Dear Friends,
We write to you on behalf of the Greater New Orleans Jewish Clergy Council, including the Rabbis and Cantors of the community.
Our community needs no Haggadah to tell us that this Passover will be different from all other Passovers. As we weather the storm of COVID-19 together, carrying one another through the experiences of illness and isolation, we are grateful for the strength of our Jewish community and its ability to rise to meet every challenge, including this one.
We begin our seders each year by saying, “
Kol Dichfin
! Let all who are hungry come and eat!” The ancient Jewish custom of
ma’ot chittin
instructs us to support those in our community who are experiencing food insecurity, especially around Pesach when we are deeply connected with the experience of slavery. This year in the New Orleans Metropolitan area, thousands upon thousands are hungry, and our local food banks are struggling to keep pace, depleting their reserves and in dire need of support.
Therefore, in honor of Passover and the spirit of this season, please consider a gift to our community’s newly established
Kol Dichfin: Come and Eat Fund
that will be directed to SECOND HARVEST FOOD BANK which serves 700+ community partners and programs across 23 parishes in our state. Every dollar purchases four meals. This donation will be a part of the Power of Two partnership between Second Harvest and Entergy Corporation, which has pledged to match every gift up to $75,000 throughout the month of April.
The Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana (JEF) has generously offered to facilitate our community’s altruism over the coming days, collecting all donations before distributing the entirety of the
Kol Dichfin: Come and Eat Fund
directly to Second Harvest Food Bank on April 17, 2020 / 23 Nissan 5780 – the day after our festival is over.
To make your gift online,
visit
www.jefno.org
and click
“Donate”
in the navigation to access the online donor portal. Please make sure to select that your donation is for the “JEF General Fund” and type the words “Second Harvest, Power of Two” in the General Comments field.
If you would prefer to send a check
, make it payable to “JEF” and write “Second Harvest, Power of Two” in the memo. To expedite this process during this time of social distancing, please send to Executive Director Bobby Garon at the address below:
Mr. Bobby Garon
Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana
314 Audubon Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70125
We are humbled and honored to serve this community now and always. May you have a blessed Pesach and may we be reunited soon.
Sincerely,
The Greater New Orleans Jewish Clergy Council
Rabbi Katie Bauman, Touro Synagogue
Rabbi Edward P. Cohn, Rabbi Emeritus, Temple Sinai
Cantor Joel Colman, Temple Sinai
Rabbi Lexi Erdheim Congregation Gates of Prayer
Rabbi Allen I. Freehling, Rabbi Emeritus, University Synagogue Los Angeles, NOLA Resident
Rabbi David Gerber, Congregation Gates of Prayer
Rabbi David Goldstein, Rabbi Emeritus, Touro Synagogue
Rabbi Bob Loewy, Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation Gates of Prayer
Cantor Kevin Margolius, Touro Synagogue
Rabbi Barbara Metzinger, Board Certified Chaplain
Rabbi Josh Pernick, Congregation Beth Israel
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin, Chabad of New Orleans
Rabbi Daniel Sherman, Temple Sinai
Rabbi Deborah Silver, Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation
Rabbi Todd Silverman, Touro Synagogue
