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Frank Levy

b. 1949

Francis (Frank) Levy, a performer, writer, and educator, was born in 1949 in New Orleans. He worked as a teacher in public schools and universities. He has served on several Boards of Directors and volunteered with various charitable organizations, including synagogues, hospitals, schools, and many others. Levy was one of the founding members of the Northshore Jewish Congregation. He is married to Bonnie Wood, and they have one child.

Scope and Content Note

Frank Levy shares his family history, journey to New Orleans, and his childhood as both Catholic and Jewish. He felt deeply connected to the city, returning even after he and his parents moved away. Later in life, he, and his wife Bonnie Wood, found Judaism, and Levy became a founding member of the Northshore Jewish Congregation. Levy describes his career in education, including his teaching positions and his immersive theater shows. Levy and his wife stayed in their house during the storm. After the storm, their home became unlivable, and conditions worsened instead of improving. Levy went with Wood to her work, the library at St. Joseph's Abbey, where Wood continued to work. During this time, Levy felt guilty for not contributing to the relief effort, a feeling strongly influenced by his understanding of Tikkun Olam [repairing the world]. As he didn't have the skills needed to help with construction, he began performing interactive theater in multiple shelters in the area. Levy details his struggle to acquire food and the overall destruction faced by the city and its population. He started traveling nationally, performing his shows in synagogues around the U.S. and Toronto. The Jewish community rallied to support New Orleans, uniting across denominational differences, which inspired Levy. He reflects on the changes after the storm, including his performance work and the New Orleans community and educational system. Levy also depicts the first Shabbat service held in the disaster area.

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How to cite this page

Oral History of Frank Levy. Interviewed by Rosalind Hinton. 3 September 2006. Jewish Women's Archive. (Viewed on December 26, 2024) <https://jwa.org/oralhistories/levy-frank>.

Oral History of Frank Levy by the Jewish Women's Archive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://jwa.org/contact/OralHistory.