Sen. Landrieu to discuss Israel-Louisiana ties at Federation annual meeting

The Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans will celebrate the conclusion of its best Annual Campaign since 2008 and hear from U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu at the Federation and Jewish Endowment Foundation of Louisiana’s annual meeting, Sept. 20 at the Uptown Jewish Community Center.

Kosher hors d’oeuvres will be served starting at 6:30 p.m., with the meeting starting at 7 p.m.

Landrieu will speak on “Louisiana’s Connections with Israel.” She visited Israel in 2011, leading a trade mission last October, concentrating on trade in the oil and gas industries.

In June, she hosted a delegation of Israeli officials in Washington and Louisiana. They attended the Central Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale in New Orleans, and visited Port Fourchon and the Liquified Natural Gas facility in Cameron Parish.

“Israel’s historic gas discovery of more than over 27 trillion cubic feet is a game changer, both economically, and geo-politically,” said Landrieu. “The U.S. is eager to share our expertise to help this critical ally successfully develop these resources. With our thousands of miles of pipeline and arguably the most advanced offshore oil and gas industry in the world, Louisiana is a natural fit for this delegation to see where the rubber really meets the road in the energy industry. By seeing our work first-hand and learning from our experiences – both our successes and missteps – Israel will be in a stronger position as it continues to grow its energy industry.”

The recent discovery of the large natural gas resource comes at a critical time for Israel. Last year, saboteurs started attacking the pipeline from Egypt to Israel, and in April Egypt terminated what had been a 20-year deal, cutting off 40 percent of Israel’s supply.

Because Israel does not have infrastructure to deal with the natural gas, the nation is turning to experts in the U.S. In June, a group led by Noble Energy in Texas started delivering 150 million cubic feet of gas per day from a platform 15 miles from the coast.

Elected to the Louisiana Legislature at age 23, Landrieu became Louisiana’s first woman elected for a full term in the U.S. Senate in 1996. She had previously served two terms as state treasurer.

As part of the annual meeting, Federation and JEF leaders will give “State of the Community” updates.

Sarah Pasternack and Henry Miller will receive the Anne Goldsmith Hanaw and J. Jerome Hanaw Tikkun Olam Awards for Campaign Excellence. The award honors the man and woman whose volunteer work for the Federation’s Campaign best exemplifies the concept of Tikkun Olam.

Karen Sher and Lou Good chaired this year’s campaign.

Good remarked, “Henry is a great solicitor. This past year at Super Sunday, I watched him take over an office, close the door and make nonstop solicitation calls for hours. At a Federation meeting during the Campaign, he made a case for how critical Federation is to the community that inspired everyone in the room. He was just as inspirational with each card, as demonstrated by the increased commitments from his donors.”

Sher noted, “Sarah cares so much about Federation that she was eager and enthusiastic to solicit as many people as she could. If someone was having difficulty with his or her cards, Sarah was happy to step in and take over. When I asked her to work Super Sunday, she showed up. When I asked her to come to Cabinet meetings, Sarah was there!
“I always knew I could count on Sarah. Sarah is the epitome of the model member of the Federation Cabinet. How lucky we all are to have someone of Sarah’s caliber in our Jewish community,” she concluded.

The Herbert J. and Margot Garon Young Leadership Award honoree is Robert Brickman.

To RSVP, contact Trinette Herron at trinette (at) jewishnola (dot) com or at (504) 780-5600.