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N.O. Jewish community has plan for revitalization
by Bruce Nolan, The Times-Picayune
Saturday May 24, 2008, 9:47 PM
Newcomer Katie Tutwiler heard about the program from her grandmother Catherine Kahn, a board member at Temple Sinai.Twenty-three and single, Katie Tutwiler is another of those idealistic new post-Katrina New Orleanians.
Reared in New Iberia, she moved to New
Orleans fresh out of college last summer, tugged by something like a
moral call to join the city's great story of reconstruction.
Although she is only nominally Jewish, Tutwiler has been aggressively courted by the area's Jewish community. It gave her a $1,000 moving grant and offered a year's free dues to a synagogue. It gave her a year's free membership in the Uptown Jewish Community Center and introduced her to other young Jewish newcomers to New Orleans.
The effort may be paying off. Tutwiler, a self-described religious "seeker" shopping for a religious identity, has signed up with Birthright Israel, another Jewish program, which will introduce her to Israel this summer, even as her personal exploration also occasionally includes Catholic Masses.
Tutwiler is in play, so to speak. She thus qualifies as a poster child for the New Orleans Jewish community's year-old "newcomers program," which so far has devoted something like $180,000 for grants and loans to recruit young Jews to rebuild the city's Jewish community, and the larger city as well.
That is but one of the initiatives in a five-year "strategic plan" New Orleans Jews recently fashioned, an effort rare if not unique among local ethnic communities.
It is a $24 million blueprint for revitalizing a small but sturdy community that had been shrinking and graying even before Katrina made landfall in 2005.
The plan's first goal is to recruit young Jews to New Orleans and nourish them here.
The newcomers program is the centerpiece so far. But plans are afoot to fashion incentives to retain each year at least 50 of the area's 400 to 500 Jewish college graduates, said Michael Weil, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans.
With these and other tools, Jewish leaders hope newcomers find a home in a rather atypical New Orleans Jewish community, one that a survey confirmed is simultaneously quite lax about some markers of Jewish life -- regular religious observance, for example -- yet in other ways fiercely committed to its Jewish identity, affiliating with synagogues or giving to Jewish causes.
Besides recruiting, there are 11 goals in the community's new strategic plan, said Weil, one of its architects. Among them:
Maintaining ties with an estimated 3,500 permanently dislocated Jewish New Orleanians
Building support systems to nourish Jewish families living here
Fostering local collaboration among Jewish institutions
Developing Jewish education
Developing local and national fundraising, as well as a national public relations campaign.
"It's ambitious, it's doable and we're going to make it happen," said Weil, an economist and strategic planner who worked in Israel before he was hired by the federation in 2006.
Recruiting a seeker
The newcomers program that aided Tutwiler so far has distributed incentives to some 116 Jewish individuals or families, said Jennifer Samuels, who helps run the program.
Weil estimated the total number of Jewish newcomers, including those who didn't apply for incentives or haven't yet been identified, at closer to 850.
Tutwiler said her decision to come to New Orleans was born out of a desire to join a wounded but still fascinating community, and was not triggered by the financial incentives package.
Indeed, as the daughter of an Episcopalian father and a nonobservant Jewish mother, she said she grew up in a home with no strong religious influence.
Tutwiler said her exposure to Jewish tradition was so slight -- consider that her birth name is Mary Catherine -- that she knows only the opening phrases to a few common Hebrew prayers, and little else. Until recently, she did not know there was a synagogue in her native New Iberia.
"I'm Jewish but not quite in the fold," she said.
Tutwiler heard about the Jewish incentives program from her grandmother, Catherine Kahn, a New Orleanian and board member at Temple Sinai, who urged Tutwiler to check it out.
Now Tutwiler sometimes accompanies her grandmother to temple, a starting point from which Tutwiler has begun to inquire about her Jewish heritage.
In that sense she is quite typical, Weil said.
"There's a pattern here" among newcomers, Weil said. "They tend to be on the margins of mainstream Jewish life. These are not your regular synagogue-goers. Their Judaism is more virtual than real. They're less actively involved.
"But they're motivated. They see themselves as pioneers."
He said their willingness to help rebuild the city often is part of a deeply Jewish imperative toward public service called "tikkun olam," or "repairing the world."
