Jews for New Orleans

The most recent issue of the Gambit Weekly featured a profile on the state of Public Defense in Orleans parish. The system is underfunded, defense attorneys are overworked, and basic civil rights are at risk for individuals who cannot afford the high fees of a private attorney.
The Orleans Public Defenders office has partnered with AVODAH: [...]

Ellen Michael, a student at UD, recently visited New Orleans during an Alternative Break trip through her college Hillel program. Current AVODAH Corps Member Meredith Grabek graduated from UD last year, and had a hand in perpetuating the UD Hillel Alternative Winter Break trip to help rebuild New Orleans. Read about Meredith’s experiences during her [...]

A recent article in the Portland, Oregon Jewish Review features Corps Member David Eber and his work in the Lower 9th Ward:

Salem man healing Lower Ninth Ward
David Eber gives a year to New Orleans
By DEBORAH MOON
article created on: 2009-02-15T00:00:00
While Mardi Gras parades and events at the Superdome are back on TV, most areas in New [...]

The Rethinkers are a group of youth activists who are coming up with innovative solutions for New Orleans schools. Last summer the Rethinkers focused on Food Justice, asking why they were being served food that was often frozen and unidentifiable. They held a press conference where they made 12 recommendations based on extensive research and [...]

Last month, Baptist Hospital uptown (now owned by Ochsner) reopened its Emergency Room, giving uptown residents more convenient access to emergency healthcare. The openning has since been praised as another step towards recovery, since access to healthcare in New Orleans has been limited since Katrina. However, a story published in the Times-Picayune sheds light on [...]

Check out this article posted by Kate Scott of the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center on Change.org. Kate is also the supervisor for AVODAH Corps Member Rebecca Waxman, who works as a Fair Housing Assistant at FHAC.

Because 130 hours a week is not an option…
by Kate Scott
Published [...]

After a decade of significant work in three major U.S. cities, AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps has brought its dedication for social justice to New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city over three years ago, the Jewish community has been part of the extraordinary effort to help rebuild it, giving generously through [...]

Meredith Grabek only needed one short trip to New Orleans to know she wanted to live here. Having grown up in Paxton, Massachusetts, Meredith was a junior at the University of Delaware when she first visited the city on an alternative spring break trip with her Hillel. Instead of lounging on the beach [...]

“Ed Buckner stood up at his son’s funeral last spring and told a lie. He said he had forgiven whoever shot the 26-year-old five times in the head outside a Gretna club. In truth, he still yearned to hunt down and kill the killer. Detectives could not identify a suspect. They rarely called the victim’s [...]