Dear Helen: I just volunteered to edit my neighborhood association’s quarterly newsletter. I’ve recently retired and have more time, so thought this might be fun. Wrong! Chasing after people to give information or to write the articles they promised to do is worse than getting paid employees to do their jobs. Everyone gives me their articles late, incomplete, misspelled, with…
For more than 100 years, Sephardic Jews have been an important part of the Portland Jewish community. Next year, beginning in June, they will celebrate their rich history and hopes for the future with “A Hundred Years of Sephardic Life in Portland.” This ambitious project will feature a gala kickoff dinner and a four-month historical exhibit, documentary DVD and catalog. “We’ve…
Once the infamous Berlin Wall came down in 1989, spectacular shopping complexes, elegant new hotels and office towers made over the face of what had been Communist-controlled East Berlin. At the same time, the horrendous fate of Berlin’s once thriving Jewish community of some 160,000, the largest in Europe, was observed with somber, often heart-wrenching memorials. Included are the moving Holocaust…
More than 9,000 athletes from 72 countries are expected to participate in the 19th Maccabiah Games in Israel July 18-30, including nine athletes and an accommodations manager from Oregon. The Maccabiah Games began in 1932 in what was then British-ruled Palestine. Held every four years in Israel, the Maccabiah Games now are the third-largest international sporting event after the Olympics and the World University Games. The Maccabiah Games…
When Sharon Tarlow kicked off Congregation Beth Israel’s needlepoint pillow reunion on April 11, the women involved in the 1974 project gathered around her and smiled. Their handiwork of two dozen chair backs has graced seats along the perimeter and bima of the Byzantine sanctuary for decades. Envisioned by the sisterhood, designed by artist Janet Louvau Holt (then Jansen), and approved…
Renate Dollinger was a landscape painter with a small gallery in Palo Alto, CA, a husband, four children and lots of dogs when, in 1968, at the age of 44, she suddenly turned to painting life in a shtetl. “Cute,” her husband said when he saw the first painting. “Where did that come from?” “I don’t know,” she replied. Here’s what…
As summer creeps up and the cringe factor of donning a bathing suit for a poolside afternoon starts to badger the back of my mind, I realize that summer should not be just about stripping down. It should be about covering up, too. Summer fun often means more time in the harsh summer sun, and…
PRODUCED BY THE NORTHWEST FILM CENTER AND THE INSTITUTE FOR JUDAIC STUDIES: Portland Jewish Film Festival: June 16-30, 2013 SUNDAY, JUNE 16 AT 7 PM “FILL THE VOID” ISRAEL 2012 DIRECTOR: RAMA BURSHTEIN The winner of Israeli Academy Awards for Best Film and Best Actress, FILL THE VOID is a nuanced portrait of an Orthodox…
With its pristine environment, breathtaking scenery and wealth of outdoor activities, Bend is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the Pacific Northwest. No matter what the season, visitors can enjoy a diverse range of activities such as cross-country skiing, hiking and even llama-riding. Young professionals, families and active retirees are increasingly finding their…
In these hard times that have come to be known as the Great Recession, many Americans have been scaling back their travel plans. The staycation, or vacationing near or even at home, has steadily gained in popularity. It may not be as glamorous as a traditional vacation, but there’s no reason it can’t be a…
