Being Prepared

Today is the start of hurricane season. It will end in November. Mississippi Emergency Management has numerous lists on preparing your home in the event of a hurricane, what to do if you are ordered to evacuate, etc, etc. The CTA will provide transportation for those who need it.

There are so many things that need to be done well before a hurricane or tropical storm threatens. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best is all anyone can do when a hurricane threatens your home.

I've been through Frederick, Elena, and others. Nothing prepared me for the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused. It wiped out sights I've seen most of my life. Being prepared for the nine days without electricity, the month of boiling water, and the problems with phone lines was the easy part.

I and so many others along the Mississippi Gulf Coast were not prepared for the emotional devastation. Even through our tears, we vowed to rebuild better and stronger. In many ways our community is so much stronger. Our communities are adopting SmartCodes so that homes can withstand hurricane force winds. Many are having to elevate their homes 20 feet above ground to meet the new flood elevation requirements.

I made the following video almost a year after Hurricane Katrina hit:



The port containers are long gone from my brother's neighborhood. The place I work has rebuilt with the exception of new offices(I'm sorta of tired of these trailers we've been renting!). The miles upon miles of debris are long gone. There are still many empty spaces. It's take awhile to rebuild 65,000 homes but we're getting the job done.

Thursday, Congregation Beth Israel moved into our new home in Gulfport. For 3 1/2 years, we've been using the meeting hall at Beauvior Methodist Church for our services. Hurricane Katrina heavily damaged our shul in Biloxi.

We danced our Torahs in on Thursday. All of us, were home at last!


Our new shul is capable of withstanding 155 mph winds. It is 12 miles inland. Our plans called for being prepared for the worst. Our hope is for the best.

Shabbat Shalom!

This week's Torah portion is B'midbar. B'midbar is the wilderness. Since Hurricane Katrina, Congregation Beth Israel has been in the wilderness. We've been wandering for only close to 4 years but we are so close to being home. Tonight is the last night we'll have Kabbalat Shabbat services in the hall at Beauvior Methodist Church.

Next Thursday, we dance our Torahs into our new home. Friday, especially appropriate since it is Shavuout, we will hold our first Kabbalat Shabbat services in our new synagogue. We will no longer be in the wilderness.

Lazman Hazeh!

Sunday, we put mezzuzas on the doors in our new shul in Gulfport Mississippi. Our shul was in Biloxi but Hurricane Katrina damaged it heavily and we made the decision to rebuild further inland. May 28-31 is when we will be dedicated our new shul. Below are some pictures I took Sunday:

Rabbi Ira and Brad, Congregation Beth Israel's president, place one mezzuza on the door leading into the social hall:


Cicely, who had her bat mitzvah two weeks ago along with Rabbi Ira places one mezzuza on the rabbi's office:


Our new home from the front!


Lazman hazeh!

Going Forward

I discussed some of the problems I was having with Rabbi Myrna Matza. It did a world of good. It has led to me being asked by our congregations ritual committee to the contact for the National Jewish Outreach Program. I'm excited for numerous reasons. The first thing we're going to do is Shabbat Across America which will be on March 20, 2009. I've shared a few ideas on leading up to it but some will have to wait until our new shul is built.

And that brings me to some very good news. After the first plans were drawn up and bids came in more than double than what was expected, the building committee came up with different plans. We have new plans. We have a contractor. And it will have almost as much room as the first plans. And it is will within our budget!

Construction is expected to start in September of this year, one month after the 3 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The contractor estimates it will take anywhere from 6 to 9 months to build, so it is possible that we can be in our new shul in time for Passover next year.

Since I live about a five minute walk from the new shul, I'll post pictures of the construction. For now, this one will have to do: