Oregon Jewish Life April 2016 Vol.5/Issue 3

APRIL 2016

WANDER NO MORE

JKids

Friendships Virtual & Real

SPECIAL SECTION

Energy Trust's

Passover Recipe Contest Winners Inside

Margie Harris

Reflects on Earth Day and Judaism

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 3

Inside

Features

April 2016/ Adar II- Nissan 5776 | Volume 5/Issue 3

36

COVER STORY Margie Harris helps Oregonians use energy better ….………………………18 JEWS WITH ATTITUDE Foreign correspondent shares insights………..………………………………….8 BUSINESS Ins & Outs………………………………………….……………………………………10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Music and memories play out on stage…....…………………………………..12 Hershey Felder directs story of pianist…………………………………………..14 Murray Perahia plays Portland April 10…....…………………………………..16 FOOD Chef’s Corner: Nutritious bone broth …....……………………………………..36 NW Nosh: Shalom Y’all…………….….…………………………………………….38 Recently certified companies……………………………………………………...39 STYLE Jane Weitzman bares Art and Sole …....………………………………………..40 YOUNG ADULTS Moishe House creates community of peers …....…………………………….48 SENIORS Granting wishes at journey’s end….……………………………………………...50 YOM HASHOAH Dachau visit inspires contemplation….…………………………………………52 Survivor speaks of the unspeakable…..………………………………………...53 Portland events May 1-5………………….………………………………………..54

42

52

Passover Recipe contest winners…………………..…..………………………………………..24

Remember the Stranger………………………………………………………………..26 Passover Notes…..……………………………………………………………………….32 Pesach kosher in Israel……………………...…………………………………………32 Passover, Me & Bobby McGee………………………………………………………..35 Bone broth a good filler for Pesach……..…………………………………………..36

JKids & Teens too Virtual to real friendships…..........…………………………………………………..42 Countering BDS in schools………..…..………………………………………………44 The Vaping Epidemic………………..….……………………………………………….45 Big Brother writes growing up manual……………………………………………..46

JLiving Portland Kollel celebrates successful decade……………………………………56 Volunteer on Good Deeds Day………………………………………………………..58 Every Step Counts with Hadassah.......……………………………………………..59 Chabad opens center in NE Portland……………………………………………….60 Azerbaijan’s hand of friendship…………..…………………………………………..61 FACES from recent events …….……………………………………………………….62 Previews of things to come …….…………………………………………………….65 Calendar …….……………………….……………………………………………………65

Columns 35 To Life by Amy Hirshberg Lederman 36 Chef’s Corner by Lisa Glickman 38 NW Nosh by Kerry Politzer 45 Family Time by Debra Rich Gettleman 49 Ask Helen COVER PHOTO: Margie Harris. Photo by Deborah Moon

CORRECTION: The February edition “Turning emotion into sound” misstated Sharon Fendrich’s graduation year and her daughter’s grade level. Fendrich graduated from college in 1998, and Talia is in fifth grade 4 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

™

Publishers Robert Philip and Cindy Saltzman Advertising and Editorial Director Cindy Saltzman Editor-In-Chief Deborah Moon Art Director Philip Nerat Copy Editor Susan Moon Social Media Editor Debra Rich Gettleman Webmaster Karl Knelson Columnists Lisa Glickman, Amy Hirshberg Lederman, Kerry Politzer, Debra Rich Gettleman and Helen Rosenau Contributing Writers Janet Arnold, Marc Blattner, Rich Geller, Jenn Director Knudsen, Polina Olsen, Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri, Leni Reiss, Sura Rubenstein, Elizabeth Schwartz and Teddy Weinberger How to reach us: Editorial: 503-892-7402 Advertising: 503-892-7403 Subscriptions: 503-892-7403 Publisher: Publisher@ojlife.com

Oregon Jewish Life 6680 SW Capitol Hwy. Portland, Oregon 97219 www.ojlife.com A Prince Hal Production (TGMR18) The content and opinions in Oregon Jewish Life do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers, staff or contractors. Articles and columns are for informational purposes only and not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, Oregon Jewish Life, and its agents, publishers, employees and contractors will not be held responsible for the misuse of any information contained herein. The publishers reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Publication of advertisements does not constituteendorsement of products or services.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 5

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Plus…

25

Raise a glass for RABBI ARIEL STONE on her silver jubilee!

As Passover approaches, our thoughts turn to freedom – and food! So this month our special section features plenty of both.

We asked our readers to submit their favorite recipes, and we’ve printed our four favorites in this issue. Of course this month’s Chef ’s Corner features another recipe you’ll want to try this Pesach.

Oregonians sure know how to cook!

Passover is also a time when we are urged to remember we were strangers in Egypt, which is why we have an essay on remembering the stranger. Along with the essay, we feature examples of the many ways Oregonians reach out to others and help the needy.

In addition to campus seders and seders for children in the Passover section, our calendar features a broad range of seders for adults and families. From traditional second night seders to a dessert seder with ice cream sundaes inspired by Pesach flavors, you can find something to tickle your taste buds in the calendar.

This year Earth Day coincides with the first Passover seder.

That coincidence inspired our cover story on Margie Harris, the founding director of the Energy Trust. Margie is not only passionate about the environment, she also loves to host a second night seder every year. In fact, when she built her current home, she made sure she had space to seat 20 to 22 people around her seder table. For Margie, the holiday is about somber reflection on the state of the world, celebration, togetherness and food.

I’m excited to announce a new feature coming to Oregon Jewish Life. Starting next month, we’re adding “Oy!” – a column dedicated to those moments in life that make you laugh, shake your head and exclaim (or mutter), “Oy!” To kick off this column, please send your funniest or most embarrassing “Oy!” moments to editor@ojlife.com. I can’t wait to start laughing out loud and sharing these moments with you.

On a sad note, Yonaton Suher was one of three Israelis killed by the suicide bombing in Istanbul, Turkey, March 19. He was the brother of Brian Suher, a Portland stockbroker. His father, Randy Suher, was born in Portland and made aliyah; Randy and his wife, Yael, had five children. Yonaton was raised on Kibbutz Shiller in central Israel. He had served in the IDF’s Military Police Corps and received a law degree before working in the high-tech industry. Yonaton had been on vacation with his wife, Inbal, in the Turkish city to celebrate his 40th birthday. Inbal was wounded in the attack. The couple has two children. Our hearts go out to the Suher family.

May his memory be for a blessing.

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Jews With Attitude

Foreign correspondent shares Middle East insights

By Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri

“Most Americans entertain a fantasy that we can walk away from the travails of the Middle East and that those travails won’t pursue us here at home. I would argue that the last few years have shown that, as appealing as that might be in theory, in reality the Middle East doesn’t leave us alone,” says Bret Stephens.

Stephens is the foreign affairs columnist and deputy editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal. In a telephone interview with Jewish Life magazines, he elaborated on his perceptions of the Middle East and worldwide radicalism.

“It doesn’t leave us alone, because if you allow a group like ISIS to seize and hold territory, you will find yourself being attacked from Paris to San Bernardino,” says Stephens, whose “Global View” column won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2013. “It doesn’t leave us alone, because if you allow a crisis of the kind that we have in Libya or Syria to fester, it creates the tidal wave of refugees, the humanitarian catastrophe and the civilizational challenge that you now have throughout Europe. It doesn’t leave us alone, because we do care about the fate of our allies there. We do care about the fate of Israel. Israel now finds itself in the eye of a geopolitical hurricane.”

As Stephens puts it, the United States must make a strategic, as well as ideological, decision to remain involved in the dramas of the Middle East, while knowing that there is inevitably a limit to what we can do to resolve them in a satisfying and durable way.

Stephens has worn many hats at the Journal, which he joined as an op-ed editor in 1998. In addition to foreign affairs commentator, he is currently responsible for the paper’s international opinion pages and a member of the paper’s editorial board. He is also a regular panelist on the Journal Editorial Report, a weekly political talk show broadcast on Fox News Channel.

His ties to Israel run deep, as both a journalist and a Jew. At 8 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

the age of 28, he was appointed editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, a daily English newspaper; he held that post from 2002 to 2004. Over the years, he has interviewed every Israeli prime minister since Shimon Peres. The most memorable interview was with Ariel Sharon in 2001. Stephens was working for the Wall Street Journal in Europe and was sent to interview Sharon, who had just assumed leadership of the Likud. They spent over two hours talking, first going over maps, which Stephens describes as a signature thing that Sharon liked to do. “I just listened to war stories from Sharon about the ’73 campaign and crossing the Suez. For a young, 27-year-old reporter, it was an unforgettable experience. Even then he was a legend,” he says.

Stephens also feels a close connection to the Jewish National Fund, which he says has always been dear to his family. “What the organization has done to turn a ‘deserted and desertified’ country into the agricultural exporter it has become, and the model of environmental stewardship it has become, has always been to me a central part of the inspiration of Israel,” he says.

So after his father passed away, his family found it fitting to dedicate a forest in his memory.

Last January, while in Israel as a speaker at a Ministry of Economics conference, he went to JNF’s American Independence Park on the southwestern slopes of the Judean Hills for an official dedication. “In Tel Aviv, where I spoke, there was something approaching a hurricane. The sun came out in that stretch of field near the airport. Then as we came toward the hills where there is a large JNF forest that has the memorials for my great-grandmother and my father, it became very cold and started to snow. In a single day in January in Israel, we had three different climactic events in the space of about 40 miles or so.”

His job has taken him to cover fascinating stories in all corners of the globe. One assignment that Stephens found particularly riveting was in Indonesia, the largest Muslim

Wall Street Journal Foreign Correspondent Bret Stephens (second from left) poses with soldiers from the Afghan Armed Forces in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

country in the world.

“One of the essential civilizational dramas was playing out in front of me,” says Stephens, referring to what he called an ideological battle between the traditional Islam of Java and radical Islam imported from the Arabian Peninsula. “I remember interviewing Abdurrahman Wahid, a former president of Indonesia and head of the largest Muslim social movement in the world. He was openly pro-Israel. And at the same time, you saw the Salafists, the Jihadists and the Muslim Brotherhood trying to redefine Islam in a much more violent and radical direction.”

Stephens also saw that radical side of Islam play out when he interviewed Ismail Abu Shanab, a founder and senior leader of Hamas in Gaza, in the summer of 2000, shortly after the collapse of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations at the Camp David Summit. During the interview, Abu Shanab’s infant daughter crawled into the living room where they were meeting. He picked her up and said, “She is Hamas.”

“It was just heartbreaking that this child, who is just as innocent as a child can be, is already being enrolled in that kind of fanaticism and militancy. It was the kind of comment that you don’t easily forget,” says Stephens. “Indoctrination begins as soon as these children are sentient beings, and that’s why you have these 13-year-old kids, 16-year-old girls, deciding on a lark to take a knife and go and try to kill a Jew.” Although he has received many awards for his writing and insights, Stephens says the one that means the most to him is the Professional Achievement Award from the University of Chicago, his alma mater, in 2014. He was honored to accept the award alongside his mentor, Professor Leon Kass, and Senator Bernie Sanders, among others. “It’s an honor from people who are infinitely better than I am, so that one really meant something to me. I was flabbergasted by that.”

This interview first appeared in our sister publication, Arizona Jewish Life.

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CAMP, PJ LIBRARY JOIN FORCES

BB CAMP ADDS OFFICE STAFF

B’nai B’rith Camp has expanded its Beaverton office with the addition of new professional staff. Max Barenberg took over as the rentals and retreats manager in January. Jessica Benjamin, development and alumni associate, and Noa Rubin, marketing and communications associate, joined BB camp in February.

Max was the catering and events manager at Koi Fusion and the marketing director at Portlandbasketball.com; he owns a mobile DJ company called Blackboard Music. He looks forward to bringing as many retreats to BB Camp as possible and filling up all the newly constructed buildings with guests.

Jessica came to BB Camp after working for the Portland Spirit and has vast experience as an event planner.

Noa worked for more than three years at Congregation Neveh Shalom as communications coordinator and has been involved in Jewish education since her arrival in Portland eight years ago.

B’nai B’rith Camp has planned many exciting community year-round events including alumni happenings and fundraisers, raising funds for campers in the overnight camp program (which is open to all) and a day camp program for underserved youth in Lincoln County. The overnight and day camp programs meet at BB Camp’s facility on Devil’s Lake on the Oregon Coast.

503-452-3443| bbcamp.org

B’nai B’rith Camp and PJ Library have joined forces to continue bringing Jewish literature to all of Oregon. PJ Library is a book-based program available to North American Jewish children ages 6 months through 8 years. Every month, eligible families receive a specific, age-appropriate book in the mail. PJ Our Way allows kids ages 9-11 to select a free book each month.

With the goal of building relationships, outreach, programming and engagement, BB Camp is the PJ Library/PJ Our Way Implementing Partner, offering administrative and programmatic support, to the Salem, Corvallis, Bend and Central Oregon, and Southern Oregon Jewish communities.

Additionally, BB Camp helps with events and is a PJ Library/PJ Our Way partner in Portland and Eugene. BB Camp also administers PJ Our Way programs that provide kids ages 9-11 with books and activities, including in-person and virtual book clubs.

503-452-3443 | bcharlton@bbcamp.org | bbcamp.org

ALBERT MENASHE NAMED TO CHILDREN’S CANCER ASSOCIATION BOARD

Albert A. Menashe, co-founder and shareholder of Gevurtz Menashe, has been named to the Children’s Cancer Association board of directors. The Children’s Cancer Association provides support for 20,000 seriously ill children, teens and their family members each year through music, friendship, play and resources to create transformative moments of joy.

Since 1995, CCA has raised $33.9 million and invested $30.7 million directly into our community by blending mission impact with business leadership and an organizational focus on creativity and innovation.

Menashe dedicates his law practice exclusively to family law including divorce, relationship agreements, same-sex marriage issues, and custody and parenting issues.

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Roland Roth joined Jewish National Fund in July 2015 as Pacific Northwest director. He works with the Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii communities, connecting with individuals, organizations and community leaders who share JNF’s passion and vision.

Roth holds a bachelor’s degree in education from San Jose State University and a master’s in Jewish education from Gratz College in Philadelphia. He was a public school teacher and Jewish educator for more than 15 years.

His familial connections to JNF trace back four generations, as his great-grandmother bought trees for Israel in the late 1930s in honor of her daughter.

Today JNF still plants trees, and does much more for the land and people of Israel. Its groundbreaking work encompasses building new communities in the Negev and Galilee, expanding the scope of river rehabilitation and water research, exploring energy production, creating opportunities for people with special needs, heritage preservation, bringing thousands of people to Israel every year on missions and trips, and growing future leadership among our youth community through Zionist education and advocacy programs. rroth@jnf.org | 206-760-1188, ext. 940

速

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 11

Arts & Entertainment

Music, memories and a touching tribute play out on stage

By Elizabeth Schwartz

Concert performers often become associated with a particular piece of music; this bond grows from their natural affinity for the work, or a particular facility for interpreting it. When Mona Golabek was a young concert pianist at the beginning of her career, she connected in a particularly personal way to Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor. For Mona, the relationship wasn’t simply musical; she was nurturing a familial association that stretched back to World War II. In her 2003 book, The Children of Willesden Lane, Golabek tells the story of her mother, pianist Lisa Jura, who escaped Nazi-occupied Vienna as a teenager and arrived in London, one of 10,000 children rescued by the Kindertransport. Golabek brings her mother’s story to life in a onewoman show, “The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” presented by Portland Center Stage from April 2-May 1 at the Armory in downtown Portland. “ ‘Hold onto your music. It will be 12 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Mona Golabek

your best friend in life.’ As long as I can remember, these precious words have accompanied my journey through life,” writes Golabek. “They are the last words spoken by my grandmother to my beloved mother, Lisa, at the Vienna train station in 1938 as hundreds of crying children said their good-byes forever to their parents and boarded the Kindertransport to escape persecution by the Nazis.

“My mother started teaching me the piano when I was 4 years old,” Golabek continues. “She told me fantastic tales of that journey, from old-world Vienna to a rambling orphanage at 243 Willesden Lane in London. I became a concert pianist because of those words and stories, and because of my mother’s passionate connection to music … I was so overwhelmed by the love my grandmother showed in sending her daughter away, losing her forever to save her, that I vowed to share this story with the world.”

These stories were woven into the fabric of Golabek’s childhood and became an essential part of her identity. “I was moved and fascinated and perplexed by them,” she

recalls. “These were like my fairy tales, but I don’t think I fully understood their impact until I was engaged to play the Grieg, when I was in my late 20s. After that, I started to write down the outline of my mother’s story.”

It took Golabek more than 20 years to complete The Children of Willesden Lane, in collaboration with author Lee Cohen. The book, written from the teenaged Lisa’s perspective, has become a touchstone for thousands of young people.

“I see how this story affects young people all over the world,” says Golabek, who has presented it at reading events for children in cities all over the country. “They say, ‘If Lisa can do it, I can do it.’ I met a Thai refugee in Hartford, CT, a young girl, crying about what it was like to be in a refugee camp before her family emigrated here. The Lisa Jura story will give her strength every time she thinks about her own situation.”

Golabek arrives in Portland on the heels of the London debut of “The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” where it sold out its eightweek run.

“The audiences have been overwhelming wonderful, and they’ve embraced the story … after all, it is their story, too,” writes Golabek in a recent email. “Hundreds line up to speak with me after the shows; many want to share their stories, and audiences love the references in the play about life in London.”

Golabek began performing in “Pianist” four years ago, when it opened in Los Angeles. Since then, the play has garnered rave reviews and packed theaters in Berkeley, Chicago, New York and several other cities. Taking on another persona is the essence of an actor’s work, but for Golabek, the challenges of inhabiting her

Portland Center Stage presents “The Pianist of Willesden Lane”

Gerding Theater at the Armory 128 NW Eleventh Avenue

pcs.org

At the Armory, 128 NW 11th Ave., Portland April 2-May 1, 2016 Based on a book by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen; Adapted and directed by Hershey Felder Tickets start at $25 | pcs.org/pianist

Related Events:

Creative Conversation: Perspectives on “The Pianist of Willesden Lane” April 17, 3:30 pm (following the 2 pm performance) Guest speakers from the Oregon Jewish Museum discuss the impact of the Kindertransport.

Free in the Ellyn Bye Studio

April Social Hours: Social Hours connect the community

with Portland artists for casual happy hours. During the run of “The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” musicians will host and perform selections.

Light hors d’oeuvres and the first drink on the house!

Free on the Mezzanine pcs.org/community

April 7 at 6:30 pm – Hosted by Portland Piano International – Arnaldo Cohen performs

April 10 at 1 pm – Hosted by Third Angle New Music – Evan

Kuhlmann performs

April 24 at 1 pm – Hosted by Third Angle New Music – Sarah Tiedemann performs

April 28 at 6:30 pm and May 1 at 1 pm – Hosted by Portland Jazz Composers’ Ensemble

503.445.3700

Tickets start at $25!

SEASON SUPERSTARS

SEASON SUPPORTING SPONSORS

SHOW SPONSORS

Dr. Barbara Hort Arlene Schnitzer

Portland Center Stage receives support from the Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency funded by the State of Oregon and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Carol Edelman Steve and Marypat Hedberg

Elba, Ralph, Lorraine, Renee and Russell Shaw Helen & Jerry Stern Jim & Susan Winkler

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 13

mother’s persona run deeper.

“This story is so personal,” she says. “I’m out there on stage, and I remember things about my mother, pieces of my childhood. Sometimes I get overcome; once I almost couldn’t finish a line because I was so overcome.” Golabek worked with Howard Fine, a well-known acting coach, who is also the son of refugees, to learn basic acting techniques and how to use the stage in her performance. “He has a tremendous sensitivity; he helped me transfer the principles of being a concert pianist to acting.”

Golabek’s career has traced an interesting arc that has led her to acting, after years onstage communicating through music rather than words. In 1979, she won a prestigious Avery Fisher Recital Award; for the next 15 years, she toured internationally as a concert pianist, earning a Grammy nomination along the way. In 1998, she created and hosted a classical music radio program, “The Romantic Hours,” which is still heard in syndication around the country. Now, with “Pianist,” Golabek combines her music with spoken words (she narrates much of the play seated at the piano, telling Lisa’s story while simultaneously playing excerpts from music, like Grieg’s Piano Concerto, that Lisa studied as a teenager in London).

