Melissa Abu (Bloom) joined Congregation Ahavath Achim as the part-time synagogue administrator on July 19, 2021. Over the last 7 years, Melissa has been helping our congregation in numerous ways from event planning, communications and our homeland security grant. Melissa grew up in Portland and worked at various Jewish agencies and synagogues here before…
Photo: Michael, his wife Laura, and his four-year-old daughter Eleanore. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) awarded Michael Jeser, a graduate of the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management (then School of Jewish Communal Service), with the Sherut L’Am Award on July 6, 2021. The Sherut L’Am Award recognizes exceptional service to the College-Institute…
Photo courtesy Oregon Homeworks with MODaby Design The end of the coronavirus pandemic is in sight for Americans, and people are venturing outside and gathering once again with close friends and loved ones… but, we are still not quite ready for large-scale gatherings in small spaces like private homes. For lovers of architecture and…
A professor who was fired from an Oregon university after publicly criticizing its president for antisemitism and neglecting sexual harassment allegations has sued the university for $4 million. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, a tenured English professor at the Baptist-affiliated Linfield University, had accused President Miles Davis of making multiple antisemitic remarks to him in recent years….
Photo: Left to right: H.E Mohamed Al Khaja, UAE Ambassador to Israel, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, President and CEO of Watergen, BGU President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz and H.E Mariam Almheiri, Minister of State for Food & Water Security, UAE. Photo Credit: Dani Machlis/BGU Ben-Gurion University of the Negev established the Moshe Mirilashvili Center for Food…
Photo: Blue Origin’s orbital rocket, New Glenn. Photo courtesy Blue Origin. As the space tourism race continued on July 20 with Jeff Bezos and his successful Blue Origin flight, U.S. Rep Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, previewed a new space tax. The Securing Protections Against Carbon Emissions…
With a full moon in the night sky, it’s a perfect time to celebrate Tu B’Av, the Jewish Day of Love. The holiday starts this evening of July 23 at sundown and continues through July 24. Historically, Tu B’Av marked the beginning of the grape harvest and Yom Kippur marked the end. During the…
Photo: “Goddess of the Moon” by artist Maya Milton. Maya’s work will be on display at the The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Washington State University Nov. 16, 2021 through Feb. 13, 2022. In the wake of the social unrest and national reflection that followed the death of George Floyd in 2020, Portland…
The Portland Expo Center announced July 20 that it will again host its PDX Drive-in Movie Spectacular! Presented by Xfinity, starting Thursday, July 29. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are on sale to the general public now. The 7th Annual PDX Drive-in Movie Spectacular! is promoted in partnership with the Hollywood Theatre…
Anne Frank and her alter-ego Kitty come to life in Ari Folman’s vivid animation. Photo courtesy Purple Whale Films. Featuring Anne Frank’s imaginary friend Kitty as its guiding force, a new animated film presented at the Cannes Film Festival seeks to reconnect one of the defining stories of the World War II Holocaust against…
