Young Israeli shares his life with American students Israeli Shaliach Udi Asaraf is spending a school year in the Pacific Northwest to advance his belief that “Education is the key to peace. Education can overcome hate.” Just 27 years old, Udi has served as an officer in the Israeli Defense Forces; earned degrees in chemical…
Staff at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education have spent the past six months settling into their permanent home in the Pearl District – and that means filling the new positions that come with the larger building. For the museum’s education department, that means finally hiring a full-time educator and filling an…
Many of the unsung heroes in our Jewish community are the Hebrew and preschool teachers,” says JFGP President and CEO Marc Blattner. “Not easy jobs, but (they) play a huge role in building the Jewish future.” In recognition of the importance of educating the next generation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland supports Portland Area…
The Gan-Portland Jewish Preschool has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. NAEYC accreditation is a rigorous and transformative system that uses 10 research-based standards to collaborate with early education programs to recognize and drive quality improvement in high-quality early learning environments. “We’re proud to have earned the mark of…
Hopefulness was the key takeaway of the participants in a recent mission to Israel to explore the bilingual, bicultural schools that were co-founded by Portland native Lee Gordon. “It was an outstanding educational and emotional experience for everyone,” says Portlander Julie Diamond, one of 33 participants in the first Hand in Hand Board and Donor…
PHOTO: Yossi Wilhelm, a third-grader at Maimonides Jewish Day School, and Sivan Safran, center, a fifth-grader at Portland Jewish Academy, read their winning essays. Photos by Rob ProPhoto Winners of the Chanukah Essay Writing Contest on “What Chanukah Means to Me” read their winning essays Dec. 12 the annual Chabad public menorah lighting in Director…
By Deborah Moon During a women’s trip to Israel two years ago, Shoshana Gordon was very impressed by the transformative care that children with disabilities receive from Shalva. In March she will return to Israel to run in the Jerusalem Half Marathon to raise funds for the group. “This trip had such a profound effect…
The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards are seeking nominations of exceptional Jewish teens leading meaningful community service and social change initiatives. Now entering its 12th year, the national award annually recognizes up to 15 Jewish teens with $36,000 each towards their project or education. Up to five teens from California and 10 from across the…
The open vista that greets students and visitors entering Portland Jewish Academy is now the physical manifestation of the open, collaborative learning environment that has long been a hallmark of the Jewish day school. PJA has renovated the lobby, removed walls between hallways and the library, and reorganized the open space and adjacent rooms to…
At 16, Jack Green is not just chasing his dreams, he’s living them. “School, soccer and Judaism – being part of all three is important to me,” says Jack. This year all three areas of his life have gotten a big boost. The Alaskan teen moved to Portland in August after earning a slot in…
