re: How long has Tulane had a fairly large jewish population?

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I have family in the Northeast and I’d say southern Jews and northern Jews are quite different.

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In the south the rabbi waves goodbye to them as they drive away from the shul during shabbat.

Orthodox Jews are not permitted to do any work on the Sabbath, including driving. So, in the South, Jews are far more relaxed in their attitudes regarding keeping kosher. Hence why reformed jews are often referred to as “Bacon-eating jews”.

The reasons for this date back to the 19th century. Jews in the north lived mostly in ethnic enclaves in major cities, surrounded by relatives and fellow Jews. Outside of New Orleans, the jews in the south lived often as the one jewish family in a small town of gentiles. Thus, they felt more pressure to try and fit in with the surrounding culture to avoid being austrocized. Southern Reform Jewish Temples conducted their sabbath services in English rather than Hebrew, sang patriotic tunes mixed in with religious hymns in order to seem more American, and their congregation members adopted the local diet of eating shellfish and pork. While northern Jews could rely on their tight-knit ethnic enclave communities to protect oneanother from reprisals, those in the South thought it best to adopt local customs so as to avoid isolating themselves. While they often were shunned by the most upper-echelons of high society, southern jews were remarkably well-accepted by the general population.

You are just talking out of your azz.

Oye, the scales from my eyes fell down one summer when I started partying with some Sammies from Broadway. So many stories...

Ok, one. Bill K. was from Miami Beach ("Not Miami...") and was a late night disk jockey at WTUL. One of the Tulane Deans at the time was a notorious alcoholic. So one night Bill plays "The Days of Wine and Roses" and dedicates it to the Dean. Why not, right?

The next day Bill gets a phone call from the Dean's office and is directed to meet with the Dean that afternoon. In the meeting, Bill was expelled from school. Not suspended, expelled.

When Bill's mother finds out, she, her rabbi and her lawyer fly to New Orleans. They march into the Dean's office, introduce themselves and Bill's mother announces, "I'm not leaving from this chair until my only child gets justice."

The Tulane Office of Alumni Affairs (Wealthy Division), has by some happenstance heard of Mrs. K's arrival and makes a few phone calls. The last call they make is to our Dean and Bill is quickly and miraculously re-admitted. He is told to watch his mouth, an instruction Bill heard many times in his life and always ignored.