Baton Rouge Federation kickoff rescheduled

Rabbi Irwin Kula, who visited Baton Rouge and New Orleans for a series of programs on healing and recovery in December, will return to Baton Rouge on May 9.

The president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Kula will be the speaker at the Annual Campaign kickoff for the Jewish Federation of Greater Baton Rouge. The kickoff was originally scheduled for March 21 but was postponed.

The Baton Rouge Federation has seen an unprecedented year of activity, with absorbing a large proportion of the New Orleans Jewish community following Hurricane Katrina. The Baton Rouge and New Orleans Federations set up joint offices in Baton Rouge to service the communities’ needs. A website was quickly established to help disseminate information, and part-time Executive Director Rabbi Martha Bergadine’s position was upgraded to full-time.

The storm also postponed what was to have been the Federation’s 36th anniversary in September. Instead, the Sept. 18 gathering was the first gathering for the Baton Rouge Jewish community and the evacuees who were in the area.

The campaign event will be at B’nai Israel at 7 p.m.