Calendar | Oregon Jewish Life

THEATER: Adroit Maneuvers @ Imago Theatre

Jul 6 @ 7:00 pm – Jul 22 @ 8:00 pm

Adroit Maneuvers by Michael Bertish.

This timely and thought-provoking drama portrays a very different view of the personal impacts of war in a touching study of intergenerational trauma and the painful dysfunctions that continue to haunt an entire family. The play is full of music, and discussions of art, philosophy, culture, science and politics on a world stage. As details of the story lay out the facts of the past, the audience can’t help but be reminded of the political climate of the present.

Not suitable for children.

ABOUT THE PLAY

“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

This well-known anonymous statement from the 1930s (often erroneously attributed to American novelist Sinclair Lewis) is a prophetic warning about the rise of authoritarian regimes. With the recent tragic events of Charlottesville and other flashpoints of intolerance in the news, assaults on members of the LGBTQ community and racial, religious and ethnic minorities, attacks on a free press, and the rise of voices advocating extreme nationalism throughout the civilized world, many say that our current time is reminiscent of the advent of World War II. However, the real test of our time is to avoid the trap of reactionary fear and to commit to healing change. Adroit Maneuvers offers a compassionate, hopeful perspective on bridging these divides that threaten to fracture our humanity.

The play is set in New York City in 1996 at the Dinger family home. The story revolves around an elderly grandmother, Tilde, and her adult grandson, Micky, who comes back to the city for a final visit. Micky is determined to get Tilde to open up about her experiences during the Anschluss in Vienna. Until this point in her life, Tilde has never spoken about living through the Nazi invasion and World War II. As Tilde tells her story, her memories come to life and the characters from her past enter to relive vignettes from the golden era of Vienna’s famous café society. Micky discovers Tilde’s acts of selfless courage and her friendships with world-class figures of the day: Sigmund and Martha Freud, Albert Einstein, and members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Tilde’s story is interwoven with true historical events, and hearing her story gives Micky the courage to be open for the first time about his own deep-rooted secrets.

This timely and thought-provoking drama portrays a very different view of the personal impacts of war in a touching study of intergenerational trauma and the painful dysfunctions that continue to haunt an entire family. The play is full of music, and discussions of art, philosophy, culture, science and politics on a world stage. As details of the story lay out the facts of the past, the audience can’t help but be reminded of the political climate of the present.

In October 2017, actor/director Tom Hanks said, “If you’re concerned about what’s going on today, read history and figure out what to do because it’s all right there.” Adroit Maneuvers delves into the history of intolerance and brings us to the realization that we have the power to rise above it all through devoted relationships, humility, compassion and forgiveness.

Sep

23

Sun

Community Sukkah Building @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center

Tickets

Sep 23 @ 10:00 am

Community Sukkah Building

Help build our community Sukkah! Fun for kids and adults! Bring your own decorations or create some while you are here to hang up in the Sukkah! An adult supervises all activities.

Tags: High Holy Days

Sep

26

Wed

Pizza in the Sukkah @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center

Tickets

Sep 26 @ 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Pizza in the Sukkah

Join friends and family for an evening of great food, schmoozing, singing, and storytelling!

Cost: $15 per family.
Register by Sept. 23: oregonjcc.org/sukkah

In partnership with PJA

Tags: High Holy Days

Jan

9

Wed

Chai Baby + PJ Library Indoor Playground @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center

Tickets

Jan 9 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Chai Baby + PJ Library Indoor Playground

Join us on the second Wednesdays of every month from September to June for Chai Baby Indoor Playground, with kosher snacks, storytelling, friends and fun!

For parents/caregivers and their children up to five years old.

Please mark your calendar for our 2019 dates, held on the second Wednesdays each month:
January 9
February 13
March 13
April 10
May 8
June 12

Free and open to the community.

In partnership with PJ Library, Chai Baby, and Portland Jewish Academy.

Tags: chai baby indoor playground PJ Library play read books toddlers

Feb

13

Wed

Chai Baby + PJ Library Indoor Playground @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center

Tickets

Feb 13 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Chai Baby + PJ Library Indoor Playground

Join us on the second Wednesdays of every month from September to June for Chai Baby Indoor Playground, with kosher snacks, storytelling, friends and fun!

For parents/caregivers and their children up to five years old.

Please mark your calendar for our 2019 dates, held on the second Wednesdays each month:
January 9
February 13
March 13
April 10
May 8
June 12

Free and open to the community.

