Oregon Jewish Life Vol.1/Issue 2

MARCH 2012

Serving Oregon and SW Washington

Rothko Actor Daniel Benzali as

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From his Jewish roots in Portland to international acclaim

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Table of Contents

March 2012/Adar-Nissan 5772

22

Volume 1/Issue 2

[COVER STORY]

22 Rothko Revisited [FEATURES]

8 Perka Perks 10 High Places, Deep Roots 45 Beautiful Nuremberg 62 Natural Connections 66 PDX Live [FOOD]

8 Top off Breakfast with – Chocolate Cake?

2 29 Chef’s Corner by Lisa Glickman [CAMP SPECIAL SECTION] Above, Mark Rothko paintings are on display at the Portland Art Museum and his life is on stage at the Gerding Theater.

Page 22 Right, from everyday fun to wedding dresses, Portlander Liza Rietz designs clothes made to fit individuals.

Page 36 Below, the Maccabi Hazair Group in Innsbruck create a Star of David in the early 1930s. This month’s history column looks at the long history of Jews and mountains.

Page 10

14 Camping to a Brighter Future 18 Day Camps: Perfect Fit [WEDDINGS SPECIAL SECTION]

30 Not Your Mother’s Wedding 34 Ask Helen 36 Fitting Fashion 38 Ageless Advice 39 Makeup do-it-yourself tips 41 Same-sex Marriage [ISRAEL]

48 An Oregonian in Israel by Mylan Tanzer 50 Life on the Other Side by Anne Kleinberg 52 An Israeli in Oregon by Amos Meron 53 Israeli films win awards at Sundance [THROUGH THE AGES]

54 Families: Reading Revolution 56 Families: Bullies 57 Young Adults: Combatting anti-Israel activities 60 Senior Scribes [CONNECT]

42 Traditions 43 Volunteers 64 Endowments 68 Happenings Corrections A profile about Irving Levin in the February Oregon Jewish Life listed an incorrect school as his wife’s alma mater. While Stephanie Fowler has a graduate degree from Lewis and Clark and serves as a trustee there, her alma mater is Princeton.

From “Did You See My Alps?” exhibit (www.schlosstirol.it).

Courtesy of Jewish Museum of Hohenems and Institut für Zeitgeschichte, Innsbruck.

4 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

A photo accompanying the Love Letters story in the February Oregon Jewish Life misspelled the first name of the woman dancing with her husband. The photo shows Sol and Rosalyn Menashe dancing at the 65th anniversary party for Selma and Bernard Brown.

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Editor’s Letter

Letters to the editor:

Thanks to all of you who took the time to write and tell us what you liked about the inaugural issue of Oregon Jewish Life and what other things you’d like to see.

We were overwhelmed by emails and phone calls congratulating us on our first issue (some of those comments are excerpted at right). I was delighted to hear Mazel Tov from old friends and have readers I’ve never met tell me we’d hit a home run.

Many people were pleased with our Happenings pages reviewing past events and previewing coming attractions in the community. For our second issue, I received a vast array of copy for our Happenings pages; we clearly have very active communities.

Of course, not everyone was totally satisfied. One caller asked if we could include current news items; I don’t believe a monthly magazine can effectively deliver current events to readers accustomed to the immediacy of the internet and broadcast news.

We do look at news, of course, for inspiration for our in-depth features.

I also heard from people outside of the Portland area who want to be sure they are included in Oregon Jewish Life. We certainly want to be inclusive. I need readers in other communities to let me know what issues your community is facing, what developments you are celebrating and who there makes a difference.

I would say more than 95% of the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Please keep your comments coming – both letters to the editor for publication and ideas of what else you want to read.

I’m also interested in talking to people who plan to spend Passover in Israel, whether for the first time or the tenth. Please drop me a line at editor@ojlife.com.

Film story has regional link I enjoyed your first issue very much. Regarding your article “Holocaust Films Evolve” which is a review of the movie “In Darkness,” I’d like to bring the story closer to home. Two of the 14 survivors of the sewer were Seattle Rebbitzin Celia Benzaquen’s parents Mundek and Klara. They visited the Pacific Northwest numerous times. Also, people might like to know that the non-Jewish sewer worker who helped them, Leopold Socha, was killed in a car accident in 1946.

In the words of Rebbitzin Genzaquen, “From the sewers of Lvov to an Oscar in Hollywood, who could have ever imagined it.”

Sue Benyowitz, Los Angeles Story subjects send thanks We would like you to know that we recently received your first issue of the Oregon Jewish Life magazine and were so pleased with the entire issue. We especially appreciated the great article you put in regarding Selma and I growing up in Old South Portland. We wish you the very best luck in all your future issues and look forward to receiving them. A special thanks to Deborah Moon for all that she has done for us. Thank you once again.

Selma & Bernard Brown, Salem Excerpts from congratulatory emails: • I just read the inaugural issue and thoroughly enjoyed it. I like the way it is both a general-interest magazine and distinctly Jewish at the same time, and loved that you chose to focus on the arts and the environment for the first issue.

• Congratulations on a beautiful first edition of OJ LIfe. Splendid job!!

• Congratulations on the wonderful magazine start. The community is grateful.

• Oregon Jewish Life was such a wonderful read! The articles were interesting, the setup was readable, the color beautiful.

• I was at first worried when the federation paper closed down; wasn’t quite sure of the plan for the magazine. If the first issue is indicative of the future this magazine is going to be a knock out.

• You guys rock!

• I have to say, the magazine looks great. The nice thing is, it does not look like a “start-up.” It appears as a magazine that has been polished for a while.

Great layouts, great images and tons of ads, the critical element that most “launch” issues lack.

Deborah Moon

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Serving Oregon and SW Washington

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Advertising and Editorial Director Cindy Saltzman

Editor-In-Chief Deborah Moon

Sales Manager Cynthia Klutznick

Art Director Susan Garfield

Cover Photography Patrick Weishampel

Columnists Lisa Glickman Anne Kleinberg Amos Meron Helen Rosenau Adrienne Souther-Geffen Mylan Tanzer Dr. Elizabeth VanderVeer

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

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[BUSINESS/TECHNOLOGY]

Perka Perks

Even flip-phone diehards can use this rewards app 8 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Photos and article by Deborah Moon

Rob Coury drew on his experiences as co-chair of Congregation Shir Tikvah to help launch a company that is very Portlandesque – innovative, high tech and green with old-fashioned overtones.

Perka is a like a loyalty card for your cell phone. On iPhone or Android, Perka is an app. But all cell phones, including old-fashioned flip phones, can use the program via text messaging.

The phone-based rewards card enables small- and mid-sized businesses to offer specials such as “buy 10, get one free” without people having to carry a card that takes up space in their wallets and eventually gets trashed. In addition to allowing little companies to offer a rewards program app, Perka instantly provides merchants with customer names and history “so they can have a more engaging interaction with the customer,” says Rob. Less than a year old, Perka already has more than 100 businesses, 70 in the Portland area, that offer its service. Coffee shops, hair salons, pizza parlors and other restaurants and some retail stores now offer Perka’s perks.

Customers who have the app use it to check in; the business then gets instant messages about the customer’s name and history on its Perka screen. Customers with flip phones can check in by texting the word Perka to the phone number listed on each merchant’s Perka device.

Perka keeps track of how many stamps a person has toward each reward, enables merchants to offer repeat customers

special deals and enables clerks to greet customers by name and offer them their customary order.

“We are enabling smaller businesses to use technology,” says Rob. “We think that companies with more than 1,000 units (stores or outlets) can probably afford to build their own app.

Perka started in businesses with one or two shops, but now people with 10 to 30 units (shops) realize it doesn’t make sense to build their own app.”

Another advantage of Perka, as opposed to individual company apps, is that customers can access the rewards program for many of their favorite shops with one app, according to Rob. “It’s like ‘share of the wallet’ – how many cards are people really going to carry? We are going after ‘share of the phone.’ When people have page after page of apps, they put their most used apps on the first two pages. A lot of people put their Perka button on the first two pages. It gives local merchants the ability to be under one button.”

Many of the negotiating and planning skills Rob has used in Perka were honed during his years on the board of Congregation Shir Tikvah. He says he considers himself lucky that the eastside congregation invited him to join the board when he was in his 30s. He served on the board for six years and is now in his second year as co-chair.

“Sitting through long-term planning meetings for a spiritual organization with older experienced business leaders has helped me in helping Perka grow, which I never would have expected,” says Rob. “It helped get me ready for my next career – this company.”

As co-chair, Rob has been recruiting other Shir Tikvah members to serve on the board. And when he talks about the benefits of serving on the board, his sales pitch has, “as my dad used to say, ‘a sales point that has the added benefit of being the truth.’”

participant in the Notz’tzim Hebrew immersion preschool program, which is a joint venture with Neveh Shalom.

And Rob keeps busy with Shir Tikvah’s latest long-range planning process. Currently the congregation rents office space, space in a church for services and other spaces for various educational programs such as Notz’tzim. Ideally they’d like to find one or two spaces where the congregation can consolidate its programs.

Maybe there’s an app for that.

Smart phones and flip phones alike can send messages to the “merchant validator” to reap the rewards offered by merchants through Perka.

Perka keeps track of how many stamps a person has toward each reward, enables merchants to offer repeat customers special deals and enables clerks to greet customers by name and offer them their customary order.

Rob’s dad, who passed away a couple of years ago, was a “serial entrepreneur.” Rob’s great-grandfather was a Lebanese Christian who moved to the United States around the turn of the last century.

“I married into Judaism,” says Rob. While attending college in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon University, he met and married Jennifer Kerstein. The couple moved to Portland for Jennifer to earn her graduate degree at Reed College, and they never left.

“We’ve been in Portland for 15 years,” Rob says. “We were part of the great Jewish unaffiliated.”

Now the family has an active membership in Shir Tikvah, where their son, Nathan, who turns 4 this month, is an avid

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[HISTORY]

by Sura Rubenstein

Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the lodge in 1937 as a “testament to the workers on the rolls of the Works Progress Administration.” Photograph courtesy of the Timberline press room

High Places, Deep Roots

N

HAVING A BALL – Richard Kohnstamm, shown here in a photo from the mid-1950s, shortly after he took over management of Timberline, liked to say that he had the best job in the United States – at least for him. He and his family put a lot of hard work and a small fortune into restoring Timberline Lodge, but he always said he was so happy he’d found it. Photograph courtesy of the Kohnstamm Family

by Sura Rubenstein

International ski groups tip hats to Hall of Famers’ Kohnstamm, Hirsch

Next month, hundreds of skiers will gather in the Pacific Northwest – a tribute in part to two Oregonians: Richard L. Kohnstamm and Harold S. Hirsch.

The occasion is “Skiing Heritage Week,” an annual conclave sponsored jointly by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum and the International Skiing History Association.

Kohnstamm, of course, is the man who rescued and revived Timberline Lodge, turning it into one of the premier ski areas in the nation. And Hirsch is the founder of the first American manufacturer of ski apparel, White Stag, launched at the beginning of the Great Depression.

“There are deep historic roots out in the Pacific Northwest,” says J. Thomas West, president and CEO of the Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in Ishpeming, Mich., who noted this is the first time the heritage week, which kicks off April 8 at Timberline, is being held in the Pacific Northwest.

10 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

He said it was especially fitting, since this years heritage week celebrates several important anniversaries, including the 75th anniversary of Timberline Lodge.

Both Kohnstamm and Hirsch have been inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, and for nearly a half-century, the Harold S. Hirsch Award has been one of the most prestigious annual awards for excellence in coverage of ski sports.

“There is no aspect of the sport we know today that can’t, in some form, trace its heritage to the Northwest,” adds Bernie Weichsel, the Hall of Fame’s chairman.

That heritage was shaped in great part by both Hirsch and Kohnstamm, one a young Jewish man from Portland and another from New York.

How did it begin?

In some ways, Jews and mountains have a long history – whether it’s Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments

were given; Mount Carmel, where the prophet Elijah defeated the prophets of Ba’al; or Mount Zion, where the Temple was built.

Jews also were involved in the beginnings of mountaineering in 19th-and early 20th-century Europe – a history documented in “Did You See My Alps? – A Jewish Love Story,” an exhibit developed by the Jewish Museum of Hohenems, Austria.

“In the early 20th century,” notes museum director Hanno Loewy, “Jewish, frequently Zionist, youth organizations and sports associations emerge all over Europe.” Their goal, he said, was to develop a “muscular Jewry” as part of the renewal of a Jewish nation.

In Oregon, Harold Hirsch, born in Portland in 1907, was undoubtedly less ideological. He just enjoyed the outdoors.

He had some exposure to skiing in the Northwest, but really became active in the sport when he attended Dartmouth

Harold and Elizabeth Hirsch.

Photograph courtesy of Robert Conklin

College and joined the ski team. He specialized in skijoring – a sport, he noted in a 1977 interview in the Oregon Jewish Museum archives – that isn’t done in America anymore. He described it as “like water-skiing,” except on skis in the snow, with a horse pulling the skier.

Hirsch went on to graduate work at Oxford University in England, hoping to become a professor of cultural anthropology. But the Depression hit, and he came home.

“I had to find something to do,” he said in the interview.

“The only other thing I knew much about was skiing, and skiing was in its very early days in the West.”

He talked his father, a partner in the Hirsch-Weis Manufacturing Co. (formerly Willamette Tent & Awning), into giving him a corner of the canvas goods factory at the west end of the Burnside Bridge, and Hirsch began making ski pants and jackets.

“This was at a time when Oregon had no chairlifts, no rope tows, no lodges or snow bunnies,” The Oregonian’s Julie Tripp noted in Hirsch’s 1990 obituary. “Just hardy types such as Hirsch who herringboned up hillsides for the pure joy of the downhill schuss.”

As roads were upgraded and balloon tires for cars developed, it was easier to get into the back country, and skiing took off.

Hirsch found it curious that his leisure-luxury goods company prospered in the Depression, but he found a rationale for it: “People (could) get outdoors and away from their troubles.”

For more than 40 years, Hirsch and White Stag were leaders in ski and outdoor apparel design – everything from the distinctive rust-red waterproof parka for the National Ski Patrol to Winter Olympics jackets to high-fashion skiwear created

by Italian designer (and Reed College alumnus and ski team member) Emilio Pucci.

He helped found the National Ski Equipment and Apparel Association (now SnowSports Industries of America) and, in 1963, established the Hirsch Award, given annually to the United States’ best snow-sports journalist, photographer and broadcaster.

He also was a pioneer in racially integrating his manufacturing plants, both in Portland and in the South, during World War II. “There is an element in me, because I am Jewish,” he

White Stag factory workers circa 1950. The Portland company, founded at the beginning of the Great Depression, was the United States’ first major manufacturer of ski apparel. By the 1950s, the company had expanded into other sportswear items but remained the world’s largest maker of ski fashions. Photograph courtesy of Oregon Jewish Museum

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 11

told an interviewer, “that gave me a sympathy for people who have to bear prejudice.”

In 1966, White Stag merged with a conglomerate that became Warnaco, Inc., which eventually sold the trademark name to Wal-Mart stores in 2003. The company’s plant in Southeast Portland was closed in the mid-1980s.

Hirsch, whose health was failing, was inducted into the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame in 1990, at a ceremony in his home, several months before his death. Richard Kohnstamm, who would be inducted into the Hall of Fame two years later, was among the small group in attendance.

