08/29/2026
August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina ravages the city of New Orleans, leaving the Jewish community scattered across the South, some even finding sanctuary at URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Mississippi, the home of the original Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. Jewish institutions suffered $20 million in damage, including Orthodox Congregation Beth Israel , which lost its building and all 7 torah scrolls.
This Torah cover from Beth Israel was stored in a maintenance closet wrapped in a plastic bag that rose and fell with the flood waters. Moisture, heat, and the time it took to recover it led to its discolored condition.
Today, the New Orleans Jewish community has not only rebounded, but grown. The New Orleans Jewish population is around 12,000-13,000, up from 9,500 pre-Katrina. Congregation Beth Israel has a new building next door to Reform Congregation Gates of Prayer, which shared their space with Beth Israel until they could move into their new home.
From the MSJE Permanent Collection. Gift of Myron and Marcie Goldberg, Abraham Goldberg’s son and daughter-in-law.
