Dear Helen: Aaarghhh! What does one do with visitors who arrive early? I’m not talking about the occasional party guest who shows up while you’re still making hors d’oeuvres, but out- of-towners who announce that their schedule has changed and they’ll be showing up on a Thursday instead of a Friday! This happened last weekend,…
The week after Jewish forensic pathologist Judy Melinek, M.D., and her husband, T.J. Mitchell, released their jointly authored Working Stiff: Two years, 262 bodies and the making of a medical examiner, the book hit the New York Times nonfiction best seller list. It might have been America’s infatuation with shows such as “CSI” and “NCIS,”…
As the temperature drops, we crave heartier foods. For stick- to-your-ribs satisfaction, it’s hard to beat tacos, enchiladas and burritos. However, many restaurants prepare these items with pork or lard. But with the recent opening of La Panza Café in Southeast Portland, people who observe Jewish dietary restrictions without keeping strictly kosher can enjoy these…
I have been a member of a few book clubs over the years. I start out with the best intentions of finishing the book in a timely manner. But alas, invariably I find myself letting busy schedules get in my way. I show up anyway only to quietly sip my wine and try to come…
Leslie and Eva Aigner understand the power of history. And they believe that sharing stories from the past, no matter how horrible, can help create a better future. “We tell our story so that people can change their thinking,” Eva says. “If you don’t know what caused the Holocaust, it could repeat itself.” The Aigners,…
It was Marge’s idea. She had always enjoyed the huge Jewish Book Month in Florida, where she’d previously lived, but didn’t see anything like it in Portland. We needed one, too, she decided and got going turn- ing Jewish Book Month’s One Book, One Community into an annual event. This November is its fourth year…
Life expectancy has increased to more than 80 years in many parts of the world, according to professor Alon Friedman, a neurophysiologist and neurosurgeon. Friedman is chairman of the Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, a center of excellence at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheva, Israel. Many neurological disorders increase with age, and Friedman and…
Kryszek also was part of a delegation of local survivors who returned to Poland to collect soil and ash to be interred at the Oregon Holocaust Memorial in Washington Park. “This trip was made at great emotional expense to each of the survivors,” says Kaner. Fellow survivor Miriam Greenstein adds, “No matter what we’re doing…
Estelle Wexler remembers a time when there were many activities for seniors. “The Greenwood Inn in Beaverton used to have a seniors Shabbat luncheon; that’s how I met everybody I knew when I moved here 25 years ago. The JCC also had a lot of programs that were good for seniors. We used to go…
Natalie Linn’s journey to becoming a national expert on Native American basketry began with the purchase of a $5 “Indian basket,” which turned out to be a fake. Nowadays Natalie is a frequent appraiser on “Antiques Roadshow” and has appeared on “History Detectives.” She has lectured on Native American art at museums and universities across…
