SJL New Orleans, September 2017

agenda Dates for the 12th annual Baton Rouge Jewish Film Festival were announced. The festival will run from Jan. 10 to 14 at the Manship Theatre.

At the annual Alpha Epsilon Pi convention held in Las Vegas in August, Tulane’s AEPi Tau Upsilon colony received the Lion’s Legacy in Official Philanthropy Award, which is the $1,000 to $4,999 category.

What if you just want to hear the shofar? B’nai Israel in Baton Rouge has set up Dial A Shofar. Just call the congregation at (225) 343-0111 and dial extension 202.

Temple Sinai in New Orleans will have two free classes open to the community. Introduction to Judaism will be every Sunday from Sept. 17 through early 2018 at 9 a.m. It is open to anyone interested in exploring Judaism. Beginner Hebrew will meet Wednesdays from Oct. 11 to Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. and is open to the public. Contact Temple Sinai to register.

Beth Israel in Metairie will have several community events for Sukkot.

On Oct. 1 at 4 p.m., Pizza in the Hut will be a community sukkah build and decoration, with arts and crafts for children. On Oct. 6, there will be Shabbat dinner in the sukkah following the 7 p.m. service. Reservations are $18 for adults and $9 per child for members, $25 and $18 for non-members.

On Oct. 8 at 5:30 p.m. there will be a Guy’s Night in the sukkah, with burgers, beer and blackjack, $18 suggested donation. On Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. there will be a Ladies Night in the sukkah, $18 suggested donation.

For three decades, Touro Synagogue Rabbi Emeritus David Goldstein would deliver an open letter during the High Holy Days, on a topic of concern at the time, and who the letter would be addressed to was a source of speculation each year. He continues that tradition on Sept. 22 at the 6 p.m. service. A community Shabbat dinner follows.

Torah Academy in Metairie will have a Wine and Chocolate Curriculum Event, to present the school’s curriculum and educational opportunities, on Sept. 12. The event will be in the Shapiro multi-purpose room, and starts at 4:30 p.m. because of the Federation event later in the evening.

Babysitting is available at Chabad of Metairie for $5 per child.

The Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rouge is working with the Women’s Council of Greater Baton Rouge on the Women’s Week celebration. On Oct. 6, B’nai Israel will host a Sukkot event, starting at 4 p.m.

Events with St. Francis and the Islamic Center will be on Oct. 7.

Sherri Tarr, chief operating officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, will speak on the Jews of Eastern Europe, at the Sept. 22 Gates of Prayer Shabbat service, at 8 p.m. She has traveled to the Jewish communities of Kharkov, Kiev and Odessa in Ukraine; Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia; Tbilisi, Georgia and Budapest.

On Nov. 29, Eliana Levy will host a holiday party for residents of St. James Place in Baton Rouge, part of her major service project for an International Baccalaureate diploma. New or gently used picture frames are needed for the project and can be donated in the bin at Beth Shalom by Nov. 26.

On Sept. 24, Gates of Prayer in Metairie will have a Sunday Morning Health Program over a bagels and lox breakfast, with breakfast at 9:15 a.m. and the talk at 9:45 a.m. Michael Wasserman will speak about children’s health. After the program, there will be an opportunity to meet with Lexi Erdheim, the congregation’s new outreach coordinator.

JewCCY, the Reform youth group in New Orleans, will have two High Holy Days programs. On Sept. 21 at 3:30, students in grades 6 to 12 will meet at Morning Call in City Park for tashlich and beignets. Cost is $5. On Sept. 30 at 2 p.m., they will meet in Audubon Park to discuss Yom Kippur and make pickles, to “pickle your sins away.”

Touro Synagogue continues “In The Kitchen with Rabbi Silverman” on Sept. 14 at 6 p.m., with challah and honey cake. Space is limited. Reservations are free to members, $18 for non-members.

The next Taste of Jewish Memphis weekend, which seeks to attract Jewish families to consider moving to Memphis, will be Oct. 20 to 22. The weekend includes Southern home hospitality and concludes with the annual ASBEE World Kosher BBQ Contest. More information is available through 100newfamilies.com.

8 Southern Jewish Life • September 2017