As Rosh Hashanah approaches on the eve of September 18, most people who ordinarily attend High Holiday services will be unable to attend synagogue in person this year due to COVID-19, and are seeking alternative ways to celebrate the holiday. Recognizing that blowing the Shofar, as the Jewish people have done for millenia, is the…
Photo: Ruth Scott, left, and Hannah Holstein Jewish Family & Child Service board of directors unanimously voted last week to appoint Ruth Scott as Executive Director. “We are confident Ruth is the right leader at the right time. She has the existing knowledge, skills, and expertise to be effective from day one,” says JFCS Board…
Cantor Rayna Green Returns to Portland After 10 years, Cantor Rayna Green is thrilled to be coming home to Portland, Oregon, and rejoining the Congregation Beth Israel family where she was mentored by Cantor Judy Schiff and Cantor Ida Rae Cahana. Cantor Green will be joining the clergy team as part-time cantor. Most recently, Cantor…
By Lee Gordon I am in total support of the growing protests in Portland against police brutality and against the presence here of Federal agents who have been tear-gassing and harassing peaceful demonstrators on a nightly basis. (And this kind of brutality is not only the monopoly of the Federal agents, as the Portland Police…
Photo: Carolyn Weinstein, Principal Broker, ABR, SRES with Hasson Company, Realtors. While the pandemic and subsequent closure of businesses have wreaked havoc throughout the state, there is one business thriving in Oregon – real estate. In Portland, the average price of homes has gone up 2.6% since the middle of March,” says Realtor Carolyn Weinstein…
Photo: From left, U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman look on as Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum speaks at a press conference on April 3, 2020. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) On July 17, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed a lawsuit in federal court against the United States…
As cases of COVID-19 spread quickly through the state of Oregon and all our communities, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is developing a pool of trained staff and uniform contact tracing tools to help fill gaps and increase capacity to meet criteria for reopening and ensure a coordinated, equitable approach across the state. The OHA…
Photo: Jeremy Sacks Stoel Rives LLP is proud to announce that it has launched the Main Street Relief Project, a no-cost legal service for independent restaurants, bars, and retail establishments in the communities where the firm has offices. “Stoel Rives is deeply connected to the communities in which we live,” says Melissa Jones, firm managing…
Maimonides Jewish Day School in Southwest Portland announced the two winners of Oregon’s 3rd annual Chanukah Essay Contest. Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford provided the guiding question that inspired nearly 50 students from nine schools – more than twice as many as last year – to vie for meaningful words and prizes. The students –…
Marsha Spellman new president of JGSO Long-time Portland resident, Marsha Spellman, has been named as the new President of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Oregon. Marsha became interested in genealogy after spending many years tracking down her family name. She discovered her last name was originally Kitrosser, as Spellman is a name that her grandfather…
