Sukkoth in Louisana
Quite a few UIWU folk gathered in the town of St. Francisville, Louisana over this past week of Sukkoth, or the feast of Tabernacles. The gathering was sponsored by Roots of Faith, an educational ministry created and led by Ross Nichols. Part of their work is the restoration of the historic Jewish synagogue in their town, Temple Sinai, built in 1903. Sabbath and festival services are held there and this past Sabbath, the 
Torah scroll was chanted in Hebrew for the first time in over 80 years. Dennis Jones, who serves as Vice President of UIWU, did the reading and Genesis 1, the same text read at the dedication of the Synagogue in 1903, was text chosen. You can read more of the story of this restorative effort, carried on in cooperation with the Historic Society of St. Francisville, in the lastest issue of the United Israel Bulletin.
The entire weekend was packed with inspiring activities and occasions. Joe Good of Hatikva Ministries joined the group and instructed them in the traditions of waving the four species (Lev 23:40), which many did for the first time. Representatives of the St. Francisville Historical Society spoke to the group about the history of the Jewish community and the synagogue in St. Francisville. There was a also a tour of the lovely but abandoned school that is next door to the synagogue property, donated by Julius Freyhan, a prominent Jewish citizen of the parish in the early 1900s.
The folks at Roots of Faith have posted a lovely collage of professional quality photographs of the events this past week, including the rededication of the synagogue. We have already decided that our 2008 Sukkoth celebration will also be held in St. Francisville. We hope many of our readers will have time to make plans so they can join us.