New Orleans leaders issue “Statement of Peace” for Israel and Gaza
Over the summer, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans posted these billboards around the area.
On July 31, a coalition of leaders from a wide range of organizations, including political, faith-based and educational institutions in the New Orleans area, issued a New Orleans Statement for Peace “in light of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Israel.”
Numerous rabbis and leaders of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and the Anti-Defamation League are among the signers, along with the entire New Orleans city council.
The statement calls for unity and peace in New Orleans, condemning all forms of hate, mourning the loss of life on both sides, and supporting diplomatic efforts for a negotiated ceasefire and release of hostages.
Council members have been under intense pressure for months by a coalition of anti-Israel groups to call for a ceasefire. The coalition of anti-Israel groups has denounced the statement.
The statement reads:
As the world witnesses the conflict in Gaza and Israel, New Orleans prays for peace.
When violence spills over into our country, with extremist attacks on Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities, New Orleans stands firm: not here.
We, the leaders of New Orleans’ faith-based community, nonprofits, businesses, government, community groups, and civic organizations, call for unity and peace in our city. We strongly condemn all forms of hate, including antisemitic and Islamophobic behavior stemming from the conflict in Gaza and Israel.
We mourn the loss of innocent lives and grieve with our neighbors in New Orleans who have family and friends in Israel and Gaza. We unequivocally reject all actions that endanger innocent people.
We support the diplomatic efforts by the United States for a negotiated ceasefire, including the release of all hostages, and emphasize that far too many lives have been lost. Whether it is here on the streets of New Orleans or across the world, our deepest and most sacred value is to protect life and resolve our differences peacefully through democratic means. Calls for violence and conflict in New Orleans are contrary to the values of our community and our commitment to preserving lives.
We encourage all residents to show compassion and empathy during these difficult times. New Orleans is a diverse and loving city that comes together in tough times, and we are so much stronger for it. Together, we stand united in our determination to keep New Orleans peaceful and all its residents safe.
We pray for peace abroad and at home.
Signed as of July 31, 2024 (in alphabetical order)
Rabbi Katie Bauman, Touro Synagogue
Warren A Bell, Dillard University National Center for Black-Jewish Relations
Commissioner Darryl D. Berger, Port of New Orleans
Jolie Bernard, The Bernard Group
Aaron Bloch, Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans
Janet Brewster, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana
Rev. Herbert A. Brisbon, Dillard University
Pastor Willie Calhoun, Fairview Mission Baptist Church
Commissioner James Carter, Port of New Orleans
Ronald Coleman, NAACP New Orleans Chapter
Cavin Davis, Anna’s Place NOLA
Kyle DeVries, New Orleans Resident / LGBTQ+ Community Organizer
Hon. Lisa R. Diggs, Clerk of Court
Caroline Fayard, New Orleans Resident
Commissioner Jeanne Ferrer, Port of New Orleans
Robert French, Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans
Lindsay Baach Friedmann, ADL
Rabbi David Gerber, Congregation Gates of Prayer
Councilmember Joseph I. Giarrusso, New Orleans City Council, District A
Councilmember Eugene Green, New Orleans City Council, District D
Councilmember Lesli Harris, New Orleans City Council, District B
Michael Hecht, Greater New Orleans, Inc.
Rev. Duane Anthony Hill, Calvary Tabernacle CME Church
Jason Hughes, State Representative, Louisiana House of Representatives, District 100
Jill Israel, New Orleans Resident
Eric “Doc” Jones, Elected Official, Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee
Diedre Pierce Kelly, Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee Board Member
Councilmember Freddie King III, New Orleans City Council, District C
Rev. Dr. Levon A. LeBan, SCLC New Orleans Chapter
Commissioner Walter Leger, Jr., Port of New Orleans
Sandra Lombana Lindquist, New Orleans Chamber of Commerce
Pastor Fred Luter, Jr., Franklin Avenue Baptist Church
Councilmember Helena Moreno, New Orleans City Council President
Councilmember Jean-Paul Morrell, New Orleans City Council Vice President
Pastor Chuck Morse, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
Commissioner Todd Murphy, Port of New Orleans
Imam Rafeeq NuMan, Masjid ur-Rahim
Rev. Marie Ortiz, New Creation Christian Church
Olin Parker, Orleans Parish School Board, District 3
Mayra Pineda, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana
Alicia Plummer, New Orleans East Business Association (NOEBA) & Resident
Rabbi Daniel Sherman, Temple Sinai
Will Snowden, New Orleans Resident
Councilmember Oliver M. Thomas Jr., New Orleans City Council, District E
Commissioner Joseph Toomy, Port of New Orleans
Avis Williams, NOLA Public Schools
Commissioner Sharonda Williams, Port of New Orleans
Carlos Luis Zervigón, Orleans Parish School Board, District 6
Anti-Israel groups respond
NOSHIP issued a response by a coalition of anti-Israel groups decrying the statement, calling it “insidious in its language.” NOSHIP is New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports, a group “committed to ending economic and cultural ties between New Orleans and Israel,” and opposed to business ties between Israel and the Port of New Orleans.
The coalition’s statement calls for an “immediate, unconditional, permanent and enforceable ceasefire” in Gaza; the end of arms transfers to Israel, especially through the Port of New Orleans; an “immediate and unconditional exchange of prisoners,” citing over 3300 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and apparently referring to Israeli hostages in Gaza as “prisoners”; and “Israel’s immediate compliance with international humanitarian law” allowing unrestricted entry of goods into Gaza. They also demand that the city condemn “attempts to suppress freedom of speech” through the sending of a SWAT team to clear out an anti-Israel encampment on May 1.
They also said the statement was done “behind our backs,” and paints protestors as violent when “the only violence” since October has been by law enforcement toward the protestors. It also refers to Israel’s actions as a “genocide,” supported by the U.S. government.
They said the statement was distributed by the “strongly Zionist” Federation and they were not invited to take part in its drafting, despite meeting with city council members for months and pressuring for a ceasefire resolution. They plan to attend the Aug. 8 city council meeting to voice their rejection of the statement.
The coalition has clashed with the Federation in the past, with coalition member Jewish Voice for Peace accusing the Federation of racism and defending genocide. After the Federation placed billboards around the area this summer saying “No Hate in Our Home,” JVP posted a Photoshopped version in the same style, with the message of “Zionism is Racism.”
In 2018, many of these groups presented the City Council with a “welcoming city” resolution that spoke about human rights, and it passed unanimously. Though the resolution did not mention Israel or the Middle East, the groups immediately publicized it as an unprecedented win for the boycott-Israel movement, and the story of the groundbreaking resolution was touted worldwide. Council members who were surprised by how the resolution was being used, and how the city leadership was being portrayed, rescinded the resolution two weeks later, at a very contentious council meeting, with the Federation and other groups speaking against the original resolution while anti-Israel groups jeered.
Updated on Aug. 2 at 10:15 a.m. to delete one signatory who rescinded.
