Oregon Jewish Life January 2017 Vol.5/Issue 11

JANUARY 2017

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IRIS EREZ

HEALTH & FITNESS

Virtual Reality, Exercise And Food All Contribute

Brings Edgy Israeli Choreography to Portland EDUCATION

People of the Book Treasure Learning

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 1

Portland Jewish Academy

AUC T I ON

2 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

makes

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Oregon Jewish Life • January 2017 | Tevet-Shevat 5777 | Volume 5/Issue 11

COVER STORY

10

Iris Erez dances with e-motion See Local (not easy) March 3-4

EYE ON EDUCATION 24 27

FEATURES JEWS WITH ATTITUDE Cleaner’s mitzvah feels like Shabbat

10

18

12 14

FOOD Chef’s Corner: Find flavorful substitute NW Nosh: Clear broth ramen

30 32

ARTS & ENTERTAIMENT Life mirrors art Quilt creates lifelong connection

34 36

HOME & LIFESTYLE

24 PHOTO BY ITAY MAROM

Space for art and family Prepare home for the Big One Israel design academy creates safe space

38 41 42

YOUNG ADULTS Students turn to celebrating Israel

43

ISRAEL Keep disagreements civil

32

44

JKIDS & TEENS TOO Kids and Teens Calendar

59

HEALTH & FITNESS Define a healthy lifestyle Age Wisely through food, art, activities Follow yearning to healthy retirement Medical marijuana eases pain Benefits of virtual reality

46

16 18 21 22 23

COVER • I ris Erez. Photo by Tomer Appelbaum

4 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

46 50 52 53 54 56 57

JLIVING

BUSINESS Leather Goods & Good Will Ins & Outs

Ties to past, keys to future Gap year has many benefits A year of Kabbalah Kollel opens door to knowledge Education briefs Emotional intelligence Education Directory

Rediscovering Jewish life in Poland 60 Don’t jump to judgement 62 Previews of things to come 63 FACES 64 Calendar 66

COLUMNS Chef’s Corner by Lisa Glickman NW Nosh by Kerry Politzer To Life by Amy Hirshberg Lederman

30 32 62

WHAT COULD YOUR JEWELRY BE WORTH?

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JANUARY 2017 O r e g o n J ewi s h Li fe | J a n u a r y 2017 | Tevet-S h eva t 57 7 7

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A Prince Hal Production ( TGMR18) 2016-2017 MediaPort LLC All rights reserved 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.

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NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS AND THE VALUE OF PERSEVERANCE

Robert Philip

Cindy Saltzman

“My top three New Year’s resolutions for 2017 are to eat more ice cream, exercise less and always lose my patience at the Apple Store.” What?

These were the three resolutions that a friend of mine recently shared while we were hiking. Of course I laughed, as she had told me earlier that day that she is a “chronic breaker of New Year’s resolutions.” She added, “Since I don’t usually achieve my lofty goals, this year I will make resolutions that I am sure to achieve.”

As funny and self-defeating as her sentiment was, I got it. Most people do break their New Year’s resolutions by overeating, becoming complacent or losing their temper at one time or another. But as each new year approaches, those same resolutions are back on the table – with some new ones mixed in. There is always hope if you persevere. Because sometimes, we do lose that weight, run those five miles, write that screenplay or keep our cool at the Apple Store.

Even the presidential candidates had their own version of New Year’s resolutions, as we witnessed during this past election. Calls for bipartisanship, promises of lower taxes, free education and world peace were at times almost numbing to hear – talk about lofty goals. Surely they knew from the outset that they would keep some of their campaign promises but not others. But like any of us making New Year’s resolutions, they are only human and their intentions were sincere (hopefully).

It seems that the real value of New Year’s resolutions is not to remind us of how imperfect we are but to give us hope for a better future, armed with the knowledge that – through perseverance – we can change the things that cause us discomfort or unhappiness. That is the key.

Perseverance is a ubiquitous theme in Judaism and throughout this January issue of Oregon Jewish Life. We hope that as you think about your own New Year’s resolutions, lofty or humble, that you are hopeful enough to believe in the words of the great media pioneer, David Sarnoff: “The will to persevere is often the difference between failure and success.”

We at Oregon Jewish Life wish you an incredible 2017 and much success with your New Year’s resolutions for the coming year – or the next.

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Jews with Attitude

Cleaner feels Shabbat through mitzvah

By Deborah Moon

Dry cleaner Brian Olson feels a little slice of Shabbat every time he cleans a tallit – and he cleans a lot of them. For the past four years, Brian has cleaned tallitot for free for Portland-area synagogues.

He has done free cleaning for congregations Havurah Shalom, Neveh Shalom, Shaarie Torah and Shir Tikvah. Beit Haverim, where he is a member, doesn’t have congregational tallitot, but Brian did clean the congregation’s Torah cover. Many individuals also trust Brian to clean their tallitot and other religious items such as kippot, challah covers and matzah covers. On average, he cleans two to three tallitot every week – and each one gets his personal attention.

Brian’s 45th Avenue Cleaners specializes in giving Jewish ritual objects the hands-on, reverential care Brian believes they deserve.

Before he opened 45th Avenue Cleaners in 1991, Brian says he worked with other dry cleaners, who just put tallit in the regular mix of dry cleaning for that day. Most cleaners have no idea that a tallit is a prayer shawl with spiritual significance. So when he opened his own business, he decided he personally would clean any tallit that came through the door.

He hangs each tallit in a special area and cleans it individually. Before he presses the tallit, he checks each of the knots on the strings, or fringes, tied to each of the four corners of a tallit with five knots in each fringe.

At first he would only work on tallit when he was in a positive mood. But he says he has learned the tallit can supply the positive energy he needs so that each one “comes out beautifully.”

“There is an energy from the person who wears it,” says Brian.

“You pick it up and realize it is a holy garment. It brings me a little bit of Shabbat while I am at work.”

A Jew by choice, Brian was introduced to Judaism by his partner, Andy Hamon, z”l, with whom he spent 20 years. When they first met, Brian says Andy was “culturally” Jewish. When Andy decided he wanted more, “he explored it … and brought me with him.” The couple joined the South Metro Jewish Com-

Brian Olson can feel a holy energy when he cleans a tallit.

Photos by Deborah Moon

munity, now Congregation Beit Haverim in Lake Oswego.

Following Andy’s death in 2003, Brian became chair of Beit Haverim’s cemetery committee. For several years, he went to the Lake Oswego Pioneer Cemetery before the High Holidays and cleaned all the headstones in Beit Haverim’s section using water and a toothbrush.

Brian’s tikkun olam efforts also extend to the environment.

In the mid-1990s, he became Portland’s first Certified Environmental Drycleaner. Now a solvent-free cleaner, he no longer needs the CED since that certification regulates the proper use of solvents harmful to the environment. Though solvent-free cleaning takes longer, he says he considers it worth it to use the most eco-friendly technology in the industry.

Over the years Brian has earned numerous awards from dry

45TH AVE. CLEANERS: 4400 SW Multnomah Blvd., Portland | 503-244-9707 10 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

Brian Olson looks over the tallitot he cleaned on a recent day.

cleaning and environmental groups. His 45th Avenue Cleaners was one of 12 dry cleaners recognized nationally with the Model Cleaner Award from the National Waste Prevention Coalition. He received the Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 Evergreen Award, and in 2004 the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality recognized him for “exemplary public service.”

“I was the first (Portland) cleaner to embrace the green ethic,” says Brian, noting that in addition to the green cleaning techniques, he also recycles everything possible.

He married Calvin Carter at Beit Haverim in 2010 in a ceremony officiated by Rabbi Larry Halpern and Rabbi Alan Berg.

After same-sex marriages were legalized in 2014, the couple had a legal wedding July 27, 2014. That wedding was officiated

by Andy’s daughter, who is ordained. Last year when Andy’s grandson married, Brian and Calvin became ordained so they could return the favor and officiate at his wedding.

Since cutting back on his staffing during the last recession, Brian has worked such long hours that he seldom has time to attend services or volunteer in the community.

So he was delighted when a woman from Havurah Shalom called him in 2013 to inquire about the cost of cleaning all of their tallitot before the High Holidays. Though he charges individuals $18 to clean a tallit and bag, he told her, “I’ll do that for free for the congregation.”

“All of a sudden I’m active in the community again,” says Brian. “I am using my business to provide the same kind of community work I used to do.”

As other congregations heard of his offer, he’s gotten very busy before the holidays. He says he will happily add other congregations to his mitzvah project, but he does encourage them to bring items in well before the holidays so he has enough time to get them all done with the attention they deserve.

He’s expanded his cleaning for congregations to other hard-

to-clean items, such as Torah covers and kippot.

“If it’s for a congregation, I don’t charge,” he says.

Brian’s commitment to Judaism and the environment provides twin blessings – reverently cleaned tallitot across town along with Shabbat peace for a busy man.

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Business

&

Leather Goods

Good Will

Story and photos by Joseph A. Lieberman

International traveler, leather virtuoso, philanthropist and entrepreneurial innovator Will Adler dared to dream big.

During the past two decades, the Jewish CEO and founder of Will Leather Goods has brought those dreams to fruition in Eugene and Portland, as well as in four other U.S. cities, and soon, overseas.

A one-time Shakespearean and Hollywood actor, Adler’s 30year career in leather began serendipitously.

“My wife, Sandy, was about to give birth to our first child when there was an actor’s strike in Hollywood,” Adler says. “I needed a sudden career change. Growing up in a mixed Jewish neighborhood in Detroit, I was heir to a century of retailing.

My father was a merchandising manager, and the garment industry was in my blood, so that was my first instinct.”

Adler started small, selling leather belts and wallets on the Venice Beach Boardwalk in Los Angeles. “During the next decade, we went from three people in a garage to 150 employees.

Today, our global team is closer to 200, but it’s still very much a family-run business. Each family member has their own area of expertise. My daughter, Shane, for example, is our branding and

Will Adler creates beautiful leather goods that evoke a sense of nostalgia.

These leather bags can be seen online or at his Eugene store at 296 East 5th Ave. Suite P1.

12 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

marketing director.”

Being family-run keeps things personal, but Adler feels that leather itself is a very personal material. “For many people, the sensory touch or aroma of leather and oil triggers some kind of nostalgia – a grandfather’s briefcase, a polished saddle, the first genuine leather belt or wallet you ever owned – generating positive emotions. Here at Will Leather Goods, we also connect to the animal itself, never slaughtering only for hides but becoming part of a process that involves an appreciative tip-to-tail philosophy resulting in zero waste. We honor the spirit of the animal, but also the spirit of the artisans who get creative with it, fabricating products of inspired beauty.”

Extending that concept to many global points of origin is also part of the process. Early on, Adler’s interest in meditation took him to India for studies with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, overlapping with a similar journey taken by Beatles John, Paul, George and Ringo. There he became enamored of traditional Kantha quilts, made from fabric scraps brought home by workers at sari factories that were then stitched into bedding. More recently, he returned to India and brought back about 200 vintage Kantha quilts in order to repurpose them into reversible tote bags reinforced with eco-friendly, vegetable-tanned leather

TOP: Shane and Will Adler MIDDLE: Will Leather employee Kevin Hart shows off one of the backpacks the company gives to students each year through its annual Back-to-School Get & Give Will.

BOTTOM: Will Adler shoes off his new leather shoe line.

to ensure that the end product is durable.

“Durability is not just a slogan,” Adler says. “We guarantee all of our bags for life, no questions asked. It’s a belief in the reliability of our products that other manufacturers seem to have misplaced.”

In several locations worldwide, skilled local artisans are employed directly by Adler with no go-between corporations diluting the compensation paid to these workers. “In Africa, for instance, we source deep blue indigo cloth that has had symbolic and monetary meaning for generations. In Oaxaca, Mexico, we connected with Teotitlán weavers to produce Oaxacan wool rugs dyed with berries, moss, tree bark and larvae to achieve vibrant, varied colors. Fashioning the rugs into other uses, we maintain steadfast construction standards by adding leather panels to bolster stress points, just as in our canvas with leather collections.”

The Will Leather Goods catalogue has gone miles beyond the first belts, wallets, bags and backpacks that started the enterprise. They even produce a novelty collection of Golden Age leather-craft sporting memorabilia, including historically inspired basketball, football and soccer ball replicas that are hand-stained and hand-burnished to create an antique patina.

It’s in the realm of tzedakah projects, however, that Adler‘s company truly chooses a unique path. “I know that traditional Jewish charitable giving is typically seen as a moral obligation,” Adler says, “but we want to take it a step further toward tikkun olam, healing the world by direct action."

To that end, at the start of every school year, Will Leather Goods sponsors the “Back-to-School Get & Give Will” social initiative, offering a “buy one, give one” program designed to support students in underfunded schools across America. For each backpack or messenger bag purchased, the company donates one high-quality backpack filled with essential school supplies to an American child in need. Their ultimate goal is to donate a half-million backpacks nationwide by 2025. To date, they’ve donated more than 8,500 backpacks to schools in Oregon, California and Michigan.

Adler, who attended public schools and Hebrew school in Detroit, says the backpacks are distributed at special assemblies that either he or other top staffers or family members attend. “The best part is that each colorful bag has a designated space on it for the child to write his or her future aspirations. That’s why we call them ‘a bag to carry your dreams.’ The idea is to encourage kids who have limited resources to consider real goals, gain confidence and then carry that inspiration with them every day.”

In short, a new generation of students who can dare to dream big.

willleathergoods.com OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 13

INS & OUTS

Ryan Gee

Gee Automotive buys Tonkin Dealerships

Ron Tonkin Dealerships has been acquired by Spokane-based Gee automotive Companies.

The Tonkin family has a long history of involvement in Portland’s Jewish community.

Tonkin dealerships co-president Ed Tonkin currently serves as chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

“Under Gee ownership, the trusted Tonkin brand, service and community commitment will continue –and all Tonkin employees’ jobs, pay and benefits are secure,” says Ed Tonkin.

“Since its founding in 1983, the common theme in all of the Gee Automotive operations has been ‘families serving families’ – a value shared by the Tonkin family, which has been providing Portland families with cars for more than 50 years,” says CEO and Dealer Principal Ryan Gee. This acquisition expands Gee Automotive’s presence in the Portland market where Gee currently owns and operates Gresham Subaru. The acquisition adds Tonkin’s 21 Portland-area dealerships to Gee’s roster.

Brad Tonkin, co-owner of Tonkin Dealerships, will remain on as platform president.

Tonkin dealerships will retain their current names, as will Ron Tonkin Field, home to the Hillsboro Hops.

“I am excited to help shape the future of the Tonkin brand under Gee’s leadership,” says Brad Tonkin. geeautomotive.com | tonkin.com

Biz Ins & Outs Submissions

Brad Tonkin

Timna Rockman

New Shlichah to Work with Teens, Young Adults

Timna Rockman, 26, arrived in Oregon at the end of December to serve as an Israeli shlichah (emissary) in Portland.

The position, which runs through May, was created through a grant of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland awarded to StandWithUs. Timna will be working mostly with Jewish teens and occasionally with young adults on the Portland State University campus. She will also be a frequent speaker at public high schools in the greater Portland area.

Timna was born and grew up in a suburb of western Jerusalem. She is the youngest child of four. Her mother grew up in the United States and moved to Israel after college.

As a teenager, Timna was involved in the Tzofim – the Israeli scouts program. In Israel, the Tzofim scouting program is quite popular, and older scouts take on serious leadership roles. Timna managed more than 500 younger Israeli scouts.

After high school, Timna served in the Israel Defense Forces. As an infantry commander in the IDF, she trained recruits and taught them military conduct and the IDF ethical code.

Timna is still a sergeant in the IDF reserves.

In addition to her college studies at Ben Gurion University, Timna runs a women’s empowerment scholarship program that brings together young Jewish and Arab Israelis through sport. Timna is also dedicated animal rights advocate and volunteers as a trainer for guide dogs for the blind.

David Schizer

To schedule a program with Timna, contact JFGP Community Relations Director Bob Horenstein. bob@jewishportland.org | 503-245-6496

David Schizer New CEO of “The Joint”

Effective Jan. 1, David Schizer is the new CEO of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the world’s leading Jewish humanitarian assistance organization.

Schizer is dean emeritus of Columbia Law School. He succeeds Alan H. Gill following an extensive global search conducted by executive search firm Spencer Stuart.

A seasoned leader in the Jewish community, Schizer is on the board of the 92nd Street Y and Ramaz School, president of America’s Voices in Israel and co-director of Columbia’s Center for Israeli Legal Studies. He holds undergraduate, graduate and law degrees from Yale University. He clerked for Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Alex Kozinski of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

“Although I am part of an incredibly fortunate generation of American Jews, I am named for a grandfather who fled pogroms and political upheaval in Ukraine. Every Jewish family has a history of poverty, religious persecution or violence – the only difference is how long ago it was,” says Schizer. “In these difficult times, JDC’s work has never been more important, and I am proud to be a part of it.”

