Bluma Rivkin

Bluma Rivkin moved to New Orleans in 1975 with her husband, Rabbi Zelig Rivkin, to open New Orleans’ first Chabad House. Born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Hasidic family, Bluma knew from a young age that she wanted to be an educator, and attended the Beth Rivka Teacher’s Seminary in Brooklyn, NY. Before moving to New Orleans, Rivkin taught elementary and middle school. In New Orleans, Rivkin taught Sunday School at Beth Israel and was central to the creation of Torah Academy, a Jewish day school grew out of the Lakeshore Hebrew Day School and opened in 1994.

Through her involvement with Congregation Beth Israel, Rivkin became central to the maintenance and renovation of the Beth Israel mikvah. She also helped organize the formation of Mikvah Chaya Mushka, which opened in 1989. After Hurricane Katrina, Mikvah Chaya Mushka became the sole mikvah in Louisiana, serving individuals across the South.

After Hurricane Katrina, Rivkin assisted displaced Jewish New Orleans families in finding housing in Houston and supported numerous individuals affected by the hurricane’s destruction. In the aftermath of the hurricane, Rivkin facilitated the creation of spaces for Jewish connection, including a joyous Rosh Hashanah celebration in Monroe, Louisiana. She returned to New Orleans less than two months after Katrina to create a space for the observance of Yom Kippur in New Orleans. She spearheaded much of the rebuilding of the New Orleans Jewish community in the wake of the hurricane, helping to reopen the Chabad House, the mikvah, and Torah Academy.

Bluma Rivkin with her grandaughter and great grandson, 2019. Courtesy of Bluma Rivkin.

Bluma Rivkin delivering handmade Torahs to babies born in New Orleans. Courtesy of Bluma Rivkin.