{"id":45963,"date":"2018-11-22T02:07:17","date_gmt":"2018-11-22T08:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=45963"},"modified":"2018-11-22T02:07:17","modified_gmt":"2018-11-22T08:07:17","slug":"gates-of-prayer-installs-rabbi-david-gerber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/gates-of-prayer-installs-rabbi-david-gerber\/","title":{"rendered":"Gates of Prayer installs Rabbi David Gerber"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">By A.K. BRUNINI, <em>Exclusive to the CCJN<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">In praising his successor, Congregation Gates of Prayer\u2019s Emeritus Rabbi Robert Loewy cited nothing short of divine intervention being responsible for the arrival of Rabbi David Gerber, whom he installed publicly last Friday, November 16, in the Metairie synagogue\u2019s main sanctuary. <\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_45965\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/David_Gerber.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45965\" class=\"wp-image-45965 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/David_Gerber-300x217.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/David_Gerber-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/David_Gerber-768x557.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/David_Gerber-1024x742.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/217;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45965\" class=\"wp-image-45965 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/David_Gerber-300x217.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/David_Gerber-300x217.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/David_Gerber-768x557.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/David_Gerber-1024x742.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-45965\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ninth rabbi at Congregation Gates of Prayer; Rabbi David Gerber. (Photo by Dean Shapiro)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">It was a real case of \u201cl\u2019dor v\u2019dor\u201d (\u201cfrom generation to generation\u201d) as Gerber was welcomed with open arms by Loewy, the rabbi who had served the Metairie congregation for 34 years as its only spiritual leader. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">Before symbolically passing a Torah scroll to Gerber, Loewy gave a brief speech, \u201cI often look back at how the search process unfolded and I know, I know in my heart, there was more than a little of divine intervention at work,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">Loewy became emotional during his speech. \u201cRabbi Gerber, on behalf of everyone here, mazel tov on your installation tonight,\u201d he said, as he teared up. \u2018You join a distinguished line of rabbis who have guided this congregation and helped it thrive over many years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">With his formal installation, Gerber becomes the ninth rabbi to serve Gates of Prayer, which was founded in 1850 in New Orleans and located on Napoleon Avenue before moving to its present site in Metairie, 4000 West Esplanade Avenue, in 1975.&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_45967\" style=\"width: 288px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Torah_install_GOP-1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45967\" class=\"wp-image-45967 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Torah_install_GOP-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"173\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 278px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 278\/173;\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45967\" class=\"wp-image-45967 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Torah_install_GOP-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"278\" height=\"173\"><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-45967\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rabbi David Gerber, right, accepts the Torah scrolls from Emeritus Rabbi Robert Loewy, second from right. (Screenshot)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">Together, the two rabbis&nbsp; read a passage from <em>Pirkei Avot<\/em> (Ethics of the Fathers),&nbsp; first Loewy in Hebrew and Gerber repeating in English. Afterwards, the holy ark was opened and a prayer was read by the congregation in unison. Loewy then symbolically passed a sacred Torah scroll, draped in purple, to Gerber.&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">&#8220;May this Torah be sweet to you. May this congregation embrace you. Together, may you move us forward to be a <em>kehilah kedoshah<\/em> &#8211; a holy congregation,&#8221; Loewy began. &#8220;A congregation filled with love and light, a congregation with the opportunity to grow with spirit. May our community be a stonrger place because of us.&nbsp; May you lead us into the future.&#8221;<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Cantorial soloist Victoria Cohen May accompanied herself on guitar as she sang the Birkhat Cohanim, the priestly blessing, in Hebrew. Loewy translated the Hebrew words into English to conclude the formal installation ceremony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">A touching word was given by Marion Wolfert, a woman who served as a religious mentor and close companion to Gerber at his previous synagogue Beth Or in Maple Glen, PA.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_45974\" style=\"width: 245px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Loewy_Robert.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45974\" class=\"wp-image-45974 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Loewy_Robert-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Loewy_Robert-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Loewy_Robert.jpg 560w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 235px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 235\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45974\" class=\"wp-image-45974 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Loewy_Robert-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Loewy_Robert-235x300.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Loewy_Robert.jpg 560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 235px) 100vw, 235px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-45974\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Congregation Gates of Prayer Emeritus Rabbi Robert Loewy in 2010. (Photo by Alan Smason)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cSurely the Lord is in this place, I do not know it yet, but I feel it,\u201d Wolfert said. \u201cAnd in attending this service with Rabbi Gerber for all the congregants I\u2019ve been with, and for as long as Rabbi Gerber was our leader, our religious leader, we knew that.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">Throughout the earlier Friday night Shabbat service, members offered many traditional prayers for peace and the well-being of the world. <\/span><span lang=\"EN\">Loewy concluded saying, \u201cI hope and pray you find your work to be satisfying and fulfilling and that you and Lauren enjoy raising your family in this congregation of family. Always know we are here for you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">Several dozen people attended the service, including members from Uptown\u2019s Temple Sinai congregation as well as members from Beth Or, who made the trip to witness the installation of their former rabbi. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">During the ceremony, several attendees were swept away by their emotion, wiping away tears of joy. Gerber, in perfect keeping with his humorous personality, made a comment about how he insisted Gates of Prayer officials fly his wife out to his interview to make sure he got the job. \u201cMy wife is really easy to get along with so she has made more friends than I have,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">Born and raised in St. Louis, Gerber attended Indiana University where he studied media design and production. After five years in the workforce, he enrolled at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">The search committee for Gates of Praise shared with the audience their immediate desire for Gerber to join the community when screening resumes. Both Rabbi Gerber and the Committee committed to each other only days after the initial interview. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cIt felt like such a natural fit, and for them too, for them to cancel their search and for me to suspend mine, it just clicked and since we\u2019ve gotten here it\u2019s felt that way,\u201d said Gerber.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">The Gerbers have two daughters, Paige and Tessa. The family sat in the crowd surrounded by friends from Beth Or and Gates of Praise. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"normal\"><span lang=\"EN\">Gerber boasted of the joy he has experienced since moving to New Orleans, saying, \u201cI came here in January and felt this wonderful embrace of the congregation \u2026 and it doesn\u2019t feel like it\u2019s new anymore, and it hasn\u2019t felt new in a really long time,\u201d he exclaimed. <\/span><span lang=\"EN\">\u201cIt just feels like I\u2019m in the right place.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p>A. K. Brunini is a senior communications major at the Loyola University School of Communications.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Gates%20of%20Prayer%20installs%20Rabbi%20David%20Gerber\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":45965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[213,8790,8788,9520,342,471],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45963"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45963"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45982,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45963\/revisions\/45982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}