Schizer and his wife, Meredith, reside in New York with their three children.

JDC.org

Oregon Jewish Life welcomes submissions of news items for our Business Ins & Outs column. Please submit a brief writeup (up to 200 words), contact information (phone, email and/or website) and a photo of the person or product (attached jpg at largest available size). Submissions should be sent to Editor-in-Chief Deborah Moon at Deborah.moon@ojlife.com by the 10th of the month for inclusion in the next month’s issue.

14 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

Tech Talks speakers (from left): Moe Mernick, Sivan Ya'ari, Ilan Regenbaum, Devorah Mason and Michael Eisenberg. Photos by Yonit Schiller

Ilan Regenbaum and Michael Eisenberg

Tech Talks Spotlights Success of Olim in Startup Nation

Nefesh B’Nefesh, together with the Tel Aviv Yafo Municipal Department for Immigration Absorption, hosted more than 200 people Dec. 12 at the first event in a new series, “Tech Talks: Innovation in the Startup Nation.”

The event featured five of the leading and emerging voices in the Israeli tech ecosystem. The panel of speakers spanned the spectrum of the tech ecosystem, representing both entrepreneurs and funders, most of whom are olim (immigrants to Israel) themselves. The panel began with a chat between Michael Eisenberg, equal partner at Aleph VC, and Ilan Regenbaum, a lone soldier currently serving as the head of business development in the Israeli Air Force’s Innovation Department and involved in the early-stage investment fund, Elevator Fund. Lone soldiers are olim serving in IDF with no family in Israel.

15 DECEMBER 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

This was followed by talks from Devorah Mason, COO and CFO of Voiceitt, and Moe Mernick, who runs business development at Hometalk. Sivan Ya’ari, founder and CEO of Innovation: Africa, closed the event with her remarks on her innovation and empowerment of communities, both in Israel and the developing world.

The event provided olim with a chance to network with people in the tech industry and highlight the various ways in which they can contribute to the Startup Nation. The programming is facilitated in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah & Immigrant Absorption, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel and JNF-USA. Tech Talks is an example of Nefesh B’Nefesh’s expansion in postAliyah programming to help new immigrants acclimate, integrate and thrive in Israel. nbn.org.il

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 15

HEALTH & FITNESS

Lifestyle studio a hidden gem of healthful living

By Deborah Moon

INSIDE 16 Lifestyle Studio 18 Age Wisely 21 Ask Helen 22 Medical Marijuana 23 Virtual Reality

16 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

O

n the edge of Portland’s Pearl District sits a hidden gem, a lifestyle studio that provides personalized training and services in a private and serene setting.

“You are the first person to come into this space and share it with a wider community,” Morgan Dancer, owner and creator of Studio Define, tells me as we sit in the comfortable, family room-style entry that looks across the workout area and the kitchen. The only areas walled off are the two luxurious changing rooms with indulgent showers and the massage room at the far end of the high-ceiled space in a converted warehouse.

“I need it to stay a bit of a secret,” she says. “People who are here are truly here because they are supposed to be doing the work we do.”

Artists, executives, entrepreneurs and entertainers, including the actors of Leverage and Grimm, have found their way to Studio Define.

The privacy caters to clients who “want to be left alone. They feel normalized in this container.”

“The physical realm is the way they show up, but they quickly realize this is not an in and out,” says Morgan.

“Lifestyle is truly what we do.”

In addition to personal training, Studio Define offers massage, meditation, private dinners and a place to work in a setting where creativity can flow. There are no televisions, magazines or other distractions.

People don’t say they are going to the gym, they say

“we are going to Morgan’s, … to my sanctuary, my oasis, my temple.”

“A client told me I cater to Type-A personalities who are soul searchers,” says Morgan.

“Our clients are people helping to shape Portland.

Lee is one of them.”

Public relations guru Lee Weinstein, whom I’d interviewed and featured as our November cover subject, was my ticket into Morgan’s.

Delighted by the story I crafted about his family and life, he persuaded Morgan to see me. I’d asked if he had any Jewish clients who would make an interesting story.

Instead he referred me to his Jewish personal trainer, Morgan Dancer.

While photos of Studio Define can be seen in catalogues and film, Morgan was reluctant to have me photograph the private

“Define time is solely my time, and the other clients all get what a special place this is.”

—Lee Weinstein

space. Film companies and photographers for catalogues use the aesthetics of the place while maintaining its air of anonymity.

“Define is a beautiful, relaxing sanctuary, unlike normal gyms and workout facilities,” says Lee. “What Morgan has created is unlike

anything I’ve ever seen or experienced. It’s made all the difference in my world, physically and mentally.”

He says the studio’s talented team treats each person as an individual.

Before finding Define, Lee says he would often skip his gym time “to hunker down and get work done.”

“Having an appointment with a personal trainer at Define has made all the difference in the world.

I now have muscle mass and better flexibility than ever, something I’ve always wanted. I’ve never missed an appointment because I know I have someone waiting.

Define time is solely my time, and the other clients all get what a special place this is.”

Most of those clients have been with her for five to 12 years, says Morgan.

Many come in four or five times a week – sometimes to work out or for a massage, sometimes just to get their creative juices flowing in a place encompassing beauty through the senses. The studio draws on Morgan’s background in food (she’s a former chef at the legendary Portland restaurant Zefiro), film (she worked for ESPN) and athletics (she managed a professional boxer who fought for the world title in South Korea).

While her path has meandered around the globe, Oregon keeps pulling her home.

In the 1960s, Morgan’s parents, Karin Peers and Jeffrey Jacobsen, “rode the hippy brigade” from New York City to southern Oregon. Morgan was born in Applegate, near Ashland.

But when she was about 6 months old her mom decided she wasn’t ready for the West Coast and the family returned to New York. After the family split up when Morgan was 5, Morgan and her Bohemian artist mom returned to the state, moving to Eugene.

Morgan describes her father as more conservative.

He has family ties to Israel and grew up attending Hebrew school. Her mother’s Eastern European roots gave Morgan Jewish experiences and culture, but she and her mom didn’t affiliate with the organized Jewish community.

Morgan came to Portland as a teenager and learned to cook under the mentorship of Zefiro head chef Chris Israel.

At age 21, she was hired to move to Australia to open a restaurant. Six months later the same investors sent her to California to open a Latin restaurant.

A lifelong athlete, Morgan moved to Seattle and became involved in boxing and ESPN. But Portland’s food scene called her home. She worked again at Zefiro just before it closed in 2000.

Then she decided to explore a wider vision that used all her talents.

“I created the whole thing top to bottom,” Morgan says of Studio Define.

The aesthetics, the commitment to each person, the food all combine to make Studio Define a place reminiscent of the Zefiro mystique and its clientele of rich celebrities and creative Bohemians – all blending into a stew that is uniquely Portland.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 17

HEALTH

FITNESS

Arts + Music + Healthy Food = Aging Wisely

By Liz Rabiner Lippoff

“Old age is not a disease nor is it a diagnosis.”

— AgeWiseInstitute.com

O

n a rainy November night, a gray-haired woman leaned over her walker to study the assortment of teas before her. She was part of a crowd of residents, guests and supporters of Cedar Sinai Park in Portland who gathered at the Rose Schnitzer Manor to check out an array of “Inspired Living” classes from the Age Wise Institute.

The instructor introduced the individual teas, each with its own scent, taste and, more to the point of this gathering, medicinal properties. She encouraged sampling and helped each person put together a unique blend to take home to try. Need to have your tummy soothed? Want more energy? Arthritis getting you down? Satisfied, the woman took her tea blend and her walker and moved on to the next booth to check out the natural honey selection.

The event was as much a celebration as an introduction, reflecting CSP’s excitement about the Inspired Living Series.

“We have great staff and life-enrichment coordinators,” says CSP CEO Sandra Simon, noting they work hard to provide a selection of interesting and stimulating classes ranging from a book club to yoga. But, she says, “Part of their role is to bring in thought leaders on how to age wisely and live well.

We are stronger when we collaborate and partner with other experts.”

Eddy Shuldman is on the CSP board and chairs its Spiritual Life Committee. She is also an artist, and she met Amy Henderson, the lead gerontologist at the Age Wise Institute at the National University of Natural Medicine, through their work together at the Geezer Gallery. The gallery’s tagline is “a whole new old” and it celebrates senior artists and offers art as therapy programs designed, they say on their website, “to enable brain-cell growth, dexterity and an opportunity for personal self-expression.”

Eddy and Amy believe that is possible.

“Look at the demographics,” Amy says. According to the National Council on Aging, 92% of older adults have at least

18 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

Arthur Ginsberg and Judy Ross look at the natural honey selections.

one chronic disease, but while “chronic diseases account for 75% of the money our nation spends on health care … only 1% of health dollars are spent on public efforts to improve overall health.”

The question is, Amy says, “How do we keep ourselves living healthy lifestyles regardless of our age?” And can we stave off debilitating illnesses rather than just treating them when we get them? To that Amy says, “Yes, yes, yes!”

“Amy has partnered with OHSU to do formal neurological research about what happens to the aging brain when people are exposed to art, music, writing,” Eddy says. “She brought the programming to a variety of senior residences; OHSU did pre-

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Jeannie Newmark checks out the cocktail bar of tinctures and herbs that are healthy and tasty.

and post-testing. (The research showed) that when elders are engaged in the arts, you can delay onset of a number of mental debilitations (with ongoing stimulation).” Amy founded The Age Wise Institute in January 2016 and now divides her time between The Geezer Gallery and the institute.

“We are looking at the whole person,” Amy says. “Old age tells a story of aging, but it doesn’t have to be a story of decline.” So Amy told Eddy, and Eddy told Jennifer Felberg, the life program director at CSP, and the ball started rolling from there.

Jennifer had already heard of Amy because Amy had been involved in a 12-week research program and CSP staff training called “Journaling Your Journey” at one of CSP’s affordable housing buildings downtown, funded by Min Zidell, z’l. It was, Jennifer says, a “huge success.” She was, coincidentally, trying to find people to train the CSP staff when Eddy called her about Amy. Jennifer notes that CSP is already an innovator in elder care, and she cites their current partnership with the Oregon Symphony as one example. “We have a grant to bring music to some of our more advanced-stage dementia patients in a program that studies brain stimulation through music therapy.

The symphony has done this once before, as an experiment, but we are first to work with the finished product. Symphony musicians and a music therapist will conduct sessions in February with 10 CSP residents. Baseline and post-testing to evaluate the effects of the program are also part of the grant.”

Because healthy eating is an integral Continued on page 20

Bariatric Kevin Reavis, MD

Midwifery Karen Parker, CNM

Colon & Rectal Surgery Rehan Ahmad, MD Amanda Hayman, MD David O’Brien, MD Mark Whiteford, MD

Neurology Joshua Ramseyer, MD Richard Rosenbaum, MD

Ear, Nose & Throat Edsel Kim, MD Brian Shaffer, MD Samuel Shiley, MD Roger Wobig, MD

Neurosurgery Vivek Deshmukh, MD Braidon Freeman, MD Pankaj Gore, MD Oisin O’Neill, MD Michael Sandquist, MD Frederick Vincent, MD

General Surgery Shaghayegh Aliabadi, MD Niknam Eshraghi, MD Jordana Gaumond, MD Paul Hansen, MD Richard Jamison, MD Kelvin Yu, MD John Zelko, MD

Obstetrics & Gynecology Clea Caldwell, DO Liana Corliss, FNP

Gastroenterology Kent Benner, MD Sidharth Bhardwaj, MD Harry Bray, MD C.Y. Michael Chang, MD Viju Deenadayalu, MD Jeffrey Douglass, MD Kenneth Flora, MD David Grunkemeier, MD Erica Heagy, FNP Jeremy Holden, MD Donald Lum, MD Izabela Maciolek, PA-C Michael Phillips, MD Michael Sheffield, MD Hong Shen, MD Erik Van Kleek, MD Amy Zhu, MD

Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine William Bowerfind, MD David Hotchkin, MD Robert Kim, MD Michael Lefor, MD Louis Libby, MD Thomas Schaumberg, MD

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Radiation Oncology Stephen Bader, MD Eric Hansen, MD Alice Wang-Chesebro, MD Urology Michael Kaempf, MD Gilbert Klemann, MD Lance Marr, MD

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 19

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part of the Age Wise picture, when Jennifer met with Amy she brought in Jennifer Evans, CSP’s culinary services director, who is totally sold on offering hands-on food experiences as well as lectures and classes.

“My background is in nutrition, and I’ve always believed that food is the best medicine, in the pure ‘comfort food’ sense and also in the true medicinal sense,” says Jennifer Evans. “Our food choices do affect how our bodies function and, ultimately, how they feel, for better or worse. I think that by educating our aging population on proper food choices, we can impact their quality of life for the better.”

Jennifer Evans wants the Age Wise programming to influence the menus on campus, and she is excited about CSP leading the way.

“I don’t hear of many facilities offering blended cocktails with fresh herbs or mixing loose-leaf tea that can help reduce inflammation – and tastes good, too,” she says.

“Plus, this is Portland! We are the city of healthy, delicious, trendy Equals aging wisely food! Just because our focus is on the elderly doesn’t mean we have to be separate from the rest of the Portland food – and health – scene.”

The buildup may take a while, however. “In other places, residents pay a surcharge for Age Wise classes,” says Jennifer Felberg. “We won’t do that. I have some money in my budget, but for the time being we will be asking our residents which classes we should bring in, one or two at a time. We are working hard to find underwriters and grants to extend the program so everybody on campus can enjoy these experiences and be empowered to take care of their own health rather than rely solely on the decisions of our staff.”

Amy Henderson is looking forward to the partnership. “This programming dovetails beautifully with the Green House Project philosophy that is an increasing part of life on the entire CSP campus,” she says. “It brings additional health and wellness education and workshops to places that really believe in the power of strategic healthy initiatives. Places like Cedar Sinai Park.”

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Liz Rabiner Lippoff is a marketing consultant, freelance writer and community volunteer, including serving as the president of the Cedar Sinai Park board. LizInk.biz

ask helen Retiring? Be open to yearnings

to find happy, healthy next stage

Dear Helen: I’m planning on retiring this year after 35 years in medicine. I’ve gotten involved with various organizations and activities as I contemplated this big life shift. But I haven’t found a one big enough to fill the meteor-sized hole in my life. I could keep working, but I am financially secure enough that it feels silly to give up another few years of healthy time.

I enjoy travelling, but that’s a couple times a year, not a weekly lifestyle. I am uninterested in learning a new instrument or sport and have no aptitude in the arts.

I do like hiking, concerts, restaurants and synagogue. Do you have good ideas on making the next phase as satisfying as the one I am leaving?

Ready For Change Dear Ready: Not needing to sell your time is a luxury. Count your blessings.

A common mistake among the newly retired is filling all their time too quickly.

They over-schedule and don’t leave themselves enough time to really mourn the loss of an active career and feel the yearnings that might emerge given enough time and oxygen. So be sure to balance free time with people time, and activities with quieter forms of interaction and solitude.

Look at the list of organizations in your town that are actively recruiting volunteers. Every nonprofit needs help, whether it is specialized or just willing hands. Try shifts at different places till something clicks. It might be a music station or a women’s shelter. There’s no right or wrong, only what feels good to you. A year from now all your time will make much more sense.

Dear Helen: How am I going to get my mojo back?

I was on such a happy creative roll. I was eating well, exercising often, in a happy and positive mood. Then the election laid me low. I felt almost in a clinical

depression. Lots of staring and almost 10 pounds of sugar and carbs later I feel like a big sad sack. I’m over the crying but still flying at half mast. What can I do to feel whole and hopeful again?

Undone Dear Undone: You are certainly not alone in your anxiety. Some people are fearful because of perceived and actual threats happening to their religion, color, orientation or just because they were vocal “blue” advocates in “red” districts or families. This election is a chance for greater healing or greater division. But I’d caution you not to venture into the arenas for dialogue with folks who are opposed to what depressed you in a hard-core way until you feel stronger and more resilient.

What to do: Start by eating better. It’s an amazingly simple truth that how we fuel our bodies can severely impact our moods. So set limits on what you put in that isn’t good for you, whether you count calories, fat, carbs or sugar.

Exercise more. Simply going to a class at the gym will get you back in touch with your body as a vehicle for energy, not just tears.

Find a support group of people who agree with your political views and regularly participate in activities that empower your feelings about American democracy. We are a complex country with a complicated political process. Look for ways to express what matters to you and organize some of your time around healing your community. Start local and work your way up.

And don’t discount the healing value of grieving. Jews sit shiva for a week and say Kaddish for a year, so there’s a mechanism for staying in touch with their feelings and slowly coming to terms with the new reality. There’s a new saying: “Don’t normalize.” You can find your own new normal while still advocating the values you feel were under-represented at the ballot box. Think long haul, not just this week.

A NOSH OF

JEWISH WISDOM:

Who occupies himself with the needs of the community is as though he occupies himself with Torah.