Richard Kohnstamm, center, enjoys a sunny day at Mount Hood with his four sons, who grew up in the historic lodge their parents rescued and revived. Pictured from left: John, Jeff, Richard, David and Kevin Kohnstamm. Jeff Kohnstamm succeeded his father as president of RLK Company, which has a long-term contract to operate Timberline, but all of the family remain involved.

Photograph courtesy of the Kohnstamm Family

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b b b Richard L. Kohnstamm, who died in 2006, was a transplanted Oregonian who transformed his adopted home.

Born and raised in New York, he had loved camping in Maine as a youngster and always wanted a job “half indoors and half outdoors.”

After serving as a gunner during World War II, he completed a master’s degree in social work and came to Portland to work at Neighborhood House, originally established to aid Jewish immigrants in the early 1900s. He helped organize various activities, including an all-city teen dance in 1953.

Two years later, he formed RLK and Company, and took over management of Mount Hood’s Timberline Lodge through a contract with the U.S. Forest Service.

The impressive lodge, dedicated with great fanfare by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1937, had fallen into disrepair and had been closed. Some were suggesting it be torn down. Kohnstamm made it his mission to restore the lodge – and began what became his lifelong work and his legacy.

He was, noted U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), “a visionary leader who conceived and then for half a century led the Kohnstamm family crusade to restore the jewel that is Timberline Lodge.”

When Kohnstamm took over Timberline, he was shocked.

The lodge was a shambles. Hand-loomed draperies were stuffed into broken windows, handcrafted furniture had been broken up for firewood, and there were layers of grease in the kitchen.

According to Patricia Failing, writing in “Timberline Lodge: A Love Story,” more than a thousand fire-code violations needed correcting, and costs for repairing woodwork alone ran $15,000 per room.

Between 1955 and 1966, she noted, RLK and Company invested more than a half-million dollars in Timberline – repairing the building, installing a heated swimming pool and the Pucci and Victoria ski lifts, and acquiring Sno-Cats to transport skiers and tourists.

“He was the last person in the world you would think would succeed up there,” says David Kohnstamm, one of his four sons, director of Rose Schnitzer Manor at Cedar Sinai Park. “He had no ski area experience, no hotel experience, no management experience.”

But Richard Kohnstamm was tenacious. And he was in love.

“I feel I have the best job in the United States, at least for me,” he said in an essay, also in “Timberline Lodge: A Love

Story,” recently reissued for the Lodge’s 75th anniversary.

By 1992, when he was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, Kohnstamm could point to a number of achievements, which included pioneering summer ski facilities in 1956, working with Friends of Timberline to preserve and restore the Lodge’s art and artifacts and having the Lodge declared a National Historic Landmark.

Today, Timberline welcomes about two million visitors a year – skiers, hikers, mountaineers, snowboarders, tourists, and just people who, like Kohnstamm, love the Lodge and the mountain.

Jeff Kohnstamm, who succeeded his father as head of RLK and Company, says the Kohnstamm family is committed to carrying on his father’s legacy.

“The most important thing,” he said, “is to keep Timberline as the icon that it is. And to remember that it is a place for everyone.”

Sura Rubenstein is a Portland freelance writer.

Timberline Timeline 1857: 1907: 1922: 1929: 1935:

First documented climb of Mount Hood First skiing on Mount Hood U.S. Highway 26 is paved The Great Depression begins Works Progress Administration established, providing funding for a ski lodge on Mount Hood 1937: Mount Hood Ski Patrol is formed | Timberline Lodge Dedication 1939: The Magic Mile, first ski lift in Oregon and second chairlift in the U.S. 1942-45: Timberline Lodge closed during WW II 1955: Timberline Lodge closed for mismanagement | Richard L. Kohnstamm signs lease for Lodge | Lodge reopens 1956: Timberline opens first Summer Racing Camp Timberline builds Pucci double chairlift 1958: Pool built 1975: Friends of Timberline formed as nonprofit group 1977: Timberline Lodge named a National Historic Landmark 1978: Original Palmer Chairlift opens for summer skiing (Current Palmer Chairlift opens in 1996, giving Timberline the longest ski season in North America) 1981: Wy’East Day Lodge opens 1984: Snowboarding hits Mount Hood 2006: Richard L. Kohnstamm dies at age 80 2009: Richard L. Kohnstamm Wilderness area designated on Mount Hood -- 126 acres above the Palmer Ski Lift 2012: Timberline Lodge’s 75th anniversary

Source: Timberline Lodge

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 13

[CAMPS/SPECIAL SECTION]

by Deborah Moon

Camping to a...

Like all overnight camps, Jewish sleep-away camps help young campers learn valuable life skills that enhance their lives in college and beyond. Jewish camps have the added benefit of creating confident, engaged Jewish adults.

Brighter Future 14 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Numerous studies have shown youth benefit from attending sleep-away camps.

An article in the February issue of Psychology Today explores “why kids who went to summer camp are more successful in college,” says URJ Camp Kalsman Director David Berkman, who summarized: “They have experience being away from home and making decisions in a non-family environment. Dorms are like camp cabins in that they have to live with someone who’s not a family member. Campers learn how to deal with and navigate challenges away from their family.”

The article Berkman refers to by Dr. Michael Ungar, PhD, also points out that camp makes kids resilient. Campers form new relationships; learn how to be proud of their achievements; have the chance to be “just kids” who interact without the baggage they carry at school; feel in control of their own lives; get a day balanced with activity, fresh air and good food; gain a sense of belonging; and acquire an awareness of culture.

Jewish culture flourishes at Jewish overnight camps. Several studies show Jewish camps build Jewish identity. (See page 16 Camp Works: The Long-term Impact of Jewish Overnight Camp from the Foundation for Jewish Camp, Spring 2011.)

“This research shows that these behaviors indicate a certain level of Jewish communal commitment, and it is precisely that communal identification that many Jewish experts fear is most at risk,” said B’nai B’rith Camp Director Michelle Koplan. “BB Camp is our Jewish community camp with our mission to build Jewish identity in our community’s children.” With

winter offices in Portland, the camp is located near Lincoln City on the shore of Devil’s Lake.

Camp Solomon Schechter likewise has deep roots in the Portland community, having been founded by Rabbi Joshua Stampfer, now rabbi emeritus of Congregation Neveh Shalom.

“We are an independent camp with our roots in Conservative Judaism, so we are accepting of multiple denominations,” says Camp Solomon Schechter director Sam Perlin. “The Schechter board has committed to keep our camp less expensive.”

In an effort to expand the benefits of Jewish overnight camps that have been reported in numerous studies, the Foundation for Jewish Camp introduced incentive grants for new campers in 2005. Since then more than 13,000 new campers have attended camps across the country.

“We have learned that providing first-time incentive grants to get kids to attend camp is powerful,” says Koplan.

Campers enjoy hydrotubing on Devil’s Lake at B’nai B’rith Camp near Lincoln City.

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[CAMPS/SPECIAL SECTION]

Camp Works: The Long-term Impact of Jewish Overnight Camp Study released by the Foundation for Jewish Camp in Spring 2011 The study uses the most recent National Jewish Population Survey and 25 local community studies to predict the impact of Jewish summer camp. Camp attendance increases the likelihood of adult participation and identification in every one of the following areas. As adults, campers are:

30% more likely to donate to a Jewish charity 37% more likely to light Shabbat candles 45% more likely to attend synagogue monthly or more 55% more likely to be very emotionally

attached to Israel

Perlin adds that the foundation’s incentive grants and training programs for camp staff have had a profound impact on Jewish camping.

The foundation collaborates with various partners around the country to provide the grants. Eligible camps in the Pacific Northwest are: B’nai B’rith Camp in Oregon; Camp Solomon Schechter, URJ Camp Kalsman and Sephardic Adventure Camp in Washington; and Camp Miriam and Camp Hatikvah in British Columbia.

“The great thing about our region is we have so many different camps, each with their own focus to serve different populations,” said Perlin, noting that in addition to BB Camp and Solomon Schechter, the region features a Sephardic camp, a Reform movement camp, an Orthodox camp and a Zionist camp.

All of the camps create connections between Jewish youth, many of which last a lifetime.

“Many of our alumni and lay leaders met their closest friends at BB Camp,” says Koplan. “Others met their spouses at BB Camp. These relationships have become life-long lasting friendships. We’ve found that living Jewishly 24/7 at camp deepens connections and strengthens Jewish identity.”

Perlin agrees, “Three weeks with Jewish friends really works.

All the camps get kids in the door. Kids are making connections with other Jews. I’m always so proud of these kids.”

But each camp has its own focus.

Habonim Dror

Camp Miriam 2012

Gabriola Island, BC

“Meaningful, educational and fun social experience that has the kids waiting and wishing for more!” – 2011 parent

“Many of our alumni and lay leaders met their closest friends at BB Camp.

Others met their spouses at BB Camp.”

– BB Camp Director Michelle Koplan B’nai B’rith Camp

• Creative Programming • Theme Days • Shabbat at the Point • Israeli Dancing • Overnight hiking trips • Connection to Israel “Every day we have fun and every day we learn something”

– a nine-year-old 2011 camper

“BB Camp embraces what we call backdoor Jewish education, in which we infuse Judaism, Jewish identity, and Jewish values in all aspects of the camp program. For instance, campers will participate in arts and crafts creating tie-dye challah covers while learning about rituals and traditions of Shabbat,” explains Koplan. “BB Camp is an inviting and warm community where Jewish families – regardless of their levels of affiliation, practice, or year-round engagement – can offer their children the chance to experience some form of Jewish community that is not overwhelming or foreign.” Visit: www.BBCamp.org.

Camp Solomon Schechter Session One: July 1 – July 22 | Session Two: July 26 – Aug. 16 1&2 week sessions available

camp.miriam@gmail.com • campmiriam.org • 604-266-2825 16 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Camp Solomon Schechter, founded in 1954, is a Shabbatobservant and Kosher camp that is independent, rooted in Conservative Judaism. The camp is located two hours north of Portland on a spectacular 170-acre wooded facility featuring

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[CAMPS/SPECIAL SECTION] breathtaking views of our private lake, where campers can swim and paddleboat. Hiking in the untouched beauty of our own forests and protected wetlands augments the exciting outdoor program. Visit: www.campschechter.org.

URJ Camp Kalsman

Since opening in 2007, URJ Camp Kalsman has provided a Reform camp experience in the Pacific Northwest. While not all campers are members of Reform synagogues, they are “inherently liberal and progressive in terms of their Jewish identity,” says Berkman. He adds that the camp is in a spectacular setting with two lakes, a mountain, fruit trees and deer.

“People who enjoy being outside really appreciate the camp.”

Visit: www.kalsman.urjcamps.org.

Sephardic Adventure Camp

Located outside of Seattle, Sephardic Adventure Camp is the only Jewish camp that caters to the large Sephardic

18 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Day Camps perfect fit for many families For many parents, summer is a great time for family bonding.

Kids who attend day camp are still able to come home at the end of the day to play with siblings and have dinner with the family.

Day camps are perfect for kids who have other part-time summer obligations such as sports teams or family vacations. One of the many advantages of day camps is that families can still enroll their children in other activities during the summer months.

Day camps also offer children the opportunity to explore new interests or develop existing skills. Special interest camps such as art, science and sports camps give children the chance to explore their interests in a fun setting. Art camps give artistic children the chance to delve into new media and new means of expression.

Science camps can enable the budding engineer to build a bridge or make a robot that really works. Kids who enjoy taking center stage can get a taste of acting at theater camps.

Specialty camps also can introduce children to new areas of interest. Kids can try out art projects in a non-threatening, fun environment. Science can become an experiment in fun – quite unlike their classroom experiences. And non-athletes can play games and develop skills in a setting where no one is keeping score.

Campers also gain social skills and self-confidence along with those new skills.

Day camps are a great option as the primary summer activity for children or as a supplement to other activities such as sports teams and family vacations.

Jewish day camps also provide some of the same opportunities as sleep-away camps by providing campers with a daily Jewish environment of song, prayer and friends. With day camps, those new friends often live nearby, making ongoing interaction much easier.

Luckily, families do not have to limit themselves to one type of camp. Many families opt to send kids to sleep-away camp for a portion of the summer and then use day camps as an add-on option for kids who have been away and still have a few weeks before school starts.

In addition to the benefits and growth campers experience, families can benefit from some financial incentives, according to the American Camp Association. In certain circumstances, day care expenses, including transportation by a care provider, may be considered dependent care services and paid with a dependent care flexible spending account or pre-tax dollars. In addition, day camps may qualify for special tax incentives like child and dependent care tax credits. Families searching for financial assistance should talk to camp directors about incentives like multiple sibling discounts or payment plans. Don’t be afraid to ask about options.

The experience is life-changing, providing growth and development through teachable moments, experiences, friendships and, most importantly, fun, according to the ACA. The most successful camp experiences occur when families and children work together to find a camp that best matches everyone’s needs.

A release from the ACA notes: “The camp experience is essential to the development of the whole child – regardless of whether the experience comes in the form of resident or day camp. Camp is a classroom without walls, teaching valuable life lessons and developing the 21st-century skills needed in today’s world – skills like leadership, empathy, problem-solving and teamwork. And for children who aren’t ready for a resident camp – either because of personality or age – day camp also provides the reassurance that home is a car ride away.”

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[CAMPS/SPECIAL SECTION] communities on the West Coast. Executive Director Leon Covitz says, “SAC combines best camp practices with formal and informal activities within a traditional Sephardic setting.

Older members of Seattle’s Sephardic community have infused the camp with stories of Sephardic Jewish pride, mostly from Rhodes, Greece and Turkey. Other Sephardic Jewish communities like Morrocco, Tunisia, Iran and Iraq are also represented.”

Visit: www.sephardicadventurecamp.org.

Camp Miriam

Camp Miriam is located on Gabriola Island in British Columbia. Camp staff put emphasis on building a youth community based on values of equality and inclusion. Through creative programming, campers also gain knowledge of Israel, Jewish history, Hebrew and social justice, and they learn to take responsibility for the community and the environment.

Visit: www.campmiriam.org.

Camp Hatikvah

Located on Lake Kalamalka which translates to “Lake of Many Colors” in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Camp Hatikvah intertwines all the colors of its surroundings and the unique personalities of its campers to create a one of a kind summer experience. We have four docks equipped for swimming, water skiing, wake boarding, surfing, kayaking, canoeing and sailing. Camp Hatikvah provides all campers with an environment rich in culture, tradition and new experiences while creating connections to Judaism and Zionism and friendships to last a lifetime. Visit: www.camphatikvah.com.

Congregation Beth Israel Tot Shabbat & Preschool Open House 9:30-11:30 AM, Pollin Chapel Saturday, March 3, 2012 1972 NW Flanders St, PDX Come learn about our outstanding Early Childhood Education Program at a special Tot Shabbat and Open House with Kim Palumbis, Rabbi Cahana and Cantor Schiff. A snack and craft project will follow.

Providing children ages 2 - 5 with a classroom experience filled with discovery, creativity and imagination within a developmentally appropriate curriculum that focuses on developing each child’s strengths.

Currently enrolling students for the 2012-13 school year.

For more information and to schedule a tour contact Deborah Kaplan, Curriculum Coordinator, at 503-2222037 or deborah@bethisrael-pdx.org.

20 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

C e l e b r a t i n g O v e r 3 0 Ye a r s

Willowbrook Outdoor Arts Camp Ages 3-18

June 25-August 3 9 a.m.-3:15 p.m.

