Last month when I received a press release from the Joshua Venture Group, I was astonished by two facts. The fact that Portlanders had landed two of the eight prestigious fellowships to “alter the Jewish landscape” seemed incredible given the competition from around the country. Yet, I was also struck by the fact that these…
Taste in furnishings and home décor is individual, of course. But when a lot of people start liking the same thing, we’ve got a trend on our hands. Trends in interior design are what you’ll see these days in the Northwest’s fall home shows and new remodels – things that people want in their homes…
Steven Heiteen is optimistic that residential construction will rise during his term as president of the Homebuilders Association of Metro Portland. Not that he plans to take credit for that any more than he deserves the blame for the dismal construction numbers during his three years as a vice president of HAMP. When Heiteen, who…
Recent research at the archaeological site of Motza in Israel’s Judean hills unearthed evidence that sophisticated carpentry tools first appeared at the same time as increased agriculture and the establishment of permanent settlements. During the Neolithic Age (approximately 10000–6000 BCE), early man evolved from hunter-gatherer to farmer and agriculturalist, living in larger, permanent settlements with…
Whether he’s talking one-on-one with a U.S. Senator, addressing a roomful of hundreds of Portland Jews or emailing thousands his thoughts on such esoteric topics as what the Jewish community can learn from the Roller Derby, Marc Blattner is listening, learning and challenging the status quo to ensure an evolution – perhaps even a revolution – designed to meet…
Moishe House and Tikvah have teamed up to coordinate events that integrate young adults with disabilities into the community. Tikvah is Jewish Family and Child Service’s social group for young adults with disabilities. Moishe House resident Emly Oren heard about Tikvah when she started working for JFCS in November 2011. “I realized there are some…
When the first Jews arrived in Oregon in the 1850s, congregations weren’t far behind. In the more than 150 years since, synagogues have multiplied, grown and evolved to meet the ever-changing spiritual, life-cycle and community needs of an increasingly dispersed and diverse population. The first Jewish pioneers arrived in the state in the 1850s and…
Music has always been a constant for Cantor Ida Rae Cahana. Cahana, who officially begins her tenure as Congregation Beth Israel’s new senior cantor on Sept. 8, reflects that music, particularly Jewish liturgical music, has defined both her career and her personal life. “My way into Judaism had always been through music,” she says. Cahana…
by Amy R. Kaufman The first synagogue in Clark County, now rising near scenic wetlands, creates a visible Jewish presence on the skyline of Southwest Washington. In 2007, an anonymous donor stunned Congregation Kol Ami members by pledging $6 million to fund the building and maintenance of a synagogue. Now the Reform congregation will observe…
You could call them modern Jewish pioneers or parents struggling to keep tradition alive. Like parents in any town far from a synagogue, Hood River residents find it hard to raise their children with a sense of Jewish identity. For about 20 years, Columbia Gorge families have had a little help from “The Keeper of…
