Thanks to the TV show “Portlandia,” Oregonians west of the Cascades are now famous for their highly developed food sensibilities, militant bike activism, flowing long gray hair and ever-intensifying addictions to locally produced artisan coffees, oh-so-perfect pinots and craft beers. What “Portlandia hasn’t touched on – yet (hint) – is the amount of buzz generated…
Dear Helen: I had lunch last week with someone I’ve known professionally for 15 years and seen through a divorce, substance abuse, car accidents (related to drinking) and other traumas. He’s done the same for me, but I have never abused anything except caffeine. We’re friends in a professional way, and he has absolutely made…
Editor’s Note: Full names or company names have not been used. The seaside town of Jaffa, Israel, just south of Tel Aviv, was once a regional hub of shoe manufacturing. In the past several decades, however, Jaffa’s footwear sector has become just another casualty of China’s industrial machine. While the local shoemaking supply chain has…
Last year 357 young adults from Oregon had what many describe as a life-changing Birthright trip to Israel, but 382 others were put on a waitlist. Birthright Israel Foundation Portland cochairs Dana Hunt and Alan Bacharach organized a gathering to help raise enough money for a half bus from Oregon, which costs $60,000. About half…
The death of four commercial fishermen on Dec. 11, 2001, when their 40-foot aluminum fishing vessel Nesika capsized a half-mile west of Yaquina Head, marked a turning point for each of the men’s families. It was the first day that the Dungeness crab fleet put to sea that year – a cold, dirty day on…
He’s a klezmer violin virtuoso, a composer, an arranger, a filmmaker, the author of 13 books, a playwright and a photographer, and he has conducted original ethno-graphic and musical research in Eastern Europe. In short, Yale Strom is a one-man walking Jewish cultural storehouse. Strom started his multifaceted love affair with Jewish culture in the…
For young adults, going off to college can be a thrilling journey into the unknown. As exciting and liberating as that journey can be, it can also be a disorienting shift, and having a home away from home can be a big help. For many Jewish students, Hillel is that home. The largest Jewish campus…
Nineteen-year-old Josh Israel was a typical Portland teenager. He spent most of his time studying, watching television or playing video games with his friends. A graduate of Portland Jewish Academy and Riverdale High School, he says during his senior year he realized he wanted to do something different with his life. “I hadn’t done anything…
