Oregon Jewish Life March/April 2021 Vol. 10/Issue 1

MARCH/APRIL 2021

SUMMER CAMP IS

BACK! PASSOVER New book takes the stress out of Passover prep

GUGULETHU

MOYO In pursuit of justice

5 HEALTHY HOBBIES for seniors

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YOM HASHOAH Never Again Never Forget

CO N TE N TS Oregon Jewish Life March/April 2021 Adar-Nisan-Iyyar 5781 Volume 10/Issue 1

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FEATURES COVER STORY Gugulethu Moyo: In pursuit of justice

BUSINESS Justin Jude Carroll shared being a “Quality Human” on his podcast

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PHILANTHROPY New opportunities for LIFE & LEGACY

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FRONT & CENTER The evolution of artist David Kolasky Spring is in the air

52 56

HEALTH Take care of yourself to feel nourished and renewed

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ACTIVELY SENIOR 5 healthy habits for seniors with limited mobility

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JLIVING USHMM Presents 2021 Western Region Virtual Event

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PASSOVER Haggadah history Why is this wine different from all other wines?

New book helps take the stress our of Passover preparation Purim and Passover: A tale of two tables

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SUMMER CAMP Summer camp is back!

Top ten things you never knew about camp When at-risk and special-needs kids bunk together at camp A taste of camp 15 benefits of summer camp

MARCH/APRIL 2021

SUMMER CAMP IS

BACK!

34 42 44 48 51

PASSOVER New book takes the stress out of Passover prep

5 HEALTHY HOBBIES for seniors

GUGULETHU

MOYO In pursuit of justice

COVER:

Gugulethu Moyo COVER PHOTO COURTESY OF M.W. MIJNLIEFJE

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 7

MARCH/APRIL 2021 Oregon Jewish Life • Adar-Nisan-Iyyar 5781 • Volume 10/Issue 1

PU B LI S H E R

H OW TO R E AC H U S

Cindy Salt zman

602-538-AZJL (2955)

A DV E R TI S I N G A N D E D ITO R I A L D I R EC TO R Cindy Salt zman

E D ITO R- I N - C H I E F Mala Blomquis t

ART DIREC TOR Tamara Kopper

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2020-2021 MediaPort LLC All rights reserved The content and opinions in Oregon Jewish Life do not necessarily reflec t those of the publishers, staf f or contrac tors. Ar ticles and columns are for informational purposes only and not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Although ever y ef for t is made to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, Arizona Jewish Life, and its agents, publishers, employees and contrac tors will not be held responsible for the misuse of any information contained herein. The publishers reser ve the right to refuse any adver tisement. Publication of adver tisements does not constitute endorsement of produc ts or ser vices.

8 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE 10

Spring, a season of hope CINDY SALTZMAN Publisher

A

fter a snowy and unseasonably cold couple of weeks, it is good to know that the first day of spring is just around the corner, on March 20. Then, a week later, we will be celebrating the first night of Passover on March 27. It is difficult not to draw some symbolism from these two dates. Spring is associated with new life, and Passover commemorates the Biblical story of Exodus – where G-d freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

As more and more people are getting vaccinated, a sense of new life and new beginnings is taking hold. And few will take for granted the freedoms we had prepandemic. Let’s hope the progress continues.

April brings a time of reflection during Genocide Awareness Month as we honor and remember the victims and survivors of genocides, including the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah. We also take time to honor the fallen soldiers and victims of terror on Yom Hazikaron. Then or sorrow turns to joy on Yom Ha’atzmaut as we celebrate the 73rd anniversary of Israel’s independence.

We celebrate Women’s History Month in March, with the theme for 2021 being “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.” We are thrilled to be featuring one of the most valiant Jewish women we know on our March/April cover. Gugulethu “Gugu” Moyo refused to be silent through genocide, imprisonment and suppression to build a thriving life and career and help so many along the way. Gugu- you are a wonder.

Gugu is the first Jew of color to lead a major Jewish museum in the United States.

She was appointed the executive director of the Jewish History Museum and Holocaust History Center in Tucson, AZ, in January 2021.

May this new season bring you renewal and hope,

Cindy Saltzman The Weekly: orjewishlife.com, click on“Subscribe Now!” Facebook: @ojlife Twitter: @JewishLifeNow Instagram: @JewishLifeNow Call: 602-538-2955

MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

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Yom Hazikaron APRIL 14

Yom Ha'atzmaut APRIL 15

BUSINESS

T

Justin Jude

Carroll

shares being a “Quality Human” on his podcast

By Mala Blomquist 12 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

he inspiration for Justin Jude Carroll’s podcast, “Quality Human,” came to him a few months into the pandemic. There was a question he had that stuck with him, “How is it that certain people can do their best work, work that is good for them and helps other people, and remain a good person because there’s so many demands and distractions in the world?”

As he searched for an answer, he realized that it was an opportunity to share stories that he felt are so needed right now.

“We need to remember that amid all these dark clouds, there’s these incredibly inspirational stories every day,” says Justin. He started to educate himself about podcasting, lined up some folks to interview and began to ask, “How do we do our best work while being our best selves?”

Justin had some audio editing experience, but he had no experience with podcasts and the intricacies involved in getting onto the Apple and Spotify feeds. But with some help from a few friends and overcoming a large learning curve, Justin launched “Quality Human” in September 2020.

The podcast has also helped in Justin’s recovery from a traumatic brain injury he sustained in 2015.

He and some friends were staying at an Airbnb in New Orleans. They were climbing stairs to an outside deck when the staircase collapsed from the weight. Justin fell 10 feet, broke his leg and developed post-concussion syndrome from his brain injury.

Before the injury, Justin worked as a composer and singer-songwriter and was even named Oregon’s Best Singer-Songwriter in 2007. He has released three albums

of original music, taught musical theater camps, synagogue Sunday school and was also the early childhood music instructor at Portland Jewish Academy.

“What I’ve learned from my own experience, and from being around other brain injury survivors, is the challenging thing about brain injuries – it really gets you,” says Justin.

“It attacks you in your identity because your perceptions of the world, and yourself, can be altered. You can’t do as much as you used to do. There’s a lot of adjustment to a new reality you have to do.”

Justin had to scale his work back during recovery. He shares that there were weeks in the first year where all he could do was rest and take walks. Justin couldn’t read or use screens very well because it was too draining. But what he did discover was a passion he had as a child and had not done for years – he began to draw again.

“I found myself going back to that first love,” says Justin.

“That led me over the last three years to teach myself to paint again,” He has done a few art shows with his work around his neighborhood of Multnomah Village. “I think that probably gave me enough confidence to say, ‘OK, we’re pretty functional here creatively, so let’s stretch and try this podcasting experiment.’”

With “coming back to square one” with his creativity, other things grew like music and writing. He recently wrote and performed a song with his daughter for her bat mitzvah, and he’s done song leading and teaching at synagogues in Portland, including Havurah Shalom, where he and his family are members.

Being a part of the Jewish community is a big part of Justin’s life and he believes his spirituality and daily meditation practice make him the best dad, husband and artist he can be. “I cannot express the gratitude I have for the calm, clarity and joy it gives me.”

Some of the “pretty amazing people” he’s interviewed for his podcast come from the Portland community, including musician Mark Sherman and artist Ahuva Zaslavsky. He also interviewed author Anna Solomon, whose book The Book of V was a bestseller in 2020, and Broadway actor and playwright Rodney Hicks who was a member of the opening cast of “RENT.” Now that the podcast is gaining attention, Justin is moving out of his “network” and reaching out to people that he doesn’t know personally.

“I’ve had a lot of great people agree to appear in the next six months,” he says. “Hopefully, that will keep building.

I’m still very interested in interviewing folks who are not ‘notable,’ but who are doing really valuable work in their lives.”

There are 11 “Quality Human” episodes to date, and you can listen to them at quality-human.com.

PHIL ANTHROPY

New opportunities for LIFE & LEGACY

T

he LIFE & LEGACY initiative has its roots in San Diego, CA. Gail Littman, z”l, and Marjory Kaplan, former CEO of the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation, launched the Endowment Leadership Institute in 2004.

Word of its success soon reached philanthropist Harold Grinspoon, and in 2008, he invited Gail to launch a similar initiative in his hometown community in Western Massachusetts.

After the success in Western Massachusetts and other pilot initiatives, LIFE & LEGACY was launched in 2012 and is now in almost 70 communities across North America. More than a billion dollars has been committed to Jewish legacy giving through this program.

After five years of being a formal partner in the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s LIFE & LEGACY program, the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation is now sponsoring, independent of the Grinspoon Foundation, a new group of smaller organizations that are interested in building endowments and legacy giving.

The OJCF will bring training, support and monetary incentives to nine new partner organizations, stretching from Vancouver, WA, to Ashland, OR. These organizations’ leaders know how vital it is to secure resources that will sustain their work for the next generation and beyond.

Since the pandemic began, Google searches reveal that interest in estate planning over all demographics is at an all-time high. Charitable gifts within estate planning are also at an all-time high.

The new organizations’ legacy teams participated in a LIFE & LEGACY virtual kick-off meeting in November 2020, with guest speaker Arlene D. Schiff, national director of the LIFE & LEGACY program at the Grinspoon Foundation. On February 23, they had their second training session via Zoom with presenter Julie Diamond, OJCF president and CEO. There were 27 people on the call, both professionals and volunteers.

14 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

These Legacy donors added their names and personal stories to the community-wide Endowment Book of Life, on display at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center.

For the new partner organizations starting out, their legacy donors can also sign the Book of Life.

You can visit the Book of Life online at ojcfbookoflife.org.

Dr. Jerome M. Reich, of blessed memory

DR. JEROME M. REICH, Z”L Legacy teams consist of a professional staff person and at least three volunteers.

Often a past board president will take on this role after concluding their time are president.

These organizations will have three virtual trainings a year together. They will also work one-on-one with the foundation legacy team of Tara Siegman, donor relations and development officer, and Julie Diamond.

Incentive grants of $3,600 per organization per year for meeting program goals are provided by the OJCF Community Endowment Fund, for a possible total of $64,800 for these organizations.

The new nine participating organizations are: Congregation Kol Ami, Vancouver, WA Congregation Shir Tikvah, Portland

Greater Portland Hillel, Portland Havurah Shalom, Portland

The importance of a legacy donation and the impact it can have is demonstrated by Dr. Jerome M. Reich, z”l. Dr. Reich was a member of the OJCF Legacy Society. He regularly attended OJCF’s legacy celebrations and appreciated the connection he felt with other legacy donors.

“OJCF is deeply honored to have Dr. Reich’s trust and confidence. Because of his generous bequest, we’ve established two new funds: the Jerome M. Reich Memorial Endowment Fund and the Jerome M. Reich Memorial Donor Advised Fund,” says Julie Diamond. “These funds will provide important financial resources for our Jewish community, now and for generations to come.”

