Vivian Cahn
Vivian Cahn was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1950. Her family moved to New Orleans when Vivian was twelve years old. She graduated from Brandeis University and became a businesswoman, interior designer, an active member of the Jewish community, a leader in the Jewish Federation, and an active member of the arts community. She is chair of a Mardi Gras Crew and loves New Orleans.
Cahn talks about her family background, growing up in the South, moving to New Orleans when she was twelve, and the Greater New Orleans Jewish community. She remembers the weekend before Hurricane Katrina, evacuating with her family in a private plane to Houston before relocating to Lafayette, Louisiana, for four months before returning to New Orleans. In Lafayette, Vivian and her family could reconnect with the Jewish community and other New Orleans evacuees there to celebrate the high holidays. Vivian describes the chaos and uncertainty in the months following the storm. Utilities were out, so communication was difficult. Their dog and housekeeper, who was like family, were initially unaccounted for. When Vivian, her husband, and son finally returned to New Orleans, their house had suffered repairable wind damage, but their extensive gardens were ruined. Kahn reflects on the recovery in New Orleans following the storm, crediting the Jewish community and organizations such as the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans and the Jewish Community Center with helping rebuild the area and reconnect friends and family. She feels more fortunate than many others in the city of New Orleans, having had the resources to evacuate, not having lost her home, or being displaced for very long.