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.
College Info Night & Fair
Calling all teens and parents! Curious to know what your options are after high school graduation? Interested in learning more about Jewish life on college campuses? Join Julia Surtshin from College Ahead, as well as a wide array of other professionals who will share the ins and outs of life after high school. Come learn about the college admission process, financial aid, as well as non-traditional post-high school program opportunities.
Free and open to the community.
All teens and parents curious about options after high school graduation are invited to the program. Join Julia Surtshin from College Ahead, as well as a wide array of other professionals, who will share the ins and outs of life after high school. Come learn about the college admission process, financial aid, as well as non-traditional post-high school program opportunities. Learn more about Jewish life on college campuses too. Presenters/booths include: Julia Surtshin, College Ahead; Tim Tank, Morgan Stanley Financial Planning; Andy Gitelson, Oregon Hillel; Hannah Sherman, PDX Hillel; Dov and Chani Bialo, Chabad at Reed College; and Rabbi Ozer Moskowski, Akiva at University of Oregon.
Additionally, information about two gap year programs will be available. Adinah Miller will be on hand to discuss Tivnu, a Jewish building and social justice gap year program based in Portland. Materials from Masa Israel will be available for gap year programs in Israel.
Mel Bochner: Enough Said from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation
Mel Bochner (b.1940) consistently probes the conventions of painting and language. Bochner’s text-based works will be on view.
From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundations, this body of recent works, 2007-2018, challenge audiences to reflect on the nature and structure of everyday language. Curated by Bruce Guenther, adjunct curator for special exhibitions, the exhibition explores language as image and idea through Bochner’s long-held interest in complex printmaking techniques.
“Bochner’s historic use of language and words as both a linguistic system of inquiry and as a formal visual vocabulary of his painting practice has found new focus in the last decade through the artist’s intense engagement with printmaking and his exploration of the relationships of words as image, text, voice and thinking,” says Guenther. “He plumbs English and Yiddish for language’s power to establish identity, to command respect, or to attack in works of unpredictable emotionality and humor.”
“Mel Bochner is one of the most important conceptual artists of our time. His word art makes us smile, laugh, frown and jeer – but always forces us to think,” says Jordan D. Schnitzer. “He seduces us with emotions, words and phrases that we all have used. Whether we laugh or frown experiencing his art, we are forever moved.”
Born in 1940 to an Orthodox family in Pittsburgh, the artist attended Hebrew school and was exposed to art early through his father, who was a sign painter with a workshop in the family’s basement. Displaying an early talent for drawing, Bochner participated in the Carnegie Museum of Art’s innovative children’s art classes, eventually winning a scholarship to Carnegie Melon University.
ojmche.org
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.
Art Gallery Exhibit: The Passover Series
Shlomo Katz, Polish/Israeli, 1937 – 1992
Born in Lodz, Poland, Shlomo Katz immigrated to Palestine when he was eight years old in 1945. Katz developed an original technique of oil painting on a gilded metal surface. The result recalls medieval icons on the one hand, and oriental miniatures on the other. These ancient resources combine to form a totally modern image with a light humorous touch and a noble character. It took a lot of experimentation to translate these images to the graphic art form. The metallic inks of the golden tones and the importance of absolute registration presented just a part of the challenge, but the Katz serigraphs became the ultimate in modern printmaking.
Exhibit on display April 19 – 28, MJCC Lobby
Come out to see police vehicles, fire trucks, limos, race cars, construction trucks, and more! Enjoy food stations, games, and live music. Free and open to the community.
Friday, Nov 22, Dec 6, 6:15-7:15pm
Kabbalat Shabbat with Ilene Safyan
Join us for this special Kabbalat Shabbat accompanied by Ilene Safyan.
Please note: Programs are subject to change; please contact the office for more information: 503.246.8831 or visit the website at: www.nevehshalom.org.
“A Little Night Music” A Night of Music with Ilene Safyan & Barry Lavine
Sunday, November 24, 7:00-9:00pm
Join us for a special concert featuring Ilene Safyan and Barry Lavine. It’ll be a beautiful night of music, delicious desserts, and great wine! $36 per person. Space is limited. For tickets, please RSVP to
receptionist@nevehshalom.org.
Please note: Programs are subject to change; please contact the office for more information: 503.246.8831 or visit the website at: www.nevehshalom.org.
Free Krav Maga Classes
Come and try for free, Krav Maga, a practical form of self-defense. It was pioneered by the Israel Defense Forces from a combination of boxing, wrestling, aikido, judo, and karate. This introductory course, taught by an IDF veteran of the special forces, will focus on providing you with the three pillars of Krav Maga: technique, conditioning, and situational awareness.
Instructor: Elias Stahl, former Israel Defense Forces SFC from 2012-2015
Tuesdays, December 3 + 17
7:00 – 8:00 pm
Register: oregonjcc.org/freekrav
Here’s what to wear and expect when you arrive:
- Open to ages 16 – 60, on the condition that you are able to withstand strenuous physical activity.
- Please arrive promptly and be dressed in gym shorts/long pants, a t-shirt, and running shoes/sneakers.
No necklaces, bracelets, or earrings. Watches should be removed before class. - Please bring a water bottle in order to stay hydrated!
Friday, Nov 22, Dec 6, 6:15-7:15pm
Kabbalat Shabbat with Ilene Safyan
Join us for this special Kabbalat Shabbat accompanied by Ilene Safyan.
Please note: Programs are subject to change; please contact the office for more information: 503.246.8831 or visit the website at: www.nevehshalom.org.