Rabbi Joshua Rose joins Congregation Shaarie Torah
Congregation Shaarie Torah, a synagogue in Northwest Portland affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, has hired Portland native Rabbi Joshua Rose as an additional senior rabbi for the congregation. He will join Rabbi Arthur Zuckerman July 15, and they will work together to continue the services and outreach programs the synagogue now provides. They also will develop new programs to help the congregation continue to grow and better serve the community.
Rabbi Joshua Rose is the son of Rabbi Emanuel Rose, rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Israel, and Lorraine Rose. He attended Occidental College, where he obtained his B.A., and the Harvard Divinity School, where he received a master’s in theological studies. He returned to Portland to teach at the Oregon Episcopal School for three years before attending the rabbinical program at the Hebrew Union College in New York, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and many family members. Currently, Rabbi Rose is the spiritual leader of a 500-family congregation in Boulder, CO, Har HaShem.
Richard Cohen, who serves as co-president of Shaarie Torah with Jordan D. Schnitzer, says, “I am personally delighted that Rabbi Rose and his family will be joining our Shaarie Torah family. I look forward to the ideas and energy he will bring that will spur growth for our congregation. Exciting, wonderful times!” • shaarietorah.org
Jewish storyteller Brian Rohr moves to Oregon
Jewish storyteller Brian Rohr recently moved to Portland with the goal of sharing the ancient art of storytelling with the community.
Rohr offers programs that help bring meaning and richness to our lives, by using the stories that have come to help define Jewish tradition. Using cultural folktales as well as stories from the Torah and other sacred texts, he lifts familiar stories out of their usual written context and brings them to life in the realm of the oral tradition.
Rohr was honored by JT News (Seattle’s Jewish newspaper) as a 2013 recipient of the publication’s “10 Under 40,” which recognized the inspirational work of 10 Jewish residents of Washington state younger than 40.
Rohr performs and teaches nationally for congregations, festivals and organizations, which include the Jewish Renewal Aleph Kallah, P’nai Or and Havurah Shalom, Camp Solomon Schechter in Olympia, Chicagoland’s Temple Chai and Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue, WA. He was a keynote performer for the recent “Tapestry of Jewish Learning” in Austin, TX.
brianrohr.com/jewish-storytelling | 360.531.2535 | info@brianrohr.com
Marian Fenimore departs JFCS
Jewish Family and Child Service announced that after 17 years of dedicated service, the last six as executive director, Marian Fenimore tendered her resignation effective March 3. The board is grateful for her leadership and many contributions during her tenure at JFCS, says Board President Les Soltesz. “We anticipate no impact to our services during this time of transition,” adds Soltesz. “Bev Backa, our finance director, will assume the role of acting executive director while we search for a permanent director.”
Fenimore has been hired to continue to serve as the administrator of Sinai Family Home Services, a licensed in-home care agency created by JFCS and Cedar Sinai Park. She served on the SFHS board for six years and three as board president. “I will miss JFCS but am delighted to be working for SFHS and with their new executive director, Paige Coleman, and her staff. The JFCS and CSP partnership is unique, and I feel proud to have been a part of SFHS’ development and our other major accomplishments, Kehillah Housing and the Housing with Services project. You don’t find this level of collaboration in many communities, and I credit our success to the interagency relationship that CSP CEO David Fuks and I have nurtured over the years.”
JFCS underwent a strategic planning process during the last fiscal year. “I am proud to have been part of this effort and leave knowing that those in need are in the best of hands,” says Fenimore. In addition to her role as administrator at SFHS, she will be looking forward to future opportunities.
Scott Snyder launches arbitration and mediation practice
Scott Snyder, a Portland business and personal injury litigator, has opened Scott Snyder Arbitration & Mediation. Snyder has practiced law for 24 years in Oregon, formerly serving as in-house litigation counsel for Safeco Insurance, KinderCare Learning Centers and Rentrak Corporation. Since 2000 he has been in solo law practice. Snyder has served for many years as a court-appointed arbitrator for most major Oregon counties as well as serving as the municipal judge for the city of North Plains.
“After 24 years in the trenches of litigation, I am convinced that alternative dispute resolution is an effective tool for the parties to obtain resolution and closure on their disputes,” says Snyder. “Arbitration and mediation are economically feasible, efficient alternatives to trial for everyone involved in the process.”
Snyder grew up in New York and Los Angeles but has lived in Portland since 1987. He is a member of two local chapters of the Hevra Kadisha and performs regularly on mandolin for services at Havurah Shalom. Snyder’s daughter, Emma, 18, attended Portland Jewish Academy K-8 and will attend college in the fall. Snyder holds his bachelor of arts cum laude from the University of California, Berkeley, a master’s in political science from the State University of New York, Albany, and received his law degree from Lewis and Clark Northwestern School of Law.
scottsnyderadr@gmail.com | scottsnyderadr.com 503-452-7747
