During the month of June, the MJCC and PJA communities will be collecting pet food and gently used towels for The Pongo Fund and Dove Lewis Animal Hospital. Items can be dropped off in the blue bin located in the MJCC Lobby.
Artists Sara Harwin, Kanaan Kanaan and Inga Dubay love letters. They explore the tradition of sacred letters in Hebrew, Arabic & English calligraphy in many forms of art expression. They each have a creative voice dedicated to peace & justice.
Their will be an opening forum for the exhibit at 7 pm June 2. This event is open to all.
“Inga Dubay, Kanaan Kanaan and I come from three different lettering traditions, yet when we each speak about our journeys, we seek to touch upon a sacred, spiritual path,” says Sara. “We will be speaking on the evening of June 2 at 7 pm preceding the Interfaith Iftar, traditional breaking of the fast during the month of Ramadan.”
Sara Harwin
Sara was feaatured on the February 2014 cover of Oregon Jewish Life in conjunction with the exhibit she created: “Illuminated Letters – Threads of Connection.”
Her love of both art-making and Jewish learning come from being raised in a home filled with Yiddishkeit, Her early Jewish education at the Sholem Aleichem Institute in Detroit, Michigan and many years at Camp Tamarack enriched her sense of Jewish community. Later, she studied Hebrew and art history of the Middle East at the University of Michigan where she completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. At Michigan she gained first-hand experience in printing under the tutelage of artist and author Emil Weddige. Upon her arrival in Portland, Oregon in 1969, she went on to study clay work with Wally Schwab at Marylhurst College, incorporating her figurative approach to art onto dishware and freestanding sculptures. Her work has been exhibited internationally in numerous group and one-woman gallery and museum shows, while her ritual items are widely treasured by individuals and communities.
Inga Dubay
Inga Dubay’s work encompasses calligraphy, painting, drawing and printmaking. She taught at the Oregon College of Art and Craft for twenty-five years and was Book Arts Department Head for six years. Inga currently teaches at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. She has also taught at Portland State University for eight years and has conducted numerous workshops including as faculty at international calligraphy conferences. She has been a guest lecturer at Reed College’s Paideia, Scriptorium, and Art Department. She studied at Mills College and received a B.A. in Painting & Drawing from the University of Oregon with graduate study at the Art Academy in Oslo, Norway, the University of Oregon and the University of California at Berkeley. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally in juried and invitational exhibitions as well as shown in publications including Letter Arts Review, Lettering Arts and featured on Art Beat, Oregon Public Broadcasting. Her essay, The Write Stuff, appeared as an Op-Ed in The New York Times.
Kanaan Kanaan
Mr. Kanaan’s background is both interesting and diverse. He was born and raised in Amman, Jordan, in a Palestinian refugee camp. An artist by training, Kanaan studied at the College of Fine Arts at Baghdad University prior to immigrating to the U.S. in 1994. After moving to Portland, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and Graphic Design from PSU 1999, and in 2006, earned his Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Mixed Media from Warnborough University in Ireland. For the eight years, Kanaan was an adjunct professor in PSU’s art department where he’s taught courses in interactive media, Web design and computer graphics. Since 2011, he is serving PSU as the Middle East Student Retention Specialist. He continues to be an active artist, regularly participating in both solo and group shows.
The Optimistic Decade author Heather Abel in conversation with Leni Zuman. 7:30 pm at Powell’s Books, 3732 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland. Kirkus Reviews calls Abel’s debut novel “a playful look at Jewish coming of age and coming-to-terms in the American West.”
Heather Abel in Conversation With Leni Zumas
Framed by the oil shale bust and the real estate boom, by protests against Reagan and against the Gulf War, Heather Abel’s debut novel, The Optimistic Decade (Algonquin), takes us into the lives of five unforgettable characters, and is a sweeping novel about idealism, love, class, and a piece of land that changes everyone who lives on it. There is Caleb Silver, the beloved founder of the back-to-the-land camp Llamalo, who is determined to teach others to live simply. There are the ranchers, Don and his son, Donnie, who gave up their land to Caleb and who now want it back. There is Rebecca Silver, determined to become an activist like her father and undone by the spell of both Llamalo and new love; and there is David, a teenager who has turned Llamalo into his personal religion. Abel’s novel is a brilliant exploration of the bloom and fade of idealism and how it forever changes one’s life. Abel will be joined in conversation by Leni Zumas, author of Red Clocks.
800-878-7323, powells.com
The View of Three Venture Capitalists: Lessons from Early Stage Venture Investing Panelists include: Edy Dorsen, Women’s Venture Capital Fund Diane Fraiman, Voyager Capital Cheryl Krane, Fluffco, LLC Eric Rosenfeld, Oregon Angel Fund, Moderator.
Vegetarian breakfast provided. Kosher breakfast available upon request.
Mark your calendars for PDX Business Breakfast #3, featuring a panel of Venture Capitalists, which includes:
- Edith Dorsen, Women’s Venture Capital Fund
- Diane Fraiman, Voyager Capital
- Cheryl Krane, Fluffco, LCC
Moderated by: Eric Rosenfeld, Oregon Venture Fund
Thank you to our sponsors: Barry and Karla Benson, Jonathan Singer of Barg Singer PC, The Jerry & Helen Stern Grandchildren’s Fund of OJCF, Richard Barker of Merrill Lynch, Opus Bank, Office of the President at Portland State University, Keith Berne of ReMax, and Turner Construction Company.
Learn to play this ancient game. It will give your mind a workout! First class in the Ballroom, then in the Cafe at the J.
Registration code: CG303
Take your game to the next level. It will give your mind a workout!
Registration code: CG304
In the Cafe at the J
Join our Emeritus Rabi for weekly study of our sacred texts.
Join us for a fun, introductory Israeli dance class. All levels are welcome. Six people needed to run class. Instructor: Allsion Victor
Register with code: CG302
Rabbi David Zaslow is teaching a Beginner’s Hebrew class beginning Thursday, May 17 from 5 to 6 pm, and continuing each Thursday through June 14. Participants will learn to read, write and pronounce Hebrew. No prior knowledge required. Class fee, including text and Aleph Bet poster by local artist Abby Lazerow, is $40 for the series. The class will also be accessible via live streaming for those unable to attend in person. Pre-registration requested by calling 541-488-7716. The Havurah Synagogue is located at 185 N. Mountain Ave. in Ashland.