Calendar

Come out and celebrate Israel’s 69^th year of Independence! Join in Israeli music, dance, crafts, food and more!

In partnership with PJ Library and JFGP

Learn to play this ancient game. It will give your mind a workout!

Every Tuesday morning from April 25 to May 23.

Register: oregonjcc.org/register; CG301

“The Mitzvah Project,” a one-person play and lecture about the more than 100,000 men of Jewish heritage who fought in Hitler’s army during World War II, is coming to Portland State University.

The  show is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. For tickets, contact the PSU Box Office.

The play is performed and was co-created by actor Roger Grunwald. Performed throughout the world, Grunwald’s concept for The Mitzvah Project was inspired by and is an homage to his mother, an Auschwitz survivor.

Through one soldier’s story, The Mitzvah Project reveals the history of Germany’s mischlinge – the derogatory term the Nazis used to describe those descended from one or two Jewish grandparents. Tens of thousands of these partial Jews served in the German military. Most of them were discharged in 1940, and nearly all were sent to forced labor camps – or worse.

Grunwald will follow the 25-minute play with a lecture and audience discussion covering two centuries of history about Jews in Germany.

“We are very excited that we’re are able to bring this story to the PSU and local Jewish communities through our first-ever formal partnership with Portland State,” said Rhonda Kruschen, director of Greater Portland Hillel, one of the plays sponsors. “Audience members will experience a rarely learned piece of the Holocaust — that many Jews had to fight on the side of the German armed forces.”

The production is also sponsored by the Jewish Student Union, Cultural and Historical Association for Israel and PSU Office of the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs.

About Portland State University (PSU)

As Oregon’s only urban public research university, Portland State offers tremendous opportunity to 27,000 students from all backgrounds. Our mission to “Let Knowledge Serve the City” reflects our dedication to finding creative, sustainable solutions to local and global problems. Our location in the heart of Portland, one of America’s most dynamic cities, gives our students unmatched access to career connections and an internationally acclaimed culture scene. “U.S. News & World Report” ranks us among the nation’s top 10 most innovative universities.

Sculpt your body with this new class that combines powerful yoga poses with light weights, therabands and exercise balls to increase strength, tone muscles, and improve flexibility.

Instructor: Tara Atkinson

Wednesdays, April 5 – June 7
Register: oregonjcc.org/registration Code: FIT308

Learn the four main toxic communication styles that create tension in relationships. See where you are contributing to toxic situations, and how you can manage your own reactions in order to lessen, rather than fuel, toxicity. Leave with your own personal plan to move you toward healthier, more productive, interactions with “difficult people.” Come on your own or with a partner – and learn these skills together!

Led by Certified Professional Coach Christine Gilmore.

Register: oregonjcc.org/registration Code: FIT312

FEATURING DR. KENNETH WALTZER
Executive Director of the Academic Engagement Network  

The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement is duplicitous and deceptive, devoting itself to demonizing Israel and seeking to contribute to ending its existence.  But BDS can be beaten and its one-sided narrative about the Middle East challenged effectively – both on campus and in the professional associations. Hear from Dr. Waltzer about how BDS continues to gain a foothold on American college campuses and in academia and what can be done about it.

ABOUT DR. WALTZER: Professor Emeritus of History and former Director of Jewish Studies at Michigan State University, Dr. Kenneth Waltzer is a historian educated at the State University of New York at Binghamton (BA) and at Harvard (PhD). He came to Michigan to help build James Madison College, MSU’s highly reputed residential college in public affairs. During his career, Waltzer served as Dean and Associate Dean of the college and co-founder of MSU’s Jewish Studies Program and its study abroad initiatives in Israel. His several teaching awards include the State of Michigan Teaching Excellence Award and the Mid-Michigan Alumni Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award. In recent years, he became well known for work on the rescue of children and youths at Buchenwald and served as historical consultant for the film “Kinderblock 66: Return to Buchenwald.” His essays opposing BDS, defending academic freedom and free speech, and exploring the new antisemitism appear in numerous journals. 

Join us for a fun, introductory Israeli dance class. All levels are welcome. Six people needed to run class. Every Wednesday from April 19 to June 28.

Note: No class May 31

Register: oregonjcc.org/registration; CG300

Spend a relaxing 90 minutes as Christine guides you through a short visualization during which you will meet your “future self.” Come away with a strong sense of connection to your ideal self, and a re-connection to your own hopes, dreams, and inner wisdom. Leave with a clear sense of the path you’re on, identifying what you want to stay the same and what you want to change.

Led by Certified Professional Coach Christine Gilmore.
Register: oregonjcc.org/registration Code: FIT307