IN Thoughts

A MONTHLY MIX OF IDEAS

Faith, Hope Still Echo

New Orleans/JTA

N

ew Orleanians are accustomed
to having faith when there is lit-
tle hope. After all, year after year
we choose to "believe" in our New Orleans
Saints football team.
Those of us living in "Katrinaville" need
all the faith we can muster. Immediately
after Hurricane Katrina, federal, state and
local government officials gathered in the
heart of the French Quarter to promise
that New Orleans would take great strides
forward in a very short period of time.
What we have actually experienced over
the past two years more closely resembles
baby steps: We've taken one or two wobbly,
hesitant lurches forward before plopping
right back down.
In short, the "recovery" after Hurricane
Katrina has been excruciatingly slow.
The city is not yet buzzing with cranes,
bulldozers, pile drivers and cement mix-
ers — although we pray, and many of us
believe, it will be soon. In the meantime,
the Jewish community has joined together
to search for glimmers of hope.
We found some. Others found us.
Internally, and marvelously, we dis-
covered that our extended crisis has
given rise to a new camaraderie among

disparate Jewish community groups. We
have Orthodox and Reform congregations
sharing a building; Chabad, Conservative
and Reform synagogues pooling their
resources to bring in speakers like Rabbi
Lawrence Kushner and Rabbi Joseph
Telushkin; and community-wide planning
involving members of every organization
in the city.
The ability to work in harmony and
plan together is truly a blessing — a silver
lining to the destructive storm cloud that
deluged our city. But it is not the only pos-
itive factor at work. Another boon is the
influx of new Jewish community mem-
bers — individuals, couples and young
families who arrive daily in New Orleans,
determined to make a difference.
Men and women — young and not-so-
young — are moving to our city because
they believe they are needed and can help.
Every week, our Jewish federation
receives several inquiries from people
motivated by idealism. It is a beautiful,
refreshing and powerful force. These Jews
are often well-educated, enthusiastic, and
energetic people any community would
welcome with open arms.
Yet New Orleans, a city they may not
have considered before the storm, is now
their destination of choice. How ironic

Board," which created a similar
that the challenges of living here
incentive package to attract new
drive some to seek an easier life
teachers.
elsewhere and serve as the main
With an influx of new, resil-
attraction for others who are
ient members, including two
thirsting for an intense draught
brand new rabbis (who start
of tikkun olam [repair of the
this summer), several new
world].
Jewish community professionals
Another reason Jewish
at federation, the JCC and other
newcomers are choosing New
Orleans might be that we invited Julie Schwartz Jewish institutions and, with a
plan for our future in hand, the
them. One of the first things
New Orleans Jewish community has rea-
our Jewish community realized post-
Katrina is that although our numbers had
son to hope for a long and healthy future.
There are many things New Orleanians
dropped below 7,000, we would still need
no longer believe in. The infallibility of the
to financially support the infrastructure
levee system and the competency of the
built for a Jewish community of 10,000.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
We had to face the fact that our neighbors
are probably the top two for most of us.
and friends who moved away after the
But there are other tenets of faith that
storm and found new jobs, purchased new
have grown stronger since the storm: the
homes or resettled near family in other
oneness of the Jewish people; the impor-
cities were not coming back.
tance of local Jewish community; the spe-
That left us a choice: We could either
cial charms and character of our historic
resign ourselves to becoming a smaller
city, and, of course, the Saints.
community and find ways to tighten our
This year, the New Orleans Jewish com-
belts or we could set about attracting new
munity will grow stronger, and the Saints
members. The result was a Newcomers
will go to the Super Bowl.
Incentive Package, with moving grants,
freebies and loans. The Newcomers' initia-
tive was written up in the Times-Picayune, Julie Schwartz is editor of the Jewish News
our local daily paper, and has been imitat- of New Orleans.
ed by the New Orleans "Recovery School

Saving The Environment

Washington/JTA

A

s the energy crisis
and the ominous
reality of global
warming loom larger in the
public's mind, there is little
doubt the United States must
immediately engage this
issue head on. Fortunately,
the solution to both concerns
requires the same shifting of policies, the
same courageous actions and the same
discipline.
Carbon emissions that are destroying
the earth of our children and grandchil-
dren and a world dependent on tyrants
such as Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez and Sudanese President Omar al-
Bashir are not realities in which Jews can
safely relax.
The Jewish community, which has a
particular stake in this race because of
Israel's vulnerability to enemy nations
whose power is derived from the flow of
petrodollars, must do more.

Recently, I sat with a group of 15
senators in Washington and pre-
sented the concerns of the Jewish
community about energy and the
environment. The senators clearly
saw climate and energy policy as a
paramount concern of the day; the
responsible question is if our com-
munity is paying enough attention
to these issues. Sadly, it is not.
The Jewish community is right
to make Israel's safety and thwarting Iran's
pursuit of nuclear weapons top priori-
ties, but energy independence and global
warming are equally important in the long
run and deserving of the same level of
attention.
While our tradition may not favor
a particular policy, it is hardly silent.
Deuteronomy explicitly forbids destroying
fruit-bearing trees when attacking a city.
The verses ask the question: Are the trees
of the field human to withdraw before you
into the besieged city?"
Our tradition understands that trees are
not able to act in their own self-defense
and need even more protection than

humans. The Torah and the Talmud say
that Jews are not allowed to destroy or
waste anything.
Unfortunately, this fundamental rabbin-
ic mandate of "not destroying anything,"
identified rabbinically as bal taschkit, is
not well known. It should be. In Psalms,
the Lord says that the Earth "is the Lord's
and everything that is in it!' As Jews,
action in the world is a basic fabric of our
theology and the most important proof of
faith in God. Indeed, to be silent and dor-
mant flies in the face of the fundamental
nature of Judaism.
From a holistic standpoint, there are two
sides of the energy equation: We can use
less oil and we must increase production
of power from existing renewable sources.
We must reduce our bloated energy con-
sumption by tapping into the strength of
our disciplined tradition and be more cog-
nizant of what we consume. We must open
our minds to the continuing dialogue of
new and innovative solutions.
We must also seek out alternative sourc-
es of energy such as wind power, solar
power, bio-fuels and geothermal heat to

address our current energy demands.
Investments in the use of these fuels are
investments this country must make.
At home, in our synagogues and in our
communities, we can take substantive
actions by reducing our energy footprint,
making smart consumer choices, driving
less and exchanging inefficient light bulbs
for efficient CFL bulbs. As activists, you
can make a difference by holding events
and calling and writing your senators, con-
gressmen and other elected officials to tell
them that you believe America deserves a
smart, comprehensive energy policy.
We are in a battle for survival. Our
physical world, our immediate and future
security, even the air we breathe, are at
great risk. We are a people who from our
history understand the need to engage.
Discipline, innovation and investment
will not wait for the next decade or even
the next year — they are needed now.

Rabbi Steve Gutow is executive director of the

Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Its local affili-

ate is the Jewish Community Relations Council

of Metropolitan Detroit.

August 30 a 2007

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