Journalist and singer brings understanding home to Portland Ari Shapiro has traveled the world as a journalist with NPR and a guest singer with Pink Martini. Now he wants to share the world he’s experienced with the city where he grew up – Portland. “Between songs I talk about places I’ve been, people I’ve met…
Last fall, our dear friends Joel and Mia stayed with us a few days en route from their home in Vancouver, B.C., to their winter digs in Arizona. Even with all that time in the car, they wanted us to join them for a side trip to her cousin Larry’s new vineyard just south of…
Best nonprofit to work for: BB Camp B’nai B’rith Camp was awarded the Best Nonprofit (medium-sized organization) to work for in Oregon. The award was presented by Oregon Business as part of its 100 Best Nonprofits to work for in Oregon. BB Camp employees and volunteers participated in a survey project this past spring through…
George Fendel, 75, has lived jazz for most of his life. While his peers were listening to Buddy Holly, George discovered that jazz “really resonated for me a whole lot more.” He soon realized performing was not where he would make his mark. “I know my skill level,” says George, who enjoys playing jazz piano,…
Actor Ed Asner is a grouchy old man (just ask him). Thirty-five years after his popular TV drama “Lou Grant” was cancelled as Asner spoke out against U.S. policy in Central America, Asner is still a vocal and fiery activist working to alleviate the wrongs he sees in society. When he turns 88 on Nov….
Either way you say it – Music Man or Man, Music! – Ezra Weiss loves jazz. His enthusiasm is contagious, his involvement is impressive. Portland can thank Ezra’s Oberlin College buddy, Zack Hickman, for suggesting that they move to Portland after graduation in 2001. Besides rave album reviews and airtime, he teaches at Portland State…
Nothing compares to fall in New England. While we lived there, we were able to experience the explosive fall colors that painted the landscape from Massachusetts to Maine. In New England, they take Thanksgiving pretty seriously. After all, it is where it all began. The holiday feast dates back to November 1621, when the newly…
When the popular Gonzo Falafel and Hummus food cart closed, customers missed its shawarma fries. Israeli-born chef Tal Caspi used to operate Gonzo outside of a brewery, but as so often happens in the food-cart world, he was forced to move. After a brief and unsuccessful relocation, Tal decided to focus his energy on new…
It was a journey through time, through tears and toward hope. A trip that took two dozen women through a millennium of Jewish life in Poland to a rebirth of Jewish life in Israel. “This was the journey of a lifetime,” says Eve Levy, who organized the trip with the Portland Kollel. “It was so…
Many Americans have lost touch with the origins of Thanksgiving. When you ask someone to explain the reason for the holiday, they often link the holiday to American ideals like democracy, pluralism and freedom of religion. Since most Americans live their lives far removed from agriculture, few remember that Thanksgiving grew out of the same…
