Spring Monthly Mitzvah Projects
Each month the MJCC and PJA communities will collect items for the monthly mitzvah. Drop off items in the blue bin in the MJCC lobby. Check the display for how you can participate and donate to these worthy causes.
This project reflects the Jewish commitment to Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), providing opportunities to give back to our community.
Please drop off items in the blue bin in the MJCC Lobby.
June – Fruit for Shavuot for Neighborhood House Food Pantry
HANS COPER—LESS MEANS MORE features the sculptural work of Hans Coper (1920-1981), a radical Jewish artist of the mid-twentieth century who was at the vanguard of British studio ceramics, pushing the boundaries of clay and forms of abstraction in his work. Guest curated by Sandra Percival, founding Director and Curator of Zena Zezza, the exhibition presents nearly 50 works by Coper including his Spade, Thistle, Ovoid and Cycladic forms drawn from an extensive collection of his work in England’s York Art Gallery, a rarely seen Portland collection, and a cluster of works from collectors and California institutions. Coper left Germany for England as a Jewish refugee in early 1939. The exhibition also includes works by celebrated ceramicist Lucie Rie, also a Jewish refugee, along with a small selection of related contemporary and modern artworks. Coper was described as “gentle, yet shattering” and Less Means More opens a conversation into the complexities and contradictions embedded in his life and work.
ALSO:
Betty LaDuke: EARLY WORK: curated by Bruce Guenther, Adjunct Curator for Special Exhibitions, features works created in the 1960s by one of Oregon’s most internationally recognized artists, Betty LaDuke, recipient of the Governors Art Award 1993. Centered in her identity as a first generation Jewish American, the early graphic works are based on memories of the vibrant street life of the immigrant neighborhoods of New York and stories from the Jewish bible. The works form a foundation for understanding the evolution of her long career as a narrative, image-based artist driven by deep social and political engagement.
Share the joys and challenges of breastfeeding, feeding and new parenting! Join the group if you are breastfeeding, formula feeding, pumping, bottle feeding or supporting a breastfeeding parent. Group moderated by Lara Greenberg, a board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). Expert guest speakers will join us for two of the groups to share knowledge on hot parenting topics, including infant gum/tooth care and postpartum mood disorders. Healthy snacks and activities for older siblings provided.
Thursdays
May 30, June 6, 13, 27 (NO CLASS: JUNE 20)
10:00 – 11:30 am, CG305
Cost: $20 Members + Guests.
Drop-in: $6 per class
Register: oregonjcc.org/registration
THE TORAH COMES ALIVE: WE’RE CELEBRATING SHAVUOT WITH A TORAH MONOLOGUE BASED ON THE BOOK OF RUTH
Join Cedar Sinai Park as Melissa Carpenter, a writer with a passion for Torah, creates a Torah Monologue from the point of view of Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi. Melissa imagines what Naomi might think and feel about her life, her family and her god. You’ll find this dramatic reading entertaining, moving and inspiring. Don’t miss it!
Come study and discuss the Bible with Rabbi Isaak at Neveh Shalom.
Shavuot is the celebration of the early harvest and receiving the Torah on Mt. Sinai: revelation, a first fruits festival, a potluck dairy dinner delight, a literary event, and an opportunity to learn! Something fun for all ages.
The schedule:
4:30 pm, we’ll make Shavuot paper crafts, celebrate the bounty of our spring gardens with a First Harvest Procession, beautify the Sanctuary, celebrate Havdalah and sing. (for all ages)
5:45 pm, we’ll have blintzes and cheesecake for our potluck dinner, followed by Havdalah. (for all ages) Please let us know what you will bring here.
6:30-8:00 pm, Havurah members Alicia Jo Rabins and Rebecca Clarren will read from their newly published books, Fruit Geode and Kickdown. (Older teens and adults. Childcare will be available.)Fruit Geode was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, and Alicia’s first collection of poems, Divinity School, won the APR/Honickman First Book Award; she is a poet, musician and Torah teacher, and will perform live music as part of the reading. You can read more here.
Rebecca is an award-winning journalist with extensive experience reporting on environmental issues; Kickdown, her debut novel, was shortlisted for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.
If you would like the authors to sign their books for you, please purchase copies in advance as the books won’t be on sale at the Shavuot celebration. You can purchase them on Amazon or at Powell’s.
8:15 pm, Deborah Eisenbach-Budner will teach Earthbound Revelation: Shavuot and Environmental Stewardship. She says: “Shavuot is a mixed heritage holiday: one part biblical harvest holiday and one part rabbinic celebration of revelation and Torah. We will look at the values and questions underlying the agrarian focus of Shavuot, especially as they relate to our current condition as humans dominating the earth. What does the Torah have to say about the role of humans vis-à-vis using the earth’s resources? How does our treatment of the earth mirror or interrupt our treatment of other humans, panim al panim (face to face)? What is the spirituality of being a citizen of the earth?”
9:30 pm, Benjamin will teach.
A night of joyful Jewish learning on the East Side!
Join us for classes and workshops led by members and leaders of TischPDX, The Alberta Shul, The Portland Jewish Yoga Collective, Moishe House and Congregation Shir Tikvah.
The evening will be a chance to learn more about Shavuot, a night we traditionally come together to learn. Torah study alongside music, yoga and cooking classes will be offered.
Sliding scale $5-$15. Join us!
Co-sponsored by Tisch PDX, Congregation Shir Tikvah, Alberta Shul, Moishe House and The Portland Jewish Yoga Collective.
Please join Congregation Neveh Shalom for a special night of study with Education Director Mel Berwin, Rabbi Daniel Isaak and Cantor Eyal Bitton.
Of course, there will be a cheesecake break! A Shavuot service will be held around 9:30 pm.
Shavuot: Come to Mt Sinai with Us on June 8, Saturday night, beginning at 8 PM
8 PM: Rabbi Sue Morningstar and Dr. Marty Towbin read the Ten Commandments
9 pm: Rabbi Emanuel Ben-David has a very special Power Point presentation to share
10 pm: Rabbi David Zaslow leads a teaching on the Book of Ruth
11 pm: Rabbi Julie Benioff brings folks from Temple Emek Shalom to lead a special teaching
Rabbi David says, “Shavuot is the anniversary of when our people received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. It is an auspicious night to come together as a community. Hearing the Ten Commandments is powerful in itself but the words have the power to penetrate each individual and bring personal revelation and healing to some personal struggle. We all get free from Egypt, and on Shavuot we find out why. Come join us!”
The Soul of the Matter ~ Who Are You?
This program will offer coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts to nourish your soul… plus:
Soul Searching: Where’s the Soul & Afterlife in the Bible?
11:30 pm, with Rabbi Ken Brodkin
As Jews, we often hear about the eternal soul and the afterlife. Oddly enough, they don’t seem to be mentioned in the Bible. Join us for an in-depth learning session as we look one layer below the surface of the Bible. Delve into the sources and discover a deeper part of yourself!
Panel Discussion: Who Are You?
12:30 am, with Dr. Rivka Berzow, Dr. Charles Kuttner & Rabbi Chanan Spivak (moderated by Rabbi Brodkin).
Join us for a candid conversation as a rabbi and two health professionals explore the nature of the soul and human spirituality. How do we know if we have a soul? Could this simply be an idea that humans fabricated? If we do have a soul, what does that mean for our real day-to-day lives?
Followed by a full night of learning and Neitz (sunrise) Minyan at 4:45 am!