Calendar

Jan
8
Tue
Moments of the Heart: 8-week class @ Congregation Neveh Shalom
Jan 8 @ 7:30 pm – 1:26 am
Moments of the Heart- The 4 Relationships Everyone Must Have
Join educator and author Dorice Horenstein for this eight-week class (Tuesdays, 7:30-8:30 pm, Jan. 8-Feb. 26).
Explore how to live life wholeheartedly. Moments of the Heart/ Rigei Lev is her upcoming book, focusing on Jewish thought and practice, Hebrew language and spiritual connection. Our heart has a tremendous influence on how we view life, how we act and how we build relationships. Just as the heart has four chambers, we will explore four different types of relationships: with oneself, with others, with the Creator, and with special and once-in-a-life time moments that define us, that give us the essence of who we are.
Dorice  arrived in Portland,  from Israel, after meeting her soon-to-be husband while volunteering on a kibbutz. In the States, she received her BA in English Literature and a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language. She taught hundreds of children and adults, Jews and non-Jews, the gems of Judaism, with an emphasis on the Hebrew language. Dorice has worked in synagogues and a private school, led sessions for NewCAJE and Spring Conference of the North by Northwest Region of Women’s League of Conservative Judaism organizations, and was the Education Director at a synagogue in Portland for 16 years. Together with her husband, Bob, Dorice has three children. She enjoys dancing in her spare time.
Moments of the Heart is about the four relationships one should experience in their life-time! It is a book that encourages readers to live fully and wholeheartedly. Our heart has a tremendous influence on how we view life, how we act, and how we build relationships. In the Bible, the word heart—or in Hebrew, lev (לב)—is mentioned no fewer than 202 times. If one takes the first and last letter of the Torah, the word created is lev, heart. And so, my book is a compilation of entries that enable us to find inspiration, direction, concepts and encouragement to live a better life. It is about the universal experience of being human-through the Jewish lens. Join us to find out what are the four relationships that will help create the best YOU possible!
Mar
13
Wed
MJCC Author Series – Special Event with Mary Morris @ OSU Foundation
Mar 13 @ 4:00 pm
Author Mary Morris will read from her latest book, Gateway to the Moon, on Wednesday, March 13 at the OSU Foundation in Corvallis.

Her novel alternates between late medieval Spain and Portugal during the traumatic time of the Inquisition, and a very small town in New Mexico in 1992. The modern New Mexican characters are Catholics with peculiar habits. Nobody in town eats pork but they don’t know why. It is likely they are the descendants of conversos, Jews who converted during the Spanish Inquisition. The story weaves a connecting thread from the Iberian Peninsula to Mexico City and then on to the original settlers who moved into what is now the American Southwest. Five hundred years later, a young amateur astronomer wonders about the secret of the town he grew up in: Entrada de la Luna, or Gateway to the Moon.

Morris’ previous work, The Jazz Palace, won the Anisfeld-Wolf Book Award for important contributions to the understanding of racism in 2016. She also writes short stories and travel memoirs. Her many novels and story collections have been translated into six languages. She lives in Brooklyn, New York and teaches writing at Sarah Lawrence College.

Doors open at 4:00 PM to meet and greet the author. A one-hour author reading and discussion will follow beginning at 4:30 PM. Light refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

Co-sponsored by the Beit Am Jewish Community and the MJCC. Grassroots Bookstore will be there with copies of the paperback edition of Gateway to the Moon for sale and author signing.

Apr
19
Fri
Art Gallery Exhibit: The Passover Series @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Apr 19 – Apr 28 all-day

Art Gallery Exhibit: The Passover Series

Shlomo Katz, Polish/Israeli, 1937 – 1992
Born in Lodz, Poland, Shlomo Katz immigrated to Palestine when he was eight years old in 1945. Katz developed an original technique of oil painting on a gilded metal surface. The result recalls medieval icons on the one hand, and oriental miniatures on the other. These ancient resources combine to form a totally modern image with a light humorous touch and a noble character. It took a lot of experimentation to translate these images to the graphic art form. The metallic inks of the golden tones and the importance of absolute registration presented just a part of the challenge, but the Katz serigraphs became the ultimate in modern printmaking.
Exhibit on display April 19 – 28, MJCC Lobby

Sep
2
Mon
Big Truck Day @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Sep 2 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Big Truck Day – SAVE THE DATE!
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
at the MJCC

Come out to see police vehicles, fire trucks, limos, race cars, construction trucks, and more! Enjoy food stations, games, and live music. Free and open to the community.