Monday-Friday (flexible scheduling, extended care)

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Theater, Music, Dance, Arts, Crafts, Nature, Ceramics, Photography & More

503.691.6132 willowbrookartscamp.org

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206-447-1967

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WHERE JUDAISM AND JOY ARE ONE!

Rothko Revisited

22 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

[COVER STORY]

A

Opposite page: Mark Rothco painted this self-portrait in 1936.

Above: Rothko painting from 1951.

Portland-raised artist comes alive through paintings, onstage, in concert

Stories by Deborah Moon

Actor Daniel Benzali began his quest to bring painter Mark Rothko to life onstage in 2004, about the same time Harold Schnitzer began his quest to bring the Portland-raised artist’s famed works back to the Portland Art Museum, where his first exhibit appeared in 1933-34.

Though Schnitzer died last April, it was his drive to showcase Rothko’s works that led to the broad-based cultural events that bring Rothko’s work and memory back to the city where he was raised.

“This is our major effort of the spring, thanks to the vision of Harold and Arlene Schnitzer pushing us to recognize this important member of our community,” says Bruce Guenther, the museum’s curator of modern and contemporary art.

Synchronicity and synergy are terms that repeatedly surfaced

as I explored the lives and events that intertwined to bring a multisensory cultural experience to Portland.

The diverse range of visual, performance and musical experiences available this month are sure to sate Rothko fans and introduce neophytes to the life, work and legend of Portland’s most famous artist. The programs will appeal both to those who have already experienced the emotions elicited by meditating on the artist’s abstract expressionism and those who need a guide to understand why the large canvases of pure color are prized by museums and collectors worldwide. In fact, one painting topped $33.6 million at a Christie’s auction last year.

Rothko’s paintings are in such great demand that the Portland Art Museum “had to wait to get a slot in the international scene,” says Guenther.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 23

This privately owned and previously unpublished watercolor by Mark Rothko was painted in the early 1930s.

Many Rothko exhibits only feature the artist’s “mature work,” which Guenther says can be found on posters in just about every college bookstore and museum gift shop across the country. But the Portland Gerding Theater at the Armory 128 NW Eleventh Avenue

503.445.3700

Art Museum exhibit will trace the evolution of Rothko’s work from an early Cezanne-style still life through his figurative American scenes in New York subways. It will encompass the ethereal

world of surrealism, drawing on the notion of the subconscious until he “lets go of the lines and it becomes color – like squinting your eye into the sunset – you see color without edges.” (See Devotee for tips on viewing Rothko.)

One example of the synchronicity many people mentioned was the fortuitous move of stage and screen actor Daniel Benzali to Portland last fall, just in time to fill the role he had long sought. (See story on Red).

“It’s great for audiences to go to the museum and see the play,” says the actor.

“It’s great for the theater and museum to do synergistic things.”

Chris Coleman, Portland Center Stage artistic director, said he was already aware of the Broadway hit when the museum asked if the theater would be interested in producing Red. “We love collaborations, and this is one of the most exciting we’ve been able to do,” says Coleman. “Not only to present a

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play about a major figure in American art while his paintings are also on view, but because of the additional cool factor of Rothko’s Portland history. Our audiences are going to have a completely unique experience.”

Coleman added, “I had also heard from my friend Jerry Stern that Mark Rothko(witz) had grown up around the corner from him in South Portland – and thought – ‘what delicious synchronicity.’”

While the play continues through March 18 and the paintings will be on display till May 27, the opportunity to experience Rothko through music is a one-time event on March 10 at the Portland Art Museum.

“Word and sound, music and imagery” will come together in the Third Angle Ensemble’s performance of “Rothko’s Chapel,” which Guenther calls an exciting addition to the entire Rothko experience.

Rothko painted this surrealistic “Iphegenia and the Sea/Horizontal Phantasy” in 1943.

Devotee or skeptic, Rothko exhibit can move you The actor who brings artist Mark Rothko to life on stage in Red has spent many hours experiencing the artist’s work as Rothko himself had said it should be.

Dorothy Reiter gets a hug from her uncle Mark Rothko in 1968 on one of his last visits to Oregon. She said that in his later years, her uncle visited family in Oregon fairly regularly. While Rothko’s brother Albert also moved away from Oregon, his brother Maurice or Moise (Reiter’s father) and sister Sonia spent most of their lives in Portland. Reiter said that when she and her husband, Dr. Philip Reiter, went to New York not long before Rothko died, her uncle issued a rare invitation to visit his studio and see the works he was painting for the Rothko Chapel in Houston. She said both she and her husband found them dark and meditative and could only reply “interesting” when Rothko asked their opinion. And meditative is apparently just what the philanthropists who commissioned the works were seeking. Now, about 60,000 people a year visit the Rothko Chapel, whose mission is “to inspire people to action through art and contemplation.”

“His work is always controversial because of its seeming simplicity,” says actor Daniel Benzali. “He wanted people to meditate with his paintings – and the more you stay with them from different directions and angles, the more there is to decipher and emotions to feel. A lot of people do feel it, some don’t. But if you do get into it, you would start to feel the same sort of emotion Rothko felt doing them.”

For Rothko devotees, the Portland Art Museum exhibit has several of the artist’s pure-color paintings to experience.

For those who don’t feel the emotional pull, curator Bruce Guenther has created a chronological flow of work to guide people toward understanding what Rothko sought to convey.

From his early figurative works, Rothko “entered the world of surrealism – the notion of subconscious,” says Guenther.

But when he releases form and line, his art “becomes a pure and formal exercise of response – he finds the beauty of colors,” says Guenther. In color, Rothko combined emotional and physical responses.

“Art is a mix of science and magic, of materials and ideas,” says Guenther. “He uses color as a way of stimulating eyes … of feelings associated with color.”

Guenther says he sees the influence of Judaism, in which God has no form, on Rothko’s mature work.

“Rothko approached the world as an intellectual, as someone who thought deeply about religion and life and painting,” says Guenther.

He hopes those who see the progression of Rothko’s work will take the time to let his mature works seep into their eyes and elicit emotions.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 25

[COVER STORY]

Red Road to Rothko

Mark Rothko (Daniel Benzali) contemplates whether he can finish a commercial commission as his assistant (Patrick Alparone) mixes his paints in the Portland Center Stage Production of Red. Photo by Patrick Weishampel

by Deborah Moon

Curiosity led Daniel Benzali to walk into the Gerding Theater shortly after he moved to Portland last fall. A few days later, the accomplished actor signed on to star as Mark Rothko in the theater’s production of Red. He describes the play as “a powerful insight into an artist’s work and life and philosophy. … What an artist is about and what his artwork says or what he is trying to express through his paintings – I think that is a new experience for theater audiences.”

Sitting in the café of the Gerding Theater, where he brings Rothko to life, Mr. Benzali shared the journey that led him to this role.

Mr. Benzali was born in Brazil, the son of Jewish parents. Acting was in his blood – his father acted in Yiddish theaters across Latin America before moving the family to New York when Daniel was age 3.

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Arnaldo Cohen Plays Tchaikovsky Sat, May 12 | 7:30 pm Sun, May 13 | 2 pm Monday, May 14 | 8 pm Carlos Kalmar, conductor • Arnaldo Cohen, piano The brilliant pianist returns for Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 – one of the most popular and moving piano concertos of all time!

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26 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

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The actor began his infatuation with Rothko’s works while living in London in the 1980s as one of the few Americans ever invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. He spent many an hour in the Rothko rooms at the Tate Museum experiencing the artist’s work. During a stint in New York, he performed on Broadway and visited more of Rothko’s work at the Modern Museum of Art. When Mr. Benzali moved to Los Angeles, he guest starred on numerous television series including The X-Files, NYPD Blue and L.A. Law, before being cast in the lead role of the 1995 series Murder One. He later starred in the FX series Nip/Tuck.

His film work includes co-starring in The Grey Zone, All the Little Animals and Murder at 1600. He also had a role in the James Bond film A View to a Kill.

But he never lost interest in Rothko. After reading a biography of the artist in 2004, Mr. Benzali decided he wanted to do a one-man show on Rothko.

“I loved his art,” he said. “When I read his biography, he had such an interesting life story. His art plus his character appealed to me as a good subject for the theater.”

He began making notes for a script. In a 2008 visit to London, he discovered Red, a new play about Rothko, had been cast. When the play moved to Broadway, it had the same cast.

Last year he decided he wanted to move out of Los Angeles but be close enough to return for subsequent roles.

“The last few years, everything I’ve heard about Portland – the diversity of the city, the people, the culture – everything appeals to me,” he said.

So when he heard Michael Moore call Portland “the coolest city in America” on a talk show last summer, he decided it was time to move.

Exploring his new home, he decided to check out the Gerding Theater. When he saw Red on the season’s schedule, he left a card for the director.

He soon sat down for a chat with Red director Rose Riordan and quickly landed the part he’d long sought.

“It’s definitely serendipity,” he said.

Experience Rothko At the Portland Art Museum: Mark Rothko Exhibit through May 27: Exhibition of 45 works tracing Rothko’s artistic path from the late 1920s to shortly before his death in 1970.

“Rothko Chapel: A Conversation in Words and Music,” by Third Angle Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., March 10.

At Gerding Theater: Red through March 18: Portland Center Stage’s production of the Tony Award-winning play that paints a vivid portrait of a moment in the life of Portland-raised seminal artist Mark Rothko.

Tickets from: www.pcs.org, 503-445-3700 or at the box office at 128 NW 11th Ave.

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 27

[FOOD]

Top Off Breakfast with –Chocolate Cake?

T

Balance breakfast with dessert to lose more weight and keep it off

Tel Aviv – When it comes to diets, cookies and cake are off the menu. But researchers from Tel Aviv University have found that dessert, as part of a balanced 600-calorie breakfast that also includes proteins and carbohydrates, can help dieters to lose more weight – and keep it off in the long run.

The key is to indulge in the morning, when the body’s metabolism is at its most active and we are better able to work off the extra calories throughout the day, say Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz, Dr. Julio Wainstein and Dr. Mona Boaz of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Diabetes Unit at Wolfson Medical Center, and Prof. Oren Froy of Hebrew University Jerusalem.

Attempting to avoid sweets entirely can create a psychological addiction to these same foods in the long-term, explains

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Dessert with a balanced breakfast can help dieters lose more weight and keep it off. Photo by Deborah Moon

Prof. Jakubowicz. Adding dessert items to breakfast can control cravings throughout the rest of the day. Over the course of a 32-week-long study, detailed in the journal Steroids, participants who added dessert to their breakfast – cookies, cake or chocolate – lost an average of 40 pounds more than a group that avoided such foods. What’s more, they kept off the pounds longer.

A meal in the morning provides energy for the day’s tasks, aids in brain functioning and kick-starts the body’s metabolism, making it crucial for weight loss and maintenance. The researchers hoped to determine whether meal time and composition impacted weight loss in the short and long term, says Prof.

Jakubowicz, or if it was a simple matter of calorie count.

One of the biggest challenges people face is keeping weight off in the long term, says Prof. Jakubowicz. Highly restrictive diets that forbid desserts and carbohydrates are initially effective, but often cause dieters to stray from their food plans as a result of withdrawal-like symptoms. They wind up regaining much of the weight they lost during the diet proper.

Ultimately, a diet must be realistic to be adopted as part of a new lifestyle. Curbing cravings is better than deprivation for weight loss success, Prof. Jakubowicz concludes.

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CheF’S corner

W Purim pastry can be savory instead of sweet by Lisa Glickman

When Purim approaches, it is time to forget your troubles and let the fun begin!

For young children Purim carnivals are the highlight with games, costumes and prizes. The tradition of costumes is based upon the way Esther concealed her Jewish identity from the king while living in the palace. Costumes of King Achashverosh, Queen Esther, Mordechai or Haman are traditional, but now pirates, clowns, Harry Potter and the occasional small-child-size hamantaschen costumes are often the norm.

Jews everywhere celebrate Esther’s discovery of Haman’s wicked plot to destroy all the Jews; “young and old, women and children.” The holiday is called Purim because the villain of the story, Haman, cast the “pur” (the lot) against the Jews, yet failed to destroy them. According to the book of Esther, this happened on the 13th day of Adar. “And on the 14th day the Jews rested and made it a day of feasting and joy” (Esther 9:18).

I found it quite clever when I read that during her time living in the palace, Esther became a vegetarian in order to avoid eating foods that were not kosher. Because they were rich in protein and nutrients, she ate nuts, seeds and legumes to sustain her.

Seeds and nuts are very common fillings for hamantaschen, which are often shared during Purim or put into food baskets called mishloach manot, or shalach manos in Yiddish. Two items of ready-to-eat food are placed in a basket and shared with at least one person to ensure that everyone has something great to eat on Purim.

This tasty ground beef strudel conatians a savory meat filling surrounded by crispy puff pastry and sprinkled with poppyseeds. Folded with three corners, it resembles a delicious hamantaschen pastry. It is simple to make, can be made well in advance and will keep unbaked in the freezer for up to two months. Paired with a simple salad or a green vegetable, it makes an easy and delicious meal that’s perfect after a long day at the Purim carnival.

Lisa Glickman is a private chef and lives in Bend. She is a contributing writer and teacher and also does a weekly cooking segment for COTV’s “Good Morning Central Oregon.”

She can be reached via email through her website at lisa@lisaglickman.com.

Folded with three corners instead of four, this beef strudel sprinkled with poppyseeds resembles a delicious Purim pastry.

Photo by Lisa Glickman

Savory Ground Beef Strudel makes 2 strudels 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped 1 pound ground sirloin 2 tablespoons tomato paste ½ teaspoon kosher salt A few grinds of freshly ground pepper 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 2 teaspoons sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis) or regular soy sauce 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce ¼ cup toasted pine nuts 1 cup pesto sauce 8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese (optional) 2 sheets puff pastry, thawed but still very cold 1 tablespoon poppyseeds or sesame seeds 1 large egg, beaten

Put the oil in a sauté pan and heat pan to medium heat. Add onion and pepper and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add ground sirloin to pan and brown meat. Add the tomato paste, seasonings, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Allow mixture to cool. Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a square. Spread pastry with pesto sauce leaving about a 2-inch border. Top with meat mixture. Sprinkle pine nuts over meat and lay cheese on top if using. Gather corners of pastry to the center and twist corners gently to seal. Brush top of pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with seeds. Place pastry on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake pastry for 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 29

Not

by Liz Rabiner Lippoff

[WEDDINGS/SPECIAL SECTION]

Your Mother’s Wedding

For attendants’ gifts, Lindsay Kantor and Joel Krivosha gave the bridesmaids matching wool coats, a choice that paid off big time when a deluge threatened the outdoor group shots at The Resort at the Mountain in Welches. Photo by Holland Studios

“That was an amazing wedding!”

I still hear it when friends gather, and it’s been over 35 years since David and I got married. The food, the dancing and, to be honest, the abundant alcohol brought out the party animal in everyone, from Grandma Rose to the mah-jongg mavens. But I can’t take the credit. It was my mother’s wedding.

My mom and I hit wedding plan impasse almost immediately. My parents were footing the whole bill, and David and I had a long guest list. The ceremony would be at Neveh Shalom, and we suggested a casual reception that fit our style: beer and wine, finger food, a disc jockey and no reception line.

That was not my parents’ style, however. We went mano a mano on point after point until I caved. I would manage the wedding details but the reception? Just tell me when and where to show up. The “where” was Tualatin Country Club. I never saw the bill, thank goodness, but my mom was right. It was a gorgeous, extravagant and very memorable party for 250 people.

