Five years ago, Joan Myles wanted to share her love of Jewish learning with others who were visually impaired. The result was Yismehu, a nonprofit devoted to enabling Jewish learning for visually impaired students of all ages. Since then more than 100 students around the world have enrolled in Yismehu’s distance-learning programs. Many of those…
Roz Babener helps families start anew in furnished apartments Roz Babener’s decision to stop teaching in 1989 after the birth of her third child coincided with the doors of the Soviet Union opening for emigration under Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy of glasnost (openness). Who could have guessed that concurrence would end up benefiting tens of thousands…
Our Israel columnist Mylan Tanzer was in the states for a trade show, and a few days after the Israeli elections he stopped by our office to share some of his initial thoughts on the surprising election results. In our May issue, his column will take an in-depth look at the results and the (hopefully…
The Chair Affair annual fundraiser coming up this month is just one way the Community Warehouse helps homeowners and people in need furnish their homes in creative and practical ways. DECORATE Each year more than 90 artists transform cast-off furniture or household goods into works of art to be sold at the Chair Affair during…
Nearly four years ago, when Thea Robinson first saw the 3-day-old Alaskan malamute now known as Mick, she knew he was a standout. Now the world knows it, too. In February Mick won best of breed at the 139th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which is televised around the world. The iconic dog show…
The April 28-May 24 run of “4000 Miles” by Amy Herzog will feature an exciting collaboration of Artists Repertory Theatre, The Geezer Gallery and ORA Northwest Jewish Artists. The Geezer Gallery, which is now in residence at ART, asked ORA artists to create visual art responding to the play, which Time magazine named the number one…
Collaborators Explore How Two Jewish Women and Five Black Singers Changed Music History The seeds for “Soul Harmony” were planted four years ago when Portland pianist and composer Michael Allen Harrison and Rabbi Alan Berg collaborated on their first musical theater creation, “Crossing Over: A Musical Passover Story.” As the pair worked on that musical,…
The October 2012 cover story of Oregon Jewish Life shared the story of Susan Sygall and her band of 156 “Loud, Proud and Passionate” WILD women and “their efforts to enhance the lives and rights of women with disabilities around the globe.” Now the Eugene resident and cofounder of Mobility International USA has shared her…
One Group Pegs PSU as Hot Spot On the same day about a month ago, two press releases arrived regarding the rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses. One of the releases called Portland State University one of the worst offenders – an allegation that PSU students and leaders called surprising and inaccurate. The first release…
Photos by Deborah Moon Dance, the art form, develops not only grace, musicality and coordination, but also muscle strength, flexibility, balance, gait and facial expression – making it a wonderful therapeutic exercise for those suffering the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s disease. So, since 2012, those with Parkinson’s and their family members, friends and care partners…
