The First Crusade and Jewish Martyrdom by William Chester Jordan, Princeton University
William Chester Jordan is Dayton-Stockton Professor of History and served as Chairman of the Department of History at Princeton University, where he teaches courses on the Middle Ages. Professor Jordan’s most recent books include A Tale of Two Monasteries: Westminster and Saint-Denis in the Thirteenth Century, Men at the Center: Redemptive Governance under Louis IX, and From England to France: Felony and Exile in the High Middle Ages.
Get Fit Israeli Dance with Dorice Horenstein
Tuesdays, Oct. 9-Dec. 11 (no class Nov. 20)
Weekly beginning and intermediate level Israeli dance class helps you get in shape, learn new moves, and listen to fun, Israeli music.
$90 for 9 weeks or $12/week drop-in. Contact JoAnn at: jbezodis@nevehshalom.org
- 9:15 am: Beginning Level—learn Israeli dance steps for novice dancers, lower impact workout.
- 10:15 am: Intermediate Level—for those familiar with basic Israeli dance and ready for higher impact workout.
Mah Jongg for Beginners
Learn to play this ancient game. It will give your mind a workout!
Registration Information: CG101, oregonjcc.org/registration
Cost: $100. Member Cost: $85.
Mah Jongg for Intermediate Players
Take your game to the next level!
Registration Information: CG102, oregonjcc.org/registration
Cost: $100. Member Cost: $85.
Israel Film Series
Calling all filmgoers! Join us for an array of Israeli films focusing on the topic of homelessness. A discussion with Q&A will follow each film, please see film details for specifics. Films to be announced soon!
Lost Boys of Portlandia
Wednesday, October 10
7:00 pm
Meet local Israeli filmmaker, Nili Yosha and Executive Director for Outside the Frame. In a riff on Peter Pan, homeless youth of Portland debate if and how to return to mainstream society while creating their own film version of the iconic story.
Diplomat
Tuesday, October 16
7:00 pm
The Hotel Diplomat in Jerusalem was once a five-star hotel. For nearly 20 years it is home to 600 immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Never having integrated into Israeli society, its residents have created their own little island, secluded from the outside world.
Zrubavel
Tuesday, October 30
7:00 pm
The personal dramas of the immigrant Zrubavel family and the universal intergenerational cultural struggles that come with assimilation are depicted in this first feature film made by Ethiopian Israelis.
Purchase tickets at oregonjcc.org/film
In partnership with the Institute for Judaic Studies
Internationally renowned jazz guitarist and oud virtuoso Amos Hoffman and world-class pianist/composer Noam Lemish will be touring the west coast of the US with their quartet to celebrate the release of their latest album. Pardes is an enchanting album offering an inspired blend of jazz, north African and latin rhythms as well as melodies that come from various Jewish communities across the Middle-East and Eastern Europe.
“Listening to Pardes…it’s easy to feel like you’ve been transported to a musically intoxicating garden of Eden” The Whole Note, May 29, 2018
“Exuberant jazz arrangements of Jewish songs” Canadian Jewish News, March 2, 2017
The tour is highlighted by an appearance at the historic Freight & Salvage in Berkeley and also includes concerts in San Francisco, Sacramento, Sonoma State University, Healdsburg and Portland. The quartet is comprised of a rhythm section featuring stellar Bay Area musicians Miles Wick on bass and Alex Aspinall on drums.
Hoffman
For years, Hoffman and Lemish have been collecting Jewish melodies from different parts of the world including Kurdish, Yemenite, Moroccan, Ladino, Russian and Israeli songs. The quartet’s lyrical and vibrant reimaginings of beloved Jewish melodies have been captivating audiences all across North America and their new album has been garnering rave reviews. In their two years of performances of the Pardes repertoire Hoffman and Lemish have played an array of festivals and venues in both the US and Canada including: Toronto Jazz Festival, numerous clubs in NYC, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, Jewish Community Centers in Rochester and Columbia (SC) as well as to sold out audiences at UC Berkeley and San Diego State University.
Hoffman and Lemish, both of whom have roots in Israel but have spent much of their adult life in North America, began collaborating in January 2016. Lemish is deeply rooted in jazz and classical music and Hoffman is equally well-versed in jazz, Arab classical music, and North African vernaculars. Together they create a refreshing and compelling sound, filled with vibrant sonorities, unique instrument combinations and compelling arrangements.
Lemish
Their work together started when Lemish, who grew up admiring Hoffman’s pioneering blend of jazz & middle-eastern influences invited Hoffman for a series of performances in Canada. The two musicians clicked on their initial tour and decided to launch the Pardes project. The pairing of their unique talents and backgrounds brings about this truly exciting project.
The meaning of the word Pardes in Hebrew is “orchard” or “fruit garden”. The word also carries with it many layers of meaning in Jewish philosophy. Pardes is etymologically rooted in Farsi and is the origin of the word “paradise”. The songs presented in this project are both geographically diverse in origin and cover a wide-range of emotional terrain and sonic landscapes. The renditions are simultaneously faithful to the songs’ origins and rooted in the African-American and Afro-Caribbean musical traditions. The result is a joyous, uplifting celebration, texturally rich music, filled with groove, lyrical melodies and outstanding solos. In Pardes, Hoffman and Lemish breathe new life into gorgeous melodies that had been forgotten and create music that is appealing both to listeners completely unfamiliar with the melodies in their original context and to those who recognize these songs.
Israeli Dancing
Join us for a fun Israeli folk dance class. All levels are welcome. Six people needed to run class.
Wednesdays
September 26 – December 12
NO CLASS on October 10 or November 21
Cost: $100 Members + Guests. Drop-in Fee: $15 per class.
Register: CG 100: oregonjcc.org/registration
PDX Business Breakfast Series: Blockchain and Bitcoin… the Future?
Join us for a discussion of blockchain, its business applications, and whether it is the next “big thing.”
PSU – Native American Student & Community Center
7:15 – 8:00 am: Networking + Breakfast
8:00 – 9:15 am: Program
FEATURING:
Dr. Joe Kiniry of Galois and Free & Fair
Rob La Forte of Columbia Fresh Transportation Services
Jeff Mazer of moovel North America
Moderator: Joey Fishman of Ritholtz Wealth Management
For more details and to register: oregonjcc.org/pdxbiz
This 18-week course is taught by members of The Oregon Board of Rabbis, representing a variety of Jewish affiliations. A carefully constructed curriculum includes Jewish history, life cycle events, holidays, ritual and daily practice, theology, study of Torah and contemporary Jewish America. While not a conversion class, most OBR members consider it a prerequisite for students beginning study for conversion. Classes 7-9 pm, Thursdays, at rotating Portland area synagogues.