They grew up to be mensches, which is what their father hoped for. Today Ben Yablon, 21, and his brother Jonathan, 19, proudly serve their country – though it isn’t the same country. After making aliyah, Ben joined the Israel Defense Forces. And Jon, who always wanted to be a United States Marine, finishes basic…
One Group Pegs PSU as Hot Spot On the same day about a month ago, two press releases arrived regarding the rise of anti-Semitism on college campuses. One of the releases called Portland State University one of the worst offenders – an allegation that PSU students and leaders called surprising and inaccurate. The first release…
Families with children in kindergarten through fifth grade are invited to explore Portland sites and learn about Jewish teachings through a three-part program this spring presented by Congregation Shaarie Torah. Education Director Dorice Horenstein says she and Rabbi Joshua Rose created the program to make Jewish learning more fun while offering activities that families can do…
In December, 20 Portland-area Jewish moms enjoyed a free tour of Israel and came home with new connections to the land of Israel, to Jewish traditions and to the women who shared the experience. Momentum is an eight-day journey through Israel created by the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project in 2008. Thousands of women from 19…
Tu B’Shevat, or the “New Year of the Trees,” is perhaps the most mercurial of Jewish holidays, with the rituals surrounding its observance shifting throughout the ages to meet the needs of the times. What began as a day to mark the age of fruit trees for tithing purposes when the Temple still stood in…
Now in its 12th season, the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation, a program of the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, continues to evolve. Currently 62 high school-aged teens from throughout the Portland metro area, including representa- tives from many high schools and synagogues, participate in the program. OJCYF teens meet monthly in three groups: first-year participants…
The recently released census of Jewish day schools in the United States sponsored by the Avi Chai Foundation demonstrates an overall increase in day school enrollment since the surveys began in the 1998-99 school year. Conducted at five-year intervals, this research provides a clear picture of trends in the day school system over an extended…
B’nai B’rith Camp and BBYO are just a couple of the highlights Emily Glasgow remembers from growing up Jewish in Portland. After graduating from Lincoln High and finishing her M.A. at Amherst College in Boston, Emily began teaching third grade at an inner city school in Oakland, CA. Applying and getting into Harvard Graduate School…
In “The Sound of Music” Julie Andrews explains, “when you sing you begin with Do Re Mi.” While the Von Trapp family singers indeed possessed natural talent, the talented home cook knows that great food requires patience to coax optimum flavor from foods to produce perfect harmony on the plate. The first-year culinary student learns…
As a nurse practitioner, Lisa Weiner’s favorite thing was patient education to help people make positive changes. When she and her husband, Andrew Cohen, had their first son, Ezra, 10 years ago, she decided to leave her practice to spend more time with her family. Now with Ezra and his younger brother, Reuben, 6, both…
