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The Holocaust Memorial Program at Oregon State University is proud to present a panel discussion on the evolution of religious rights and their connection with, and impact on, human rights.

How has the promotion of religious rights figured into the larger effort to protect and advance human rights? On the one hand, we find many historical and contemporary declarations of rights coupling freedom of thought, belief, conscience, and religion. However, we likewise see examples of religious freedoms for some being yoked to religious (and other) oppression for others.

Our distinguished panel will explore the historical, philosophical, legal, and experiential dimensions of this complicated question. We welcome your contributions to the discussion that will follow.

Leading our panel will be the 2015 recipient of the Elie Weisel Award, a recognition granted annually by the United States Holocaust Memorial museum, Judge Thomas Buergenthal. Buergenthal will speak to us in a double capacity: first, as a survivor of Auschwitz, whose experiences during the Holocaust are chronicled in his highly acclaimed memoir, A Lucky Child; and second, as a renowned legal scholar who has labored to make international law an ever-more-effective tool in combating human rights abuses. He has also served as a judge on several international tribunals that deal heavily in human rights cases, including the International Court of Justice (a.k.a. “The World Court”).

Also participating in the panel discussion will be:

• Dr. Rena Lauer (specialties in medieval Europe and Jewish history) will speak on minority religions and their legal rights in the medieval Mediterranean.
• Dr. Amy Koehlinger (North American religious history and thought; American Catholicism) will address the issue of religion and human rights in the history of Oregon.
• Dr. Stuart Sarbacker (comparative religion; Indic religions and philosophical traditions) will focus on religious freedom in the context of Eastern faith traditions.
• Dr. Paul Kopperman (war and genocide; chair, Holocaust Memorial Committee) will discuss the value of Holocaust education in promoting respect for diversity.

After their individual statements, the panelists will join audience members in an interactive discussion of the core themes of the evening, Religious Rights and Human Rights.

At the conclusion of this event, copies of the new, expanded edition of A Lucky Child, Thomas Buergenthal’s Holocaust memoir, will be available for purchase courtesy of GrassRoots Books.

This event is sponsored by the OSU Holocaust Memorial Program, the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, the Institute for Judaic Studies, Grass Roots Books and Music, and the Harold and Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation.

Beit Haverim is having a Casino Night including Black Jack, Craps and Roulette.   It should be fun and tasty! There are some spectacular prizes, including:  a weekend at a beach house, Blazer tickets, a private party at Portland distillery, restaurant gift cards, wine tastings, Timber tickets, ice skating and bowling parties, clothing store gift cards and more!

Everyone is welcome, and the more we have, the more fun it will be.

LeRonn Brooks, an assistant professor of African and African American Studies at Lehman College of the City University of New York, will deliver an illustrated lecture on the theme of social justice in modern and contemporary art on Sept. 29 at 5 pm. Admission  is complementary.

The lecture is in conjunction with the exhibit “Witness: Themes of Social Justice in Contemporary Printmaking and Photography from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation.” The exhibit is up Sept. 15 through Dec. 20 in the Melvin Henderson-Rubio Gallery and the Maribeth Collins Lobby of the The Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem.

Drawn from one of the legendary contemporary print collections in the United States, “Witness” explores issues of race, identity and social justice in contemporary printmaking and photography. The exhibition has been organized by Portland art historian and scholar Elizabeth Bilyeu and explores four thematic sections: Stories and Histories, Pressures of Pop Culture, Challenging Expectations of Place and Unconventional Portraits. The exhibition features 82 prints by 40 nationally and internationally recognized artists, including Enrique Chagoya, Lalla Essaydi, Mildred Howard, Hung Liu, Nicola Lopez, Wendy Red Star (Apsáalooka), Roger Shimomura, Kara Walker and Marie Watt (Seneca).

Magevet – Yale University’s Jewish A Capella Singing Group – Performing LIVE at the MJCC!

Tuesday, May 28, 7:00 pm

Cost: $15 per adult, $10 per youth (ages 18 and under). Tickets: www.oregonjcc.org/concert

Founded in 1993, Magevet is one of the nation’s premiere Jewish a cappella singing groups. A coed ensemble comprised of undergraduate students at Yale University, Magevet is known for its sweet blend of voices, unique arrangements, and lighthearted sense of humor.

​The group’s diverse repertoire spans modern Israeli pop and Renaissance choral pieces to Yiddish folk tunes and Zionist classics. The members of Magevet are equally diverse: engineers and historians, Jews and Gentiles, New Yorkers and Californians, all united by camaraderie and a love of singing.

Magevet is devoted to spreading Jewish music to the far corners of the globe, and embarks on two major tours each year, in addition to regular performances throughout the Northeast. In the past few years, their tours have brought them all over the United States and Canada, as well as to Europe, Africa, South America, and Israel.

Magevet is, incidentally, the Hebrew word for “towel.” The founding members of the group are in near-complete disagreement about what inspired them to choose such an unusual name for an a cappella group, though many of their accounts involve a sauna.

For more information on Magevet, click HERE!

Supported by the Kostiner Cultural Education Fund.