Dr. Reich’s daughter Sacha Reich wrote this loving tribute about her father: Jerome M. Reich, born in 1936, was a pulmonologist, polymath, environmental steward, and outdoors enthusiast.

Jerry’s grandfather, a cantor, brought his growing family from Jerusalem to New York in 1902. Jerry’s father, Sidney, was born after their arrival, and by his 30’s, was a successful liquor magnate, raising his secular family in Queens, spending summers in the Catskills.

Jerry’s rather idyllic childhood ended abruptly with his parents’ death: his father when he was eleven years old, and his mother when he was thirteen. Jerry and his younger brother were then raised by an orthodox grandmother from the old country. Jerry did not take to her religious dogmatism and grew rebellious, even joining a Jewish gang. An attentive uncle intervened, urging him to use his intellectual gifts to make something of himself. He urged Jerry to go to college and suggested he consider the medical profession.

College kindled passions for language, literature, music and lifelong learning.

Dictionaries, encyclopedias, and the great books were among his most prized and used possessions. Medical school in New York led to an internship and residency in Utah, where Jerry discovered his lifelong love of the natural environment. He served as a captain in the U.S. Airforce in Waco, TX, where he became adept in reading lung scans and met his future wife, Norma. In search of a natural setting that rivaled Salt Lake City, with a less religious undercurrent, he accepted an offer from Kaiser Permanente that brought him to Portland.

Maayan Torah Jewish Day School, Portland

The Pacific Northwest became Jerry’s beloved playground, and, as a committed Mazama, he climbed its mountains, led hikes in the Columbia Gorge, and rode his bicycle until he couldn’t. His nearly 25 years as a pulmonologist was followed by another quartercentury dedicated to research. Jerry completed “Reappraisal of Prevailing Premises in Sarcoidosis,’’ a collection of his scholarly work, in the final year of his life.

Temple Emek Shalom, Ashland

To use his own words, Jerry felt “strong tribal identification” as a Jew, and even though he “couldn’t find himself in organized religion,” “the Judeo Ethics that evolved over 3.5 millennia” spoke to him, especially the call to tikkun olam. He saw his medical practice and research, motivated by his desire to improve or preserve patient quality of life, as lifelong contributions to tikkun olam.

Jewish Federation of Lane County, Eugene

NCSY Oregon, Portland The Oregon Hillel Foundation, Eugene

For more information on the LIFE & LEGACY program, visit ojcf.org/ create-a-jewish-legacy/lifelegacy.

Jerry staunchly supported the Portland Jewish community through annual gifts. His final bequest to the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation is a testament to his commitment to this community and to making vital resources available to it as it seeks to meet its evolving needs in the decades to come.

Jerry died in June 2020 at 83 and is survived by two children and four grandchildren.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 15

16 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

COVER STORY

Gugulethu

MOYO In pursuit of justice

By Mala Blomquist

O

ne might question how a girl that grew up in Zimbabwe, earned a law degree from Oxford and married a diplomat, ended up in Tucson, becoming the executive director of the Jewish History Museum and Holocaust History Center.

But the answers unfold when you hear Gugulethu “Gugu” Moyo share her incredible journey, and you understand that she’s right where she is meant to be. But it has not been an easy path. She is a genocide survivor, advocate for human rights, defender of media freedom, writer, mother, proud Jew, and now the first Jew of color to lead a major Jewish museum in the United States.

Gugu does note that there is a familiarity with the vastness of Tucson’s landscape and the African savanna of her homeland. She loves the desert and jokes that sometimes she imagines it’s what being on another planet might look like.

“Every day I go out of the house, I experience awe, in the real sense of the word, the beauty of this landscape,” says Gugu. “I haven’t been to many places that are more beautiful than this particular part of the world.”

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 17

MOYO FOUNDATION OF STRENGTH When Gugu was six years old, she lived with her grandmother, a teacher, and two aunts in a residential area in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, in southern Africa.

Political tensions were rising in the area in the months following Zimbabwe’s independence from the United Kingdom. Two liberation armies – Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army and the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army – both had set up camps in the suburb of Entumbane in Bulawayo as part of the demobilization exercise in the newly independent republic.

Gugu’s home was located across the road from these encampments.

In early 1981, a fight broke out between these two factions. When the gunfire began, the family fled their home in fear.

“I remember being afraid and having to sort of crouch and move close to the ground. We had to run through a sports field because where we lived was near a school,” says Gugu. “I remember the sound of gunfire, but also red lights flying above you – bullets in the night sky.”

The family ran through the city for about 10 kilometers until they reached the safety of a relative’s home. They went on to stay with various relatives until the violence paused and they could return home.

“When we went back home, the walls were bulletridden. Someone had gone through the place and some valuables were gone,” says Gugu.

Gugu remembers that once they got back, having to be quiet and hide within the home, sometimes under the bed, because soldiers were continually looking for people they referred to as “dissidents.”

“A few months later (after we got home), we had to flee because the shooting started all over again. The fighting that was happening in the urban areas of Bulawayo.”

The second time the family returned home, it was like déjà vu – bullet holes in the walls and the home had once again been ransacked.

“I just remember the feeling and sense of helplessness,” says Gugu. “There was nothing ever done to address any of this. It was just an experience that people in this particular part of Zimbabwe had. In fact, many people deny that this happened.”

These “Entumbane clashes” happened years before the Gukurahundi, a series of massacres of Ndebele civilians carried out by the Zimbabwe National Army, whose Fifth Brigade was trained by the North Korean military.

Although there are different estimates, the consensus is that more than 20,000 people were killed from early 1983 to late 1987. The International Association of Genocide

18 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Scholars has classified these massacres as genocide.

“What did happen in the eighties was that there was a commission of inquiry established by the government at the time,” says Gugu.

“But that report was never made public, I don’t know who’s read it, but it was never published.”

The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe and Gugu is seen in other human rights organizations 2003 holding a have done reports on the atrocities. special edition of Still, there have been many the newspaper roadblocks to obtaining the truth where she worked, about the Zimbabwe National which was banned Army’s genocidal campaign against

by Zimbabwe’s the Ndebele people. government “The obstacle is that the person who is said to have orchestrated the campaign is Zimbabwe’s president right now,” says Gugu. “And many of the military leaders who were involved are still in the army.”

The murders took place across a fairly large part of Zimbabwe, and since there’s no formal documentation on who was killed and where, not all the victims’ bodies have been accounted for.

There are mass graves in many places, and many have not been able to have proper funerals for their lost loved ones.

“As a nation of Zimbabwe, we have not yet dealt with or addressed what happened,” says Gugu. “It makes a lot of sense that the people who are in power don’t want any proper investigation of this because there’s no real statute of limitation on murder, right?”

PURSUING JUSTICE Gugu earned her first Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Zimbabwe in 1996. She also holds a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. For her, going to law school was about the pursuit of justice.

“I had a very idealistic impression of what lawyers did and what the practice of law was,” says Gugu. “I went into law because I think lawyers working within the legal

“I REMEMBER THE SOUND OF GUNFIRE, BUT ALSO RED LIGHTS FLYING ABOVE YOU – BULLETS IN THE NIGHT SKY.”

~GUGULETHU MOYO

system have a great deal of influence to how people are treated systematically. How rights are protected – or not.”

Gugu was hired to be in-house legal counsel at Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe, the publisher of the Daily News, Zimbabwe’s largest daily newspaper that had a readership of almost a million people.

The paper needed an in-house attorney because the laws that regulated media and journalism in Zimbabwe were intended to interfere with freedom of the press. Journalists were often intimidated, harassed, or charged with crimes of falsehood.

“It was a criminal offense to publish false information,”

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 19

OXFORD

NAMIBI

ZIMBABW E

A

MOYO

GUGU's PATH says Gugu. “Journalists make mistakes all the time, but can you imagine operating in an environment in which you could go to jail because of your mistakes?”

The Zimbabwean government would offer incentives to people to put out false information to entrap journalists.

They also required newspaper publishers to obtain a license under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. These licenses could be withheld or revoked by the Zimbabwean government based on the editorial stance of the publication. It was clear from the start that this legislation had been created to restrict media freedom.

Gugu was always defending lawsuits against the paper.

“Politicians would sue the newspaper, kind of routinely, for defamation,” she says. Fighting these continual lawsuits became a heavy financial burden on the paper. “They would sue the journalists or the publisher themselves for ridiculous amounts of money.” At that time, there were very few limits on the damages someone could claim.

There was so much legal and physical risk involved with publishing in Zimbabwe. “Working for this publication was really an act of courage,” says Gugu.

Independent newsstand vendors that carried the Daily News would be attacked on the street and have their newspapers stolen. The paper also had their offices bombed – twice. Throughout the time that Gugu worked there, everyone on the staff had been arrested or imprisoned at one point or another, herself included.

(Gugu walked into a nightmare when she attempted to secure the release of a photographer that had been arrested covering Zimbabwe’s two-day national strike. She was repeatedly beaten and imprisoned for two nights, with no access to legal or medical help. Read The Guardian’s

20 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

coverage of the incident here.)

“I went into this environment, not knowing what was going to happen, but I became increasingly committed to press freedom,” says Gugu. “The reason they were doing this is that we had so much power as the press. They wanted to keep the truth away from people. What we were doing to defend press freedom was incredibly important to our democracy.”

The final straw came when the paper challenged the constitutionality of specific legislation. The Supreme Court of Zimbabwe ( which was the equivalent of the constitutional court) did not consider whether the law was in compliance with the press freedom guaranteed in the constitution. Instead, it told the paper to comply with the law first and come back to court afterward.

“So we should have complied with the law before we challenged it? That was an unprecedented decision,” says Gugu. “The outcome was not what anybody had expected, and it drew a lot of criticism from the Zimbabwe legal community and legal communities and press freedom activists around the world.”

After the decision came out, the police shut down the Daily News at gunpoint. That was in September 2003.

A court order stated that the paper could re-open in December of that year, but when the paper prepared an eight-page edition for release, riot police arrived to shut down their printing press and blockade the building.

Four top members of the Daily News staff were charged with illegal attempts to publish but were acquitted in

WASHINGT ON ,

DC

TUCSON ,A Z

LONDON

September 2004.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE After Gugu left Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe, she worked in Namibia for a bit. In 2004, she was recruited by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute to do advocacy work on the rule of law in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in the region. With this position came a relocation to London.

While in London, Gugu was intrigued when she saw that George Soros’ Open Society Foundation was looking to set up a legal aid organization to protect press freedom and respond to situations where the law is used to intimidate journalists.

“Obviously, I was particularly experienced in ways in which legal pressure can be applied to interfere with press freedom and also the needs of those defending against these cases in difficult jurisdictions,” says Gugu.

