Important Notice Regarding COVID-19
Dear Agudath Achim Community,
With the changing local and national response to COVID-19, it has become clear that we need to cancel in-person services for the time being. For the next few days, we'll be working on a way to stream our Shabbat services online, while still respecting our halakhic tradition. We will let you know as soon as we have streaming capabilities up and running, so that you can enjoy Shabbat services safely in your home with your family. A collection of my favorite sermons will be on our website in the next couple of weeks, regardless.
It is with a heavy heart that I also announce our cancellation of this year's Passover seder. If you have already paid for the seder, please contact Jackquie at agudathachimsynagogue@gmail.com to either receive a refund or contribute the cost as a donation to the synagogue.
We are not leaving you to fend for yourself this Passover! In place of our normal learning after Shabbat services, for the next three Sundays at 10:00 a.m., I will be offering webinars on how to prepare for Passover. March 22 will be Keeping Kosher for Passover, March 29 will be Leading a Passover Seder, and April 5 will be The Great Kitniyot Debate.
In conjunction with the Jewish Federation, we will also be selling a ready-made seder toolbox for families to use for their individual celebrations. This will include all of the items you might find on your seder plate and that you might otherwise use for your seder (matzah, horseradish, wine, grape juice, lettuce, etc.). More information on this will follow.
If you are a family who feels comfortable and healthy enough to host an individual or couple for either first or second night seder at home, please contact me. And of course, if you are an individual or couple who wants to attend a seder with another family, please contact me.
And finally, if you are a person who either has a spare minute to make an extra phone call to the homebound or pick up some groceries for another who is running low, please reach out. This week, I will begin to contact every member of our community to check in and see what you need, but if you know you're in need beforehand, please reach out.
As I have taught before, kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba-zeh, all of Israel is intertwined with one another. If one of us is lonely, we all are. If one of us is in need, we all share that need. Please take this time of greater physical distance to socially connect - to contribute your time and resources to strangers, friends, and family alike.
Thank you for your patience with waiting for details on the aforementioned, along with your patience in reading these updates day after day. I truly appreciate the text messages and phone calls and emails I have been receiving about how we can best keep our community connected and compassionate.
Bivrakhah, with blessings of health and hope,
Rabbi Sydni
Welcome to Agudath Achim
Congregation Agudath Achim is an inclusive, egalitarian Conservative* congregation in Shreveport, Louisiana, affiliated with United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism (USCJ), whose members are committed to each other, to active participation in worship services, to meaningful Jewish learning, and to spiritual growth.
*Conservative Judaism is a denomination that is not affiliated or synonymous with any political association. USCJ's mission is as follows:
"We strengthen kehillot (Jewish communities inside and outside the walls of a synagogue). We are the network that ensures there are thriving centers of Jewish practice across North America, Israel, and beyond that celebrate both tradition and contemporary life. Together, we demonstrate what an authentic and dynamic Judaism looks like, inspire people to be a part of it, and advance its critical role in the world”