Author Aaron Kirk Douglas presents “Growing Up Twice,” January 24, 4pm, Congregation Neveh Shalom’s Zidell Chapel
We only get one chance to grow up. Rarely do we get a second. Join Aaron Kirk Douglas – gay, mentor, and Jew by Choice — for readings from his new book, “Growing Up Twice.” Readers call it “…a journey of mentorship, of brotherhood, of struggle, of fatherhood, of friendship.” “…packed with raw emotions and inspiration.” Read more: http://amzn.to/1O7b4SA
Plant for the Planet, sponsored by the United Nations, is training children and teens to become Ambassadors for Climate Justice at free one-day Academies open to all students ages 8-17.
In addition to providing ongoing activities after the Academy, at Plant for the Planet, youth teach other youth to become Ambassadors who are:
•knowledgeable about the science of Climate Change and Recovery,
•the impacts on people everywhere of the current situation,
•how to plant trees and organize planting parties in order to reach our goal of lowering global temperatures by planting 1,000 Billion trees by the year 2020 (14 Billion already planted!),
•and how to make effective presentations and influence policy.
Since 2007, Plant for the Planet has empowered more than 34,000 children in 50 countries to stop Climate Change in part through planting more than 14 billion trees so far. Academies are an amazing combination of serious and fun, and they provide excellent photo and video opportunities.
We now have two Academies scheduled in our area:
In Vancouver, Washington on Saturday, January 23, 2016 at Columbia Springs
In Portland, Oregon on Monday, January 25, 2016 at Sunnyside Environmental School–this is a day that Portland Public School students have off!
Your local leaders are interested in Plant for the Planet! You will be able to speak to: Zach Klonoski, Special Assistant to Portland Mayor Charlie Hales; Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz, and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley’s Field Director for Multnomah and Washington Counties Jagjit Nagra.
To learn more and register: ClimateChangeRecovery.org.
A weekly story hour for young families with music and PJ Library books!
Jewish Theatre Collaborative book talk on their March performance, Davita’s Harp.
In the Chapel, free and open to the community.
New OPB Oregon Experience Documentary Examines the History of Oregon’s Earliest Jewish Settlers
“The Jewish Frontier” airs January 25 on OPB TV and online; advance public screening event in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore.– January 12, 2015— This month, OPB will premiere a new Oregon Experience documentary that examines the history of the Jewish people who helped build the American West and shape the state of Oregon. They were some of the earliest settlers, arriving with the Gold Rush and staying to create businesses, civic organizations and communities.
The one-hour documentary “The Jewish Frontier” airs January 25 at 9 p.m. on OPB TV and online at watch.opb.org at the same time.
In Europe, Russia, and elsewhere, Jews faced a long history of persecution—but in the unsettled American frontier, they could create their own destinies. Arriving as merchants, they were welcomed for the much-needed goods and services they provided to growing towns.
They ranged from junk peddlers in Portland’s immigrant community to entrepreneurs who built multi-million dollar businesses. Some of these individuals include Aaron Meier of Meier & Frank, who opened his first Portland store in 1857 and went on to operate one of the nation’s largest department stores; Bernard Goldsmith, a mediator between the military and Native Americans, who became Portland’s first Jewish mayor; and Sigmund Heilner, who followed gold miners to Southern and Eastern Oregon and established one of the region’s longest-operating businesses.
“The Jewish Frontier” tells the story of pioneering Jews from across the state— from a Jewish farming commune near Roseburg that gave equal rights to men and women, to South Portland, home of Orthodox Jews from Eastern Europe and Russia along with Mel Blanc, Trail Blazers founder Harry Glickman, internationally-renowned painter Mark Rothko and more.
Through Urban Renewal that displaced homes and synagogues to the devastating aftermath of the Holocaust, Oregon’s Jews have continually found new ways to honor the past, and set the foundation for a future, while at the same time redefining what it means to be Jewish in the American West.
This new Oregon Experience documentary features rare historical photos, film, and more than two dozen interviews with people across the state, including:
- Pete Asch, archivist, Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
- David Zaslow, rabbi, Havurah Shir Hadash, Ashland
- Joshua Boettige, rabbi, Temple Emek Shalom, Ashland
- Ellen Eisenberg, professor of History, Willamette University
- Daniel Eliezer Froehlich, genealogist
- Gerry Frank, Meier & Frank
- Joshua Rose, rabbi, Congregation Shaarie Torah, Portland
- William Toll, historian
- Michael Kaplan, rabbi, Congregation Ahavath Achim
- Joshua Stampfer, rabbi emeritus, Congregation Neveh Shalom
- Steven Wasserstrom, professor of Jewish and Religious Studies, Reed College
- Harry Glickman, founder, Portland Trail Blazers
- Miriam Greenstein, Holocaust survivor
- Noel Blanc, Mel Blanc’s son
“The Jewish Frontier” is written and produced by Kami Horton and edited by Lisa Suinn Kallem. It airs Monday, January 25 at 9 p.m. on OPB TV and will be available to watch online at http://watch.opb.org/ at the same time. For more information, visit Oregon Experience online.
In advance of the TV premiere, OPB is hosting a free, public screening event on January 19 at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center in Portland. Free and open to the public, the event begins at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30) and will feature the full-length documentary and a Q&A with producer Kami Horton.
Learn to play this ancient game. Registration code: CG201, cost: $85. Member Cost: $72.
Learn to play this ancient game. Registration code: CG201, cost: $85. Member Cost: $72.
Join us for a weekly story hour for young families with PJ Library stories, crafts and music!
Join PJ Library as we bring back Yad b’Yad with Kim Schneiderman! Intergenerational singing and stories at Cedar Sinai Park.
A weekly story hour for young families with music & PJ Library books!
No story hour on April 29th.