Tuesday, March 19th 2024   |

Community

The Jewish community has existed and thrived in the Greater New orlans area for more than two centuries. Even though the actual population has remained relatively small, the community at large has always been committed and supportive New Orleanians. Many of the city’s most prominent and productive leaders in the fields of medicine, public service, law, manufacturing, education, banking and commerce have been of the Jewish faith.

Jewish philanthropy developed from the basic core values that are stressed from Jewish teachings from the Torah. “Giving back” to one’s community is not unique to followers of the Jewish faith. However, in the case of New Orleans, the Jewish community has consistently donated and helped to establish many of the valued institutions in the area. Buildings foundations and parks bear many of these affluent family surnames – Delgado, Stern, Bestoff, Goldring, Woldenberg, Meyer, Lupin and Pulitzer.

Despite its small size at near 2% of the city’s population, we know that the New Orleans Jewish community surveys well as among the area’s most educated, affluent and extensively traveled. They are among the most significant of local philanthropists, contributing extensively to charitable funds both inside and outside of the Jewish community. Historically, many of its members have been the leading supporters of the arts including local museums, theaters, the opera, ballet and classical music institutions.

A large number of its members are homeowners, longtime taxpayers and many are extremely politically and socially active. The Jewish community’s children atend many of the area’s most prestigious local private schools. An unusually high number will graduate from four-year institutions of higher education and many of them will matriculate to graduate and professional schools.

Here are the Community Organizations.

Unlike other United States urban communities, the New Orleans Jewish population maintains strong ties to local religious institutions and affiliate with at least one local synagogue (several families have multiple affiliations). According to the latest study released in 2013 by the American Society of Associated Religious Bodies (ASARB), the Greater New Orleans area  was ranked as the the 15th most religious metropolitan area in the United States with 53,479 religious adherents per 100,000 citizens.

Here are the Religious Institutions.

(See CCJN SOURCE, Pages 4-5)

 

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