In late winter, Tu B’Shevat events pop up like the first crocuses in Jewish communities everywhere, and Portland is no exception. On Feb. 12, about 30 people gathered at the Kenton Community Garden to celebrate the holiday, known as the “Birthday of the Trees.” Co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and Moishe House,…
“Everyone I saw in the sanctuary was either swaying to the music, clapping to the tune, nodding to the beat, and/or singing along. I cannot remember a Friday night service I enjoyed more or one where I felt as ‘moved’ towards starting the Sabbath. I actually was whistling the prayers and your music for the…
Endowments are eternal. The original founders of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation understood this truth. One of the simplest forms of planned giving, an endowment is a fund in which an original sum (principal gift) is invested and the income from the fund (or a percentage of the total fund) is distributed annually to support…
The hills are alive with the sound of… prayer chants? They are when Rabbi Boris Dolin takes eager groups of hikers out of Temple Beth Israel and into the merry woodlands surrounding Eugene. Influenced by his Oregon upbringing, a cult of forest-screaming rabbis in Israel and a dozen other sources, Rabbi Boris decided in the…
Picture your grandmother or aging parent. Now, consider the following expletives or uncomfortable topics: bitch, ass, sex, infertility and shut up! The elderly and invective don’t really go together. Or do they? Actually, you bet they do. “We underestimate those on the extremes of the age spectrum,” says Matthew B. Zrebski. “Those over 60 don’t…
Anti-Israel sentiments aren’t limited to college campuses. Last fall, when the Arab-Israeli hip-hop trio DAM came to Lincoln High School, Jewish parents and students who were concerned about DAM’s inflammatory anti-Israel lyrics contacted the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. When school resumed after winter break, LHS global studies teacher Pam Hall invited JFGP Community Relations…
On Jan. 20, while my classmates were freezing in Portland, I was in Miami Beach with more than 100 students, youth movement representatives and on-campus professionals from the United States and Canada at the Young Zionist Leadership Conference. We were a diverse group with a wide range of Jewish observance and connection to Israel. Some…
According to the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, Jewish college students have faced rising levels of anti-Semitism on campuses across America over the last decade. The IJCR, an independent, non-partisan think tank that provides research and policy analysis on a broad range of Jewish issues, recently conducted the study, “Alone on the Quad: Understanding…
Is bullying the latest national epidemic? At a recent event at Congregation Beth Israel, children’s advocate and best-selling author Trudy Ludwig was emphatic that although bullying is a complex issue, it is over hyped by the media. According to the latest research, bullying has actually decreased in the last decade. An award-winning writer and speaker…
The PJ Library, an organization that sends Jewish storybooks to thousands of households worldwide, is now connecting Jewish authors to local families in its expansion to five Oregon communities. Many Jewish parents wonder how they can make Jewish learning both exciting and accessible to their children. The answer for many families is the PJ Library,…
