MJCC Author Series Program

Mittleman Jewish Community Center Presents our First Annual

Author Series

A thought-provoking program series, bringing exceptional authors and events to our community.

Portland

Jewish Book Celebration

Mittleman Jewish Community Center

Author Series 2016 Authors

Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett Thursday, March 3, 7:00 pm

Carolina Israelite: How Harry Golden Made Us Care about Jews, the South, and Civil Rights

Jessica Fechtor

Tuesday, March 8, 7:00 pm

Stir: My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home

Laura Nicole Diamond Tuesday, March 15, 7:00 pm Shelter Us: A Novel

Individual event tickets: Cost: $8. Member Cost: $5.

Series Pass:

Cost: $20. Member Cost: $12.

Register: oregonjcc.org/authorseries At the Mittleman Jewish Community Center 6651 SW Capitol Hwy. Portland, 97219 www.oregonjcc.org

Carolina Israelite

How Harry Golden Made Use Care About Jews, the South, and Civil Rights

By Kimbery Marlowe Hartnett

Thursday, March 3 | 7:00 pm | At the MJCC This first comprehensive biography of Jewish American writer and humorist Harry Golden (1903-1981)--author of the 1958 national bestseller Only in America-illuminates a remarkable life intertwined with the rise of the civil rights movement, Jewish popular culture, and the sometimes precarious position of Jews in the South and across America during the 1950s.

After recounting Golden’s childhood on New York’s Lower East Side, Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett points to his stint in prison as a young man, after a widely publicized conviction for investment fraud during the Great Depression, as the root of his empathy for the underdog in any story. During World War II, the cigar-smoking, bourbon-loving raconteur landed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and founded the Carolina Israelite newspaper, which was published into the 1960s. Golden’s writings on race relations and equal rights attracted a huge popular readership.

Golden used his celebrity to editorialize for civil rights as the momentous story unfolded. He charmed his way into friendships and lively correspondence with Carl Sandburg, Adlai Stevenson, Robert Kennedy, and Billy Graham, among other notable Americans. Hartnett’s spirited chronicle captures Golden’s message of social inclusion for a new audience today.

Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett grew up in a newsroom. She’s a writer living in Portland, OR. She worked as a journalist for more than thirty years in New England and the Pacific Northwest.

Stir

My Broken Brain and the Meals That Brought Me Home

By Jessica Fechtor

Tuesday, March 8 | 7:00 pm | At the MJCC A national bestseller and winner of a 2015 Living Now Book Award, Stir is an exquisite memoir about how food connects us to ourselves, our lives, and each other.

At 28, Jessica Fechtor was happily immersed in graduate school and her young marriage, and thinking about starting a family. Then one day, she went for a run and an aneurysm burst in her brain. She nearly died. She lost her sense of smell, the sight in her left eye, and was forced to the sidelines of the life she loved.

Jessica’s journey to recovery began in the kitchen as soon as she was able to stand at the stovetop and stir. There, she drew strength from the restorative power of cooking and baking.

Written with intelligence, humor, and warmth, Stir is a heartfelt examination of what it means to nourish and be nourished.

Woven throughout the narrative are 27 recipes for dishes that comfort and delight. For readers of M.F.K.Fisher, Molly Wizenberg, and Tamar Adler, as well as Oliver Sacks, Jill Bolte Taylor, and Susannah Cahalan, Stir is sure to inspire, and send you straight to the kitchen.

Jessica Fechtor writes the popular food blog, Sweet Amandine.

She is a PhD candidate in Jewish Literature at Harvard University, where she has received numerous awards for her research and teaching. She lives with her husband and daughters in San Francisco, and doesn’t believe in secret recipes.

Shelter Us A Novel

By Laura Nicole Diamond

Tuesday, March 15 | 7:00 pm | At the MJCC Sarah Shaw is a lawyerturned-stay-home-mom struggling to raise two young sons while grieving the death of an infant daughter. While driving in Los Angeles one day, Sarah sees a homeless mother and child and makes it her mission to save them. The daughter of a secular father and converted-Jewish mother, Sarah turns toward Judaism for guidance, much as she relied on Jewish rituals upon the sudden death of her mother years before.

