The Reform movement called comments by New Orleans’ mayor as “offensive” and “misguided.” Mayor Ray Nagin suggested Monday that Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast last year because “God is mad at America” and said he hoped the city would become “chocolate” again. Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, said the comments were a “distraction at a time when our nation is trying to rebound and recover from these horrific natural disasters.” Saperstein said: ” We must focus on rebuilding and improving the lives of those affected by the hurricanes and on learning how to mitigate the damage from future natural disasters, and not waste time or energy assigning blame in God’s name.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
