Her novel alternates between late medieval Spain and Portugal during the traumatic time of the Inquisition, and a very small town in New Mexico in 1992. The modern New Mexican characters are Catholics with peculiar habits. Nobody in town eats pork but they don’t know why. It is likely they are the descendants of conversos, Jews who converted during the Spanish Inquisition. The story weaves a connecting thread from the Iberian Peninsula to Mexico City and then on to the original settlers who moved into what is now the American Southwest. Five hundred years later, a young amateur astronomer wonders about the secret of the town he grew up in: Entrada de la Luna, or Gateway to the Moon.
Morris’ previous work, The Jazz Palace, won the Anisfeld-Wolf Book Award for important contributions to the understanding of racism in 2016. She also writes short stories and travel memoirs. Her many novels and story collections have been translated into six languages. She lives in Brooklyn, New York and teaches writing at Sarah Lawrence College.
Doors open at 4:00 PM to meet and greet the author. A one-hour author reading and discussion will follow beginning at 4:30 PM. Light refreshments will be served. Admission is free.
Co-sponsored by the Beit Am Jewish Community and the MJCC. Grassroots Bookstore will be there with copies of the paperback edition of Gateway to the Moon for sale and author signing.
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.
Congregation Neveh Shalom 150 Gala Celebration
Sunday, Dec 15, 2019, 6:00-8:30pm
Mark your calendars for the final Congregation Neveh Shalom 150 Anniversary program of our celebratory year: a fun and casual gala dinner. Entertainment by the Cherry Blossom Orchestra.
Buffet dinner and music by the Cherry Blossom Orchestra
5:00pm: Social Time – Appetizers and Drinks
5:45pm: Buffet Dinner
7:00pm: Program and Featured Entertainment
Cost: $36 per person
RSVP by December 6, 2019 to: https://tinyurl.com/cns150gala
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.
Outside In Cooking, Sunday, Jan 12, Feb 9, 12:00pm
One Sunday a month CNS members gather in the Neveh Shalom kitchen from 12-2pm to prepare a full meal for homeless youth at Outside In, whose mission is to help homeless youth move toward improved health and self-sufficiency.
Info: Rick Botney, 8888octopus8888@gmail.com.
Outside In Cooking, Sunday, Jan 12, Feb 9, 12:00pm
One Sunday a month CNS members gather in the Neveh Shalom kitchen from 12-2pm to prepare a full meal for homeless youth at Outside In, whose mission is to help homeless youth move toward improved health and self-sufficiency.
Info: Rick Botney, 8888octopus8888@gmail.com.