Calendar

Oct
12
Wed
P’nai Or services with Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin @ Unity Church
Oct 12 @ 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Open the Gates and Enter the New Year with P’nai Or and Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin

Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin is a composer, singer, cellist and guitarist. He served as a Hazzan and Rabbi for nearly forty years in the Jewish community of Eugene, Oregon, U.S.A.

Music is at the very heart of his spiritual life and he seeks to connect with the transcendant realms of Spirit as well as the depths of the human heart through his music. He has performed in concerts with Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach z’l and was for many years the musical partner of Reb Aryeh Hirschfield z’l.

  • Everyone is welcome
  • Sliding scale donation
  • No ticket required
  • Childcare available by advance registration: admin@pnaiorpdx.org
  • More information at www.pnaiorpdx.org or 503-248-4500
Mar
11
Sat
Purim Celebration: Around the World with Congregation Shir Tikvah @ Congregation Shir Tikvah
Mar 11 @ 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm

It’s time to put an end to evil Haman!

Get out your wildest costume and join Shir Tikvah for a festive meal and family-friendly reading of the Megillah.

This year’s Purim will have an international twist – including customs from Italy, Tunisia and France, as well as treats from Syria and Morocco. Enjoy the entries in our annual Hamantaschen contest for dessert.

Doors open at 5:00. Dinner at 5:30. Megillah reading at 6:15.
Register here; $18/family
Nov
28
Tue
Living While Dying – A Documentary Film by Cathy Zheutlin @ Clinton Street Theater
Nov 28 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Personal Debut of Living While Dying
A story of life. A story of death. Finding joy in the journey.
Admission by donation, suggested $5-10 
 
Join filmmaker & P’nai Or member Cathy Zheutlin on a journey to discover how to come to terms with mortality.
“Death kept showing up. So I picked up a camera to document my friends with terminal illnesses, and sought the advice of a death walker and Aboriginal elder in Australia. Now death prompts my conversations with my beloved 91-year-old mom. Living while dying is a wholehearted look at vulnerability and courage as baby boomers reclaim the end of life.”
Co-sponsored by P’nai Or of Portland
Jul
6
Fri
THEATER: Adroit Maneuvers @ Imago Theatre
Jul 6 @ 7:00 pm – Jul 22 @ 8:00 pm

Adroit Maneuvers by Michael Bertish.

This timely and thought-provoking drama portrays a very different view of the personal impacts of war in a touching study of intergenerational trauma and the painful dysfunctions that continue to haunt an entire family. The play is full of music, and discussions of art, philosophy, culture, science and politics on a world stage. As details of the story lay out the facts of the past, the audience can’t help but be reminded of the political climate of the present.

Not suitable for children.

ABOUT THE PLAY

“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

This well-known anonymous statement from the 1930s (often erroneously attributed to American novelist Sinclair Lewis) is a prophetic warning about the rise of authoritarian regimes. With the recent tragic events of Charlottesville and other flashpoints of intolerance in the news, assaults on members of the LGBTQ community and racial, religious and ethnic minorities, attacks on a free press, and the rise of voices advocating extreme nationalism throughout the civilized world, many say that our current time is reminiscent of the advent of World War II. However, the real test of our time is to avoid the trap of reactionary fear and to commit to healing change. Adroit Maneuvers offers a compassionate, hopeful perspective on bridging these divides that threaten to fracture our humanity.

The play is set in New York City in 1996 at the Dinger family home. The story revolves around an elderly grandmother, Tilde, and her adult grandson, Micky, who comes back to the city for a final visit. Micky is determined to get Tilde to open up about her experiences during the Anschluss in Vienna. Until this point in her life, Tilde has never spoken about living through the Nazi invasion and World War II. As Tilde tells her story, her memories come to life and the characters from her past enter to relive vignettes from the golden era of Vienna’s famous café society. Micky discovers Tilde’s acts of selfless courage and her friendships with world-class figures of the day: Sigmund and Martha Freud, Albert Einstein, and members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Tilde’s story is interwoven with true historical events, and hearing her story gives Micky the courage to be open for the first time about his own deep-rooted secrets.

