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.
Fundraising Dinner with Aviv
Join the MJCC for a fundraising dinner at Aviv, Portland’s home to delicious vegan Israeli food. The first dinner seating begins at 5:30 pm and the second seating starts at 80 pm. We are pleased to offer each multi-course dinner with an optional wine-pairing featuring Israeli, kosher, and Oregon-local wines. Aviv is donating a portion of the proceeds of this multi-course dinner to the MJCC.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
5:30 pm or 8:00 pm
Aviv 1125 SE Division St., Portland
$45 per person. Wine not included.
$85 per person. Wine included.
Sign up in the MJCC lobby or at https://www.oregonjcc.org/about-us/brunch/party-boards
PJ Havdallah (0-5 Years Old), Saturday, Feb 15, 5:15pm
Young families say goodbye to Shabbat in our PJs with dinner, stories, art & fun.
RSVP: nevehshalom.org/pjhavdallah.
Due to travel restrictions advised to contain the Coronavirus, this event has been cancelled. We hope to reschedule this event at a later date. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Antisemitism on College Campuses Workshop
Wed, March 18, 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Teens, parents, and Jewish community members are increasingly concerned about the anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses across the U.S. that often spills over into Anti-Semitic speech and policies. Stand With Us brings experts from the field to explain and discuss:
— Antisemitism vs. Legitimate Criticism of Israel
— The evolving face of the BDS movement
— Know your rights: how to respond and who can help
Program begins at 6pm, dinner included, ending time 8:30pm
Cost: $10 per individual or $15 per family
RSVP: tinyurl.com/CNSCollegeCampus20