Meanwhile, the telling of Lisa’s story continues, on and offstage. “We have an exhibit with the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, the oldest Holocaust museum in the country,” says Golabek. “They’ve just created a beautiful exhibit on my mother’s life, the Lisa Jura Musical Showcase. We plan to take it around the country.”

14 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Hershey Felder directs “The Pianist of Willesden Lane”

By Janet Arnold

“A shtetl with washing machines” is how Hershey Felder affectionately describes the Montreal of the 1970s he grew up in. “It was a strong, close-knit Jewish community.”

Felder, the director of “The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” loved the warm blanket of protection he felt as a young boy.

A first-generation Canadian, his parents came from Hungary and Poland. “I was a typical Montreal Jewish boy – a mama’s boy, but with responsibilities,” he says with a grin. “Among those responsibilities was to serve your community, to take care of those around you.”

He attended the Hebrew Academy Day School, which he likened to a modern Orthodox yeshiva. Some classes mixed boys and girls, others were separate. “I am fluent in English, French, Hebrew and Yiddish,” he says, not trying to impress, but rather showing gratitude for the education he received.

Felder “demanded” piano lessons around the age of 6 – and received them. And thus his musical career began. He is now internationally recognized and revered as a pianist, actor, playwright, composer, director and producer.

After attending McGill University in Montreal, Felder spent some time at Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation helping to interview and catalogue the oral histories of Holocaust survivors. Shortly thereafter he began crafting the first of several one-man shows that he would end up touring around the globe. The first was “George Gershwin Alone,” which he performed to stellar reviews on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre, in the West End of London at the Duchess Theatre and in regional theaters throughout North America and Europe.

“I love both music and storytelling,” Felder explains.

“Creating the Gershwin piece gave me the freedom and joy of combining these two elements and sharing them in a creative fashion with the audience.”

Returning to the States in 1996, Felder met and fell in love with Kim Campbell, who would go on to become Canada’s only female prime minister. They married the following year. For a time they were at Harvard, she as a professor of practice at the Kennedy School for Government,

while he was a scholar-in-residence in the Music School and performing “George Gershwin Alone” at the university’s American Repertory Theatre. The show went on to be the highest-grossing of any booked-in production in the theater’s history.

Borrowing on the great success of his Gershwin show, Felder then created and performed similar types of shows on the great classic composers Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt, as well as honoring another American composer with his “Maestro Bernstein” show.

In addition to his theatrical performances, Felder’s compositions and recordings include “Aliyah, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra;” “Fairytale,” a musical; “Les Anges de Paris, Suite for Violin and Piano;” “Song Settings;” “Saltimbanques for Piano and Orchestra;” “Etudes Thematiques for Piano;” and “An American Story for Actor and Orchestra.”

As a director, Felder premiered Mona Golabek in “The Pianist of Willesden Lane” at the Geffen Playhouse in 2012.

The two reunite in Portland for the show April 2-May 1 at Portland Center Stage.

He now has a production company busy working on several projects. “I love the collaborative process,” he says. “Even in the one-person shows, I’m only the front man. I couldn’t do it without everyone else.”

This interview originally appeared in our sister publication, Arizona Jewish Life.

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 15

Legendary pianist Murray Perahia returns to Portland April 10

Legendary American pianist Murray Perahia returns to Portland to perform an afternoon solo recital Saturday, April 10, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Often described as the greatest living American pianist, Perahia has made several acclaimed appearances in Portland over the past four decades.

His Portland program will include Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms. The performance is presented by Portland Piano International, which is “dedicated to presenting the finest pianists in the world in recital settings and outreach activities for the purpose of enriching and educating our community.”

In the more than 40 years he has been performing on the concert stage, Perahia has performed in all of the major international music centers and with every leading orchestra. He is the principal guest conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, with which he has toured as conductor and pianist throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia.

Born in New York, he started playing piano at the age of 4; he later attended Mannes College, where he majored in conducting and composition. In 1972 he won the Leeds International Piano Competition, and in 1973 he gave his first concert at the Aldeburgh Festival. Perahia was co-artistic director of the 16 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

festival from 1981 to 1989.

The Los Angeles Times recently wrote, “Perahia’s virtuosity, never fussy, narcissistic or quirky, generates a heightened sense of drama in whatever he plays. At 67, his gifts as a storyteller have deepened.”

In the 2014-15 season, he toured Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Last spring’s U.S. recital tour included performances in New York’s Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles’ Disney Hall and Chicago’s Symphony Hall, as well as Rohnert Park, Tucson, Scottsdale, Kalamazoo, Sarasota and Savannah.

Perahia has a wide and varied discography. Sony Classical has issued a special boxed set edition of all his recordings including several DVDs entitled “The First 40 Years.” His recording of “Brahms Händel Variations,” which won the Gramophone Award in 2011, was described as “one of the most rewarding Brahms recitals currently available.”

Perahia is an honorary fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.

He holds honorary doctorates from Oxford University, the Royal College of Music, Leeds University and Duke University. In 2004, he was awarded an honorary KBE by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his outstanding service to music.

Family-friendly activities are available throughout this annual celebration of doing good – giving volunteers of all ages the opportunity to perform a mitzvah or two, or three!

April 17, 2016

Volunteer with family & friends - join us at the MJCC!

gooddeedsday

www.jewishportland.org/ Also happening on this day:

Hand to Hand - community donation drive and J-Serve - day of Jewish youth service Presented by ®

In partnership with THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE. THE POWER OF COMMUNITY.

6680 SW Capitol Highway | Portland, OR 97219 | 503.245.6219 | www.jewishportland.org

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 17

The making of an

environmentalist Cover

By Deborah Moon

“Everyone uses energy and everyone has the opportunity to use it differently or better.”

–Margie Harris

Margie Harris participated in a trip to Israel with Gov. Ted Kulongoski in 2010.

Discovering the wonder of nature at a Jewish summer camp was the first step on the path that led Margie Harris to become founding director of an independent nonprofit devoted to delivering affordable, clean energy for 1.5 million utility customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Energy Trust of Oregon provides comprehensive, sustainable energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions to customers of four utilities (see box page 21). Margie has been the executive director since 2001, launching the first programs in 2002. She says the trust’s efforts to drive energy efficiency and renewable 18 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

energy investments helped propel Oregon to become the fourth most energy-efficient state in the nation last year.

With the 46th annual Earth Day coming up April 22, Margie reflects on the path that led her to play such a prominent role in the sustainable energy movement.

Hired as the first permanent employee of the Energy Trust in 2001, Margie has led the organization as it has grown to 105 office employees and thousands in the field. Now with an annual budget of $189 million, the nonprofit spends only 6% on administrative and program support costs, which Margie points to with pride. Though it is an independent organization, the Energy Trust is funded by a fee paid by customers of four

Margie singing with her band Still Kickin.

Margie at her stand-up desk in her office at Energy Trust.

investor-owned utilites. The funding was created by the Oregon Legislature in 1999. The trust was created to help utility customers use energy more efficiently and produce their own clean power with renewable resources.

“We (Energy Trust) are a resource for Oregonians this Earth Day and always, providing objective, impartial expertise whether (customers are) looking to lower monthly utility bills, protect our air quality and the environment, or boost the business bottom line,” says Margie.

“We were created to focus on energy conservation and renewable energy. We have exceeded all expectations since we began programs.”

Energy Trust has programs for homeowners and renters, as well as for businesses large and small. “Everyone uses energy and everyone has the opportunity to use it differently or better,” she says.

Free resources for homeowners and renters include energy-saver kits and online home energy reviews, which offer suggestions on saving energy and contacts for contractors for potential energy-saving projects.

The trust has supported the installation of more than 8,500 solar electric systems, which Margie says is a drop in the bucket compared to the state’s solar potential. “The empty roofs in every community are precious real estate for mini-power plant production, right on the site where the electricity is used.” By combining the Energy Trust incentive with federal and state tax credits, customers can save up to 75 to 80% of installation costs for a solar system. Margie says not only does a solar system lower the participant’s energy bills, it also adds local, nonfossil fuel energy to the grid and boosts the economy when customers hire local contractors. Energy Trust also supports projects using small-scale hydro and wind, geothermal and biopower technologies.

Since 2002 Energy Trust’s energy-saving and renewable power projects have saved participating utility customers $1.9 billion and added $3.9 billion into the economy, while providing cleaner air by avoiding 14.6 million tons of carbon dioxide. Margie says that figure translates into taking 2.5 million cars off the road for a year – words that are an odd juxtaposition to Margie’s roots in the Motor City, where she grew up during the heyday of the automotive industry in Detroit.

Born in Detroit, Margie says she learned Jewish traditions and values by osmosis surrounded by Jewish neighbors, teachers and friends. Her father, Donald Harris, was born in Detroit, his family having left Poland and Lithuania in the early 1900s; their family name of Wiesnieski (spelling uncertain) was changed to Harris, according to a family story, when they boarded a boat in England and the ticket seller couldn’t spell a last name he couldn’t even pronounce. Her mother, Betty Rogin, was born across the river in Windsor, Canada. Her family had owned land in a shtetl near Chernobyl, but fled to America shortly before the Russian Revolution. Family lore says an ancestor won the farm in a card game with one of the czar’s soldiers. Margie still makes the Scheletzer soup of beans, barley and stew meat that the family fed peasants in the shtetl.

As a city girl, Margie’s ties to the land didn’t flourish until she went to Camp Tamarack in Ortonville, MI, where she fell in love with nature. She also celebrated Shabbat, learned OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 19

Margie and her family on a trip to Las Vegas: Front row, from left: Margie; mother, Betty Harris; brother, Alan; and sister-in-law, Michele.

Back row, from left: daughter Alana; Alana’s husband, Nicholas; partner, Jan O'Dell; Brandon (Rebecca's boyfriend); and daughter Rebecca.

about Israel from Israeli counselors and experienced the activism of the ’60s.

“So my politicization and forming of my environmental convictions came from camp,” says Margie.

The love of nature and the environment inspired her to enroll at the University of Michigan majoring in natural resources. The next step toward her future arrived with the four-day environmental teach-in the University of Michigan held March 11-14, 1970, weeks before the rest of the country celebrated the first Earth Day April 22, 1970.

“The Michigan teach-in was the first sign that Earth Day would be a stunning success,” writes historian Adam Rome, author of The Genius of Earth Day: How a 1970 Teach-In Unexpectedly Made the First Green Generation (2013).

Margie was part of that new green – Margie Harris generation.

“The first Earth Day was a very influential time for me,” she says. “The environmental movement was just beginning and I thought, ‘Oh, wow, this is just for me!’ ” “It was a wonderful time – the first environmental laws were

exploding (along with) advocacy, social change,” she says, adding one of her professors urged her to explore the energy industry.

When she did, she realized, “Energy touches all of us and is the fuel that supports our economy and everyday life. … I’ve never been bored in this field, it has so many relevant connections to our society.”

After graduation, Margie went to work for Ann Arbor’s Ecology Center, which was an outgrowth of the environmental teach-in and Earth Day movement.

When she was 25, she moved to Oregon to work at the Oregon Department of Energy, where she helped craft the state’s first energy conservation legislation and programs. But she says she felt isolated from the Jewish community living in Salem; at the time the only synagogue had no rabbi and limited activity.

So after three years, she jumped at the chance to move to Portland in 1979 and become the marketing and outreach director at

“I like to bring people together for celebration, somber reflection, togetherness and FOOD!”

Energy Trust: 866-368-7878 | info@energytrust.org | energytrust.org 20 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Margie and her mom, Betty Harris, make blintzes.

Margie and daughter Rebecca Shapiro meet most Thursdays to walk home from work together.

Margie visits her daughter Alana Harris in Northeast Portland many Saturdays.

Western Sun, one of four regional solar energy centers President Carter established to help make the renewable energy source commercially viable.

Other than four years when she and her (now ex) husband, David Shapiro, and their twin daughters lived in Seattle, she has been in Portland ever since. She worked in various settings including TriMet, Portland Parks and Recreation, and as an assistant to former Portland Commissioner Mike Lindberg, whom she helped establish the city’s first energy policies and programs.

Her first home in Portland was on Southeast 35thAve., a house she can see from her current home in Waverly Commons, the “intentional living” community built on the site of a former orphanage. The community of 19 homes is built around a common green area with a community garden at one end and a playground at the other. Developer Mark Desbrow, also Jewish, led the project, with many of the homes (including Margie’s) taking advantage of solar energy incentives and resources available through the Energy Trust.

Margie says that she and David, to whom she was married for 17 years, realized their twins – Alana Harris and Rebecca Shapiro – wouldn’t become Jewish by osmosis as Margie had done growing up in Detroit. So they enrolled the girls at Portland Jewish Academy for three years. And Margie expanded her annual Hanukkah parties. During their height when the girls were young, 70 people would crowd into the couple’s home. Though the girls turn 30 years this month, Margie still hosts about 45 to 50 people for latkes, singing, candlelighting and other holiday fun. Until two years ago she used her mom’s latke recipe, but then shifted to an online recipe that uses less oil.

For Passover, she collaborates with her long-time friend, Rachel Shimshak, the executive director of Renewable Northwest and the subject of a July 2013 article in Oregon Jewish Life (orjewishlife.com/rachel-and-renewables). Generally Margie hosts the second night seder, and Rachel provides Passover dinner on the Saturday of the holiday. This year, since both are the night after Earth Day, they won’t be doing their usual seder together, but they still plan to get together to make gefilte fish.

Margie says she designed her home to be able to seat 22 to 24 people at the seder.

“To me Passover is about oppression everywhere in the world,” says Margie, adding she has even created her own haggadah by borrowing from progressive, feminist haggadot that resonated with her. “I like to bring people together for celebration, somber

Energy Trust Energy Trust information, technical services, engineering studies, cash-back incentives and contractor connections help homeowners, renters, multifamily property owners, small and large businesses, manufacturers, farmers, school administrators and other customers use less energy, generate clean, renewable power and protect the environment.

Energy Trust serves Oregon customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power and Cascade Natural Gas, and Oregon and Washington customers of NW Natural.

Source: energytrust.org/About/who-we-are

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 21

Margie has been hosting Hanukkah parties for more than 30 years. In recent years, attendance has "dwindled" to only about 40 to 50 people.

reflection, togetherness and FOOD!” “Holidays are a foundation to build upon,” she says, adding “I treasure our traditions and rituals and symbols.”

But she’s “not a joiner,” so she never joined a synagogue, though she does enjoy the music and High Holiday services at Havurah Shalom.

So when Alana decided she wanted to become a bat mitzvah, Margie called her old friend, David Fuks, who was then CEO of Cedar Sinai Park. The two have known each other since they were children in Detroit. CSP’s Rose Schnitzer Manor opened the year the twins turned 12. David told her the senior living center was available for b’nai mitzvah celebrations, and Alana became one of the first to take advantage of the opportunity.

“It’s the custom I appreciate, so I appreciated the fact that Alana chose to do that,” says Margie.

Alana, who is now getting a master’s degree in special education, and her husband, Nick, live in Northeast Portland. Margie often visits the couple Saturday after her Zumba class.

She and Rebecca also share a tradition. Each Thursday Rebecca walks from her job with a podiatrist in Montgomery Park and stops at her mom’s office in downtown Portland. Then the two walk to Southeast Portland together. Rebecca and her boyfriend, Brandon, live about a mile away from Margie.

She also regularly sees her mom, Betty, who at 90 still lives in her own home in Southwest Portland. Following the death of her husband, Donald, after 52 years of marriage, Priscilla Kostiner introduced Betty to her father-in-law, Howard Kostiner, who had lost his wife. The two hit it off, and Betty and Howard were together for 17 years until his death in September 2014.

New things are on the horizon for Margie. She has announced her retirement and will be leaving the Energy Trust after the board finds a suitable replacement. She is also planning to wed her partner, Jan O’Dell, in July. Though Jan isn’t Jewish, Margie says she supports and participates in all Margie’s Jewish celebrations and traditions.

“I’m a people-oriented person,” says Margie. “For me it’s about the individual, not whether they are a man or woman. I was heterosexual until I was 50, then I changed lanes.”

Jan also brought Margie “back to water level.” During summer camp as a child, Margie loved to canoe. But after she and David married, the couple spent their time on the water sailing. Jan is an avid kayaker, a sport Margie willingly adopted.

In retirement, Margie plans to continue to kayak, bake bread and sing in the band she and Jan helped found – Still Kickin.

The band performs an eclectic mix of music from the 1950s to

“I’m interested in being a mentor or coach. One of the gratifying things about being a manager is the opportunity to develop other people and see them take off.”

22 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

“I’m interested in being a mentor or coach,” she says. “One of the gratifying things about being a manager is the op-

ENU M R E V O S S PA

the present.

“Music makes me happy,” says Margie.

While she wants to ensure her retirement involves a lot less responsibility, meetings and time indoors, she would like to stay involved.

ENTREES

All entrees can be prepared for any size. Cost based on raw products at the time of purchase.

ALL NATURAL BEEF BRISKET $12/Person Slow cooked brisket classically prepared with tomato and onion relish.

ROSEMARY CRUSTED LEG OF LAMB $13/Person Cooked to your preference; order carved or whole.

HOT OVEN ROASTED BEEF TENDERLOIN $15/Person Sliced and served with fresh herbs, kosher salt, and olive oil.

DECORATED POACHED SALMON DISPLAY $5/Piece Salmon with cucumber, dill and tzatziki dressing. Cut into small pieces for any size party.

Margie and her partner, Jan O'Dell, plan to marry in July.

portunity to develop other people and see them take off.”

She’s also interested in documentary filmmaking. She would like to be an interviewer and talk to people about their stories. “It’s not the topic, it’s the people … I want to share the stories of unsung heroes.”

She has been meeting unsung heroes since 1990. When Steven Lowenstein, author of The Jews of Oregon 1850-1950, knew he was going to die, he created the Lowenstein Trust. Margie has sat on the board of her friend’s trust, and each year the board “rewards someone in the Portland area who is making a difference and not otherwise known.”

She would also like to write or participate in the writing of the history of Energy Trust – a project for which she is clearly well suited. And with her love of people and stories, chances are good it would be a very readable organization history.

We Prepare, You Celebrate

BRAISED LEMON HERB CHICKEN $5/Piece Air chilled organic chicken pieces (bone-in) with fresh squeezed lemon and horseradish.

SIDES AND VEGETABLE DISHES POTATO KRUGEL $15 A traditional dish with potatoes, onions, and eggs. Serves 4-6 people.

LEEK GRATIN $18 A wonderful mixture of leeks, matzoh, and cheese. Serves 4-6 people.

SEASONAL ROASTED VEGETABLE DISPLAY $7/Person Roasted whole seasonal vegetables tossed in a fresh herb dressing.

SLOW ROASTED BABY RED PARSLEY POTATOES $5/Person Slow roasted baby red parsley potatoes and sweet onions tossed in a touch of horseradish and white Bordeaux.

BRAISED WHITE BEANS AND ARTICHOKES $7/Person Braised white beans, artichokes, leeks, and fennel hearts seasoned with lemon herb and garlic.

WILD GREEN SALADS $5/Person Wild greens tossed with candied nuts and dried fruit.

Wild greens tossed with beets and goat cheese.

Your choice of champagne vinaigrette or house vinaigrette.

MATZOH BALL SOUP $12/Quart Hand formed kosher style matzoh balls in a beautiful chicken consumme.

SMALLER SIDES AND ADDITIONS Sliced pickled beef tongue $4/Person Paprika deviled eggs by the dozen $15/Dozen House made lox platter, goat cheese, wild whitefish caviar $4/Person Challah bread or olive ciabatta $5/Each loaf

DESSERTS

Individually prepared and decorated.

Chocolate brownies $3/Each Mini cheesecakes $3/Each Lemon bars $3/Each Menu available April 20, 2016 thru April 30, Some menu items may take 12-48 hours to prepare, 2016 (closed Sunday, April 27th) please place order two days prior to your desired pick up date.

(503) 224-9541

17 NW 23rd Place Portland, OR 97210 Online ordering available.

www.philsuptownmeatmarket.com OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 23

Passover

Recipe Contest Last month Oregon Jewish Life asked our readers to submit their favorite classic and contemporary recipes for Passover.

