At the end of August, I was ready for religious school to start. Books ordered, teachers hired, calendars printed—you know the drill. With Hurricane Katrina imminent, we left, taking with us three changes of clothes— mostly shorts and t-shirts—a sleeping bag and a blanket for the car, a few toys, and some paperwork, such as insurance papers.

First we evacuated to the URJ regional camp, Jacobs’ Camp, in Utica, Mississippi. Two days later, when the entire state lost power, we drove to my grandmother in Pompano Beach, Florida for what we thought would be a short visit before we went home. After hearing that the levees were compromised, my sons, Todd (8) and PJ (6), and I moved in with my brother’s family in Park City, Utah. The kids started school there and even learned to ski before we left 3½ months later.

Eileen Hamilton at a NATE conference in New York City

supervised the repairs to the roof and interior. I returned to work on December 19. Luckily, Touro Synagogue suffered only minor damage—water in the basement and an oil spill from a piece of equipment.

On the sixth night of Hanukkah over 250 people filled our sanctuary and social hall for worship and dinner. It was a reunion, a reconnection, and a true rededication for this synagogue. Some may even think it’s a miracle that we could be together after such tragedy in our city.

On January 8, we welcomed 125 students back to our religious school and 33 to mid-week Hebrew. We have tried to find the positives in this tragedy: the gifts we received, the time we spent with family and friends around the country, our children’s new resilience, and our families’ stronger ties. These are the gifts for which we can be thankful.

Eileen Hamilton is Director of Education at Touro Synagogue, New Orleans.