Our third day in New Orleans is what most expect from a work-mitzvah trip. We arrived early in the morning at the site of a house that we would be building. This year, we chose to work with Habitat for Humanity. The walls were already up, as was the roof. However, there was still much to be done. How many of our group had ever done contruction before? was the question that Nicole, our site supervisor, asked. Only a few hands went up; those who had worked with Habitat on prior trips to New Orleans or even back home. Most of us would be learning our skills "on the job." By the end of the day, we would not only master hammering, putting up siding, building and installing a staircase, attaching boards to roof structures (to name a few of the tasks), but we would also help someone get closer to moving home.
Our building day coincides with Shabbat. When we go to New Orleans, we do so as a Jewish group. So, why are we building on Shabbat? This question is asked each year. Simply stated, if we were back home, we would not do this. But, our time in New Orleans is limited. The days that we can build on are also limited. Friday is out since that is the day we focus on environmental restoration. Years ago, we used to build on Sundays. These days, no one builds on Sundays. This is a sign that the urgency of the first few years post-Katrina have passed. Of course, the need is still present. So, we build on Shabbat.
And we do our respect and honor Shabbat. We had a Shabbat service, complete with a Torah study session, in the house we were building, transforming the bayit (house) we were building into a temporary beit knesset (synagogue). We spoke of Jacob's dream of a ladder and angels going up and down. Are there angels in the Jewish tradition? Certainly. I was sitting among them that morning. They were teens with hammers in their hands, busy doing God's work here on earth.
There was a special ruach (spirit) that we brought to our prayers and left as a permanent blessing for those who will live in the house we helped build. After our workday finished, we wrote the words of Shema on one of the interior beams with our signatures (in Hebrew and/or English) and the names of our respective congregations.
That day, we worked together with two future Habitat homeowners, Judy and Tyrone. Habitat requires that those who will purchase their homes also put in over 300 hours of "sweat equity). I heard Judy's story, how she had sought refuge in the Superdome to ride out Katrina. She was there for 6 grueling days before she was transported elsewhere. Her apartment did not flood, but her life was so profoudly impacted by what she experienced. She was so grateful for the work our teens were doing and the time that they dedicated to rebuilding New Orleans.
Yet, our day wasn't over. After dinner, we went to the banks of the Mississippi River for a havdalah service. The place that we chose was Woldenberg Park which is the site of the New Orleans Holocaust Memorial designed by the Israeli artist Yaakov Agam. Like the braids of a havdalah candle, our service helped to bring our Shabbat experiences - all of them - together. Yet, before we started, there was something that caught our attention. Across the Mississippi River, there was a massive fire. After our initial concern, we surmised that it was a controlled fire since there was a Fire Dept. boat parked in the middle of the River not responding. The fire was almost like a second havdalah candle for us. Its light was bright enough and I felt some of the heat of the blaze even though it was a significant distance from where we were standing. Later that night, I looked up what had been happening. In summary, this bonfire was part of a celebration in the city of Algiers. What made this particular fire so meaningful is that part of what was being burned was an art installation called Floodwall that had been donated by the artist Jana Napoli. The exhibition was made up of 700 dresser drawers that had been collected after Hurricane Katrina. Think of what dresser drawers represent to us: our memories, our belongings, our dearest keepsakes, and so much more. I never saw this exhibition but apparently it toured the US and the world for years. As we stood on the banks of the Mississippi declaring that there is a difference between Shabbat and the rest of the week, between sacred and profane, the drawers of Floodwall were ignited and burned brightly. In one of the articles I read, Ms, Napoli remarked that she wanted "...the public to participate in a collective final release of Katrina woes." We surely did. What an unforgettable havdalah!
Our next stop was at Mid City Rock 'n' Bowl, a New Orleans institution. On the one hand, we bowled for an hour. On the other hand, and this may be hard to picture, there was a band of the full stage next to the lanes. We have heard many bands there over the years, but this year was a treat - Sgt. Peppers Beatles Tribute Band. When the band opened, they looked just like the Fab Four did when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. They setlist for that part of the show was the early music of the Beatles. We only stayed for a few songs of their second set which they did dressed in Sgt. Peppers outfits. Everyone was dancing: our group, other groups, young people, old people. It was hard to leave, but it was after 11 PM when we left for the hotel.
We had awoken 19 hours earlier and had done so much. As the words which end the Abbey Road album so beautifully delare: "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." We had given so much. What was also true is that we had gained so much.
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