I still get teary.

Weddings are still memorable and brides still get teary, but today’s a different world. Marriage numbers are steadily declining in Oregon. Brides wait longer before marrying; by then they know what they want and they probably don’t cave so fast.

The costs are often shared between the families and the couple themselves; some kids foot the whole bill. In today’s financial climate, brides still want the wedding of their dreams but they prioritize the details, strategically splurge on what is important to them and economize or cut what doesn’t matter.

Jemi Kostiner Mansfield agrees. She has coordinated the weddings at Portland’s Congregation Beth Israel for 20 years.

30 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

The trends? Many brides just tell their bridesmaids “black, no cleavage” rather than buying identical dresses. They save the wedding planner and flowers for the reception because the temple already provides both. Where to splurge? You will look at the photos your whole life, Jemi says. Don’t leave the photography to Uncle Joe. Beth Israel’s Rabbi Michael Cahana and Cantor Judy Schiff officiated at the January 2011 wedding of Lindsay Kantor and Joel Krivosha at The Resort at the Mountain in Welches.

They incorporated many Jewish traditions into their ceremony, including The Seven Circles and the Sheva Brachot, which they were careful to explain in the program for their non-Jewish friends. They retreated for a quiet Yichud before the reception.

While the young couple was in a position to do some splurging for the celebration, they did not have carte blanche. They managed the details so that 350 guests and 16 attendants would have a weekend to remember. Many of their choices fell into one of three categories: economize, splurge or make it look like you splurged.

They are both grateful for the help of relatives and friends.

The Friday night blow-out party was a generous gift from Joel’s aunt. They chose simple invitations, more candles than flowers and dessert instead of cake. They shopped the Nordstrom Half-Yearly sale for dresses and suits and attendants’ gifts. The bridesmaids received matching wool coats, a choice that paid off big time when a deluge threatened the scenic group shots they’d hoped for.

They did not, however, cut corners on the food. They hired the best photographer they could find. And they went all out with a seven-piece band that played into the wee hours. “I don’t care what it costs,” Joel said. “Keep this party happy!”

Lindsay and Joel are particularly satisfied with low-cost touches that made the weekend special and fun. Joel wanted a room for cigars and football, and Lindsay wanted a mah jongg tournament. Cost: negligible. A video booth where guests could mug for the camera augmented a basic videography package.

And they imported 300 Voodoo Doughnuts to serve at 1 a.m., a big hit for only $150.

“If I were to do it again, I would not have stressed so much about the little things,” Lindsay says. But, they both agree, “Everything was perfect.” b b b Rabbi Arthur Zuckerman of Shaarie Torah officiated at the wedding of Brendan Good and Shoshana McClellan last August with 100 guests in attendance. The bride and groom were both raised in observant homes and incorporating “Conservadox” traditions throughout the ceremony was important to both of them. They, too, spent time dining together before making their big entrance at the reception, with music

by James Brown that segued into traditional Jewish music and chairs raised overhead.

Is Chinese food another Jewish tradition? In a fun twist, Brendan proposed to Shoshana with a “Will you marry me?” fortune he put in a Chinese takeout cookie. Luck continued as

Brendan Good and Shoshana McClellan prepare to cut the cake at their wedding at the Oregon Golf Club in West Linn. Good fortune and careful attention to details gave them the wedding they’d dreamed of. Photo by LeeAnn Gauthier

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In today’s financial climate, brides still want the wedding of their dreams but they prioritize the details, strategically splurge on what is important to them and economize or cut what doesn’t matter.

Lindsay and Joel Krivosha get a boost during the traditional wedding dance where the bride and groom are raised high as they sit on chairs and guests dance around them. Photo by Holland Studios

32 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

a theme when newly engaged Shoshana won a catering package at the Oregon Golf Club in West Linn, the first step for a “look like you splurged” celebration.

Shoshana found her dress at David’s Bridal’s annual sale and the bridesmaids found their dresses at a killer sale on NW 23rd.

The rest of the wedding budget, though, owes much of its success to Brendan’s attention to every little detail.

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Hailey Bernstein’s Zest Floral and Event Design was named Best New Wedding Vendor and was a finalist for Best Florist in Oregon Bride’s Best of 2011 list. Flowers soften the room and are a good way for a couple to customize their wedding and make it unique, says Bernstein. A Portland native, Hailey says all her arrangements are custom-designed after talking with the couple. “I love the constant change – every wedding is different, trends change, there are new floral varieties coming on the market … We always try to think out of the box and keep things fresh.” Located at 6290 SW Arctic Lane, Zest is open primarily by appointment. Hailey can be reached at 503-887-1544 or Hailey@zestfloral.com.

Photo by Deborah Moon

Shoshana had lots of input, but she had classes at school to finish. So, Brendan? He had spreadsheets. He monitored the price and progress of every line item with every vendor, making sure that they were getting what they wanted without paying for things they didn’t care about. He always knew exactly how much to shave from something when another item went over budget.

Going with “kosher style” food coincidentally turned out to be economical. They chose fish rather than meat, which would have been difficult as well as expensive to manage, and the club halved its corkage fees because it could not provide kosher wine. Brendan then ordered the wine online at a discount from Harry & David, where his father works.

One month before the big day, they were enough under budget that they could go back and revisit areas where they’d cut back. They upgraded both the flowers and the photographer, and they made wedding albums for their parents. They all danced the night away to playlists Brendan had assembled personally. Shoshana and Brendan agree: it was the wedding they’d dreamed of.

Their advice? Prioritize.

My advice? Prioritize, but also … listen to your mother.

Liz Rabiner Lippoff is a freelance writer and marketing consultant in Portland. She has yet to plan a wedding. When her daughter got married two years ago in Philadelphia, Liz volunteered an opinion or two in the planning process but basically showed up when and where she was told to. The wedding was spectacular.

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Ask Helen photo Sol Neelman

Eugene columnist guides relationships with chutzpah and heart

Dear Helen: I’m a nice Jewish guy in my 40s, only divorced once, with one adult son in med school. I teach college math (tenured at a decent school), am decent looking (not Hollywood handsome but reasonably featured), in decent shape (neither gym buff nor overtly puffy). I own my own home, have savings, can cook a decent meal and am a person of good character. All I want is to meet a nice Jewish woman who’s serious about a possible relationship. I know it shouldn’t be hard, and I definitely don’t have any problem meeting women. I have a problem liking the women I meet. So many have low self-esteem, or are willing to bend over backwards to accommodate what they think I want, that I end up not respecting them. I don’t want to be “in charge” or an emotional bully. I want to be with someone who is as comfortable with herself as I am with myself, not an overly willing doormat.

I’m even willing to do personal ads, but I’m not sure how to communicate this aspect of what I am looking for.

Good Catch Dear Good Catch: You certainly don’t appear to lack self-confidence, but I’ll assume your selfassessment is accurate and comprehensive. Everyone, man or woman, deserves 34 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

to be with someone who likes, appreciates and respects them. You don’t say how much time and energy you invest in potential dates before you decide they don’t meet your high standard. But for the sake of the rejected women, I’ll assume that you communicate gently about why you don’t think it’s a good fit. At a minimum, try to explain what you’re looking for in simple, nonjudgmental terms. Though I’ve always thought speed dating a strangely compressed and highly stressful version of reality, you might be exactly the kind of person it was designed for.

I’d write a personal ad that summarizes who you are very simply, enough to state the obvious: college prof, owns home, mid-40s, decent looking, fiscally sound, wants to meet a woman who likes herself and the way she looks. Friendship, relationship, see what happens. No doormats need apply, please. I want to meet someone who likes herself as much as I do. Sound like you?

PS to readers: No, I won’t give you this writer’s email address. Read your J-Date or local personals. b b b Dear Helen: My fiancée and I are getting married in three weeks. We’ve been together for two years and are devoted to one another. We’re adults (29 and 30) and professionals (chiropractor and speech therapist). We have a nice home, are both very active in our synagogue and have a committed yoga/meditation practice. The wedding details and all the hullaballoo around it (much of the fussing instigated by the opinions of close and even more distant relatives) is taking its toll.

We’re getting snappy with one another, which has literally only happened once before in two years. I know we’ll recover but do

you have any sage advice to get us through the next month. BTW, we’re deferring our honeymoon to a cold winter month, so all the non-work respite we’ll get is two hectic days before the ceremony and three after in a beach cabin.

Grinchy Groom Dear Grinchy: Don’t take out on one another the frustrations you feel towards the mespochah. You need a united front and some ground rules for solving areas of contention. You’ll probably like phase one of my advice more than you think you’ll like phase two, but trust me: it works.

Phase One: Take a 24-hour respite from all things wedding. Go out to a nice dinner, come home and put on romantic music, then cuddle, smooch and snuggle.

Phase Two: Make a list of each category where a final decision will be needed: flowers, seating, food, etc. Talk through each one and say whatever matters to you. Then divvy up the list, either by who cares more about the issue, or by drawing from a hat and horse-trading until you’re each equally happy or sad.

Then agree to sleep in separate rooms from then until the wedding. No sex, though occasional cuddling is permitted.

Allow the longing and romance to come back. You’ll also remember that you rely on the other person, and don’t want to solve problems on your own. It’ll also cut out arguments.

Note: Usually people compromise toward the other’s priorities rather than being selfish, but yes, there is the risk of decisions you (or your uncle) won’t like.

On your wedding night, say and show the “I love you” as you’ll really mean it.

Mazel tov! b b b A resident of Eugene since 1981, Helen is a member of Temple Beth Israel, where she studies and speaks on Torah. She claims to have black belts in schmoozing, problem-solving and chutzpah as well as academic degrees in everything from history to math.

Please email your questions to helen@yourjewishfairygodmother.com.

Fitting Fashion Oregonian or European, whatever your shape, Portland designer makes dress to fit you

by Adrienne Souther-Geffen

36 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

While taking a walk on a brisk autumn morning, in the neighborhood of Northwest 23rd and Savier, a rack of clothing in the window of a quaint gray house caught my eye.

Upon closer inspection, I saw some amazingly beautiful fabrics in rust and taupe embellished with specks of gold and fashioned into interesting and tempting silhouettes.

It was Sunday and the shop was closed, so I wrote down the number. Thus began my quest to own one of the beautiful dresses in the shop window. It took almost one month to have my call answered by designer Liza Rietz, who apologized profusely for the delay. She explained she had been in Europe showing her designs for the past several weeks.

While I was captivated by her artistic, wearable fashions, she also designs wedding dresses and bridesmaids’ dresses.

Here is the story of Liza Rietz in her own words: “I have been designing and making women’s clothing since 2002. In 2007, I opened my shop in Portland focusing on custom-made artistic, yet wearable clothing. While I do have my loyal Portland clientele, my business is largely driven by my online sales from customers in the United States and abroad.

“I offer custom-made garments to both my local and online customers. My madeto-measure garments provide customers with unique pieces that are tailored to their specific measurements. Women can come into my shop or order a design from my online shop. I take their measurements and they choose a fabric from my stock and their custom garment is ready within weeks. My goal is to offer women artistic and timeless garments that fit their bodies, and at reasonable price points.

This dress exemplifies the elegant and sculptural design for which designer Liza Rietz, who is also modeling the dress, is so well known. Standing in the entryway of Congregation Shaarie Torah, Liza is holding a bouquet designed by Monty Moore, A Fine Flower Company, who can be reached at 503-241-2839 or visited online at www.afineflowercompany.com.

Photo by Deborah Moon

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Courtesy of Liza Reitz

Courtesy of Liza Reitz

“My designs are modern and sculptural, elegant and classic. I design in neutral colors using primarily natural fabrics such as silk, wool, cotton and linen.

“I also make bridal wear.

Often I have brides who are overwhelmed and not satisfied with larger, more corporate bridal shops. I offer a more intimate, customized experience for the nontraditional bride. I work directly with them to make a custom dress that is right for them. I often special order fabrics in their desired colors, and I stay within their budget. Many of my designs make great bridesmaids’ dresses as well.”

Liza’s portfolio can be viewed online (www.lizarietz.com or www.lizarietz.etsy.com) or by appointment in her shop at 2305 NW Savier, Portland.

This writer strongly suggests that you visit Liza in her shop.

I did, and I am enjoying my very un-basic black cotton dress and my black linen jacket. They always get a second glance, and they work with so many pieces in my wardrobe.

Besaws, a favorite Portland cafe, is just around the corner, so take a friend and make a day of it!

Adrienne Souther-Geffen started her career in San Francisco with I. Magnin, then moved to New York City, where she was the fashion director for the Allied Corporate Buying Office. She returned to her native Portland as fashion director for Nordstrom Portland stores and then opened up the Saks Fifth Avenue Market in the Pacific Northwest.

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[WEDDINGS/SPECIAL SECTION]

Ageless advice Q

Now aesthetics are her specialty, but Dr. VanderVeer wishes she’d made different choices on her own wedding day

My wedding is one month away. What are some things I can do to make sure I look my best for the big day?

A

Great question. One of my favorite quotes is, “Anyone

can learn from their own mistakes, but a wise person learns from others’ mistakes.” My hope is that you will learn from me.

When I was married in New York in 1987, I made some mistakes I would like to share, so that you might avoid these easy pitfalls and decrease your post-wedding regrets.

First, consider your hair and makeup. This is not the time to try a new hairstyle or wear your hair in a way you will never repeat. Likewise with makeup, don’t overdo it, and do not avoid makeup entirely. Hiring a makeup artist may seem like a great idea, but if you do, be sure to do a trial run with him/her that includes photography! Fortunately, with today’s digital technology (as opposed to 1987) it is easy to quickly check your makeup for Goth black eyes; too-frosty lipstick; or the rouge that makes you look like you have rosacea.

Avoid drastic changes with your hair and makeup, and you will significantly increase the pleasure you derive from your photos at a later date.

Second, wear comfortable shoes! No matter how much you might love a beautiful pair of high heels that match your dress perfectly – no one is going to be looking at your feet – even when you are sitting on the chair as your guests dance the hora! You must prepare to stand on your feet for endless hours and to stand on multiple types of surfaces. Also plan for significant swelling of your feet. Wearing “frumpy” but comfortable shoes from start to finish is far better than going shoeless halfway through your event. Trust me, I know.

38 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Finally, as hard as it may be and no matter how politically incorrect it feels, do not hesitate to ask your family (and anyone else who will be in formal pictures) exactly what they plan to wear to your wedding. And, do not hesitate to speak up! I made the mistake of not even thinking about my family’s attire, and my future sister-in-law (not in the wedding party) wore a bright red floral dress and a matching round, two-foot-diameter hat!

I was shocked and horrified when I saw her as we lined up for pictures.

Even today – when I look at my wedding photos 25 years later – her outlandish outfit makes me cringe. Not only did she display poor etiquette in choosing that outfit, but it essentially ruined my winter-wedding pine green and maroon color scheme. For the colors I chose, however, I must be forgiven. For it was the ’80s, after all.

So, learn from others’ mistakes. I’m sure I made many more, but that will have to wait for another column. Mazel Tov! Elizabeth VanderVeer, M.D. is a boardcertified internist and president/medical director at VanderVeer Center. A native Oregonian, she is a fourth-generation doctor who has dedicated her practice exclusively to aesthetics for many years and specializes in non-surgical cosmetic medicine. Dr. VanderVeer is a published author and a sought-after international lecturer, as well as a national trainer for numerous industry leaders.