“I understood a great deal about that kind of operating environment. and what we could do.”

She applied for the position and was hired as executive director for the Media Legal Defence Initiative in June 2009. The company was established as a nonprofit company in June 2008 and registered as an independent charitable organization in 2009. It was rebranded to Media Defence in 2020.

Setting up a legal aid organization was incredibly ambitious work. The Open Society Foundation started it

off, but they were not going to support it financially for the long term. Gugu worked to raise funds from donors in both America and Europe.

Some of these donors include the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Adessium Foundation, Google and the MacArthur Foundation.

But Gugu’s work was not the only challenge in her life.

She and her Jewish partner, Joshua Polacheck, a diplomat, were navigating a long-distance relationship.

“I lived in London, and he was posted in Lebanon and then Pakistan during this period,” says Gugu. “We met in Zimbabwe; it was his first overseas assignment. I was working there at the time – I left Zimbabwe before he did.”

The couple was married in New York on Aug. 25, 2009.

But right before they entered the courthouse to exchange their vows, Gugu’s phone rang.

“It was from somebody in Rwanda who was defending a journalist that had been incarcerated, and they needed funds to pay a lawyer. It was an emergency,” says Gugu.

“I guess somebody else might have ignored that phone call. But I knew what that kind of experience was like for people, having lived in an environment like that.”

She and Joshua did not want to live apart as a married couple, and they were trying to figure out who was going to move and quit their job.

“Eventually, I moved to Washington, D.C., and that’s how I came to be living in the United States of America,” says Gugu.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 21

MOYO JOURNEY TOWARDS JUDAISM When Gugu got to D.C., she formally started her path to conversion, but her connection to Judaism began many years earlier.

“Working with lawyers, particularly South African lawyers, sparked my interest in Judaism,” says Gugu.

“These South African lawyers, who, in that country, would have been classified as white, and so one would have expected them to go along with the apartheid system as most white people did at the time. But it was striking to me that these Jewish lawyers were often activists against apartheid, and played significant roles.”

When she set up the Media Legal Defence Initiative, she also met icons of the human rights movement, who also were Jewish. One of these individuals was Aryeh Neier. Aryeh was president of the Open Society Institute from 1993 until 2012. He also co-founded Human Rights Watch and was the national director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

She was curious about the ethics behind the faith, and as she learned and read more about Judaism, she came to a realization. “This is pretty much my tribe, you know? It was an organic sort of thing, a homecoming in terms of finding a community of people who share the same values about the world and ethics that I subscribe to.”

Like most Zimbabweans, she grew up in a Christian environment, and attended a private Catholic school.

“By the time I was exploring Judaism, I wasn’t seeking God because that’s not something I was in need of,” says Gugu. “It was about having a way of life that I thought was one that I wanted to lead. One of the things I particularly like about Judaism is that we examine and ask questions in order to get the truth, so agreement isn’t a requirement in Judaism.

“The most important thing for me is the requirement to act and how much attention Jewish people devote to thinking about how we must act in the world, and the many ways that you can be a better Jewish person. That is something that appeals to me about Judaism.”

FINDING A HOME IN THE DESERT In April of 2019, Gugu, Joshua and their young daughter decided to move to Tucson to be closer to her father-in-law, Dr. John Polacheck, z”l, who was ill. John had served with Indian Health Services in New Mexico, Alaska, Nevada and Arizona before settling in Tucson in 1992, when Joshua was in middle school.

She remembers dropping their daughter off at preschool one day and talking to parents since they were “shul shopping.” One of the people they met was Bryan

22 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Solomon “Sol” Davis, the Jewish History Museum and Holocaust History Center’s executive director.

He mentioned that the museum was currently looking for an operations director. They had only been in Tucson for about a month and Gugu applied for the job. She got that position and then officially became executive director in Jan. 2021, after Sol left to become the director at the Jewish Museum of Maryland.

No one was probably happier for Gugu’s appointment as director of operations in July 2019 than her father-inlaw. John had been a volunteer involved in the restoration of the museum back when it was known as the Stone Avenue Synagogue. Built in 1910, it became the first Jewish house of worship in the Arizona Territory. After John died in November 2019, his memorial service was held at the museum.

Aside from the building’s rich history, the museum is also Arizona’s only Holocaust history center.

Gugu comments on the importance of the museum’s location, being so close to the border where migration is constant and immigrants escaping all kinds of situations end up settling in Southern Arizona. The concept of diaspora is something that she is very familiar with and has lived herself.

“Because most of the collection at the museum is oral history, I intend to just keep telling these stories in more expansive and richer ways,” says Gugu. “What Jewish life is, and what it means to live a Jewish life in this particular part of the country.”

She shares that the museum has done a significant amount of work educating people about anti-Semitism, including school children that make up the museum’s largest audience.

Since the museum is also a Holocaust history center, Gugu says that they anticipated the upcoming mandate added to the state education standards where teachers will need to include lessons on the Holocaust and other genocides.

They are working with the Holocaust Education Task Force and also with a small group of educators to create lesson plans, specifically for students in Arizona, that will not only teach Holocaust history but the history of several other genocides. Gugu also wants to include contemporary human rights issues and personal accounts from individual survivors.

“When people can meet survivors and speak to them about their experiences, it’s a really powerful way of teaching this difficult history,” says Gugu. “The Holocaust was something that happened in Europe, but some of the people who were victims survived and ended up here.

Left: With family at daughter, Thurza's, brit bat (welcoming ceremony). Top row from left, Michael Usher, Audrey Kremer, Marion Usher; bottom row from left, Joshua Polacheck, Gugu holding Thurza and John Polacheck, z"l Thurza's grandfather.

"ONE OF THE THINGS I PARTICULARLY LIKE ABOUT JUDAISM IS THAT WE EXAMINE AND ASK QUESTIONS IN ORDER TO GET THE TRUTH."

~GUGULETHU MOYO OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 23

MOYO

They have carried on their life and have carried those stories with them and into their lives here.

That is also true of other genocides.”

She continues, “The Jewish History Museum tells complex stories in nuanced ways to help inform all of us about history. History that we don’t understand or don’t know. I also think it’s a place to reflect, share stories with others and learn from that history – what we can do better and how we can act in the future.”

24 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Clockwise, above: Gugulethu Moyo, fourth from left, at Yad Vashem on a Sixth & I (their synagogue in Washington, D.C.) congregational trip to Israel in 2013. Rabbi Shira Stutman, senior rabbi at Sixth & I synagogue, is at far right; Gugu’s husband, Joshua Polacheck, is next to Stutman; the Jewish History Museum and Holocaust History Center (courtesy Jewish History Museum); touring Yad Vashem; Gugu at Carmel Hai-Bar Nature Reserve in Haifa, Israel with Rabbi Stutman. PHOTOS COURTESY GUGULETHU MOYO

Entering the Magen David Synagogue, Kolkata, India

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 25

PASSOVER

Haggadah history

By Mala Blomquist

I

t’s always there, printed or photocopied, and as much a part of the Passover Seder as wine, bitter herbs and matzah – but have you ever thought of the origins of the Haggadah?

The first-ever mention of the order of a Passover Seder is in the Mishnah, a written collection of Jewish oral traditions. The description is very similar to our modern-day seders, although history notes that the Haggadah did not come about until the time of the Talmud, probably in the third or fourth century CE. Over the next several hundred years, various parts were added and modified, until finally they were solidified around 700 -800 CE. Haggadah translates to “telling” in Hebrew.

Reading the Haggadah at the seder table is a fulfillment of the mitzvah to relate the account of the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt to the next generation.

The Haggadah is said to be the most widely printed Jewish book.

There are various Haggadot to choose from to fit nearly all religious, age-specific, political, or social justice needs. In addition to the Exodus retelling, it includes reading of the 10 plagues, asking of the four questions and explaining various Passover rituals.

While some Haggadot are printed only in Hebrew and do not stray from the original text, many newer Haggadot explore alternative meanings for common seder symbols or encourage seder participants to reflect on the larger themes of emancipation and redemption and to explore their personal feelings of persecution and freedom.

A Haggadah discovered in a trove of archived Jewish texts known as the Cairo Genizah in the storeroom of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Fustat, The (Unofficial) Hogwarts Haggadah; The Emoji Haggadah The Baseball Haggadah: A Festival of Freedom and Springtime in 15 Innings

26 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

A family sits down to the Seder in the Sarajevo Haggadah.

(COURTESY OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA.)

Old Cairo, Egypt, “is considered the oldest surviving Haggadah,” dating to about the year 1000.

One of the oldest Sephardic Haggadot in the world is known as the Sarajevo Haggadah, believed to have been created in Barcelona by Spanish Jews around 1350 and bought by a museum in Bosnia in 1894. It is handwritten on bleached calfskin and illuminated in copper and gold. Its pages are stained with wine, evidence that its history includes many Passover Seders.

According to My Jewish Learning, one of the most famous Haggadot in modern history is the iconic Maxwell House Haggadah, published by the Maxwell House coffee company. Having confirmed in the 1920s that the coffee bean is not a legume but a berry, and therefore kosher for Passover, Maxwell House tasked the Joseph Jacobs ad agency to make coffee, rather than tea, the drink of choice after seders.

Maxwell House’s Haggadah was offered alongside its coffee cans in supermarkets throughout the United States beginning in 1932. It is still offered today at some supermarkets for free with a purchase of Maxwell House coffee. It has been updated over the years and even made it to the White House, where it was used by President Barack Obama when he hosted a 2009 seder.

In 2011, Maxwell House edited the text’s section regarding the four “sons” to read “the four children,” and it changed “leavened or unleavened bread” to “bread or matzo” to modernize the language. In 2019, the company collaborated with Amazon to create a “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”-themed Haggadah. Unlike other Maxwell House Haggadot, this one contained a recipe card for “Midge’s Brisket” accord to eater.com.

Following Maxwell House campaign’s success, nondenominational companies like Jack Frost Sugar, Borden Dairy and Crisco released “cookbook pamphlets” to remind consumers that their products were also kosher for Passover.

A name synonymous with Passover, Manischewitz, which produces matzah, gefilte fish, and macaroons, as well as the infamous wine, put out a number of Haggadot in the 1960s through the ’90s.

There are other playful Haggadot centered around pop culture printed in the past few years. Martin Bodek published The Emoji Haggadah (printed almost entirely in the colorful hieroglyphs) as well as The Festivus Haggadah, celebrating the sitcom “Seinfeld.” For sports fans, there is The Baseball Haggadah: A Festival of Freedom

and Springtime in 15 Innings, The 1932 edition, published in 2015 by Rabbi Sharon first pamphlet, Forman. And in 2017, Rabbi Moshe with subsequent Rosenberg published The (Unofficial) editions of Hogwarts Haggadah, putting the the popular religious story in the context of Maxwell House Harry Potter.