This timely and thought-provoking drama portrays a very different view of the personal impacts of war in a touching study of intergenerational trauma and the painful dysfunctions that continue to haunt an entire family. The play is full of music, and  discussions of art, philosophy, culture, science and politics on a world stage. As details of the story lay out the facts of the past, the audience can’t help but be reminded of the political climate of the present.

In October 2017, actor/director Tom Hanks said, “If you’re concerned about what’s going on today, read history and figure out what to do because it’s all right there.”  Adroit Maneuvers delves into the history of intolerance and brings us to the realization that we have the power to rise above it all through devoted relationships, humility, compassion and forgiveness.

Apr
16
Tue
Portland Film Premiere – Chavruta: A Drummer’s Bat Mitzvah @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Apr 16 @ 7:00 pm

Join us for the Portland premiere of this 15-minute documentary short by Jodi Darby. The film follows two Jewish Portland artists, drummer/writer/environmentalist Lisa Schonberg and musician/writer/Jewish educator Alicia Jo Rabins, as they prepare for Lisa’s adult bat mitzvah. The word chavruta refers to the traditional partner-style study of Jewish texts; over the course of one year, the two women delve into a grassroots, feminist, distinctly Portland course of study.

Free, but suggested donation of $5 at the door.

7:00 pm at the MJCC.

Oct
1
Tue
October Monthly Mitzvah @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Oct 1 – Oct 31 all-day

Monthly Mitzvah Project

Each month the MJCC and PJA communities will collect items for the monthly mitzvah. Drop off items in the blue bin in the MJCC lobby. Check the display for how you can participate and donate to these worthy causes.

This project reflects the Jewish commitment to Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), providing opportunities to give back to our community.

Please drop off items in the blue bin in the MJCC Lobby.

October
Welcome Basket Items for teens moving out of homelessness
•    Second Home (Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon)

Nov
22
Fri
K-6th Grade Led Kabbalat Shabbat @ Congregation Neveh Shalom
Nov 22 @ 6:15 pm – 7:15 pm

K-6th Grade Led Kabbalat Shabbat

Friday, November 22, 6:15-7:15pm

Join the ALIYAH K-6th graders as they lead a special Kabbalat Shabbat at Congregation Neveh Shalom.

Please note: Programs are subject to change; please contact the office for more information: 503.246.8831 or visit the website at: www.nevehshalom.org

Dec
8
Sun
Film Club: Fig Tree @ Congregation Neveh Shalom
Dec 8 @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Film Club: Fig Tree

Sunday, December 8, 4:00-7:00pm

Join the Feldstein Library Film Club for a special screening of the film Fig Tree.

About the film: During the Ethiopian civil war, a Jewish teenager hatches a scheme to keep her Christian boyfriend from being drafted, as she and her family prepare to flee the country and go to Israel.

Please note: Programs are subject to change; please contact the office for more information: 503.246.8831 or visit the website at: www.nevehshalom.org.

Jan
21
Tue
Film Series: Saving the Dead Sea Documentary @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center
Jan 21 @ 7:00 pm

The Dead Sea is dying. Since 1976, its level has dropped more than 100 feet, leaving the coastline pockmarked with thousands of sinkholes. NOVA follows scientists, engineers, and political leaders who have come up with a daring plan.
Tuesday, January 21
7:00 pm

Free and open to the community.
Sponsored by Jewish Federation of Greater Portland

Mar
18
Wed
CANCELLED – Antisemitism on College Campuses Workshop @ Congregation Neveh Shalom
Mar 18 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Due to travel restrictions advised to contain the Coronavirus, this event has been cancelled. We hope to reschedule this event at a later date. We apologize for any inconvenience.

 

Antisemitism on College Campuses Workshop

Wed, March 18, 6:00pm – 8:30pm

Teens, parents, and Jewish community members are increasingly concerned about the anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses across the U.S. that often spills over into Anti-Semitic speech and policies. Stand With Us brings experts from the field to explain and discuss:

— Antisemitism vs. Legitimate Criticism of Israel

— The evolving face of the BDS movement

— Know your rights: how to respond and who can help

Program begins at 6pm, dinner included, ending time 8:30pm

Cost: $10 per individual or $15 per family

RSVP: tinyurl.com/CNSCollegeCampus20