Numbers had dwindled
The day Katrina made landfall, the area's Jewish community was already significantly smaller than it had been three decades earlier, Weil said.
A newly revised figure estimates the pre-Katrina Jewish population at about 9,500, or less than 1 percent of the metro area population, down from an estimated 13,000 nearly 25 years ago.
"You'd think that when you're hit with a major disaster it would knock you flat and you wouldn't have the strength to get up again," Weil said.
"But what this community has said is we're not accepting that. We think we're important, and we have a future, and we intend to go to some significant place, and we'll do whatever it takes to get there."
Research for the federation by LSU sociologist Frederick Weil and others estimated that Katrina reduced the area's Jewish population from 9,500 just before the storm to about 6,000 in the summer of 2006. They believe the number rebounded to 7,000 to 8,000 in early 2008.
At the same time, a few key leadership posts in the community are turning over at an extraordinary rate: For different reasons, three of six major local synagogues are under new post-Katrina leadership, or soon will be. Weil is a post-storm recruit to the federation, and Hillel, the Jewish outreach to Tulane University students, is about to get a new director.
As Katrina's third anniversary approaches, the city's 19 synagogues and other Jewish institutions have been weaned from $16 million in rescue subsidies national Jewish groups provided through the end of 2007, Weil said.
All survived. Most are smaller.
Slowly growing back
Most leaders, such as Rabbi Robert Loewy of Congregation Gates of Prayer in Metairie, see near-term futures in which they have to scale back some activities, or rely more on projects that involve collaboration with others.
But even so, Loewy and other community leaders say their institutions have stabilized on new footings from which they intend to mount a recovery.
Some even exhibit signs of relative vigor.
Two Reform congregations, Temple Sinai and Touro Synagogue, although 8 percent and 10 percent smaller in their membership, respectively, recently elected to continue multimillion-dollar capital projects that had been on the books before the storm.
"If you had asked me two and a half years ago if our losses would've been this low, no one would have predicted it," said Rabbi Andrew Busch, who will soon leave the Touro pulpit for a larger Baltimore synagogue.
The area's Jewish leaders agree that the 35 percent or so of displaced New Orleans Jews include some of the community's elder elite, including many of its most reliable donors. But sociologist Weil's research found a good deal of residual prosperity: Working from income disclosures from 60 percent of 800 respondents to his survey, Weil estimated a mean family income of $180,000 annually, although he cautioned that figure might be high.
As a result of the financial strength of the local families, Michael Weil, the federation executive, said that organization's annual communitywide fundraising drive last year raised $2.7 million, or only 6 percent less than the 2005 drive.
Busch said the community's recovery owes a lot to local Jews' unusually high rates of affiliation with synagogues and other institutions.
Those affiliations heightened a self-protective sense of identity, most leaders agreed.
"That tells me we're moving ahead positively," Loewy said. "We may not have the same numbers of people, but we have people who care about the institution and who want to be involved," at least through financial support.
"I think people felt the synagogue, the Jewish community, stepped up for them when they needed it."
Bruce Nolan can be reached at bnolan@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3344
What a welcome break from the usual diet of bad news- an inspiring story about part of our community committing itself to rebuild. I sure hope they succeed, Jews have meant a lot to New Orleans's past and present, it would be heartbreaking to contemplate a future here without any significant Jewish community.
yep..good news...any and all positive steps towards rebuilding is good news !!
I say good news also. We need a bigger jewish community and maybe they will run for city government.
Yes, this is a positive story but there are two glaring questions.
One, is Jimmy Reisse (sp) involved in this in any capacity? He was the one who said right after the Hurricane's devastation was obvious that, to paraphrase, some people were going to change forever the city demographically and politically.
Two, are there plans by the reporter/nespaper to do similar stories regarding other ethnic groups.religious affiliations/racial entities and their efforts to return as well as other group's that feel a calling to come back and be part of the rebuilding process?
The Jewish community, while an obvious valuable element in the city, both its past and its future, was not the only community disproportionately displaced/affected by the hurricane. And it was not the only community to lose a significant portion of its members, especially among the elderly. One community in particular has seen a significant part of its elderly population pass on as a result of the stress caused by relocation and uncertainty.
Yes, this is important. But we cannot rebuild a true authentic New Orleans unless we target a similar recruiting effort throughout all ethic and religious communities. Failure to do so will not only deprive us of some very critical adjustments in our overall population.
