W hat is happening in New Orleans is not only about people coming from outside but a lso about the transformation of the New Orleans J e w i s h c o m m u n i t y. S i n c e H u r r i c a n e K a t r i n a , 1,4 0 0 Je w s , m o s t l y i n t he i r 20s and 30s, have moved to New
creation of a Jewish socia l justice reading group, a new Jewish LG BTQ group, a nd a n independent m i n y a n . A v o d a h ’s f o u n d e r , R a b b i David Rosenn, commented t hat “A v o d a h ’s a b i l i t y t o h a v e a n i m p a c t on Jewish life is much greater in
S i n c e Hu r r i ca n e K a t r i n a , 1,4 0 0 Jews, mostly in their 20s and 30s, have moved to New Orleans. Orlea ns. A s a result of this inf lu x, the cit y ha s experienced the establishment of a young Jewish communit y that va lues socia l justice a nd activism. Such communities ca n of ten be found in t he centers of A merican Jewish life but are rare in sma ll Jewish communities such a s t he one in New Orlea ns (pop. 8 , 0 0 0). T he p o s t-K at r i n a e x p a n sion s of Avo d a h a nd Moi s he Hou s e to New Orlea ns have contributed to this growing Jewish socia l justice c o m m u n i t y. T h o u g h n o t e n t i r e l y removed from the established Jewi s h c o m m u n i t y, i n d e p e n d e n t e f f o r t s on the pa rt of young socia l justice orientated Jews have included t he
sm a l ler c om mu n it ie s . Avo d a h C or p s members cannot have nearly the sa me impact on the Jewish comm u n i t i e s o f D C , N e w Yo r k , a n d Chicago where so much else is going o n .” J o r d a n A i k e n , f o u n d e r o f t h e new Jewish LGBTQ group and an Avo d a h a lu m n a , w a s e x plor i n g her Jewish a nd queer identities when she moved to New Orleans and was hoping to f ind some way to bring the t wo together: “I assumed that the JCC , the loca l Federation, and the synagogues would have somet h i n g f o r t h e Q u e e r c o m m u n i t y. Finding nothing, I decided to start s o m e t h i n g o f m y o w n .” More t h a n f i ve ye a r s a f ter Hu rricane Katrina, tikkun olam rep-
A volunteer at the 2010 GA in New Orleans. Photo provided by AVODAH.
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AVODAH volunteer building a fence. Photo provided by AVODAH.
resents bot h a ba sis of one component of t he New Orlea ns Jewish communit y a nd a draw for Jewish o r g a n i z a t i o n s a r o u n d t h e c o u n t r y. It rema ins to be seen whet her t he long-ra nge orga nizationa l a f termath of Hurric a ne K atrina w ill give rise to a truly sustainable Jewish socia l justice communit y in New Orlea ns and, if so, what impact this constituenc y may have on the greater New Orlea ns Jewish communit y a nd perhaps e ven on A meric a n Jud ai s m . PT Joshua Lichtman is the New Orleans program director of AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps. He has worked for a number of other Jewish organizations including Hillel and the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center and is an alum of Pardes, ADAMAH, and New York University’s Law School. Moshe Kornfeld is a doctoral candidate in cultural anthropology and Judaic studies at the University of Michigan. Moshe is currently on assignment in New Orleans, where he is studying Jewish social justice activism in the broader context of contemporary American Jewish philanthropy. issue thirteen 2011
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