EDITOR’S NOTE: In light of the serious situation in Israel as we were preparing this issue of Oregon Jewish Life, the following Guest Editorial replaces the Letter from the Editor this month. Bob Horenstein is the community relations director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. As most of us sleep soundly in our beds…
The Jewish star of Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol says, for him, the play resonates more with the themes of the Jewish High Holidays than those of Christmas. Local actor and director Michael Mendelson plays Holmes for the play’s second season at Artists Repertory Theatre Nov. 23-Dec. 30. Originally scheduled to…
OJM exhibit of female cartoonists runs gamut of experience. The royal blue walls of the Oregon Jewish Museum make a striking setting for “Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women,” a traveling exhibition of 18 Jewish female cartoonists from four countries. This poignant, witty collection is co-curated by journalist Michael Kaminer and artist Sarah Lightman….
It’s a gifted writer who can take a subject that we feel is totally familiar and present it in a fresh way that’s not only enlightening and informative, but a joyful read as well. Rabbi Maurice Harris, formerly associate rabbi at Eugene’s Temple Beth Israel, brings to his writing the same mix of wit and…
About 30 years ago, Ed Asner tried and failed to convince his rabbi about the importance of Heifer International, so he narrated a documentary to convince others of the project’s unique benefits. This year he was joined by Royal Pains star Mark Feuerstein to create a Heifer at Hanukkah video to encourage other Jews to…
Purple onions glow against a neutral background. Apples burnished by red and gold highlights. A female torso whose contours are outlined in green, orange, turquoise and gray. This is the color world of painter Anna Kodesch, a third-generation Portlander whose upcoming show, “Oregon, My Oregon,” opens Dec. 1 at Bellamy Studios in Multnomah Village (6715…
Joanne Van Ness Menashe has done a great many things in her illustrious career working for nonprofits throughout the state, but it’s her latest position with the Oregon Ballet Theatre that is bringing her back to her roots. Though she got a degree in botany, plant pathology from Oregon State University, Menashe knew before even…
This Hanukkah 20- and 30-somethings can join fellow Jews at a variety of fun events including the Portland Trailblazers Hanukkah celebration. Young adults are also welcome to join family events around the community. Check the calendar on the next page for more holiday fun. Be sure to check Portland Young Adult Shabbat and Jews Next…
Ellen Bick didn’t know anyone when she arrived in Portland. That was 1997, and much has changed. After joining Congregation Beth Israel and enrolling her daughter in religious school, she discovered a world of friends and fulfillment at Women of Reform Judaism/Beth Israel Sisterhood. Now, as the newly installed WRJ Pacific District president, she looks…
Ida Rae & Friends: Cantor Ida Rae Cahana (center) was joined by Storm Large (left) and China Forbes (right) plus Thomas Lauderdale and the Pink Martini orchestra on Nov. 4 for an evening of music and fundraising at Congregation Beth Israel. More than 600 people came together under the Temple dome for a concert featuring…