Makeup artist offers do-it-yourself tips for wedding day For brides and bridal parties who choose to apply their own makeup on the day of the wedding, there are a number of tips and tricks to take into consideration to help ensure a polished, professional look.

Before the wedding:

Be sure to choose a makeup style that goes along with your dress or the feel of the wedding, and be sure to select colors that highlight your best features (complementary colors work best).

Be sure to practice applying your makeup several times before the actual day (especially if you are applying false lashes).

Have a friend take a photo of you after you have practiced to see how the makeup you have chosen photographs.

It is recommend NOT to try a new product the day of your wedding. Your skin could have an allergic reaction to it. Test all makeup at least two weeks in advance to make certain it agrees with your skin.

by Jenelle (Menashe) Hadfield

The day of the wedding:

Allow yourself plenty of time to apply your own makeup. Be sure to properly build it into the day’s schedule.

After applying makeup, spritz your face with a setting spray or Evian water to achieve that photo-ready, airbrushed look.

Try to stick with makeup that has a matte finishes versus iridescent. Matte absorbs light while iridescent (or shiny) reflects light, which will then reflect in the photo.

Natural, clean, neutral tones photograph the best.

Do NOT wear any face product with an SPF of 10 or higher. This can often reflect in photos and give the face a “ghostly,” white appearance.

Use waterproof and long-wearing products to help prevent unwanted smudges, smears or transfers.

Proper blending is important for a natural look.

It’s a good idea to carry a small clutch with you during your photos and at the reception so you may touch up your makeup with ease. Contents should include lip color, face powder and some Q-tips to eliminate possible smudges.

Remember–this is YOUR wedding and photos will keep memories alive long after it is over. Don’t be afraid to wear a little more makeup than you are used to; the photos will turn out much better.

Jenelle (Menashe) Hadfield is a Portland native who pursued formal makeup artistry training in Los Angeles at Makeup Designory (MUD). Upon completing her program and working for MAC Cosmetics, Jenelle moved back to the Pacific Northwest with her husband in November 2010 to pursue her own makeup artistry business in Portland. Jenelle also regularly consults and offers lessons on makeup Menus & More at www.AlfrescoPortland.com application and techniques. Jenelle can be found at www.makeupbyjenelle.com.

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Same-sex marriage

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Washington rabbi reflects on marriage equality, commandment to love your neighbor

On Feb. 13, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a same-sex marriage bill into law. Set to take effect June 7, Washington would become the seventh state in the nation where gay marriage is legal. But opponents plan to gather signatures to put a referendum to repeal the law on the November ballot. If they collect enough signatures by the June 6 deadline, the law would not take effect until after the election, if voters uphold the law.

Rabbi Elizabeth Dunkser with her son, Zachary Leiman, and Speaker of the House Jim Moeller from Vancouver.

The following is excerpted from an address given by Rabbi Elizabeth Dunsker on Feb. 9 at the start of a Vancouver to Olympia week-long march by clergy in support of marriage equality. Dunsker is the rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami, a Reform congregation in Vancouver, WA.

by Rabbi Elizabeth Dunsker Love your neighbor as yourself.

Only three times in the entire Hebrew Bible is love commanded. We are commanded to love our neighbor, to love the stranger and to love God. Love is so sacred, so precious, that it is rarely commanded. It is forced on us only in those three circumstances. Given that, those three must be pretty important.

We are commanded to love God, because God led us out of slavery. We must love the stranger, because we were strangers once.

But why must we be forced through commandment to love our neighbors? Perhaps they are different from us? Perhaps sometimes they play their music too loudly and they annoy us? Maybe they don’t take care of their lawn and it makes our neighborhood look unkempt. Or maybe their family looks a little different than ours. The Bible tells us so clearly what to do about people in our communities who seem different – it commands us to love them.

Ibn Ezra, a Spanish biblical commentator from the Middle Ages, taught that the commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself ” could be understood as, “Love the good for your neighbor as you love it for yourself.”

I believe that marriage equality is a religious imperative. It is the fulfillment of “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It is the acknowledgment that if the state is involved at all in legislating love and commitment, than it must do so for gay and lesbian couples in precisely the same way that it does so for heterosexual couples. If marriage is good for one family, then it must be so for another. If I love my neighbor as I am commanded to do, then I must ensure that we all enjoy the same rights.

I am proud of our legislature. I am proud of our governor, who stood up and declared herself a religious person who believes that backing marriage equality is the right thing to do.

Not all love needs to be commanded; most flows out of us naturally. The love we have for our children, our parents, our friends and the special, holy, sanctified love we have with a partner, husband or wife – that love is so precious and so natural, it need not be forced. When we truly love our neighbor as ourselves, then we understand exactly what it is that God is teaching us – that we are each of us created in God’s image.

Sometimes when we see differences, it is hard to remember that, so we are commanded to remember it.

I remember it, that’s why I’m marching today. Our governor and legislature remember it, that’s why they have stood up and voted to love their neighbors and to honor their neighbors’ relationships. Religious people across the state of Washington remember it, and that’s why they are marching all week. Love each other, respect each other, honor each other, and for God’s sake grant each other equal rights – that is what God asks of us. I know that’s what God asks of me.

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[Connect/traditions]

TRADITIONS

“What does Judaism say about the sanctity of marriage? Do you believe that sanctity can extend to same-sex couples?”

Each month Oregon Jewish Life will ask a group of rabbis, cantors or individuals to respond to a question. Since this issue has a section on weddings and the state of Washington just legalized gay marriage, we asked a group of rabbis what Judaism says about the sanctity of marriage and if they believe that sanctity can be extended to same-sex couples. Three rabbis responded – Rabbi Motti Wilhelm of Chabad of Oregon and Benaroya Jewish Learning Academy; Rabbi Joseph Wolf, a Conservative rabbi serving the Reconstructionist Havurah Shalom; and Rabbi Debra Kolodny of P’nai Or, a Renewal congregation.

Rabbi Motti Wilhelm Chabad of Oregon and Benaroya Jewish Learning Academy We have landed on the moon, gotten rid of polio and seen the invention Facebook: Yet “Why we marry” remains a mystery.

How do we reconcile the fact 44% of Americans under 30 believe marriage is becoming obsolete, with the reality 95% of them want to get married?

Kabbalah teaches that our desire to marry is as organic and innate as our desire to live.

In Genesis man and woman are created as a joined being, given life by the breath of the Creator. When a child is born, it is through the partnership of her mother, father and G-d. And when the soul is formed it is comprised of both a masculine and feminine side which separate at birth and are reunited through marriage.

Marriage is the recognition that as individual beings we are incomplete and unwholesome. Thus G-d says, “It is not good for man to be alone.” Good comes through the realization that we are here for a good beyond ourselves and by commitment to a higher purpose.

Only through the union of a man, a woman and their Creator can we return to the sublime state of humanity which was first formed in Eden.

42 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Rabbi Joseph Wolf Havurah Shalom In 1978 Rabbi Hershel Matt wrote that gays and lesbians should have their own marriage ceremony.

He was a tzadik, in the face of institutional reticence and blindness. Until then, rabbinic conversations about homosexuality considered the permissibility or the prohibition of the event, but few if any focused on the contours of a relationship between two loving human beings. The creativity and work to sustain it were unimaginable. Similarly, when the Talmud struggled with the concept of abomination (to’evah), it referenced a discourse about procreation that is now expanded by contemporary methods of fertilization. In addition, we have robust social scientific evidence that kids raised by gay parents are no worse off than those raised by heterosexual couples.

But let’s get with the times, folks.

What more compelling argument does the Jewish community need to support equal marriage rights than to recognize that our own children are saying that they want the opportunity to love whom they choose and be cherished? It’s not just a rights argument, it’s about compassion instead of shame and ostracism.

In the 14th century, the Ashkenazic rabbinate consolidated control over marriages. Today, when the LGBT community demands that we sanction their marriages and recognize their committed relationships, it’s good not just for the rabbis – it’s good for the Jews!

Rabbi Debra Kolodny P’nai Or Love between adults committed to one another who embrace the responsibilities, obligations and joys of marriage is holy. Such a marriage honors klal Yisrael and HaShem. It is sacred.

Breishit 1:27 tells us, and Midrash Rabbah reinforces, that the original adam (earth being) was created in the image of God, both male and female. This primordial male/female Adam reverberates in our souls, making innate the potential for loving feelings to grow a relationship into ezer kinegdo (constructive complement) for couples of every gender combination, reflecting tzelem Elokim (the image of God). Sanctifying loving couples through marriage honors this spiritual truth.

Our sages filled volumes supporting the sanctity of marriage between men and women. Yevamoth 62b says: “He who spends his days without a wife has no joy, no blessing, no good,” and: Breishit Rabbah 68.4 teaches that post-Creation, God’s time is devoted to bringing bashert couples together.

Our sages did not imagine all possible changes in marriage. For example, they did not predict Rabbeinu Gershom’s 10th-century prohibition against polygamy. History shows us that halacha is ever evolving, with changes guided by Torah principles including d’rache’ha darchei noam (her ways are paths of pleasantness) and darchei shalom (paths of peace). These principles can support expansiveness in supporting same sex marriage, to honor and include partnerships of ethical and passionately committed Jews.

[connect/vOLUNTEERS]

Repairing the World One Stitch at a Time

by Polina Olsen

Knitting and mitzvah-making mesh. Think war relief, supporting the poor, even thoughtful Hanukah presents and the craft comes to mind.

Why does kibitzing over needles and yarn lend itself to helping others so well? We asked experts from three local knitting mitzvah groups to explain.

“To create something and know it will go to someone who needs it is an extraordinary feeling,” says Deborah Freedberg of Neveh Knits and Crochets. Started during Mitzvah Day last year, the group meets at Congregation Neveh Shalom once a month. They make hats for Israeli Defense Force soldiers, hat liners for American soldiers, baby blankets for the Legacy Emanuel neonatal unit and more.

“So much love goes into these items,” Freedberg continues.

“For baby blankets, we each make 12-inch squares. Then Leah Rubin crochets them together and often makes a hat to go with them. They’re gorgeous. The yarn is donated, and we use size 10½ needles.”

Neveh Knits and Crochets welcomes newcomers of all ages and levels. For schedules or more information call Jennifer Greenberg at 503-246-8831 x139. b b b Next we spoke to Annette Gerard, Dorothy Potenza and Marianne Strauss from Purls of Wisdom, a group that meets at Rose Schnitzer Manor.

“It’s a feeling of accomplishment, and we know the things we knit are useful and appreciated,” Potenza says.

Gerard agrees: “Knitting gives us something to do, and we’re doing something for other people. Some (members) haven’t

knit in years and were hesitant to start, but it’s rewarding mentally and physically. Even people who have arthritis do well.”

Purls of Wisdom makes hats, mittens and scarves for groups such as Jewish Family and Child Service, Raphael House and homeless shelters.

Volunteer Carol Gladstein knits with the group and delivers finished products. They appreciate lightweight non-wool yarn donations and often find bags left at the front desk.

All are welcome to join them Mondays from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. For more information, contact Gerard at 503-535-4000. b b b Finally, we spoke to Susan Milstein from Beth Israel Mitzvah Knitters, a group started by Sarah Krakauer and Cantor Judith Schiff. They offer handmade hats as gifts during the annual Lift Urban Portland (formerly Northwest Portland Ministries) community dinner held at Congregation Beth Israel. They publicize the event at shelters, Friendly House and low-income high-rises.

The knitters appreciate donated yarn but, unlike the other groups, prefer wool. Everyone is welcome to the monthly gettogethers and urged to call the Congregation at 503-222-1069 for more information.

“About a dozen of us get together, but others don’t come to meetings,” Milstein said. “They just drop off a bag of hats.

You’re creating something useful for people who need it. The tagline for Mitzvah Knitters is ‘repairing the world one stitch at a time.’”

Nancy Stone, left, and Randy Katz knit a mitzvah at Neveh Knits and Crochets. Photo courtesy Deborah Freedberg

Purls of Wisdom Hats. Photo by Peter Korchnak

Polina Olsen is a freelance writer in Portland.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 43

[TRAVEL]

The Aaglander celebrates the luxury of a slower pace of life. Rudolph Mauderer, above left, at Frauenkirche, prepares to drive tourists through Nuremberg, above right as seen from Kaiserburg Castle.

Beautiful Nuremberg

F

emblematic of Nazi rise and fall

From the hilltop battlements of stately Kaiserburg Castle, it’s possible to gaze down upon the home of late medieval artist Albrecht Dürer, circa 1420, in a neighborhood that resembles a storybook village. At the Tucher Mansion, a Renaissance museum with original furnishings and tapestries, an actress dressed in period costume conducts tours playing the role of Katharina Tucher, the 16th-century mistress of this house.

This and similar relaxing scenes in Nuremberg (or Nürnberg) remind us of the outstanding contributions German citizens have given to the world in the fields of art, literature, music and technology. On the other hand…

More than any other German city, Nuremberg is linked to the rise and fall

by Joseph Lieberman

of the NSDAP – Hitler’s Nazi Party. It rose to prominence with the Parteitag rallies held every September from 1933 to 1938, which eventually became week-long orgies of militaristic, nationalistic extravagance involving hundreds of thousands of participants and onlookers.

During the 1935 rally, Hitler ordered the Reichstag to pass anti-Semitic laws revoking German citizenship for all Jews.

He also promised that his glorious “Third Reich” would reign for a thousand years; it barely lasted 12 (1933-1945). The final extermination of this evil era was the Allied military’s war crimes tribunals in Nuremberg, where Nazi leaders such as Hermann Goering and Rudolf Hess were convicted and sentenced for their crimes against humanity.

Hitler’s choice of Nuremberg was by no means accidental. Positioned in the center of Germany, the city held great emblematic meaning as the unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire (962-1806). Kaiserburg, Germany’s most significant imperial palace of the Middle Ages, was home to every king and emperor of the H.R.E. from 1050 to 1571. Following the absorption of Austria into Germany in 1938, the Nazis shifted the sacrosanct regalia of the H.R.E. to Nuremberg from its decades-old home in Vienna.

Today, Kaiserburg Castle is filled with art treasures and is the centerpiece of any visit to Nuremberg. To reach it from the station-side Meridian Grand Hotel, I

Now a home for the elderly, the Hospice of the Holy Spirit, where lepers were kept in the Middle Ages, sits over the Pegnitz River, below left.

All that remains of Nuremberg’s Nazi Party Rally Grounds, is one building called the Documentation Centre, below right, which is now a museum of films, photos and sounds of Germany’s darkest hours.

44 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

chartered a machine that few people have ever seen before. The locally produced, mechanically driven “Aaglander” is a wonder of German automotive ingenuity, an elegant echo from the past, yet totally modern in technology and purpose.

The driver, Rudolph Mauderer, explained, “I know the Aaglander appears to be a wonderfully contradictory backward step, but that’s exactly what we intended. Just like the Slow Food Movement is gaining international popularity as a reaction against unhealthy fast food, this is a new class of vehicle that celebrates the luxury of a slower pace of life.”

As we drove along historic Weissgerbergasse, every head turned to stare in our direction. “True, the Aaglander can only travel at a leisurely pace of 10 kilometers per hour,” Rudolph laughed, “but what you lose in speed, you gain in instant celebrity status!”