Haggadah.

For the DIYer, Haggadot.com lets you make your own Haggadah with thousands of options for blessings, artwork, translations, songs, activities and more.

This year, whether you’re having an in-person seder, or Zooming it again, try incorporating a new Haggadah in the mix, but maybe keep the Maxwell version on hand, just for tradition’s sake.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 27

PASSOVER

W Why is this wine different from all other wines?

28 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

ith Passover just around the corner (starting sundown on March 27), many people choose to serve wines that are koshercertified. So, just how different is kosher wine from the non-kosher stuff ?

“When it comes to taste, there’s no difference between kosher and non-kosher wine,” says Jay Buchsbaum, executive VP marketing and director of Wine Education at Royal Wine Corp. “In fact, many kosher wines are award winning – beating out their non-kosher competitors for top varietal prizes, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and rosés as well.”

Founded in 1848, Royal Wine Corp., the world’s largest purveyor of kosher wines and spirits, has been owned and operated in the United States by the Herzog family, whose winemaking roots go back eight generations to its origin in Czechoslovakia.

There’s a common ‘urban legend’ that wine is rendered kosher after being blessed by a rabbi –that is incorrect. “For a wine to be made kosher there are strictly supervised purity guidelines that need to be followed from the moment the grapes enter the winery to when the wine is bottled,” adds Buchsbaum.

To be considered kosher, Sabbath-observant Jews must supervise and sometimes handle the entire winemaking process, from the time the grapes are crushed until the wine is bottled. Any ingredients used, including yeasts and fining agents, must be kosher. Fining agents are substances that are usually added at or near the completion of the processing of brewing wine, beer and various nonalcoholic juice beverages.

Their purpose is for removal of organic compounds; either to improve clarity or adjust flavor and aroma.

Some Kosher wines are processed as mevushal, which means ‘cooked’ in Hebrew. Some wineries produce their mevushal wines by heating the must (grape juice) prior to fermentation, while others apply that procedure on the final product, prior to bottling.

When kosher wine is produced, marketed and sold commercially, it will bear kosher certification granted by a specially trained rabbi who is responsible for supervision from start to finish.

Recent years have seen increased demand for kosher wines, prompting a number of vintners in countries not previously represented to produce sophisticated kosher wines under strict rabbinical supervision in countries such as South Africa, Chile and Canada, in addition to traditional sources such as Israel, France, California Spain and Italy.

TEN MORE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT KOSHER WINE 1. Kosher wine is made in precisely the same way as ‘regular’ wine. The only difference is that there is rabbinical oversight during the process and that the wine is handled by Sabbathobservant Jews.

2. Not all Israeli wines are kosher. Only about 30% of Israeli wine brands are certified kosher, but these kosher wineries produce over 90% of the Israel wine industry’s output.

3. In the 1980s, there were very few kosher wines.

Buchsbaum says that Royal Wine only imported three kosher wines from Bordeaux back then.

4. The number of producers of kosher wines has dramatically increased in the past 10 to 20 years. To date, Royal Wine Corp. represents more than 60 kosher wine producers. This is due to an increase in interest from consumers who are adding to their kosher wine portfolios, and in some cases building actual kosher wine cellars in their homes, a rare sight just two decades ago.

5. While several well-known wineries in countries from all over the world including France, Spain, Italy, and Argentina are crafting special runs of kosher wine, California is not. Except for Marciano Estate, which produces a kosher run of their Terra Gratia, a high-end Napa Valley Blend, all kosher California

wine is made by fully kosher wineries such as Herzog Wine Cellars, Covenant and Hagafen.

6. The reason many Passover dinners feature red wine is because there’s a rabbinic opinion that red wine is preferable since it’s the same variety that Jews used during their seders after they escaped Egypt.

7. Kosher wines can range in price from $5 a bottle to $500. The average price for a bottle of good kosher wine is $25.

8. The most popular Moscato in the United States happens to be kosher. Bartenura produces the largest selling imported Italian Moscato in the U.S. The Moscato in the famous blue bottle sells over 5,000,000 bottles annually, only a fraction of which to the kosher market.

9. Currently there is a steady increase in total wine consumption and a great interest specifically in high-end Israeli wines, as well as the better French wines.

10. Drinking wine can be a mitzvah (good deed). Kosher wine is prescribed for use in many Jewish rituals: brit milah (circumcision), the wedding chuppah (canopy), and the Kiddush that starts all Sabbath and holiday meals. While most occasions call for just one cup, on Passover, Jews are required to drink four cups of wine at the seder.

Whether for the Passover Seder or at a simple dinner with friends, these topquality wines are sure to satisfy on all occasions.

Stoudemire Origins 2018 and Stoudemire Clarity Rosé 2020 – After establishing a line of kosher wines produced in the Upper Galilee, NBA All-Star Amaré Stoudemire expands his offerings to California in collaboration with Herzog Wine Cellars (USA). SRP: $24.99.

Herzog Lineage Rosé 2020 – This casual rosé’s flavors include pomegranate, raspberry and tart cherry (USA). SRP $19.99 Château Roubine Rosé 2020 – The rosé wines of this top-ranking classed growth Provence Château are now imported exclusively by Royal Wine Corp. and are kosher for Passover, as well (France). SRP: $19.99-59.99 Herzog Generation IX Cabernet Sauvignon Stags Leap District Napa Valley 2018 – Herzog’s new flagship wine from the prized Stags Leap district, famous for putting California on the world wine map in 1976 (USA). SRP: $249.99 Bartenura Prosecco Rosé – Top quality pink sparkling wine from Italy, great for the Passover seder and all year round for small family gatherings and celebrations (Italy). SRP: $19.99 Château Meyney Saint-Estèphe 2018 – This famed Bordeaux Estate joins Royal’s family of high-end Bordeaux Châteaux producing kosher varieties (France). SRP: $79.99 Sforno – A new line of high value, affordable quality kosher wines produced by the celebrated Riglos winery (Argentina). SRP: $10-15

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 29

PASSOVER

New book helps take the stress out of Passover preparation

By Mala Blomquist

M

eira Spivak wants to help you not to be stressed about preparing for Passover – for real!

Meira is the Oregon NCSY director, an international speaker and also a trained facilitator of the S.I.T method of creativity and innovation. She is a mother of eleven children and has used her first-hand knowledge of cooking, cleaning and child-raising to help other parents navigate Pesach preparations.

She released a book at the end of January titled, How to Make Pesach in 5 Days, based on the class she has been teaching for many years of the same name.

“I feel like people get over stressed about Passover prep,” says Meira. “People are cleaning their moldings – what are you doing? There’s no leavened bread on your molding.”

She’s all for cleaning, but she believes that people get stressed when there is so much to do, and they are spending their time on things that are not important – and not part of the preparation.

Meira also mentions that she intentionally used the word Pesach in the title and not Passover.

“If somebody only makes one seder for Passover, it probably doesn’t take them five days,” she says. “This (book) is really for the people having multiple guests for many meals. You know, it’s overwhelming if you’re not organized about it.”

The 70-page guide contains an easy-to-follow fiveday blueprint – along with sample menus, shopping lists, and heirloom recipes – to help you move quickly 30 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

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and efficiently through the steps of removing chametz, kashering the kitchen, and shopping and cooking for the holiday.

Plus, a stress-free plan for taking care of pre-holiday details, such as preparing clothing, inviting guests and planning meals.

Meira shares that she always tells people not to make a big deal out of things that are not a big deal. “It’s like when I go to the store during Thanksgiving time, and I see these people throwing things in their cart, and they’re so overwhelmed.

I think, ‘I do this every week for Shabbat, chill out,’” says Meira. “What this book tries to do is break down everything, so it’s not a big deal.”

She purposely did not put complicated recipes in the book because she believes when you come to a Pesach seder, the important part is the messaging and the experience.

“If we’re so caught up about the brisket or when we’re going to eat, then we’re missing the point,” says Meira. “Things are going to go wrong – it doesn’t have to be perfect. Go with the flow. It’s more important for your kids to see you being positive and smiling; it doesn’t help anyone to get stressed out.”

To order How to Make Pesach in 5 Day, visit oregon.ncsy.org/ pesachbook. All of the proceeds from the book will be donated to NCSY for their programming. NCSY’s mission is to connect, inspire and empower Jewish teens and to encourage passionate Judaism.

Meira’s favorite recipe in the book is for her mother’s “killer” Rocky Road Brownies.

ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES Recipe by Susan Rabinowicz This recipe’s ingredients are broken down into three parts: INGREDIENTS:

A 1 ½ cups oil 3 cups sugar 4 teaspoons vanilla 6 eggs

B 1 ½ cups potato starch 1 cup cocoa ¾ teaspoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt

C 1 bag chocolate chips 1 bag miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the ingredients from group A. Add the ingredients from group B and mix thoroughly.

Then fold in the ingredients from group C. Pour into a 9” x 13” pan and bake for 45 minutes.

WARNING – you might not be able to stop at one!

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 31

T Purim and Passover: A Tale of Two Tables

By Amy Hirshberg Lederman

32 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

he experience of celebrating Jewish holidays has been dramatically altered since the onset of the pandemic more than a year ago. From solitary Passover Seders to attending High Holiday services in our pajamas on zoom, we have tried our best to stay connected to tradition despite the precautions and restrictions COVID-19 has required.

Last week we celebrated Purim, with many of us sitting at our kitchen tables zooming a Megillah reading while nibbling on hamantaschen and sipping schnapps.

The Megillah, Book of Esther 1:1-5, opens with King Ahashveros making an outlandishly lavish feast (mishteh, in Hebrew) for all of his officials, nobles, armies and servants, from the 127 provinces over which he reigned.

It wasn’t just a one-night affair, either, but a huge, elaborate and decadent festival that continued for 180 days!

The story goes on to tell us that the drunken king demanded his queen, Vashti, to appear before him to show off her beauty (and who knows what else), but she refused. Her punishment was irrevocable banishment and the replacement

by Esther, the most beautiful of all the maidens to come before the king.

The king then made Esther’s banquet – a “great feast” called the mishteh gadol – for his officers and servants. Rather than the mishteh described in the Megillah’s opening passages, Esther’s feast, by contrast, was much smaller and less opulent.

(Esther 2:18) This seeming contradiction was beautifully interpreted by a

PASSOVER family friend, the late Dr. Arnold Schonfeld. Perhaps the Megillah is suggesting that it is not the number of people or the elaborate nature of how we entertain that defines the significance of an event, but the merit and value of those in attendance that give the event meaning.

This interpretation offers a lovely way to approach the holiday of Passover during the continuing challenges of this pandemic.

