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ON THE COVER

In Katrina's Wake

Photo courtesy Za ka USA.

Gulf Coast
Jews continue
the struggle to
rebuild.

Gail Naron Chalew
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

New Orleans

0

ne year after "the
storm," as New
Orleanians refer to
Hurricane Katrina, Jewish com-
munal leaders describe the
health of the community with
certain expected terms — loss,
trauma, devastation and chal-
lenge.
Unexpected is the word
"blessed," used repeatedly in ref-
erence to the outpouring from the
American Jewish community.of
financial support, volunteerism
and donations of everything from
teddy bears to challah covers.
Funds from the United Jewish
Communities, the umbrella of
the North American federation
.system, and the national reli-
gious movements have kept
New Orleans' Jewish agencies
and synagogues afloat this past
year and are expected to do so
through 2007.
To date, the UJC has contrib-
uted more than $17 million to
the rebuilding efforts; the Reform
movement has contributed
$800,000 to local Reform congre-
gations, with another $800,000
available for recovery efforts
not covered by insurance. Other
movements have sent funds as
well, though exact figures were
not available.
What will happen in 2008 and
beyond is the worry that both
drives many planning meetings
during the day and keeps com-
munal leaders up at night.
"Fortunately, the Jewish com-
munity has not had to depend
on the help of government,
given its failure at all levels:' said
Allan Bissinger, president of the
Jewish Federation of Greater New

Volunteer Isaac Leider of Monsey, N.Y., rescues Torahs by boat from flooded Beth Israel Congregation
in New Orleans last August.

.

Orleans. "UJC has taken the place
of what the government should
normally have done."
Roselle Ungar, interim execu-
tive director of the federation,
said, "What UJC and the many
generous contributions from
individuals across the country
have given us is the opportunity
to take a deep breath, step back
and take the time to make the
hard decisions that will be neces-
sary, so that in 2008 we can stand
on our own two feet again."
A community-wide task force
is in the beginning stages of
implementing a recovery plan.
The plan focuses on such issues
as how to retain current residents
while encouraging new ones to
resettle in New Orleans. It also is
determining how the organized
Jewish community can work
smarter to make the best use of
limited dollars.
One of the positive outgrowths
of the storm has been the bur-
geoning spirit of cooperation
among all the New Orleans
Jewish institutions. Beth Israel
Congregation, the Orthodox -
synagogue that took on 10 feet of
water, is now holding a Shabbat
minyan at the Reform Gates of

Prayer Congregation.
The Anti-Defamation League
is sharing federation office space.
Interagency programs are on the
upswing, and a Hebrew free loan
program is in the works. The
JCC is getting needed revenue by
renting out its facilities to corn- .
munity groups.

ing their homes and almost
everyone's job was affected in
one way or the other.
"That is taking up so much of
their energy. They come to syna-
gogue to be in community."
Undaunted by the storm,
Chabad-Lubavitch of Louisiana
has committed to build a
new student center at Tulane
University; the cornerstone cere-
mony was held Aug. 27, two days
before the storm's anniversary.
The New Orleans Jewish Day
School, a community school •
supported by the federation, has
been hit hard by the popula-
tion exodus. From a pre-storm
enrollment of nearly 90 children
in kindergarten through eighth
grade, it will begin the coming
school year with 23 children in
just two classes: a combined kin-
dergarten-first grade and a sec-
ond-third grade class. This pre
cipitous decrease comes despite a
halving of tuition, made possible
by outside contributions.

ing in large numbers.
Communal officials count the
loss of-these individuals particu-
Checking In
larly troublesome because these
Because the Jewish Family
are the big machers — those
Service in New Orleans helps
with the money and the time to
individuals cope with the chal-
make significant contributions.
lenges in their lives by providing
Every institution has lost some of counseling•and financial sup-
its biggest donors and officers.
port, it has been a lead agency
At the same time, each of the
in the post-storm year. And it
Population Exodus
five synagogues surveyed has
has transformed its way of doing
Tackling the population issue will reported new members, mostly
business.
not be as easy. Current estimates
young people drawn by the pio-
Although it had always provid-
are that the Jewish community
neer spirit of rebuilding and the
ed small grants of $500 to $1,000
will stabilize at about 65 percent
opportunity to make a difference. to individuals in need, that activ-
Of its pre-storm strength of about
Indeed, despite the loss of
ity increased exponentially over
10,000 individuals.
members, synagogue attendance
the past year, when it distributed
Although there are no hard
seems to have remained stable.
$900,000 in UJC funds directly to
and fast data about the popula-
As Rabbi Andrew Busch of the
individuals affected by the storm,
tion exodus, the increasing num- Reform Touro Synagogue put
accordingsto agency officials.
ber of "For Sale"" signs attests to
it, "In their new lives after the
By requiring individuals to
residents' continued impatience
storm, people have a greater need come to the JFS office to pick up
with the slow pace of recovery,
to come together in the syna-
their checks, JFS staff had the
frustration with the government
gogue.
opportunity to see how they were
and concern about the rising
Rabbi Ted Lichtenfeld of
doing, to hear their concerns and
crime rate. And it would be dif-
Shir Chadash Conservative
to offer help that went beyond
ficult to exaggerate the impact
Congregation agreed. "Though
the financial.
another hurricane would have on I have not had people batter-
Anne Freedman, associate -
people's decisions to move.
ing down my door for pastoral
director of JFS, said of its clients:
Although all age groups have
counseling, in a sense, the
•
"All that some people needed was
joined this exodus, one particular storm underlines everything.
the chance to cry and tell their
cohort — those in their 60s and
Fortunately, very few of my con-
story to the staff, people who
70s with grown children in other gregants lost family members to
really understood them because
communities — has been leav-
the storm, but most are rebuild-
In Katrina's Wake on page 35

August 31 • 2006

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