It will deprive of us of our very basic essence.
It is so easy to write our feelings when the story we are reading is full of life's failings and horrible deeds.
But here - with a photograph of two beautiful women with hope, pride, strengh and love beaming thru, all I want to do is relax into it.
I truly thank the Picayune for this story and hope both grandmother and grandaughter have their dreams come true.
Good post Dunes, now you're in trouble. Just wait and read.
One ethnic story and you all are already crying for equality?
Dunes, if you have a suggestion then you should put it together in an email and forward it to the T-P. How do you think this article got there?
I agree I think this a great article!
Dunes - your comment makes no sense. I think what you are trying
communicate (although I am not sure) is that other ethnic groups should
be focused on too. And for that I suggest you contact the TP. It is
stupid for you to complain about one religous/ethnic group focusing on
its self and not others. What would be the point of having a community
if it did not take care of its own? And by the way the Jewish community
reaches out to all of New Orleans for many of its programs and
charities.
Dunes, these people are doing it themselves. They aren't waiting around for someone else to do it for them and pay for it for them. So tell us what other ethnic groups are doing and financing themselves ? Call the TP and get them to do a similar story. They may be interested in doing a series.
DunesRiver on 05/25/08 at 7:03AM
Good points.
riphenstone on 05/25/08 at 7:32AM
snakenjakes on 05/25/08 at 8:00AM
stratcat on 05/25/08 at 8:07AM
Whom or who at the TP do you contact?
To the Jewish community- What is the criteria for being a "Jew"? Is it practicing the religion or having B positive as a blood type or both?
OUT
Thinksome- maybe you should act more like your name.
Write a letter Bruce Nolan the author of this article. Call the TP for
his info. There is no criteria for being a Jew except in the most
observant sects and even then almost anyone can convert. Judaism is not
an ethnicity its a religion. Thinksome think more before you post.
illiad on 05/25/08 at 8:59AM
I Thinksome folks are idiots
snakenjakes on 05/25/08 at 9:07AM
Thinksome- maybe you should act more like your name.
Write a letter Bruce Nolan the author of this article. Call the TP for
his info. There is no criteria for being a Jew except in the most
observant sects and even then almost anyone can convert. Judaism is not
an ethnicity its a religion. Thinksome think more before you post.
I asked because I did not know!
Snakenjakes thank you for the information that you gave to all.
OUT
I wish the Jewish community the best of luck in recruiting new residents AND maintaining their present members.
Bravo! to the Grandmother and her granddaughter!
Bravo! to the Jewish population of New Orleans!
Ideal citizens!
TP - great story. People setting standards for behavior and encouraging community is much prefered over the endless killing each other,"oh, my baby" stories.
This article, supremely well-written, exemplifies the New Orleans Jewish community's historical commitment to self-help!
Successful migrations in this country have historically worked when
migrant groups (Jewish, Italian, Irish, most recently the
Vietnamese)have set up well-organized efforts of family helping family,
church groups helping those who had not yet arrived, and community
segments funding-privately-efforts to recruit and retain newcomers from
within their community. Certainly every part of our community is doing
this at some level, and we must express kudos to the Jewish community
for its commitment. This can be a great example, a blueprint, if you
will, for the return of all segments of our community. As we have all
learned, government is not set up to do it, the Road Home (aka the road
to HELL!), is not set up to do it. Through church groups, community
groups (eg Broadmoore), and family helping family, we will rebuild a
greater New Orleans for us and our kids, and generations to come.
Snakenjakes, you are in error. There are two ways to become a Jew. The first is to be born to a Jewish mother. In that case you are a Jew whether you observe the laws or not. You are a Jew even if you practice another religion. The second way is to go through the prescribed conversion process after which you are as fully Jewish as if you had been born to a Jewish mother. In recent years some Reform (and occasionally Conservative) rabbis have considered the children of Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers to be Jews without requiring conversion, but such people are not recognized as Jews by other elements of Judaism, including the rabbinate of the State of Israel.
Judaism is a religion, to be practiced or not. Being Jewish is an ethnicity to which one is born or which, following the example of Ruth, one may choose to join according to the set procedure. Many Jews practice Judaism. Many others do not.
