The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans kicks off its yearlong Centennial Jubilee Celebration tonight with a major event at the Isidore Newman School Henson Auditorium, located at 5333 Daneel Street. A wine and light refreshment will be served at 6:15 p.m. until the opening slated for 7:00 p.m. The highlight for the event will be renowned lecturer and highly regarded author Rabbi Joseph Telushkin engaging in a “conversation” with native New Orleanian Richard Berenson Stone, the current chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
Telushkin, the author of the best-selling, two-volume “Jewish Literacy: The Most Important Things to Know About the Jewish Religion, Its People, and Its History,” is considered one of the foremost Jewish speakers in the nation. He has written a number of other books on Jewish ethics and Jewish humor and is a rabbi at the Synagogue for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles. A graduate of the Yeshiva at Flatbush and Columbia University, Telushkin is the former director of education at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute and is also associated with the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. He serves as a member of the board of directors of the Jewish Book Council. He was last seen in New Orleans at a joint Gates of Prayer and Congregation Beth Israel event back in 2008 dealing with Jewish humor. Telushkin is considered an authority on the topic, having published a popular volume titled “Jewish Humor: What the Best Jewish Jokes Say About the Jews.”
Richard Berenson Stone
Stone, the president of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ), which advocates for the Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union, is a professor on the faculty of Columbia Law School in New York City. A graduate of prestigious Harvard Law School, Stone’s career began in Washington, D.C. as an assistant to the Attorney General, eventually placed in charge of all tax cases being considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. He has served on several public affairs committees in and around the New York area and formerly served as a spokesman for the public policy arm of the Orthodox Union.
The Centennial Celebration is intended to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the New Orleans Jewish Federation, which occurred on December 23, 1912. Several events, such as the establishment of an archives and other special occasions will be observed by Federation throughout the ensuing year of celebration. The CCJN will keep you informed throughout the Centennial Celebration through timely news articles and through our Calendar.
