Participants in the only domestic Jewish gap year program for recent high school graduates are working to alleviate homelessness while they gain social and hands-on skills that will benefit them in college and beyond. The eight teens in the first cohort of Tivnu: Building Justice gap year spend four days a week on a Habitat…
As budget constraints force Oregon school districts to shorten school years, increase class sizes and reduce offerings, many families turn to private schools to meet their children’s needs, both scholastic and spiritual. From preschool through college, the teachers profiled here have found a home where they make a difference in students’ lives. Esther Fischer, Maayan…
The innovation and creativity that has flourished in Portland’s Jewish community lately is now attracting national attention. Two Portlanders – Steve Eisenbach-Budner and Sarah Blattner – recently brought home prestigious national awards. Every two years the Joshua Venture Group awards fellowships to social entrepreneurs who have the potential to “transform the Jewish landscape.” In a…