Dunes, I am pretty sure that the T-P had one or more articles early on about the successful Vietnamese efforts to reconstitute themselves as a community. If I remember correctly these efforts were spearheaded by the priests of the Vietnamese parishes. I think the gist of the article(s) concerned the fact that the Vietnamese as a community were among the first to repopulate the city. Perhaps others will remember more details.
The importance of the Jewish community to New Orleans can not be overstated. Their leadership in the arts, in philanthropy, in commerce, has been one of the continuing mainstays of the city for many generations. Another area in which Jews provided a moral compass was in their early embrace of the Civil Rights movement and the (as yet unrealized) value of equality and respect among the races. New Orleans would be a much less fortunate place if it weren't for the contributions of the Jews, who despite facing blatant discrimination themselves, have given so much back to a sometimes ungrateful city. And even though I am not Jewish myself I can only wish the best for their community, and for the entire city of New Orleans, which is a better place for all that Jews have contributed.
That's a great idea. However. It's very important for Jews to work more aggressively toward promoting diversity and equity throughout the economy.
It's equally important for Blacks to start recruiting younger Blacks to move to New Orleans to participate in the rebuilding effort and maintain and enhance their rich cultural history of the city and surrounding areas.
Jews and Blacks should work closer together in order to progressively move New Orleans forward in order to create an atmosphere of mutual cooperation and respect.
Posted by DunesRiver on 05/25/08 at 7:03AM
(edited because I can)
"two glaring questions:
One, some people were going to change forever the city demographically and politically.
Two, are there plans by... edit: would you like some cheese with your whine?
The Jewish community, (snip) is def not the culture dunesriver believes is THE culture of NOLA. And Nagin agrees with dunes... which puts his post at risk for laughter."
"It will deprive of us of our very basic essence."
Hmmm, no comment.
====================================
RE: this article, "N.O. Jewish community has plan for revitalization",
Does the Jewish community also have grant $ for me since I am a Jew for
Jesus? (silence) I thought so.
I wonder if a Black Female converted from Baptist to Jewish would she be eligible for the same benifits as Katie or would she be accepted into the religious group at all? All things come to light.
This is just as offensive as when Nagin made his infamous "chocolate city" reference. Why no outrage now?
Groupism must stop.
Also, isn't it illegal to discriminate where concerns housing?
I'll certainly be watching this!
Does this mean that we we FINALLY be able to get a decent New York bagel somewhere?
OY!!!!
This is great! A minority community that has been persecuted for centuries taking progress on directly. Instead of whining about who isn't doing enough for them, they are doing it themselves. Other ethnic minorities could learn a lesson or two. I am sick and tired of the whining that the media promotes.
durtyboye--
Yes, there are black Jews, some whose roots go back to antiquity and some who are recent converts. One well-known African-American who converted to Judaism is Julius Lester. His story was recently featured on a PBS series about the history of Jews in America. Another, of course was Sammy Davis, jr. A black woman who is interested in converting to Judaism would certainly have that opportunity.
Jews, however, do not seek converts. According to Jewish teachings the righteous of all nations (and that is defined as those who keep the covenant of Noah) have a place in the world to come (whatever that may be). There is no particular benefit therefore to being Jewish, and Jews acknowledge that it is difficult being Jewish, both because the yoke of the Law is heavy and because of external discrimination and periodic genocidal pressures. So Jews would not seek to convert black Baptist women, but should such an individual indicate the desire to convert, that would certainly be possible. And according to Jewish law, a person who undergoes the prescribed conversion process is then exactly the same as any other Jew and must be treated as such.
To Thecableguy. When will you learn or be forced to come to reality about the sinnister moves Jews have made to get that far. They own every aspect of the package they are offering Katie. Even the Times Picayune is playing a part by advertising it on the front page. Then when you tie that to the Federal tax breaks and grants they get for their businesses it all leads back to someone they have helped out(a politician's daughter,or a big money contributor). The big game!
Longmemory>>>
I have nothing against Jews,but it kills me when someone like you try
to stand up and represent with bull----. When Jews choose not to covert
it means closed doors,certain criteria, and the less the better. If the
Jewish religion chose to convert on a massive scale it would reflect
that of American society and their power line would have a divide,thus
leaving them less powerful. The whole purpose for this scheme is to
build a younger power base for the Jewish community to continue what
they have built. Just like the Golf and Tennis Clubs.
