On a recent afternoon, Rabbi Joshua Stampfer made his way to a light-filled classroom in Congregation Neveh Shalom, greeted other members of his study group and opened a volume of Talmud. Everyone turned to page 119b(5) in Tractate Shabbos, but the real topic was “Why was Jerusalem destroyed?” Rabbi Stampfer read aloud, in Hebrew and…
For the past two years, the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland hosted an Israeli shaliach (male emissary) and shlicha (female emissary) to serve the Jewish community. This year the shlicha will be based at the Greater Portland Hillel. Shiran Halfon arrived in Portland Sept. 1, and will be here for a minimum of one year…
Birth Jewish children are given Hebrew names in addition to their English names. The most prominent ceremony surrounding a birth in our tradition is the circumcision of the male child, performed on the eighth day after birth. The ceremony is called a brit milah, which means covenant, harking back to when Abraham entered into a…
In words that form images of light and darkness, waters receding from the firmament and stars separating day and night, the hebrew Bible (torah) describes the separation of the seventh day from all the others. this is the Sabbath – the day G-d desisted from the work of creation. the hebrew word Shabbat comes from…
For more than 150 years, Jewish life in Oregon has been characterized by dreamers, doers and those devoted to a cause. The pioneer Jews who came to the Western Frontier sank deep roots. Those first Oregon Jews, who came from Germany in the mid-1850s, often lived in other places in America before finding their way out West….
No, you are not imagining it. The shofar will be calling Jews to New Year services earlier this year. The earliest the first day of Rosh Hashanah can fall is Sept. 5. It happened in 1899 and again this year. Since days begin at sundown of the previous day, Erev Rosh Hashanah services are Wednesday…
Ah, shopping for school supplies. Is there anything … worse? First of all, why do they need so darn much stuff ? I mean, honestly, are they really gonna use one pencil a week for the next 36 weeks? Plus, this school supply stuff really adds up fast. It was probably wrong to tell my…
Jennifer Greenberg & Carlos the dog, Program Director, Congregation Neveh Shalom “We actually keep a beehive in our backyard. This year we will harvest some honey and enjoy it, comb and all. We will reflect on all the hard work we watched the bees do, and will be thankful for their role in pollinating our vegetable…
Rob Hershinow is a board member at Congregation Beit Haverim. “Rosh Hashanah is an opportunity to remember our spiritual compass, the significance of Jewish practice and Judaism in our ongoing lives,” he says. “Life changes and unfolds throughout the year with new people and new experiences. Values are tested. Rosh Hashanah is something familiar. The…
When Havurah Shalom wanted to pursue a tikkun olam project in Nicaragua, many who were unfamiliar with global poverty got involved. So they teamed up with Green Empowerment, a Portlandbased nonprofit that builds renewable energy and water systems throughout the developing world. The congregation raised $40,000 to jump-start a solarpowered water system in the tiny village of El Jocote with a population of 230, including 41…
