Almost two years after Congregation Beth Israel buried seven sifrei Torah in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Orthodox shul will be celebrating a Torah dedication ceremony on Sunday, May 20. The new Sefer Torah is a gift from a congregation in Anaheim, California.

The idea of the gift originated when two members of the Anaheim congregation, Beth Emet, visited New Orleans last year, helping to clean up areas throughout the city and touring devastated sites, including Beth Israel. When Beth Israel President Jackie Gothard relayed the story of the Hurricane’s damage to the visitors, they responded: “We think we have a Torah for you!” The shul’s seven Sifrei Torah, all of them over 100 years old and from pre-war Europe, obtained world-wide fame when members of Zaka flew in by helicopter to try and rescue them from the flooded shul. The Torahs were damaged too badly and had to be buried in accordance to halacha.

This is the second Torah dedication since Hurricane Katrina. Beth Israel was established in 1904 and is the only shul in the area with daily minyanim. Its building was destroyed by the hurricane, and while it is being rebuilt its members meet in a temporary location.

New Orleans has launched a campaign to attract new residents. Approximately 3,000 of its former 10,000 Jewish residents have not returned since the Hurricane. There have been significant recruitment efforts initiated towards the frum community, offering benefits to young families.