HELEN

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 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 21

HEALTH

FITNESS

Israel study shows majority of medical marijuana users benefit

B

en-Gurion University of the Negev researchers have found that medical marijuana users experience significant pain relief and function with only minor side effects, according to a new study. It is the first study on the characteristics of patients who have permission from the Israel Health Ministry to seek treatment with medical marijuana.

“Israel is truly at the forefront of medical marijuana,” says Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance in Washington, D.C. In Oregon, where medical marijuana is also legal, that study may be of particular interest. Even though recreational marijuana has also been legalized in the state, medical marijuana is still sold under different rules.

The Israel study examined more than 2,000 cancer and noncancer patients using medical marijuana with a focus on their socioeconomic characteristics, dosages, previous treatment, treatment safety and side effects, as well as overall treatment effectiveness. Patients were interviewed by telephone in the first three months of treatment and subsequently every four months for two years.

Users reported in later interviews that their pain, nausea, anxiety, appetite and general feeling had improved. Fewer than one in 10 stopped taking the drug due to side effects or ineffectiveness after the first interview, and only 6% after the second interview.

Nearly all of the participants (99.6%) sought a marijuana prescription after trying other conventional medications that were ineffective, while more than half (56%) reported seeking drugs with fewer side effects.

22 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

More than three quarters (77%) experienced minor side effects that included dry mouth (61%) and hunger (60%). Some 44% reported elevated moods.

Under Oregon’s Medical Marijuana Program, attending physicians may recommend the use of medical marijuana for the following medical conditions: cancer; glaucoma; a degenerative or pervasive neurological condition; HIV/AIDS; posttraumatic stress disorder; and a medical condition or treatment that produces: cachexia (a weight-loss disease); severe pain; severe nausea; seizures; or persistent muscle spasms.

According to oregonmedicalmarijuanacards. com: “Medical marijuana dispensaries licensed through the State of Oregon specialize in medical grade strains and products to help provide more relief for medical patients. With recreational marijuana, the goal is to get ‘high,’ so the products are geared towards that. Unfortunately, the cannabinoids that have medical value are not present in high THC strains. Charlotte’s Web is an example of a high CBD strain that was created for its anti-seizure qualities, not to get ‘stoned.’ … Also, continuing to see your medical marijuana doctor will allow you to stay up to date with health risks and benefits as well as new treatment options.”

The study, led by Professor Pesach Shvartzman of BGU’s faculty of health sciences, was recently presented at the Sixth International Jerusalem Conference on Health Policy. The conference was organized by the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research.

“Although medical cannabis has been legal for a decade and is licensed to patients to relieve pain and other symptoms, there has been no information about the users themselves,” Professor Shvartzman explains.

Medical marijuana treatment has become popular and accepted over the last few years in Israel, with approximately 20,000 registered users and 50 more approved each week by the Health Ministry.

In Oregon, the Oregon Health Authority reported there were 68,201 medical marijuana patients in Oregon in October of 2016.

(Information compiled from press releases and the internet by Deborah Moon)

HEALTH

FITNESS

Virtual reality/treadmill may prevent falls

cognitive aspects that are important for safe walking,” Dr. Mirelman continues. “We found that virtual reality plus treadmill training helped to reduce fall frequency and fall risk for at least six months after training – significantly more than treadmill training alone. This suggests that our use of virtual reality successfully targeted the cognitive aspects of safe ambulation to reduce the risk of falls.”

ADDING VIRTUAL REALITY TO THE THERAPEUTIC RECIPE

Treadmill training with virtual reality includes a camera-based motion caption (modified Microsoft Kinect) and a computer-generated simulation. The camera records the movement of the participants’ feet while they walk on the treadmill. The images are transferred into the computer simulation and projected to the patient in real time on a large screen during training. Progression of the intervention is modulated by the speed of the treadmill, the duration of walking within a given training session, and the size and frequency of the virtual obstacles and distractors.

Participants walked while wearing a safety harness to prevent falls during training.

Courtesy of American Friends of Tel Aviv University

A

combination of virtual reality and treadmill training may prove effective in preventing dangerous falls associated with aging, Parkinson’s disease, mild cognitive impairment or dementia, according to a new Tel Aviv University–Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center study published in The Lancet.

According to the study’s lead authors, Prof. Jeff Hausdorff and Dr. Anat Mirelman, both of TAU’s Sackler School of Medicine and TASMC’s Center for the Study of Movement, Cognition and Mobility, the intervention combines the physical and cognitive aspects of walking. The training could be implemented in gyms, rehabilitation centers and nursing homes to improve walking skills and prevent the falls of older adults and those with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

“Falls often start a vicious cycle with many negative health consequences,” says Dr. Mirelman. “The ability of older people to negotiate obstacles can be impaired because of age-related decline in cognitive abilities like motor planning, divided attention, executive control and judgement. But current interventions typically focus almost exclusively on improving muscle strength, balance and gait.

“Our approach helps improve both physical mobility and

The TAU-TASMC team, in collaboration with partners across Europe, collected data from 282 participants at five clinical sites in Belgium, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK between 2013 and 2015. The participants, all aged 60-90, were able to walk at least five minutes unassisted, were on stable medications and, critically, had reported at least two falls in the six months prior to the start of the study. Nearly half of all participants (130) had Parkinson’s disease, and some (43) had mild cognitive impairment.

Participants were assigned to treadmill training with virtual reality (146) or treadmill training alone (136). The virtual reality component consisted of a camera that captured the movement of participants’ feet and projected it onto a screen in front of the treadmill, so that participants could “see” their feet walking on the screen in real time.

The game-like simulation was designed to reduce the risk of falls in older adults by including real life challenges such as avoiding and stepping over obstacles like puddles or hurdles, and navigating pathways. It also provided motivation to the participants, giving them feedback on their performance and scores on the game.

GREATER SATISFACTION, MORE EFFECTIVE THERAPY

Although the incident rate of falls was similar in the two groups prior to the intervention, six months after training the rate of falls among those who trained with VR dropped by almost 50%. In contrast, there was no significant reduction in the fall rates among subjects who did not train with the VR. “Interestingly, when we asked people if they enjoyed the treatment program, participants in the virtual reality group reported higher scores on user satisfaction questionnaires and a greater desire to continue to exercise with the game,” says Prof.

Hausdorff. “This suggests that the virtual reality not only led to fewer falls, it was also more likely to be used in the long term.

Exercise needs to be fun and effective if it is going to be used continually.

“The biggest improvement was seen in participants with Parkinson’s disease,” Prof. Hausdorff continues. “It was very exciting to see such improvement in the presence of a neurodegenerative disease. Still, we need to conduct further research to verify the results and better understand why the fall rates were so responsive in the people with Parkinson’s disease.”

“Treadmills are widely available, and the additional cost of treadmill training plus virtual reality is only about $4,500. The low cost could permit this approach to be widely used in various settings,” says Dr. Mirelman. “Future studies need to examine whether treadmill training plus virtual reality could be used as part of a prevention package to treat fall risk before falls become common and before injuries occur.”

The research was funded by the European Commission.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 23

COVER

brings e-motion to Reed dancers

By Deborah Moon “Dance chose me – I could not not do it,”

says Israeli dancer, choreographer and teacher Iris Erez,

45, who arrives in Portland this month for a five-month residency at Reed College.

Iris is one of 19 Israeli artists visiting the United States this school year to participate in residencies through

the Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artists Program, an

initiative of the D.C.-based Israel Institute. Iris performs her own work in Israel and abroad, and has served as curator for the Jerusalem Modern Dance Festival.

As a child Iris dreamed of being a dancer, but after her

compulsory army service, she decided to study psychology and work as a dance therapist. She continued to dance

part time, but when she was 28 she realized dance, not dance therapy, was her calling.

Continued on page 26

24 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

PHOTO BY TOMER APPELBAUM

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 25

She wanted to dance herself and to teach others to dance – perhaps even to soar. “I like teaching (college age) students,” she says. “They are searching for something that will catch their curiosity and creativity. They chose to be here. I feel I can take them with me.”

In Portland she will teach dance technique and choreography at Reed using her extensive experience from having taught at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, the School of Visual Theatre, Kibbutzim College, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design,

to the land and the appearance of strength, which evolved in prestate Israel, remain important in contemporary society.

“Israeli choreographers are tremendously creative and very innovative at pushing boundaries,” says Nina. “Vigorousness, strength and technical excellency is part of Israel’s contemporary dance scene. Many in the dance world look to Israel to see what is coming out.”

When Iris turned to dance as a profession in 1999, she was older than many people beginning a contemporary dance

Hakvutza School for Contemporary Dance and Haifa University.

She also will present a public performance of her latest solo work.

“A lot of exciting choreography is coming out of Israel,” says Carla Mann, a dance professor at Reed, where a major in dance was implemented in fall 2016.

Portland State University Associate Professor Nina Spiegel, who wrote her dissertation on Israeli dance, is looking forward to bringing Iris to PSU for a program. Iris will present a public lecture with accompanying videos in late February (see calendar in the February issue of Oregon Jewish Life for details). Nina’s dissertation grew into the 2013 book Embodying Hebrew Culture: Aesthetics, Athletics, and Dance in the Jewish Community of Mandate Palestine. In the book’s conclusion she explores why connection

career. Most dancers are 18 to 21 when they audition for the internationally renowned Batsheva Dance Company (which has performed in Portland at White Bird), where many Israeli choreographers get their start. Iris says Batsheva’s Ohad Naharin once asked her why she never auditioned there, and she told him she was too old. Nowadays she says the two admire each other’s work.

Israeli contemporary dance was becoming a hotbed of creativity in those years.

Iris quickly immersed herself in the innovations. She joined Yasmeen Godder in Yasmeen’s first year back in Israel after performing in New York City for several years. The decision was momentous.

26 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

“Yasmeen was crucial for me,” says Iris. “Her work connected to dance therapy working from an emotional state. She looks at how the psyche and physical connect.”

She says the release technique that Yasmeen developed opened her “to dance from a big space.”

“We had a very great dialogue together,” says Iris. “I had the chance to do many things and to grow with her.”

Iris says “e-motion” is the essence of her approach to dance.

“Emotions move us and every motion has an emotion in

“It is important to think about the place I live and to state the feelings about what’s going on with me in this place,” she says Her partner in life is Elad Vazana, who also is deeply involved in space and relationships. He works as both a tour guide and a facilitator of cross-cultural dialogue. “I’ve devoted my life to connecting people from diverse backgrounds and cultures and to remembering that the ‘other’ is a human being whose story is rich and as complex, like ours,” he writes on his website. “A turning point in my dedication and ability to help people engage was the

IRIS EREZ performs

“Local (not easy)” WHAT The Reed Dance Department presents resident choreographer/dancer Iris Erez’s performance of “Local (not easy).” Premiered in 2016, the solo work investigates how space affects and restructures the active body within it. As one who has moved from the city to the village, from singlehood to motherhood, Iris explores how these relocations have also produced reconstructions of the self.

WHEN 7 pm, Friday and Saturday, March 3 and 4 WHERE Reed College Performing Arts Center, Massee Performance Lab (PAB 128) TICKETS $10 general; $5 students/seniors; free for Reed students, faculty, staff; available at the door or online at events.reed.edu.

Her performances at Reed are supported by the Mellon Fund and the Weitkamp Fund.

PHOTO BY ITAY MAROM

it,” she explains. “Dance is happening in you; it is not static, it shivers inside of you.”

She says the English expression “It moves me” is what she looks for when she dances or choreographs a new work.

A theme that often moves her to create a new piece is the concept of space.

“I find myself concerned with the space around us and where we live,” says Iris. “I try to figure out my identity concerning where I am.”

For Israeli artists, Iris says deciding whether or not to address the political situation there is difficult. But even avoiding the topic is addressing it, she notes: “It invades everything and it’s important that it does.”

2006 Palestinian-Jewish Family Peacemakers Camp in California.”

The interaction of people and their environment was clear in Iris’ 2010 dance “Homesick.” She explored “the space between the familiar and the unfamiliar.” Since “Homesick” is danced on corrugated cardboard, dancers change the material and something happens between the dancers and the space.

When she started work on her latest dance, “Local (not easy),” Iris says Elad gave her an added challenge.

“Elad always has to carry all the stuff – the cardboard for ‘Homesick’ and a lot of technology in the last show,” she explains. “So he said, ‘This is your challenge – only you on stage, not all this heavy stuff I have to carry.”

Continued on page 28 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 27

Iris Erez says she want to see Oregon’s nature, and she will even be able to enjoy the scenery from the dance studio in Reed’s newest building – the Performing Arts Building which opened in 2013. Windows and skylights reduce dependence on artificial light and provide better options for teaching and learning.

PHOTOS BY LEAH NASH

28 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

So “Local (not easy)” – in Hebrew one word has both meanings – is danced without anything. Just Iris in the space.

Another difference between the two dances is that “Homesick” is more dramatic with linear thinking that follows a story from beginning to end, while “Local (not easy)” has excerpts that are associative rather than linear. The new solo work also uses a lot more humor and a lot more words than do most of her works. Those two elements have made it a challenge to translate to English so she can perform it in Portland, but Iris has spent enough time in the United States that she is up to the challenge.

As a child she lived in the United States several times with her two sisters and her parents, Amnon and Ahuva Erez. As an agriculture researcher Amnon’s work often took him to teach in different locations.

“When I was 6, I spent a year with my family at Athens, GA,” says Iris. “When I was 12, we spent four months at East Lansing, MI, and Davis, CA. And when I was 18, we spent four months at Rutgers University at New Brunswick, NJ.” As an adult she also performed in New York City each year for five years with Yasmeen Godder’s ensemble.

But she has never been to Oregon and says she and Elad are looking forward to exploring Oregon’s nature with their two sons, Nuri, 5, and Sol, 1½. She says after the intensive fires in Israel this winter, she is especially looking forward to the rain. “People (here) have been praying for rain.”

“I am very curious about the city and its people,” she adds. “We heard so many things about Portland and even saw some funny chapters of ‘Portlandia.’ So we look forward to it.”

Her residency in Portland was instigated by Reed alumna Marge Goldwater, who is the program director of the Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artist Program.

“Iris has a reputation of being one of the finest teachers of dance in Israel, which is why I was eager to bring her and, indeed, have been trying to recruit her for years,” says Marge.

Marge had mentioned the visiting artist program to some faculty members at Reed, who told Carla Mann of the possibility as she was helping launch Reed’s dance major.

“So I talked with Marge about specific students and programs and Reed,” says Carla. “Marge has connections with a number of Israeli choreographers and performers. She does matchmaking

to match the right person to the right school.”

Reed dancers learn to create new movement vocabularies and find new perspectives by which to see, question, understand and evaluate the expressive possibilities of the human body moving in space and time.

Since the Reed dance department encourages questioning and seeking in areas such as the use of stage space and the interactions between the audience and dancers, Carla says that Iris seemed like a good fit.

The release technique Iris will teach at Reed is a good fit for Reed’s exploration of “conceiving how the body moves.” Looking at clips of Iris dancing, Carla says, “I enjoy the movement vocabularies she is creating in her work.”

Reed also encourages students to study abroad for a semester or year and tries to bring in visiting teachers to expand students’ world views.

“Someone coming from a different dance milieu brings different ideas of movement and art forms,” says Carla.

“It’s great for students to be exposed to dance in terms of what is being created and the place dance holds in society.

That happens differently in different parts of the world.

People coming from other parts of the world really broaden students’ thinking.”

Marge is so pleased PHOTO BY NINO HERMAN that Iris was able to fit the residency into her busy schedule.

“She’s been terribly busy in recent months because she is performing a new work in Jerusalem in two weeks and she has been asked to perform “Homesick” at the International Dance Exposure in early December,” Marge said last fall. “Exposure invites presenters from around the world to look at the work of Israeli choreographers and dancers for four days of nonstop activities.”

For Reed and Iris, Marge has used her matchmaking to truly create a shidduch (match) with wide-ranging benefits. An artist of Iris’ caliber is a rare find and one to celebrate.

With a a BA in psychology and arts and a diploma in dance therapy, Iris won her first dance award while still in college -- in 1995 she won the university campus talent contest. She won the Israeli Minister of Culture, Science and Sports Prize for performing artist in 2001 and then in 2003 won that prize for performing ensemble as part of Yasmeen Godders group.

In 2009 she received the Teva Company Grant for creation. In 2010 she won the Kurt Joss prize when she performed the piece “Solo Colores” by Arkadi Zaides. The Bistrizki fund grant for production came her way in 2012.

All in all, her residency portends an auspicious beginning for Reed’s new major in dance.

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Food

CORNER

THERE’S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO LOOK AT LIFE AND FOOD Story and photos

by Lisa Glickman

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.

30 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

As we enter into a new calendar year we instinctively feel that it is time again for us to make a mental list of New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, we may spend only a couple of months adhering to them.

It’s funny to me that the ringing in of the New Year seems to give some of us the notion that we can magically let go of habits that may not serve us. Some vow to lose that handful of extra pounds and take better care of their health. Others pledge to participate in a cause that is important to them. We generally promise that come January 1st, this year will be different.