We’d like to thank our readers for the flood of recipes that came in. Here we present two traditional and two modern recipes that tickled our taste buds.

The cooks who submitted the winning recipes will each receive two tickets to the April 12 performance of Shen Yun. The winners will receive prime seats in the orchestra section to see Shen Yun bring ancient Chinese legends to life through music and dance at the Keller Auditorium.

In addition to the tickets, the two grand prize winners (one traditional recipe and one modern) will also receive a copy of Amelia Saltsman’s new cookbook, The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen. The book was inspired by the farm-to-table movement, which is all the rage in Oregon. In it, Saltsman shares 150 recipes that offer a refreshingly different take on traditional and contemporary Jewish cooking.

TRADITIONAL

Grand Prize

Sarah Philips, Portland This flavorful recipe, which I learned from my stepmother, seemed exciting and exotic at our family seders in the Midwest. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, I’ve enjoyed having an excuse to incorporate local ingredients into my seder. The recipe multiplies easily, and it has become a favorite in recent years at our Moishe House young adult seder. I save the leftovers and take them for lunch all week with horseradish.

Pacific Salmon Gefilte Fish

24 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

4 quarts fish stock (or vegetable stock, if fish isn’t available) 1½ pounds Pacific salmon with skin removed (cut into 1-inch chunks) 1 carrot (cut into chunks) ½ onion (cut into chunks) 1 tablespoon matzah meal 1 tablespoon ice water 1 egg 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped Salt & pepper to taste Bring stock to just under a boil. Process all other ingredients in food processor until they form a thick paste. Moisten hands and roll mixture into ¼ cup ovals. Place gently in stock. Cover and keep under a boil for about 30 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into one of the fish pieces – if it comes out clean, they are done. Cool in the stock and refrigerate.

Serves ~8

MODERN Runner-Up

TRADITIONAL Runner-Up

Meredith Katz, Portland

Susan Tuttle, Medford

Matzah Balls from Scratch is my family’s recipe.

German-Jewish women from northern Germany emigrated prewar to New Zealand; my mother, a war bride who came to New Orleans, made these every Pesach from l950-something until 2010. My cousins, sister-in-law and I all use this recipe and think of these as “real” matzah balls. Your guests will rave over the fluffiness and flavor!

Makes about 24 balls Half box of matzah ½ cup chopped onion ¼ cup chopped walnuts 2-4 tablespoons vegetable shortening or schmaltz Salt & pepper to taste ½ teaspoon powdered ginger ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 egg yolks ½ cup matzah meal Pot of your favorite homemade chicken soup Fresh asparagus

Matzah Balls from Scratch

Break up dry matzahs by hand and soak in warm water for about 5-8 minutes until soft; press water out through colander until you have a flaky, damp matzah “mess.” In large fry pan or wok, sauté onions and nuts in oil until translucent and soft. Add soft broken matzah to hot mixture and continually mix around until all is hot and a bit browner (5 minutes). Add seasonings and stir in thoroughly. (No eggs yet!)

Place pan in preheated (325º) oven for about 10 minutes to evaporate and partially dry mixture. Remove, cover and cool to lukewarm. Add beaten egg yolks and mix in well.

Add matzah meal and stir in well.

When mixture is cool enough to touch, form balls, about 1½-2 inches in diameter, which may be a bit sticky. Place on baking sheets (use parchment paper with matzah meal lining to keep balls from sticking). Bake at low temperature for about 15 minutes or microwave for 2 minutes on 8-9 power.

Heat your favorite homemade chicken soup until hot and bubbly. Add fresh asparagus and plop balls into hot, bubbly soup. Boil until balls float.

You can prepare these in the morning and refrigerate before adding to soup.

MODERN

Grand Prize

Meira Spivak, Portland

Composed of ingredients traditional to the seder plate, 30 Minute Moroccan Meatballs are perfect for the festive meal. Plus, I love substituting pulverized almonds for bread crumbs.

I started doing it for Passover, but almonds being a great source of protein (in addition to the egg and lean meat,) I have started doing it all year round!

These meatballs are a new and favorite addition to my Passover menu – quick, healthy and made with Moroccan spices, which lend a taste of comfort food to this healthy dish.

30 Minute Moroccan Meatballs

1 pound lean ground turkey or lamb (99% lean ground turkey works well) 1/3 cup almonds (to serve as “bread crumbs”) 1½ teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled (running a spoon along the skin will do the trick) 2-3 cloves garlic 1 large egg Optional cooked quinoa, for serving

Place rack in center of the oven and preheat oven to 425º.

To prepare the almond meal: In a food processor, pulse the almonds until consistency of large bread crumbs (about 3-4 quick pulses).

Do not over-process the almonds. Pour pulsed almonds from food processor into large bowl. Add cumin, ground cinnamon, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.

To assemble the meatballs: Add parsley leaves, ginger and garlic to food processor, pulse for 20-30 seconds or until finely shredded.

Transfer contents of food processor to the bowl with the almond meal. Add ground turkey and egg. With hands or large fork, mix contents of bowl for 3-5 minutes or until egg is scrambled and ingredients appear to be evenly distributed.

Roll the meatballs into 1-inch balls (about 24 balls total), then arrange on a nonstick baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, 18-22 minutes, flipping meatballs halfway through. Serve over quinoa.

The Oregon NCSY recently put together a community kosher Pesach cookbook called The PDX Passover Cookbook, and this was the first recipe I submitted for it!

I make this recipe every Pesach. It is my kids’ favorite. What can be healthier than refried potato chips? Probably everything, but it’s totally worth the calories.

Ingredients

8-10 pieces chicken breast Oil for frying 2 10- to 16-ounce bags potato chips (can use barbecue), crushed 6 eggs, beaten

Potato Chip Schnitzel

In a frying pan, preheat oil (about a third full) on medium heat.

Place beaten eggs in one bowl and crushed chips in another.

Dip the chicken breast in the chips, then the eggs and then the chips again.

Fry in oil, turning once when golden.

Check with fork to make sure that the inside is cooked.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 25

Portlander aids refugees in Austria

While visiting family in Austria last fall, Portlander Jill Neuwelt took toiletries she collected from travelers on her international flight to a refugee assistance site in Vienna. Her visit coincided with the historic and dramatic influx of thousands and thousands of migrants coming through Austria from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Jill Neuwelt

Remember

the Stranger

An Essay on Need & Photos of Action

By Rich Geller

As we gather with family and friends around the seder table this Passover, the story we read in the Haggadah is as timely as today’s headlines.

The Haggadah presents the account of the Exodus: the deliverance of the ancient Israelites from bondage in Egypt.

Currently, a modern-day exodus is taking place throughout the Middle East and Europe. Refugees fleeing the horrors of the Syrian Civil War and the terrorist group ISIS (which has thrived amidst the chaos of war) have been streaming into Europe in search of safety, security and a chance at a better life. This mass migration is the largest since World War II. What does Jewish law have to say regarding the treatment of refugees? What is our obligation to the immigrant or the stranger? Jewish texts (including the Torah, Talmud and Haggadah) all speak with one voice on this topic as they remind us on more than one occasion to “Remember the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt,” (Exodus 22:20 and Deuteronomy 10:19).

The Jewish people know all too well what it is like to be a stranger in a strange land. Since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, we have been a wandering people, making our homes wherever we could find safe harbor.

While the Jews living in the diaspora have flourished, they have 26 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

historically been considered outsiders or “other” by the societies in which they settled. As kindred spirits, it is a moral imperative that we embrace the immigrant and the refugee.

During the course of our seder, we recall the story of the Israelite’s journey from slavery to freedom. In both the Mishnah Pesachim and in the Haggadah, it is written that Jews are to consider themselves as if they personally had been slaves. Each generation is required to imagine that they have escaped from bondage and slavery. By placing ourselves in the metaphorical shoes of the Hebrew slaves, we cultivate empathy and compassion for the suffering of others. The Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief provides a coordinated Jewish response to humanitarian crises around the world. They have recently been helping Syrian refugees via Jordan. Jewish Federations of North America is a member of JCDR. You may contact Jewish Federation of Greater Portland at 503-245-6219 regarding a donation.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to an Oregonian who has been on the frontline in the battle against prejudice and discrimination against immigrants and refugees, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.). I asked her about her decision to take Salma Ahmad, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Portland, as her guest to the State of the Union address in January.

“I’ve known Salma Ahmad for a few years, and she’s truly

CONGREGATION SHAARIE TORAH CONGREGATION I N V I T E S SHAARIE Y O U TORAH T O I N V I T E S Y O U T O

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S AT U R DAY, A P R I L 2 3 2 3 S TA R T UERCDAY, R0I LP M 6 : 3 0 P SMAT CH K- I N |A7P: 0 6 : 3 0 P M C H E C K- I N | 7 : 0 0 P M S TA R T $ 2 0 A D U LT S | $ 1 0 C H I L D | $ 3 6 M A X F O R FA M I L I E S $O2 0O NAEDTUULT | $ 1 0 C- HCIALLDL F| O$R3F6I NA MA I L INECSE N R NSE D AWAY NX C IF AO L RA SFA S IM S TA

N O O N E T U R N E D AWAY - C A L L F O R F I NA N C I A L A S S I S TA N C E

A S P E C I A L S E D E R F U L L O F S O N G , C E L E B R AT I O N , A SKO PEC I AELR SFEODOED RA FN UD L LWOIFN E SO NO GN , V CER LE B R AT IO SH , C S AT ION , N, KO S H E R LFEOAORDN A EN R S AT I O N , I NNGD &WCI N OE N,NCEOCN TV IO LEARNING & CONNECTION

Tonight we celebrate with song!

Tonight we celebrate with song!

O U R K- 5 C H I L D R E N ’ S S E D E R S TA R T S AT 4 : 3 0 P M O U R K- 5 C LE D RI N EF NO ’ S OSN E DOEURR SW TA MHOIR ER BT S ISTAT E 4:30PM MORE INFO ON OUR WEBSITE

920 NW 25 th Ave | Portland, OR 97210 920 NWat25shaarietorah.org/passover2016 th Ave | Portland, OR 97210 Register

Register or at call shaarietorah.org/passover2016 us at (503)226-6131 or call us at (503)226-6131 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 27

an amazing individual,” says the congresswoman. “Her work promotes understanding of the Muslim faith in Oregon, and she has made our community a more welcoming and peaceful place. Salma continues to inspire me, and I knew she would inspire others. It was an honor to have her in the nation’s capital for this historic event. Salma recognizes, like I do, that freedom of religion is one of the fundamental principles of our great country. By building bridges between people of diverse faiths, we can transcend our differences and be an example of religious freedom and tolerance for the rest of the world.”

Congresswoman Bonamici is a member of Congregation Beth Israel in Portland, where she attends services with family. As a member of the Jewish community, I asked her if she believes that embracing refugees and immigrants is consistent with Jewish values?

“Embracing refugees is consistent with values in Judaism, but it’s also part of our country’s history and values,” she says.

“Jewish values would not tolerate leaving the victims of terrorism to wander in hunger, seeking shelter from bullets and bombs; nor would the values of the United States and most, if not all,

Intergroup dialogue

The Intergroup Outreach Committee of the Jewish Community Relations Council and the African-American/Jewish Dialogue Group went far beyond its original intent at a gathering last June. Originally planned as a social gathering, the evening evolved into an opportunity to share feelings and prayers in the wake of a white gunman’s massacre of nine people in a historic black church in Charleston, SC, the day before. Initially, Intergroup Outreach Director Joanne Van Ness Menashe said she thought people would not want to attend the event after the shooting, but “so many of you have expressed it is comforting to know that we can come together as one community in sorrow and work for a better world together.”

FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM

PASSOVER SEDER April 23rd

6:00 p.m.

German American Society 5626 NE Alameda ADULTS $18 FAMILY MAX.

CHILDREN $9

Chag Pesach Sameach!

Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana, Cantor Ida Rae Cahana, and Rabbi Rachel L. Joseph and the rest of the CBI Team.

$52

Register at shirtikvahpdx.org (503) 222-1069 28 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

www.bethisrael-pdx.org

religions.”

The congresswoman recently met with the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization and visited with immigrants from war-torn lands. “Visiting the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization in Portland was moving and informative,” she says. “In the United States our diversity makes us stronger. With that strength we should summon our collective humanity and provide a place for refugees, many of whom are women and children, fleeing war and terrorism.

IRCO helps the newest members of our communities become self-sufficient, healthy and comfortable in their new country.

The congresswoman’s words inspired me, and I hope you feel the same. If you truly believe that the words etched on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty – “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore” – are more than just words, than speak your mind and make your voice heard. Do what you can to build bridges of understanding between disparate communities by participating in interfaith events.

As President Obama said in a 2014 address to the nation, “My fellow Americans, we are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too.”

“All who are hungry, let them come and eat”

Volunteers unload eggs to include in the Passover boxes.

Drivers are still needed for this year's deliveries – Sunday, April 17, 10 am to noon, with pickup at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. The deliveries are part of Good Deeds Day; Preregistration is required: jewishportland.org/communitycalendar/gdd-2016.

Volunteers package Passover food for individuals and families who would not otherwise be able to celebrate the holiday as part of the Passover4All program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, in cooperation with Congregation Kesser Israel and Jewish Family & Child Service. The tradition of maot chittim, literally money for wheat, is inspired by the phrase in the haggadah, "All who are hungry, let them come and eat."

Portland’s program provides a box of food to ensure needy families can truly celebrate Passover. To make a donation to support the food boxes, go online at jewishportland.org. For more information about this year’s program, contact Caron Blau Rothstein, 503-245-6449 or caron@jewishportland.org.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 29

Interfaith seders have long history here

The Oregon Area Jewish Committee first brought together interfaith communities to share the Passover story17 years ago.

Since then, every year before Passover begins, the community intergroup seder brings together community members of varied faiths and backgrounds for a meal that tells of the Jewish journey from bondage to freedom.

This year the community is invited to the seder table at 6 pm, April 7, at the Mittlman Jewish Community Center. To RSVP, call 503-245-6219 or go online at jewishportland.org/ intergroupseder.

30 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

1

FACT: Every Passover we open the door for Elijah, the Hebrew prophet whose unseen presence is felt helping people Throughout the world.

2

FACT: We invite Elijah in to drink from his cup on our Seder table.

3

FACT: He never drinks.

What’s up with that?

4

FACT: The cup isn’t actually for Elijah.

It’s for us. To remind us of all the times we’ve been helped by his unseen hand, and to inspire us to return the favor.

ELIJAH.Fact TEETOTALER. or fiction?

PLEASE GIVE TO THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PORTLAND AND EXTEND ELIJAH’S TOUCH TO YOUR JEWISH COMMUNITY AT HOME AND AROUND THE WORLD THIS PASSOVER. Fact: Elijah would approve.

Go to jewishportland.org/donate

®

THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE. THE POWER OF COMMUNITY.

Call 503-245-6219

6680 SW Capitol Hwy | Portland, OR 97219 503-245-6219 | www.jewishportland.org

JewishPDX

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 31

Notes

Oregon Kosher Passover announcements

Oregon Kosher will provide the opportunity to members of the community to kasher their vessels for Pesach on April 17 from 5 to 7 pm at the Portland Kollel, 6688 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland.

For more information, contact Oregon Kosher at 503-3433497 or info@oregonkosher.org.

Following are guidelines on how to prepare your vessels for kashering and what vessels are eligible for the service.

Cleaning: Items brought in for kashering must be completely clean. All food particles, dirt, grime, etc. must be removed prior to kashering, otherwise the kashering will not be effective.

Utensils made of two parts with a joint must be taken apart, and the joint must be cleaned well to be able to kasher.

24 hours: Items brought in for kashering must not have been used within 24 hours of the kashering. Please ensure that they are left unused for 24 hours before bringing them in.

Materials that can be kashered: Wood, stone, bone and all metals (gold, silver, copper, steel, aluminum, etc.). We can kasher

32 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

plastic, rubber and nylon; however, it should be noted that many halachic authorities hold that these materials cannot be kashered for Pesach.

Materials that cannot be kashered: Glass (including Pyrex, Duralex, etc.), enamel, porcelain, china (earthenware) and Teflon.

Other items Oregon Kosher cannot kasher: Baking trays and pans, BBQ grills, frying pans, a spit, a Shabbos kettle.

Items that do not require kashering: Aluminum pans, new utensils.

Oregon Kosher also announces that Costco will again be stocking Kosher for Passover offerings at its Tigard store, 7850 SW Dartmouth St. Kosher for Passover products include matzah, meats, fish and cheese.

Hillel seders around the state

Students at college campuses across the state will have access to Passover seders thanks to local Hillel programs.

A first night seder for all Portland-area students, community and faculty will be at 6 pm, April 22. The seder will be in Stam Hall (Templeton Building, entrance #4) of Lewis and Clark College. Registration is required. Email Shiran at Shiran@ pdxhillel.org for the registration link.

University of Oregon and Oregon State University students, faculty and community members are invited to a first night seder at 6:30 pm, April 22. The seder will be in Eugene at Global Scholars Hall (15th and Agate). Email Andy (andy@ oregonhillel.org) for the registration link.

A second night seder for UO students will be 6:30 pm, April 23, at Oregon Hillel (1059 Hilyard St., Eugene). Email Andy (andy@oregonhillel.org) for the registration link.

OSU students, faculty and community members are invited to a second night seder at 6:30 pm, April 23, at the Westminster House (23rd and Monroe, Corvallis). Email Amanda (akw@ oregonhillel.org) for the registration link.

Passover Seder for families with kids K-5

This family friendly seder is presented by Congregation Shaarie Torah and Portland Jewish Academy at 4:30-6 pm, April 23. Kids and parents will participate together in this special Passover program, Celebrating our Freedom. Guided by PJA teacher Jana Hopfinger and Rabbi Josh Rose, learn about Passover traditions, delve into the Jewish past and talk about its meaning today. Along the way into our Passover journey, you

will encounter friends new and old, hear meaningful readings in English and Hebrew, and enjoy song and delicious food.

The family seder will be at Congregation Shaarie Torah, 920 NW 25th Ave., Portland.

Cost is $20 per family. RSVP required at shaarietorah.org/ passover2016. For more information, call 503-226-6131.

Passover for Preschoolers

Portland Jewish Academy and PJ Library host “Passover for Preschoolers: Beasts, bugs and frogs, Oh my!” April 17 from 1 to 2:30 pm.

This free program will be at the Beverly Cleary School, 1915 NE 33rd Ave., Portland.

Space is limited, so reserve a spot at pjaproud.org/Passover.

For more information call PJA at 503-244-0126.

More seders

Community seders for adults and families are listed in our April calendar on pages 65-66.

Wishing you all the joys of the Passover holiday!

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 33

Kosher for Passover in Israel

By Teddy Weinberger

We were at Sachne one day last Passover. Sachne, also known as “The Park of the Three Pools,” is located near Beit Shahn in the Lower Galilee. It was a beautiful day, and the place was packed with both Jews and Arabs, religious people and non-religious. The kids had a lot of fun going in and out of the waterfalls in the park, and we spent most of the day there.

We ate a picnic lunch, and for a treat we walked over to the park’s snack bar and got the kids some ice cream. Not such an earthshaking moment ordinarily, but on Passover it was. For such a thing does not occur outside of Israel. To begin with, it is difficult to find “Kosher for Passover” ice cream of any kind in most places in the States. And I have never seen “Kosher for Passover” ice cream bars –they certainly are not for sale at the concession stand of your nearest national park.

Though my kids have all outgrown it by now, at this time of year they used to enjoy a picture book called Matzah Ball: A Passover Story. The book tells the story of Aaron, who is invited by his friend’s family to join them at a Baltimore Orioles game.

Second Night Community Seder There’s a place for you at our table Saturday, April 23, 6:00 p.m.

Please call for reservations.

360-896-8088 • www.jewishvancouverusa.org 7800 NE 119th Street • Vancouver WA 98662

Celebrating Jewish Life in Southwest Washington 34 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

It turns out that the baseball game is during Passover, and so Aaron’s mom reminds him that he can’t eat any of the stadium’s junk food. Aaron complains, “It’s not easy being Jewish, and sometimes it feels downright weird.” (Aaron is rewarded for his sacrifice, though, because while his friends are off at the concession stand, he manages to snag a home run ball thanks to the resiliency of the matzah he is holding in his hands.)