While we may be cautiously optimistic about the future now that the vaccine is more readily available, In this painting by Edwin we must remain vigilant Longdsen Long (1829-91) to protect the safety and Queen Esther is preparing health of those dear to to see King Xerxes I, on us as well as the general whom she will prevail to public. The net result will spare the Jewish people mean that many, if not from genocide. She is most, of our seders will celebrated for her success still be extremely limited in in the Jewish holiday terms of size, grandeur and Purim. numbers of guests.

But, as the Megillah points out, we need not feel that less is less; rather, we can strive to create a seder table where less is actually more.

More time to prepare, more conversation with meaning, and yes, an even more inclusive seder with people under other circumstances would not ordinarily be inclined to attend.

We read in the Haggadah about the four sons (although today we speak of the four children): the wise, the rebellious, the simple, and the one who is unable to ask. Over 60 years ago, the late Chasidic Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, wrote a seminal Passover letter that expanded the seder’s core purpose: to find and invite the “fifth son” – any man or woman who is conspicuous by his or her absence from the seder table.

This notion can inform us today by creating an awareness of who is not at the table. It can also inspire us to invite to our seder any person – be it a stranger, friend, co-worker or family member – who, for whatever reason, has left the tradition or never felt a part of it. And oddly enough, COVID-19 has made that not only easier but more natural.

Many of us will have Zoom seders for the second year

New Social group for TIKVAH members Starting MONDAY, March 1, JFCS’s TIKVAH group will

meet online every 1st and 3rd Monday at 4:15 PM. This group si for adults with disabilities ages 18 and up.

Upcoming dates: 3/1, 3/15, 3/29, 4/26

To RSVP, email janetmenashe@jfcs-portland.org.

If you have and aecess requirements (such as captions, interpreters, instrutions on using Zoom, etc.)

email Sarit Cahana at scahana@jfcs-portlans.org

in a row. But this year, let us not focus on what we may have to forgo – the joy of serving our matzah ball soup in person or kvelling up close when the youngest child recites the four questions or finds the afikomen.

This year, let us instead focus on expanding our seders to include a “fifth child.” Let us employ the frustration, disappointment and fear that COVID-19 has caused as an impetus to bring others out of isolation and into our homes to be a part of the seder experience.

Because, if COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is this: none of us should be forced to be alone, especially when we long to be a part of something meaningful and share our stories with others. As the Haggadah itself proclaims: “Let all who are hungry, come and eat; all who are in need, come and celebrate the Passover with us.”

In this way, COVID-19 can be a touchstone to inspire us to let all who are hungry for inclusion, partnership, sharing and relationship, whether near or far, be welcomed to join our seder table.

AMY HIRSHBERG LEDERMAN

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

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 33

SUMMER CAMP

SUMMER CAMP IS BACK! Last summer, according to the American Camp Association, only 18% of the country’s overnight camps welcomed kids. Too much was unknown at that point about COVID-19, and restrictions in many states didn’t permit camps to open.

This year is looking to welcome kids back to camp, with many of the restrictions we have grown accustomed to: enhanced handwashing, mask wearing and physical distancing.

Gone will be indoor group singalongs and large gatherings. Campers will mingle in smaller groups, eat and participate in activities with those they share a cabin with.

Despite the changes, camp will still be a wonderful experience where children can get outside, away from the constant pull of electronic devices, and make new friendships that can last a lifetime.

34 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

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WE POSED SOME QUESTIONS TO CAMP STAFF ABOUT THEIR PLANS FOR 2021.

With different weekly themes, scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, and games, campers will experience something new each day.

Mittleman Jewish Community Center Day camp in Portland, OR

What are some of the changes that you have implemented for the 2021 summer camp season?

This year comes with the similar challenges of the 2020 summer, and as such, we’ve adapted our program to make the experience on our campus feel fresh every day. With different weekly themes, scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, and games, campers will experience something new each day.

What would you like to tell parents to alleviate their concerns about sending their child to camp this summer?

The MJCC goes above and beyond the state mandate to provide a safe and fun experience. Our staff is highly trained in health and safety guidelines which include sanitization. We ran a successful nine-week program in 2020, and we are excited to do the same this year.

What are you most looking forward to this camp season?

I’m looking forward to working with our camp team and offering a program to our community that allows children to socialize, learn and grow in a safe and fun environment.

What’s your fondest memory of camp when you were young?

My fondest camp memory is going on hikes, swimming in the lake, and making long-lasting friendships.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 35

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Staff work closely with our COVID-19 and medical committees to create our health and safety protocols. Our tzevet (staff ) are passionate about creating super fun and creative programming that can be executed safely and still bring people together. They receive training on how to best support youth who may be struggling with the uncertainties and loneliness of life in a pandemic, something that everyone is dealing with right now. We know that Camp Miriam will be a safe place to find togetherness and community in whatever form camp takes this summer.

What are you most looking forward to this camp season?

I am looking forward to all of the Shabbat traditions that are a part of camp, especially doing Rikkud on Friday. Doing Israeli dancing in such a fun, silly and inclusive space has always been one of my happiest camp memories, and I can’t wait to do that again!

What’s your fondest memory of camp when you were young?

Picking the fondest memory of camp seems impossible because I have so many wonderful memories, but one that comes to mind is our Yom Meyuchad theme days. The theme of one of the first theme days I was ever a part of was Alice in Wonderland, and I will never forget how camp turned into another world and my madrichimot (counselors) became Alice, the Cheshire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts. It was truly an experience of Machaneh Miriam Magic!

36 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

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What would you like to tell parents to alleviate their concerns about sending their child to camp this summer?

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All the madrichimot (counselors) are looking forward to the time when we can reconnect and do the fun Camp Miriam things we love to do together, like Shabbat at the Point, toranut in the Chadar Ochel, and playing gaga with our friends. Our goal this summer is to bring as much of the Camp Miriam magic to as many chanichimot (campers) as possible. This means that we may be on Gabriola Island or do a kaytana (day camp) again in the city. At this time, we sadly do not know if coming to Canada will be a possibility for U.S. kids due to the Canada/USA border closure.

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What are some of the changes that you have implemented for the 2021 summer camp season?

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Habonim Dror Camp Miriam Overnight camp in Vancouver, BC, Canada

Our goal this summer is to bring as much of the Camp Miriam magic to as many chanichimot (campers) as possible.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 37

CAMP B’nai B’rith Camp Day camp programs in three locations in Oregon Overnight camp on Devil’s Lake near Lincoln City, OR

What are some of the changes that you have implemented for the 2021 summer camp season?

In alignment with the American Camp Association’s Field Guide, Centers for Disease and Prevention, and Oregon Health Authority’s overnight camp guidance and to accommodate COVID mitigating protocols, BB Camp will make adjustments to our 2021 overnight camp sessions. Modifications will be made to various areas related to transition times, the flow of activities, physical distancing in program specialty areas and reduced cohort sizes regarding bunk capacity. Large allcamp programs, including meals, evening programs, and all-day programming, will be modified and restructured to ensure COVID safety protocols are prioritized.

What would you like to tell parents to alleviate their concerns about sending their child to camp this summer?

needed social and emotional skills. We are so excited to welcome our campers back to BB Camp. We can’t wait to be a part of their joy, Jewish identity-building, and having them play outside (and away from screens) with their kehillah (community)!

BB Camp is a wonderful place to teach the importance of reflection and of moving forward.

38 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

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This past year has been incredibly challenging for all of us, but especially our campers, as they have had limited (if any) in-person time to socialize and develop much-

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What are you most looking forward to this camp season?

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Throughout the 2020 spring and summer months, BB Camp staff became experts at adapting to the COVID-19 Oregon Health Authority Summer rownstein, cam pd r-B i Camp Guidelines. We operated four day camps m ire A in three different locations while adhering to c te summer day camp protocols. BB Camp is committed to creating meaningful camp experiences, while staying flexible with our operations, and communicating with parents every step of the way as we approach summer 2021.

As BB Camp staff plan for the 2021 summer, we want to ensure continued transparency surrounding our evolving COVID-19 mitigating operations. As our plans develop, BB Camp continues to follow the research and recommended guidelines created for summer camps from the American Camp Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Oregon Health Authority and other health-related agencies. The health and safety of our camp community are always our highest priority.

Sending your child to Camp in any given summer can feel like a big step. We want our parents to know that we are with you every step of the way. We would love the chance to meet you and discuss how we can create

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What would you like to tell parents to alleviate their concerns about sending their child to camp this summer?

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The health and safety of our campers are always our highest priority. In 2020, BB Day Camps successfully served campers at our four day camp programs in three different locations. We anticipate summer 2021 guidelines will be similar to last summer's guidance; however, we know there will be changes as information about COVID-19 continues to develop. Once we receive new Summer Day Camp Guidelines from the Oregon Health Authority, our professional staff will implement the accommodations necessary to provide safe and meaningful experiences at BB Day Camps this summer. We are proud to have had zero COVID-19 cases at BB Day Camp Portland in summer 2020!

In 2021, we are excited to offer our new BB Day Camp Portland Middle School Program, designed around daily outings to discover the city through engaging and fun activities specially crafted for middle school campers!

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My fondest memory of camp is Havdalah.

Havdalah is a coveted ritual and a time for the entire camp to pause and appreciate our community together. When I looked around, I saw BB Camp’s core Jewish values of kehillah (community) and shalom (peace) come to life. Camp felt more peaceful to me during Havdalah than any other moment, allowing campers and counselors who might have had challenges throughout the week to take that moment to reset and look forward. BB Camp is a wonderful place to teach the importance of reflection and of moving forward. amazing summer for your child and family at BB Day Camp.

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What’s your fondest memory of camp when you were young?

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an amazing summer for your child and family at BB Day Camp.

What are you most looking forward to this camp season?

Reconnecting with our returning camp families and meeting our new ones! If there is one thing we learned last summer – our campers, parents and staff all benefited enormously from a summer at BB Day Camp in what was such a tough year. We are so excited to see our campers again!

What’s your fondest memory of camp when you were young?

Without a doubt – my counselors! We know first-hand the magic of having a compassionate, approachable and fun counselor as a role model. This is why before BB Day Camp camper sessions, we host an entire week dedicated to staff training, ensuring our counselors have all the necessary skills to be all of these things and more!

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 39

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This summer, we’ll be spending more time outdoors, taking advantage of our beautiful campus in the Prescott Pines, together with cabin-mates. We’re increasing cleaning and sanitization, we’ve replaced our sinks with touch-less faucets, and are designing new outdoor dining spaces.

What would you like to tell parents to alleviate their concerns about sending their child to camp this summer?

Grilled cheese and tomato soup, Shabbat in our Pearlstein Chapel, and Maccabiah await! td

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Camp Daisy and Harry Stein Overnight camp in Prescott, AZ

What are some of the changes that you have implemented for the 2021 summer camp season?

