The Jewish Federations of North America has decided to change the location of its annual conference in 2010, the group confirmed in a press release Sunday.
The umbrella group of the Jewish federation system was set to hold its 2010 General Assembly in Orlando, Fl., but instead the organization will shift the conference, which draws several thousand lay and professional leaders of the system, to New Orleans.
The Jewish Federations also will change the venue of its annual women’s philanthropy conference, the International Lions of Judah Conference, to New Orleans from Orlando.
The events will also be held earlier than planned, with the GA slated for Nov. 7-9 and the ILOJC slated for Nov. 8-10.
The organization is making the switch, it says, for practical reasons and because the federation system raised some $30 million in the aftermath of hurricane Katrian to help rebuild the area.
“We needed to reevaluate the venue," explained Jerry Silverman, President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America. "We are producing the GA and ILOJC during the same week and unfortunately the space in Orlando does not meet the needs that would best accommodate both events and the alternatives in Orlando logistically would have compromised the momentum built from GA 2009. In reviewing our options, it became clear that New Orleans was a community where we, as a Jewish community and family, could reflect on our collective responsibility and action together."
