March 25th at the home of Margie W. and Daniel L., also Chochmat HaLevites. Many thanks to them for their hospitality.

The event was something of Chochmat HaLev reunion as most of participants were in some way associated with Meditation Teacher Certification Program (TCP for short). I met the new spouses and new babies of my TCP buddies. The gathering was small, but the people were very generous. It is gratifying that this community that has given me so much spiritually is also helping us materially.

My beloved teacher Avram was ill and unable to attend, but his wife Cantor Sara Shendelman stopped by to say hello and drop off their contribution.

Once again, many thanks to Laura for her orginizational help and to Margie and Daniel for opening their beautiful home to us.

The web of the friends of Beth Shalom truly extends from coast to coast.

San Francisco I

Beth Shalom V.P. Dr. Bob Krupkin and I just returned Monday on the red-eye from San Francisco. Poor Dr. Bob had to turn around and head right out to Bunkie for work. I went home and collapsed.

Bob and I were both overwhelmed by the warmth of our welcome at Congregation Sherith Israel. My former congregation faces a huge challenge itself as it must make an enormous investment in its historic building to meet the city’s demands for a seismic retrofit of the structure. I certainly would have understood if, under these circumstances, Sherith Israel’s leadership had felt unable to help us. Many thanks to Rabbi Larry Raphael, Sherith Israel President David Newman, Religious School Director Nancy-Sheftel Gomes, and Mimi Greisman for their help in promoting our visit.

I was invited to speak at Shabbat Services at Sherith Israel on Friday Night. I felt like I was in a time warp as I spoke from the spot I had led services from so many times and as I looked out at the faces of so many old friends. It was a joyous reunion.

We obviously could not collect contributions on Friday night, but many people told us that we could expect to see their contribution soon. Bob and I ate Shabbes dinner with my dear friend Naomi. What a blessing it was to see her again.

Bob and I popped in to Torah study (look for a little story about this in a separate post) at Sherith Israel on Shabbes morning and had the opportunity to distribute our materials again and to talk to another group of Sherith Israelites about our situation. Rabbi Raphael once again was very gracious to us. At one point he said “ I am going to make this pitch so Stan doesn’t have to. Join us on Sunday for Stan’s presentation and bring your checkbook.” What a mentsch.

At one point in our visit, David Newman took me aside and said that as far as he was concerned there is no such thing as a “former” Rabbi. “Once you are our Rabbi you are our Rabbi for good.” His words are indicative of the open heart of the congregation, which has warmly embraced Rabbi Raphael after loving Rabbi Weiner for so many years. Clearly, there is room in Sherith Israel’s heart for a little Louisiana congregation as well. I think we can expect that when we rededicate our rebuilt Sanctuary and social hall, there will be some San Franciscans in attendance.

Meditation at Kol Ami, Flower Mound

I should have mentioned in my previous post that I led a chanting/meditation service at Rabbi Geoff Dennis’ congregation on Saturday morning. I did not just want to take from this community, so I offered to do this. It was a joy.

My congregants will remember that I was in Flower Mound as a scholar-in-residence last year teaching Jewish meditation. We will soon be able to return the favor, as Rabbi Geoff’s book on the Jewish occult is due out at the end of the year. We will have him come soon thereafter to speak on this fascinating subject.

Many thanks to Geoff, Robin, and the kids for putting me up during this visit. As always their friendship is a great blessing to me.

Dispatch from Dallas

Many thanks to my friend and colleague Rabbi Geoff Dennis for making arrangements for me in Dallas. We had a fundraising event this evening at Temple Shalom, thanks to the hospitality of the congregation and of their Senior Rabbi Andrew Paley.

Unfortunately the one variable we did not consider and could do nothing about was the weather. Dallas was hit with severe thunderstorms that made driving hazardous this evening. Only a few brave souls ventured out. Among them were Myron and Marsha S, both LSU graduates. Myron was wearing his LSU colors for the occasion.

There were fewer people in the kahal than we hoped for, but I think they were the right people to get our message out. I left them with materials to share with their fellow congregants and I am confident that more support from the Dallas community will be forthcoming.