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CAMP

40 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

We’re so excited to be back up in Prescott and look forward to once again creating the magic of camp. We’re developing new programming and experiences with your camper’s health and well-being in mind. We know how difficult this past year has been for so many and can’t wait to welcome your children into our community. They’ll make new friends, take a break from technology (no Zoom!) and spend time outdoors. We’re ready to all return back to our summer home!

What are you most looking forward to this camp season?

We’re looking forward to seeing all of our campers and staff in-person soon! Grilled cheese and tomato soup, Shabbat in our Pearlstein Chapel, and Maccabiah await!

What’s your fondest memory of camp when you were young?

JB: I’ve always loved Shabbat at camp, especially Chef Moe’s broccoli and Shabbat chicken! It’s been so meaningful to see my campers become counselors themselves, and now join us on the leadership team at Camp Stein!

JW: One of my favorite memories from when I started at camp was hanging out in the cabin with my campers and cocounselors.

Portland Jewish Academy Day Camp in Portland, OR

What are some of the changes that you have implemented for the 2021 summer camp season?

Classes will be limited to 8-11 students and we are offering three weeks of programming from June 28-July 16. PJA is mandated to follow the ODE/OHA guidelines.

What would you like to tell parents to alleviate their concerns about sending their child to camp this summer?

m

Summer Discovery classes are taught by experienced, professional teachers who have your child’s safety and well-being in mind. Classrooms will be set-up to meet the distance nda Llanez, Celi PJA requirements and classroom materials will not be shared. We will schedule Su frequent hand washing and hand sanitizing and social distancing protocols will be enforced as much as possible in all areas of the school. All staff and attendees will be required to wear a mask.

I have very fond memories of meeting new friends, many of whom are still my friends today.

ry Progra cove m Dis

What’s your fondest memory of camp when you were young?

er

Welcoming back to our PJA campus previous and new students for Summer Discovery! It is exciting and fun to see and hear about all the fabulous projects and learning happening in the classroom.

m

What are you most looking forward to this camp season?

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 41

CAMP

Top Ten Things You Never Knew About

CAMP Camp has become a staple of the summer season. Each year, millions of children, youth, and adults head to the hills, lakes, valleys, and parks to participate in the time-honored tradition of camp.

And, while most people easily conjure up images of campfires and canoes, there is a lot more to the camp experience.

Here are ten of the things you may not have known about the camp experience.

10. Camp is older than dirt, almost literally.

9. Camp is worth its weight in gold, and then some!

Started in 1861, the camp experience turned an impressive 150 years young in 2011. The secret behind the longevity? “One hundred and fifty-five years later, there is a camp for every child,” says Tom Rosenberg, president and chief executive officer for the American Camp Association (ACA). “from specialized camps to general, traditional camps, the essence of the camp experience is stronger than ever.”

The camp experience is lifechanging – developing friendships and memories that last well beyond the final campfire. And, there is a camp for literally every budget. Often camps offer special pricing or financial assistance, and some camp experiences qualify for tax credits or for payment with pre-tax dollars. Visit ACAcamps. org for more information.

42 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

8. Green is “zen.”

Research shows that first-hand experience with nature, like those at camp, reduce stress in children and help them better handle stress in the future. In addition to teaching children how to be good stewards of the environment, camps are teaching children how to enjoy the world around them and take a minute to breathe deep and feel the nature, which ultimately teaches them how to de-stress the natural way.

7. Mommies and Daddies do it too.

Camp is not just for children and youth. There are family camp experiences, and camps for single adults, senior adults, and any adult that wants to relax and enjoy all camp has to offer. Adults benefit from the same sense of community, authentic relationships, and selfdiscovery that children do. Camp is an excellent vacation option, allowing adults to try a variety of new activities in a safe and fun environment.

6. Try this on for size!

Camp is a great place to try new activities and hobbies. Afraid of rock walls? According to ACA research, 74% of campers reported that they tried new activities at camp that they were afraid to do at first. And, those activities often leave lasting impressions. In the same survey, 63% of parents reported that their child continued new activities from camp after returning home.

5. Manners matter, and often linger.

The camp experience teaches more than just archery or lanyard making.

The entire experience is made of teachable moments, perhaps one of the biggest is how to live with a group of people. Campers learn to pick up after themselves, respect each other’s property, and to say “Please” and “Thank You.” 4. Veggies taste better with friends.

Hollywood and fictional novels may have given camp food a bad reputation, but in truth, camps are constantly exploring healthy food options, and often are at the forefront of things like allergy specific diets, healthy snack options, and vegetarian meals. According to

ACA’s 2011 Emerging Issues survey, 90.7% of responding camps indicated that healthy eating and physical activity was an important or very important issue.

3. If everyone else went to camp, maybe there’s something to it!

Camp has played an important role in the lives of some of the most talented people in history.

ACA’s family resource site offers a list of notable campers – including business professionals, celebrities, artists and great thinkers.

2. Camp gets those neurons pumping!

Education reform debate and concern over summer learning loss have pushed academic achievement into the spotlight.

Research shows that participation in intentional programs, like camp, during summer months helps stem summer learning loss. In addition, camp provides ample opportunity for developmental growth, which is a precursor to academic achievement. And, because of the “hands-on” nature of camp, often children who struggle in traditional education settings do well at camp.

1. Camp builds leaders for the 21st century and beyond!

Independence, resiliency, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and the ability to relate to other people – these are the skills that tomorrow’s leaders will need, and the skills camp has been adept at building for 150 years. “Camp gives children and youth the critical tools they will need to become successful adults,” says Rosenberg.

For more information on preparing your child for an independent, fun-filled summer, visit ACA’s family resource page at ACAcamps.org.

Or, follow ACA on Facebook and Twitter for helpful hints and camp information.

Reprinted by permission of the American Camp Association. ©2021 American Camping Association, Inc.

About American Camp Association The American Camp Association® (ACA) is a national organization with more than 12,000 individual members and 3,100 member camps.

ACA is committed to collaborating with those who believe in quality camp and outdoor experiences for children, youth, and adults. ACA provides advocacy, evidence-based education, and professional development, and is the only independent national accrediting body for the organized camp experience.

ACA accredits more than 2,400 diverse US camps.

ACA Accreditation provides public evidence of a camp’s voluntary commitment to the health, safety, risk management, and overall well-being of campers and staff. For more information, visit ACAcamps.org or call 800-428-2267.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 43

CAMP

44 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

When at-risk and special-needs kids bunk together at camp

By Abigail Klein Leichman

D

uring the summer of 2019, two at-risk teens – Or, 18, and Ben, 17 – came to a unique sleepaway camp run by My Piece of the Puzzle, an Israeli nonprofit that integrates youth at risk and youth with special needs.

From day one, these boys were aiming to get kicked out.

“They didn’t follow directions at all, did whatever they wanted and weren’t nice to me or any of the counselors,” says cofounder Jenna Elbaz.

“They made fun of the rules, smoked cigarettes during activities, made fun of the other campers – both youth at risk and youth with special needs. They threatened that if they didn’t get their own room they would leave.”

On the second day their behavior only got worse, so they were asked to leave. “We don’t believe in giving up on anyone, but we felt like they weren’t keeping themselves and the other campers safe,” explains Elbaz.

Before Ben and Or finished packing, a shy lowfunctioning 14-year-old camper approached. “Tomorrow we have horseback riding. Can you help me get on the horse?” he asked them.

That changed everything. The boys begged Elbaz and cofounder Shaked Karp to give them another chance.

“For the rest of the week they were amazing. They helped us with other campers who misbehaved and became very close with that camper with special needs,” says Elbaz.

“On the last full day of camp, a friend of theirs was killed in a car accident. They were crying and we asked them if they would like to go home, but they said no. They chose to stay with all of their new friends until the end of camp.”

Left: Counselor Tali Yechieli with My Piece of the Puzzle campers.

OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKING In a classic example of young Israelis taking extraordinary leadership initiative, Elbaz and Karp started My Piece of the Puzzle in their mid-20s.

After finishing military service, they had gone to New York to work at a summer camp that accepts a hodgepodge of troubled kids and special-needs kids unsuited to other camps.

“We saw that if you pair at-risk kids with those with special needs, something magical happens,” says Karp.

“This togetherness makes each population improve because kids with special needs usually stay together and don’t connect with others. And when kids at risk meet special-needs kids it opens their minds and makes them realize how much they can do for others.”

She and Elbaz got permission to bring a few at-risk Israeli teens to the camp the following four summers.

Wanting to benefit more teens, they innovated their own model of purposefully integrating the two groups at a free sleepaway camp in Israel for 14- to 18-year-olds. They decided to assign an even number of special-needs and atrisk campers to each bunk.

One of the first volunteer counselors was a young man they’d brought to New York several years before.

“It took us a long time to convince people that it’s possible and that the combination strengthens everyone.”

GETTING KIDS OUT OF THE BOX Elbaz and Karp introduced some unique elements to their program.

The main innovation is that My Piece of the Puzzle campers build relationships during the year so that they don’t come to camp as strangers.

This is accomplished by partnering with one at-risk and one special-needs school in cities from north to south.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 45

CAMP My Piece of the Puzzle, an Israeli summer camp integrating at-risk and special-needs teenagers.

Future campers meet regularly at the schools, which serve diverse populations; Karp says two Bedouin schools may be joining the program.

Some of the teachers work as advisers in the summer camp.

Another unique aspect of My Piece of the Puzzle is community service.

One summer, campers delivered handmade puppets and costumes to a kindergarten for kids with autism.

Another summer they crafted magnets as gifts for hospital workers.

Supported by donations, My Piece of the Puzzle operates on the 60-acre Jordan River Village in northern Israel, which runs programs for children with disabilities or serious diseases. Elbaz, who has a degree in criminology and education, worked at Jordan River Village for two years.

Karp, now finishing law and psychology studies, says My Piece of the Puzzle will expand.

“We are spreading around 46 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

our idea and vision because we see that it’s successful. Teachers in the schools we are working with see the benefits of helping these kids get out of the box. We really think this will benefit them and society.”

Founders Jenna Elbaz and Shaked Karp.

NIMROD TAKES THE STAGE Nimrod, 14, came to My Piece of the Puzzle in the summer of 2017.

Although he’s on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, he didn’t interact with anyone – not even the three classmates he came to camp with.

“His mom and I spoke to each other every day because I really wasn’t sure he was having fun,” says Elbaz. “I didn’t see him smile or connect with any of his friends or anyone new.”

Nimrod’s mother wanted to pick him up a day before the end of the session to attend a My Piece of the Puzzle counselor Talia accompanied camper Roni on the zipline as other campers cheered him on.

family event, and Elbaz agreed. “I felt like he just wanted to go home,” she explains.

