New Orleans Rabbi Evacuates To Gainesville

In the days since Hurricane Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast, a New Orleans rabbi has been taking refuge at a Jewish center in Gainesville, communicating with friends and family through the Internet and cell phone text messages.

The rabbi, Yochanan Rivkin of Chabad at Tulane University, left New Orleans with his wife early Sunday afternoon, before the deadly storm hit. The drive eastward to Tallahassee was more than double the six hours it normally takes; the rabbi arrived at Gainesville’s Lubavitch Jewish Center on Monday morning.

“You really don’t have control over this,” Rivkin said Wednesday evening, shortly before a prayer vigil. “There are certain things that are beyond our control, and we just need to realize that and focus on things that we can control, and it’s a very difficult lesson to learn.”

Yossi Nemes, a Metairie, LA-based colleague of Rivkin’s, remained at his home in New Orleans with a group of Jewish tourists during the height of the storm, and for the ensuing 48 hours took refuge in the house’s second floor, Rivkin learned via a text message. He was successfully evacuated to Memphis on Wednesday.

Nemes’ harrowing experience is indicative of the plight many of Rivkin’s followers may be facing, and his attempts to contact each and every one of them have been constant.

“As a believer in the Jewish faith, we believe that there’s a lot in our lives that goes beyond material possessions,” Rivkin said. “If you look at the loss of life in the city, you realize that we’ve been lucky…it could have been a lot worse.”