Rich Geller works at the Beaverton Trader Joe's and is a freelance writer living in Portland, OR. He has written for The Bloomfield Journal, The Hometown Crier, The Hood River News, The Rosette Gazette, The Jewish Review, Art and Artifact, Oregon Jewish Life, Arizona Jewish Life, and Metro Parent. As a student at Portland State University, Rich worked at both Ooligan and Collectors Press while pursuing a Masters in Writing with a concentration in Publishing. In the Spring of 2011, Rich's first book, WonderDads Portland - The Best Dad/Child Activities in Portland was published. Rich is married to Leslie Geller, and has three children, Leo, Ethan, and Sela.
“Are you ready for the summer?” is more than just the musical question posed by the classic summer comedy “Meatballs.” For parents it is a call to arms; soon school will be out and kids all across America will begin uttering the dreaded words, “I’m bored!” Before your household descends into a maelstrom of chaos…
Like most Jewish holidays, Passover demands a certain degree of introspection. As Jews we are required not just to recall the slavery visited upon the ancient Israelites, we are commanded to imagine we have been personally delivered from slavery, and Dayenu, if that were not enough, we must also teach it to our children! In…
Tu B’Shevat, or the “New Year of the Trees,” comes early this year, arriving at sunset on Jan. 16. Reckoning by the Hebrew calendar however, it will be right on time as Tu B’Shevat literally means the 15th of (the Hebrew month of) Shevat. From the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil in the…
On Nov. 28, 2013, worlds will collide when the first day of Hanukkah falls on Thanksgiving Day. Due to a rare confluence of the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars, this is the last time this will happen for about 75,000 years! No doubt by then the Jewish people will have successfully colonized most of the galaxy,…
Long known as “The People of the book,” the Jewish people have treasured books and learning for millennia. Embedded within our most central prayer, the Shema, is the v’ahavta in which we are instructed by G-d to “Take these words which I command you this day and teach them faithfully to your children.” The Jews of Oregon have taken this…
Last February my family was about to sit down to Shabbat dinner. As we gathered in the dining room and took our seats, my then 5-year-old son, Leo, was nowhere to be found. My wife and I called out his name, and suddenly he emerged from his bedroom, running up to us with a big…
A teacher shapes her students in many ways, sometimes just by listening. Lena Benikov, or Mora Lena as her students came to know her, retired this year after more than two decades at Congregation Beth Israel’s religious school. She found that the simple act of listening was the best way to connect with her students….
The Jewish holiday of Sukkot, or as The Daily Show host John Stewart calls it, “The Hebrew word meaning how many holidays can the Jews fit into one month?” follows so quickly on the heels of the 10 Days of Awe from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur that it seldom gets the love it deserves….
For world-renowned chef Giuliano Hazan, family and food are as inextricably linked as home and hearth. “For me, food is the fabric that holds family together.” Having been raised in a family of chefs, young Giuliano enjoyed homecooked meals almost exclusively during his childhood. As he explains in the introduction to his latest cookbook, Hazan Family Favorites: Beloved Italian Recipes, “I was very fortunate to eat…
Oregon has cultivated a national reputation for culinary excellence. Portland in particular has become the darling of the foodies. As Eric Asimov wrote in The New York Times, “Portland has emerged from its chrysalis as a full-fledged dining destination.” With the advent of the city’s burgeoning foodcart culture, Portland has taken its love affair with food to the next level. U.S. News…