Recalling her mother’s emphasis on “welcoming the stranger ,” Sarah is emboldened to approach to the young homeless woman despite her husband’s admonition not to get involved. All the while, Sarah’s son’s questions about the death of his baby sister force Sarah to confront what she believes about God, death, and afterlife. In Sarah’s lack of certainty, Shelter Us suggests that Judaism’s power is not in providing firm answers but rather in guiding us how to act while we are alive. Shelter Us—its title taken from the Hashkiveinu prayer—expresses a mother’s fervent longing that her children will be safe, despite the painful knowledge that there are no guarantees.

Laura Nicole Diamond is the editor of the anthology Deliver Me: True Confessions of Motherhood. A civil rights lawyer and former Editor-in-Chief of L.A. Family Magazine, Laura sits on the Board of Trustees of PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) and writes about family, parenting and social justice for several publications.

Upcoming Events Mutant Diaries Join us for this one night one-women show about the BRCA mutation. Eva Moon shares her story of taking fate into her hands in this hilarious musical about a decidedly unfunny topic. Q + A after show. Free and open to community.

Sunday, April 3; 7:30 - 9:00 pm at the Milagro Theater RSVP: oregonjcc.org/mutantdiaries In Partnership with Sharsheret, MJCC, JTC, and Federation.

1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your Life Author, Linda Cohen, shares a journey from sorrow to inspiration through daily acts of kindness. She presents each mitzvah as a short vignette.

Wednesday, April 6; 7:00 pm at the MJCC. Cost: $8; Members: $5. Register: oregonjcc.org/1000mitzvahs Rav Gav (Two Events) Rabbi Gavriel Friedman, teaches at Aish HaTorah Jerusalem and writes for Aish.com. He presents Torah concepts in an intriguing yet entertaining way, leaving his audience thirsting for more.

Power of Speech - Say What?! For Tweens and Teen How powerful is our speech? More powerful than you think!

Monday, April 11, 4:30 - 5:30 pm at the MJCC. Free to the community. Includes pizza.

In Partnership with Portland Kollel, Shine, NCSY and the MJCC. Effective Communication - How to Connect with Anyone Free and open to the community.

Monday, April 11, 7:00 - 9:00 pm at the MJCC In Partnership with Portland Kollel, Shine and the MJCC. Good Deeds Day (GGD/J-Serve) Volunteer putting into practice the simple idea that every person can do something good. This year all projects will be held on the MJCC campus. Held in conjunction with J-Serve Day of Teen Service and Hand to Hand Household Item Donation Drive.

Sunday, April 17, All day. Family friendly!

Pre-registration required: jewishportland.org/gooddeedsday

Yom HaZikaron Honoring those that gave their lives for the State of Israel.

Tuesday, May 10; 8:00 pm at the MJCC Yom Ha’Atzmaut Celebrate Israel’s 68th year of Independence! Israeli music, dance, crafts, food and more!

Wednesday, May 11, 5:30 - 9:30 pm at the MJCC Oregon Ballet Theater Presents OBT2 OBT2 is the new junior performing company of Oregon Ballet Theatre. They will dance a varied program including a new work, Crush, in addition to Duende and Na Floresta, and Napoli Pas de Six. This varied program will appeal to audiences of all ages.

Prepare to clap along! Free and open to the community.

Monday, May 16, 7:00 - 8:00 pm In Partnership with the MJCC Parent Hacks Author Asha Dornfest presents tips and shortcuts for simplifying life with little kids, allowing the whole family to take a deep breath and have more fun.

Tuesday, May 17; 7:00 - 8:30 pm at the MJCC Book Talk: Growing up Twice Join us as author Aaron Kirk Douglas describes what is was like for him as a gay man being a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters and the risks and rewards of mentoring a troubled young Latino boy. In the process, they both gained so much stability and insight into their own lives.

Tuesday, May 24, 7:00 - 8:00 pm at the MJCC Free and open to the community.

Register: oregonjcc.org/growingup Happiness Talks Learn about happiness through science, philosophy, religion, and psychology. Sharon Rose, retired college educator, shares strategies to make our lives more content.

Thursday, May 26, 2:00 -3:15 pm at the MJCC. Free and open to the community.

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