Deep South File :: New Orleans Rabbi Moves On

Rabbi Yisroel Shiff, who has led Beth Israel in New Orleans for four years, has announced his resignation effective Nov. 1, to take a teaching position in New Jersey. Since the hurricane, he has been living in Memphis.

Beth Israel, located in Lakeview, was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, with 8 to 12 feet of water in the building.

Shiff, his wife Channa and their five children lost their home and all possessions in the flood. According to a release from Beth Israel, those factors and the absence of a functioning Jewish Day School in the area "led the rabbi to make the difficult decision to resign his position."

In the release, Jackie Gothard, president of the congregation, states "our community will greatly miss the rabbi and his family, but completely understand his decision."