Shabbat Shalom from Russia!
Shabbat Shalom from Moscow!
By Max Silverstone
The PAS Teen trip to New Orleans from February 19-22 was an unforgettable four days! From the second we set foot outside of Louis Armstrong International Airport, we welcomed the warm weather even more than the Southern hospitality welcomed us. The first place we went was Cafe Du Monde, where we ate beignets (similar to sweet doughnuts) and all got covered in powdered sugar.
On Friday morning, we did community service in the Lower 9th Ward, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city and one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. It is a common misconception that New Orleans has long ago finished rebuilding after Katrina, and life has returned to normal. This is completely untrue. Just because it hasn't been in the news does not mean the effects of Katrina are not still widespread in the south. We worked with the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development by moving heavy building supplies (like 80 lb. bags of cement!), and raking leaves at an abandoned home.
Afterwards, we sat on the levees overlooking the city and enjoyed lunch from Kosher Cajun. I had a “shrimp” Po' boy (the traditional Louisiana submarine sandwich, this time with fried whitefish on a baguette-type roll with lettuce).
On Friday afternoon we went shopping in the French Quarter, and said “hi” to PAS Staff member Eliana Light, who was in New Orleans, too. After buying our tourist tchotchkes, we returned to the hotel and prepared for Shabbat. This included ironing our clothes since they all became wrinkled in our carry-on luggage! Ahead of us was a beautiful and unique Shabbos experience. We davened at Congregation Shir Chadash, where Rabbi Witkovsky interned last year under Rabbi Ethan Linden. We also ate and bensched with some of their teens. It was especially cool for me to meet people who go to or went to Camp Ramah Darom, in Georgia, as I am an alum of Camp Ramah in the Berkshires.
After services on Saturday, where some of us had aliyot, we walked near Lake Pontchatrain, a lake that actually has fresh water sharks. We discussed social justice issues and what we as teens can do to address them.
On Saturday night, we played basketball and had Havdalah at Rabbi Ethan Linden's house. We also had a conversation on mass incarceration, and the problems and inequalities of the United States justice system, especially in the state of Louisiana. We continued the evening at Preservation Hall, where we were treated to an amazing evening of jazz. Since I am a huge fan of both playing and listening to jazz, that was one of the definitive highlights of the trip for me. We ended the evening at the original Cafe du Monde for more beignets and followed that with eating gelato in the warm New Orleans weather.
On Sunday morning, we attended church services at Household of Faith, a Gospel Church. The services were quite different from Park Avenue Synagogue's, but were very enjoyable, and great for getting a taste of the culture of another religion in another part of the country. Our next stop was the New Orleans JCC, where we continued our conversation about incarceration with a Public Defender and the Shir Chadash teens. After that, we walked around Tulane University before finally heading back to the airport.
This trip is one that I will always remember. Between the enjoyment of beignets and jazz, the powerful feeling of loss from Katrina, and getting to know Jewish teens from another part of the country, the impact that this trip had on me will no doubt stay with me for the rest of my life.
Thanks so much to Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky and his wife Erin Beser, our awesome chaperones, who made sure that no one was eaten by a fresh water shark!
Max Silverstone is in the Class of 2015 at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School.