In Israel it’s easy being Jewish, and it’s easy keeping kosher for Passover (though perhaps it’s more difficult for a Jew here to be humane – but that’s a topic for another column). Most of your regular grocery items that you use year-round suddenly sprout “Kosher for Passover” labels two weeks before the holiday. Even Elie’s penicillin for his ear infection was stamped “Kosher for Passover” (though I did not request such a stamp).

The only complicating food factor in Israel on Passover, if you are Ashkenazi, is that there are two “Kosher for Passover” food labels: the all-encompassing “Kosher for Passover” and the “Kosher for Passover for those who eat kitniyot (legumes).” A “Kosher for Passover” buffet at a hotel or restaurant will often include rice, corn, beans and other legumes, and it’s not always easy to steer your kids or yourself away from these items. Yet now that I am in Israel, this Ashkenazi stringency against eating legumes seems quite extreme. There are just too many religious Jews here who eat kitniyot for me to think that there is anything pious in abstaining from these foods.

If anything is weird about Passover in Israel, it’s the lengths that secular Israelis go to when cleaning for Passover. The days leading up to Passover constitute a national spring-cleaning period, both for religious and less traditional Jews. A frequent radio advertisement this pre-Passover season urged women to forego Passover cleaning and vacation in Cyprus, where they would find beautiful beaches and hotels and wonderful restaurants. Yes, apparently there are many women in Israel who both clean exhaustingly for Passover and who would entertain the possibility of vacationing at a non-kosher Cypriot hotel for the holiday.

Passover in Israel feels normal because it seems like almost everyone is celebrating. I’m not exactly sure what the payoff is going to be, but it would certainly stand to reason that there are incredible psychological benefits for a Jewish kid who grows up on Israeli Passovers.

Teddy Weinberger, Ph.D., writes from Givat Ze’ev, a suburb of Jerusalem just over the Green Line. He and his wife, Sarah Jane Ross, made aliyah in 1997 with their five children. Teddy is director of development for Meaningful, a company that works with Israeli nonprofit organizations.

Passover, Me and Bobby McGee vacation from work. “Dror” is the name of a bird and like a bird that soars and migrates, it refers to mental freedom. “Cherut” The year was 1968: the Vietnam War was raging, psychedelic describes the kind of freedom we have to pursue a higher music and drugs were “in,” Martin Luther King Jr. was purpose in life; it signifies spiritual freedom. assassinated a week before President Johnson signed the Civil We are approaching Passover, the Jewish holiday that Rights Act and the Beatles released the White Album to commemorates our freedom from more than 400 years of mixed reviews. I was about to enter 9th grade and amidst the Egyptian bondage. The Hebrews who fled Egypt in the middle free love and political turmoil, I somehow finagled my mother of the night had been slaves all of their lives. Moses led them into driving over two hours to Atlantic City to take me and my to physical freedom, but it would take another 40 years of best friend to my very first rock wandering in the Sinai desert before concert. they would be able to relinquish their Janis Joplin – wild, passionate, slave mentality and become freesoulful and very stoned – belted thinking men and women. What would out “Piece of My Heart,” “Cry enable them to make this difficult Baby” and “Move Over” until transition? almost midnight. On the car ride The answer came seven weeks after home, we sang a medley of Joplin the Exodus at the foot of Mount Sinai, songs, but the one verse that really where the Hebrew people gathered to captured my imagination was experience the most profound moment from “Me and Bobby McGee.” in Jewish history, the Revelation of Freedom’s just another word the Torah. It was here that the people for nothing left to lose. became unified as a spiritual nation The image was loose and free, when they entered into the covenant unattached to anything or anyone, with the God that brought them out just like the pop culture for of Egypt “with a strong hand and an which it was written. So why, as outstretched arm.” They were given a 15-year-old, did I feel unsettled freedom for a distinct and special by the idea of having nothing left purpose – to love God, to follow the to lose? laws of the Torah and to become a I have traveled a long distance “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” since my first concert. Living as a In Hebrew, Passover is referred to as Jewish woman, wife and mother Ziman Cherutanu, or the “time of our has taught me quite a different spiritual freedom.” The journey of the Janis Joplin reality. Genuine freedom comes Jewish people from redemption from with a high price tag because at slavery to revelation is also the story of the heart of freedom lies autonomy – the personal responsibility our redemption through revelation. We are given our freedom so to exercise moral choice over our most basic instincts. that we can become a holy people with a unique spiritual destiny.

The concept of freedom of choice is essential to being human This year when we sit together at the seder table and read the and being Jewish. It distinguishes us from the rest of the story of the Exodus from Egypt, let us remember that it is only animal kingdom and enables each of us, despite heredity, social because we are free – physically, mentally and spiritually – that conditions and environment, to choose to elevate good over we have the privilege of choosing how to live. And because of evil. As Jews, we are free to choose to follow the laws, values that freedom, we are never free from our responsibility to choose and traditions of our ancestors – or not. The very fact that the what is good and just. choice is ours alone is what makes our decision significant and meaningful.

Anthropologists suggest that the number of words in a Amy Hirshberg Lederman has written more language for a specific idea is an indication of the importance than 300 columns and essays that have been of the concept to the lives and society of its speakers. So it is published nationwide. interesting to note that there are three distinct words in Hebrew amyhirshberglederman.com for freedom. “Hofesh” refers to physical freedom, such as a

By Amy Hirshberg Lederman

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 35

Food

CORNER Foods that are restricted during Passover are well known to most observant Jews.

Chametz includes anything made with wheat, oats, rye and barley; additionally, Ashkenazi tradition forbids kitniyot, which rules out beans, corn and rice. For the carbohydrate addict, that means no bread, cereal, pizza, pasta or pilaf for eight days.

Feeling satisfied becomes a bit tricky during this time when we seek to remain observant.

For those who follow a diet that is mostly made up of lean meat and loads of fruit and vegetables, these restrictions may not feel so noticeable, but for those of us who enjoy our toast and coffee for breakfast, eight days of eggs and Kosher for Passover matzah can become a bit tedious to say the least. If only there were an all-around, delicious, nutritious go-to alternative that is allowed during Passover. Well there is, and it’s called bone broth.

Food bloggers have gone crazy touting the benefits of brewing a big pot of bone broth, not only because of its sensational flavor and versatility, but also for its amazing healing benefits. Bone broth is chock full of vitamins and minerals, is great for healthy skin, hair and nails, improves painful joints and is dirt cheap to make. Generations of seasoned cooks have added chicken feet to their stock to amp up the natural gelatin that, when consumed, actually helps fill excess holes in the gut lining, which leads to better digestive health all around. Some studies indicate when there is plenty of gelatin in the diet, the body’s need for protein from meat sources can be reduced by as much as 50%!

Broth is a traditional food that your grandmother (or great grandmother) likely made often. Start with bones from healthy grass-fed animals (beef, chicken, duck or a combination). Then load up the pot with an array of nourishing vegetables, herbs and spices. Homemade broth is far superior to any boxed version,

FILL UP WITH NUTRITIOUS BONE BROTH Story and photos

by Lisa Glickman

which may contain unhealthy MSG or added salt. Inexpensive and nutrient-dense bone broth sipped from a mug has been called “Nana’s penicillin” and can be a soothing and immuneboosting meal for someone recovering from illness or injury.

With the addition of cooked meat, carrots, potatoes, celery or shredded Tuscan kale, you have a satisfying and filling meal that’s great for lunch or dinner.

Lisa Glickman is a private chef and teacher who lives in Portland. She has made TV appearances on COTV in Central Oregon and appeared on the Cooking Channel’s “The Perfect Three.”

She can be reached at lisa@lisaglickman.com.

36 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Bone Broth Ingredients 2 pounds (or more) of bones from a healthy source 2 chicken feet for extra gelatin (optional) 1 onion 2 carrots 2 stalks of celery 2 parsnips 1 rutabaga 3-4 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 bunch of parsley 1 teaspoon peppercorns 1 tablespoon or more of sea salt 2-3 bay leaves Preheat oven to 375ยบ. Rough chop all vegetables (no need to peel). Lay out bones and vegetables among two baking sheets and drizzle with a little olive oil. Place in oven and roast for 1 hour. After vegetables and bones have browned nicely, put them in large stockpot and cover with cold, clear water. Add parsley, peppercorns, salt and bay leaves. Add apple cider vinegar and allow to sit for 20 minutes. (The acid helps make the nutrients in the bones more available.) Bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer gently, skimming foam as necessary. Allow broth to cook for about five hours. Strain and place in containers. Broth will last up to a month in the refrigerator or for up to a year in the freezer.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 37

NWNosh

Shalom Y’all arrives with Pine Street Market

Israeli Chop Salad

By Kerry Politzer

Do you have a hankering for hummus? Do you crave a falafel fix? If so, you’ll want to head over to the latest Israeli concept restaurant in Portland, Shalom Y’all, one of the tenants at the brand new Pine Street Market at the corner of Second Avenue and Pine Street.

The team behind the popular Toro Bravo and Mediterranean Exploration Company will be serving an exciting, healthy menu.

“We’re going to be open from brunch to dinner,” says chef John Gorham. “In the mornings, we will have a whole shakshuka menu, while during the evenings we’ll focus on the street food of Israel – falafel, hummus. We have a deck oven, so we’ll be making fresh pitas, and I’m sure there will be a lot of surprises.”

Shalom Y’all gets its inspiration from the family of Gorham’s business partner, Ron Avni. After World War II, Avni’s Chicagoan father moved to northern Israel to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning a horse ranch. “He was a cowboy type of guy; he made fried chicken and Americana-type stuff. What we’re doing is the total opposite; we’re bringing Israeli cuisine back here,” says Gorham, who has accompanied Avni and executive chef Kasey Mills on culinary research trips to Israel.

The new restaurant will feature some of the Mediterranean Exploration Company’s greatest hits. “You will see lamb chops at night – a lot of roasted lamb and Israeli-style composed hummus plates.”

Some of the menu will be vegetarian.

An intriguing selection of beverages will also be featured.

“Our bar menu is being done by Jamal Hassan, our bar manager over at Mediterranean Exploration Company. For the Y’all part of it, we will have a lot of the brown liquors from the United States, done with Middle Eastern flavors. And then, we’re going to have an Israeli and a Lebanese beer on draft as well.”

Ultimately, Shalom Y’all will be a celebration.

“The Toro Bravo family has large connections to Israel, and we will continue to celebrate those,” says Gorham.

Chef Kasey Mills

For more information about Pine Street Market (126 SW Second St., Portland), which is set to open April 17, visit pinestreetpdx.com. Other tenants will include Marukin, a Tokyo-based ramen restaurant, and Sol Food + Juice, a new quick-service vegetarian concept from Adam and Jackie Sappington of The Country Cat Dinner House & Bar.

Artist rendering of Pine Street Market 38 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Newly certified kosher companies

New York Style Kosher Black & White Cookies AVAILABLE AT THE SHOP THIS SPRING

Oregon Kosher has expanded its family of companies in the Bend area, offering local and statewide markets more kosher-certified options. Check out the new companies listed below.

Bendistillery: The Bendistillery Crater Lake brand of alcoholic beverages will all be under the certification of Oregon Kosher effective immediately. The label will not begin running the Oregon Kosher symbol immediately, but all products produced from this date forward are certified. craterlakespirits.com.

310 NW BROADWAY PORTLAND, OR 97209 503-227-NOSH (6674) • 7AM-2PM DAILY WWW.BOWERYBAGELS.COM

Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods: Based in Redmond, Straw Propeller creates a variety of gourmet oatmeal and muesli products. All of the products are made with certified gluten-free oats and non-GMO, all natural and kosher-certified ingredients. strawpropellergourmetfoods.com.

Jem Raw Organic: Jem features a variety of delicious nut butters and spreads, all under Oregon Kosher certification. jemraw.com.

Sisters Coffee Company: Offers a variety of

kosher-certified coffee products. sisterscoffee.com.

The following companies in other areas of the state also have been newly certified for 2016.

Pure Wild Oregon: Produces a wide variety of sauces, jams, oils and much more, all made from locally sourced raw organic ingredients. purewildoregon.com.

Skout Organic: Oregon kosher will be certifying Skout’s seasoned raw pumpkin seeds. skoutorganic.com.

Adoboloco: Makes a variety of hot sauces using fresh roasted ingredients. adoboloco.com.

Oregon Growers and Shippers: Offers a variety of jams, jellies, sauces and more farm-direct specialty foods. oregongrowers.com.

503-343-3497 | info@oregonkosher.org | oregonkosher.org

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 39

Style

Jane Weitzman:

puts her best foot forward for women’s philanthropy the retail stores beginning in 1996, worked in public relations and oversaw

By Leni Reiss philanthropy for Stuart Weitzman LLC.” You could say that The National Olympics Jane Weitzman has put Committee and Children’s her heart and soul into Hospital in Boston are Art & Sole, the volume among the organizations of spectacular fantasy art that benefit from her shoes from the Stuart efforts. Breast and ovarian Weitzman collection. The cancer are considerable stunning 200-page volume concerns as well (her showcases the specially mother died of breast commissioned footwear cancer) as are myriad that have drawn crowds Jewish organizations to the windows of the including the Jewish Stuart Weitzman boutique Book Council, Jewish on New York’s Madison Telegraphic Agency, the Avenue and other venues.

American Jewish Joint Jane worked in tandem Distribution Committee Jane and Stuart Weitzman display Jane’s book Art & Sole that features fantasy with her designer husband and Jewish Federations of art shoes from the Stuart Weitzman collection. for years as executive vice North America. president of the company She enjoys speaking a bearing his name. philanthropy events, especially federation women’s programs.

“We did different things,” she says. “He was in the factory, Speaking at women’s philanthropy events, “are wonderful he did the designing, and he did a lot of traveling. I founded experiences,” says Jane. “I meet the nicest women – the most 40 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

caring and philanthropic.”

She says she doesn’t charge for her appearances at charitable events, and adds that proceeds from the sale that day of her book will benefit the charity. She has booked speaking gigs through June, when she will travel to Venice to be present for the 500th commemoration of its Jewish ghetto.

Born and raised in a traditional Jewish home in Atlanta, Jane met her husband-to-be in Boston. They were neighbors and “just friends at first.” She was a buyer for a local bookstore; he worked in his family’s small shoe factory. They married when they both were in their mid-20s.

With a background in the family business, Stuart embarked on what became mega-successful Stuart Weitzman LLC, designing shoes to suit a demanding and enthusiastic clientele.

Jane was at home in Greenwich, CT, until both the couple’s daughters, Elizabeth and Rachel, were in school full time. She then officially joined the business, eventually earning the title of executive vice president and spearheading the company’s philanthropic endeavors.

With both girls grown and on their own, the Weitzmans have semiretired to New York, while maintaining their home in Greenwich, where they lived for 39 years.

“Lincoln Center is the ideal neighborhood for me,” says Jane. “I love to walk, I love the arts and I love the theater. I’ll often go right to the box office and get lucky!”

“Lincoln Center is the ideal neighborhood for me. I love to walk, I love the arts and I love the theater.

I’ll often go right to the box office and get lucky!”

– Jane Weitzman

Jane speaks with pride of her husband’s talent in crafting shoes with an emphasis, even with the highest heels, of making them as comfortable as possible. “I wear our heels for dress of course, but I’m a big walker, so I wear our nice flats and simple sandals much of the time.”

Although her husband sold the business some four years ago, the new corporation has retained its highly recognizable name, and Stuart is still involved in shoe design. Jane says one of the most common requests she gets from women is to tell her husband to “please continue to make narrow sizes!”

And now the genesis of Art & Sole. When the first Weitzman boutique opened, Jane was responsible in good part for the window displays. She recalls traveling around the country seeking artists to make fantasy shoes for the store windows.

“In order to make sure the shoes reflected Stuart’s design, I asked him to draw a simple outline of a high-heeled pump,” Jane explains. “I took the sketch with me while I searched for new artists.”

The book, dedicated to her husband “whose love of shoes is infectious,” is the result of many years of hard work and fun that went into the search.

The shoes selected for the book, Jane says, “represent the best of more than a thousand that have appeared in Stuart Weitzman stores over the years.” The variety of materials used by the artists range from silver leaf and stained glass to vintage dishes, from mah jongg tiles to metal mesh and metallic thread.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 41

Virtual to

By Deborah Moon

Kids &Teens too

A child-friendly resource for parents

INSIDE

42 Portland Jewish Moms move into real world 44 JCRC works for balanced school lessons 45 The Vaping Epidemic 46 A manual for growing up

42 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Real

When Sarah Goldblatt moved to town in 2012, she realized the local Jewish community was big, diverse and spread out, with most people not affiliated with any Jewish organization.

Sarah and her husband, Rabbi Yossi Goldblatt, came to Oregon from Belarus to become part of the Portland Kollel (see story, page 56).

The mother of four children ages 2-7, Sarah created Portland Jewish Moms on Facebook to help mothers in this far-flung community find connections, support and friends.

Now 450 members strong, the group Sarah Goldblatt includes young mothers with their first babies and grandmothers willing to share their insights.

“First people connect virtually,” says Sarah. “Then many arrange face-to-face meetings. Others continue the online connections as a place of support for mothers, Judaism and family. It makes me happy when people use the group to ask questions … a lot of people answer from their experience.”

Portland Jewish Moms is a closed group, meaning people must apply to join. Sarah says she reviews applicants’ profiles to ensure they fit the profile for the group.

“I want to connect people who are similar,” she says. “I think that builds a strong community.”

After introducing people through the easy, nonthreatening virtual world, Sarah wanted to help people discover the community. So last summer she began posting meet-ups at various parks around town. She’d be there with balloons and snacks, and other moms would bring their children for real life connections.

“People hung out together,” she says.

Through her Facebook and face-to-face interactions over the summer, Sarah realized that though many parents didn’t want to commit to day school or weekly religious school, they were interested in having their children experience Jewish culture.

“It shouldn’t be all or nothing,” says Sarah, who also teaches at Maayan Torah Day School.

She thought a Jewish Holiday School would to be a perfect solution. This year Sarah planned seven gatherings, one for each of the major holidays. “I wanted these kids to be able to experience the fun and vibrancy of Judaism.”

Camp Seed will give children the chance to connect with each other in a nonthreatening Jewish environment this summer. The camp will meet at Fulton Park Community Center with various attendance options from July 11-Aug. 19.

Each session meets before the holiday.

During the 90-minute session, kids listen to stories, sing songs and come home with a project they can use for the holiday. For instance, before Hanukkah, each child made their own menorah.

“I want them to have good memories and positive feelings about Judaism,” says Sarah.

An optional concurrent class gives parents an adult-level connection with the holiday, so they can discover how it is relevant for their family.

The Jewish Holiday School Passover session will be April 17, and the Shavuot gathering will be June 5. New students are welcome.

After introducing people through the easy, nonthreatening virtual world, Sarah wanted to help people discover the community. So last summer she began posting meet-ups at various parks around town. She’d be there with balloons and snacks, and other moms would bring their children for real life connections.

This summer children ages 3 to 12 can have a more intensive experience through Camp Seed. The camp will meet at the Fulton Park Community Center in Southwest Portland from July 11 through Aug. 19. Attendance is flexible with options for one day, one week or the entire six weeks.

To join the Facebook group, search for Portland Jewish Moms on Facebook and click on “join group.”

For more information on Camp Seed and Jewish Holiday School visit funtobeJewish.com, or contact Sarah at sarah@portlandkollel.org or 503-381-7344.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 43

Kids & Teens too

By Deborah Moon

Countering BDS in public schools

Between well-meaning social studies teachers without the background to understand Middle East complexities and BDS supporters who flood the Internet with anti-Israel information, many high school and middle school students are getting a skewed perspective of the Arab-Israeli peace process.

“Most teachers have no agenda – they pull stuff from the Internet without understanding what is balanced,” says Jewish Federation of Greater Portland Community Relations Director Bob Horenstein.

The education subcommittee of the Israel Advocacy Committee of the federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council is focusing on raising awareness of students, parents and teachers to recognize bias and to encourage the use of free online curricula from the Institute for Curriculum Services. The JCRC collaborates with the ICS in San Francisco. The curriculum can be downloaded from icsresources.org.

