Penina Sara turned two years old on November 5."If it weren’t for her, we would have tried to ride out the storm," admitted Benjamin Berman, her father."We had talked about leaving, but were uncertain until the Sunday morning of Katrina (Aug. 28)." His wife, Carol, packed clothing for the three of them, expecting a five-day stay away from home, and the little family, plus sister- in-law Dorothy Berman, headed out of New Orleans about noon.

With all highways mandated outbound from New Orleans, the bumper-to-bumper traffic was at a standstill for much of the way. It was surreal:"People even walking their dogs, sitting on the railing, taking pictures on the expressway along Lake Pontchartrain!" Benjamin marveled. "Fifteen hours later, we reached Beaumont.The one wonderful thing was that Penina was patient," her daddy bragged.

"I believed, like everyone else, that we’d be back in a week," Carol allowed. "Our intention was to go outside Dallas." While they were preparing to leave New Orleans, their friend, Keith Rosen, called to check on them. "When we told him we needed help, he said for us to come to Houston. Keith waited up for us all night.We were so tired when we arrived that we visited only a few minutes before he put us to bed."

Rosen insisted that the Bermans take one day at a time."He’s extremely hospitable,"Carol continued."He introduced us to members of the Jewish community — you’re a very close-knit community,"she observed."I admire it.You have people from every part of Judaism, and they all speak in one voice. I have never seen cohesiveness like this before."

Carol, who has a master’s degree in library science, is also a quartermaster officer in the Army reserves. She related, "Everybody was called up but the Army reserves. Three days after I was here [in Houston], a friend, a battalion major in the Kentucky National Guard, was called to go to New Orleans. Since his own unit was scheduled to go to Iraq in a couple of weeks, their unit didn’t go to Louisiana. However, three of his units are in New Orleans now."

Carol worries about Jewish Orthodoxy in New Orleans — that members may not be returning. "It’s such a small segment of the community. I worry for our children, as well," she said. "Perhaps it’s only temporary — eventually it will grow again."

There are two small Orthodox synagogues in New Orleans: Anshe Sfard and Beth Israel, both of which suffered severe damage. Carol believes that the two Chabad Lubavitch facilities will be revived.

In the meantime, little Penina,who is attending the Goldberg Montessori School at United Orthodox Synagogues (UOS), seems to be adjusting nicely to her new environment. Her family stays at a "Shabbos home" in order to observe the Sabbath at UOS.

Saul Berman, Benjamin’s brother, is back together with his wife in Houston. He had remained in the shop the two men own in downtown New Orleans throughout the storm. Fortunately, it was not flooded, and only the roof of the four-story building was damaged. As luck would have it, their telephone was working — but only for incoming calls.

The brothers plan to reopen their shop whenever feasible. They continue the work of their father, a Holocaust survivor, who had established Jack’s Metal Arts 46 years ago. The lanterns they make, in the style of the French Quarter, are shipped all over the country.

Currently, the Bermans occupy their time looking for jobs that will allow them to remain observant Jews, trying to figure out how to survive the Houston economy and communicating with their now far-flung family. Keith Rosen continues with open arms and open heart to keep Carol, Benjamin, Penina, Dorothy and Saul in his home. Rosen’s hospitality is a reflection of the heart of the Houston Jewish community. "We appreciate everything!" Carol says emphatically.

Reprinted with permission from The Jewish Herald-Voice, Houston, Texas.