Ironically, our route echoed the path that Hitler’s marching columns ceremoniously followed on their way to the Hauptmarkt, or city square, which was

named Adolf-Hitler-Platz from 19331945. We passed the double steeples of Lorenzkirche (St. Lorenz Church) and, a few meters beyond, a picturesque fountain called Der Tugendbrunnen.

“It means Fountain of the Virtues,” Rudolph said, “built to remind citizens how to act properly, back in the days when such things still mattered.”

Well, maybe. The fountain’s date was 1589, about two and a half centuries after Nuremberg’s Jews were blamed for an outbreak of plague and subjected to a pogrom that slaughtered hundreds. Not very virtuous.

We rumbled down a slope in the Aaglander to the Pegnitz River, which is crossed by several charmingly antiquated bridges. Yet, one is distressingly called Hangman’s Bridge (Henkersteg).

Rudolph explained, “From the 16th to 19th centuries, the executioners of Nuremberg had to live in the tower of this bridge, apart from other people, since the hangman’s trade was considered unclean.”

Dressed as Katharina Tucher, actress Inge Bickel conducts tours of the Tucher Mansion, a Renaissance museum with original furniture and tapestries.

Dr. Daniel Gordis President of the Shalem Foundation and a Senior Fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem

perspectives from an American-born Israeli scholar

Tuesday, March 13

7:30 pm at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center presented by Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and the Mittleman Jewish Community Center

$10 per person

Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies at Emory University

insights from the expert on issues of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial

Sunday, March 18

7 pm at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center

presented by Jewish Federation of Greater Portland’s Community Relations Committee, Solomon’s Legacy, Mittleman Jewish Community Center and Lewis & Clark Law School*

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*Lewis & Clark Law School’s Judaic Studies events are made possible by a generous gift from alumnus Jordan D. Schnitzer.

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JewishPDX OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 45

“I believe the rail workers themselves could have done more to disrupt that genocide.”

-Railway Museum director Dr. Rainer Mertens Standing opposite, a distinguishedlooking building arching over the river once held another kind of outcast.

“That’s the Hospice of the Holy Spirit (Heilig-Geist-Spital),” Rudolph said. “In the Middle Ages, lepers were kept here, segregated from other patients. Today, it’s a home for the elderly.”

Before the bridges, back in 1298, the Pegnitz River divided the northern and

southern parts of the city. The citizens decided to link these sections, but there was a problem. Evidently, a Jewish neighborhood was in the way. Solution: accuse the Jews of having “desecrated the host.” This was a common ploy in medieval Europe, used when a Jewish presence became “inconvenient.”

Here’s how it worked: It was claimed that Jews stole consecrated bread or wafers

used as “hosts” (i.e., the body of Christ, also called Holy Communion, consumed during a Catholic mass) and, by stabbing or burning, desecrated them. And why would Jews risk their lives doing this? Because, it was claimed, they had a mad desire to reenact the crucifixion of Jesus. All that was needed for proof was some despoiled “hosts,” never mind that they might be mouse-eaten or falsely planted evidence.

Mittleman Jewish Community Center - 6651 SW Capitol Hwy.

46 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Accused and tortured, some Jews confessed. As punishment, they were condemned to burn, sometimes with all the members of their community. In Nuremberg in 1298, that number was 698 slain to make way for urban renewal.

To its credit, Nuremberg does not shy away from repudiating these stains upon its past. At the DB Railway Museum, director Dr. Rainer Mertens spoke to me amidst an amazing collection of 160 historical rail vehicles. “German railways began in Nuremberg 176 years ago, and for the most part, it’s been a very positive history,” he said. “But we also have displays examining the disastrous years of NSDAP dictatorship, including a wall-size photo of empty tracks running into the gateway at Birkenau death camp. I believe the rail workers themselves could have done more to disrupt that genocide.”

Of the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds, only the front building remains now, and it’s been converted into a haunting museum called the Documentation Centre. It’s filled with films, photos and sounds of Germany’s darkest hours, decrying the events that led up to World War II and carrying through to its aftermath.

As the exhibits show, there was great symbolic value in holding the Allied Military Tribunal here, making Nuremberg the burial ground of Nazi dreams of power.

Joseph Lieberman is a freelance writer who lives in Eugene and travels frequently.

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 47

Clash

Culture

[ISRAEL]

by Mylan Tanzer

Hot water has made Israeli women strong Eleanor Roosevelt once remarked that women are like tea bags because “we don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water.”

To a large extent, Israeli women, like Israeli society as a whole, have been in hot water since the founding of modern Israel. Since the Jewish people’s return to our historic homeland, Israel has accomplished much despite, or perhaps because of, the “hot water” inherent in the Middle East. The struggle to achieve and maintain independence has hardened the Israeli ethos, creating a collective strength that allows Israelis to maintain a normal existence in an abnormal situation.

One of the most significant factors in the amazing Israeli success story is how Israeli women have played instrumental roles in politics, security, diplomacy, the legal system and every other area that defines Israeli society. Like other national emancipation movements of the 19th century, the Zionist revolution was imbued with secularism and egalitarianism between the sexes. Modern Israel’s ongoing existential threats have obligated all Israelis, women and men, to play a role to ensure survival and prosperity.

Historically, women were on the front line of the defense of the pre-state Yishuv and served en masse in the Haganah and the Palmach. Israeli women are subject to two years of mandatory army service, where they serve in various front line capacities such as air force pilots and forward field intelligence. While they are not in active ground combat, women are responsible for much of the training for all of these units.

On the civilian side, Israeli women are leaders in many areas.

In politics, women are the leaders of the main opposition party as well as the Labor and Meretz parties. There are more female members in the current Knesset (24 out of 120) than in any previous Knesset. The current chief justice and many other judges and prominent district attorneys are women.

48 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

In the private sector, women play leading roles. For example, both the outgoing and incoming chairpersons of Bank Leumi, the largest Israeli bank with a significant international presence, are women.

Women who do not work are the exception. As in many western countries, women often are paid less than men, but this gap is closing.

All this might explain why the nation erupted in outrage last Hanukah when members of an ultra-Orthodox sect in the town of Beit Shemesh intimidated an 8-year-old religious girl on her way to school. The incident spotlighted the friction that has arisen as growing numbers of ultra-Orthodox move outside of their traditional “closed areas” and try to expand their practice of separating women in public.

One hundred years of Zionism, in which women have played a vital role, cannot be reversed by religious extremists Other incidents have included intimidating public bus drivers and passengers to force women to sit in the back of the bus, forcing women to cross the street when approaching a synagogue where men congregate and vandalizing advertisements featuring women.

The Hanukah incident was the “hot water” that galvanized women from opposing sides of the political and socioeconomic spectrum to unite and demand that the government take an unequivocal stand.

Although women are equal in Israeli civil life, in the religious sphere issues such as marriage and divorce are exclusively in the hands of the male rabbinate.

That anomaly dates to the establishment of the state in 1948, when Israel’s founding Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion broke with his traditional ideology and allowed the ultraOrthodox to exercise exclusive control over religious affairs by ceding to them the chief rabbinate. Additionally he exempted members of the ultra-Orthodox community from military service. Though criticized at the time, the decisions seemed fairly innocuous since the ultra-Orthodox population was small and the country was almost universally secular with a dominant ruling party.

But in the 30 years since I moved to Israel, the demographic landscape has changed dramatically. There is no longer a dominant ruling party, and the major parties must form coalitions with smaller parties to rule. The religious parties position themselves to be the “balance of power” and thus exert disproportionate influence on the government. Moreover, the ultra-Orthodox population has increased dramatically.

Nurit Tzur, the CEO of the NGO PresentTense, recently wrote, “The most substantial bias that exists in Israel today against women is perpetrated by the country’s chief rabbinate, with the backing of politicians and lobbyists, both secular and religious, who care more about coalition politics than the full and equal participation of women in public life.”

She continues, “Some might object to this characterization saying that Judaism has deep respect for women and their rights. However, the fact is that the type of Judaism to which the government has given a monopoly over Jewish custom and tradition in the state – namely the Orthodox type – might revere women but only when they know their place.”

This duality in the lives of Israeli women is a cultural battle between polar opposites: The majority of equality vs. the minority of coercion. I am fairly optimistic equality will win this battle for the following reasons.

The same week of the ugly events in Beit Shemesh, five female pilots completed their Air Force training and received their wings as IAF pilots.

Also that week, former President Moshe Katzav began serving a seven-year prison term for rape on the basis of testimony of two women who worked for Katzav when he was minister of tourism.

A recent survey entitled “A Portrait of Israeli Jews: Beliefs, Observance and Values,” conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute with Avi Chai Foundation, found that while Jewish Israelis’ religious affinity has increased notably since 1999, with greater religious observance, the vast majority of Israelis, whether they are secular, recently religious or Modern Orthodox, favor upholding individual freedom of choice and personal preference. This includes allowing civil marriage not under the auspices of the chief rabbinate; allowing cinemas, cafes and restaurants to remain open on Shabbat: and elevating Reform and Conservative movements to equal status with Orthodox Judaism.

The recent social protest movement I wrote about last month has taken a stand against the ultra-Orthodox exemption from national service and the government handouts they receive.

The five female graduates of the IDF pilot’s course represent “definitive and unshakable proof of the status (of women) in a democratic and civilized society,” says Commander Brig-General Yisrael Ziv.

The movement to change the electoral system has been bolstered by the addition of the highly respected former head of the Mossad, Meir Dagan. A more representative system would make it less vulnerable to the demands of the small parties.

Since 80% of coalition ministers are married to modern, liberal women, I’m confident they will at some point make women’s rights a priority if they want to go home in the evening.

The bottom line is that 100 years of Zionism, in which women have played a vital role, cannot be reversed by religious extremists, even if they currently have tacit government support stemming from political expediency. The vast majority of Israelis are diametrically opposed to coercion, and committed to an open and mutually respectful society, as long as it adheres to universal Jewish principles, which Israel does. Therefore, while there may be occasional distressing events, apocalyptical predictions of an ultra-Orthodox avalanche of coercion and bias against Israeli women is not rooted in reality.

Government support or not, the events of Hanukah 2011 have provided the necessary dose of hot water required for Israelis from all walks of life to confront this threat and demand that fundamental rights of equality be universally enforced in civil life and, perhaps in the near future, in the religious sector as well.

Mylan Tanzer is a Portland native who moved to Israel in 1981. He was the founding CEO of the first Israeli cable and satellite sports channel.

Since 2005, he has launched, managed and consulted for channels and companies in Israel and Europe. Tanzer lives in Tel Aviv, is married with five children. He can be reached at mylantanz@gmail.com.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 49

Life on the Other Side [israel]

by Anne Kleinberg

Sharing and schmearing

I’ve had to make lots of adjustments living in Israel.

Not the least of them is coping with native eating customs.

One such common custom is the act of sharing and schmearing. Don’t you just know I have something to say about this?

When I refer to schmear, I am not referring to the timehonored New York tradition of “Gimme a bialy with a schmear, Sam.” What I am attempting to explain here is a totally different species of schmear.

50 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Locals love doing it – taking pita in hand and twirling it around a sauce-filled plate.

From humus to hazilim to tehina (the “chuh chuh foods,” as I call them), these folk just love swiping, mopping and slopping it up. The problem is, they’re not doing it on their own individual plates. No siree, they’re doing it on a communal plate – shared by all at the table! A nation of sharers and schmearers!

What a shanda!

So what exactly is my problem? I’ll tell you. It’s not that I mind the shared schmearing shtick – as long as you follow the common courtesy rule of no double dipping. For the uninformed, double dipping means that you swipe with a large piece of pita, put it in your mouth, then swipe again with the remains of the same piece – ich! What I mind is what this can lead to – all kinds of relaxed regulations that create offensive table behavior.

Now before I get into it, I’ll admit that this is a dilemma for me. Let’s call it the Communal Plate Cultural Conundrum. Do I, having grown up in America, have the right to say what is polite and acceptable in public company? Who granted me the privilege to judge Israeli behavior and say it is rude and disgusting? Should my Western cultural preferences be given more weight than Middle Eastern ones? The answer is, I don’t know.

My Western background always clashes with my current environment when I sit down to eat in a Middle Eastern restaurant. Your meal is often started with a cornucopia of dishes – offering every salad known to man, on tiny plates. And as soon these mezze arrive on the table, my internal conflict flares up. They do not arrive with individual cocktail forks – like hello?

We’re in the Middle East! You’re expected to dig right in and help yourself. It’s the rare person who scoops up a portion with a clean spoon onto his or her plate. The more common tendency is from fork to mouth and back again into the communal plate with same fork. When I’m with my husband, I don’t mind at all.

But when it’s done in the company of others, I get a little edgy.

There are those who swear that this sharing phenomenon is the secret to a healthy immune system. All that mixing of germs has just got to be strengthening our kishkes. Just think about all that bacteria from so many different sources prancing around our intestines – doesn’t it increase our resistance to disease? Well maybe, but since I didn’t do very well in highschool biology I’m not venturing an expert opinion here. I’m less concerned with the medical advantages and disadvantages than I am with how it looks – and in my humble opinion – IT LOOKS PRETTY BAD!

If we, as a nation, accept the concept of sharing and schmearing and all that it entails, do we not open ourselves up to other forms of boorish behavior? If we accept sticking one’s fork or pita into a communal plate when there’s humus or tehina involved, why not apply that culinary conduct to pastas and salads and anything else that’s on the table? I actually sat through a lunch at my home where my husband’s friend (notice the stress on husband) continually stuck his fingers into the Chinese cabbage salad in order to pick out the pecans. As a good hostess I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to embarrass him or alarm the other guests. But really! This 50-somethingyear-old zhlub was having a ball with my cabbage salad while totally oblivious of his faux pas. What’s even worse? No one else at the table even noticed!

How about we put that guy at a dinner party in Portland or London or Cape Town. The table is set with lovely linen, crystal wineglasses and elegant china. The hostess caters the meal family-style, with serving plates on the table rather than buffet style or plated service from the kitchen. Each serving platter and bowl comes with its own dedicated utensil – be it fork, spoon or ladle – so there’s no question as to how the food should make the trip from communal bowl to individual plate.

The conversation flows, the wine is drunk, the food is enjoyed and everything is going along smoothly, until the inevitable.

The Israeli at the table sticks his fork into the casserole dish and helps himself to a portion.

I’ve seen this phenomenon happen again and again with teenagers to grownups. I’m not talking about children, who perhaps don’t know any better (although, shouldn’t they?). I’m referring to people who have traveled extensively and have cultural intelligence. Shouldn’t they know better? But there I go again, judging.

My objections to this behavior have not been received well.

Admittedly, my campaign of Dining in Dignity has not caught on. I, and those like me, are considered too Anglo, too fussy and too out of touch. Our comments are brushed off and our dining companions go right back to their misguided ways.

Perhaps I am wrong. As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans. I suppose the sharing and schmearing will continue through future generations. Unless one of you wants to start an offshore branch of the “Dining in Dignity” movement. Count me in for an editorial or two.

Until then, I’m going off to double dip some pita into a plate of humus – no one’s looking.

Anne Kleinberg is a born and bred New Yorker who moved to Israel when she had an epiphany (lobotomy?). She’s the author of “Menopause in Manhattan” and several cookbooks, and she lives with her husband and two mutts in the Garden of Eden (also known as Caesarea). More about her on: www.annekleinberg.com.

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[israel]

Orna Shifris and David Shaul star in Poisoned, which, like most Israeli horror films, defies the genre’s conventions.

