Aliyah to New Orleans

Published: July 20, 2007, 3:31 pm

Tags: judaism, los angeles, israel, america

I bet there was a time when people would say, "You couldn't pay me enough to move to California." Actually, New Yorkers still say it. But now the Jewish community of New Orleans, down about 30 percent, to 7,000, since Hurricane Katrina, has cribbed one from Israel's playbook and is offering money to members of the Tribe who want to make aliyah to the Crescent City."DO you have a pioneering spirit?" read the recent ad in the Jewish Week newspaper of New York. "Are you searching for a meaningful community where YOU can make a difference?"To generations of American Jews, the pitch had a familiar ring. But this was not an invitation to settle the Promised Land. It was a call to repopulate New Orleans, a city known less for its Jewish culture than for its shellfish, sin and pre-Lenten carnival. ...So far, Jewish leaders acknowledge that they have attracted only a few newcomers, such as Hal Karp, a former magazine writer from Dallas who is moving here to teach in the public schools.Karp,

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