The one thing we can all agree on is that this year will, in fact, be different. We must face the reality that change will happen. None of us has control over everything that goes on around us. We do, however, have control over how we choose to react to it.

With age comes the wisdom that there is more than one way to look at things. Opinions will always vary.

In the kitchen, some people insist there is only one way to prepare a dish. But unlike baking, which has pretty much hard and fast rules to achieve reliable results, cookery can adapt according to many variables. If a certain item is not available, we substitute with another that we have on hand. Some of the best recipes have come about because of mistakes made in a recipe or dislike of a listed ingredient. For example, my family hates celery. I don’t mind celery. In fact, I really like celery. Celery is a common and necessary component in the mirepoix of almost any soup, stew or braise. As a compromise, I substitute fennel for the celery in many of my recipes, and often find I can tolerate the result. I may find that I like it even better.

There is always more than one way to look at things – in life and in the kitchen. Just because it has never been done that way before doesn’t necessarily mean it will turn out a disaster. And if it does, we can always look forward to the opportunity to try again to get it right. I believe we all just need to keep trying.

That’s what resolutions are for. Happy New Year!

POACHED HALIBUT WITH LEEKS AND FENNEL SERVED WITH CRISPY FINGERLING POTATOES AND SAUCE GRIBICHE Serves 4 One may look at this recipe and think that it sounds very strange.

Whole milk has a very high fat content and absorbs the flavor of the herbs and garlic even better than water or stock. I use it here not

only as the poaching liquid, but also added to the bowl as a wonderful finishing sauce.

1 pound halibut (or cod) fillet, skin and bones removed and cut into 4 portions 6 cups whole milk 1 sprig fresh rosemary 2 large cloves garlic, smashed 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf ½ teaspoon kosher salt A few grinds of pepper 2 large leeks, white and light green part only 1 large bulb of fresh fennel 1 pound fingerling potatoes cut in half lengthwise and boiled in salted water until just tender ¼ cup olive oil Add milk, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper to a large pan with straight sides. Turn heat to medium high and allow milk to just come to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cut leeks lengthwise into 4 pieces and rinse well under running water. Cut the fennel vertically into four pieces and trim center core out of each piece. Bundle a piece of fennel and a piece of leek together and tie with kitchen string. Place bundles into simmering milk, cover pan and allow to braise for 30 to 40 minutes until very soft. Carefully remove bundles from milk to a plate. Cover and keep warm. Add fish to simmering milk; cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat another large saute pan to medium high and add olive oil to completely cover bottom. When hot, lay fingerling potatoes cut side down and allow to fry until nicely browned. Season potatoes with salt and pepper. Carefully place fish into individual bowls. Remove string from bundles and tuck a piece of leek and fennel alongside each piece of fish. Ladle with a bit of the still hot milk, avoiding the herbs and garlic. Top each piece of fish with sauce gribiche and serve with the crispy fingerlings.

SAUCE GRIBICHE Sauce gribiche is a classic French-style tarter type sauce that is delicious with hot or cold fish, chicken or vegetables.

1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped 4 cornichons, finely chopped 1 tablespoon capers, finely chopped 1 sprig flat leaf parsley 2 tablespoons flavorless oil such as grapeseed or canola 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar Salt and pepper to taste In a small bowl add the chopped egg, cornichon, capers and parsley. Mix well. Fold in the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 31

NWNosh

Afuri

923 SE 7th Ave., Portland 503-468-5001 afuri.us/#about Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 5-10 pm; Friday-Saturday 4-11 pm; Sunday 5-9 pm

Japanese skewers (from left): Shishito pepper,Tsukune, Zucchini, Teba and Negima.

Afuri brings Japan’s clear broth to ramen dining

By Kerry Politzer

The ramen craze has taken over Portland and indeed much of the country. But until now, one style of ramen has predominated. Afuri’s Taichi Ishizuki explains that tonkotsu ramen, first popularized at Ippudo New York, has since become the default in this country. However, this creamy, cloudy, pork-based style is not what is offered at Afuri. Says Taichi, “Generally, there are two ways to make the ramen broth. One is called chintan; the other one is called paitan, or tonkotsu-style.

Chintan, which is what we do, means clear broth. We take out the fat component carefully; our broth has different kinds of chicken, fish, veggies. It’s more complex, delicate and smooth, and healthier.” Afuri offers thin, whole wheat noodles in a light broth accented with Japanese citrus and salt, or soy sauce, or roasted green tea and truffle oil. Since the broths are not pork32 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

based, diners can enjoy chicken-based or even vegan noodle soups. The ramen noodles, which are thin like soba, contain no egg.

While Afuri has 10 locations in Japan, Portland is its first location outside of Japan. One reason our city was chosen was for its water. Taichi explains, “Portland’s water has between 17 and 25 parts per million (of dissolved solids), which is considered super-soft. Hard water, like the water in say, Los Angeles, has lots of other components – manganese, magnesium, calcium.” These components affect the allimportant broth.

In Japan, restaurants tend to specialize in one particular item; for example, a tempura restaurant would never serve sushi, and a sushi restaurant would never serve tempura. But in the United States, many Japanese restaurants serve a variety of items since most American diners are not accustomed to

single-item menus. (chef ’s bowl) and delicious grilled zucchini While Afuri has 10 Taichi remarks, “In Japan, we only focus skewers. Desserts change frequently; on a locations in Japan, on ramen, not other stuff, but here we have recent night, the mixed berry mint sorbet brought homemade tofu and skewers, which was very refreshing. An impressive bar Portland is its first use the beautiful ingredients in Portland. location outside of Japan. menu offers many varieties of sake and We grill with charcoal. We have two teams several unique cocktails with Japanese One reason our city was ingredients. in the kitchen – one for ramen and one for everything else. That makes us able to Diners are encouraged to arrive as chosen was for its water. specialize in other things.” early as possible, as Afuri does not take Those other things include delectable reservations. However, the restaurant is grilled salmon over a bed of velvety edamame puree, perfectly quite large, with seating in the dining room and bar. fried chicken (kara age), a small jewel box of sashimi over rice

Genshiyaki grilles

Yuzu Shio ramen

Sake OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 33

Life mirrors art at ART’s play and exhibit

By Deborah Moon

A 101-year-old artist’s first show and the Northwest premiere of a play about aging will work in concert to explore how art and technology preserve personal identity as memories fade.

The parallel presentations will be at Artist Repertory Theatre, Feb. 7-March 5.

“It’s About Time” is the title of Estelle Meadoff ’s exhibit, which will feature collages and paintings that she creates prolifically. A former Artists Rep board member, her daughter, Jan Baross, 73, showed some of her mother’s work to Amy Henderson, the executive director of the Geezer Gallery, which is in residence at ART. In general, Geezer Gallery invites elder artists to read a script Estelle Meadoff, at her 101st birthday party, and create visual art with her daughter, Jan Baross, of Portland. responding to the play. But when Amy saw Estelle’s work she realized it was a perfect complement to ART’s upcoming production of “Marjorie Prime,” in which 85-year-old Marjorie struggles to keep hold of her memories and identity, assisted by an artificial version of her late husband.

“This was the other way around,” says Amy. “The work is not tied to the play, Estelle is.” “ ‘Marjorie Prime’ is a story about aging and how identity is defined by memory and what happens when memory starts to fade,” says Amy. “Jan’s mom, who will turn 102 as the play ends, is in the last years of a long life. As memories fade, she uses her painting to make memories immortal, to document things that inspire her. Painting is something to look forward to; it’s not just nostalgia. As we grow older, many of us have a hard time looking forward.”

Also an artist, Jan sketches Artist Rep plays when she is in town. She travels frequently sketching places she visits and producing books on what she finds. Her most recent book, Ms 34 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

Baross goes to Cuba, grew out of a writers tour to Cuba in October 2015. She also spends a few months at an artists’ village in Mexico each year.

The last time she visited her mom, who lives in California, Estelle packed about 50 of her paintings in a large suitcase and told Jan to take them because she didn’t have room for all her work.

Describing her approach to art, Estelle says, “My paintings and collages are spread around my kitchen, and I work at layering and painting them a little at a time.

But I work quickly and sometimes I make several a day.”

For her mom’s first show, Jan shares this condensed history of Estelle’s life:

Cuba is the topic of the most recent book of sketches and vignettes by Estelle’s daughter, Jan Baross.

Born on March 15, 1915, in Memphis, she earned a master’s degree from UCLA in social work, married Dr. Nathan Meadoff, an orthopedic surgeon, and lived in Bakersfield, CA, for 25 years. She was involved in politics, played bridge and raised two children.

After her husband’s death at age 54 in 1967, she moved to London and lived in a five-star hotel for 30 years.

She attended painting classes at West Dean College and various locations on the continent. At age 83 she moved to Santa Barbara, where she now lives in a hotel suite. … The only concession to old age is a walker, which she usually forgets to use. She gave up driving at 98, wears glasses to read and is careful about her diet, but thinks exercise is “an abomination.”

“She paints voraciously,” says Amy. “Estelle’s creative efforts will help us provide access to the arts for seniors without the means to participate.”

Proceeds from artwork sold at the gallery are divided between the artist and the gallery to support its programs for seniors. The Geezer Gallery proCollage/painting by Estelle Meadoff. vides therapeutic arts programming for low-income seniors in the Portland metro area.

Amy encourages people to drop by the gallery anytime the ART box office is open. Geezer Gallery shows are open throughout the day, not just before and after the play.

The ART of Aging Feb. 7-March 5

Artists Repertory Theatre & Geezer Gallery Present “Marjorie Prime” on the Alder Stage “It’s About Time” in the Morrison lobby Play tickets: artistsrep.org, 503241-1278, or box office at 1515 SW Morrison, Portland.

Gallery admission: free during Artists Rep box office hours, noon-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday and during evening shows.

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Jan Baross shows off two of her mother’s paintings that will be in the Geezer Gallery exhibit. “There is something about her pigs that seems to bring express her wonderful sense of humor – the expression on their faces or their body language,” says Jan. Photo by Deborah Moon.

503-784-1855

JoeMenashe@RealtyTrust.com OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 35

Patti Waitman-Ingebretsen shows off the quilt given to her by Morris Shlaifer. See this and other historical quilts at the Multnomah Historical Society display through January at the Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland.

By Polina Olsen

Beautiful quilt brings a lifelong interest and connection

When Patti Waitman-Ingebretsen grew up in Maplewood in the 1940s and ’50s, the neighborhood had a small-town, rural feel. Located west of Multnomah Village and bordered by Southwest 45th Avenue, Southwest Vermont Street and Southwest Multnomah Boulevard, the area was incorporated into the City of Portland during the 1950s.

Patti attended the Multnomah School in what is now the Multnomah Arts Center and gained a reputation as a stellar neighborhood babysitter. She and her brother became favorites of a childless couple who lived across the street.

“We always called them Mr. and Mrs. Shlaifer,” Patti says.

“He was a retired tailor. On my 13th birthday, he arrived on our 36 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

doorstep with a gift. It was an amazing reversible quilt made of plaid umbrella silks. The matching pillow was from a design on the top of an umbrella. The most significant part of the pillow was that Mr. Shlaifer said the down filling had come from the old country. Which old country, I never asked.”

The down filling’s origin and the history of the Shlaifers turned into a lifelong interest. An active member of the Multnomah Historical Association and a passionate genealogist, Patti set out to learn about her neighbor’s roots. She sorted through spelling variations like Schlaifer, Schliefer, Schlaiffer and Shliefer and found records from Ellis Island, the census and city directories. She researched newspaper archives and contacted relatives she discovered in Portland and beyond. She drove around the Old South Portland immigrant district to

identify buildings where the couple had lived and worked. “I wanted to flesh this out to make them into real people, not just facts on paper,” she says.

Not much is known. Moritz Schleifer and his brother, Jacob, emigrated from Odessa in 1910 and made their way to Oregon Morris Shlaifer pictured on his naturalization records. with the help of the Industrial Removal Office. This organization, founded by trustees of Baron de Hirsh, helped disperse Jews from the lower East Side of New York to Jewish communities throughout the country. Moritz later changed his name to Morris Shlaifer. He worked as a tailor and in 1930 married Becky Bernstein, who had immigrated with her family from the Russian Empire. Morris and Becky belonged to Congregation Shaarie Torah and are buried in its cemetery.

According to Oregonian articles, Morris engaged in real estate development, and Becky became active in a committee to aid the Jewish National Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Patti’s big regret is not finding a single photograph of the couple. The only image she has is from Morris’ citizenship papers. She is by no means finished and plans to continue her research. “Just because they didn’t have children doesn’t mean nobody should remember them,” she says. “I don’t want them to be forgotten. I feel connected to them.”

MULTNOMAH ARTS CENTER

The Regional Arts Resource EXHIBITS Through January Multnomah Historical Society Display Jan. 6-31 Main Gallery: Tatyana Ostapenko’s Open Air: Oils on canvas and wood HOURS 9 am-9:30 pm, Monday-Friday 9 am-5 pm, Saturday & Sunday LOCATION 7688 SW Capitol Hwy. Portland, OR 97219 PHONE 503-823-2787

Coming in February 2017

The

Wedding Issue TM

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Home & ifestyle L Remodel creates space for family and art

By Deborah Moon

38 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

AFTER Balancing the need for space for their daughter and grandson and an extensive art collection, Ted Nelson and Curt Shaffstall initially decided to remodel their home.

Then they saw a secluded house five minutes from downtown that would perfectly accommodate their family and had the potential to be a showcase for their paintings, prints and one of the largest collections of mid-century Dutch ceramics in the world.

Ted and Curt had accumulated an extensive collection of paintings and prints before they adopted Keyaira and Quanie when they were 7 and 8. In recent years Curt has focused on collecting ceramics from the Netherlands.Their son, now 26, is a manager at McMenamins Edgefield.

Built into a hill, the ground level on the downhill side was ideal for 25-year-old Keyaira and her 2-year-old son Izaakh, with bedrooms, family room and a small kitchen. It is also an easy commute to Izaakh’s preschool at Congregation Beth Israel, where Ted serves as the congregation’s president. The main level and upstairs master suite was where the home needed work.

Interior designer and contractor Robert Trotman, who had

BEFORE been working with the couple on a remodel of their previous home, agreed the house could become a special home.

“This is a perfect example of Northwest architecture,” says Robert. “The traditional, over-embellished style was nice, but it was fighting with the original architecture.”

Curt says, “Our goal was to make it more contemporary and fit the architecture of the home.”

For instance, the heavy wood railing dividing the dining area and the living room didn’t fit with the open floor plan.

“Indoor fencing is a pet peeve of mine – it just had to go,” says Curt.

Ted says initially he didn’t like the home; it seemed gloomy.

“But it had the potential of being light and airy. It wasn’t, but it had the potential.”

A balcony built over the entryway was blocking the natural light from windows and a skylight in the master suite. Removing the balcony not only brightened the entire house, it also providOREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 39

Curt Shaffstall has one of the largest collections of mid-century Dutch ceramics in the world including works by Henny Radijs, Jan de Rodden, Johnny Rolf, Hans de Jong, Pieter Groeneveldt, three generations of the Zaalberg family and from several of the eight generations of the Mobach family to work in ceramics. Photos by Deborah Moon.

Curt and Ted with their daughter, Keyaira, and grandson, Izaakh.

ed space for a 7.5' x 9.5' painting by Milton Wilson that they have owned for about 25 years.

Curt says Robert, who served as the contractor for the project as well as the interior designer, came up with several other changes to brighten the 1981 home. They added lighting and brightened the walls. Interior doors were widened to the full width of the hallway, and a window at the end of the hall was expanded so one can see from one end of the home to the other and outside to the surrounding forest. Curt also enjoys not being able to see any nearby homes from any of the windows and still be five minutes from town, which he says is “pretty amazing.”

Robert says the biggest challenge was the off-center fireplace in the living room. They were able to gain space and brighten the room by putting in a zero clearance fireplace and running the flue at a 45-degree angle to the chimney. Since the new fireplace is a flatter, sealed unit and does not need a hearth, it only projects 22 inches into the room instead of the 42 inches the old fireplace stuck out.

When the changes were complete Ted says he was amazed.

40 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

“I expected the house was going to look nicer, but the house was transformed,” says Ted. Curt agrees, “We didn’t expect to love this house as much as we do. We are so happy to be here.”

The couple took possession of the home March 22 and moved in July 7, 2016, after the transformation was complete.

Curt and Ted stand in front of their 7.5' x 9.5' painting by Milton Wilson.

In part because they needed a space for the painting they have owned for 25 years, they removed the balcony that ran across the wall where the painting now hangs. Removing the balcony also greatly increased the natural light in the main level of the home.

“Our goal was to make it more contemporary and fit the architecture of the home.”

