2008 Woodie Awards
Taking cue from the Jewish community in New Orleans
Hauwa Mukan/Contributing Writer
Issue date: 6/8/08 Section: Divine Intervention
In early 2005, 33-yearl-old David Hammer brought his family to Washington DC from New Orleans for a job as a journalist with the Associated Press. In late August, he watched helplessly his family members in New Orleans losing their homes, jobs and hope to Hurricane Katrina.
Some displaced New Orleanians and some who stayed were dispirited. But not the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. The federation saw in Katrina's devastation an opportunity to participate in rebuilding the Big Easy with an influx of new Jewish families and individuals.
The federation launched, a "Newcomers Program," a bold initiative to sustain and increase the Jewish community through incentive offers of more than $20,000 for housing, business loans, moving expenses and memberships in synagogues.
Hammer, his wife Lucia and son Mateo were among the first to take advantage of the Newcomers Program whose goal is to recruit and settle 1,000 new Jewish families in post-Katrina New Orleans. The Hammers bought a house and closed on their loan in February 2008.
"At first I didn't think the program was for people like me, doing okay financially," said Hammer, who moved back to New Orleans in January 2007. "I never paid attention to incentives programs before but this program is impressive. It's more than the money. This program makes an effort to reach out into the community and help."
The program is just one of the initiatives in a five-year "strategic plan" New Orleans Jews recently fashioned as part of a $24 million blueprint to revitalize the small Jewish community.
Besides recruiting, there are 11 goals in the community's new strategic plan, including maintaining ties with an estimated 3,500 permanently dislocated Jewish New Orleanians; building support systems to nourish Jewish families; fostering collaboration among local Jewish institutions; developing Jewish education; and a national fundraising and public relations campaign.
The campaign 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, is closer to 850.
The day Katrina made landfall, the area's Jewish community was estimated to be about 9,500, less than 1 percent of the metro area population, down from an estimated 13,000 nearly 25 years ago.
Research by Louisiana State University sociologist Frederick Weil, and others, estimated that Katrina reduced the area's Jewish population to about 6,000 in the summer of 2006. They believe the number rebounded to 7,000 to 8,000 earlier this year.
Some displaced New Orleanians and some who stayed were dispirited. But not the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. The federation saw in Katrina's devastation an opportunity to participate in rebuilding the Big Easy with an influx of new Jewish families and individuals.
The federation launched, a "Newcomers Program," a bold initiative to sustain and increase the Jewish community through incentive offers of more than $20,000 for housing, business loans, moving expenses and memberships in synagogues.
Hammer, his wife Lucia and son Mateo were among the first to take advantage of the Newcomers Program whose goal is to recruit and settle 1,000 new Jewish families in post-Katrina New Orleans. The Hammers bought a house and closed on their loan in February 2008.
"At first I didn't think the program was for people like me, doing okay financially," said Hammer, who moved back to New Orleans in January 2007. "I never paid attention to incentives programs before but this program is impressive. It's more than the money. This program makes an effort to reach out into the community and help."
The program is just one of the initiatives in a five-year "strategic plan" New Orleans Jews recently fashioned as part of a $24 million blueprint to revitalize the small Jewish community.
Besides recruiting, there are 11 goals in the community's new strategic plan, including maintaining ties with an estimated 3,500 permanently dislocated Jewish New Orleanians; building support systems to nourish Jewish families; fostering collaboration among local Jewish institutions; developing Jewish education; and a national fundraising and public relations campaign.
The campaign 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, is closer to 850.
The day Katrina made landfall, the area's Jewish community was estimated to be about 9,500, less than 1 percent of the metro area population, down from an estimated 13,000 nearly 25 years ago.
Research by Louisiana State University sociologist Frederick Weil, and others, estimated that Katrina reduced the area's Jewish population to about 6,000 in the summer of 2006. They believe the number rebounded to 7,000 to 8,000 earlier this year.
Be the first to comment on this story