Kids craft Pesach relief for needy in Gulf region

B’nai Tikvah classes design matza covers for holiday baskets

Matza covers made by New Jersey students

Matza covers made by New Jersey students were included in Passover baskets given out to those still suffering economic hardship from Hurricane Katrina. Photos courtesy of Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans

by Debra Rubin
NJJN Bureau Chief/Middlesex

April 22, 2008

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Jews in New Orleans, still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, had their Passover holiday brightened by the thoughts and talents of students at the religious school of Congregation B’nai Tikvah in North Brunswick.

The students made more than 100 matza covers for the Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans.

The covers were included in Passover baskets given to elderly, homebound Russian immigrants and to many families still trying to bounce back from the massive storm and floods more than two years ago.

“We purchased all the materials, and the students and teachers really got so much joy out of participating in this,” said B’nai Tikvah school director Ann Kanerek.

Students in a fifth-grade class at the school said they were more than happy to pitch in to help others have a joyous Passover.

“I did it because lots of Jewish families aren’t back on their feet so we had to help them,” said 10-year-old Becki Rosenthal.

Corey Gorelick, 11, added, “We knew it was for a good cause and it would be helpful and thoughtful.”

Ari Gottesman, 10, said, “It really makes me feel good when I do something to help someone, especially something for a seder, like this.”

Ten-year-old twins Rebecca and Sam Bierstein also stressed the importance of assisting others.

“It really made me feel good inside because it wasn’t for me,” said Sam. “It was for people who really needed it, and if they didn’t have anything, they do now.”

The school was asked to make the covers by Toby Bonnett, a social worker with the JFS, which covers the greater New Orleans area, including Baton Rouge.

Bonnett’s cousin, Jodi Marcou of Kendall Park, is a former vice president at B’nai Tikvah.

Marcou said she had been speaking and exchanging e-mails with her cousin about the challenges facing the New Orleans Jewish community.

“Her son-in-law, Rabbi Uri Topolosky, who was a rabbi at the Riverdale [NY] Jewish Center, was recruited to go down there and revitalize that community,” said Marcou.

Topolosky and his wife, Dahlia, a psychologist, moved down in July to take over at Congregation Beth Israel in Metairie, La., an Orthodox synagogue destroyed during Katrina and now trying to rebuild.

In November, Bonnett also moved down from the Bronx to be near them and offer her professional services.

“Toby asked me if our Hebrew school was interested in helping,” said Marcou. “These covers are just beautiful; they really are. The kids are so proud of them.”

Toby Bonnett, left, and Deena Gerber

Social worker Toby Bonnett, left, and Deena Gerber, executive director of the Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans, show off matza covers made by religious school students at Congregation B’nai Tikvah in North Brunswick.

Bonnett, reached at her office in Metairie, said when they opened the box of covers everyone gathered around to “ooh and ah.”

“They were just magnificent,” she said. “Those children put so much time and thought into those drawings and blessings. You can’t imagine what it will mean to people to know these children care about them and thought about them. They were so creative.”

Bonnett, who is cochairing the Passover drive, said many people outside New Orleans don’t realize that the area, including the Jewish community, is still suffering economically from the loss of homes and businesses.

Katrina also swept away a sense of community.

“Due to Katrina, people don’t have family around them or neighbors because so many people left and didn’t come back,” said Bonnett. “People lost so much more than a home; they lost neighbors, stores, their synagogues. What we’re trying to do is help them feel connected to the Jewish community, especially at Pesach because at holiday times people feel a lot more alone.”

The matza covers are especially meaningful because they send a message that “Jews all over the country care about them and give them that connection to the larger Jewish community.”

Each basket included a list of contributors, including B’nai Tikvah.

Last year 129 people received baskets. The JFS hoped to increase that number and add kosher-for-Passover food to help financially hard-hit families through the week, said Bonnett.

To contribute to relief efforts in New Orleans, visit the JFS New Orleans web site or send donations to: Jewish Family Service of Greater New Orleans, 3330 West Esplanade Ave., Suite 600, Metairie, La. 70002. Write “Passover baskets” in memo line of check.

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