Everyone knows the story of Noah’s Ark, right? Noah was commanded by God to build a great ship and stock it with male and female pairs of every animal on Earth. God sent down a massive flood to wipe out every living thing on the planet to give humanity, which had become irretrievably corrupt, a…
Ashland resident Judy Visser was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 11 years ago. A wife/mother/grandmother, Judy was a teacher and education director for Temple Emek Shalom who lived the active Southern Oregon lifestyle. This could have been a devastating diagnosis. This should have been a devastating diagnosis. Our telephone interview, though, began with music: Judy played a…
Another season is peeking around the corner and you know what that means … It’s time to shop. Once the essential back to school shopping for erasers, backpacks and socks is complete, it’s time to start thinking about packing up the tank tops and shorts and digging out your favorite comfy sweater and pair of…
OREGON AREA JEWISH COMMITTEE NAMES EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Board of Directors of the oregon Area Jewish Committee has named Joanne Van Ness Menashe the new OAJC executive director. In this position Van Ness Menashe will provide the leadership under board direction to represent OAJC and its interests and values to community organizations and public officials….
Maybe you only celebrate the High Holy Days; or you attend synagogue every week. Perhaps you grew up in a home where Jewish and other holidays were celebrated with joy and love; or you simply love your mother’s chicken soup. The Jewish experience is nothing if not diverse, but at the core there is the…
Preparing for a bat or bar mitzvah in America today means more than simply learning your Torah portion, writing a drash or picking the DJ for your after party. Many synagogues also suggest their b’nai mitzvah students undertake some kind of community service, commonly known as a mitzvah project. Mitzvah projects range from fundraising for a…
In the midst of our busy lives, finding time to get enough sleep is a challenge. Our days and nights are jam-packed with not only our own schedules, but with the agendas of our family and friends. Our digital world – now available 24/7 – has resulted in an extended work day and a…
Mittleman Jewish Community Center Fitness Manager Jennifer Harrington understands the importance of exercise for good health. “Our wide range of classes offer cardiovascular fitness along with flexibility and balance,” she says. From cycling, Zumba and water aerobics to bodypump and Pilates coupled with personal training, we provide the variety to meet individual needs.” While individual…
To mark the 90th anniversary of the very first bat mitzvah, the Oregon Jewish Museum is hosting a traveling exhibition, “Bat Mitzvah Comes of Age,” featuring the remarkable story of how, in less than a century, individual girls, their parents and their rabbis challenged and changed communal values and practice to institute this now widely…
In February, Oregon Jewish Life posted a survey for singles on our website as part of our effort to get to know our readers. Now we want to share the results of that survey: Single status: Never Married – 36.54%, Divorced – 46.15%, Widowed – 17.31% Age: 20-30 – 21.15%, 40-5 – 19.23%, 50-60 – 13.46%,…