“They have a very strong curriculum for teaching Jewish history and the Middle East conflict,” says Cheryl Livneh, professor emeritus of the graduate school of education at Portland State University. She says the curriculum is primary source based, pedagogically sound and aligned with most states’ academic content standards.

Social studies teachers can have a degree in economics or history and don’t know about this complex situation,” says Cheryl, who sits on the JCRC’s education subcommittee. “It’s sad when well-meaning teachers are missing the boat.”

Among the resources teachers are finding online is the Palestine Teaching Trunk, created by activists in the Boycott, Divest and Sanction campaign against Israel.

Education subcommittee chair Michelle Bombat Minch says that that curriculum was accepted for presentation at last year’s popular Northwest Conference for Teaching Social Justice. The ICS was denied the opportunity to share information at the conference. The letter rejecting the ICS application was signed by a known BDS activist.

Michelle says BDS supporters frequently post comments on the Facebook pages of animal rights organizations in support of Palestinians. She notes this is a common thread that appears on many social justice forums.

Bob adds BDS supporters have injected their cause into diverse social justice campaigns implying that those who stand for the oppressed should also stand for Palestinians. He said one forum where he saw that occur was when the BDS movement organized a protest against an Israeli LGBT group attending a conference in Chicago. “It was total hypocrisy,” he says of the juxtaposition. “Israel is the only nation to codify gay rights in the region.”

Michelle notes that a priority of the education subcommittee 44 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

is to share the ICS fact-based curriculum. She encourages educators to sign up for a three-day free summer workshop at PSU that will delve into the curriculum and the history of the conflict in depth (see box). She also encourages schools or school districts to contact ICS to arrange for a shorter, one to three hour, onsite workshop.

“ICS workshops are a component of our professional development program,” according to ICS Senior Curriculum Developer and Trainer Jacqueline Regev. ICS delivers workshops, which provide standards-based content development on Jewish subjects, at educator conferences, school sites and in schools of education. ICS’s goal is to provide in-service and pre-service teachers with learning opportunities that will deepen their existing knowledge and support their role as lifelong learners.

Additionally, the JCRC and ICS are planning a second workshop for parents, students and teachers on recognizing bias to be held this fall. Meanwhile Bob and other speakers are available to give talks on Israel and BDS. Bob was joined at one recent program by Lee Gordon, cofounder of the Hand in Hand Schools, in which Jewish and Arab-Israeli children study together. To arrange a talk, contact Bob at 503-245-6496.

Bob says the CRC is active in countering the BDS infiltration of mainstream institutions, such as churches. He adds they are especially concerned by BDS efforts to target middle school and high school students.

“These are impressionable minds,” says Bob. “We want to make sure they are getting the best information possible.”

Summer Institute A Historical Perspective on the Arab-Israeli Conflict and Peace Process WHEN: June 28-30 WHERE: Portland State University PRESENTED BY: The Institute for Curriculum Services WHO: High school social studies teachers WHAT: Dynamic three-day workshop with an emphasis on inquiry-based learning using Teaching with Primary Sources strategies and content-specific lectures from university scholars. Travel stipend available to cover hotel accommodations. This workshop is sponsored in part by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Western Region Program, coordinated by Metropolitan State University of Denver.

STIPEND: $300 attendance and travel stipend CONTACT: Jacqueline Regev, jregev@icsresources.org or 415-977-7431

Family Time

The Vaping

By Debra Rich Gettleman

Epidemic

“Dear Parent/Guardian, We want to inform you about the recent epidemic of e-cigarettes being used by our young people. E-cigarettes – also referred to as electronic cigarettes, hookah pens or vapes – are an electronic nicotine delivery system designed to mimic smoking a cigarette. They produce an odorless vapor of nicotine liquid, or in the case of marijuana a THC liquid, that resembles smoke. We are concerned about the potential for these devices to be used for the intake of drugs. Additionally, because of the novelty value, the common assumption is they are safe. E-cigarettes may also encourage young people to start smoking more than nicotine.”

This is the first paragraph of the email I got from my oldest son’s, Levi’s, high school a few weeks ago. The letter went on to explain that e-cigs or “vapes” come in lots of teen-friendly flavors like cherry, apple and watermelon. That they come in funcolored packages and look more like pens than cigarettes. That they are marketed to adolescents and can be easily purchased in convenience stores, gas stations and, of course, online.

As I waited for Levi to get home from school, I started paging through my husband’s medical journals and googling as much as I could about vapes. The facts were troubling. First of all, there is a prevalent belief among young people that because vapes don’t have tobacco in them, they are safe. Allow me to dispel that misconception. E-cigarettes contain liquid nicotine that is highly addictive and can literally produce structural changes in developing adolescent brains that can lead to future alcohol and various drug addictions. In fact, the FDA has dubbed some liquid nicotine products “starter” products due to the fact that these childlike, flavored delivery systems establish patterns that actually lead to long-term addictions.

According to the most recent CDC National Youth Tobacco Survey, e-cigarettes are now more popular than traditional cigarettes, with a total of 450,000 middle school students and at least 2 million high school students now using e-cigs. This translates into a triple increase in e-cigarette usage among teens in the last year. The e-cigarette market has become a multibillion dollar industry, and Wall Street analysts are predicting that revenue from e-cigarettes will exceed traditional cigarette earnings within a decade.

But perhaps the most alarming part of the e-cigarette story is that the entire industry remains completely unregulated, with virtually no federal rules or government control. While this could change any day as the FDA and Congress argue over whether or not to give the FDA control over the vaping industry,

right now the only federal law surrounding e-cigarettes is one recently signed by President Obama that requires childproof caps for the liquid nicotine containers used with vapes.

The difficulty in regulating e-cigarettes is that they are not tobacco products, so they cannot be FDA-controlled under current tobacco guidelines. Research on e-cigs is mixed with many studies lauding the new liquid nicotine delivery systems as majorly beneficial when used as a traditional smoking-cessation device. Vaping advocates claim that vapes are potentially lifesaving products, and for the first time in decades, glamorous television ads are appearing that rekindle the fashionable image of smoking. All this translates into more teenagers being lured to the devices.

While many claim that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than smoking traditional cigarettes, a recent study published in the journal Tobacco Control showed that teen users of e-cigarettes are three times more likely to smoke conventional cigarettes one year later. So this thought that our kids are avoiding the carcinogenic exposure to tobacco by smoking vapes appears to be questionable at best. Another study done at Harvard University found evidence of chemicals that cause respiratory problems in 47 out of 51 types of flavored e-cigarettes. Plus, with no federal regulations, there is no way to know what is actually contained in the devices’ cartridges or cartomizers.

Finally, I read several news stories about e-cigarettes exploding in people’s faces or pockets, causing severe burns and damage.

This was the last straw. I waited for Levi to walk in the door.

When he finally did, I was less than subtle.

“Levi,” I said, “I know all about the vapes. I know everyone is using them, and I need you to fess up and tell me the truth.”

“Mom,” he said, looking at me as if I had suddenly sprouted a second head, “Are you kidding me? Do you actually think I would ever do something that stupid? Anyway, they already talked about this at school a few days ago. You really should read your emails on a more timely basis.”

Then he smiled, gave me a peck on the cheek and headed into the kitchen for his afternoon snack of two Kraft mac ’n cheeses, a box of wheat thins and three bagels. Ahhh, the joy of teenage boys.

Debra Rich Gettleman is a mother and blogger based in the Phoenix area. For more of her work, visit unmotherlyinsights.com.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 45

Kids & Teens too

Big Brother writes “manual” for growing up

Journalism and Communications, a documentary filmmaker, and now a marketing and communications professional, Aaron decided to create the story – his own.

Aaron Kirk Douglas recalls the moment a 12-year-old boy In January, after a four-year writing process, he published named Kevin outed him, which happened a mere six months Growing Up Twice, whose launch coincided with National into their mentor-mentee relationship.

Mentoring Month.

In his memoir, Growing Up Twice, Shaping a Future by “Aaron has humanized a mission we’ve all heard about Reliving my Past (Newsworthy Book, $14.95), Aaron writes of but don’t always have a context for,” said Andy Nelson, the exchange: chief executive officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia “Can I – can I – can I ask you a question?” he stuttered.

Northwest, who spoke at the sold-out mid-January book launch “Of course.” at the University Club.

“Are you married?”

“I hope that the book offers the public a more full appreciation I gripped the steering wheel. My stomach churned with of the power of mentoring for the child and the mentor,” said uncertainty. Seconds later, the clouds burst open; red brake Nelson, himself a Big Brother. lights flooded across the heavy traffic in all four lanes. I Aaron has done so via humor, compelling anecdotes and reached over to the radio and turned off his rap music. Though testimonials, many quoted word-for-word, by some of the story’s I was barely able to see out the window through the rain, I key players, including a social took my eyes off the road worker, Aaron’s mother, Kevin’s long enough to glance at family members and Kevin him. himself.

“Yes. I’m married.”

BBBS requires its “Bigs” “Oh,” he said, “What’s to sign a contract with their your wife’s name?”

“Littles” guaranteeing a oneNow he wants to know year relationship. Aaron was my wife’s name? at first uncertain he and Kevin Aaron didn’t quite know would make it through their what to say; he didn’t have a first six months, let alone 12. guidebook on being a mentor, “I just couldn’t walk away,” so he did the best he could.

Aaron says of his match.

He told the truth.

Aaron credits patience for “Yes I’m married but I’m allowing him to stick out that not married to a woman crucial first year, and, a decade I’m married to a man. His later, for becoming a true Big name is David. We had a big Reform Jewish wedding Jason DeParrie-Turner, right, interviews Aaron Kirk Douglas, left, at the launch Brother/Little Brother pair.

Kevin, now 22, credits and then a few months of Aaron’s book Growing Up Twice Jan. 14 at the University Club in Portland.

Photo by Jenn Director Knudsen Aaron for his high school later we got married legally diploma. Indeed, Aaron is in Canada, and then after behind the local affiliate of that we got married in BBBS’ push to increase high school graduation rates among its California.” I took a deep breath, “Any questions?”

“Littles.” (It currently has nearly 800 adults matched with kids; Learning to be a mentor via Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s Portland affiliate, on top of the challenge of being gay, however, there are 1,800 kids, ages 6 to 18, identified as at-risk and in need of “Bigs,” according to the BBBS’ Nelson.) culminates in Aaron’s memoir about mentoring at-risk youth.

Kevin is currently a naval officer aboard the USS Harry S. Growing Up Twice is the intimate, personal manual he’d Truman in the Middle East. He writes in a recent email, “I can once sought – and that didn’t exist until he wrote it. The book is always thank Aaron for, first, graduating high school. I didn’t available exclusively on Amazon.com. fully think I’d make it all the way through, and much less on “I thought of my story: Here’s this gay guy mentoring time, if Aaron hadn’t been in my corner, always helping to a Latino boy,” Aaron recalls in an interview in his HFO motivate me and keep on trucking.”

Investment Real Estate offices. “There could eventually be a He continues, “I credit him with always being an inner story written on mentoring, but there is no story like mine.” voice in my head, even now, when I go out or am with friends, A 1983 graduate of University of Oregon’s School of

By Jenn Director Knudsen

46 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Tuesday, May 3 11:30am to 1:00pm Multnomah Athletic Club

Please join us!

Aaron Kirk Douglas with David Shapiro, CEO of “ MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership” at the National Mentoring Summit, Washington, DC, Jan. 28, 2016.

something triggers and in his calm voice… and it could be anything, from ‘Call your mom,’ or ‘It’s so-and-so’s birthday.’ …

Even now, while on the other side of the world, he always makes my day less stressful. … I will always in my heart know he’s my Big Brother.”

A Jew-by-choice since 2002 – one year before he married Dr. David Douglas – Aaron says he was drawn from his conservative Southern Baptist upbringing to Judaism mainly because of its social action emphasis.

During his remarks at the University Club event, Aaron quoted 20th century Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who’d famously said, “I don’t speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don’t have the power to remain silent.”

Aaron had that quote in mind when ruminating over writing Growing Up Twice.

“If I don’t write this book, who would share this message?”

Aaron used to say to himself. “I want to help gay people and let all people know that gay people can be mentors.”

He continues, “Mentoring is so important to give a child a voice, because they have no voice, and to get them through high school and maybe into college.”

Aaron and husband David both now mentor two younger boys in Kevin’s family.

The author’s story – and ongoing commitment – is inspiring others.

Launch event attendee Liza Milliner says, “I was moved by his reading/experience, and it motivated me to look into becoming a Big Sister.”

Perhaps no better testimony exists than that of Aaron’s mentee himself. Says Kevin from the other side of the planet: “In my life no one could replace him. He’s been there for me at my hardest moments in life and now, while ‘leaving the nest,’ he is still there for me.”

To reserve a seat or learn more, visit jfcs-portland.org or call 503-226-7079, ext. 118.

Special thanks to our major supporters:

The Holzman Foundation / Renee & Irwin Holzman Sol & Rosalyn Menashe Family Fund of OJCF Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation

our services Counseling, Disability Support Services, Emergency Aid, Holocaust Survivor Services

(In the book, Kevin is known as “Rico.” In this article, Kevin’s last name was omitted intentionally out of respect for his family’s anonymity.)

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 47

Young Adult

Moishe House, young adults and Jewish community

By Deborah Moon

A shifting band of young adults who have been not-so-quietly building grassroots Jewish life for themselves and their peers for nearly a decade will have space for a new face come May. Portland Moishe House opened Jan. 1, 2008, joining 13 U.S. and eight international houses designed to help young, innovative Jews create their vision of an ideal Jewish communal space. Now 86 Moishe Houses in 21 countries are giving young adults a place to explore Jewish life with their peers. House residents receive subsidized rent and a monthly programming budget to host events for other young adults. Since its creation, the Portland house has signed up for the top tier of activity, putting on seven or more events each month.

When three-year resident Eli Gregory moves on to new adventures after Pesach, Kenneth Gordon, 28; Aaron Kaufman, 29; Rochelle Schwartz, 28; and Sarah Philips, 25; want another 22- to 29-year-old to share the five-bedroom, three-bath house in Southeast Portland.

The new housemate must “be willing to commit to at least one year with a weekly average commitment of eight hours, an interest in offering their passions and interests to the community, and be able to organize, attend and clean up events,” explains Rochelle.

Sarah adds, “We want a community builder who will take whatever they’re passionate about to share and enrich” Jewish life for young adults in Portland.

Sarah, an environmental educator at the Oregon Zoo and a preschool teacher at Congregation Beth Israel, shares her passion for the outdoors, as well as the challah she bakes for Moishe House Shabbat dinners. An apprentice with the Jewish Theatre Collaborative for two years, Kenneth brings artists and arts events to his peers. Aaron, a grad student at Portland State University in public administration, has hosted a series of gatherings to watch the presidential debates. Rochelle, a mental health therapist and Oregon native, shares compassionate listening as well as hiking, camping and kayaking in the outdoor beauty of her native state. All four enjoy cooking and gardening, but admit they are enthusiastic though not especially skilled at the latter.

Housemates must be willing to live in a “mostly kosher” home (they have two sets of dishes for dairy and meat and serve

Moishe House residents Rochelle Schwartz, Kenneth Gordon, Sarah Philips and Aaron Kaufman are looking for a fifth housemate for their grassroots Jewish community for young adults.

only kosher foods at all events). Observing kashrut at events was instituted by Portland Moishe House founder Jodi Berris, who wanted to be sure events were open to everyone in the community, whether they keep kosher or not.

“In our community, the vast majority don’t keep kosher, but for those who do, it is important,” says Rochelle. “We never know who will arrive, and we want them to feel welcome if they keep kosher.”

In addition to a new housemate, the foursome also wants to meet more young adults interested in helping create or experience events. Most events are free, though if Moishe House organizes a group to attend a performance or sporting event, every person pays their own admission. Regular events include at least one Shabbat dinner a month, game nights, meditation events, homesteading workshops and parties for all the holidays.

This month, residents will once again cook and lead a Passover seder, but it won’t be at the house. Last year the 82 attendees took up every available sitting surface, so this year’s event will be offsite. “It will still be home cooked and brought to you by Moishe House,” says Sarah.

Rochelle notes they are very grateful to the funders who make Moishe House possible. Funding for each Moishe House is 70% local funding and 30% national funding. The Schusterman, Jim Joseph and Leichtag foundations are major national donors. Local support for each house comes from individuals, foundations and federations. Portland house donations can be made through the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland (jewishportland.org) or through moishehouse.org/donate (select the Portland house).

While residents must be in their 20s, some people in their early 30s still fit the target audience of post-college, pre-kids.

The grassroots community the housemates have built connects people with Jewish experiences, friends and even partners.

Several people who have met at Moishe House have formed groups for other activities. And at least two couples became engaged after meeting at Purim parties in the past three years.

“I wouldn’t have been involved with the Jewish community without Moishe House,” says Kenneth, a three-year resident. “So call us.”

Moishe House Portland: moishehousepdx@gmail.com | 616 SE 38th Ave., Portland 97214 48 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

A Nosh of Jewish Wisdom: Too much of a good thing can be very much too much. friend for job hits glitch Recommending

Ask

Helen

A Nosh of Jewish Wisdom:

There’s a time to be silent and a time to speak up. Know the difference.

Dear Helen:

I helped get a friend a job after he’d been fired from his last one. I left the final hiring decision to the owner, even though I am the human resources manager, because of my conflict of interest. I was clear that he was a friend, but also well qualified. He has ****ed up royally by both attitude and performance. He’s flippant when he should be penitent, and people see him as a roadblock rather than an asset. I’m afraid he’s going to get fired. Do I alert him or not?

In the Middle

Dear In the Middle:

Hiring friends is as awkward as borrowing or lending money.

But you’re wearing exactly the right hat to intervene and possibly forestall the firing.

Call him in to your office and say: (Friend), I’m wearing my Human Resources hat, not my friend hat. Can you hear what I’m about to say in that context? (Get an explicit “Yes.”) I’m hearing complaints about your performance, from down the line and above my head. If you’re happy and want to keep the job, you’re going to have to change your style and performance. Let’s work on a remediation plan I can show the owner, so you can turn this around. If you’re not happy, let’s meet off-site for a beer, and I’ll help you with your resume. A friend would say “Thanks.”

Dear Helen:

I just got tapped to be the key speaker for my company’s promo video. I’m terrified!!! I don’t have the normal fear of public speaking, but there’s a difference between briefing your colleagues on this quarter’s sales reports and trying to talk to people you can’t make eye contact with, who may or may not give a flying %$^ about what you’re pitching.

Can you give me some tips? I do know to get a haircut and wear clothes that look professional. A promotion could be on the line.

Upwardly Mobile

Dear Upwardly Mobile:

Most important is to know your material well. There’s no magic bullet for any form of public speaking, but if you don’t know what you’re talking about and you can’t say it in a convincing way, the entire episode will fail. Start by getting the script from the person writing it ASAP, as in now, today. Make sure you have at least two weeks, preferably more, to practice your delivery. Keep practicing until you can do this for your family or colleagues and have them stay interested until the end.

Here’s how: Read the script out loud, repeat out loud. Say it to yourself in a room as though you were speaking it to your audience. If you hear your voice falter or you need to gasp for air, it’s a good clue you need to edit the text. For people to listen to you and believe you, you’ll need to sound comfortable with the words. Comfortable people talk in contractions, not in formal language like you see on corporate brochures. So get relaxed with the actual text, and, if necessary, get approval from whoever needs to sign off on your changes. Then read

it aloud onto your iPhone or some device where you can play it back and listen with headphones. Get used to the sound of your voice saying the words. It’s not so much a matter of memorizing it (though I’m not against knowing it cold) as it is having the talk become and feel like a natural part of you. Go for nice long walks and listen a couple times each direction. Once you’ve got the words down, add body language.

Practice giving the talk in front of a mirror. Look at your facial expressions. It’s a mixed call about whether it’ll terrify you or encourage you if you get a friend to video you. But if you have a promotion riding on it, go full bore to look fabulous and sound wise.

A resident of Eugene since 1981, Helen is a member of Temple Beth Israel, where she studies and speaks on Torah. She claims to have black belts in schmoozing, problem solving and chutzpah. She’s a writer and an artist (kabbalahglass.com). Please email your questions to helen@yourjewishfairygodmother.com

Who do

professionals call when selling or buying a home?