– Curt Shaffstall

Getting Your Home Ready for

The Big One

Ted had purchased a mezuzah when he was in Tel Aviv in May as the chair of the Portland Organizing Committee for the “See Israel with Pride” mission. Portland took seven participants on the Jewish Federations of North America trip to experience Israeli culture, politics and character through a LGBTQ lens. He affixed that mezuzah to a side door.

For the front entry, they planned a gathering at their new home culminating in a ceremony in which Rabbi Michael and Cantor Ida Rae Cahana of Beth Israel affixed a second mezuzah to the front doorpost.

Photo by Tzur Kotzer

By Polina Olsen

When Israel recently donated earthquake-proof tables to Taiwan, Oregonians were impressed. Created by a Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design student, the tables shield two people from being crushed by debris during disasters such as the 6.6-magnitude earthquake that killed 117 people in Tainan in February 2016 (See page 42).

The issue hits close to home. According to a July 20, 2015, New Yorker article by Kathryn Schulz titled “The Really Big One,” the odds of an 8.0–8.6-magnitude earthquake in the Pacific Northwest are one in three during the next 50 years. The odds of an 8.7–9.2-magnitude earthquake during the next 50 years are about one in 10. Known as “The Really Big One,” FEMA estimates that roughly 13,000 people would die and 27,000 would be injured in the worst natural disaster in Northwest history.

The graphic article describes what to expect: homes sliding off their foundations; refrigerators, water heaters and furniture crashing; half of all bridges and two-thirds of railways and airports destroyed along with groceries, gas stations and the entire power grid. In 2011, the 9.0magnitude Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami killed more than 18,000, devastated northeast Japan, triggered the Fukushima power plant meltdown and cost about $220 billion.

Still, Schulz writes, “those who are at home when (the earthquake) hits should be safest; it is easy and relatively inexpensive to seismically safeguard a private dwelling.”

So, what can you do to mitigate the devastation?

“Your home’s age determines how well it will withstand an earthquake,” says Steve Gemmell, the owner of Earthquake Tech (earthquaketech.com, 503-282-4424), a Portland company that specializes in seismic retrofit. “It wasn’t until 1976 that Portland adopted a building code that required wooden structures to be connected to their foundation. The wooden structure of anything built before 1976 will bump right off the foundation.

“There is no such thing as earthquake proof,” he continues. “No matter OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 41

what you do, the building will be affected. The main thing is to connect the foundation of your house to the wooden structure. You should also get your gas line protected. We have valves that close when they sense movement.”

Even homes built after 1976 could require further work, according to Gemmell. “As Portland developed, so has the building code,” he says. “Since 1976 there have been many changes. We go into homes built in the ’90s and add plywood and metal connections. Many decks were built without taking the solidity of the connection to the house into consideration. We also do nonstructural retrofitting of appliances and bookshelves. If your home was built after 2000, there’s not much that would warrant a structural retrofit.”

The cost and time involved in a seismic retrofit varies according to size and other variables. “A modest-sized home takes one day,” Gemmell says. “Most bids are between $3,000 and $6,000. It can go up in large homes, or with complications like asbestos siding. A gas valve alone is about $600.”

Like many homeowners, Gemmell hopes for the best and plans for the worst. “I bolted my house down,” he says. “It’s going to be traumatic for everyone and hard to live though while we wait for help. We won’t have gas, electricity, roads – and how about food and water?”

Israel design academy creates safe spaces

Earthquake-proof tables designed in Israel are ready to protect students in Taiwan’s ancient city of Tainan.

Following the February 2016 earthquake in Tainan, Asher Yarden, head of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, decided to cancel the office's Israel Independence Day celebration and use the budget to purchase the Israeli-designed tables and donate them to the city in southern Taiwan. Two of the desks are on display in an exhibition on disaster-prevention education, and the rest are for eight elementary and junior high schools that were damaged in the quake.

The earthquake-proof table, engineered to shield two students from a ton of debris, is an Israeli innovation designed as a final project by student Arthur Brutter at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design’s Industrial Design Department. The tables use standard metal profiles and a single plywood panel, so they are relatively inexpensive to construct anywhere. The trick is in the geometric shape and special combination of profiles of different sizes, which create predictable crush zones.

Ducking under a sturdy desk improves the odds of ending up in a “survivable void space” if the building collapses. The space under a sturdy table or desk is likely to remain even if the building collapses.

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[Young Adult]

After BDS vote, PSU students focus on celebrating Israel

By Peter Kranitz

Despite the passage of an anti-Israel Boycott, Divest, Sanction resolution in the Portland State University student senate, the Jewish students remain energized, united and resolute.

Since the Oct. 22 BDS vote, students and community members have been able to breathe a “sigh of relief,” according to Brennan Thorpe, a PSU student, StandWithUs Emerson Fellow and president of the PSU Cultural and Historical Association for Israel.

“Everyone as a community Students from Portland State University and Lewis & Clark College meet with, at left, Andy David, Pacific Northwest consul general to Israel. took a few weeks to deal with all the emotions, the frustraof the votes that happened, so without the community we tion, the sadness,” Brennan wouldn’t be able to do the work that we do,” Rhonda says. “I says. “Now we’re just excited ... because we can move on.” hope that with the community support we will be able to conBrennan says that CHAI, the Jewish Student Union and tinue to build on our Israel programming.”

Hillel will continue to host Israeli cultural events with a Deliberations over the BDS measure began last November, positive and celebratory atmosphere. Now that the vote has and PSU students and pro-Israel community members worked happened, they can focus all of their energies on these events. for nearly a year to oppose the resolution and educate people “We’re excited to be planning different Israeli-themed events about Israeli history and culture. this year (such as) cultural parties, speakers and movies,” BrenCraig Berne, a member of the Israel Advocacy Committee of nan says. He hopes these events will “not just celebrate Israel, the Jewish Community Relations Council, attended the Oct. 22 but bring Israel to Portland State and to other students.” hearing to read a statement on behalf of the Jewish community Greater Portland Hillel Director Rhonda Kruschen also and was impressed by the resolve of the pro-Israel students at hopes to continue helping students celebrate Israel on their PSU. campus despite the BDS resolution.

“I really admire the students because they have tried to do “We want them to know that just because this resolution what they can, but they've also tried to be very realistic about passed on their campus, doesn’t mean that they have to stop what’s achievable, and they’ve also tried to be very positive,” celebrating the rich history and culture and everything they Craig says.

“They’ve tried, and I’m sure they will continue to appreciate about Israel,” Rhonda says. try to have positive engagement with people, education about She adds that the community as a whole has been essential Israel, celebrations of Israel, in a very positive way.” to helping Jewish students feel supported, and she hopes to see that support continue.

Peter Kranitz is an English major at Lewis & Clark College.

“Many of them showed up to hearings, worked behind the scenes, helped plan the Israel celebration last year during one OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 43

[Israel]

Portland Jewish professionals engage in a civil dialogue with Rabbi Doug Kahn. Photos by Deborah Moon

Keep it Civil: Understanding and respect enhance dialogue on Israel

By Deborah Moon

A Nov. 10 workshop on fostering a climate of civil discourse about Israel began by looking at the need for civility in the wake of Donald Trump’s unexpected victory in the presidential election two days earlier.

Long before election night, the Jewish Community Relations Council had invited Rabbi Doug Kahn to lead an in-depth discussion and training on managing the divergent perspectives on Israel and fostering a climate of civil discourse. He presented sessions for three groups – JCRC, Oregon Board of Rabbis and Jewish professionals. While the bulk of the program did indeed focus on Israel dialogue, the divisive tenor of the presidential 44 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

campaign and the victory celebrations of the far right fringe groups made the topic feel important in a broader context as well.

“This topic has huge impact … there has been a breakdown of civility in our country,” said Rabbi Kahn, director emeritus of the San Francisco JCRC. “We also have a mirror reflection in our Jewish community in the breakdown of civility.”

Noting that for several decades Israel served as a unifying force in America’s Jewish community, Rabbi Kahn said, “Today it is a flashpoint of division.”

He said the diverse perspectives on Israel began with the Second Intifada in 2000, were accelerated by the growth of BDS and have been complicated by the way in which social

“This topic has huge impact … there has been a breakdown of civility in our country. We also have a mirror reflection in our Jewish community in the breakdown of civility.”

media creates an echo chamber in which people only listen to opinions they agree with.

“We can no longer talk across the table,” he said.

“It may get more complex in this uncertain time of American-Israel relations and the two-state-solution future.”

The mandate of the JCRC is to be the voice of the organized Jewish community to the general community, he said, adding JCRCs should be ~ Rabbi Doug Kahn an example of civil discourse in the community and be inclusive of a broad range of viewpoints.

The division exacerbated by the BDS movement requires communities to develop tools to fulfill their main mission.

“It takes a lot of energy to say, ‘Our community is divided on Israel,’ ” said Rabbi Kahn, adding it is important to not create a toxic environment with that recognition.

He explained that expanding the definition of what it means to be pro-Israel can reduce some tensions, though communities should still set boundaries and decide what is beyond the pale. Discussing and creating guidelines is easier before a crisis arises in a community.

In addition to setting boundaries, Rabbi Kahn said it is important to remember the twin values of supporting Israel and supporting lively, robust speech. Training people to talk civilly makes upholding both values possible. He suggests creating a campaign around a “Year of Civil Discourse.”

“We need to help recover the lost art of how to talk to people with starkly different views,” he said. “We are enriched by hearing other views.”

He emphasized that “On most issues we can find some agreement.”

Rabbi Kahn said to create guidelines, the key is to get people into a room who represent broad perspectives but who want to build consensus. To move forward, people need to consider what they can live without and what they feel must be included in a policy regarding sponsorship of events and partnering with other groups.

Following the day of workshops, Portland JCRC Director Bob Horenstein said the JCRC will consider future sessions for a broader audience.

Rabbi Doug Kahn

Join Us Wednesday, March 1st • 7:00 PM

Join Portland Hadassah for an evening with the author:

Letty Cottin Pogrebin

A founding editor and writer for Ms. Magazine, Ms. Pogrebin is also the author of eleven books, including How To Be A Friend To A Friend Who's Sick. Pogrebin's advice about friendship and illness -infused with sensitivity, warmth, and (believe it or not) humor--is interwoven with boldly candid stories from her own journey through the land of the sick and her sometimes imperfect interactions with friends of hers who are sick or suffering.

Cost: $36, Includes wine, refreshments, and snacks Registration: online http://hadassah.org/events/pdxhbc

Fundraising for Hadassah Marlene Greenebaum Breast Cancer Institute

Co-sponsor Mittleman Jewish Community Center In support of Hadassah Bikkur Cholim Interest Group: Jewish Family & Child Service OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 45

Education provides ties to past, keys to future

EYE ON EDUCATION

46 Education Shapes Future 48 Eight myths about college admissions 50 Domestic Jewish Gap Year 52 Kabbalah Class Anniversary 53 Kollel's Keys to Knowledge 54 Education Briefs

By Deborah Moon

S “The Jewish Federation places enormous emphasis and importance on formal and informal Jewish education. This is the building block for Jewish continuity and our Jewish future.”

—Marc N. Blattner JFGP President and CEO

56 Emotional Intelligence 57 Education Directory

46 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

tretching back to the biblical commandment for parents to teach their children, Judaism has emphasized the importance of education.

Known as People of the Book, Jews have supported learning and flourished through education.

David Grubin’s 2008 PBS series and companion book Jewish Life in America reflects on the importance of education in Jewish life: “In America, education is the great leveler; it is the one thing that Jewish Americans immediately embraced as a path to opportunity for themselves and their children.”

That embrace of education remains strong. In 2013 Pew Research Center’s study on Jews in America reported: Most Jews are college graduates (58%), including 28% who say they have earned a post-graduate degree. By comparison, 29% of U.S. adults say they graduated from college, including 10% who have a postgraduate degree. That emphasis reflects the same reality in Israel, where a 2015 Pew study reported 96% of Jews in Israel said that a good secular education was important for their children.

Portland’s Jewish institutions have made education, both religious and secular, a priority.

“Knowledge is the power that connects us to our past and our creator,” says Rabbi Tzvi Fischer, dean of the Portland Kollel, which uses an education-focused mind-set to enhance Jewish life in Portland. “Learning is power. … Increasing knowledge and creativity is a way to combat apathy.”

The Oregon Jewish Community Foundation administers three scholarship funds: the Krichevsky Fund for students attending Jewish day school, and the Tarshis and Kailes scholarships for Jewish college students. Another college scholarship, the Sussman Fund, is administered by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

The JFGP also provides grants and tuition assistance for children in preschool through day school. Families who send a child to a Jewish preschool for the first time are eligible for up to $2,000 in tuition assistance. All three of Portland’s Jewish day schools receive funds through the federation’s annual allocations process: Maayan Torah Day School, $29,100; Maimonides Jewish Day School, $21,800; and Portland Jewish Academy, $216,430. The three schools also received a $20,000 grant to work with a consultant on enhancing education for students with special needs.

In addition to monetary support for Jewish education, the JFGP also provides programs for children and educators.

As JFGP’s director of educational initiatives, Rachel Rothstein Nelson oversees programs that impact learning from the earliest years, including the Right Start preschool grants mentioned above. She also coordinates PJ Library, which sends free Jewish books and music into the homes of children aged 6 months to 8 years, and PJ Our Way, offering books to children through age 11.

Locally, more than 1,300 kids receive PJ Library books each month with another 150 youth participating in PJ Our Way. A major part of Rachel's work deals with coordinating Portland Area Jewish Educators.

Under volunteer leadership, PAJE operated sporadically for decades. But for the past two years with a dedicated staff person (Rachel), PAJE has become a reliable resource for professional development opportunities for educators. Every other month PAJE brings together formal and informal educators from the day schools, supplemental schools, youth groups, camps and the JCC. The group has brought in national speakers and last fall hosted a Yom Limmud program with presentations by 20 educators.

“The Jewish Federation places enormous emphasis and importance on formal and informal Jewish education,” says JFGP President and CEO Marc N. Blattner. “This is the building block for Jewish continuity and our Jewish future. Moreover, we do this to not only teach Jewish texts and traditions, but to also provide immersive experiences for our youth to garner and use their Jewish knowledge, understanding, tools and perspectives to make an impact on the world.”

Top: STEAM – Portland Jewish Academy use electricity conducted by radishes to listen to recordings of music from Oaxaca and selections from Becoming Naomi León, by Pam Muñoz Ryan. The project was part of PJA’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math program. Fifth-graders read the book then used their laptops to record the excerpts and music on their laptops. They carved radishes (a tradition in Oaxaca) and learned that radishes can conduct electricity. By attaching circuitry into the radishes, and running it back to their computers, other students could touch those radishes and listen to their recorded work! The unusual project was presented at the Northwest Association of Independents Schools conference. PHOTO BY EDEN SWARTZ PHOTOGRAPHY Above: Rabbi Josh Rose plays music with preschoolers at the community Shabbat morning with The Carl Preschool – a morning of singing, crafts and stories celebrating Shabbat.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 47

Eight myths about college admissions

I

By Bryan Pisetsky, MS, IEC Certificate

t’s that time of year again. High school seniors across the country are feeling relieved as most have submitted their college applications by now. Therefore, it is time to shift attention to the juniors – this is an excellent time to start thinking about what they are looking for and what they are hoping to get out of their college experience.

To help alleviate some of the stress, I have compiled just a few common myths about the admissions process.

MYTH #1: There are bad colleges and there are good colleges.

There is no such thing a bad college. Educational institutions must be accredited regularly to make sure their academic standards are up to par. There are, however, colleges that might be a bad match for you, but those schools might be fantastic for somebody else. Wipe all preconceived notions about colleges from your mind and when you are looking at schools, ask, “Does this school fit my personality?” “Does it match my educational background?” “Will it help me meet my goals?” Just because you haven’t heard the name before, doesn’t mean it is not a good school.

MYTH #2: Colleges only choose the “best” students.

Not true at all. Remember, there is no formula. Colleges are trying to build a class, so maybe they need a violin player but you play the sax. Or maybe the last slot came down to you and a child of a faculty member. And who defines “best” by the way? Colleges consider many things, so don’t take a rejection personally.

MYTH #3: I must go to a prestigious university to get a great job or get into graduate school.

Nonsense. This may have once been the case, but colleges and universities have really upped their game over the past decades, making it more difficult for potential employers or graduate schools to solely rely on the name of your college. What will be key, is how well you do in college – both in terms of academics and in campus life. There is no evidence to suggest that only graduates from Ivy League schools will be the happiest, most successful, most humanitarian among us.

MYTH #4: The more expensive the school, the higher the quality.

College education is going to cost a lot no matter what. But just because a school is expensive, does not mean it offers a better education. The cost of attendance listed on college websites does not tell you about the quality of the program, but rather the size of endowments or state subsidies. It certainly does not speak to whether the school would be a good match for you.

Furthermore, you should never let the price tag sway you from

48 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

applying. Always keep in communication with the financial aid office.

MYTH #5: I need to go to a local school because it is cheaper.