Nightmare on Ben Yehuda Street

Israelis explore escape from real tension in quirky horror films by Amos Meron A few years ago I read an interview with one of Israel’s biggest film distributors.

When asked what movie genres he preferred to bring to Israel, he replied simply: romantic comedies. The Israeli taste in movies just doesn’t seem to include horror movies, he explained.

Horror movies, over the years, just didn’t seem to draw a big audience in Israel and in a small market like that it just wasn’t economically viable to screen them. Some well-known American horror movies from the past 20 years – Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Saw to name a few had fair success. But that was not enough to convince the distributors to bring in more films of that genre, 52 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

let alone make someone think of making an local one.

With all the tension Israelis experience on a day-to-day basis, many can’t find this type of entertainment, well ... entertaining. In other words, they can watch the 8 o’clock news instead.

But the local movie industry in Israel is now in its golden age. An Israeli movie again was nominated for the best foreign film category in this year’s Academy Awards, and many other Israeli films have earned worldwide attention. (See the story on Israeli films at the Sundance Film Festival on the facing page.)

New ambitious and creative filmmakers are emerging every year. Some of

those young adults have introuduced the Israeli audience to the first-ever Hebrewspeaking horror films. And the audience loves it! Kalevet (Rabies), the first horror film in Israel’s history, was the fifth most popular local movie in 2011. And it seems this is just the beginning.

Kalevet came out on December 2010.

Although like most Israelis, I’m not a huge fan of horror films, I went to see it on opening night. I was curious to see what an Israeli horror movie would look like. I found myself laughing most of the time, even though I was intrigued by the plot and was surprised over and over. It was a new mixture of horror, comedy, action and craziness that I had never seen before.

I recently had a trans-Atlantic mini-interview on Facebook with Navot Papushado, the young man who created the film with Aharon Keshales. When I told him I thought perhaps I spoiled the movie experience for others by laughing out loud, he said he thinks it was in the best interest of the audience.

“The movie, thanks to its unique character,” says Papushado, “was a success even outside of Israel.”

John Anderson of Variety wrote that in Kalevet, “genre rules are being kicked to the curb.” For instance, the entire movie takes place in daylight.

This first Israeli horror film “infected” the world: it received a lot of good and surprising reactions worldwide and won several awards at international film festivals, creating a high standard.

It was a new mixture of horror, comedy, action and craziness that I had never seen before.

The second Israeli horror film was a bit different. In American terms, Chatulim Al Sirat Pedalim (Cats on a Pedal Boat) would probably be referred to as a B movie. A low-budget horror comedy made by three young adults, it is simply for fun. The plot revolves around a teen couple who decide to take a romantic pedal boat cruise at the Yarkon River

[israel]

Israeli films win awards at Sundance

Rachel Leah Jones, director of Gypsy Davy, fields questions after her film’s screening at Sundance Film Fest in Park City, Utah. Photo by Abra Cohen

by Abra Cohen

Four Israeli films screened this year at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Three were documentaries and one – Barbie Blues – was chosen for a new section, the Short Film Category.

The Law in These Parts and 5 Broken Cameras, two documentaries about Israeli occupation in the West Bank won awards in multiple categories including the Audience Award, Special Jury Prize and World Cinema Jury Prize.

Co-produced by Israeli Guy Davidi and Palestinian Emad Burnat, 5 Broken Cameras is unlike typical Israeli documentaries that have an underlying political agenda or simply chronicle the Palestinian struggle.

Shot with a hand-held video camera, Burnat films his village, Bil’in, located in the West Bank when it decided to take up nonviolent protest to Israeli settlement building and the security fence. This film is a pleasant shift, depicting Palestinians and Israelis working side by side, and the dedication to Palestinian nonviolent protest is extremely powerful.

Included in the documentary is footage of Israeli grenades and protests along with private moments Burnat films with his family and small children, showing that life goes on, even in difficult times.

The Law in These Parts, which was screened at Temple Har Shalom in Park City, is a documentary following the 1967 war and the laws imposed on the West Bank, including appropriation of land and regulations regarding Palestinians. Directed by Israeli Ra’anan Alexandrowicz, the film questions the lawyers and the judges who helped to establish the Israeli legal system that has been in place for more than four decades.

Barbie Blues was filmed as a second-year project at Tel Aviv University by Adi Kutner, 25. The short is a coming-of-age film about a teenager, Mika, (Meyrav Feldman) and her interaction

with her neighbor (Dvir Benedek). Benedek is a familiar name in Israel for his role in HaMisrad, the Israeli version of The Office.

Kutner’s Barbie Blues, which won an award at the Jerusalem International Film Festival and was screened at the Rehovot Women’s Film Festival in Israel, explores the thin line sexuality can cross during adolescence.

In what is easily construed as flirtation, Barbie Blues looks at the interplay between the two characters and a situation that many can probably relate to during adolescence. Viewers may notice a similarity to American Beauty and a hint of Lolita in Barbie Blues. Audiences may be uncomfortable with the film because lines of appropriateness are not only blurred, they are purposely crossed.

Not to be overlooked is Gypsy Davy, a multi-country production that also screened at Sundance. The film merges Spain, Israel and the United States in this powerful story of one woman’s journey to understand her father. Producer Rachel Leah Jones embarks on an exploration of her father’s past and the women who fought for the attention of a man entirely devoted to his love of flamenco.

Abra Cohen is a freelance writer in Eugene.

continued from previous page

in Tel Aviv (which is known for being dangerously contaminated, though the Tel Aviv mayor will probably counter that claim) and from there things just go wrong. The movie was shown at several film festivals in Israel last year and is scheduled for wide release at the end of this month.

Unlike the first two, a third horror film released in Israel a few months ago focuses on a much more highly charged topic: Israel Defense Forces. The IDF in Israel is considered more than just an army, it’s an ideal. Muralim (Poisoned, also slang for a very motivated soldier) is kicking this sacred cow. When an incompetent Jobnik (soldier with a desk

job) stays on his base on Passover night, he sees some of the combat soldiers on his base become zombies. For Americans, this plot might sound old-fashioned, but no movie in Israel had zombies in it before, let alone army heroes.

“This movie is full of jokes that only Israelis or people who know Israel very well would probably understand,” says filmmaker Didi Lubetzky. “With that being said, this movie is based on a model of a teen comedy, and that is why Americans might find it funny too.”

When I asked him about the negative image it might create for the Israeli Army abroad, he said he believes, “This movie is like a warning for our enemies:

If our worst soldier can defeat an army of zombies, think of what our best soldiers can do.”

Amos Meron is the Israeli Shaliach (Emissary) to the Jewish community of Portland, and can be reached at amos@jewishportland.org or on Facebook (Amos Meron Shaliach).

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 53

[THROUGH THE AGES/families]

Reading

Revolution PJ Library books find way into families’ homes and hearts The PJ Library, an organization that sends Jewish storybooks to thousands of households worldwide, is now connecting Jewish authors to local families in its expansion to five Oregon communities.

Many Jewish parents wonder how they can make Jewish learning both exciting and accessible to their children. The answer for many families is the PJ Library, an organization that has already reached more than 1,300 children in the Portland area since it launched there in 2007.

The PJ Library, a signature program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, was created in 2005 and now distributes more than 2 million books to 78,000 children in 150 communities.

Leaders in Oregon Jewish communities have been working tirelessly to make the program accessible to more families.

Jewish Federation of Greater Portland President and CEO Marc Blattner explains why the PJ Library is so important for reaching children: “The PJ Library provides such a simple way of connecting children to their Judaism by sending them a monthly book. This is such an innovative approach to outreach and expanding early Jewish education.”

With help from the Grinspoon Foundation, B’nai B’rith Camp, the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation and area synagogues in Bend, Eugene, Salem, Corvallis and Southern Oregon, the PJ library program is now available in four additional Oregon communities.

Nina Korican, executive director of Eugene’s Temple Beth Israel, has been working to get the program for years. “It took a couple of years for us to get the PJ Library program here and we’re very excited,” gushes Korican.

The PJ Library distributes more than 2 million books to 78,000 children in 150 communities worldwide.

54 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Photo courtesy of Grinspoon Foundation

By Vanessa Van Petten

Andrea Shupack of the Ashland PJ Library branch is most enthused about the opportunity PJ Library brings to the community. “We would normally never get this offer in our small town.” She explains that the program has already been a great success: “We are growing so quickly because the resources PJ Library offers are deeply needed in our area.”

Many of the communities also are working on local programs. PJ Library of Bend has already had a “Pajama Story Time,” and the Ashland community had a popular Hanukah music event with puppets, dancing and stories. When Ashland’s Hanukah event attracted many new families that had not come to programs before, Shupack realized that one of the major benefits of the PJ Library is that it reaches unaffiliated families – families who are not members of a synagogue and would not normally connect to the community.

“The program will especially enhance these families’ connection to and love of Judaism in profound ways,” says Shupack.

PJ Library’s growth in Oregon Jewish communities is due to creative and tireless outreach tactics. Caron Blau Rothstein leads the Portland Federation’s efforts as the Portland programming manager for PJ Library implementing new outreach initiatives to get more families subscribed.

Photo courtesy of Grinspoon Foundation

To register for PJ Library in the greater Portland area, log onto www.jewishportland.org/pjlibrary or call 503-245-6449. The program is open and free for all Jewish families with children ages 6 months to 6 years. For information on other areas, visit pjlibrary.org.

She insists that the program sells itself. “There is absolutely no downside to this program. It helps all families, who identify with all types of Judaism and has no agenda other than helping people connect with Judaism,” says Rothstein.

Lisa Mitchell, Portland PJ Library chair, explains that over the past several years there has been a decline in the traditional ways Jewish families participate in the community like joining a synagogue. “However, through partnerships we are able to showcase the benefits of the PJ Library program and help bring Jewish families together,” says Mitchell.

Oregon Jewish Community Foundation Executive Director Julie Diamond is one of PJ Library’s Portland partners – along with Portland Jewish Academy, Mittleman Jewish Community Center and other Jewish organizations and local synagogues.

Diamond says partnerships are beneficial to both families and partners: “The PJ Library has allowed OJCF to touch many young families and strengthen their commitment to Jewish life.

For all of us, building a strong future for Jewish life is key to our shared success as a community.”

PJA is a longtime partner of the PJ Library, putting on outreach events at libraries and community centers that cater to families with 2- to 5-year-old children. Inge Hoogerhuis, PJA director of admissions, says, “These events have been very successful, attracting up to 75 people, who participate in Jewish stories, crafts and music. Because there is no pressure related to our events – they are free and in a public space – we get all types of Jewish families, unaffiliated and affiliated, dual heritage or culturally identified.”

Hoogerhuis insists that the PJ Library has been instrumental in reaching out to new families: “For the Portland Jewish Academy, partnering with PJ library has been incredible – young families learn about our school, they meet our PJA

parent body, and some go on to consider PJA as an option for their child. Many Jewish families have never even considered a Jewish community day school, don’t know we exist or have preconceived notions.”

The success of the PJ Library has also caused an explosion in Jewish publishing, as the PJ Library works closely with several publishers who previously had not seen great returns in the publication of Jewish children’s books. Marcie Greenfield Simons, PJ Library director, says the Jewish children’s publishing industry has been revolutionized because of the purchasing power of PJ Library. Simons notes that although helping Jewish authors and publishers was never a mission of the PJ Library, they are thrilled that it has re-invigorated the industry.

“Marshall Cavendish with Shofar Books even created a new line of Jewish children’s books because of the PJ Library,” says Simons.

As the PJ Library continues to expand in Oregon, more families will be able to receive all the benefits of the program.

Bari Gilbert, mother of four, wrote to the PJ Library, thanking them for sending them books they would not otherwise be able to read. “Our family cherishes the opportunity we have with PJ Library. Thank you for allowing us to share Jewish and human experiences in a way no other series of books ever could.”

Vanessa Van Petten is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Portland.

She specializes in human relationships, with a focus on youth and family. Her websites, ScienceofPeople.org, and her popular parenting blog, RadicalParenting.com, have both been featured in the media.

Purim Carnival and Performance | March 9, 2012 1111 Country Club Rd, Lake Oswego, OR 97034 Join Beit Haverim for a fun filled evening as we celebrate the Festival of Purim.

Carnival at 5:30 pm followed by “A Very Disney Purim” Spiel in the sanctuary at 7:00 Games, Prizes, Pizza, Homemade Hamantashen for a small fee.

Don’t forget to wear your best Purim Costume.

Passover Community Seder | April 7, 2012 Oregon Golf Club, 25700 SW Pete’s Mt Rd, West Linn, OR 97068 Check in: 5:30 pm • Seder/Dinner: 6:00 pm Please join us for a family-friendly Seder with Rabbi Berg and Cantorial Soloist Ann Brown, followed by a delicious Passover meal in a beautiful setting with wonderful friends.

MEMBERS: Adults: $30 Children 6-12: $15 NON MEMBERS: Adults: $40 Children 6-12: $20 Children 5 and under are free Reservations can be made online or by contacting our office. beithav.org (503) 344-4839 office@beithav.org

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 55

[THROUGH THE AGES/families]

With fist or words, bullies hurt peers

by Vanessa Van Petten

Is bullying the latest national epidemic?

At a recent event at Congregation Beth Israel, children’s advocate and best-selling author Trudy Ludwig was emphatic that although bullying is a complex issue, it is over hyped by the media.

According to the latest research, bullying has actually decreased in the last decade.

An award-winning writer and speaker on bullying, Ludwig has been featured on Good Morning America, PBS and Sesame Street’s bullying series. Her nationally acclaimed books focus on helping children thrive in their social world and have received multiple Mom’s Choice Awards.

Bullying is not a simple issue with simple solutions.

Ludwig provided engaging, thought-provoking and detailed information on bullying to an audience of about 25 parents at her talk entitled “Understanding Our Kids’ Social World: Friendships, Cliques & Power Plays,” sponsored by WRJ/Beth Israel Sisterhood. However, Ludwig made it clear that bullying is not a simple issue with simple solutions.

While Ludwig insisted that the media has overblown the pervasiveness of bullying, she also argued that, at the same time, our society underreports the negative consequences of “relational aggression.”

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56 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

“Intentional exclusion, gossip, the silent treatment, teasing and the spreading of rumors are often dismissed as normal rites of passage, but these emotional bullying behaviors are a form of relational aggression that are as harmful as physical bullying – with devastating long-term effects,” said Ludwig.

Astoundingly, according to Ludwig, “Kids report relational aggression as the most accepted and the most harmful form of aggression.” In other words, even though it is the most hurtful, kids believe relational aggression is less punishable than a punch in the face.

Daphna Stadig, the social action chair of Beth Israel’s Sisterhood, decided to bring in Ludwig to address bullying because “Jewish ethics speaks of treating individuals with respect.

There are not only Jewish bullies, but there are also Jews who have been bullied and teased.”

Stadig hoped Ludwig would also bring solutions to the community, which Ludwig provided in spades.

Ludwig encouraged parents not to buy into the media hype and instead to focus on what is actually going on with their children. She also shared the importance of working as a community to address the normalization of relational aggression.

“We have these societal myths that standardize relational aggression like, ‘Boys will be boys,’ or, ‘They’ll grow out of it.’ But these ideas are harmful to our children!” exclaimed Ludwig.

She encourages parents to help children work through bullying incidents at school by using talking point questions after confrontations (see box).

Juliana Gellman, mother of four, loved these practical tips.