“20 years ago I moved to Portland and was introduced to Joe Menashe who helped me locate several income properties that I closed on over the next several years. Right away I learned that Joe was “The Man” when it comes to real estate.

13 years ago he helped me find and negotiate the sale of my dream home in Ladd’s Addition where I live with my two boys.”

Steven Ungar Angeli Ungar Law Group, LLC

JOE MENASHE Principal Broker Serving Portland Metro area buyers and sellers for 24 years.

503-784-1855

JoeMenashe@RealtyTrust.com

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 49

Seniors

Foundation grants wishes at journey’s end

This World War II veteran and lifelong fisherman was over 100 years old and wanted to go on one last fishing trip. Thanks to Pacific NW Hospice Foundation, he was able to do that. The foundation provided the transportation, funds for the fishing license, the materials and lunch for him and his fishing companion.

hearing. When an attorney suggested it would be easier to incorporate as a 501c3 foundation if it were not tied to a specific After surgery and an extremely difficult recovery following a hospice, Jean created the Pacific NW Hospice Foundation and 2007 diagnosis of a rare cancer, Jean Rosenbaum decided she incorporated as a nonprofit in 2010. wanted to do something to give back and live each day with joy.

Since then the foundation has granted some 500 wishes for With her own bout with mortality etched patients nearing the end of their journeys. in her mind, Jean began working a few hours Many hospices have foundations, but those a week at a local hospice as a public relations are often for capital needs or big projects. consultant and soon became director of “No other organization funds individual marketing. patient wishes,” says Jean. “We try to have funds “When I met with patients, I was moved by available so we don’t have to turn anyone away.” the things people requested,” says Jean. “They Families or social workers can fill out requests were small things. with an online form or call Jean, who says she “There were so many unmet needs, and it was funds many requests on the spot. an honor to spend time with people who had so “I listen. They all sound legitimate, and they few hours left to share,” explains Jean. all make me cry,” says Jean. “I’ve only declined Though hospice care is covered at 100% for one request in five and a half years.” those on Medicare, the coverage brings with As executive director, Jean was the only staff it a lot of guidelines that limit what a hospice member until last June. Now the staff includes a can provide. Bus fare for a family member to communications director, development director visit, a marriage license, a last trip to the beach and executive assistant.

Jean Rosenbaum and headphones to listen to music are common Currently the majority of the funding requests not covered by Medicare. For patients comes from the annual gala (see box). With with limited funds, such wishes often went unmet. a development director on board, Jean hopes to start building Jean joined the board of the hospice’s fledgling foundation endowments. Last year her cousins created a fund to grant hoping to be able to meet some of the simple requests she kept wishes for Jewish patients in hospice in honor of Jean’s parents,

By Deborah Moon

Pacific NW Hospice Foundation: 6663 Beaverton Hillsdale, Hwy #63, Portland | 503-297-5250 | info@pnwhospice.org 50 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

William, 99, and Goldie, who died March 3 at the age of 97. With her mother’s recent death, Jean doesn’t think she will be able to speak at this year’s gala, so she has asked Rabbi Michael Cahana of Congregation Beth Israel to deliver the gala address.

Another fund, the Edward Rosenbaum Memorial Fund named for her uncle, is used to recognize an outstanding hospice worker at the gala each year. This year’s recipient is Dr. Jocelyn White from Hopewell House.

“Jean and I personally see our work with the foundation as tzedakah and each gifted wish as a true mitzvah,” says Elle Zober, the foundation’s ​communications manager.

The gala will include a live auction and two silent auctions, one of which will feature local art. After reading Oregon Jewish Life’s December 2015 cover story on Randy Spelling, Elle says she contacted him and he has donated two life-coaching sessions for the auction.

The gala also includes a raffle for a trip to Italy; gala attendance is not required to win a raffle prize.

One patient wanted to take her family out for a nice dinner. Pacific NW Hospice Foundation hired a limousine to take the entire family for a nice dinner out.

Honor the Journey

WHAT: Pacific NW Hospice Foundation Gala INCLUDES: Dinner, dancing, live and silent auctions, an Italy trip raffle and games WHY: Fundraiser to provide gifted wishes for patients in hospice WHEN: 6 pm, May 7 WHERE: Oregon Golf Club, West Linn TICKETS: $100, with various sponsorship levels available.

Gala tickets and raffle tickets available at: pnwhospice.org/gala-event

Please remember the Jewish organizations most important to you in your will, estate plan or by beneficiary designation.

To create your Jewish legacy contact: Julie Diamond, Executive Director julied@ojcf.org • 503.248.9328 • www.ojcf.org

LIFE & LEGACY program and the LIFE & LEGACY logo are trademarks of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. All rights reserved.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 51

YOM HASHOAH

Dachau visit prompts months of contemplation

By Jenn Director Knudsen

My family last summer traveled to some of Northern Europe’s greatest cities: Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin and Munich.

As Dave, Alyssa (14), Hayley (12) and I planned for our trip, we reviewed maps of these cities and their environs. Dachau Concentration Camp is a one-hour drive northwest of Munich.

And so it went onto our itinerary.

I maintained a blog while abroad, and I wrote about our early September, self-guided visit to Dachau. But it took me a couple of days to complete that entry; for a while I wasn’t sure I could write about it at all.

Months later, we continue to ruminate about the few hours experienced there. With the approach of Yom Hashoah 2016, I reflect on them now, and know I’ll continue to do so for many Holocaust Remembrance Days to come.

Dachau Concentration Camp opened in the early 1930s. The Third Reich first used it to stow its political dissidents, and it was the first concentration camp created for the purpose of forcing prisoners to engage in hard labor. Soon it became the place known for carrying out sickening medical experiments on its Roma/Sinti, political dissident and, especially, Jewish captives.

At World War II’s end in 1945, when the horrified American liberators finally made their way to the place, nearly 42,000 people had perished, largely via starvation, typhus, freezing to death, fatal medical experiments and other horrid punishments. We learned this information – and so very much more – via our first stop inside the camp: We viewed a very emotionally jarring film narrated by an aloof broadcaster speaking the King’s English.

Dachau was the first concentration camp I’d visited. I’d previously hoped one day to be able to visit Bergen-Belsen, Theriesienstadt and Auschwitz. After our couple of hours at 52 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Dachau, however, I hope never to visit another place of such unfathomable suffering, sickness, revolting conditions, mass starvation and nightmare anecdote after nightmare anecdote – with far too many of them ending in an innocent’s death.

Having never before seen a concentration camp except as a dot on a map of the Third Reich or via pictures and films dating to World War II, I imagined Dachau located in some isolated meadow or expanse of field. Rather, Dachau is, and for hundreds of years has been, a town of regular Germans. Today its population is about 35,000, and according to one source I read, the town is trying to expand its population and its tourist attractions.

Adjacent to one of Dachau’s exterior borders is an apartment complex. How could anyone want to move there, take up residence and dwell in a place forever haunted?

At the war’s end, the townspeople were forced to enter the camp’s expansive grounds and look upon starved-to-death, piled-high bodies of Jews. It was at this point the residents knew definitively that the rumors of what was happening in their backyards – rumors made perhaps more potent by what they were smelling – were true.

In 1965, the camp became a memorial. Many of its more than 30 barracks were razed. Placed within the footprints of the excised barracks are long, rectangular tracks of millions of stones, all held in place within concrete curbing, like a graveyard.

These myriad barracks’ “footprints” are bookended on one side by a barracks now called the “Museum.” Its elongated form houses the wooden “beds” in which the prisoners “slept,” the mess hall in which they “ate,” the rooms in which medical experiments (such as with hypothermia, malaria, embolism and more) occurred, and where the prisoners relieved themselves and even attempted to shower. Originally designed to hold

50 prisoners, at the height of the war, hundreds of tortured people existed (or ceased to) in each of the barracks.

On the far end of the camp are numerous memorials: to the Jewish dead; the Catholic dead; the Soviet prisoners of war dead.

On the day we silently toured Dachau, the sky above its desolate, exposed landscape was a mixture of late-summer blue and early fall gray. A very chill wind ripped through the place. I was dressed in three layers and had my scarf fashioned like a hijab around my head to keep the bite from stinging my ears.

How did anyone physically survive this camp, which was not even one of the death camps?

Sickened to my soul, I trudged my way back to the camp entrance, to its bookstore. It seemed very strange to spend any money in a place like this (save for on the audio tour, which I don’t recommend, as the placards all around the camp are very informative and thorough), but I really wanted to own a book about the Dachau Concentration Camp’s history, use and rebirth as a paramount memorial.

I selected The Dachau Concentration Camp, 1933 to 1945, text and photo documents from the exhibition, and then perused the shelves.

Appropriately, survivors’ memoirs lined them, as did Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl, in about 20 languages.

Academic books about the German government and the rise of Hitler in the 1930s abounded, as did Judaica – Hanukkiot, kippot, mezuzot.

How could one purchase Judaica at a concentration camp? Would its use be a triumph, signaling that on acres dedicated to the extermination of the Jewish people one can buy and enjoy a physical representation of Judaism? It didn’t seem possible; in fact, the sale of such items seemed very incongruous, almost thoughtless.

Even more incongruous were the greeting cards. At Dachau, where nearly 42,000 prisoners were murdered solely because they existed, one could purchase a Happy Birthday card.

Incredulous, I picked one off a swivel display and then quickly returned it to its slot as if it were on fire. It felt criminal to handle an object meant to denote a celebration in a hallowed place where every stone screams death.

seniors

During a 2007 visit to Auschwitz, Eva Kor points to her 11-year-old self in the famous photo of child survivors being removed from Auschwitz after the camp's liberation in January 1945. Photo courtesy of Candles Holocaust Museum and Education Center

A survivor speaks of the unspeakable at Holocaust Memorial Week

By Polina Olsen

Eva Mozes Kor’s upcoming talk may be among her last. Like other survivors, she is growing old, and despite unflinching resolve to keep the story alive, a demanding schedule becomes hard to keep.

Still, as part of Oregon State University’s 30th annual Holocaust Memorial Week, Eva will discuss her experience. Unlike the rest of her family, she and her identical twin sister escaped the gas chamber so that Dr. Josef Mengele could perform his notorious experiments on them as part of his twin studies.

“Among the most appalling elements in the Holocaust were the human experiments,” says Professor Paul Kopperman, who has chaired the Holocaust Memorial program since 1993. “Many of Mengele’s victims were children, including Eva and her sister. After liberation she moved to Israel and then to Indiana. Eva has done so much to advocate for Holocaust education. She’s also noteworthy for her campaign to forgive those who did her harm. She has a wide following among peace activists.”

Since 1987, Holocaust Memorial Week has brought speakers like Eva Mozes Kor to Oregon. Founded by OSU Provost Dr. Graham Spanier and his assistant, Dr. Miriam Orzech, in response to limited knowledge about the Holocaust on campus, the program coincides with Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust, the weeklong observance created by a 1979 Act of Congress. Paul Kopperman has been a charter member of the organization.

“It’s been fantastic to watch the program grow and broaden,” says Paul. “We sponsor at least four evening and afternoon events and a daylong student-led symposium.”

The events, which are held both on and off campus, are free and open to the community. Past speakers have included survivors, playwrights, anti-Nazi resisters and experts on German culture.

Additional 2016 events include a discussion led by Scott Straus, author of The Order of Genocide: Race, Power and War in Rwanda.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 53

“He’ll talk about what tends to cause genocide, what can be done to reduce the likelihood of genocide and whether forgiveness works,” Paul says, referring to speaker Eva Mozes Kor’s forgiveness campaign. Rwandan victims and perpetrators meet at reconciliation panels where perpetrators acknowledge their role and the enormity of what they’ve done. “Is this effective?” Paul says. “Are there strategies that seem to limit genocide? Strauss will discuss this.”

The public is also invited to the annual daylong student program where themes on poverty and social justice are discussed. This year’s issues involve migration, borders, and the marginalization of migrants and minorities.

Like all Holocaust Memorial Week programs, this year’s topics and speakers emphasize how people can change. “We like to empower the audience and not leave them feeling hopeless,” Paul says. “It raises the overall question of how to make and preserve peace, even in the wake of a catastrophe like the Holocaust. It’s up to parents and teachers to make sure that young people can participate. Can we limit the threat of future episodes of genocide? The past need not be the present.”

OSU’s Holocaust Memorial Week program runs May 1 through May 5. On May 1, at 4 PM, Eva Mozes Kor will speak on The Triumph of the Human Spirit: From Auschwitz to Forgiveness at Congregation Beth Israel in Portland. Other events are on the OSU campus including the May 2 repeat of Eva’s talk.

Visit holocaust.oregonstate.edu for up-to-date schedules.

Overnight accommodation that is within walking distance of the OSU campus and most events is available at the Hilton Garden Inn; phone 541-752-5000.

Yom Hashoah

Events in Portland support survivors and educate generations

By Deborah Moon

This year’s commemoration of the Holocaust includes four events in Portland from May 1 to 5. Remembering the victims, supporting the survivors and educating new generations about the dangers of discrimination are common themes of this year’s events.

May 1: Speaker

Portland events begin with the May 1 presentation by Eva Kor, who survived Mengele’s infamous experiments on twins at Auschwitz. Eva is coming to Oregon for the 30th annual Holocaust Memorial Week at Oregon State University (see page 53). In Portland, she will speak at Congregation Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders.

May 3: Breaking the Silence

On May 3 the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education joins the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center to host “Breaking The Silence: Stories of Courage from Our Elders.” Following a 7 pm reception, four speakers will discuss their lives during and after World War II. The program meets in the Mediateque room at Pacific Northwest College of Art, 511 NW Broadway, Portland.

As moderated by Linda Tamura of Willamette University, the

PORTLAND MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM presented by the JEWISH COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL

TED and JULES WHEELER BAILEY

MONDAY, APRIL 11 7:00-8:30 PM

CONGREGATION NEVEH SHALOM 2900 SW PEACEFUL LANE

FREE AND OPEN TO ALL

A gift of your Jewish Federation

For more information, contact Bob Horenstein at 503.245.6496 or bob@jewishportland.org

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54 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

conversation will focus on the role storytelling plays in the healing process after trauma. The panelists will connect their experiences with the war and their later decisions to begin public speaking. One of the speakers, George Nakata, lived in a Japanese-American internment camp in Idaho during World War II. A second speaker, Taka Mizote, spent the war years in farm labor camps in eastern Oregon. The other two speakers, Les and Eva Aigner, survived World War II in Europe then lived through political unrest in Hungary before emigrating to America.

May 4: Memorial Service

This year’s annual community-wide memorial service will be on erev Yom Hashoah. Rabbi Ariel Stone and Rabbi David Kosak are planning the service, which begins at 7 pm, May 4, at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane. The ritual is created and led by the Oregon Board of Rabbis, with the collaboration of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and Oregon Holocaust Survivors, Refugees and Families.

Rabbi Stone says that the Jewish community’s annual observance of Yom Hashoah serves three purposes – community support for survivors, education and opportunity to confront the reality of evil.

“If we consider the importance of a funeral and a headstone to all of us when we are grieving the loss of a loved one, the enormity of the burden upon Holocaust survivors becomes clearer,” says Rabbi Stone. “For them, this yearly ritual serves as the funeral they never had, and this ritual allows us to fulfill the mitzvah of halvayah, standing with those who grieve.”

Rabbi Stone praises the survivors who have shared their stories. Their response to declare “never again” calls on subsequent generations to “meet their act of courage in testifying with our own commitment to uphold the memory of those who died by acting for peace and justice.”

OJMCHE is coordinating candlelighters for the ceremony.

This year the traditional six candles – one for each of the 6 million Jews who perished – are scheduled to be lit by Holocaust survivors or their children.

May 5: Reading of the Names

Local events culminate on Yom Hashoah with “Unto Every Person Is A Name: Yom Hashoah – Day of Remembrance.” Each year hundreds of Jewish communities around the world perpetuate the memory of the victims of the Holocaust through this program, which is a public recitation of Holocaust victims’ names, ages and birthplaces on Yom Hashoah – the Day of Remembrance.

This year OJMCHE and the Intergroup Outreach Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland will sponsor this special program May 5 at Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland. Leaders from throughout the region will read from a list of names provided by Yad Vashem of Israel’s Holocaust Research Center. The day’s events will open with a brief ceremony at 10 am, and readings will continue until about 6 pm.

By personalizing the individual tragedy of the dead and of the survivors, this project seeks to defy the indifference and historical revisionism that deny that the Holocaust ever happened.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 55

J

Ten Years of Success

By Sura Rubenstein

g n i v i L

INSIDE

56 Portland Kollel's first decade 58 Good Deeds Day April 17 59 Hadassah makes Every Step Count 60 Chabad opens center in NE Portland 61 Azerbaijan and friendship 62 FACES 65 Previews 66 Calendar

56 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

In 2006 Rabbi Tzvi and Esther Fischer, a young couple with three children, moved from Jerusalem to Portland, bringing with them a shared vision. A decade later, they – and the other young families of the Portland Kollel – invite everyone to join in celebrating “10 Years of Success.”

“We have connected hundreds of Jewish families to each other – and to their Judaism,” Rabbi Fischer says of the Kollel.

Those threads of connections – among Jews from across the spectrum of Jewish life – have strengthened the fiber of Oregon Jewish life and created new opportunities for exploration, education and celebration.

“The Kollel has been a KOLLEL IN THE COMblessing for the MUNITY — From top, community,” Rabbi Chanan Spivak, at says Marc right, jams with Jeffrey Blattner, Weitz at a mid-week president of bar mitzvah celebration; the Jewish Rabbi Tzvi Fischer chats Federation with nationally noted of Greater attorney Nat Lewin at Portland. a conference on legal “They’ve ethics; at bottom, from brought an left, Leah Katz, Shannon approachable, Katz, Naomi Leavitt and energetic and Sandy Katz enjoy plenty educationof dough at a Kollel focused mindset women's challah bake. to enhancing Jewish life here in Portland.”

The Kollel’s anniversary celebrations reflect the breadth of its vision: an elegant Wine & Art fête on May 5 celebrating local kosher wines, food and art, and a Family Shabbaton April 1-3 featuring a nationally noted psychotherapist, sessions on science and Torah, and special children’s and teen programs.

Today, the Kollel operates or supports more than a dozen initiatives, ranging from Oregon’s acclaimed NCSY teen program to the Oregon Kosher agency – which among other things supervises the kosher wines highlighted in the Wine & Art event. One of the Kollel’s newest efforts, a women’s program launched just over a year ago, so far has taken 55 women to Israel, with up to 60 participants slated for two trips this year.

This is in addition to the Kollel’s classes. “We’ve reached more than 1,000 people through 10,000 classes, with a total of 100,000 hours of Torah study,” Rabbi Yossi Goldblatt, the Kollel’s director of development and programming, notes with pride.

Rabbi Goldblatt and his wife, Sarah, worked at a Jewish school and orphanage in Belarus before joining the Kollel in 2012. “We help families find their Jewish connection,” he says of the Kollel’s approach. “Wherever you are in terms of observance

or nonobservance, knowledge or lack of knowledge – Kollel helps you find the way that you connect.”

The Kollel today includes four couples – the Fischers, the Goldblatts, Rabbi Gadi and Eve Levy, and Rabbi Chanan and Meira Spivak, the other “founding couple” who arrived just weeks after the Fischers.

Meira Spivak immediately started working with Portland’s NCSY teen program, soon helping it transform into one of the fastest-growing chapters in the country. Within a few years, eight Jewish Student Union clubs, a Junior NCSY for middleschoolers, and Jewish SAT prep and drivers’ education courses joined the mix.

In addition to working and teaching at the Kollel, Rabbi Spivak organizes The Q, a multimedia trivia contest and fundraiser for NCSY so successful that he now tours it to seven other U.S. and Canadian cities. This year, the Portland Q raised nearly $120,000 for youth programs.

Eve Levy, director of women’s programming, and Rabbi Levy, director of adult education, are the Kollel’s newest members, moving to Portland in 2014 from Denver. Within months, Eve led her first “Moms’ Trip” to Israel, launched a series of Rosh Chodesh and other events, and sparked creation of “Shine,” a group of women looking to encourage, strengthen and inspire each other in their Jewish journeys.

