Announcing the third annual Oscar J. Tolmas L'dor V'dor Award

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans is proud to open nominations for the third annual Oscar J. Tolmas L’dor V’dor Award.

Born in 1920, Oscar was a lifelong New Orleanian. He graduated from Tulane in 1941 with a bachelor’s degree and, again in 1943, with a law degree. After law school, he served as a naval officer during World War II before embarking on careers spanning law to real estate development to even horse racing.

Oscar was raised to believe in the Jewish value of tzedakah, which encourages charitable giving to those most in need—so much so that, upon his death in 2013, his entire estate was left to the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust. Led by Vincent Giardina and Lisa Romano, the Trust supports numerous local organizations in their quest to help better our community.

The Oscar J. Tolmas L’dor V’dor Award celebrates the unsung heroes of the Greater New Orleans Jewish community, who quietly and consistently aid in repairing the world around them. Those nominated for the award should reflect the values of tzedakah and tikkun olam, within the Jewish community and/or across the broader New Orleans community alike. Previous award winners are Hal Shepard and Gail Chalew.

Anyone may submit a nomination, but to be eligible for the award, a nominee must:

be a member of a Jewish household (which includes interfaith members)
be a member of the Federation (having made a gift of any amount to the 2021 Annual Campaign)

Nominations are open until October 29, 2021, and the recipient will be chosen by a committee consisting of the trustees of the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, as well as Federation lay leadership. The award will be presented at the Jewish Federation's Annual Celebration on December 8 at the Jerome S. Glazer Audubon Tea Room.

Ready to nominate a deserving person? Click the button below to fill out the nomination form.

Submit a Nomination

Our Ida Response

Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans relaunches program to feed New Orleans’ frontline workers

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans is pleased to announce the return of the Greater New Orleans Jewish Community Healthcare Workers Take Home Meal Program, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor.

This program will serve staff in COVID units at New Orleans East Hospital, Children's Hospital, and Ochsner Health System. Over the next four weeks, this program will serve almost 2,000 take home meals to frontline medical staff and healthcare workers - all while supporting local kosher restaurants.

This is a way to support small Jewish businesses in our community in a way that reflects our Jewish values - a reflection of our commitment to tikkun olam (repairing the world).

"On behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, we are honored to resume our health care workers meal program and to assist our community's dedicated health care providers," said Arnie D. Fielkow, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. "They are the heroes of our community!"

Three local kosher restaurants and caterers – Kosher Cajun, Rimon at Tulane Hillel, and Dvash Catering – will be cooking healthy, delicious meals for the three hospital campuses each week.

If you would like to volunteer to help pick up meals and deliver them to hospitals, please click here.

If you would like to support the mission of the Federation and help make our work possible, please click here to make a donation to the 2021 Annual Campaign.

8-15-21 LJC Series

Join David Hammer and Aaron David Miller in conversation over stories from the negotiating table.

What's Happening Now?

8-22-21 segment on the U.S. legislative approach to Israel & a conversation with parents.

2021 Annual Campaign

Since 1913, you and those who came before you have raised the dollars through the Jewish Federation Annual Campaign which have nourished our New Orleans Jewish community. Our donors have helped resettled immigrants who fled the threat of WWII, and then embraced the survivors with open arms. Your generosity helped build the State of Israel, opened our hearts to Russian refugees, and airlifted Ethiopians to safety. More recently you have protected the security of our Jewish community and tackled the impact of lack of engagement in Jewish life—but everything is different now.

We find ourselves facing a global pandemic—a historic moment that will define us for years to come.

Will we rise to meet the challenge? We have, and we will. Because now, it’s even more important.

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans was built for this moment: taking collective action to tackle our community’s most devastating and seemingly intractable challenges, because, as the Talmud mandates, Kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh—all Jews are responsible for one another. Now more than ever, our goal is to safeguard Jewish New Orleans—specifically, here’s how your Jewish Federation responded in 2020:

We established a direct individual grant program for Jewish New Orleanians administered through Jewish Family Service (JFS) and funded by the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana.
We launched a Health Care Take Home Meal Program, which supported kosher businesses while providing 6,600 meals this past spring and summer to health care workers at five local hospitals.
We served as the central local organization facilitating the federal Paycheck Protection Program, with 16 agencies/synagogues joining our efforts. All were approved.
We joined with JFS to create a helpline program to assist our community with delivery of groceries/pharmacy items, medical transport, and emotional support. More than 60 volunteers signed up to help.
We led the statewide Jewish response to Hurricane Laura, raising more than $220,000 to assist those in need, and organized volunteer efforts.
And most importantly, we continue to assess and address the financial stabilization needs of our community partners.

As the connector for Jewish New Orleans, our mission is to sustain our Jewish agencies and organizations for the future of our community, and that’s never clearer than during times of crisis. Despite everything, our 2020 Annual Campaign raised $2.606 million—and an additional $700,000 in supplemental giving, an important form of Jewish fundraising.

While every dollar is critically important, the needs are even greater. That’s why we need your support for the 2021 Annual Campaign.

Did you know you can schedule your donation up to three months in the future? Or set up a monthly payment schedule?

Other ways to support the Federation

Transfer stock to the Federation’s Morgan Stanley Account (#575-060565-239). Contact Carla Marciniak at carla.marciniak@morganstanley.com or 504-587-9645 (please be sure that your name is on the stock transfer). Kindly contact the Federation office at 504-780-5600 to notify Federation what kind of stock and how many shares have been transferred.
Make a gift from your Jewish Endowment Foundation donor advised fund,and let Sherri Tarr you’ve done so by emailing sherritarr@jewishnola.com.
Donate from your IRA through a regular distribution.
Mail a check (payable to the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans) to 3747 W. Esplanade Avenue, Metairie, LA 70002.
Please consider leaving a legacy for the Jewish Federation – for more information on how to endow your gift, please contact Bobby Garon or Debbie Berins at the Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana at 504-524-4559.

All new and increased gifts to the 2021 Annual Campaign will be boosted by the 25% Goldring/Woldenberg match.

The 2021 Annual Campaign is chaired by Mara Force & Joshua Rubenstein.

An Ally in Federation

After coming out, Idit and Asher didn't have spaces where they could be both gay and Jewish. So they built them. And with help from Federations, they've revolutionized what it means to be Jewish and gay in America.

Learn how.

Edie & Paul Rosenblum Gift of Israel

A trip to Israel is one of the most important formative experiences in your child's Jewish development - and the Edie and Paul Rosenblum Gift of Israel Program can unlock this experience. Together with the the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and area synagogues, your child's Israel experience is closer than you realize.

Learn more here.

Moving Mountains in Nepal

The future looked bright for Mira’s family. They were saving up and had even added a new room to their modest home. Then the twin earthquakes of 2015 destroyed all their progress. By helping her tap into her passion for sewing, Federation partner JDC helped Mira lift her family out of a tent city and back into their home. Now, their future looks bright once again.

Learn how.