Dec
3
Tue
Free Krav Maga Trial Classes @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Dec 3 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Free Krav Maga Classes

Come and try for free, Krav Maga, a practical form of self-defense. It was pioneered by the Israel Defense Forces from a combination of boxing, wrestling, aikido, judo, and karate. This introductory course, taught by an IDF veteran of the special forces, will focus on providing you with the three pillars of Krav Maga: technique, conditioning, and situational awareness.
Instructor: Elias Stahl, former Israel Defense Forces SFC from 2012-2015

Tuesdays, December 3 + 17
7:00 – 8:00 pm

Register: oregonjcc.org/freekrav

Here’s what to wear and expect when you arrive:

  • Open to ages 16 – 60, on the condition that you are able to withstand strenuous physical activity.
  • Please arrive promptly and be dressed in gym shorts/long pants, a t-shirt, and running shoes/sneakers.
    No necklaces, bracelets, or earrings. Watches should be removed before class.
  • Please bring a water bottle in order to stay hydrated!
Dec
17
Tue
Free Krav Maga Trial Classes @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Dec 17 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Free Krav Maga Classes

Come and try for free, Krav Maga, a practical form of self-defense. It was pioneered by the Israel Defense Forces from a combination of boxing, wrestling, aikido, judo, and karate. This introductory course, taught by an IDF veteran of the special forces, will focus on providing you with the three pillars of Krav Maga: technique, conditioning, and situational awareness.
Instructor: Elias Stahl, former Israel Defense Forces SFC from 2012-2015

Tuesdays, December 3 + 17
7:00 – 8:00 pm

Register: oregonjcc.org/freekrav

Here’s what to wear and expect when you arrive:

  • Open to ages 16 – 60, on the condition that you are able to withstand strenuous physical activity.
  • Please arrive promptly and be dressed in gym shorts/long pants, a t-shirt, and running shoes/sneakers.
    No necklaces, bracelets, or earrings. Watches should be removed before class.
  • Please bring a water bottle in order to stay hydrated!
Dec
31
Tue
New Year’s Eve at Noon @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Dec 31 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

New Year’s Eve at Noon

Join us for this fun family event as we ring in the New Year! Arts and crafts, games, bouncy house, dancing, snacks, pool float, and our annual countdown to 2020 at noon with the balloon drop!
Tuesday, December 31
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Pool Float from 12:30 – 2:00 pm

Free and open to the community.

In partnership with MJCC Day Camp

Jan
21
Tue
Film Series: Saving the Dead Sea Documentary @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Jan 21 @ 7:00 pm

The Dead Sea is dying. Since 1976, its level has dropped more than 100 feet, leaving the coastline pockmarked with thousands of sinkholes. NOVA follows scientists, engineers, and political leaders who have come up with a daring plan.
Tuesday, January 21
7:00 pm

Free and open to the community.
Sponsored by Jewish Federation of Greater Portland

Mar
14
Sat
Women’s Torah Study @ Congregation Neveh Shalom
Mar 14 @ 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Women’s Torah Study
Sat, Mar 14, 28,
Apr 11, 25, 2020

12:30pm
Join Mel Berwin for uplifting learning & conversation – all levels welcome!

Mar
28
Sat
Women’s Torah Study @ Congregation Neveh Shalom
Mar 28 @ 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Women’s Torah Study
Sat, Mar 14, 28,
Apr 11, 25, 2020

12:30pm
Join Mel Berwin for uplifting learning & conversation – all levels welcome!