Even if no one asks, Larry Chusid has a knack for seeing a need and meeting it – whether it’s funny greeting cards or pet food for hungry families struggling to feed the four-legged members of their families. When Larry was 23, he dropped out of college to sell his Rabbi Rosenberg greeting cards, even…
Growing up in Portland attending Congregation Beth Israel, Rachel Shimshak learned the value of Oregon’s environment and tikkun olam. After graduating from the University of Oregon, she spent 16 years in Colorado, Washington, DC, and Massachusetts gaining experience and skills that now benefit her home state. Since its inception in 1994, Rachel has been the executive…
In the decades since the Holocaust, the Jewish community has pledged, “Never Again.” Yet genocide, albeit on a smaller scale, has recurred numerous times in the intervening years. “Focus on the tangible,” says Mina Rush, outreach director of Jewish World Watch, an organization that fights genocide and mass atrocities through advocacy and high-impact projects that improve the lives of survivors. “Ending genocide in Africa isn’t going…
Holocaust Remembrance Concert Presented by the Jewish Community Orchestra Sunday, April 14th 3:00pm at the MJCC Elizabeth Byrd, cello Appert, Elegy for string orchestra Bruch, Kol Nidrei, op.47 Faure, Elegy, op.24 Schubert, Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished” Tickets available at the door $10 adults $8 seniors $5 students Children under 6 FREE www.jewishcommunityorchestra.org 503-806-2494
When the Harold Schnitzer family gifted the Park Tower Apartments to the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, it was a winning proposition for all involved. The Schnitzer family was able to fulfill the wishes expressed by Harold Schnitzer in the weeks leading up to his death in April 2011. The OJCF won with a boost to…
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…
Portland is on the map for gay couples in Israel who turn to surrogacy to fulfill their desire to become parents in a society where parenthood is the ultimate goal. That sentiment, backed up by a recent article published in the Journal of Family Psychology, was voiced by two gay couples who came to Portland…
The innovation and creativity that has flourished in Portland’s Jewish community lately is now attracting national attention. Two Portlanders – Steve Eisenbach-Budner and Sarah Blattner – recently brought home prestigious national awards. Every two years the Joshua Venture Group awards fellowships to social entrepreneurs who have the potential to “transform the Jewish landscape.” In a…
Ever since the 1990 National Jewish population survey revealed the extent of assimilation, the American Jewish community has focused on the challenge of passing along Jewish connection and commitment to the next generation. Numerous studies have shown youth benefit from attending sleep-away camps. Jewish sleep-away camps not only help young campers learn valuable life skills,…
Susan Sygall and her band of 156 WILD women are “Loud, Proud and Passionate” in their efforts to enhance the lives and rights of women with disabilities around the globe. In August Sygall’s Eugene congregation hosted the closing session of the sixth Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability program. Temple Beth Israel is also hosting…