Not necessarily. Per the Federal Student Aid website (studentaid.ed.gov), The Department of Education awards about $ 150 billion in grants, work study and low-interest loans to over 15 million students. Private schools also tend to have more money on hand to use for scholarships and therefore have the capacity to meet most, and in some cases, all of your needs.

MYTH #6: Good test scores are key to college admission.

Nope. Transcripts are what colleges value most. They not only want to see your grades but the courses you took. Did you challenge yourself ? How well did you do in your most difficult courses? These are the questions being asked by admissions officers.

Additionally, they are looking at your extracurricular activities as well as college essays. Increasingly, colleges are putting less emphasis on test scores. In fact, over 900 colleges are test optional and the list keeps growing.

MYTH #7: There’s a secret strategy that will guarantee admission.

Also no. There is no secret strategy that will ensure admissions.

There is also no secret formula held by admissions officers to determine admission. Just be yourself. No need to get a letter of recommendation from a senator or CEO if they don’t personally know you. Admission officers are quick to see through any gimmicks or attempted strategies and will often pass those applications by.

MYTH #8: I don’t know what I want to major in so I can’t really choose a college.

It’s OK to enter college without a major; most colleges ask that you declare by the end of your sophomore year. And most college students will change their major at least three times before graduation. Another interesting fact is that there is only a 1 in 10 chance you will be doing something related to your major 10 years after college.

Source: College Match. 11th Edition. Steven R. Antonoff

Bryan has over four years of college admission experience as well as a master’s degree in counseling and guidance with a college student personnel specialization. He also completed a certificate in Independent Educational Consulting from the University of California, Irvine.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 49

EYE ON EDUCATION

Tivnu: Shaping young Jewish adults through social justice work

By Shuly Wasserstrom

GAP YEAR REGISTRATION TIVNU:

Building Justice Registration is open for 2017-18 gap year cohort.

PRIORITY APPLICATION DEADLINE

(including a $4,000 early bird discount): Jan. 1 STANDARD APPLICATION

T

en years ago, it was just gaining traction.

Then it became a trend. But today taking a gap year between high school and college is the norm. Teens who choose not to go straight to college have dozens of options for what to do with their time. Some travel, some work and some join programs like Portland’s Tivnu, a gap year program that explores connections between Jewish life, social justice and community service.

Although relatively new, with its first year in 2014, Tivnu has become established as a one-of-a-kind program for 17- to 20-year-olds.

Participants live together in a house in Northeast Portland, intern at various organizations and volunteer their time to hands-on social justice activism. Jewish programming and outdoorfocused trips are also offered throughout the year.

Nadav Furgang, a Massachusetts native, participated in the program last year and says the experience was life-changing. He spent the year dividing his time among three internships – at Habitat for Humanity, Sisters of the Road cafe and Living Room, a part of Central City Concern.

Nadav says he was originally drawn to the 50 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

Nadav Furgang, right, with two other Tivnu participants from last year’s cohort, at Parke Diem, Portland’s largest citywide volunteer event for maintenance projects in city parks and natural areas. program because he wanted to spend his gap year volunteering. To attend, he deferred from Middlebury College, where he is now a freshman.

The Vermont college actually encourages students to defer and take a gap year, Nadav says.

In college now, Nadav says the year in Portland equipped him with life experience he wouldn’t otherwise have. “It’s not a program meant to prepare you for an intense academic setting, but it helps you mature and learn to manage your life,” he says. “Having done a variety of hands-on work during my year in Portland has helped me handle big assignments in school better.”

Nadav says his time on Tivnu gave him tools to begin an independent life as an adult. “There’s a great balance of support and independence on the program,” he says.

At Sisters of the Road cafe, he learned a sense

DEADLINE

(with a $2,000 discount): March 1 FINAL DEADLINE:

April 25.

TIVNU 503-232-1864 steve@tivnu.org tivnu.org

EYE ON EDUCATION of community, but it wasn’t always easy. “It’s a cross between a food kitchen and a cafe, and most people pay for food with barter, so I was in the kitchen working alongside people who worked to eat,” he says. “But it was great to have a support system within Tivnu, since the placements are tough and challenging.”

He made lifelong friends on the program and credits the communal living for preparing him better for living in the dorms. The housemates cook and eat together two to three times a week, including Shabbat.

“We didn’t just get lucky that we all got along so well. The program did a good job knowing how to help us work and live together,” Nadav explains.

The cohort from last year, made up of eight people, was only the second, giving each student an opportunity to make an impact on the program going forward. “Everyone had a say in how we wanted it to run so it could be the best experience for those involved,” Nadav says.

Steve Eisenbach-Budner started the gap year program two years ago out of a desire to create an experience for young people that would combine Jewish practice with hands-on work.

2016-17 Tivnu participants David, Sophie, Noah and Yoni proudly pose in front of a Habitat for Humanity home they helped construct in the Cully neighborhood, along with Tivnu construction coach Erik Brakstad (second from right).

Tivnu was the first Jewish gap year program in the United States, Steve says. “Most Jewish gap year programs are in Israel. But I figure these young adults will end up living in the United States, so it’s important to give them the option of an intensive practicum in Jewish life here.”

He wanted to offer young adults a rich Jewish experience that was also about social justice and making the world a better place.

“Pieces of our Jewishness can contribute to young adults becoming more competent adults,” he says. “In high school, it’s all about academics. Tivnu is much more than that, and different kids get to shine in different ways,” he says.

The program aims to be holistic, starting with head, heart and hands. This often means teaching a whole set of skills that many young Jewish adults don’t have. Almost all of the participants work for Habitat for Humanity as a core part of the programming.

Continued on page 52

Jewish Education on the East Side It’s different over here.

shirtikvahpdx.org

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 51

EYE ON EDUCATION While most graduates of the program will likely work in a professional capacity other than physical labor, Steve sees value in teaching those skills to strengthen a sense of self. “It’s valuable for both men and women to learn a sense of confidence in their bodies. To be able to build a house is a really profound thing,” he says.

Steve says he sees growth and change in the participants during their nine months in Portland, and hears the same from parents. “Soon after I created the program, I found that as much as it’s about Judaism and social justice, it’s also very much about supporting the kids as they grow into adulthood.”

By the end of the program, each participant has given around 1,000 hours to the community. As Steve points out, with eight participants, that’s 8,000 volunteer hours, the equivalent of four full-time jobs. Organizations where the participants volunteer are extremely appreciative.

“We’ve formed strong relationships with many different nonprofits as they’ve grown to appreciate the great work that our participants are contributing. We’re trying to help these organizations build their capacity so they can do more of the great work that they’re already doing,” Steve says.

The program hopes to double in size next year, expanding to a second house and eventually to another city.

Steve says grant money from various foundations makes it possible for more than half of Tivnu participants to receive tuition assistance. There are also two scholarship options for members or alumni of BBYO or Jewish community centers.

Kabbalah of the Soul celebrates its first anniversary

By Polina Olsen

I

T STARTED AS A 10-WEEK CLASS – but nobody wanted to stop. That’s why Kabbalah of the Soul is celebrating its first year with no end in sight. Led by Rabbi Shneur (pronounced Shnare) Wilhelm and taught each Monday evening at Chabad House on Southwest Vermont, the class inspires everyone who comes – and even many who don’t.

Each class is recorded and posted on the Soundcloud website (soundcloud.com/ kabbalah-of-the-soul). More than 2,000 people from places such as Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Israel, Russia and Turkey have tuned in.

Based on the Tanya, a book written by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), the founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, the class examines the big question: “What am I and what is my potential?” This is done in a practical and accessible way.

“The Kabbalah is deep and difficult unless it’s explained,” Rabbi Shneur says. “The Tanya is the practical application of the Kabbalah to our day-to-day life. The class is not something out of this world. It’s taking the lofty and inaccessible and making it applicable.

Jim Stone has been curious about the Tanya for many years, so he welcomed the chance to learn. “This class provides insight into the

52 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

Kabbalistic side of Chabad,” he says. “It’s stimulating and gets you thinking. The people in the class are very friendly, and there are always snacks. I can’t believe it’s been a year.”

Melissa Bloom has also participated since the class began. “We are going though the Tanya chapter by chapter, verse by verse,” she says.

“Rabbi Shneur does an amazing job by not only focusing on the week but also encouraging spontaneous questions and discussions. I’ve taken breaks. Over the summer I couldn’t go for the most part, but when I came back I didn’t feel lost. Anyone on any Judaic level can jump in and walk away inspired. Every week, I have something to talk about over Shabbat dinner.”

Join Rabbi Shneur for Kabbalah of the Soul each Monday from 8:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Chabad House, 2317 SW Vermont St., Portland. The class is in English, so no Hebrew is required. Men and women at all levels of Jewish experience are invited to drop in; suggested donation is $5. For more information, visit soundcloud.com/kabbalah-of-the-soul or email rabbishneur@chabadoregon.com.

Rabbi Shneur Wilhelm (center facing camera) leads the weekly Kabbalah of the Soul class in Southwest Portland. Photo By Ken Klein

Kollel classes offer keys to Jewish knowledge

By Deborah Moon

T

think from an analytical perspective.” wice a week, Portland Kollel Rabbi Gadi The class typically spends three to four classes Levy helps groups of adults understand on a sugya (piece of Talmud). Students use the the “key that opens up the wealth of tools in their class notebooks to work through the Talmud.” four lines of relevant text that have been isolated The Talmud is the encyclopedia of Jewish for the lesson.

For instance, in addition to the law and Jewish thought. The Talmud is also the literal translation of each word, the notebooks medium whereby the rabbis and teachers taught identify key words that always have the same students how to view and accurately analyze meaning.

When a line says a rabbi “attacks,” it contemporary issues. means he is going to attack a statement. Since the Looking at a page of Talmud is intimidating, literal translation does not make sense, students explains the rabbi. Aramaic is complicated and use the tools provided to create a sentence that with no punctuation it is hard to determine makes sense and get deeper into the meaning. if something is a statement or question. But Each week students try to work through those Rabbi Gadi Levy Professional Beit Midrash, a program developed four lines with a study partner for the first 45 by brothers Rabbi Gabi Brett and Rabbi Dani minutes of class, and then Rabbi Levy presents Brett, isolates a small piece and brings people to a comfort level the shiur (class) during the second 45 minutes. with the text.

He gets incredible pleasure when a student offers an insight “Before I got this system, it was hard to study with someone he has not heard before or asks a question he doesn’t know the with no Talmudic background,” says Rabbi Levy. “This system answer to and has to research. puts us on an equal plane where we are able to discuss it from an Continued on page 54 analytical perspective. …Talmud’s role is to train our minds to

Inspiring passionate learners PreK-12 Join us to learn more about our schools: Shadow Days and Family Tours through February Find more details and register for events on our website.

Deadline for non-resident enrollment requests is Feb. 17.

503-262-4847 • www.riverdaleschool.com

Grade School • 11733 SW Breyman Ave., Portland High School • 9727 SW Terwilliger Blvd., Portland OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 53

EYE ON EDUCATION “When I look it up and find a rabbi in the 1400s asked that exact same question … it’s really special,” he says.

Ari Rothstein, who has spent “the better part of a year” in one of the Professional Beit Midrash classes, says the rabbi’s excitement is evident. “Rabbi Levy is very engaging. This is something he loves and it is clearly a big part of his life.”

In addition to Rabbi Levy’s enthusiasm, Ari says he enjoys the topic and the comradery of the weekly group.

“When you study in chevruta (partner) style, it drives an intense conversation,” says Ari. “You don’t want to let your partner down by not being there or not keeping up with the content.”

Rosh Kollel Rabbi Tzvi Fischer says the Professional Beit Midrash classes are just one example of the many study groups run by Kollel rabbis. For example, when seven people wanted to learn kabbalistic insights recently, Rabbi Chanan Spivak created a Monday night class to explore that topic. In addition to forming study groups (minimum of three interested adults for monthly classes or five or more for weekly classes), the Kollel also offers drop-in chevruta (partner) study sessions each week, presents three-week series on particular topics and has a variety of holiday programs. Kollel rabbis will also meet for a one-time session to help an individual struggling with a particular topic.

For more information on Kollel programs, call 503-245-5420 or visit Portlandkollel.org.

Join us for a timely program Oregon Holocaust Memorial

Places of Remembrance, participatory/ facilitated discussion OJMCHE, 724 NW Davis St. Free and open to the public

Education Briefs MULTI-FAITH COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM SET The Kenyon Institute, a series of summer writing workshops and intellectual experiences for adults, has opened registration for its 2017 faith-focused program, Beyond Walls: Spiritual Writing at Kenyon.

During this one-week, writing-intensive program, participants connect with clergy of all faiths while learning how to reach seekers and believers beyond their congregational and denominational walls.

Participants also focus on improving the expressiveness

cbi’s annual

Dr. Martin luther King, Jr. shabbat service friday, january

Discussions include a comparative look at U.S. governmental processes and the importance for our own civic engagement today.

724 NW Davis St., Portland, OR 97209 | 503-226-3600 | www.ojmche.org 54 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

13, 6 pm

congregation beth israel

Please join us as we celebrate the work of Dr. King and welcome our keynote speakers.

JANUARY 18 6:30pm Places of Remembrance is based on the Holocaust memorial in Berlin where over 90 antisemitic laws are displayed. Participants will have an opportunity to consider the legislative and social processes, including the slow passage of dehumanizing laws that led to an environment of full-scale genocide.

and authenticity of their spiritual writings. The program’s multi-faith approach is founded on the belief that all spiritual leaders can learn from the writing traditions of those in other faiths.

Seminars and lectures will be led by respected spiritual writers and journalists, including Jonathan Merritt, award-winning writer and contributing writer for The Atlantic and senior columnist for Religion News Service; Sarah Lefton, founder of G_dcast (now BimBam); and Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, named by the Forward as one of America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis.

Dr. Geneva Craig

The lives of Dr. Geneva Craig and Mary Liuzzo Lilleboe were joined as teenagers in Selma, Alabama.

Geneva was attacked on Bloody Sunday as she marched on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Mary lost her mother, Viola Liuzzo, as she was murdered by the KKK at the end of the Selma to Montgomery March. Together Geneva and Mary use their personal stories to inspire us today to fight for justice.

Mary Liuzzo Lilleboe

Our service will include music from the NW Gospel Choir and CBI’s Kol Echad Choir to celebrate Dr. King’s enduring legacy.

1972 NW Flanders Street , Portland, OR 97209 503-222-1069 • www.bethisrael-pdx.org

A daily social media workshop will also be offered.

Beyond Walls will take place July 9 through 15 on the campus of Kenyon College in Gambier, OH. Financial aid is available. kenyoninstitute.org JEWISH EDUCATOR TRAINING ENHANCED

BY INVESTMENT A $45 million investment over six years from the Jim Joseph Foundation to Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion, The Jewish Theological Seminary and Yeshiva University has yielded striking results. Among them are unprecedented numbers of graduate Jewish education degree and credentialed students, new and better

trained Jewish educators, educator professional career advancement and 20 new educator training programs at the three institutions.

The landmark investment, known collectively as the Education Initiative, supported increased institutional collaboration and improved marketing to prospective students.

“The Education Initiative significantly increased the number of Jewish educators and laid the foundation for new programs and approaches to train the next generation of Jewish educators and leaders,” says Mark Schneider, vice president and institute fellow at American Institutes for Research, the principal investigator on this evaluation.

Jim Joseph Foundation

Executive Director Chip Edelsberg adds, “The 1,500 educators from these programs will influence Jewish life and learning for tens of thousands of learners throughout their careers”.

HEBREW UNIVERSITY STUDENTS HIGHLY EMPLOYABLE An analysis of graduates’ employability published by Times Higher Education ranks graduates of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as the 67th most employable in the world. The ranking also positions Hebrew University graduates as the most employable students graduating in Israel.

The Global University Employability Ranking reveals

which universities recruiters at top companies think are the best at preparing students for the workplace. Respondents were asked to define what they looked for in graduates, and which universities they believed produced the most employable graduates.

Skills and experiences ranked as the most predictive of a graduate’s employability included professional experience, a high degree of specialization, foreign languages proficiency, extracurricular activities, academic record and graduation from a top university.

The survey was conducted among 2,500 recruiters from 20 countries and a panel of 3,500 international managers throughout the world.

12th Annual Gus & Libby Solomon Memorial Lecture

Democratic Values after Trump: A Frank View

U.S. Congressman Barney Frank Lincoln Recital Hall January 26 |7:00pm

FREE and open to the public For more information including tickets & accessibility pdx.edu/judaic | 503.725.8449

The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies is grateful for the generous support of Richard B. Solomon.

Thanks also go to the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 55

Educating for Emotional Intelligence

By Teddy Weinberger

M

y son, Elie, is a graduate of Yeshivat Noam High School.

In Israel, with so many public religious secondary schools to choose from, you have the luxury of looking for a school that matches your child’s personality. Each of our five children went to different secondary schools. Elie and Yeshivat Noam were the best fit.

