By Deborah Moon Sam Sachs, 46, calls his volunteer efforts on behalf of minority rights tikkun olam, healing the world. He’s been called an advocate, activist and even an agitator. When he sued the Oregon Public Safety Academy in 1996 for anti-Semitic comments during his training there as a corrections officer, it launched a state…
Leonard Kaufman, 87, has plenty to look back on. Born in Portland in 1926, he remembers Depression-era hobo camps, World War II scrap drives and swimming lessons with Mickey Hirschberg at the Jewish Community Center on Southwest 13th Avenue. He reflects on his early Portland ancestors. His grandfather, merchant Isaac Kaufman, arrived in 1858. (The…
My son and I spend a lot of time in the car. Between 7 am and 7 pm I may drive 20-30 miles while schlepping him to and from his various commitments. I don’t complain because I know soon he’ll be driving himself, and we’ll never see him! My son is quite an accomplished musician,…
Hanukkah has all the ingredients for a wonderful family holiday – a good story, strong rituals, fun songs, delicious (fried!) food, a kid-friendly gambling game, colorful candles and, of course, presents. Despite all the potentially delightful parts of the holiday, oftentimes the presents become the dominant focus, which can be unpleasant and stressful for parents….
Portland’s Jewish community was enriched by decades of dedicated service when Canadian Laurie David came to town to visit her aunts in 1964 and fell in love with Portland native Bert Rogoway on a blind date. This month, Laurie Rogoway retires after 30 years of building community through her work at the Jewish Federation of…
Leslie and Eva Aigner understand the power of history. And they believe that sharing stories from the past, no matter how horrible, can help create a better future. “We tell our story so that people can change their thinking,” Eva says. “If you don’t know what caused the Holocaust, it could repeat itself.” The Aigners,…
Estelle Wexler remembers a time when there were many activities for seniors. “The Greenwood Inn in Beaverton used to have a seniors Shabbat luncheon; that’s how I met everybody I knew when I moved here 25 years ago. The JCC also had a lot of programs that were good for seniors. We used to go…
The son of surgeon and World War II veteran Zanly Edelson, z”l, Dr. Richard Edelson grew up with a strong respect for the veterans who sacrifice so much to allow Americans to thrive. Zanly Edelson was a general surgeon on a military base in England and was injured in a glider crash during the invasion…
A Sephardic Portland Walking Tour is offered Sept. 7 in conjunction with the “Vida Sefaradi: A Century of Sephardic Life in Portland” exhibit currently on display at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. On Sept. 7, from 11 am to 12:30 pm, enjoy a Sephardic-focused walking tour of South Portland including a…
Not every girl gets to lead services chant the entire Torah portion of the week when she becomes a bat mitzvah. Portland Women’s Tefillah, led by Erica Goldman, has provided that opportunity to girls (and women) of all backgrounds since 1984, when the well-known Jewish educator cofounded the group embarked on what was to become a 30- year…
