Thank you, New Orleans

2018 was an exceptional year for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, so the staff got together with one goal in mind: to say thank you to each and every one of you.

The 2018 Campaign flourished in both amount and effect, by raising $100,000 more than it did in 2017! While the impact this money will have on our community is incredible, we want to build on the momentum of last year’s Campaign.  We are asking you to make a commitment to the 2019 Annual Campaign, and to consider increasing the amount that you give. Why should you give and why should you give more?  Last year your gift:

•  Served more than 1,100 meals to seniors at the Jewish Community Center
• Funded resources to add a sixth grade class at the Jewish Community Day School, whose enrollment tripled this past year
• Provided in-home care to 134 disabled and older adults through Jewish Family Service’s Homemaker Program
• Powered Jewish student life on campus through Tulane Hillel, which engages 88% of the Jewish campus population
• Allowed the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to deliver food, medicine and heating supplies to 46,000 Jewish    elderly in the Former Soviet Union
• Brought 29,323 Jews from around the world to Israel by aliyah through the Jewish Agency for Israel

These are just a few examples of how your gift to the Federation’s Campaign has grown community, whether here in greater New Orleans or across the globe. Please join us again as a donor to the Annual Campaign - raising more dollars creates more impact, and we need your help to make this happen.

When you give to the Federation, your gift is matched because of our generous partners, the Goldring Family and Woldenberg Foundations.  The increased portion is matched at 25%, making each dollar more powerful and transformative. Thank you again for your continued support - Happy New Year, New Orleans!

Statement on the Proposed Deportation of Vietnamese Immigrants

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans strongly disagrees with the Administration’s renewed effort to deport law-abiding Vietnamese immigrants from the United States in large numbers. The new proposal radically reverses course on a decade-old agreement that explicitly bars the deportation of Vietnamese people who arrived in the U.S. before July 12, 1995 – the date on which the U.S. and Vietnam re-established diplomatic relations following the Vietnam War.

We specifically take issue with the Administration re-interpreting the 2008 agreement to exempt undocumented Vietnamese migrants who arrived before the above-mentioned date from its protections. The agreement has, from its inception, widely been accepted by all involved parties to shield such individuals from deportation. In fact, many of these Vietnamese immigrants – some of whom were just children – arrived in the U.S. as refugees fleeing the Vietnam War, and some even fought alongside the U.S. military during the war. Moreover, many of the individuals who may be targeted by the new policy have lived in the U.S. for years and have contributed substantially to the social, cultural, and economic life of our country.

This is especially true in Greater New Orleans, home to a thriving community of Vietnamese immigrants and their descendants dating back at least to 1975, when the Roman Catholic Church brought 2,100 refugees to the region after the fall of Saigon. The 2010 Census listed 15,800 people of Vietnamese descent living in the area. Coincidentally, it was also in 2008 that we became the first region to elect a Vietnamese-American to the U.S. Congress, a historic achievement of which the local Vietnamese community was and is rightfully proud.

The American people opened their arms to Vietnamese immigrants in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, and we should continue to support this community today. We feel fortunate to have the Vietnamese people of Greater New Orleans as our neighbors and partners.

Arnie D. Fielkow | Chief Executive Officer

Bradley Bain | Chair, Jewish Community Relations Council

Federation launches partnership with WBOK

As part of Federation's continuing focus on expanding relationships throughout the wider New Orleans community,  we have launched of a formal partnership with WBOK 1230AM to highlight and explore African-American/Jewish relations monthly on the Good Morning Show with Oliver Thomas. The six-part series, called Shalom: A Cross Cultural Conversation, features monthly segments, welcoming different guests and topics each time for an hour-long discussion on shared history, challenges and goals.
 

Download the November 14th segment here.

Federation/ADL Joint Statement on Mass Shooting in Pittsburgh Synagogue

On Saturday morning, October 27, 2018, during Shabbat services a gunman opened fire on the historic Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA.

Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones, and we pray for the full recovery of all those injured.

We are horrified by this act of wanton bloodshed and grotesque anti-Semitism. While this appears to be an isolated incident, the effects are far-reaching. We urge all Americans to stand together with their neighbors against senseless violence and hateful rhetoric.

“This despicable act of hate and violence has shattered the sanctity of the Sabbath and the congregation of Or L’Simcha will be forever changed.  With the emboldened voices of hate being heard throughout society, the possibility of people acting out on that hate increases.  We must do everything in our power to combat hate and extremism so that acts of violence like this do not become normalized,” said Aaron Ahlquist, Regional Director of ADL’s South Central Region. “Our heart goes out to the community in Pittsburgh, and to the families of the victims of this terrible act, including the families of the police officers shot in today’s violence.  We pray for healing and peace in the aftermath of this hateful act.”

Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans CEO, Arnie D. Fielkow, added, “Shabbat is a time for peaceful worship. This morning should have been a joyful time, as congregants gathered for the bris (baby naming ceremony) of an infant. Instead, that moment was tragically shattered, transformed into a scene of terror and grief. We can and must do better. Together we must drown out hate with love.”