(Their Game, Their Rules)
Don't go there with me,because I can keep it real and respectful.
lol, durtyboye, you really need to take a religion class sometime. Lots of religions don't actively proselytize and it's really not a conspiracy, i promise.
durtyboye--
Jews choose not to SEEK converts. They do NOT refuse to accept converts. If you wish to convert to Judaism, all you have to do is contact any local rabbi who will guide you through the conversion process. That's all there is to it. The door is open to anyone who wishes to enter. As for meeting criteria, well, converts to Catholicism or Mormonism or Jehovah's Witnesses or any other religion also have to meet the criteria laid out for joining those faiths. In that sense, Judaism is no different. Jews will not come to your door to harangue you about becoming Jewish, but if you contact any Jewish congregation and go through the conversion process, you will be welcome. If you think otherwise, you are simply not well informed.
Even if you convert to Judaism you will not be in 'the club' and you certainly won't have the gift for business that that people with a Jewish bloodline undeniably have.
I don't the Arch-evil bishop Hughes doing anything to bring catholics into the area.
I don't see the Arch-evil bishop Hughes doing anything to bring catholics into the area.
It's nice to see the Jewish community doing something, but it is with bitter words I write that. You see, I am Jewish and was TRYING to raise my daughter Jewish. We attended Temple Sinai on a regular basis, LOVED Rabbi Cohn and Cantor Coleman, however...when I enrolled my daughter in their religious school and paid the money for the actual school, I was informed about a month later that she could NOT attend as we were not "members" of the temple. To be a member, as a single mom with a child would have cost $1,300 a year. How was a single mom to pay THAT? I told them my story and my situation and asked them for help. I received NOTHING. I wasn't looking to use the temple for a bat mitzvah or a wedding, I just wanted my 7 year old daugther to receive a Jewish education (remember, this is not a school type of education, a religious one - similar to that offered FREE at most churches on Sunday mornings). They did nothing but tell me that was the rules. Sad. Now here we are several years later, and my daughter doesn't know anything but what I have taughter her, and the experience I received from Temple Sinai's then president hurt me so bad, we haven't been back to temple, and its been 5 years later. How sad. The Jewish community has lost more than just myself and my daughter, they've lost my daughter's children and grandchildren too due to their lack of help and education :(
bnimble:
none of the groups you mentioned came here as slaves.
bnimble:
none of the groups you mentioned came here as slaves.
snakenjakes:
It's obvious from the wording of your post that you and I cannot communicate on the same level.
I shouldn't have to tell the newspaper what to cover.
Hey Dunes, see what you have started. Told you so.....LOL.
Hey FleurDuhLee,
Try another synagogue. There are other Reform Congregations that would receive your child with open arms and a loving heart. One such synagogue is down the block and another in Metairie.
Shalom
I am a non practicing Jew who has been in New Orleans for six years. I am now ready to start practicing if someone could post the appropriate steps in order to join a synagogue it would be appreciated. I am 30 and did not have a Bar Mitzvah. My mother is 100% Jewish my father is not. This is something that I have wanted to pursue. The time is now right. If someone leaves a contact I will email back. Thank you. I hope to be speaking to someone soon. I live in the metro area.
I have been thinking about the comments on here since my first post, and I want to say any group of people that has given us:
The great Otto Klemperer, Erich Leinsdorf, Arthur Rubenstein, Vladimir Horovitz, Fritz Reiner, Issac Stern, Jascha Heifetz - just to name a few -and Bette Midler and half of Harrison Ford, is alright with me. And last, but not least, my current love, Daniel Barenboim.
Is alright with me.
riphenstone:
I doubt an e-mail generated this story.
longmemory: the TP probably did. that's not the point. there are other idividuals and groups working under very adverse conditions to return their lives and communities to normal. but i also recall a number of negative stories that generated nothing but hate on these boards.
stratcat:you wrote, "So tell us what other ethnic groups are doing and financing themselves ?" I shouldn't have to do that. That's the newspaper's role, to find those stories. It finds many negative stories in certain communities; look hard and develop a trust in those communities. The stories are out there.