A reporter for the Dallas Jewish newspaper was at the event. As it happens, she is originally from New Orleans. Her article on our situation will certainly be a great help.

I am off next to San Francisco. For those reading this who live in the bay area, please join me and Beth Shalom VP Dr. K at Town’s End restaurant at 5pm, Sunday, March 26th.

Of course, anyone in the nation can contribute to the Renewal Fund and help in our reconstruction. There is no need to wait for me to come knocking.

USC Students at Beth Shalom

We were joined this past Shabbat by a group of students from the University of Southern California. The group is made up of students from USC Hillel and the USC chapter of the NAACP. They are here on alternate spring break and will be building houses in Baton Rouge with Habitat for Humanity. The group is led by my colleague Rabbi Jonathan Klein.

My family ate dinner with the students at Beth Shalom prior to services. My little boy made himself unofficial Beth Shalom Ambassador and allowed himself to be massively fussed over. The group davened with us and mingled with the chevre at the oneg. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to speak with the students about our experiences during Katrina and Rita and to show them the DVD of hurricane photos and video I made to tell our story.

The students will be in and out of Beth Shalom throughout the week for some of their programs. We are doing everything we can to support their efforts. It was an honor to play host to this group of idealistic young people.

So my plan to “blog-as-I-go” in Atlanta did not work out. What a surprise.

Many thanks to Amanda and Howard F. for hosting me in Atlanta. They took great care of me and kicked off the Beth Shalom Renewal Fund Roadshow. I also want to express my gratitude to my colleague and classmate, Rabbi Ron Segal of Temple Sinai, for giving me the opportunity to tell our story to the Atlanta area Reform Rabbis. Temple Sinai’s philanthropic fund is making a generous contribution to the Renewal Fund. It is particularly gratifying when our sister congregations in the movement come to our assistance in this way.

My friends in Atlanta took all the materials I had to distribute in the community. I expect that even more support will be generated through their efforts.

A sidebar. I spent last Wednesday morning preparing for my Atlanta events. I then went looking for a place to eat. As I was cruising on Roswell Road near Amanda and Howard’s house I spotted the sign for a Persian restaurant called Pesopolis. When I walked in the door, the owner spotted my kippah and started speaking to me in Hebrew. In turns out the restaurant is owned by Persian Jews. A woman eating in the restaurant mistook me for a member of the Persian Jewish community. After we cleared this up we talked about my mission in Atlanta. She agreed to talk to parents at the Jewish high school about our situation.

At the moment I am in Washington for the AIPAC conference where I will be learning about the Middle East situation ---and talking about Beth Shalom’s reconstruction.

This month will take me both to Dallas and to San Francisco. Watch for details here.

On the Road to Atlanta

Tuesday, February 28, 2006 1:40pm
I have not been able to blog lately as I have been preparing for a series of fundraising trips. At the moment I am on my way to Atlanta to speak to a group of Reform Rabbis and for a parlor meeting at the home of Amanda and Howard F., former Beth Shalom members and continuing friends of the shul. I am somewhere between Mobile and Montgomery, Monroeville I think, at a buffet at which I can eat almost nothing. Kashrut does complicate travel.

Much of last week and the weekend was devoted to finishing a DVD presentation I am calling “Katrina to Rita.” It features photos and video taken by various Beth Shalom members. I must have been sick the day they taught documentary film making at HUC, but I did my best. If anyone would like a copy of version 1.1 of the DVD (1.0 was my drash last Friday night and it was revised based on the comments I received) to show to potential donors to the Beth Shalom Renewal Fund, please email me (rabbiz@earthlink.net)

I will try to blog as this trip to Atlanta unfolds. Many thanks in advance to our friends Amanda and Howard F. and Adrienne B., another Beth Shalom expatriate in Atlanta.

My route thus far took me through the hurricane devastated areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The real horrors are away from the interstate toward the Gulf, but the signs of Katrina’s passage are everywhere---blue roofs, fallen trees, the steel pylons of the giant casino billboards snapped in half, trailers. It was a relief to head north away from the Gulf to places beyond Katrina’s reach.