Rabbi Joshua Stampfer presents the award named in his honor to Lois and Arden Shenker. The 13th annual award dinner drew 225 guests to the Benson Hotel May 17 to honor the many contributions the Shenkers have made to enrich the community. Sen. Ron Wyden added congratulatory remarks via video.
Norman Berlant, a lifelong member of Congregation Kesser Israel, celebrated the 75th anniversary of his bar mitzvah on May 12 with a special Kiddush. Above, Berlant as a 13-year-old in the Portland Hebrew Academy yearbook for 1937 and today. Berlant, who attended the Portland Hebrew School in Old South Portland, is Kesser’s oldest “original” member. His family, including father Morris Berlant and grandfather Moshe Black, were very involved in the life of the shul.
Seeds of Tzedakah was the theme of this year’s Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation dinner May 1 at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Above, the 27 OJCYF members are flanked by advisors Julie Diamond and Jonathan Morgan in the back row. Representatives from the Greater Portland Hillel and PJ Library, two programs for which OJCYF provided seed money in previous years, shared the success they have enjoyed in Oregon thanks in part to the youth grants. Representatives of another emerging group that received seed money from OJCYF this year attended the event. The advisor and three teens from the Student Alliance Project, a group that imbues teens from all backgrounds with leadership experience, were so impressed that during the Mitzvah Moment the teens each donated $18. “I know that for SAP, every dollar counts … so I wanted to return the favor and help other organizations that are also working to make the world a little better,” said Natalie Lerner, 15. The dinner raised more than $50,000, netting $34,000 to fund grant proposals. Photo by Deborah Moon
Police memorial: Rabbi Arthur Zuckerman of Congregation Shaarie Torah and a Portland Police chaplain visits with police horse Beau and Mounted Police Officer Rich Holphausen at the Portland Police Memorial May 15 in Waterfront Park. The Police Memorial is part of National Police Week, which pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici meets with representatives of the Community Relations Committee and the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland board on May 1. The discussion centered on the federal human services budget, nutrition programs, Iran and anti-missile defense assistance for Israel. Photo by Deborah Moon
