January Lecture Series

Preserving the Past: The Legacy of Jewish Women is the theme of the
Lifelong Learning Lecture Series in January at Rose Schnitzer Manor at
Cedar Sinai Park.
RSM invites to community to come to the lecture series every Tuesday
evening this January. All lectures are open to the public and will be held
in Zidell Hall of Rose Schnitzer Manor.
The series begins Jan. 3 when Priscilla Kostiner speaks on “The Personal
Journey of a Jewish Woman.” Priscilla has spent her life as a Jewish lay
leader and professional in the Jewish world. Whether leading Shabbat
services at the Rose Schnitzer Manor, speaking about Judaism to high
school students or greeting new immigrants on the tarmac at Ben Gurion
Airport in Israel, Priscilla loves what she does, and is looking forward to
sharing her experiences with you.
On Jan. 10 Ellen Eisenberg speaks on “Whatever Happened to Old South
Portland.”
Ellen is the Dwight and Margaret Lear Professor of American History at
Willamette University and is the author of The First to Cry Down Injustice?
Western Jews and Japanese Removal during WWII, Embracing a Western
Identity: Jewish Oregonians, 1849-1950 and The Jewish Oregon Story,
1950-2015.
Cantor Ida Rae Cahana continues the series Jan. 17 with her talk, “Abi
Gezunt – As Long as You’re Well, You’re Happy!” Ida Rae was raised in
Pittsburgh, PA, where she made history and the local news at the age
of 17, when she became one of the first women to sing in a synagogue
as cantorial soloist. Ida Rae has since appeared on Broadway and in
concerts at Merkin Concert Hall and the 92nd Street Y. She made her
Carnegie Hall debut in 2012 and her Oregon Symphony debut in 2013.
Ida Rae is a featured soloist for two recordings from the Milken Archive
of Jewish music (Naxos label), of Yiddish Art Song, and on their latest
release of Jewish Wedding Music. With ordination from Hebrew-Union
College –Jewish Institute of Religion in 1993, she is the senior cantor for
Congregation Beth Israel. She says her greatest joy is to be the “ema on
the bima” for her four children, Sarit, Liora, Idit and David.
On Jan. 24 Jeannie Smith will share how “One Person Can Make a
Difference!” Jeannie is the daughter of Polish Rescuer, Irene Gut Opdyke;
who passed away on May 17, 2003. Irene received international
recognition for her actions during the Holocaust while working for a
high-ranking German official. Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett will speak Jan.
31 about “Jewish Women and Civil Rights: Behind the Scenes, Around
the Table, and on the Picket Line.” Kimberly is the author of Carolina
Israelite: How Harry Golden Made Us Care about Jews, the South, and Civil
Rights, the first comprehensive biography of Golden. Golden’s one-man
newspaper and hugely popular books including, Only in America and For
2-cents Plain, used wry humor and blunt observations to raise awareness
of the Jewish role in fighting for civil rights in this country.