Lynda Falkenstein: “Ignorance is definitely not bliss” In 2000 Dr. Lynda Falkenstein was diagnosed with breast cancer as her mother was dying of ovarian cancer 25 years after she survived breast cancer. Knowing that a long list of relatives had died from ovarian cancer, Falkenstein says she realized “my cancer could not be random ……
Knowledge can enhance your health, your heritage and your community. We explore many facets of the lifelong quest for knowledge in this issue of Oregon Jewish Life. Because Ashkenazi Jewish women are more likely than the general population to have a genetic mutation that increases their risk for breast and ovarian cancer, our section on…
The expulsion of Jews from European countries was common throughout the Middle Ages. Spain’s expulsion or forced conversion of Jews in 1492 is the most infamous, but others had set the stage: England in 1290, France in 1306, and Warsaw, Sicily and Lithuania in 1483. Various regions of Italy expelled Jews in different years, but…
by Deborah Moon Ashland’s Temple Emek Shalom has hired Rabbi Joshua Boettiger as the congregation’s new rabbi effective Aug. 1. “This past year was one of transition for the congregation, but we see 2012/2013 as a year of exciting new beginnings,” says TES President Michael Schames, who took office July 1. “As a congregation, we are…
Synagogues, schools and special-needs providers – to me, these are each an integral part of community. This issue of Oregon Jewish Life features special sections on synagogues and schools. Oregon has seen an explosion in options for both in recent decades. We also devote our Through the Ages section to looking at ways the community…
After hitting the New York Times best seller list with all 16 of his novels, Portland author and attorney Phillip Margolin is eager to publish the historical novel he has worked on for 30 years. “It’s the best thing I’ve ever written,” says Margolin of the yet-to-be named novel due to be published by HarperCollins…
Since appearing on the cover of the inaugural issue of Oregon Jewish Life, Aithan Shapira, Ph.D., and Debra Rosenthal have been busy preparing for their July wedding and Aithan has kept busy with exhibits in the United States and Europe. During May, Aithan exhibited “Migration with Pomegranate”, as one of 40 artists whose work was…
A hero of our time and for the ages, Natan Sharansky shone a bright light on the plight of Soviet Jewry from his dark cell in a Soviet prison. Now, as chairman of the executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Sharansky uses his experiences to illuminate the importance of strong identities and the role…
When I moved from sunny Colorado to the Pacific Northwest 20 years ago, it seemed to me it rained every day. I missed the semi-desert Front Range and the Rocky Mountains outside my window. With my sons in preschool, I enjoyed visiting the nearby Oregon coast to let them play in the sand and splash…
It all began with Adam. Alan Sprints was a home brewer when Portland’s microbrew revolution began in the late 1980s. He joined the ranks of professional brewers in 1991 and then opened his own Hair of the Dog Brewery in 1993. Since he planned to brew strong beers of 10% or higher alcohol level, Sprints…
