Cancer patients frequently complain of overwhelming fatigue during treatment. For decades, the medical community recommended patients save their strength and rest during the course of treatment. But when personal trainer Laura Rosencrantz watched her active grandfather Leonard Schnitzer grow weaker each day as he succumbed to lung cancer, she started to question that conventional wisdom….
Poet and counselor Willa Schneberg knew her journey to Cambodia as a United Nations elections supervisor for that country’s first free elections in 1993 would be a momentous era in her life, so she decided to seek inspiration from “a true feminist.” Before she boarded the plane for Cambodia, she interviewed her mother, Esther Schneberg,…
Each month Oregon Jewish Life will ask a group of rabbis, cantors or individuals to respond to a question. Since this issue has a section on weddings and the state of Washington just legalized gay marriage, we asked a group of rabbis what Judaism says about the sanctity of marriage and if they believe that…
Synagogues, schools and special-needs providers – to me, these are each an integral part of community. This issue of Oregon Jewish Life features special sections on synagogues and schools. Oregon has seen an explosion in options for both in recent decades. We also devote our Through the Ages section to looking at ways the community…
OJCF NEW BOARD MEMBERS – The Oregon Jewish Community Foundation has added three new members to its board of directors: (from left) Jonathan Barg, Jill Schnitzer Edelson and Jonathan Glass. At the Annual Meeting, OJCF also thanked several outgoing board members including Warren Rosenfeld, Sharon Ungerleider and Milt Carl, who was one of the original…
Dear Helen: Can you give me some very practical tips to prepare for a phone interview? I know I could do the job if I get it. But there’s a pre-screening interview – 30 minutes with one person – before an interview with the whole team. I need to pass this test to get to…
Does integrating students with special needs benefit all students or the community in general? Ben Sandler Education Director Congregation Beth Israel “You shall not insult the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind.” Leviticus 19:14 Integrating students with special needs absolutely benefits everyone! The first illustration that comes to mind is the work…
B’nai B’rith Camp has opened its arms in the spirit of community. Now in its second year, Kehila (Hebrew for community) integrates children with a variety of special needs into the summer camp experience. Following inclusion models based in schools, Kehila positively impacts children with disabilities, instilling in them a sense of independence while inspiring…
Historically, families with a child with special needs have often felt isolated. After the trips to doctors, finding specialists and seeking support from close family members, there is a feeling of isolation within the community. Or so it was until about 20 years ago. No longer hidden in institutions or kept at home, our children…
For Jewish families of children in elementary and middle school, that often means deciding on both an academic program and a religious school program. Jewish students who do not attend one of the three Jewish day schools in Portland often enroll in a Sunday school, Shabbat school and/or afterschool Hebrew program to supplement their regular…
