The Jewish Community of ReNew Orleans

1
The Jewish Community of (Re-)New Orleans

• RENEWAL AND REBUILDING
• A Strategic Plan
• Interim Report

2
The Context

• Strong Jewish heritage and presence in the city
• Large Jewish student population of 2,000 at
  Tulane
• Two main Jewish neighborhoods Uptown and
  Metairie and a smaller one on Northshore
• 9 synagogues (4 small Orthodox, 1 Conservative
  and 4 large Reform)
• Developed communal infrastructure including 2
  JCCs, 2 day schools, JFS, Hillel, 2 Chabad
  centers, ADL, NCJW, Hadassah

3
The Impact

• The population has declined from 9,500 to 6,600
• 80 of homes damaged everyone has a Katrina
  story
• The community is smaller yet stronger with higher
  levels of participation and engagement
• High levels of collaboration between all sectors
  of the community
• A lot of national Jewish interest in New Orleans
  missions, conventions volunteers

4
The Strategic Challenge

• Initial survival efforts led by Federation and
  UJC were successful (August October 2005)
• Medium term recovery is proceeding well and
  should be completed by end 2007
• Renewal and rebuilding are a long term process (a
  marathon and not a sprint) these require taking
  the community to a new and better place over 5-10
  years
• HOW DO WE MAKE THIS 3RD PHASE HAPPEN?

5
The Critical Issues

• EXTERNAL
• A negative external environment poor political
  leadership, damaged infrastructure, flailing
  economy, crime
• Long term decline of the city of New Orleans
• A new diaspora of out-of-towners how to keep
  them engaged?
• Loss of a third of donors and leaders
• Countering negative images nationally
• Overcoming Katrina fatigue
• Raising substantial funds nationally

6
The Critical Issues (cont.)

• INTERNAL
• Attracting new families to New Orleans
• Dealing with the trauma of Katrina and the fear
  of a future disaster
• Revitalize the modern Orthodox community
• Reaching out to the unaffiliated and the
  inter-married
• The need to downsize for a community reduced in
  size
• Service provision to outlying areas Northshore
  etc.
• The feasibility of maintaining two major delivery
  centers?
• New untapped local funding sources
• Sustaining financially the community
  infrastructure
• Collaboration, mergers and avoiding duplication

7
Five Task Forces

• Community and People out-of-towners, attracting
  newcomers, the unaffiliated and inter-married,
  2,000 Jewish students
• Finance and Fundraising local, external,
  untapped, sustaining the community with less
  donors
• Geography and Services getting services to the
  people, Metairie, Uptown, Northshore and others
• Agencies Organization prioritizing and being
  more efficient, collaboration, mergers,
  downsizing
• PR, Marketing Media internal image, external
  image, Katrina fatigue

8
The Realistic Vision

• The New Orleans Jewish community will recover,
  increase its population, and enhance the quality
  of Jewish life by providing opportunities for
  interpersonal, educational, spiritual economic
  growth through the united efforts of all Jewish
  institutions.
• To transform the New Orleans Jewish community
  into the most successful, vibrant and rich
  intermediate Jewish community in North
  Americaand attractive to young Jewish families.

9
The Planning Process

• Assessing the environment (SWOT)
• Identifying critical issues
• Building scenarios
• Creating a realistic vision
• Setting objectives
• Collecting data looking at other model
  communities
• Discussing obstacles and problems
• Generating strategies
• Developing proposals and plans
• Determining resources, manpower, organization and
  timetables

10
Strategic Themes

• Attracting newcomers
• Embracing those that have left
• Fundraising outside the community
• Retaining a high level of engagement
  involvement
• The day school as an important component of the
  community
• High levels of collaboration
• Branding NOLA as a pioneering, exciting fun
  community
• New Orleans as a Jewish People project and as a
  model of a post-disaster community recovery

11
Initial Projects and Proposals

• PEOPLE AND COMMUNITY
• Newcomers incentive program
• Weekend missions to New Orleans
• Newcomers party welcome package
• Business and job networking
• New Orleans Jewish Business Council
• Expanding student internships
• Intermarriage outreach initiative
• Counseling for post Katrina trauma

12
Initial Projects and Proposals (cont.)

• GEOGRAPHY SERVICES
• Community day school almost free
• Effective plan for supplementary Jewish education
• Modern Orthodox kollel
• New Hillel building
• Community mikveh
• Jazz and Jewish music festival
• Satellite services to Northshore (pre-K, bus,
  shabbaton)

13
Initial Projects and Proposals (cont.)

• FUNDRAISING FINANCE
• Community grant writer
• Community wide planned giving
• Community fundraiser event
• Involving more local businesses in giving

14
Initial Projects and Proposals (cont.)

• AGENCIES ORGANIZATION
• Possible merger of the 2 day schools
• Collaboration between the Reform synagogues
  programming, Hebrew and religious schools, family
  programs
• Collaboration in senior services
• Coordinated youth activities
• Unified adult education
• Centralized accounting for all agencies and
  synagogues
• Community event board coordination

15
Initial Projects and Proposals (cont.)

• PR MARKETING
• New publicity package
• Hiring a PR firm
• Preparing and placing good news stories
• Jewish web portal