Post-Katrina High Holy Day services update

Two congregations are planning to hold Rosh Hashanah services in New Orleans, along with the Northshore Jewish Congregation across Lake Pontchartrain.

Touro Synagogue will have services on the first day of Rosh Hashanah at 11 a.m., in either the Forgotston Chapel or in the Bowsky Garden, depending on the electricity. Rabbi Andrew Busch and Cantor Seth Warner will lead the service. They will lead a service the night before in Baton Rouge, at the Unitarian Church on Goodwood Blvd. at 8 p.m.

The service at Touro is expected to be brief, with a very small crowd.

Gates of Prayer will have a similar arrangement for Yom Kippur, with evening services in Baton Rouge and morning services in New Orleans.

Residents of the Uptown, Central Business District and French Quarter areas of New Orleans were allowed back today, but are restricted to their own zip codes and have a night-time curfew.

Shir Chadash in Metairie, a Conservative congregation, will hold services on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi Lichtenfeld will be leading services in Houston, where a large number of congregants are now located. The congregation’s leadership decided they could not host their main service in Metairie yet, but hope to be there for Yom Kippur.

Anne Brener, a fourth-year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College and daughter of the late Mike Brener, a Shir Chadash member, will lead the service in New Orleans. She will be accompanied by Rabbi Pat Fenton, a Conservative rabbi and doctoral student at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Lichtenfeld is planning to visit Metairie on Sunday, to assess the building and meet with any congregants in the area.

Chabad of Metairie is planning to have Yom Kippur services on-site.

All evacuees are welcome to attend services in Mandeville at Northshore Congregation. Northshore has been meeting for Shabbat services in its parking lot, as the building sustained significant damage. Work has been continuing so Rosh Hashanah services can be held inside.

First night services will be at 7:30 p.m., with morning services on both days of Rosh Hashanah at 10:30 a.m.

Baton Rouge services

Rabbi Edward Paul Cohn and Cantor Joel Colman of Temple Sinai will lead services at B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge.

Chabad of Louisiana will host services, led by rabbinical students, at 10290 West Winston Ave. Apt # 10., at the Edgewater Apartment complex. A Rosh Hashanah retreat led by Chabad is also being organized for the Atrium Hotel in Monroe, and about 150 have already signed up.

Beth Shalom will have services at Jefferson Baptist Church, since their buiding was flooded by Hurricane Rita last weekend. The church is located next door to the Temple, at 9135 Jefferson Highway.

Complete schedules for Baton Rouge can be found here.

Biloxi services

Beth Israel in Biloxi will have services at Keesler Air Force Base, with a rabbi and cantor from New York. The congregation is still awaiting the results of an assessment whether their building can be salvaged.

The congregation is planning to sign an agreement with a local hotel to host Shabbat services each week.

Of the congregation’s approximately 65 families, at least 13 lost their homes, while most of the others had varying degrees of damage.