This is not to diminish what this story is about. It's only to point out the disparities. There are thousands of people in those communities I speak working against difficult odds trying to rebuild their lives, including their religious affiliations. Why do you think there was so much pain inflicted by the Catholic Church's decision to close more than 30 churches, many of them located in those same communities I speak of. Were there any synagogues and temples that closed because of the decreasing numbers?
Finally, Astrid: no one's crying for equality. just expecting fairness.
Astrid:
I think there are others who could make similar claims.
DunesRiver, Excellent Post. This article should be done on every ethnic group in the city.
Dunesriver- "The Jewish community, while an obvious valuable element in the city, both its past and its future, was not the only community disproportionately displaced/affected by the hurricane. And it was not the only community to lose a significant portion of its members, especially among the elderly. One community in particular has seen a significant part of its elderly population pass on as a result of the stress caused by relocation and uncertainty."
Unless you call FQ and Garden District residents an ethnic group all "ethnic" groups were proportionally "displaced/affected". According to the TP the deaths were higher in "whites" than "blacks".
Every single human group has been a "slave" of another human group. The Canal was built by Irishmen, over 5,000 of whom died. Not a single slave died because they were deemed more valuable than slaves and did not work on the Canal.
Many a freed slave in New Orleans owned slaves.
10,0000 years from now like every other human group blacks in the USA will still be the decendants of slaves.
My friends, family, business associates and myself have all been denied jobs, scholarships and business solely because of the color of our skin in a city where 67% of the population had a different skin color than those who were denied.
Did my friends, family, business, associates and myself who were denied become "victims" and allow these insitutional descriminatory acts define us? No, we overcame and perservered.
I believe in a color blind society where all reference by the gov't to race or ethnicity is out lawed. I believe in one race the "Human Race".
I proudly proclaim "Human being" whenever I am asked my race or ethnic group.
My children do not refer to others by race or ethnic group. Why because they like me are color blind.
You can only truely see when you are color blind.
Don't you just hate these people that pull themselves and their community up through self-reliance and hard work? They ruin it for the rest of us that want to sit on the porch and whine. WAAAHHH WAAAHHH!! GIMME! GIMMEE!
I would like to see another in-depth article about Jesse Jackson's attempt to bring in the displaced from Chicago to fill the post-K clean-up jobs. We don't hear enough about that.
Mikeinthe9th - yes, it would be lovely to have a story for every ethnic group who loved and contributed to the building of New Orleans. Both my mother's people and my father's people came from Bavaria. I do not think most people are aware of what the German people have contributed to New Orleans. But those that are born with such pride in who they are do not need to lay their accomplishments out for everyone to recognize. We know who we are and our reward is in accomplishment thru the work ethic.
DunesRiver - this is an open forum of opinions. But why sully up a wonderful story like this with such ugly overtones. I love music played by a musician that can do it so beautifully that it lifts you to another plane of existance and you are one with the composer and the musician.
Many of the musicians that play the work of the great German composers - in my opinion - are Jewish. They take you where only the angels tread.
But if you want me to say it, I think Mahalia Jackson can do it too.
Astrid: I have always enjoyed your posts. They are insightful and erudite. Alas, I have reached the conclusion you cannot have a reasoned debate with the likes of mikeinthe9, wakeupfriend, BlackWrath and even DunesRiver. They see absolutely everything through the single lense prism of their own version of racism. How they could come up with a "what about us?" complaint after the HUNDREDS of stories, not just in the T-P but in the NY Times, LA Times, Houston Chronicle, Atlanta Constitution, etc. about the Diaspora (please you guys, google "diaspora" and "Katrina") is beyond me. I challenge EACH of them to find ONE post from a Jew saying "what about us?". I had it out with mike earlier this evening and as I said, i am signing off. There is no more hope on this web site. It is now in the hands of hopelessly single issue racists who harbor nothing but anger. It is a sad state of afairs. Fight the good fight, Astrid, I am done.
Headrcritter (aka Critterhead)
Hi headcritter, I hope you do not mean you are quitting nola.com. I think I write because it is a path to self-discovery. So I really write for me and you should write for you. It is a great way to bring clarity to what you think you believe and what you really believe.
Sometimes I like the person that is in control of my finger and sometimes I don't. But it is a great way to find personal truth. And how many of us really know who we are.
I will be looking for your name on these posts so don't disappear and disappoint the many who enjoy reading your words.
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