In May, she’ll lead a third tour group to Israel, and in June her husband will lead a second men’s tour.

“The Portland Kollel has brought life to my Judaism,” says Jodi Garber-Simon, who went on the 2014 Israel trip. “Through their programs, I have found a strong connection to Israel, to other families in the Portland community and to my faith.”

Sandy Nemer, who was with Garber-Simon in Israel, is equally enthusiastic.

“Kollel is such an amazing place to learn about Judaism and about how we can be better people, better parents and better friends to one another,” she says. “It isn’t a synagogue. It isn’t a place that has an agenda. … for me, it’s a place to grow so that I may be a better person.”

From the beginning, the Fischers and the Spivaks focused the Kollel’s efforts on building connections throughout and among Portland’s diverse Jewish community.

“When we came, the federation counted about 45,000 Jews in the greater Portland area – of whom about 7,000 were members of synagogues,” Fischer recalls. That meant that most of Portland’s Jews weren’t affiliated.

The Kollel taught classes and workshops in synagogues, to be sure, but members also met with people in their homes, in coffee shops and at places of work. “We looked for opportunities for both formal as well as experiential learning,” Rabbi Spivak explains. “We look for ways to let people know that – wherever they are – there’s a way to explore their Jewish connection.”

Lois Shenker, a Jewish community educator, speaker and life coach, is especially appreciative of the Kollel’s nonjudgmental approach. Among her many roles, she is the facilitator for the Portland Mothers’ Circle, a group for non-Jewish mothers raising Jewish children.

Most of her contact has been with Rabbi Fischer, whom she first met when he invited her to join a panel discussion on intermarriage. They’ve had many connections since, including an ongoing monthly Talmud discussion she and her husband, Arden, organized.

“Through Rabbi Fischer, I’ve come to know a truly observant Jew who has respect for Jews all along the spectrum of Jewish observance, as well as those not even Jewish who want to learn and be connected to the Jewish family,” she says. “I marvel at the breadth and depth of his knowledge, joy of teaching and sense of humor. What a gift.”

As the Kollel looks ahead to its next decade, Rabbi Fischer says, it will continue to grow – a growth determined in large part by the needs and character of the community.

The specifics may not be set, but the invitation is what it has always been: Come and discover your Jewish connection. Find your spark. And don’t forget to celebrate.

Sura Rubenstein is a Portland writer.

Portland Kollel initiatives @ a glance The Kollel is an education and outreach organization that offers a variety of programs and initiatives to help people discover and explore their Jewish connections.

What does it do?

Education: A number of classes, ongoing and short term, on topics ranging from parenting issues to holiday celebrations to Talmudic discussions.

Shine/Women’s Programming: Everything from monthly walks to Rosh Chodesh celebrations to visiting speakers. Aims to provide empowering and inspiring experiences in a nonjudgmental environment.

Children’s Programming: Camp Seed – day camps in summer and winter, holiday education programs and more. For details: funtobejewish.com Jewish Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts Troop 739: Jewish scouting program, with recent addition of a Boy Scout level for older boys.

Teen Programming/NCSY: Portland NCSY is nationally recognized for its engaging events and successful programs. Also supports eight Jewish Student Union groups in area high schools. Kollel-affiliated, but an independent program not funded by the Kollel. New this year is a Passover cookbook. oregon.ncsy.org Campus outreach: Akiva on Campus, a program at the University of Oregon.

Oregon Kosher: A Kollel affiliate, internationally recognized kosher certification, now supervising more than 100 regional products, including some local wines and liqueurs and a brewery.

Community collaborations: The Portland Mikvah, the Portland Eruv and, the annual Purim Carnival at the MJCC. Funding: Kollel is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with 75% of its funding coming from more than 400 local donors across the spectrum of the Portland Jewish community.

10th Anniversary Celebrations: April 1-3: The Family Shabbaton at the Airport Sheraton May 9: The 5th Annual Wine & Art fête at the MJCC Contact: portlandkollel.org | info@portlandkollel.org | 503-245-5420

Wine & Art CELEBRATION

Sam Perrin, left, and her mother, Susanna Perrin, show off a "mystery bottle" of wine purchased at last year's Kollel Wine and Art Fest. This year's fest will be part of the Kollel's 10th anniversary celebration.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 57

JLiving Teens serve – Last year teens participating in the J-Serve interacted with seniors at Cedar Sinai Park. J-Serve is a chance for teens to fulfill their Jewish values and make the world a better place.

On April 17, teens will volunteer with seniors and other residents of Cedar Sinai Park creating art, learning and sharing.

Celebrate goodness – Volunteer on Good Deeds Day

Chris Coughlin says. “As part of Good Deeds Day, we’re making cards and banners to be used at the airport or at apartments Sheila Baer looks forward to Good Deeds Day on April 17. “I when they are set up.” Havurah Shalom also requests besthad a wonderful time last year” she says. “I met a nice group of of-Portland tips like free museum days and favorite markets, people at the Community Warehouse, and we had fun grouping which they will combine into welcome packets. All materials are kitchen things and towels sets. It’s important to lend your time, supplied. even for a few hours, because there’s always somebody out there Congregation P’nai Or hopes fourth- and fifth-graders will that needs a little more than you.” join them for an all-day Plant for This year’s program has something the Planet Academy, where children for everyone, from creating Passover learn about the climate crisis and centerpieces to helping child victims of how they can make a difference. local sex trafficking. Presented by the “This is a United Nations-sponsored Jewish Federation of Greater Portland program with academies in 50 in partnership with the Mittleman countries,” says Plant for the Planet Jewish Community Center, the annual project coordinator Pam Vergun. celebration of volunteerism and The day includes watching a slide community will have family friendly presentation given by children projects throughout the day. Register who have previously taken the online by April 8 for one or multiple course, learning to create effective shifts (see box). presentations and planting trees.

Good Deeds Day fun 2015 While most events will take place At the end-of-day graduation at the MJCC, J-Serve’s Day of Jewish ceremony, each child is appointed Youth Service meets at Cedar Sinai a climate justice ambassador. For Park. more information and a short Hand-to-Hand, a community video about the program, visit collection for those in need, will have climatechangerecovery.org. nine nonprofits waiting to sort items Kids are also invited to assemble ranging from bike parts to food and and decorate nail care kits and clothing. Drop-off at the MJCC runs picture frames for local teen victims between 11 am and 2 pm. Volunteers of sex trafficking. As part of the will even unload your car.

Portland Jewish Response Group’s Havurah Shalom’s card-making mission to raise awareness about event will aid its broader Refugee Support project, in which this issue among the Jewish community, the event will benefit congregants partner with local refugee families to furnish safe houses and organizations that work with victims on the apartments and serve as cultural mentors. street. Requested donations include nail files, clippers, scissors, “Refugees arrive in Portland every week from a variety of emery boards, polish and remover. Bags, decorating supplies and countries,” the synagogue’s Tikkun Olam Committee co-chair picture frames are provided.

By Polina Olsen

58 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

“Child sex trafficking exists in Portland, and the city’s response has been sophisticated, but until recently the Jewish community has not been among the players,” says Ketzel Levine, a Portland Jewish Response founder. The group remedies this by speaking at synagogues, BBYO, Hillel and other organizations. For more information, visit pjrg.org.

JFGP Director of Community Engagement Caron Blau Rothstein emphasizes that Portland Good Deeds Day participants are part an international day of caring and sharing.

“Have your cheek swabbed at the Bone Marrow Registry table, assemble Passover boxes or donate things you don’t need at the same time you’re spring cleaning,” she says. “We’re permeating the community with good deeds.”

Visit jewishportland.org/gooddeedsday to register, check the schedule or learn more about projects.

Teens wanting to participate in a day of service by interacting with residents of Cedar SInai Park, can sign up at jewishportland.org/jserve.

Good Deeds Day 2016 WHAT: Good Deeds Day is an annual celebration that unites people from more than 60 countries around the world in doing good deeds. The event was launched and organized in 2007 by Ruach Tova, with 7,000 participants in Israel.

WHEN: 9 am-4 pm, April 17 WHERE: MJCC, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland REGISTER: jewishportland.org/gooddeedsday by April 8 at 4 pm INFORMATION: Caron Blau Rothstein, caron@jewishportland.org or 503-245-6449

Hadassah makes sure Every Step Counts

Every Beat Counts: Hadassah’s Heart Health Program has opened 2016 registration for Every Step Counts: Hadassah’s Walking Program, which runs April 11 to July 21.

The virtual walk starts in Jerusalem, Israel, and extends to Atlanta, GA, the site of Hadassah’s 2016 National Convention. Every Step Counts is designed to engage and inform women of all ages that heart disease is preventable 82% of the time, says Ellen Hershkin, president of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. The 2016 Every Step Counts program challenges women and men to wear pedometers, track their steps online through WalkerTracker.com (an online wellness solutions site) and walk their way to improved heart health.

The program also teaches women to identify heart attack symptoms (which are often different for women) and seek prompt treatment.

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the number one cause of death in American women, claiming more than 400,000 lives per year, or one life per minute. Heart disease claims more lives annually than the next three leading causes of death, including all forms of cancer combined, with mortality rates steadily increasing for women 35-54.

Dr. Chaim Lotan, Director of the Cardiovascular Division at the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) in Jerusalem, cautions, “All women should realize their potential risk, even those who are relatively young and have heart-healthy lifestyle habits – nonsmokers who exercise regularly, drink modestly, eat nutritiously and control their weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and stress levels.

In 2015, Every Step Counts’ participants logged in over 360,000 miles collectively. The 2016 virtual walking route is offered at three challenge levels: 5,000 steps/day, 8,000 steps/ day and 12,000 steps/day.

“Heart disease kills one in four women every year in the United States,” says Hershkin. “Heart disease can also be a ‘silent killer’ – nearly two-thirds of women who died suddenly had no symptoms, so education is a vital component of that prevention. Last year, as over 1,000 registrants walked 720 million steps, I am pleased to report that I was able to contribute over one million steps (570 miles) to the total.”

Hadassah is the largest Jewish women’s organization in the United States with 330,000 members, associates and supporters. Hadassah brings Jewish women together to effect change and advocate on critical issues such as medical care and research, women’s empowerment and the security of Israel. Through the Hadassah Medical Organization’s two hospitals, the world-renowned trauma center and the leading research facility in Jerusalem, HMO serves without regard to race, religion or nationality and earned a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2005 for building “bridges to peace” through equality in medical treatment.

Registration is open now (hadassah.org/health-medicinein-us/heart-health/every-step-counts.html).

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 59

Rabbi David Eliezrie, author of The Secret Chabad: Inside the world’s most successful Jewish movement, came to Portland to celebrate the opening of the new center.

Chabad opens center in NE Portland

By Deborah Moon

thriving Hebrew school/Sunday school, neighborhood Shabbat dinners, cultural events & holiday celebrations, Torah study classes etc., this was the natural and best next step. … Chabad is a great fit for the diverse community here, as the organization is dedicated to welcoming and engaging every Jew regardless of their background, affiliation or personal level of observance.”

After three years of providing programs and Shabbat and holiday meals out of their home or rented spaces, Rabbi Chaim and Mushka Wilhelm are looking forward to meeting the needs of Eastside Jews through expanded programming in the new Chabad Center for Jewish Life.

• During a telephone interview, Stuart Rosman said, “I’m very Located on a busy thoroughfare in Northeast Portland, the supportive of having more physical space devoted to Jewish life 1,400-square-foot center will enable the couple to nearly double on the Eastside. We have a lot of wonderful organizations and the number of guests they can seat for Shabbat and holiday spaces on the Westside. … It’s not practical meals. Last year the 40 people they hosted to assume we can go to the Westside when for Passover filled their home; this year they we want to attend a Jewish program.” expect to be able to seat about 75 people in • Sarah Rosenberg Brown said, “I’m the new space, which is primarily one large very excited for the new Center for Jewish room with a small storage area, kitchenette Life in NE Portland. It is going to provide and bathroom. The parking lot the center a place for Jews to gather, for families to shares with other offices is generally unused gather, for us to learn together and from during evenings and weekends, providing each other. It will really create a sense of plenty of parking spaces, which are rare in belonging in Northeast Portland.” the area.

Rabbi Chaim says that kind of support With a three-year lease, the center will was critical in the decision to open a center. provide a stable and visible Jewish presence “Without seeing that interest, we wouldn’t in Northeast Portland, an area where have been ready to jump into this.” studies have shown a growing number of Both the rabbi and rebbetzin are thirdJewish families are settling. generation Chabad emissaries. Rabbi From left: Mushka, Avremel (9 months), The new space will be the home for NE Chaim’s parents, Rabbi Moshe and Devora Mendel Shmuel (5), Isaac (almost 3) and Chabad’s growing Hebrew school (which Rabbi Chaim Wilhelm pose in the new Chabad Wilhelm, arrived in Portland more than 30 began meeting in January 2013 in a private Center in Northeast Portland. Behind them is years ago as the first shaliachs in Oregon; home), holiday parties, Shabbat dinners, the banner on which area residents wrote their that same year, Mushka’s parents opened hopes and vision for the new center.

Torah study groups, Mommy & Me, Chabad of Vermont. Chaim was the first women’s Torah & Tea and whatever other of the Wilhelm siblings born in Portland; activities community members want to see. even while he was attending yeshiva, he returned to Portland “The less stuck you are with a specific image, the more things frequently to organize events. He is especially proud of creating can happen,” says the rabbi. and organizing the first three years of the very successful Jewish At the opening celebration Feb. 29, supporters wrote their Heritage Night with the Portland Trailblazers. Mushka grew up vision for the center on a long banner on the wall. One man in Vermont. Since ninth grade, she has lived in Ukraine, Brazil, wrote, in Hebrew, that he was interested in teaching others Texas, California and Florida, and she studied in Israel one year.

Hebrew; now, with dedicated space, that is possible says Rabbi “Our mission is to light up every neshama (soul) on Portland’s Chaim.

Eastside,” says Rabbi Chaim, noting demographic studies In interviews after the opening, some supporters shared their indicate about 6,000 to 8,000 metro-area Jews live east of the hopes: Willamette River. “It’s not about membership, it’s about being • “We are very excited that the Jewish community on the welcoming and being there and meeting people on their level. …

Eastside is growing and that we now have a place to call home,” We want to reach out and help increase the connection and put wrote Sherry Genauer. “With Chabad’s ever-expanding and people in touch with their heritage.”

NE Center for Jewish Life: 503-309-4490 | rabbi@jewishnortheast.com | jewishnortheast.com | 2858 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland 60 APRIL 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

From

Azerbaijan with Love

Azerbaijan Consul General Nasimi Aghayev with JFGP President Marc Blattner.

By Marc Blattner

Earlier this year, my professional team had the pleasure of meeting Nasimi Aghayev, the Consul General for Azerbaijan stationed in Los Angeles. Mr. Aghayev oversees 13 Western states, and this was his first trip to Oregon. On his two-day visit he met with Gov. Kate Brown, Mayor Charlie Hales and other political leaders. But he made a special call and time to connect with the Jewish community – both the Jewish Federation and Greater Portland Hillel.

Azerbaijan is a landlocked country nestled against the Caspian Sea, with its borders touching Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran. Baku is the capital of this oil-rich country, where the vast majority of its citizens are Shiite Muslim. For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, while under the rule of Czarist Russia, Azerbaijan produced 50% of the world’s oil supply. When the czar fell in 1918, Azerbaijan quickly formed a secular republic, which included granting women the right to vote (a year before the United States). Less than two years after declaring independence, the country fell under the restrictive rule of the USSR, and then had to wait 71 years to regain its independence with the fall of the Soviet Union. Today, the country has the largest economy in the region due to its oil and is using those resources to invest elsewhere, including the State of Israel.

Azerbaijan has 30,000 Jews (one-third of Ashkenazi descent and two-thirds of Sephardic descent) with one-third living in Baku. The country has never had a history of anti-Semitism – in fact, the people are quite proud of the strong relations between the Muslim and much smaller Jewish populations.

People believe that when the Second Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, Jews moved to Babylonia, then to what is modern-day Iran and many later came to Azerbaijan. The oldest community of Jews today lives in the Caucasus Mountains region near Guba, where they became known as “Mountain Jews.” Historians believe Jews first settled there in the 5th century; many today speak their own language, Juhuri, which is a blend of Farsi and Hebrew. In the Guba region is a village called Red Town, where all 4,000 inhabitants are Jewish.

The Consul General is very proud of the religious harmony in his country. Not only are Jews welcomed in the country, but the Shiite and Sunni Muslim communities have very close ties. They

have unity prayer services at the largest mosque in the region, marry one another and coexist peacefully.

Azerbaijan’s excellent relationship with Jews extends to the State of Israel. Israel opened an embassy there in 1992, the first in the region. Israel is one of Azerbaijan’s top three trade partners, and Azerbaijan is one of Israel’s top five trade partners. In fact, half of Israel’s oil supply comes from Azerbaijan. Beyond oil, there is sharing in technology, agriculture, solar energy, medical cooperation, cybersecurity and defense. The two countries conduct over $6 billion in trade annually. There is also a direct flight from Tel Aviv to Baku.

We should be proud that the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, one of our overseas funding partners, has been active in Azerbaijan ever since the fall of the Soviet Union.

A few other interesting notes: 10 million people live in Azerbaijan.

30 million Azeris (what people from Azerbaijan are called) live in Iran (out of a total population of 75 million people). Iran is concerned by this large secular population from another country. Therefore, there are no Azeri schools in Iran.

The synagogue in Baku was paid for and built by the Azerbaijani government ($2 million) – the only synagogue in the world built by a government – and the community has two Jewish schools fully funded by the government.

A member of the Azerbaijan parliament is Jewish (a Mountain Jew).

A Supreme Court Justice is an Ashkenazi Jewish woman.

Approximately 45,000 Azeri Jews live in Israel.

Famous Azerbaijani Jews include chess master Garry Kasparov, Nobel Prize Physicist Lev Landau and pianist Bella Davidovich.

The meeting with Consul General Aghayev was enlightening and positive. And how remarkable that one of his top priorities for his visit was to meet with representatives from the Jewish community! It was nice to learn more about Azerbaijan and, more importantly, to hear such positive thoughts about the State of Israel and the Jewish people from a country in that region of the world.

Excerpted from Marc Blattner’s weekly email, Marc’s Remarks, distributed Feb. 26.

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Living

FACES & PLACES

OJCF ELDERS FORUM– On Feb. 11, 65 professional advisors and community members gathered at the Multnomah Athletic Club for Oregon Jewish Community Foundation’s Professional Advisors Group luncheon, Examining Aging: Empowering Elders. Attendees were treated to insightful information and anecdotes by four panelists: (from left) David Fuks, David Molko, Tim Nay and Lesley Sacks.

CBI IN DC – Education Director Ben Sandler (right rear) and Rabbi Rachel Joseph (right foreground) lead a group of six 10th graders from Congregation Beth Israel to Washington, DC, to attend the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s L’Taken conference.

They spent the weekend (Feb. 19-21) learning about social justice issues and Jewish values broadly, decided which issues they specifically wanted to focus on (climate change and LGBTQ rights), wrote speeches and spent Monday meeting with Oregon delegation of senators and representative on Capitol Hill.

SHAMROCKIN’ IT UP – Eve and Rabbi Gadi Levy celebrate their first Portland 15K – the Shamrock Run – which they completed in a respectable 2 hours and 15 minutes. The Levys ran as part of a team organized by Portland Jewish Academy parents, including many who traveled with Eve to Israel. “We were soaked and sore, but it was incredible,” Eve says. Photo courtesy of the Levys

ROCKIN’ RABBI – Rabbi Jose Rose rocks out on his guitar as he leads the Carl Preschool children in a Friday afternoon Shabbat at Congregation Shaarie Torah. Photo by Don Burke MAIMONIDES TORAH FAIR – Students of Maimonides Jewish Day School in Portland participate in the all-school Torah Fair. Kindergarten through second-grade students show off their magic poster displays depicting the mitzvah they each studied.

Third-grader Mendel Mishulovin and fourth-grader Tzvi Perlstein explore “destroying avodah zarah” (idolatry). “It was wonderful to see how creative the children where,” says Rabbi Shneur Wilhelm, elementary school principal of the school, which has an enrollment of 95 from preschool to eighth grade. He adds that the project approach “helped children learn the skills of research, writing, public speaking and visual presentation.”

