A monthly discussion covering a wide range of topics that will draw on our experiences.
February’s topic: Be Like a Tree: Texts on Tu B’shvat (New Year of the trees)
Free and open to the community
Learn the basics of Improv Theater! Students will learn short-form games that teach the skills of listening and responding, working together as a group to create a story on the spot, and building self-confidence. The class will be working towards a demo that showcases their favorite improv games, and shows off their new comedy chops!
In partnership with Portland Jewish Academy and Northwest Children’s Theater & School
Register: oregonjcc.org/registration; CG202
Join Rabbi David Zaslow at the Havurah Synagogue in Ashland for a musical Tu’B’Shevat Seder, celebrating the trees and the seasons, on Friday, February 10 at 6 PM. We’ll provide wine, fruits and nuts for the ritual Seder. You bring a potluck veggie main course dish to serve 10.
Please register in advance, $5 per person, $13 per family. Call 541-488-7716 to register. No walk-ins. Doors open at 5:30 PM.
6:30 pm, Catered Dinner (RSVP required by Feb. 6)
7:30 pm, Music-filled Service
Our vegetarian Kabbalat Shabbat Dinner begins at 6:30 pm, followed by a Kabbalat Shabbat Service at 7:30 pm. We offer dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free choices. You’re invited to bring wine or juice to celebrate Shabbat. Childcare is available for kids age 2 to 8 from 6:30 pm until the end of the service. Advance registration is required for the dinner. Please RSVP here. Cost adjustments for the dinner can be made by calling 503-248-4662.
Whether or not you attend the dinner, all are invited to join our spirited and joy-filled Kabbalat Shabbat Service, which starts at 7:30 pm. Rabbi Joey will lead the service, and music will be provided by our talented Havurah musicians.
Once a year, the Jewish community celebrates song and life during Shabbat Shira, the Shabbat of Song.
Come join Temple Beth Tikvah as we raise our voices, bring out our instruments and fill our community with song. On the bima will be singer Eileen Heaton , accomplished soloist and recently music director for the local performance of Chorus Line, Lauren Olander (flute), Jo Booser (flute and violin), Julie Geveshausen (keyboard and harp),and Mark Barringer (guitar). We are delighted to have such exquisite musical talent help us celebrate the Shabbat of Song. An oneg will follow.


Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen in Portland Feb. 10
AC2 An Intimate Evening with Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen. Join this duo for an unscripted, uncensored and unforgettable night of conversation at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall at 8 pm, Feb. 10.
The late night talk show host and the journalist, longtime friends, interview each other and take questions from the audience. It’s a live, interactive look behind the scenes of pop culture and world events.
Anderson Cooper is the multiple Emmy award-winning CNN anchor and correspondent for CBS’ 60 Minutes. He has covered most major news events in the United States and around the world for the past 23 years, and his memoir, Dispatches from the Edge, topped the New York Times’ Bestseller list.
Andy Cohen is an Emmy award-winning host and executive producer of Watch What Happens: Live, Bravo’s late night, interactive talk show. Cohen, who had a bar mitzvah in a Reform congregation, calls Yiddish part of his vernacular. Cohen is also the executive producer of the wildly popular Real Housewives series. Cohen has written two New York Times’ Bestsellers: Most Talkative: Stories from the Frontlines of Pop Culture and The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year.
A VIP Package includes premium seating and an opportunity to meet Anderson and Andy immediately after the show. VIP ticketholders will also have an opportunity to take a picture with Andy and Anderson and will receive an autographed gift.
Tickets are available through portland5.com, the Portland’5 Box Office, TicketsWest outlets, and by phone: 800-273-1530.
Join us on the 2nd Saturday of this month for our Shabbat gathering of toddlers and their caregivers.
Enjoy stories, songs and crafts that celebrate holidays and Jewish values. Stay afterwards for bagels and coffee with Rabbi – free play for the kids and schmoozing for the adults.
Best for kids up to age five, although older siblings are welcome too.
The holiday of Tu B’Shvat celebrates the ‘birthday of the trees.’ But, why do that in the middle of winter rather than during the green blossoming of spring or the harvests of autumn? Tu B’shvat inspires us to notice subtle new growth and tender beginnings. We remind ourselves to have faith that the rains will cease and the seasons will progress. Even more importantly, we celebrate the internal growth that happens when we aren’t really paying attention. Our ancestors, in very different lands, understood this Full Moon of Shvat to be the time when the sap begins to rise again!
You can pass on the invitation to others who might want to join us (grandparents, friends…).
Please bring one of the traditional 7 species (something with wheat, barley, figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives, honey) or some other fruit or nut. For more information on the spiritual and cultural meaning of the 7 species, please see the information on our website.
Expectant mothers and their partners will learn about and prepare for birth through hands-on education. Practice comfort techniques and learn about the physiology of birth, routine medical procedures, breastfeeding and informed consent in a dynamic group setting. This course is designed to instill confidence and empower expectant parents, as well as provide expectant parents with a support group of peers. Lamaze classes are based on the most up-to-date research from the gold-standard Cochrane database. Three couples needed to run this class.
This five-session class meets on Sundays from Jan. 15 through Feb. 12.
Teacher: Elana Alpert, LCCE
Register: oregonjcc.org/lamaze
Learn about the MJCC Summer Day Camp programs, register, and meet camp staff!