Surprisingly, Nimrod did not want to leave early. He was determined to perform at the talent show on the last night of camp.

“In My Piece of the Puzzle, we celebrate success and we set personal goals with every camper. We know that our campers have very low self-esteem and we believe in celebrating big and small successes such as following directions, making new friends, stepping out of their comfort zone, trying new things, kicking a ball, sharing their talent with their friends, helping each other and more,” says Elbaz.

“Nimrod was very distant at first, but because he didn’t give up and came to every activity instead of going home,

“This togetherness makes each population improve because kids with special needs usually stay together and don’t connect with others. And when kids at risk meet special-needs kids it opens their minds and makes them realize how much they can do for others.”

~Shaked Karp he saw the amazing energy that the counselors have, he saw how other people stepped out of their comfort zone and most important of all, he felt like he was in a safe enough environment in order for him to get up on the stage and sing.”

For more information, visit mypieceofthepuzzle.wixsite.com/mpop.

Article courtesy ISRAEL21c.

The piece first appeared on israel21c.org on Jan. 19, 2020.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 47

CAMP

A TASTE OF CAMP Whether your child is anxiously awaiting

going to summer camp

or you are just going to sleep in the backyard

under the stars, recreate the fun desserts of

camping at home with these no-campfireneeded treats.

S’MORES BARS

Recipe courtesy Mountain Cravings Camping isn’t camping without a roaring fire, and a fire isn’t complete without s’mores!

Here’s an easy way to enjoy all the goodness of s’mores from your kitchen. Golden-brownslightly-charred marshmallows melt over rich chocolate ganache.

INGREDIENTS: 8 graham crackers 4 tablespoons butter, melted 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup milk 8 oz. chocolate, chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 2 cups miniature marshmallows

48 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 325°.

Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until crumbs begin to clump together. Press crumbs firmly into an even layer in a foillined 8x8 pan.

Bake crust at 325° for 10 minutes.

While crust is baking, bring cream and milk to a simmer in a large saucepan. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate, vanilla and salt until smooth.

Warm eggs under hot running water to bring them to room temp, then whisk into chocolate one at a time. Pour chocolate mixture over baked crust.

Bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes, until chocolate is just set in the center.

Scatter marshmallows over the top and gently press into the chocolate filling.

Return to the oven and broil on high until marshmallows are golden brown.

Let bars cool and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let filling completely set before cutting.

CREATE YOUR OWN CAMPSITE Recipe courtesy Sandra Denneler for SheKnows

Create clever tent cookies and campfire crackers in your kitchen with a few simple ingredients. No baking required!

TENT COOKIES RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Chocolate candy melts (1/2 cup or less) Graham crackers Caramel apple wraps INSTRUCTIONS: Form tent from graham crackers Melt chocolate candy melts in a microwave safe dish. Pour into a pastry bag (or use a zip-closed bag with the end snipped off). Pipe the edges of three graham cracker squares with the candy melt and join to form

an A-frame tent.

Wrap tent in caramel Allow them to dry and harden. Place one side of the graham cracker tent on a caramel wrap. Fold the caramel over the graham cracker tent, until it reaches the bottom edge of the other side.

Seal tent back and create opening Cut the front and back flaps of caramel. Wrap the back flaps to seal shut. Cut the front pieces to make the flap openings of the tent.

CAMPFIRE TREATS RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Ritz crackers Peanut butter Red/Yellow Fruit Roll-Ups Pretzel sticks Chocolate-covered raisins Powdered sugar PREPARE THE CRACKERS Spread peanut butter on the crackers.

CREATE THE “FLAMES” Cut strips of red and yellow Fruit Roll-Ups into jagged, triangle/flame-like edges. Layer the red strips

over the yellow strips and cut into 1-inch segments.

Attach the “logs” and “flames” to crackers Insert tiny pieces of pretzels and the Fruit RollUp fires into the peanut butter centers.

ADD THE FINISHING TOUCH Dust chocolate-covered raisins with powdered sugar.

Attach chocolate-covered raisin “rocks” around the outside edge of the crackers.

Present your adorable tent cookies and campfire treats together!

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 49

CAMP

CAMPFIRE BANANAS AT HOME Recipe courtesy Joy the Baker

INGREDIENTS: Bananas, ripe and peeled Milk chocolate chips Miniature marshmallows Chopped pistachios Rainbow sprinkles Crumbled Oreos Sugary cold cereal INSTRUCTIONS: Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat oven to 400°.

Slice bananas down the center vertically. Top each banana with chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Wrap each banana individually in aluminum foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until chocolate and marshmallow has melted and the bananas are softened slightly.

Remove from the oven, carefully open the foil and top with whatever toppings you’d like.

Enjoy!

50 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

15 BENEFITS OF SUMMER CAMP As adults, many people look back fondly on the days of summer camp. They remember the thrill of building a fire with friends for the first time, or the carefree afternoons spent swimming under the summer sun. Camp became not just a way to pass summer break, but a vital part of who they are.

At camp, children grow, explore and learn about themselves and the people and world around them, and they have fun throughout the entire process.

1

6

11

Develops Lifelong Skills

Provides Fun Screen-Free Activities

Nurtures Friendships

2 Promotes Independence 3 Makes Time for Play 4 Teaches Teamwork 5 Teaches Resiliency

7 Encourages a Connection with Nature 8

12 Teaches Kids to Respect Differences 13

Fosters Growth

Keeps Kids Intellectually Engaged

9

14

Builds Self-Esteem

Promotes Growth in a Safe Environment

10 Supports Healthy Living

15 Gives Children a Sense of Purpose

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FRONT & CENTER

The evolution of artist David Kolasky

By Mala Blomquist

D

avid Kolasky wasn’t sure what to expect when he moved his family from Philadelphia, PA, to accept a hospital administration position in Toledo, OH, in the early 1980s. But what was supposed to be a two-year stint turned into 30, and it was there that he discovered the medium that ignited his passion as an artist.

Toledo earned its nickname of “The Glass City” in the early 1900s because it was a manufacturing hub across the glass industry – bottles, window glass, tableware, windshields and construction materials.

Glassmaker Edward Drummond Libbey founded the Toledo Museum of Art in 1901and it quickly amassed several significant glass collections. Today, the museum’s American glass collections are one of the largest of its kind and contain objects of exceptional quality of historical importance.

A significant component of the museum is also community education, some of that being through art classes. It was there that David took his first glass blowing class.

“I spent a lot of time there,” says David. “They built a glass pavilion, where all the walls in the facility are glass.

So you can see what people are doing (making glass objects). It was just a remarkable place.”

David also got into a glass blowing program at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH. BGSU was one of the first glass programs in a university in the United States.

“I would go down there two to three times a week, and there was always an empty space to blow, and I would David’s art includes ceramics, knifemaking and wood turning.

52 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 53

FRONT & CENTER

blow a couple of things,” says David. “It was a community. If someone needed help (with a piece of glass), we would help each other. It was such a different community than I grew up in, in my button-down world of hospital administration.”

David would sell his glass at various art shows across the Midwest, including the prestigious Ann Arbor Art Fair.

“I did that for a number of years, and I was able to buy a MINI Cooper – it was my midlife crisis,” jokes David.

“But then we moved here to Portland, and I couldn’t find a community to blow glass in.”

David and his wife, Betsy, a retired teacher, moved to Portland in 2013 to be closer to their daughter Dr. Rebecca Spain and their two (now three) grandchildren.

Their other daughter Maggie is in the fashion industry and lives in Australia.

In search of a new creative medium in their new home, David discovered ceramics at the Multnomah Arts Center.

“I basically do sculptural work. I take nothing away from the people that turn and make these marvelous things on the wheel. But it takes years to become proficient, and I’m 79 – I don’t have that many years to become proficient,” says David. “Plus, I enjoy the more abstract form – nothing functional. Things I make are designs to put on your mantelpiece.”

David says that during the pandemic, he has continued to work on his ceramics in his basement. He also discovered a new art form – woodworking.

“I bought a lathe and put it in my daughter’s garage,

Glassblowing remains David’s favorite medium.

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and I go there every day,” he says. “It’s fun working in the garage. The door is open, and people are coming up and down the alleyway, and they’ll stop and watch.”

David says that the other day two women stopped and asked him what he was doing. He replied that he was making some bowls and that they happened to be for sale.

When one of the women said that she would buy one of the bowls, David told her that they were 10% off if she bought two or more – so she bought both of them.

He jokes that he enjoys schmoozing with people and would notice when he did art shows that many artists would not interact with the people.

“My feeling is people are buying the art, but they’re also buying you, where the art comes from and who made it,” says David. “And they’ll tell their friends, ‘Look at what I bought at the art show, and I met the artist who made it,’ and they have a little story. It all goes together.”

In Portland, David is part of the ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists, which have art shows at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center (they have done online shows during the pandemic). He jokes that some of his art isn’t welcome at the shows.

“It’s been a tough sell with the Jewish artists here in town when I say I’m going to bring a bunch of knives to the Hanukkah show,” he jokes. “They’re beautiful, but they say, ‘No, knives are not art,’ and I say, ‘Everything is art. Anything is art.’”

He learned metalwork in Toledo and goes to a blacksmith in Vancouver, WA, to make his knives. He also learned welding from the same person in Toledo who taught him knifemaking, and he has used that skill to make stands for his glass pieces.

When you ask him, David responds that glass blowing is still his favorite medium.

“There’s something sensuous about it – it glows, it shines, it’s translucent, or it’s clear – you can’t get that with any other medium,” says David.

“And the other thing is, you rarely get any second chances.

There’s an immediacy to it, and it’s exciting.”

David says that he might like to try bronze casting next but jokes that that may be the end of his 53-year marriage. Part of the problem he says may be that whenever he picks up a new art form, he doesn’t get rid of any previous ones.

“It’s just great fun. I’m happy I evolved into this, and I’m looking forward to the next evolution of David Kolasky.”

For more information, or to view David’s art, visit dkhandworks.com.

LOOKING FOR A

UNIQUE GIFT? IN THE

STARS CUSTOM DESIGNED ASTROLOGY CHARTS

ASTROLOGY: The study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.

SAMPLES SHOWN

TAMARA KOPPER tkplanets8@gmail.com OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 55

Spring IS IN THE AIR After, what can be said, is one of the most trying years, the look towards spring conjures up flowers, freshness, color and hope.

