Katrina's Jewish Voices

Katrina’s Jewish Voices is a project of the Jewish Women's Archive in collaboration with the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Launched in August 2006, almost a year after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the project collected oral histories and digital artifacts to create the most comprehensive record of the Jewish community’s experiences of Katrina in existence.

The 85 oral history interviews draw on the personal experiences of American Jews whose lives were touched by one of the most devastating humanitarian and natural disasters in American history. Collectively, the interviews reveal the values underlying American Jewish life at the turn of the 21st century, the fragility of our sense of security and well-being, and the connectedness of our lives – across boundaries of race, religion, and culture, as well as geographic distance and generational divides. From the struggles of individuals in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Jewish communities to rebuild their lives and the efforts of people across the country to provide support and relief, Katrina’s Jewish Voices provides eloquent and intimate testimony to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of community in the face of daunting challenges.

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Julie Harris

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Julie Schwam Harris on October 14, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Harris shares her family background, her work in the Mayor's office during Hurricane Katrina, witnessing the impact on vulnerable populations, her identity as an agnostic Jew, her involvement in grassroots politics, and her hopes for a more equitable future for New Orleans.

Susan Hess

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Susan Hess on November 16, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Hess talks about her family background, experiences during Hurricane Betsy and Hurricane Katrina, her journey towards more observant Judaism, and her involvement in raising funds for the Louisiana SPCA and City Park after Katrina.

Les Hirsch

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Les Hirsch on November 13, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Hirsch reflects on growing up as a Jew in a Newark suburb, his role in medical administration, his experiences during Hurricane Katrina at Touro Infirmary, the subsequent evacuation and recovery efforts, and his determination to stay in New Orleans and contribute to the community's future.

Lee Isaacson

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Lee Isaacson on August 30, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Isaacson talks about his family background, education, experiences during Hurricane Katrina, and his current work at the Jewish Community Center, expressing his disaffiliation with organized religion and frustration with government negligence.

Barbara Jacobs

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Barbara Jacobs on November 5, 2006, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Jacobs recounts her Reform upbringing in Indiana, her experiences in New Orleans, including Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, her love for music, the loss of her home and piano, and her strong connection to New Orleans, Judaism, and her family.

Ben Jaffe

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Ben Jaffe on September 6, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Jaffe talks about his upbringing in the French Quarter of New Orleans, his family's contribution to the revival of traditional jazz through Preservation Hall, his experiences during Hurricane Katrina, and his efforts to rebuild and preserve the city's music culture.

Catherine Kahn

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Catherine Kahn on October 17, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Kahn reflects on her family history, experiences growing up in New Orleans, her husband's illness, the evacuation during Hurricane Katrina, the impact of the storm on her and her community, and her return to New Orleans and her work.

Lis Kahn

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Lis Kahn on August 16, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Kahn shares her Jewish education, conversion to Judaism, Hurricane Katrina evacuation, and the challenges and significance of the New Orleans Jewish community.

Janet Krane

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Janet Krane on November 2, 2006, in Metairie, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Krane recounts her experience during Hurricane Katrina, including the challenges faced at Memorial Hospital and the controversy surrounding euthanized patients, as well as her reflections on family, community, and rebuilding New Orleans.

Alan Krilov

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Alan Krilov on October 18, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Krilov, a member of the Chabad community, recounts his challenging experience during Hurricane Katrina, including his evacuation and subsequent efforts to rebuild his life and reconnect with the Jewish community.

Ruth Kullman

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Ruth Kullman on November 8, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Kullman discusses her career in community activism, including her work with Planned Parenthood, her involvement in helping her synagogue recover from Hurricane Katrina, and her contributions to various boards and local politics.

Jake Kupperman

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Jake Kupperman on July 18, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Kupperman reflects on his experiences during Hurricane Katrina, including volunteering at a hospital, the aftermath of looting, and how his parents protected him and his siblings, highlighting the importance of friends, routine, and returning to New Orleans in their recovery process.

Stephen Kupperman

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Stephen Kupperman on September 8, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Kupperman speaks about his childhood in New Orleans, his involvement in Jewish non-profits, and his experience during Hurricane Katrina, including his evacuation to Baton Rogue, reflecting on the changes in the city since then.

Jeffrey Kurtz-Lendner

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Rabbi Jeffery Kurtz-Lendner on December 4, 2006, in Metairie, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Rabbi Kurtz-Lendner discusses the impact of Hurricane Katrina on his congregation, including damage to the synagogue, economic hardships, and the healing power of community support during a "refugee Shabbat," while highlighting the government's failures in response to the disaster.

Irwin Lachoff

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Irwin Lachoff on August 24, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Lachoff reminisces on his upbringing in New Orleans, his involvement with Beth Israel Synagogue, his experience during Hurricane Katrina, and his concerns for the future of the local Jewish community.

Miriam Latter

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Miriam Latter in Metairie, Louisiana, on September 26, 2006, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Latter reflects on her upbringing, running Tujague's Restaurant, her leadership in the Jewish community, and the impact of Hurricane Katrina, highlighting the community's resilience and the significance of community-wide prayer services.

Susan Levitas

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Stuart Rockoff interviewed Susan Levitas on August 31, 2007, in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Levitas recounts her childhood, career as a folklorist, marriage, experience during Hurricane Katrina, loss of her work, support from the Atlanta Jewish community, and her involvement in a women's shelter.

Anne Levy

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Anne Levy on November 14, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Levy shares her journey from surviving the Holocaust to settling in New Orleans, her experiences during Hurricane Katrina, the devastation of the city, and her enduring connection to Judaism, family, and New Orleans.

Frank Levy

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Frank Levy on September 3, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Levy recounts his family history, connection to New Orleans, the discovery of Judaism, a career in education and theater, experiences during Hurricane Katrina, involvement in relief efforts through interactive theater, support of the Jewish community, and the post-storm changes.

Julius Levy

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Dr. Julius Levy on October 13, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Dr. Levy discusses his Jewish upbringing, medical school experience, involvement with United Jewish Appeal, and the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Jewish community and New Orleans while expressing his love for the city.

Sandy Levy

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Sandy Levy on October 3, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina’s Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Levy speaks about her Orthodox upbringing, transition to Reform Judaism, and her experiences during Hurricane Katrina, highlighting the resilience and resourcefulness of the Jewish community in New Orleans.

Malka Lew

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Malka Lew on October 12, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Lew talks about her Orthodox Jewish upbringing, her transformation to an observant lifestyle, surviving cancer surgery before Hurricane Katrina, evacuating to Houston, and finding strength in her faith.

Theodore Lichtenfeld

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Theodore Lichtenfeld on August 21, 2007, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Lichtenfeld reflects on his upbringing, ​​his arrival in New Orleans as a rabbi, the challenges faced during the storm and its aftermath, and his optimism for the future of Shir Chadash and the New Orleans community.

Richard Lipsey

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Richard Lipsey on October 28, 2006, in New Orleans, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Lipsey shares his family background, military service, and community involvement in Baton Rouge, emphasizing his pivotal role in facilitating rescue missions, coordinating angel flights, and leading a city-wide effort to rescue Torahs after Hurricane Katrina.

Robert Loewy

Project
Katrina's Jewish Voices

Rosalind Hinton interviewed Rabbi Robert Lowey on November 29, 2006, in Metairie, Louisiana, as part of the Katrina's Jewish Voices Oral History Project. Rabbi Lowey talks about his family, career as a senior rabbi, and experiences during and after Hurricane Katrina, highlighting the importance of gathering, decision-making, and providing solace to the congregation.

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