Calendar

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon invites you, your family and friends to its upcoming program on two topics – Ellis Island Name Change Myth & “Finding “Waldo” At Ellis Island presented by Joel Weintraub

Ellis Island Name Change Myth
The idea that inspectors at Ellis Island regularly Americanized immigrant names is a persistent myth. We will investigate the evidence that should exist (it doesn’t) to confirm the story as fact, and why name changing at the station was improbable given how immigrants were processed. The history of this immigration station, the types of people who passed through their doors, the legal documents (including their name) they came with, and station detention documents generated for about 1/6 of them, will be discussed with actual examples. Note: be prepared to avoid deportation by Inspector Weintraub.

Finding “Waldo” At Ellis Island
Using a case study, we will show how nine different strategies can be used to find the immigration record of an elusive immigrant to Ellis Island. For those who still cannot locate Ellis Island immigration records of their ancestors, this talk may provide some approaches you might not have tried. The difficulty of providing accurate indexes from transcriptions of ship manifests is a major problem associated with many of these strategies. We will see how well you do as a transcriber of manifest names.

Bio: Joel, a New Yorker by birth, is an emeritus Professor at California State University Fullerton and won awards for his science teaching. He volunteered for nine years at the National Archives and Records Administration. Joel created search tools for the U.S. and New York City censuses that are freely available on the Steve Morse “One-Step” website. He and Steve are currently developing locational tools for the 2022 release of the 1950 federal census. Joel has written and talked on NYC and Federal census research, immigration and naturalization, Ellis Island, biographical research, and Jewish genealogy topics.

Event Page     |     Download Full Event Flyer

What: A cabaret revue drawn from the American popular songbook with Artist-in-Residence David Spear, featuring PSU student and faculty performers. Preceded by lecture on “The Songs Are You: Jewish Songwriters of the Great American Songbook” with composer and musicologist Aaron Fruchtman.
When: Monday, November 6, 2017 | 6:00pm to 9:30pm (performance begins at 7:30pm)
Where: Lincoln Recital Hall (LH 75)
Cost: Free and open to the public. RSVP requested, but not required.
Contact: Stacey Johnston | judaicst@pdx.edu | 503-725-8449

The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies and the School of Music + Theater present an evening cabaret performance featuring the songs of such Jewish composers as George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Kurt  Weill, and Harold Arlen, performed by PSU students and faculty, local professional vocalists, and cantors. The revue will be punctuated by historical, cultural, and musical notes by musical director David Spear, the Judaic Studies Program’s 2017 Artist-in-Residence

Join us before the performance for a guest lecture “The Songs Are You: Jewish Songwriters of the Great American Songbook” with composer and musicologist Aaron Fruchtman.

• 6:00 pm          Lecture w/ Aaron Fruchtman
  • “The Songs are You: Jewish Songwriters of the Great American Songbook”
• 7:00 pm            Intermission
  • Free appetizers, Beer/Wine available for cash purchase
    
• 7:30 pm             Cabaret Performance
  • Musical direction by David Spear
  • Performances by: Dean Leroy Bynum Jr, Dr. Bonnie Miksch, Sherry Alves, John Gilmore, Cantor Eyal Bitton, Amy Hansen, Pamela South, Anders Tobiason, Danielle Barker, & Maeve Dahlen
    
• 9:00 pm             Dessert Reception
  
  • Desserts, Coffee, and Tea provided

This is the second half of the 2017 Levy Event, which focuses on the nexus between East European Jewish immigrants to the U.S. and twentieth-century American film and music. For information about the first half of the 2017 Levy Event, visit the event page.

This event is sponsored by the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies thanks to the generous support of Larry Levy and Pamela Lindholm-Levy. Cosponsored by the PSU School of Music + Theater.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon invites you, your family and friends to its upcoming program “Read All About It!: Using Online Newspapers For Genealogical Research” by Janice M. Sellers

Description: Newspapers are valuable in genealogical research because you can find information about births, marriages, deaths, moves, business, naturalizations, court cases, and more. Millions of pages of the world’s newspapers are now accessible online, but there is no one place to find them all. This class provides an overview of what is available online and techniques to help improve your chances of finding information about your relatives.