I can summarize Noam’s strength by saying that the school educates for emotional intelligence. The tone is set by the head of the school, Rabbi Simcha Weissman. For example, at one parents’ meeting I attended, Rabbi Weissman said that when each boy comes back from checking out a post-high school yeshiva,

56 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

“I do not ask the boy what he learned from his visit at the yeshivah or what he saw there; I ask the boy ‘How did your experience change you inside?’”

Elie, an empathetic, sensitive boy, naturally thrived at Noam.

The truth is that I believe all schools should prioritize emotional intelligence.

I became even more convinced of this recently through a remarkable exchange of emails. In one of my sentimental moods (I have a tendency for these), I decided to send a note to Bill Dillingham, a professor of mine in the mid-1980s at Emory University. In my first substantive email communication with him, I recalled the following: “I remember very well one day in class when you said something like ‘Imagine that one day you wake up and you realize that you are no longer young.’ ...

I assumed that you yourself had recently had such a day, and I appreciated the deep feeling that was expressed.”

Coincidentally, at the time I was also in contact with Barbara McCaskill, a fellow Emory English graduate student and now a newly promoted full professor specializing in AfricanAmerican literature at the University of Georgia. I mentioned to Barbara that I had contacted our old professor, and she wrote back to me with one memory: “I most remember him digressing once from a Melville piece I think to wax eloquently about how one day you wake up and you are no longer young. I think he was talking to himself as well as the class that day; he seemed so wistful.”

I was astounded to read Barbara’s note. After 27 years, what was the strongest recollection we both had from our doctoral-level classes in 19th century American literature with Professor Dillingham? A single identical memory stemming from an emotional connection that was made between teacher and student.

Elie spent six years at a school where

“Elie was encouraged to dig deep inside himself and f igure out who he is as a human being.” the emotional connection between teacher and student is at the forefront of the school’s educational vision. To be sure, there are academic challenges at Noam, such as regular tests and state matriculation exams. But I believe that what most of Elie’s teachers regularly asked themselves concerning my son was “What is Elie feeling?” Elie was encouraged to dig deep inside himself and figure out who he is as a human being. And he was encouraged to speak with his teachers about what he found.

This process became a great source of strength for Elie, who, as a devoted Bnai Akiva counselor, often assumed the role of talking with his 13-year-old charges and getting them to explore their own emotions.

When he looks back on his high school career, Elie will be blessed not just with one or two recollections of emotional connection with his teachers but with dozens and dozens of these. I am sure that there can be no better preparation for his life ahead.

TEDDY WEINBERGER, PH.D 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.

EDUCATION DIRECTORY CONGREGATION SHIR TIKVAH 7550 NE Irving St. Portland, OR 97206 503-473-8227 shirtikvahpdx.org

PORTLAND JEWISH ACADEMY 6651 SW Capitol Hwy. Portland, OR 97219 503-244-0126 pjaproud.org

These are difficult times, but our Jewish traditions can strengthen us. Shir Tikvah’s education programs help students and parents deepen their Jewish identity. We are an independent synagogue, a supportive place open to everyone.

Come meet us – we’d love to tell you more about our creative approach to learning.

PJA students, 6 months through 8th grade, thrive in an academically rich environment that inspires positive Jewish engagement, respect and responsibility for the world. PJA has a strong focus on STEAM, as well as a collaborative approach to learning, allowing students to think for themselves and work for the world.

SHAARIE TORAH EDUCATION DEPT. 920 NW 25th Ave. Portland, OR 97210 503-226-6131 shaarietorah.org

RIVERDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Shaarie Torah provides innovative education programs for students, preschool-grade 12. Our Religious School teaches literacy and identity. PJE takes students on an exploration of their Portland Jewish roots. Wednesday Night School teens enjoy guest speakers and participate in social actions around town.

Jewish learning for everyone, inside the classroom and out.

11733 SW Breyman Ave. Portland, OR 97219 503-262-4847 riverdaleschool.com

Our simple but powerful goal is to produce students who know how to use their minds well. Riverdale schools offer the best aspects of independent schooling in a public school setting (PK-12) – nurturing a passion for personal interests, a habit of critical thinking and a comprehensive understanding of civic virtue.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 57

EDUCATION DIRECTORY HAROLD SCHNITZER FAMILY PROGRAM IN JUDAIC STUDIES Box 751 Portland State University Portland, OR 97207-0751 503-725-8449 pdx.edu/judaic

THE CARL PRESCHOOL 920 NW 25th Ave. Portland, OR 97210 503-226-6131 thecarlschool.com

Judaic Studies at PSU explores a global civilization and its fascinating journey through history from antiquity and the medieval world to modern-day Europe, Israel, America and beyond. We engage students of all backgrounds through a rich and flexible curriculum, and serve the greater Portland area through a range of community partnerships and events. The program offers at BA and a minor.

The Carl Preschool is a play-based, Jewish cooperative open to all. Our focus is providing a warm, fun and creative environment for children to laugh, learn and grow. Early care and arts, dance and soccer-shots. Learning and cooking around Jewish holidays, field trips, crafting, outdoor play and much more!

CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL 1972 NW Flanders St. Portland, OR 503-222-1069 bethisrael-pdx.org

OREGON JEWISH MUSEUM AND CENTER FOR HOLOCAUST EDUCATION 724 NW Davis Street Portland, OR 97209 503-226-3600 ojmche.org

OJMCHE engages learners of all ages in Oregon Jewish history, Jewish culture and Holocaust history in statewide schools, during tours of exhibits, in Portland’s historic Jewish neighborhood, and at the Oregon Holocaust Memorial. Annual partnerships allow us to connect cross-culturally on social justice topics, bridging history and the present day.

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Our nationally accredited religious school and state certified preschool guide students to apply Judaism’s teachings to their personal lives and our world; our adult education programming enriches both those new to Judaism and more advanced students.

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Kids & teens too Events January

RECURRING:

NORTHEAST STORY HOUR WITH PJ LIBRARY: 9:30-10:15 am Sundays at New Seasons, 3445 N Williams Ave., Portland. Share in a weekly story hour for families with music and PJ Library Books. rachelr@ jewishportland.org or 503-892-7415

MONTHLY HEBREW STORY HOUR WITH PJ LIBRARY:

2:30 pm every second Sunday at the Hillsboro Public Library, 2850 NE Brookwood Pkwy., Hillsboro. rachelr@jewishportland.org or 503-892-7415

CHAI BABY + PJ LIBRARY INDOOR PLAYGROUND:

JAN. 7

KIDS NIGHT OUT WITH BB CAMP: 5-9 pm. Come hang out with

your friends and give your parents the night off! K-6th graders. $25, $5 sibling discount. Drop off at BB Camp Office, 9400 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy, #200. amansfield@bbcamp.org or 503-496-7444 ext. 7015

JAN. 12-MARCH 2

IMPROV COMEDY CLUB: 3:45-4:45 pm, Thursdays at the MJCC, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy. Third- to fifth-graders will learn short-form games that teach the skills of listening and responding, working together to create a story and building self-confidence. 503-535-3555 or oregonjcc. org/registration; CG202

FEB. 5

DEADLINE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS SHOW: Young artists in Grades 5 to 8, are invited to submit up to five pieces of any medium(s) for Jury consideration for ORA's Young Artists show at the MJCC Feb. 26-March 3. Submit your artwork and application 10:30 am-noon, Feb. 5, at Neveh Shalom, Room 105. YoungArtistsShow@gmail.com | NorthwestJewishArtists.org

10 am-noon, every first Thursday at the MJCC, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy. For parents and their children up to 5 years old. Playing, running, meeting new and old friends, snacks. Free. 503-244-0111

PJ STORY HOUR YAD B'YAD: 9:30-10:15 am Fridays at Rose

Schnitzer Manor, 6140 SW Boundary St., Portland. Share in a weekly story hour for young families with music and PJ Library books with the residents of Cedar Sinai Park. rachelr@jewishportland.org or 503-892-7415

A LITTLE SHABBAT: 5-6:30 pm every third Friday at Congregation Shaarie Torah, 920 NW 25th Ave., Portland. 503-226-6131 SHABBAT STORYTIME: 9:45-10:15 am, second Saturdays, at

Congregation Shir Tikvah7550 NE Irving St., Portland. Free. Shabbat gathering of toddlers and their caregivers. Best for kids up to age 5, although older siblings are welcome. Enjoy stories, songs and crafts that celebrate holidays and Jewish values. Stay afterwards for bagels and coffee with Rabbi Ariel Stone. 503-473-8227

TORAH YOGA: 10:30 am-noon every second Saturday at Congregation Shaarie Torah, 920 NW 25th Ave., Portland. 503-226-6131

GET YOUR $1000 GRANT

BEFORE THEY’RE GONE OneHappyCamper.org

Don’t spend the summer kicking yourself because you missed out!

Visit our Camp Finder tool to choose from 150+ amazing Jewish camps—and to apply for $1,000 off.

Your child deserves the summer of a lifetime.

Visit OneHappyCamper.org to start your application. ®

THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE. THE POWER OF COMMUNITY.

Together WE do extraordinary things 503.245.6219 | www.jewishportland.org 6680 SW Capitol Highway | Portland, OR 97219

JewishPDX

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Rediscovering Home: An exploration of Jewish identity in Poland

By Alicia Gutman Mannix

As a child growing up in a small town in western Poland, being Jewish meant that I was decidedly UN-Polish. Small town anti-Semitism was relentless in the 1950s and ’60s. Being called “dirty Jew” or being accused of killing Jesus was fairly routine in school, even among friends. It was painful. Even hearing the word Zyd ( Jew) felt like a punch in the stomach, a rush of blood to my face, much to the amusement of my classmates. When my family left Poland for the United States in 1969, our Jewish identities were fractured and underlain with shame.

While living in Portland from 1979-1984, my then husband, David Mannix, and I were members of Havurah Shalom and frequented Chabad with our two children. Currently my ​ daughter and two sons​(Aletta, Ezra and Thomas) and I belong to two congregations: Havurah Shir Hadash in Ashland (since 1990, including 14 years while living in Ashland) and Anshe Shalom of Klamath Falls for the last six years.

When I returned to Poland this fall and toured the new POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto, the experience was cathartic. I began to see myself in each of the exhibits, from the 10th century to the present. I smiled and greeted people who felt like family and friends, displayed on animated life-sized photographs, paintings and videos. For the first time in my life, I stood on Polish ground as a Jew and felt love, pride and joy. Finally, my place of birth felt like my homeland.

There was a time when Jews actually prospered in Poland. Before World War II, more than 3 million Jews resided in Poland. At POLIN, I focused on the story of the Polish Queen Esther (Esterke, in Yiddish). According to the legend, Esther was the beautiful daughter of a Jewish tailor who lived in Opoczno, Poland, in the 14th century. The Polish king, Casimir the Great, was on a hunting expedition and met Esther while she was picking herbs in the forest.

He was so impressed with her beauty, intelligence and regal poise that he made her his wife.

Jews were granted special privileges by Casimir’s grandfather that guaranteed their economic rights and freedom to practice Judaism, so between 1348 and 1370 she persuaded the king to invite large numbers of Jews to settle in Poland. In a parallel to the story of Purim, she persuaded King Casimir to assure the safety of her people escaping persecution in Germany, just as biblical Esther did for a Jewish population under Persian rule. The POLIN Museum uses Esther to illustrate the mission of the museum: to highlight the positive relationship between

60 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017

Views of the POLIN museum

Poles and Jews for the last 10 centuries.

Jewish identity in Poland has always been mysterious and confusing. Is it a religion, a nationality, an ethnic group? This is a source of confusion in America, as well, but the difference is that if you are born here, no one questions your identity as American, regardless of your ancestry. In Poland, being Jewish meant you could never be Polish. Officially, we were citizens of Poland, but never considered Polish. In our identity documents, “Jewish” was written across the rubric for nationality.

My recent journey to Poland revealed encouraging new attitudes toward Judaism after a nearly extinguished Jewish presence following the last exodus in which my family took part. Those who stayed were either old, married to non-Jews or chose to renounce their Jewish heritage altogether.

But a Jewish renaissance began in the 1990s, a few years after the fall of Communism.

Agata Rakowicz, the director of Warsaw’s JCC, is the child of a mixed family that stayed. Now in her early 30s, she is ushering in the revival of Jewish life in a unique way, striving to not duplicate or compete with the four major congregations in Warsaw.

“Our community here is growing organically, offering an intellectual forum to a diverse audience,” Rakowicz says. She explains this approach is attracting those who have discovered their Jewish roots but are not ready to jump into a religious environment: “We offer a safe place where learning about Judaism is accessible to everyone who is curious, even those who have no Jewish roots at all.”

I met many different members of the JCC during a wine tasting and lecture on a balmy September evening. For example, I met a non-Jewish Japanese translator who frequents social events there and takes Hebrew classes because she finds the alphabet and the language structure eerily similar to Japanese.

My motivations behind embracing my Jewish ancestry are compatible with this modern schema, because my own Jewish heritage is likewise not completely straightforward. Being the child of a Polish/Jewish father and a Russian mother, my Jewish identity is intricate. After World War II, my father relinquished

his Jewish faith from his Hasidic upbringing after nearly all of his family perished in the Holocaust. I would hear him say that there is no G-d if this genocide was allowed to happen. He escaped to Russia in 1940 and was sent to labor camps by the Stalin regime to Siberia. More than 300,000 Jews escaped the Nazis by going to Russia.

In 1945 he married my mother, a Russian, and they settled in the western region of post-war Poland, which was formerly part of Germany. My mother is not Jewish, so I am not Jewish, right? That didn’t matter to the residents of my hometown. Our last name was Gutman, and we were Jews to everyone we knew.

Many years later I took my three children to live in Jerusalem so that my oldest son could study and have his bar mitzvah at the Kotel. We lived in Israel for six months. At that time, I converted officially.

This refreshing perspective in Poland could come only from an untainted generation. An additional layer of complexity to Jewish identity in contemporary Poland has emerged: the millennials, a key demographic group in the search for Jewish identity, are planting a new Garden of Eden. As an example, kashrut dietary laws are appealing to younger generations because a lot of these laws pertain to quality of food and compassion for animals, an ethical mind frame that has resurfaced as a millennial mantra. Perhaps more importantly, they do not have active memories of the Holocaust.

My visit to Poland was much more than a peek into the Jewish renewal of the last 20 years. It was a deep inquiry into an entire realm of Jewish and Polish shared history. Never before with a home in the world, I can now say I’ve experienced my genuine homecoming.

Alicia Gutman Mannix is an art/art history instructor at Klamath Community College and a professional artist. She creates Judaica as well as other genres. She is now planning a series merging Polish folk motifs with Jewish imagery to celebrate the Polish-Jewish cultural fusion. Aletta Mannix, a delivery nurse at Sky Lakes hospital in Klamath Falls, and Ezra, a journalist in Boston, helped Alicia with this piece. AliciaMannix.com

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 61

TO LIFE!

Don’t let first impression thwart potential friendship

By Amy Hirshberg Lederman

My cell phone rings and Mom’s name flashes on the screen.

“I’m ashamed of myself,” she whispers into the phone.

“Oh, hi Mom. About what?” I ask. My mother typically begins our phone conversations as if we have been talking for a while.

“I played bridge today and was stuck with a real dud for a partner,” she says. “Her name was Alice and she barely talked to me. She couldn’t keep her mind on anything and kept checking her cellphone, which never rang, by the way, which is why I don’t want one.”

“Good call about the cellphone,” I assure her. Though maybe not such a good call about Alice, I think to myself.

A bit of back story: My mother has a tendency to judge people (and evidently cellphones) by outward appearances and first impressions. True, we all make assessments of others based on how they look, dress, talk, even eat, but her quick judgments have always been a problem for me.

“So what happened, Mom?” I ask, ready to defend Alice even though we have never met.

“We played bridge and just like I suspected, she was terrible,” she says.

“She didn’t concentrate on the game for more than a minute and kept looking at the door as if she couldn’t wait to get out of there. I kept reminding her that it was her turn.” My mom was silent for a moment, then continued, “But after the game, a woman came up to her and asked how she was doing.

‘Not so good,’ Alice whispered. ‘I’m waiting to hear from my doctor about my kidneys. They aren’t working right and I may need dialysis.’”

My mother was shocked. It had never occurred to her that her “dud of a partner” might have been worried or scared about her health. Mom was ashamed – of herself and of how quickly she had misjudged the situation.

“I got up and went over to Alice and told her that I was going to think of her all weekend and hope that she gets good news,” said Mom. With tears in her eyes, Alice thanked her. What started as Mom’s unwarranted assumption ended in the beginning of a friendship. That Monday, Mom called Alice and learned that

she wouldn’t need dialysis after all. Mom hung up, but not before telling Alice that she looked forward to seeing her again soon – and she meant it.

It’s so easy, and so very human, to judge another person, culture, race, gender or religion without really knowing much about them, their values and their reality. The critical judge who lives within each of us creates a story or generalization about another person or culture, which is often based more on perception and rumor than on fact. But it is that story that becomes the foundation upon which we base our future thoughts and actions.

