Jewish History Tour: Exploring Jewish Influence in New Orleans
4.9
15 Ratings
New Orleans
Discover the rich Jewish history of New Orleans on this engaging tour. Explore the French Quarter and learn about the Jewish community's contributions to the city's culture, business, music, and food.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Woldenberg Riverfront Park - Along the river, our walk around the Woldenberg Park includes a chance to see the Holocaust Memorial, the statue of Malcolm Woldenburg.
- Jackson Square - This stop includes an intro to the history of New Orleans and discussion of earliest days of colony with threat of inquisition.
- Madame John’s Legacy - This old building has a fascinating history, and was owned by a Jewish philanthropist.
- Royal Street - From Dumaine to Pirates Alley, your guide will share stories of New Orleans’ famous pirates, some of which were Jewish.
- Preservation Hall - In front of our storied Jazz Hall, guests will hear about how Music was saved by Jewish preservationists.
- Omni Royal Orleans - Our last discussion includes Judah Benjamin, U.S. Senator and cabinet member of the Confederate government, and slavery in the state before the Civil War.
What's Included
- Expert local guide with comprehensive area knowledge
- All tours are insured and led by licensed guides
What's Not Included
- In-vehicle air conditioning
Additional Information
Embark on a journey through the French Quarter that illuminates the Jewish community’s role in shaping the diverse cultural heritage of New Orleans. The Jewish populace has been an integral part of the city, influencing its commerce, music, and lifestyle from colonial era onwards. Traverse through the city’s original grounds, where you will learn about the earliest Jewish immigrants, who fought to retain their identity within a Catholic colony.
Observe the localities where Jewish immigrants from the 19th and 20th centuries set up their homes and built their businesses. Discover how they fostered the city’s progress and development, supplementing the unique fusion of the old and new world identities that define New Orleans. The Jewish community is amongst the strongest advocates of preserving the French Quarter and jazz, its greatest accomplishment. Additionally, their influence is quite apparent in another global cultural specialty of New Orleans, its cuisine.
Location
PJ's Coffee
Canal Street
This PJ's is just inside Canal Place Mall on the corner of Canal and Iberville. Your guide will be waiting for you OUTSIDE the entrance of the coffee shop.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(15 Ratings)
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Sharon_k
Apr 1, 2024
Lots of Jewish history - Had a wonderful guide who shared lots of New Orleans history and particularly the Jewish involvement which was significant .
We loved the Agam holocaust memorial at a most beautiful location. Suzanne moved us around to view some important people and their roles in New Orleans growth.
Review provided by Viator
Lmd1963
Mar 20, 2024
Suzanne is fabulous! - Suzanne was fantastic! We appreciated her promptness and she is so knowledgeable about the history of New Orleans, especially the Jewish aspect. We learned so much. We highly recommend her. Her explanation of the Holocaust memorial was so helpful! We really enjoyed meeting her!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Karen_s
Jan 15, 2024
Great overview of New Orleans’s Jewish community - Suzanne was so knowledgeable and interesting. I appreciated her wide knowledge of both the history of New Orleans and the modern Jewish community.
Review provided by Viator
K2342jhjonf
Jan 9, 2024
There is no meaningful history of NOLA untouched by Jewish ingenuity - Suzanne was a fabulous guide, such a wealth of knowledge, great story-telling, well-paced. This tour exceeded my expectation. Highly recommended. Spoiler alert: without Jewish support, inspiration, preservation, chutzpah, and love of all things cultural, today's NOLA would be noticeably lacking in the richness and depth we all love!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
467elliotl
Dec 9, 2023
An excellent tour - Our guide Susanne Stone was excellent - very well informed. She made our two hour tour fly by! We learned so much!
Then, she sent us a synopsis of everything she spoke about. What a great souvenir!
Hannah and Elliot Levine, Montreal Quebec
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Tracy_c
Nov 30, 2023
Great tour in a time we need to remember our Jewish Pride. - Suzanne was very informative and a lovely person to spend the afternoon with. She was impressed w how the artist Agan structured the holocaust memorial. I was impressed that she was able to explain the piece of work from so many angles, that made it all make sense.
Review provided by Viator
Sightsee36937963751
Nov 13, 2023
Great tour - Suzanne was a wonderful delight. Very informative and charming. I kept saying to myself ‘I had no idea’ The tour was relaxing, we never felt rushed, yet she fit so much in.
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Debbie_m
Oct 15, 2023
I enjoyed the spots we... - I enjoyed the spots we visited , the history & story of each location.
History of people of New Orleans who were influential was enlightening.
Review provided by Viator
976brittaniew
Mar 10, 2024
Very good tour - Very good tour. Suzanne is knowledgeable and very interesting. Because of the nature of the tour (walking through the Quarter) the history goes back and forth from early 20th century to pre-Civil War than post-Civil War, then post-WWII, etc. All of it quite interesting, but many vignettes as opposed to a narrative of Jewish history. Definitely worth your time to take this tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C8274wndebbieb
Feb 20, 2024
Informative - There was more to hear than to see. One memorable sight was the Holocaust Memorial. It was amazing! For most of the tour we heard stories of prominent Jews and philanthropists who helped New Orleans thrive. The stories were interesting but sometimes hard to hear because of all the street noise and music. It would have been helpful to wear headsets where we could amplify the sound when needed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