In partnership with PJ Library, Chai Baby, and Portland Jewish Academy.

Tags: chai baby indoor playground PJ Library play read books toddlers

Mar

10

Sun

Art + Spirit Workshop @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center

Tickets

Mar 10 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Art + Spirit Workshop

Willa Schneberg, poet and ceramic artist, will join us for a two-hour workshop based on poems by Jewish poets that are in part inspired by biblical texts. Discussion, prompts, visualizations and opportunities to write, sketch, move and imagine will be provided.

Cost: $18.
Tickets: oregonjcc.org/art-spirit

In partnership with ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists

Tags: art ORA poetry spirit

Mar

13

Wed

Chai Baby + PJ Library Indoor Playground @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center

Tickets

Mar 13 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Chai Baby + PJ Library Indoor Playground

Join us on the second Wednesdays of every month from September to June for Chai Baby Indoor Playground, with kosher snacks, storytelling, friends and fun!

For parents/caregivers and their children up to five years old.

Please mark your calendar for our 2019 dates, held on the second Wednesdays each month:
January 9
February 13
March 13
April 10
May 8
June 12

Free and open to the community.

In partnership with PJ Library, Chai Baby, and Portland Jewish Academy.

Tags: chai baby indoor playground PJ Library play read books toddlers

Mar

17

Sun

PIFF: Redemption @ Cinema 21

Tickets

Mar 17 @ 6:00 pm

Directed by Yossi Madmoni, Boaz Yehonatan Yacov

Israel • 2018 • 104 mins. • In Hebrew with English subtitles

Madmoni and Yacov’s deeply emotional spiritual journey highlights the necessity of family and friends, even if that means painfully coming to grips with one’s past transgressions. Single father Menachem (Moshe Folkenflick), whose daughter Geula (Emily Granin) is diagnosed with cancer, must find a way to pay for costly treatments despite eking out a simple existence without much cash flow. Enter Menachem’s former, marginally popular band, for which he was lead singer. In an effort to raise funds, the band gets back together and rekindles their old fire. But, as the recently-religious Menachem finds out, redemption is not so easily earned in this uplifting yet realistic tale of the bonds that connect us all. Winner, Best Actor, 2018 Karlovy Vary Film Festival; winner, Audience Award, 2018 Jerusalem Film Festival.

Filmography: The Barbecue People (2003), Melanoma My Love (2006), Restoration (2011), A Place in Heaven (2013)

Sponsored by the Institute for Judaic Studies

Tags: Foreign film Institute for Judaic Studies Israel NW Film Center

Mar

21

Thu

PIFF: Redemption @ Cinema 21

Tickets

Mar 21 @ 6:00 pm

Directed by Yossi Madmoni, Boaz Yehonatan Yacov

Israel • 2018 • 104 mins. • In Hebrew with English subtitles

Madmoni and Yacov’s deeply emotional spiritual journey highlights the necessity of family and friends, even if that means painfully coming to grips with one’s past transgressions. Single father Menachem (Moshe Folkenflick), whose daughter Geula (Emily Granin) is diagnosed with cancer, must find a way to pay for costly treatments despite eking out a simple existence without much cash flow. Enter Menachem’s former, marginally popular band, for which he was lead singer. In an effort to raise funds, the band gets back together and rekindles their old fire. But, as the recently-religious Menachem finds out, redemption is not so easily earned in this uplifting yet realistic tale of the bonds that connect us all. Winner, Best Actor, 2018 Karlovy Vary Film Festival; winner, Audience Award, 2018 Jerusalem Film Festival.

Filmography: The Barbecue People (2003), Melanoma My Love (2006), Restoration (2011), A Place in Heaven (2013)

Sponsored by the Institute for Judaic Studies

Tags: Foreign film Institute for Judaic Studies Israel NW Film Center

Apr

10

Wed

Chai Baby + PJ Library Indoor Playground @ Mittleman Jewish Community Center

Tickets

Apr 10 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Chai Baby + PJ Library Indoor Playground

Join us on the second Wednesdays of every month from September to June for Chai Baby Indoor Playground, with kosher snacks, storytelling, friends and fun!

For parents/caregivers and their children up to five years old.

Please mark your calendar for our 2019 dates, held on the second Wednesdays each month:
January 9
February 13
March 13
April 10
May 8
June 12

Free and open to the community.

In partnership with PJ Library, Chai Baby, and Portland Jewish Academy.

Tags: chai baby indoor playground PJ Library play read books toddlers