The real crime is what happens to us when we unfairly judge others. Unfair assessments limit our ability to learn and appreciate different people or cultures.

They break down the connections and common humanity we all share by erecting barriers between us. And they restrict our ability to grow and become compassionate human beings. In the end, unfair judgments about others reflect more on our own character than they do on the person whom we are judging.

Challenging our judgments about others can change our world in positive ways. That is why the Torah commands us to “love your neighbor as yourself,” which is further refined in Pirkei Avot as: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.” That rule works for me, because I hate being judged by others!

The bottom line is that if I don’t want others to judge me based on the choices I make or the way I live, then I have to be open to others in the same way. Simply put: Unless I am willing to be open-minded to others’ choices, decisions and ways of life, I won’t be able to judge them fairly.

I love that my Mom came to a similar conclusion without the benefit of reading Leviticus or Pirkei Avot. Because in the end, we all stand to grow and learn if we follow the sage words written by Rabbi Hillel over 2,000 years ago: “Do not judge your fellow until you have reached his place.”

Unfair assessments limit our ability to learn and appreciate different people or cultures.

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Amy Hirshberg Lederman has written more than 300 columns and essays that have been published nationwide. amyhirshberglederman.com

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PREVIEWS

Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen in Portland Feb. 10

AC2 An Intimate Evening with Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen. Join this duo for an unscripted, uncensored and unforgettable night of conversation at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall at 8 pm, Feb. 10.

The late night talk show host and the journalist, longtime friends, interview each other and take questions from the audience. It's a live, interactive look behind the scenes of pop culture and world events.

Anderson Cooper is the multiple Emmy award-winning CNN anchor and correspondent for CBS’ 60 Minutes. He has covered most major news events in the United States and around the world for the past 23 years, and his memoir, Dispatches from the Edge, topped the New York Times' Bestseller list.

Andy Cohen is an Emmy award-winning host and executive producer of Watch What Happens: Live, Bravo’s late night, interactive talk show.

Cohen, who had a bar mitzvah in a Reform congregation, calls Yiddish part of his vernacular. Cohen is also the executive producer of the wildly popular Real Housewives series. Cohen has written two New York Times’ Bestsellers: Most Talkative: Stories from the Frontlines of Pop Culture and The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year.

A VIP Package includes premium seating and an opportunity to meet Anderson and Andy immediately after the show. VIP ticketholders will also have an opportunity to take a picture with Andy and Anderson and will receive an autographed gift.

Tickets are available through portland5.com, the Portland'5 Box Office, TicketsWest outlets, and by phone: 800-273-1530.

Hear women’s legacy Tuesdays in January

Preserving the Past: The Legacy of Jewish Women is the theme of the Lifelong Learning Lecture Series in January at Rose Schnitzer Manor at Cedar Sinai Park.

RSM invites to community to come to the lecture series every Tuesday evening this January. All lectures are open to the public and will be held in Zidell Hall of Rose Schnitzer Manor at 7 pm. Rose Schnitzer Manor is located at 6140 SW Boundary St., Portland. For more information, contact CSP Senior Living Advisor Polina Munblit at Polina.Munblit@ cedarsinaipark.org or 503-535-4004.

The series begins Jan. 3 when Priscilla Kostiner speaks on “The Personal Journey of a Jewish Woman.” Priscilla has spent her life as a Jewish lay leader and professional in the Jewish world. Whether leading Shabbat services at the Rose Schnitzer Manor, speaking about Judaism to high school students or greeting new immigrants on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, Priscilla loves what she does, and is looking forward to sharing her experiences with you.

On Jan. 10 Ellen Eisenberg speaks on “Whatever Happened to Old South Portland.”

Ellen is the Dwight and Margaret Lear Professor of American History at Willamette University and is the author of The First to Cry Down Injustice?

Western Jews and Japanese Removal during WWII, Embracing a Western Identity: Jewish Oregonians, 1849-1950 and The Jewish Oregon Story, 1950-2015.

Cantor Ida Rae Cahana continues the series Jan. 17 with her talk, “Abi Gezunt – As Long as You’re Well, You’re Happy!” Ida Rae was raised in Pittsburgh, PA, where she made history and the local news at the age of 17, when she became one of the first women to sing in a synagogue as cantorial soloist. Ida Rae has since appeared on Broadway and in concerts at Merkin Concert Hall and the 92nd Street Y. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2012 and her Oregon Symphony debut in 2013.

Ida Rae is a featured soloist for two recordings from the Milken Archive of Jewish music (Naxos label), of Yiddish Art Song, and on their latest release of Jewish Wedding Music. With ordination from Hebrew-Union College –Jewish Institute of Religion in 1993, she is the senior cantor for Congregation Beth Israel. She says her greatest joy is to be the “ema on the bima” for her four children, Sarit, Liora, Idit and David.

On Jan. 24 Jeannie Smith will share how “One Person Can Make a Difference!” Jeannie is the daughter of Polish Rescuer, Irene Gut Opdyke; who passed away on May 17, 2003. Irene received international recognition for her actions during the Holocaust while working for a high-ranking German official. Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett will speak Jan. 31 about “Jewish Women and Civil Rights: Behind the Scenes, Around the Table, and on the Picket Line.” Kimberly is the author of Carolina Israelite: How Harry Golden Made Us Care about Jews, the South, and Civil Rights, the first comprehensive biography of Golden. Golden’s one-man newspaper and hugely popular books including, Only in America and For 2-cents Plain, used wry humor and blunt observations to raise awareness of the Jewish role in fighting for civil rights in this country.

A Frank view of Democracy after Trump

Speaking on "Democratic Values after Trump: A Frank View," Barney Frank will deliver the 12th Annual Gus & Libby Solomon Memorial Lecture at 7 pm Jan. 26.

After a redefining year in American politics, the 12th Annual Gus & Libby Solomon Memorial Event welcomes former U.S. Congressman Barney Frank to discuss the future of the Democratic Party and liberal values following the inauguration of Donald Trump.

Barney Frank (U.S. Congressman D-MA 1981-2012) worked to adjust America’s spending priorities and fought against discrimination. In 1987, Frank made history as the first openly gay member of Congress.

He championed legislation for Wall Street reform and consumer protection as co-author of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act. Frank is the author of two books: Speaking Frankly (1992), a collection of policy essays; and a memoir titled Frank: From the Great Society to Same Sex Marriage (2015). He has taught at Harvard, Boston University, the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

The annual Gus & Libby Solomon Memorial Lecture at Portland State University is devoted to the values of social justice exemplified by the Solomons and explorations of the American Jewish experience.

The free lecture will be held at Lincoln Recital Hall 75. Tickets available at the door or in advance at the PSU Box Office.

For more information, contact the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at judaicst@pdx.edu or 503-725-8449.

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FACES & PLACES

MIKVAH BUILDING & FUNDRAISING CONTINUES TOP: Rabbis Ariel Stone, Tzvi Fischer and David Kosak stand beside the banner at the entry to the site of the new community mikvah.

BELOW: Groundbreaking (from left): Oregon Board of Rabbis Chair Rabbi Ariel Stone; Brian Carleton, Principal Carleton Hart Architecture; Jewish Federation of Greater Portland Chair Ed Tonkin; and JFGP President and CEO Marc N. Blattner ceremonially commence the beginning of construction for the new Portland Community Mikvah.

HILLSBORO DEDICATIONS – More than 200 people participated in Chabad Hillsboro's dedication of the first Sefer Torah (Torah scroll) in Hillsboro and the dedication of a new building on the campus of the Chabad Jewish Center of Hillsboro. After the scroll was completed, Rabbi Menachem Rivkin, director of the Jewish Center of Hillsboro, dances with the Torah as the community marches to the new building. Photos by Benjamin Brink

Construction will continue throughout the winter on the new Portland Community Mikvah situated on land leased from the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Weather and other circumstances permitting, a late spring 2017 opening is anticipated. Mikvah is a Jewish ritual bath used for traditional purposes such as conversion and ritual family purity.

Contemporary purposes are numerous and involve marking a transition or milestone in one’s life.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland in partnership with the Oregon Board of Rabbis is shepherding this project to bring Portland a 21st century community mikvah accessible to all, but additional funds are needed to complete the project. The community has already raised $145,000; those funds, along with proceeds from the sale of the old mikvah in Goose Hollow, are being used to fund construction. Another $100,000 in support is needed from community members. Donations – small and large – will ensure our community can enjoy its new community mikvah for generations to come. To learn more and donate online see jewishportland.org/mikvah or call project manager Caron Blau Rothstein at 503-245-6449.

Chabad Hillsboro Hebrew School students watch scribe Yosef Teiltelbaum from California finish the new scroll. Photo by Julianne Claybaugh

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JEOPARDY THRILL – Beit Am member Amy Young, pictured above with Alex Trebek, appeared on Jeopardy on Dec. 12. Below, Beit Am friends and family joined Amy in a Corvallis pub to watch her appearance. Amy says, “I'm very proud of the game I played, especially the Kotel question that kept me in it late.” Going into final Jeopardy Amy was in the lead but came up with the wrong question for “In a 1694 Royal Society lecture, he suggested an astronomical cause for the Biblical flood in Genesis.” The correct question was who is Edmund Halley? (Amy wrote Who is Newton?)

LOAVES OF LOVE – Chabad at Reed's Loaves of Love program distributed delicious challah to Reed College students studying in the library for their final days of the semester.From left are Siena, Samantha, Miriam and Chani.

55th AUCTION CELEBRATES THE ’50s – Auctioneer Ian Lindsay; PJA alumni Abby Millender, Jemi Kostiner Mansfield and Jonathan Singer; and PJA Executive Director Steve Albert help Portland Jewish Academy raise $675,000 at their 55th Annual Auction. This year, attendees dressed up in their ’50s best. The celebration and fundraiser ensures that PJA has the resources to provide an outstanding Jewish education to a diverse student body.

PATHWAYS ROUND TWO – On Nov. 16, the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland welcomed the second cohort of the PDX Pathways program. The 21 young adults (including from left Beth Cohen, Emily Benoit and Leora Coleman-Fire) who will participate in the professional development and mentoring program include 18 from out of state (many arriving within the past few months from London, Jerusalem, Boston, Austin and Baltimore).

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Through Jan. 31

JANUARY CALENDAR

Multnomah Historical Society Display at Multnomah Arts Center. See page 36

Jan 2 Israeli Folk Dancing at Leedy Grange. Learn easy and intermediate level dances led by Sue Wendel. 6:30-7: beginners class; 7-8: easy dances; 8-9 intermediate dances. Leedy Grange, 835 NW Saltzman Road, Portland.

Repeats Jan 16 and 30. On Jan 16 we will celebrate our 2nd anniversary with special guest dance leader Allison Victor!! Recall she danced with us last year for our 1st anniversary. We are excited to have her back to teach! $6/$10 couples; first time free. pifdnews@gmail.com

Jan. 3 Sephardic Film Festival: Among The Righteous, a film about the lost stories from Arab lands. Films with Sephardic content screen at 7 pm the first Tuesday of each month through April. Films, dessert and discussions at Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur Blvd., Portland, are free (donations accepted). David: 503-892-6634, jewishfilmportland.org

Jan. 8 Fitness Palooza: Learn about MJCC’s broad range of fitness programs and try out a class! Hilary will give a free talk on nutrition, and Eve will showcase our newest offering, “Alexander Technique!” Our personal training staff will be on-hand to answer questions and to offer free IGNITE sessions. Sunday, 11 am-1 pm at the MJCC. Free to members and guests. 503-244-0111

Jan. 22

Discover the Arts & Culture of Israel. Meet Congregation Shaarie Torah’s teachers, staff, students and clergy 9:30 am-12:30 pm. (Repeats Jan. 29).

To participate in painting and cooking class, registration is required by Jan. 15. Shaarietorah.org Carl Preschool Open House. Explore this cooperative Jewish preschool at Congregation Shaarie Torah 10 am-noon. 503-226-6131 or thecarlschool. com

Jan. 23-March 17 PJA/MJCC Book Collection Drive: Please donate used books to the Mittleman Jewish Community Center front desk. 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland. No encyclopedias please. PJA/MJCC Used Book Sale runs March 26-28. To schedule a pickup, email pjabooksale@gmail.com

Jan. 25 Serving on a Nonprofit Board: Risks and Rewards. Noon-1:30 pm, Multnomah Athletic Club. Joint the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation’s Professional Advisors Group for a dynamic panel discussion addressing what volunteers need to know to protect themselves when serving on a nonprofit board. Free. RSVP by Jan. 19: 503-248-9328 or nates@ojcf.org

Jan. 26 Democratic Values after Trump: A Frank View. Former U.S. Congressman Barney Frank presents the 12th Annual Gus & Libby Solomon Memorial Lecture. See page 63

Jan. 11 Judaism and Resistance When the Law of the Land is Unjust, What Should Jews Do? 7 pm at the Lucky Lab, 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland. Join Rabbi Ariel Stone of Congregation Shir Tikvah and Rabbi Tzvi Fischer of the Portland Kollel to learn, consider and discuss the Jewish roots of civil resistance to social injustice. Cash bar, free snacks. 503-473-8227

Jan. 12 Portland Jewish Academy Open House. 10 am at PJA, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland. PJA’s unique curriculum, integrating Jewish learning and values with S.T.E.A.M., provides the foundation for success in high school, college, and life. 503-244-0126

Jan 16 Second Anniversary of Israeli Folk Dancing at Leedy Grange. 6:30-7: beginners class; 7-8: easy dances; 8-9 intermediate dances. Leedy Grange, 835 NW Saltzman Road, Portland. Celebrate our anniversary with special guest dance leader Allison Victor, who danced at the 1st anniversary. $6/$10 couples; first time free. pifdnews@gmail.com

Jan. 18 Places of Remembrance. This timely, participatory discussion begins at 6:30 pm at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, 724 NW Davis St., Portland. Free. ojmche.org or 503-226-3600

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Feb. 7 Sephardic Film Festival: The Long Way Home. This Academy Award-winning documentary examines the critical post-World War II period from 1945 to 1948 and the plight refugees.

Films with Sephardic content screen at 7 pm the first Tuesday of each month through April. Films, dessert and discussions at Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur Blvd., Portland, are free (donations accepted). David: 503-8926634, jewishfilmportland.orgFor information call David 503-892-6634 or jewishfilmportland.org

Feb. 7-March 5 Artists Repertory Theatre & Geezer Gallery present “Marjorie Prime” on the Alder Stage and “It’s About Time” in the Morrison lobby. See page 34

Feb. 10 AC2: An Intimate Evening with Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen. See page 63

SUBMITTING EVENTS:

To obtain a password to enter an event on our online calendar, go to the bottom right of our home page (ORJewishLife.com) and under “Quick Links,” click on Calendar Access Request.

After you submit the form, we will send you an email with instructions for posting future events.Events posted by Jan. 10 will be included in the February issue of the magazine.

Jewish Family & Child Service provides social services that improve the lives of adults, families, and children in the Jewish and general communities.

OUR SERVICES Disability Support Services

1221 SW YAMHILL ST. SUITE 301 PORTLAND, OR 97205

Emergency Aid

503-226-7079

Counseling

Holocaust Survivor Services

JFCS-PORTLAND.ORG

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017 67

strategic thinking about wealth Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management has been helping ultra-high net worth individuals, their families and foundations plan for and grow their wealth for decades.

Based in New York City, the Family Wealth Group at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management is a specialized team of interdisciplinary strategic advisors providing a full range of family office services to meet the complex needs of the UHNW marketplace. These services include financial & investment planning, estate & family succession planning, philanthropic advisory and administrative services.

The Family Wealth Group is headed by Robert Stolar, a Managing Director and Private Wealth Advisor. Drawing on three decades of investment & financial planning experience, Robert has earned various distinctions within the wealth advisory community, including recognition by Barron’s as one of the top 100 advisors in the country for 2015.

Robert Stolar

Managing Director Private Wealth Advisor 522 Fifth Avenue, 10th Floor New York, NY 10036 212-296-6704 robert.stolar@morganstanley.com Source: Barron’s “Top 100 Financial Advisors,” April 20, 2015. Barron’s “Top 100 Financial Advisors” bases its ratings on qualitative criteria: professionals with a minimum of seven years of financial services experience, acceptable compliance records, client retention reports, customer satisfaction, and more. Finwancial Advisors are quantitatively rated based on varying types of revenues and assets advised by the financial professional, with weightings associated for each. Because individual client portfolio performance varies and is typically unaudited, this rating focuses on customer satisfaction and quality of advice. The rating may not be representative of any one client’s experience because it reflects a sample of all of the experiences of the Financial Advisor’s clients. The rating is not indicative of the Financial Advisor’s future performance. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors pays a fee to Barron’s in exchange for the rating. Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. © 2015 Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, a division of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC. Member SIPC. CRC1179133 04/15 8225582 PWM001 04/15 68 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2017