Bio: Janice M. Sellers is a professional genealogist specializing in Jewish, black, forensic, and newspaper research. She edits three genealogy publications and serves on the boards of San Francisco Bay Area Jewish Genealogical Society, African American Genealogical Society of Northern California, and Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy. She is also a member of Association of Professional Genealogists, Genealogical Speakers Guild, and California Genealogical Society. Before becoming a professional genealogist, she worked in publishing for many years as an editor, indexer, translator, and compositor. Her web site is ancestraldiscoveries.com.

Event Link: http://tinyurl.com/JewishLuckPDX
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/295086217663190/

What: A screening of selected scenes from the silent film “Jewish Luck” (1925) with scores collaboratively written and performed by PSU students under the direction of Artist-in-Residence, David Spear
When: Monday, December 11th at 8:00pm
Where: Lincoln Recital Hall (LH 75)
Cost: Free and open to the public.
Contact: School of Music & Theater – Ian Wallace | iwallace@pdx.edu | 503-725-3011
Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies – Stacey Johnston | stacey8@pdx.edu | 503-725-8449

Please join us for a performance of selected scenes from the Yiddish silent film “Jewish Luck” (1925) with music composed and performed live by PSU Music students under the direction of 2017 Artist-in-Residence David Spear.

The silent film Jewish Luck (1925) was among the first Soviet Yiddish films to be released in the US during the 1920s. Based on Sholem Aleichem’s stories, the film revolves around the daydreaming entrepreneur Menakhem Mendl who specializes in doomed strike-it-rich schemes.

Jewish Luck features some of the finest artistic talents of Soviet Jewry during this period. The original Russian intertitles were written by renowned Soviet Jewish writer Isaac Babel, who later became a victim of the Stalinist purges in the late 1930s.

Thanks to the restoration of Jewish Luck by the National Center for Jewish Film, the moving “images” of Sholem Aleichem’s philosophical daydreamer have been miraculously preserved. A new score will allow contemporary audiences to view and ultimately “hear” this classic Russian Yiddish silent film.

Sponsored by the School of Music & Theater and the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies.

What: A public lecture by Dr. Aviva Halamish, Open University of Israel
When: Monday, April 9, 6:30pm
Where: 238 Smith Memorial Student Union (SMSU 238)
Cost: Free and open to the public.
Contact: Stacey Johnston | judaicst@pdx.edu| 503-725-8449

Please join us for the 2018 Lorry I. Lokey Lecture featuring Dr. Aviva Halamish of the Open University of Israel titled, “Not What You Think: The Role of the Holocaust in the Establishment of Israel”

Contemplate and confront the widely accepted assumption that the Holocaust had a decisive influence on the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.

Explore questions like: Is there a link between the Holocaust and the establishment of Israel? Who promotes this claim? What really happened and how did the Holocaust impact the process of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine?

This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of Lorry I. Lokey. Cosponsored by the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Middle East Studies Center.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon invites you, your family and friends to its upcoming program “Jewish Life in Poland” by Avraham Groll.

Description: Part 1 (10th-15th centuries) will explore patterns of Jewish migration to Poland between the 10th-15th centuries. We will discuss when and why the major shifts happened, where the Jews settled and their involvement in the Poland’s development. This presentation is designed for beginners, and is not a workshop. Maps, pictures, and documents will be displayed. Handouts with further information and a bibliography will also be distributed.

Part 2 (16th-18th centuries) will explore patterns of Jewish migration to Poland between the 16th-18th centuries. We will discuss the “Golden Age of Polish Jewry,” the reaction to Shabtai Tzvi, and how the Jewish experience in Poland helped set the stage, in part, for the eventual rise of the Hasidic movement. This presentation is designed for beginners, and is not a workshop. Maps, pictures, and documents will be displayed. Handouts

Bio: Avraham Groll, the Director of JewishGen.org, is passionate about connecting people with their Jewish roots, and helping them experience what it means to be part of the Jewish people. Avraham holds an MBA from Montclair State University, an MA in Judaic Studies from Touro College, and a BS in Business Administration from Ramapo college, and spent two years studying at Yeshiva Ohr Yeruslahayim in Israel. He is a frequent lecturer on a variety of Jewish genealogical and historical topics.

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

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

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