AVODAH honors Glaser, Usdin at Partners brunch
By ALAN SMASON
AVODAH, the Jewish Service Corps, held its annual Partners in Justice Brunch at Touro Synagogue on Sunday, May 15 to a full crowd gathered in the Jacobs Social Hall and for the third time in as many years honored two community members for their contributions towards fighting poverty and implementing social justice in New Orleans.
Cathy Glaser receives the AVODAH Partners in Justice Award from Larry Orlansky, former board chair of the ADL. (PHoto by Alan Smason)
Honored were Cathy Schatz Glaser, the former South Central Region executive director of the Anti-Defamation League and Dr. Linda Usdin, a scholar and community development leader.
Attendees were treated to jazz music supplied by a trio of performers: drummer Benny Amon, trumpeter Alex Owen and keyboard player Steve Pistorius, all known collectively as the Messy Cookers. Amon and Owen are past residents of the AVODAH Habit (House) from 2011 and 2012, respectively. The name refers to the condition of the kitchen at the Habit on Jefferson Avenue.
Following an invocation by Touro Synagogue Alexis Berk, event co-chair Bobby Garon welcomed everyone on behalf of himself and his co-chair wife Robin Levy.
Attendees were invited to enjoy a kosher brunch prepared by Andy Adelman.
Dani Levine, New Orleans AVODAH director, followed with some insights on the outreach of AVODAH and the fact that more than half of the program participants who have come to New Orleans have stayed on after their one-year period was over. Today, more than 40% of the program participants are still involved with social justice and anti-poverty programs.
Former ADL board chair Larry Orlansky introduced Glaser and presented her with a special award, the image of a tree spreading with a saying beneath it culled from Proverbs 1:2-3: “For learning wisdom and discipline, for understanding words of discernment, for acquiring the discipline for success, righteousness, justice and equity.”
Glaser closed with a quote from anthropologist and author Margaret Mead. “‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever does.’ And, AVODAH, this quote speaks to you because you are…an inspiration to all of us. I am so happy that I have the experience of being connected with you and look forward to being part of your role in the future.”
Carol Bebelle, the director of the Ashé Cultural Arts Center introduced Dr. Linda Usdin and cited her for her outstanding community work as a manager of programs for the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and other national foundations.
Bebelle acknowledged Usdin’s “head and heart” in her community work. She said she admired her ability to get jobs done and how Usdin has never seemed to shirk from any of her duties. Bebelle called her “godmother Linda” and thanked her for all of her work and bridge building with her center.
Usdin said she had the good fortune to be born into a family that had the conversation between them with regards to fighting the issues of poverty, racism and injustice. “You need to be schooled in the full history, not part of the history, but all of the history. And you need to learn about all the injustices, not just the injustices that you feel, or that your people feel. And you need to learn about all the heroes who fought the injustices,” she continued.
“The people that you use (are) your family of choice. These four tables are my family of choice,” she said pointing at family and friends who had gathered to honor her.
Closing remarks were delivered by Naomi Orlansky, the AVODAH Advisory Council chair.