SISGEM 14K solid gold flower stud earrings. $139.00 amazon.com

DOLCE & GABBANA Flower print silk organza trench coat. $2636.00 luisaviaroma.com

56 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

GUCCI Rouge à Lèvres Voile Sheer lipstick. $42.00 sephora.com Color shone: Millicent Rose

PASOTTI Spring floarl umbrella. $140.00 artemest.com

MARC JACOBS Daisy Love Eau So Sweet Eau de toilette. $86.00 1.7 oz. ulta.com IPHONE CASES Gustave Klimet Flower Garden • $26.99 • society6.com Yellow Cherry Blossom Floral Case • $25.00 • getcasey.com Frieda Floral iPhone Case • $26.99 • society6.com

JOULES Welly print - Grape Leaf Bircham Bloom $50.00 • luckoflouth.co.uk

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 57

H E A LT H Take care of yourself to feel

nourished and renewed

By Bonnie Groessl

S

elf-care is an important part of staying physically and mentally healthy. When do you take care of yourself ? Very often, we put the needs of our work, families and other people ahead of our own. In order to be able to do all the things you do; you 58 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

must take care of yourself first. In fact, it’s the only way you are going to have the energy and strength to move ahead.

What is good self-care for you? Perhaps you like to journal or text something nice to a friend. Maybe it’s

spending time watching videos of puppies, kittens, or something that makes you feel good. We all need those little mental breaks in our day. You may enjoy time in reflection, meditation or prayer, or perhaps going for a walk. It could be that you enjoy kickboxing to release stress or dancing in your living room like no one is watching. It is healthy to move our bodies in whatever way makes us feel good. Even daydreaming about something that makes you feel good is a way to practice selfcare.

DECIDE WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU You are unique. Everyone is. It’s essential to determine what actions make you feel good. Practicing self-care is meant to help you feel nourished and renewed. If you go to the gym because you think you should, but hate every minute of it, then it’s not helping you. It is not the self-care practice that is right for you.

Anyone can provide examples of how to provide good self-care, but ultimately you need to decide what helps you feel nourished and renewed. The activities that help you relieve stress and feel good may change from time to time. Life is a journey and we are always evolving.

Taking care of yourself starts with cultivating healthy habits to manage your stress and nurture yourself. Basic self-care measures include healthy eating, exercise, restful sleep, meditating, or just taking time to pay attention to your breath, even for a few minutes.

DO WHAT YOU ENJOY Simple is not the same as easy. We all know adopting a new habit can be a challenge. It takes consistency and commitment to make changes in your daily routine. Self-care should not be just another thing you have to do, and you don’t have to change everything in your life all at once. Just choose one thing that you can adopt. Pretty soon, it becomes a part of who you are and not another thing to do.

Life is busy, so do what you can. Incorporate activities whenever you can fit them into your day. A few minutes here and there is more manageable than setting aside a

longer time. This way, it doesn’t feel like another thing on your “to-do” list.

CLICK HERE to see a demonstration of my twominute realization technique on YouTube. You may want to think about adding this to your daily routine, or whenever you need a break.

SOME SELF-CARE PRACTICES TO THINK ABOUT ADDING TO YOUR DAILY ROUTINE Begin at the beginning, with a healthy diet. You can enjoy some quick success simply by making healthy food choices. Eliminate processed foods from your diet and replace them with fresh, whole foods. It is wise to shop around the outside of the grocery store and limit the time you spend in the aisles. Be sure to stay hydrated throughout the day. Drinking enough water will help you feel less hungry during the day while giving your body more of what it needs to operate efficiently. Even mild dehydration can cause decreased brain function. Hint: notice how your houseplants look when you forget to water them.

As humans, we are meant to move. Activity helps you strengthen your muscles, and improve balance and coordination. Walking 30-40 minutes a day three to five times per week helps prevent cognitive decline. Keeping your heart rate up during your exercise period improves your cardiorespiratory endurance and helps create a healthier heart. Exercise that you enjoy is also a great stress reliever!

Rest is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for all ages. Being still and resting rejuvenates your body and mind. Not getting enough rest can negatively affect your mood, immune system, memory, and stress level. A good night’s sleep is vital for your health. Restful sleep can also improve problem-solving skills and enhance memory.

However you choose to practice good self-care, it is essential to be kind to yourself. None of us are perfect and follow our plan 100% of the time. When you fall off the wagon, acknowledge it without judgment and pick up where you left off. Practicing self-compassion can promote positive thoughts, feelings and emotions. This practice enhances your mental well-being so you can truly enjoy your life!

BONNIE GROESSL

Bonnie Groessl is a best-selling author, podcast host, holistic nurse practitioner and success coach. Her mission is to educate, empower and facilitate your well-being while nurturing the mind-body-spirit connection.

For more information visit BonnieGroessl.com.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH/APRIL 2021 59

ACTIVELY SENIOR

5 HEALTHY HOBBIES

for Seniors with Limited Mobility

By Martina Merashi Aging is inevitable. But the sad thing is with aging may come limited mobility. Such limited mobility among seniors may be due to injuries like falls or health issues like stroke, severe arthritis, etc. When mobility issues happen, some hobbies or leisure activities that seniors used to engage in to have fun and lift their mood become quite challenging.

That is why if you are a caring relative, friend, or senior caregiver, you should pick at least five healthy hobbies for seniors with limited mobility that they can engage in and make their life more enjoyable. Below are some ideas of hobbies to try:

1 READING

With dementia as a concern among many seniors, reading can be a worthy hobby to help keep their cognitive functioning checked. Do not force reading culture onto someone; talk to them first and let them see its value.

Additionally, if they were scholars or loved reading in the past, reading can help improve their sleeping patterns, avoid boredom, reduce stress, improve their memory and delay or prevent the effects of dementia.

Reading physical books, magazines, e-reading, or listening to audiobooks can all be beneficial for seniors.

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GENEALOGY

2 PLAYING GAMES

Puzzles and games can be another entertaining source for the elderly. There are games that seniors can play online with different apps. Secondly, there are puzzles and games that other household members can engage in with them, maybe on the weekend, during days off, or evening hours.

Some notable puzzles that seniors can play are crossword, jigsaw, and math fun. If gaming is your senior’s thing, picture-seek, cards and classic games are the real deal.

TEXTILE RELATED HOBBIES

At times, seniors might feel like a burden and less important when their mobility is limited and there is little they can do physically.

Textile activities need less mobility and help them feel vital to their families and society as they create useful objects.

For example, knitting, sewing, weaving, crocheting, embroidery and macramé can be enjoyable and beneficial hobbies. Look for charitable organizations that may accept donations of hats, blankets, pullovers, seat covers, etc. With such connections, they will understand that their hobbies contribute positively to the community.

4

Apart from having assisted living software for seniors, which are tech innovations used to make the caregiving hustle less challenging, online genealogy innovations can also help make senior life fun and enjoyable.

Genealogy, the study of family history and tracing of family linage, can be both a hobby and an essential undertaking for seniors regarding family history preservation.

Websites like Ancestry.com are an excellent place to start this important research. They can add family data and watch their input blossom into family connections, stories and family trees that will run for generations.

As they become engaged in their family history, it’s also good to encourage them to talk about their own history.

They can write it down or have a family member record their stories.

GET CREATIVE

Boredom can make anyone irritable, and seniors are no exception. Introduce them to creative hobbies such as coloring, sculpting, painting, or drawing; they can turn their days into fun and enjoyable moments.

Secondly, activities such as family album organization, family recipe book creation and scrapbooks can get your senior engaged. With creative activities, aging brains get stimulated, helping to fight against decreasing cognitive abilities and the onset of anxiety and stress.

Being a caregiver can be challenging, but hopefully, these hobbies will give you some ideas to help keep the aging adult in your life engaged and thriving.

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LIVING

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Presents

‘2021 Western Region Virtual Event’

A

t this historic time for reflection and action – members of the Western Region community supporting the efforts of the D.C.-based United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) will come together virtually on March 11 at 8 pm.

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly changed much of how the USHMM does its work, but not why it’s done. Eric and Suzi LeVine, from Seattle, will represent the Western Region Leadership Committee and join Museum supporters from 10 western states including, Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington to renew its pledge to ensure that the critical lessons of the Holocaust – lessons about the fragility of societies, the nature of hate, and the consequences of indifference – help shape our nation’s way forward.

The annual “What You Do Matters” Western Region Dinner normally held in Los Angeles and historically attracts up to 1,000 guests in-person, including many Holocaust survivors, will this year feature the theme of “Survival, Hope and Resilience” with special guests; compelling Holocaust testimonies from survivors and liberators told by celebrities Morgan Freeman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Camryn Manheim and Tim Matheson, among others; inspiring specialty music; and important messages about the museum’s role in these challenging times.

Emmy Rossum will emcee the “2021 Western Region Virtual Event.”

Rossum has been captivating audiences with her varied and exceptional talents for more than a decade. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance as “Christine” in The Phantom of the Opera and starred in nine seasons of Showtime’s critically-acclaimed dark comedy series, “Shameless.” She has been an outspoken critic of anti-Semitism and bigotry in Hollywood.

Gerda Weissmann Klein, Holocaust survivor and 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient R. Derek Black, renounced white supremacist movement 62 MARCH/APRIL 2021 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Emmy Rossum

Taking part in a special segment will be Gerda Weissmann Klein, Holocaust survivor, acclaimed author, humanitarian, subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary “One Survivor Remembers,” and 2010 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “One Survivor Remembers” relates the harrowing story of Klein and her journey of survival and remembering both before and after the war. Home Box Office and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum co-produced the documentary film, which was awarded both an Emmy and an Academy Award.

The USHMM’s “2021 Western Region Virtual Event” comes at a pivotal moment for the nation and the world. The Holocaust is a harsh reminder of the consequences of unchecked hatred and the fragility of societies. Its lessons have never been more relevant. Today, with an alarming rise in anti-Semitism, racism, and neo-Nazism, the country and its citizens must recommit themselves to learning those lessons.

Derek Black, raised in a prominent white supremacist family, will talk about experiences that led him to renounce the white nationalist movement and inspire his current work of understanding and teaching the origins of race, racist ideologies and anti-Semitic beliefs.

In addition, conservatory students from The Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices at the Colburn School in Los Angeles will perform music from the museum’s collection, which is the world’s largest archive of Holocaust artifacts and materials.

“These challenging times compel us to present a program that initiates critical thinking, inspires self-reflection and motivates the community to create positive change,” said Marla Abraham, the museum’s director of the Western Regional Office. “We are grateful to have Emmy Rossum emcee our virtual event and recognize the significant work that the Western Region Leadership Committee put forth to make this non-traditional program deeply impactful. The event will be a memorable and powerful experience with appearances by Gerda Weissmann Klein, Derek Black and the musical performance by students from the Colburn School.”

The “2021 Western Region Virtual Event” is open to the public, but advance registration is required. Registrants will receive a link via email to access the program a day before the virtual event. Groups and individuals interested must register by March 10.

For more information, contact the museum’s Western Regional Office at 310-556-3222, western@ushmm.org, or visit ushmm.org.

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