AUTHOR READING – Pamela Lindholm-Levy reads from her first book, Count the Mountains, in late-February at Broadway Books. The historical novel that was seven years in the writing takes place in late-1800s Denver. Lindholm-Levy lived in Denver for 40 years and worked for 25 of those years at National Jewish Health as a TB bacteriologist specialist, a subject that figures prominently in the well-received book.

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HILLEL INTERFAITH SHABBAT – University of Oregon President Michael Schill addresses 160 students at the UO Hillel’s second annual Avi Schaffer Shabbat dinner at Global Scholars Hall. UO AEPI Fraternity President Caden Bohn joins with his fraternity brothers to lead Kiddish at the Shabbat dinner. Student leaders from the UO Muslim Student Association, Arab Student Union, Jewish Student Union and Oregon Hillel Foundation with UO President Michael Schill, Oregon Hillel Foundation Executive Director Andy Gitelson and Sharon Ungerleider celebrating a successful Avi Schaffer Shabbat dinner. Photos by Adam Bacher

INCLUSION – On March 7, 50 Jewish educators from across Portland came together for a session on inclusion hosted by Portland Area Jewish Educators (a program coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland). The session explored appreciating people with disabilities and gave participants the opportunity to see what it feels like to jump rope with a walker and how you can separate coins if you are visually impaired. Batya Jacob, director of educational support services for Yachad/The National Jewish Council for Disabilities, also visited Portland’s three Jewish day schools to work with students to better understand those with special needs.

MITZVAH KITCHEN – Kellee Weinhold and Rabbi Ruhi Rubenstein enjoy traditional deli food at the Mitzvah Kitchen on Feb. 14 in Eugene. Mitzvah Kitchen is a Temple Beth Israel fundraiser and a chance for the community to come together around food and fun.

Kellee Weinhold is the coordinator.

After enjoying homemade deli food at the February event, attendees enjoyed the film Deli Man.

EUGENE HABITAT DEDICATION– Temple Beth Israel volunteers: Mike Speiser, Emily Heilbrun, Brigid Flannery, Roz Slovic, Diane Schechter, Sue Thompson and Nina Korican celebrate the dedication of the Interfaith Habitat for Humanity House. TBI has spent the past year, working with three churches and Habitat to build the house in Eugene.

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Living

FACES

FRIENDS OF THE CENTER COVER GUYS – The Oregon Jewish Life cover subjects for February and March met OJL staff during the Feb. 20 Friends of Center Brunch at the MJCC. From left are OJL Ad Rep Debbie Taylor, Timbers President of Business Operations Mike Golub, New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs and OJL Editor-in-Chief Deborah Moon. Mike was inducted into the Oregon Jewish Sports Hall of Fame during the brunch.

SECRET OF CHABAD – Oregon Chabad Rabbi Motti Wilhelm, right, welcomes Rabbi David Eliezrie, of Loma Linda, CA, who spoke in Portland about new book The Secret of Chabad, Inside the World’s most successful Jewish movement. Rabbi Eliezrie actively works to serve as a bridge between Chabad and central Jewish organizations. He serves on numerous regional and national boards including the board of governors of The Jewish Agency.

GRAPEVINE REPORT – GrapeVine National Director Jill Zenoff fields questions from representatives of the 38 local organizations participating in the social media-based platform for Jewish activities and information. During the annual review on Feb. 9. Jill reported that organizations posted 811 events in year two, up from 666 in year one. Engaged users, those who have two or more interactions with the platform after opening the GrapeVine welcome email, grew from 5,719 to 6,673, up 17% from year one to year two. Photos by Deborah Moon

CIRCLE OF PEACE: Joanie Levine and Yehudah Winter of P’nai Or of Portland were two of four panelists at the recent 5th Annual Circle of Peace Seminar entitled: “Building Bridges of Peace” at George Fox University.

They spoke about P’nai Or’s Tikkun Olam Committee’s International tzedakah partners, including Plant for the Planet, Hand in Hand and the Abayudaya of Uganda. They also discussed recent participation on the Compassionate Listening Delegation to Israel entitled “Listening to the Peacemakers.” They are currently holding Conversation Cafes sparked by their journey and are teaching the Basics of Compassionate Listening in late April. Check out their Facebook page:compassionatelisteningpdx

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SPORTS FAME – David Kahn also was inducted into the Oregon Jewish Sports Hall of Fame at the Friends of the Center Brunch. David is a professor at NYU’s Tisch Center for Sports Management, Media and Business.

SCHOLAR ATHLETES – David Menashe and Sydney Kobak are congratulated

by Harry Glickman after receiving the 2016 Harry Glickman Scholar Athlete award at the brunch. David Menashe, a National Honor Society student is captain of the soccer team at Wilson High School and also plays on the number one doubles tennis team. He is on the board of Sol Stern Chapter of AZA BBYO. Sydney Kobak, a National Honor Society student, has strong leadership qualities and was voted “most valuable player by the girls varsity soccer team at Lincoln High School.

COUSINS – Jordan Schnitzer, A.J. Jacobs and Steve Albert figure out how they are all related at the Friends of the Center Brunch on Feb. 21. Bestselling author A.J. is currently working on a new book creating the largest family tree ever – one that will encompass the entire human race.

APRIL CALENDAR

PREVIEWS

Reel vs. Real: Media Stereotypes and Islamophobia

“Reel vs. Real: Muslim Media Stereotypes and Islamophobia” will look at the American media’s long history of using stereotypes to support foreign policy, military presence abroad and domestic divides. This free April 7 program is presented by Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Muslim Educational Trust, Oregon Historical Society and World Affairs Council.

From caricatures of the Japanese “Yellow Threat” during the World War II to the typecasting of Middle Eastern cultures as incubators of religious extremism, popular media often follows whichever current fear grips society in the moment. Community leaders will respond to film clips from a documentary called “Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People,” a companion film to Jack Shaheen’s book of the same title.

Speakers Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana and Dr. Jamal Badawi will talk about how they deal with Islamophobia in their own communities and audience members will have the chance to ask questions about how to best confront Islamophobia when it presents itself.

Congregation Beth Israel Senior Rabbi Cahana serves on community boards and interreligious councils, and he is a past president of the Oregon Board of Rabbis. In 1999 Rabbi Cahana and his family were featured in the critically acclaimed documentary “The Last Days.” The film tells the true stories of five Hungarian survivors of the Holocaust, including Rabbi Cahana’s mother, renowned Holocaust artist Alice Lok Cahana. He is a 2015 graduate of Leadership Portland through the Portland Business Alliance and serves on the Executive Committee of the Community Oversight Advisory Board.

Dr. Badawi is professor emeritus at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. In 2008 Saint Mary’s University granted him an honorary doctorate of civil law in recognition of his promotion of “a better understanding of Islam” and contribution “to civil society around the world.”

He completed his undergraduate studies in Cairo, Egypt, and earned his master’s and Ph.D. at Indiana University. In addition to his participation in lectures, seminars and interfaith dialogues in North America, Dr. Badawi has been frequently invited as guest speaker on Islam in nearly 38 other countries. He has served as volunteer imam of the local Muslim community in the Halifax Regional Municipality since 1970.

The program begins at 7 pm April 7 at the Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave., Portland. For more information, contact OJMCHE at 503-226-6131.

NAOT and Shoe Mill team up for Dress for Success

NAOT has partnered with Shoe Mill and Dress for Success Oregon to

donate up to 100 pairs of shoes and sandals through their Giving Back program. NAOT shoes have been handcrafted in Israel since the late 1940s.

On Friday, April 15, Shoe Mill in Tigard will host the charity initiative from noon to 3 pm. Each person who participates has two ways to help. For every pair of NAOT shoes that are tried on, Shoe Mill will donate one pair of NAOT shoes to DFSO. If shoes are actually purchased, two pairs of shoes will be donated.

“Women in need leave Dress for Success Oregon with workplaceappropriate clothing and a significant boost in their self-esteem,” says Shoe Mill President Ed Habre. “We want to help put the world at their feet, one step at a time.”

Shoe Mill is located in the Bridgeport Village shopping center.

NAOT created their Giving Back Program to work with worthwhile causes across the United States to donate up to 500 new pairs of footwear a month to those in need.

“There are few feelings as good helping someone who is unable to purchase new shoes due to financial burdens,” says NAOT owner Steve Lax. “NAOT strives to accomplish this with every donation it takes part in.”

Through April 9

Davita’s Harp world premiere presented by Jewish Theatre Collaborative at Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark, Portland. A new play based on the novel by Chaim Potok. 7:30 pm, Thursday-Saturday; 2 pm, Sunday. jewishtheatrecollaborative.org

Through June 13 Ruth Gruber: Photojournalist at OJMCHE. Exhibit features Gruber’s photographs from her groundbreaking reportage of the Soviet Arctic in the 1930s and iconic images of Jewish refugees from the ship Exodus 1947, to her later photographs of Ethiopian Jews in the midst of civil war in the 1980s. Every Friday at 2 pm, the museum will screen “Ahead of Time: Ruth Gruber-The Movie.” ojmche.org, 503-226-3600

April 1-3 Family Shabbaton: A Weekend of Discovery. The Portland Kollel presents guest lecturer Rabbi Yaakov Salomon at the Sheraton Portland Airport. portlandkollel.org/shabbaton/

April 1 Yad b’Yad Intergenerational singing and stories. Every Friday (no session April 29). Join PJ Library for Yad b’Yad with Kim Schneiderman! 9:30-10:15 am at Rose Schnitzer Manor, 6125 SW Boundary St., Portland. 503892-7415 PJ Library Southeast weekly story hour. 10-10:45 am at Seahorses, 4029 SE Hawthorne, Portland.

Weekly (every Friday) story hour for young families with music and PJ Library books! Free. 503-892-7415

April 2 It’s Magic. Cedar Sinai Park Gala 6:30 pm at the Benson Hotel. cedarsinaipark.org/annualevent 503-535-4360 Shirat Yeladim: storytelling, music, mitzvah and experiential learning for children 3-5 and their parents. First Saturday of the month at 10:45 am at Shaarie Torah, 920 NW 25th Ave., Portland. 503-226-6131

April 2-May 1 The Pianist of Willisden Lane: Play and related events. See page 12

April 3 EUGENE: Temple Beth Israel Dream

Auction – Spring Soirée! 4:30 pm at TBI, 1175 E 29th Ave., Eugene. 541485-7218 or tbieugene.org “The Mutant Diaries: Unzipping My Genes.” Seattle actress Eva Moon presents this hilarious musical about a decidedly unfunny topic – Ashkenazi women have higher rates of breast cancer due to the prevalence of BRCA mutations. 7:30 pm at Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark St., Portland. Limited seating; Register: oregonjcc.org/mutantdiaries or 503535-3617 Join PJ Library for a free weekly story hour for young families with music, crafts and PJ Library stories! Every Sunday 9:30-10:15 am at New Seasons Market, 3445 N Williams Ave., Portland. 503-892-7415

April 3-5 PJA/MJCC Used Book Sale: 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland. pjabooksale@gmail.com

April 4 PJ Library Hillsboro Story Hour. Every Monday. 10-10:45 am at Yo Zone, 18033 NW Evergreen Parkway, Beaverton. Free. 503-892-7415

April 6 1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire and Change Your Life. Author Linda Cohen shares a journey from sorrow to inspiration through daily acts of kindness. She presents each mitzvah as a short vignette. 7 pm at the MJCC. Cost: $8; Member cost: $5 oregonjcc.org/1000mitzvahs

April 7 Reel Vs. Real: Muslim Media Stereotypes and Islamophobia. See page 65 Intergroup Community Seder. See page 30 Indoor Playground with Chai Baby and PJ Library. 10 am-noon of first Thursday of month at MJCC, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland. Playing, running, kosher snacks, storytelling and prize drawings! For parents/ caregivers and their children up to 5 years old. Free. 503-535-3539 PJ Library Weekly story hour in Lake Oswego. Every Thursday. Join us for a weekly story hour for young families with PJ Library stories, crafts and music. 9:30-10:15 am at Realty Trust Group, 600 Avenue A, Lake Oswego.

503-892-7415

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Music Under the Dome featuring Irving Levin, Congregation Beth Israel cellist for “Kol Nidre,” and esteemed pianist Michael Barnes. 6-8 pm at CBI, 1972 NW Flanders St., Portland.

503-222-1069 Alzheimer’s Association Caregivers Support Group. This support group provides emotional and educational support for caregivers and care partners of people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. 6:308:30 pm at Congregation Beth Israel, Portland. 503-222-1069

April 9 Torah Yoga for Preschoolers. 10:30 am-noon, second Saturday of month at Congregation Shaarie Torah, 920 NW 25th Ave., Portland. Co-sponsored by PJ Library. 503-226-6131 BB Camp Bash: Chai-Way to Camp.

5:30 pm at Pure Space, 1315 NW Overton, Portland. Enjoy cocktails, silent auction, dinner, music, dessert and chai way tastings while supporting a new generation of BB Campers. RSVP: bbcamp.org/ bb-camp-bash-registration ASHLAND: “Sisters, Saints, Sinners, Shamans, and Samurais,” a concert of interfaith stories, poetry and music featuring Rabbi David and Debra Zaslow. Proceeds benefit the Rose Circle Mentoring Network and the Havurah. 7:30 pm at the Havurah Synagogue, 185 N Mountain Ave. $5 to $20. 541-488-7716

April 10 Murray Perahia piano recital.

See page 16

April 11 Portland Mayoral Candidate Forum with Ted Wheeler and Jules Bailey.

Presented by the Jewish Community Relations Council. 7-8:30 pm at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane. Free. 503-2456496 or bob@jewishportland.org

April 12

APRIL CALENDAR

The Sephardic Winter Film Fest concludes with “God’s Slave,” a riveting story based on actual events of a 1994 bombing in Buenos Aires. 7 pm at Congregation Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur Blvd., Portland.

Film and desserts free. 503-8926634 or jewishfilmportland.org

April 14 The W Connection provides peer-topeer emotional support from women of all ages who understand what it means to lose a spouse. 1-2:30 pm at Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders St., Portland. 503-222-1069

April 15 North Coast Shabbat services will be led by Cantor Deborah Bletstein.

Moved from typical last Friday of month due to Passover. Services begin at 8 pm followed by an Oneg Shabbat at the Bob Chisholm Center, 1225 Ave. A, Seaside. All are welcome. Bev Eastern, 503-244-7060 A Little Shabbat. A lively Shabbat full of singing, greeting, stories, eating and new friends appropriate for families with children in preschool, 2 years and older. Free. 5-6:30 pm third Friday of the month at Shaarie Torah, 920 NW 25th Ave., Portland.

Cosponsored by PJ Library. 503226-6131

April 17 Good Deeds Day. See page 58 Jewish Holiday School-Passover. See page 42

April 20 Youth Foundation B’nai Mitzvah: Join the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation’s celebration of 13 years of teen philanthropy. 5:30-8:30 pm at the MJCC. ojcf.org or 503-2489328 The Hidden Jews of Hollywood.

Spend an entertaining evening with Los Angeles natives and CBI members Ron Silver and Michael Simon, who will take us back to the time when Hollywood studios kept the true identity of their stars hidden.

7 pm at Congregation Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders St., Portland.

503-222-1069

Two events with Rav Gav: Rabbi Gavriel Friedman, Rav Gav, teaches at Aish HaTorah Jerusalem and writes for Aish.com. “Rav Gav: Power of Speech – Say What?! For Tweens and Teens,” 4:30 - 5:30 pm at the MJCC. Free, includes pizza. . Free. oregonjcc.org/ravgav

April 22-30

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First and second night seders are hosted by congregations around the state – see below and our online calendar orjewishlife.com/calendar.

See page 31 for Hillel campus seders and seders for children.

April 22 PDX MOTS (30s-40s) adults only seder at Simpatica Dining Hall for ages 30-49. Doors open 7 pm, seder 7:30 pm. $45 includes first glass of wine, dinner and gratuity. It will be a non-kosher, lively affair. The seder will be led by members of the meetup community. meetup.com/ PDXMOTS-30s-40s/

SW Washington Second Night Community Seder. 6 pm at Congregation Kol Ami, 7800 NE 119th St., Vancouver. RSVP: 360-896-8088 Beit Haverim Seder. Check in 5:30, seder 6 pm at Celebrate Conference Center, 15555 Bangy Road #100, Lake Oswego. RSVP: 503-568-1241 or office@beithav.org

April 26

Let My People Go Dessert Seder.

Morgan St Theater pop-up. Join us for an evening of stories and Passover inspired-ice cream sundaes. 7:30-9:30 pm at The Clay Pigeon Winery, 815 SE Oak St. $39

April 23 per person includes tea pairings, Redemption Song: A Second Night entertainment and gratuity. info@ Seder. 6:30 pm check-in at Congremorgansttheater.com gation Shaarie Torah, 920 NW 25th April 28 Ave., Portland. Seder full of song, Central Oregon Coast Jewish Comcelebration, kosher food and wine, munity Seder. 6 pm at B’nai B’rith conversation, learning and connection. 503-226-6131 or shaarietorah. Camp, Neotsu. $18/person For information: David Gomberg at org/passover2016 David@GombergKites.com or Thea ASHLAND: 30th annual Passover Robinson at trobinson@bbcamp.org.

Seder at the Havurah Synagogue.

Register: bbcamp.org/communiSeder ritual and meal at 5:30 pm at ty-seder/ Havurah Synagogue, 185 N Mountain Ave. Rabbi David Zaslow will April 29-May 1 lead the music-filled, thought-proCompassionate Listening Basics voking evening. The ritual dinner Intensive, an experiential weekend is catered by Ashland Gourmet workshop presented by CompasCatering. RSVP: 541-488-7716 or sionate Listening facilitators Joanie havurahshirhadash.org Levine and Yehudah Winter. Deepen Community Seder 6-8:30 pm at your ability to: Listen with the heart, Havurah Shalom, 825 NW 18th Ave., speak from the heart, suspend Portland. Great for all ages. Led by judgement, maintain balance in the Havurah member Adela Basayne with heat of conflict, hold compassion for roles played by other Havurah memself and others. April 29 7-9 pm, bers and music provided by Havurah April 30, 10 am-5 pm, May 1, 10 musician Beth Hamon. 503-282am-3 pm. Sliding scale $175-295.

8846 ext. 4 or havurahshalom.org To register: 503-287-8737, alanyehudah@gmail.com Ovarian Cancer Survivor and May 1 Volunteer Luncheon with speaker Dr. Amanda Bruegl, who specializes Beth Israel Mitzvah Day. Work on a in gynecologic oncology at OHSU. project that tangibly helps others.

11:30 am-2 pm at McMenamin’s Meet at CBI, 1972 NW Flanders, Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Portland, at 9 am for a pancake Ave., Portland. Hosted by Compass breakfast. Choice of over 10 projOncology, ovarian cancer survivors ects. 503-222-1069 and volunteers are invited to attend May 1-5 free. Guests are welcome at $20 Yom Hashoah. See pages 53-55 per person. ovariancancerosw.org/

May 3 event-2111788 Celebrating Our Caring Community.

From Slavery to Freedom. CongregaBenefits Jewish Family & Child Sertion Shir Tikvah seder at 6 pm at the vices. 11:30 am-1 pm at Multnomah German American Society, 5626 NE Athletic Club. RSVP: 503-226-7079, Alameda. Register : shirtikvahpdx.org ext. 118

It’s not manna from heaven, but this Passover, provide something just as crucial to the survival of the Israeli people.

In a country where knifings and other terrorist attacks are an all-too-frequent occurrence, your gift to Magen David Adom ensures Israel’s national paramedic organization has the medical supplies and blood it needs to save lives. So this year, while you recount the story of the Jews’ redemption from slavery, your gift will help modern-day Israelis survive the threats they face today.

Make a gift today at www.afmda.org/donate.

Or call 800.323.2371 to learn about sponsoring a laboratory or other facility at Israel’s soon-to-be constructed Marcus National Blood Services Center. Pesach kasher v’sameach.

AFMDA Western Region 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 450 Los Angeles, CA 90048 Toll-Free: 800.323.2371 • western@afmda.org www.afmda.org OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2016 67

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