“This was so informative. I loved that she gave us lots of tools about what to actually tell our kids,” said Gellman.

Ludwig hopes that the community will begin to talk more about the variety of ways bullying affects Portland neighborhoods.

Ludwig warns, “Bullying doesn’t just affect victims. It affects bullies, bystanders, teachers, parents and the schools–everyone in the community.”

For more information on bullying and bullying prevention, visit Ludwig’s website: www.trudyludwig.com

Questions to Help Kids Talk Through Relational Aggression:

What went wrong?

What role did you play in what went wrong?

What did you learn from that experience?

What would you do differently next time?

What can you do to make up for the hurt you caused others?

Vanessa Van Petten is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Portland.

Her latest book for parents, “Do I Get My Allowance Before or After I’m Grounded?,” won the 2012 Mom’s Choice Award.

[THROUGH THE AGES/Young Adult]

Young adults combat anti-Israel activities on campus Percentage of students who witnessed selected Anti-Semitic Rhetoric (Jewish/Non-Jewish) 80 Non-Jewish 70 69% 63% Jewish 60 51% 50 43% 40 37% 36% 30

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by Vanessa Van Petten

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Oregon’s Original Sephardic Synagogue Upcoming Events

Film Festival March 13th, “The Music of the Jews of Morocco, According to the Institute for Jewish and Community Yemen, and Spain” Research, Jewish college students have faced rising levels Installation Dinner Save the Date: of anti-Semitism on campuses across America over the last April 29th. Join us for Rabbi Kaplan’s decade. The IJCR, an independent, non-partisan think tank installation dinner.

Wednesday Classes Join us for these that provides research and policy analysis on a broad range OregOn’s• Services Original conducted sephardic synagOgue classes: Hebrew Reading Crash of Jewish issues, recently conducted the study, “Alone on the in the Sephardic and • Services conducted in the Course every Wednesday at 6 pm. upcOming events: CustomSephardic and Israeli Custom Quad: Understanding Jewish Student Isolation on Campus.”Speaker SeriesIsraeli Sephardic Law and Customs every & Family • Highly participatory service They found that not only are anti-Israel sentiments on college Shabbat • Welcoming •Jews of services Wednesday at 7 pm.

Friday evening Film Festival Shabbat Classes Join us every campuses rising, but also more than 40% of Jewish students every week at sunset all Dinner background Installation Shabbat after lunch for a discussion • Shabbat morning services confirm anti-Semitism at their schools or in their classrooms. Wednesday Classes on Jewish Legal Theory compared to at 9am, followed by lunch • Friday evening services and festive Kiddush Civil Law. Anti-Israel activities come in a variety of forms from divest- Shabbat Classes every week at sunset • Welcoming Jews of ment campaigns to protest rallies to guerrilla theaters featuring all backgrounds • Shabbat morning inflammatory speakers spewing anti-Jewish rhetoric. Many services at 9Rabbi am,Michael Kaplan Portland Jewish students have faced anti-Israel activists.

(503)and 610-3850 followed byCell: lunch Office: (503) 227-0010 “It is difficult to know how to respond to the anti-Israel festive Kiddush rabbi@ahavathachim.com events put on by the pro-Palestinian group on campus. I have seen anti-Israel events on campus such as the Palestinian rap Congregation Ahavath Achim Achim 3225 SW Barbur Blvd. • Portland, OR 97239 group who performed last November,” said Austin Riley, a www.AhavathAchim.com Jewish student at Portland State University who is involved with both Hillel and the Jewish Student Union.

Congregation Ahavath Achim 3225 SW Barbur Blvd Paul Bessemer, executive director of University of Oregon’s Portland, OR 97239 Hillel, says, “UO is a relatively tame campus as it goes. We have www.AhavathAchim.com

Rabbi Michael Kaplan Office: (503) 227-0010 Cell: (503) 610-3850 rabbi@ahavathachim.com

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 57

PSU Hillel/Jewish Student Union copresident Max Werner hopes a strong relationship between Jewish and Middle Eastern student groups can help deal with anti-Israel activists. a couple local groups that are devoted to the elimination of the State of Israel, but even that is limited, and doesn’t generally include or get the participation of a large number of students.”

However, he does point out that the line between anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism is tricky.

The IJCR found that nearly one-third of Jewish students agree that anti-Israel protests actually target Jews. Talya Pines, a PSU sophomore, has seen anti-Israel activities on campus and feels the anti-Israel sentiment seems to be targeted toward Jews. She added, “I also don’t think I have ever once heard or seen an actual criticism of Israel’s policies. I have only seen false statements being made with a complete disregard for the truth and history.”

Pines and the IJCR both point to lack of information about Israel as a huge catalyst for anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic activities on campuses across the nation. The IJCR study found that most non-Jewish students simply hold no opinion about what is happening in the Middle East – “The vast majority do not blame either the Palestinians or Israel for failure to achieve peace in the Middle East,” reads the study.

One would hope that professors would be able to educate the campus communities; however, Pines says at PSU this is not the case. “There is strong support and agreement with the antiIsrael activists by professors. There is a lack of truthful information about Israel on campus and many professors are facilitating this,” Pines explained.

Education about Israel has been the focus of many events on campus at both UO and PSU, who have tried to counter antiIsraeli rallies with organized publicity events for Israel. “I take a sensitive and educated response to anti-Semitism. At PSU, we have shown Israeli films on campus and have had pro-Israel Shabbat dinners,” explained Riley.

Bessemer, at UO, spearheads anti-Israeli activity by conducting a week of Israel Independence Day Celebrations in the spring, as well as by showing a variety of Israel-related films and speakers over the course of the year.

Portland native Max Werner is the current co-president of both the Jewish Student Union and Hillel at PSU. He hopes that having a strong relationship between Jewish and Middle Eastern student groups is another way to deal with anti-Israel activists. “Last spring we collaborated with nearly all of the Middle Eastern student groups on campus to put on the Stand Up for Peace Comedy Show which was a huge success and had a sold-out crowd of over 600 people from both the campus and the community,” said Werner.

Students can also join the Facebook group, Young Adult Supporters of Israel. Members of the group post articles and organize responses to anti-Israel activities in Portland. Group members even gathered at New Seasons Market on Southeast 41st and Hawthorne last November when the Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights boycotted Israeli goods.

Jonathan Morgan, a resident of Portland’s Moishe House sent a message to Jewish young people on Facebook; “Please help battle the recent overt rise of anti-Israel sentiment in Portland by ‘buycotting’ Israeli goods. It sounds weird to encourage making purchases on Shabbat, but the community needs to hear our voice of support for Israel and we need to vote with our dollars.”

While anti-Israel activities seem to be on the rise, so too are students who believe in standing up both for Israel and for truth.

“If the Jewish people unite together and unite with our true supporters, we can combat the lies with true facts about the conflict in Israel and the Middle East,” said Pines.

Lewis & Clark student at national conference surprised by anti-Israel attitudes elsewhere

by Raina Blumenthal On Jan. 20, while my classmates were freezing in Portland, I was in Miami Beach with more than 100 students, youth movement representatives and on-campus professionals from the United States and Canada at the Young Zionist Leadership Conference.

We were a diverse group with a wide range of Jewish observance and connection to Israel. Some had never visited, others of us had gone only on Birthright, others were involved in gap year programs and some were Israeli citizens.

58 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

I was the only representative from the Pacific Northwest. Throughout the weekend, we had many different discussions on Zionism and what we can bring back to our campuses.

One of the workshops we had was about the negative attitudes about Israel on some campuses and how to deal with it. I have never experienced any anti-Israeli attitudes on my campus.

I was surprised by the amount of antiIsraeli attitudes that exist on the other campuses.

A workshop I found particularly interesting was choosing words from a list to

describe our personal connection to Judaism. We put the words on a string to see how we as a group connected to Judaism. This led to an interesting discussion about if we refer to ourselves as Jewish Americans or American Jews.

A workshop on how to add educational components to our campus programs was a very relevant for me since I am a co-president of Lewis & Clark College’s chapter of the Greater Portland Hillel.

The conference directly relates to what I do in Hillel. I look forward to integrating what I learned at the conference with Hillel.

[THROUGH THE AGES/TEENS] Sometimes, all you need is a helping hand.

Anti-Israel views crop up on high school campus too

Let us help you to stay at home.

by Anne Koppel Conway Anti-Israel sentiments aren’t limited to college campuses.

Last fall, when the Arab-Israeli hip-hop trio DAM came to Lincoln High School, Jewish parents and students who were concerned about DAM’s inflammatory anti-Israel lyrics contacted the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

“The service was tremendously helpful in our time of need.”

-Rabbi Joshua Stampfer

When school resumed after winter break, LHS global studies teacher Pam Hall invited JFGP Community Relations Director Robert Horenstein and Israeli shaliach (emissary) Amos Meron to address her classes and a small assembly at the Portland high school.

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“It was very important to give the students another perspective from what they might have gotten at the assembly (featuring DAM) and to give them an opportunity to ask questions,” said Meron.

The only time “we mentioned DAM was when a student brought up the hip-hop group,” said Horenstein, adding it was not their intention to “trash DAM.”

BH

DAM did come up. One student said, “DAM compares Israelis to Nazis. How do you react to that?”

Horenstein told the students the irony is that the Arab rappers are Israeli citizens who “are free to say that Israeli Jews are like Nazis…that Israel is a police state.

Nothing will happen to them. No one will be imprisoned or executed, because Israel is a democratic society with free expression.”

Meron shared his personal story with the students. As an Israeli Defense Force reconnaissance officer in the Gaza Strip, one of his assignments was to make sure terrorists didn’t cross into Israel. He was also responsible for finding outwho was firing rockets into Israel, some of which were hitting his home community of Moshav Beit Elazari.

“I think the kids understood,” he said. “It’s easier to connect with a personal story.”

Meron and Horenstein asked students what the United States would do if Vancouver, B.C., was firing rockets at Portland.

“We got the same answer – ‘Nuke ’em – from kids in three different classes,’” Meron said. He told the teens that Israel has been “much more patient than the students would have been.”

In the global studies classes, the two used a PowerPoint presentation on the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the assembly was about Israel beyond the conflict.

“We showed them ‘Israel Inside,’ a documentary that stresses Israel’s technological innovations, healthcare achievements and humanitarian relief efforts around the world in such places as Haiti and Japan,” said Horenstein. “We wanted them to see that there is a lot more to Israeli society than what they are learning in the classroom about the conflict.”

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 59

[THROUGH THE AGES/SENIORS]

Senior Scribes

Older But Wiser writers act their age

by Jenn Director Knudsen

Senior Playwrights Evelyn Hirsch and Charlotte Weiner, right.

Picture your grandmother or aging parent.

Now, consider the following expletives or uncomfortable topics: bitch, ass, sex, infertility and shut up!

The elderly and invective don’t really go together. Or do they?

Actually, you bet they do.

“We underestimate those on the extremes of the age spectrum,” says Matthew B. Zrebski. “Those over 60 don’t know about sex? No! They know more than everybody.”

And Zrebski would know. He and educator Eddy Shuldman teach different genres of writing to people of all ages, including Rose Schnitzer Manor residents in a playwriting class the elders call “Older But Wiser.”

On a Sunday in late January, Shuldman, Zrebski and frequent assistant Laurie Fendel’s behind-the-scenes talents were on display in the RSM’s Zidell Hall.

There, professional freelance actors performed “Acting Our Age,” a staged reading of the teaching trio’s seven students’ one-act plays.

b b b The house was packed with nearly 150 residents, including the playwrights, family members, members and supporters of the National Council of Jewish Women-Portland Section and Cedar Sinai Park employees. (CSP is the umbrella organization for RSM and Robison Jewish Health Center.)

The playwrights are Martha Pomeranz, Francine Stone, Barbara Dubin, Ruth Henning, Charlotte Wiener and Evelyn Hirsch. The seventh, Michael Mogell, died last August, but he’d had the chance to view a video of his one-act play’s staged reading before he passed away. Mogell’s work, “Food for Thought,” was the only sci-fi piece in the bunch.

Many attendees used canes, wheelchairs, walkers, hearing aids and human aides. Most had neatly coiffed hair and wore Shabbat finery. Over the next hour actors Nathan Gale, Paige Jones and Debbie Lamedman brought to life each writer’s play.

Each of the seven plays is a snippet from what could be seven larger stories.

And while each play is unique, some common threads can be teased from the collective weave.

For example, in “Birthday Surprises,” by Martha Pomeranz, 90, a couple’s love has faded; they’ve been trying to rekindle their affection; and a complication is thrown in to derail the main characters’ efforts.

In Pomeranz’s play, Joe finally drags his wife, Mandy, out of their house for a brief stint away from their son, Denny, who has autism. Joe takes Mandy to the bowling alley he frequents to watch a competition.

There, the couple bicker, the reason for their animosity quickly evident. Joe feels he’s taken a backseat to the mother-son pair; Mandy feels entirely responsible for her son with special needs and is very anxious when not in charge of his care.

“I can’t relax if I don’t check in with the sitter once in a while,” a plaintive Mandy says to a frustrated Joe. Soon, her focus on the game she doesn’t understand fades and she jumps up to make a phone call. She returns to her husband’s side, clearly relieved. Mandy reports to Joe that all is well at home.

Then: “I’ll call again in an hour,” she says.

Joe’s face falls.

Yet, at one point, Mandy demonstrates gratitude toward Joe for having taken her on a date; she starts showing some interest in bowling’s rules and the sport’s interesting vocabulary, asking the definition of gutterball, strike and spare.

Finally, desiring to watch the bowlers and no longer field Mandy’s questions, Joe sighs and lets loose a multi-layered observation: “It’s a complicated game.”

Professional actors Paige Jones (left) and Debbie Lamedman perform a staged reading of RSM playwrights’ one-act plays.

60 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

b b b Just like life. And the playwrights have lived very long, full lives, which indeed are the inspiration they draw on.

For instance, Charlotte Wiener, 91, writes in “Tango” about a couple experiencing the challenge of infertility and its possible cure through acupuncture. Wiener is a slightly stooped, diminutive woman who walks with a cane and wears her straw-colored hair closecropped. Her gold-rimmed glasses frame very sharp eyes.

“My son is a doctor of Chinese medicine in Canada,” Wiener says.

She adds that the song, “It Takes Two to Tango,” served as her plot’s Playwright Barbara Dubin. muse, but her play’s content leans heavily on medical information she’s learned from her son.

Wiener – like every “Acting Our Age” playwright – shies away from accepting compliments. Instead, she turns quickly from talking about her doctor-son and her play to praising Zrebski, Fendel and Shuldman’s teaching talents. (Shuldman is the reason the writing class exists in the first place. Please see the sidebar.)

Wiener says that Zrebski urges his students to mine their plays’ plots with surprises and that Shuldman encourages her students to include twists to cause the audience to sit up and take notice.

The lifelong learners succeeded. b b b At the end of the readings, RSM resident Murray Kaufman got up from his front-row seat, took a microphone from an actor and addressed both the writers and the audience: “To me, this [work] was a revelation. … All I can say is, ‘Don’t quit.

Keep writing. And keep going on.’”

Florence Blitch, also an RSM resident, finds the playwrights’ stories unexpected and their use of language very convincing.

Blitch comments her peers must have put in a lot of time, not just writing, but also being coached and having their work carefully edited. “They were taught well,” she says.

After the readings, each writer took a seat at the front of the chapel to field questions and make comments. Each displayed poise, gratitude, confidence and pleasure. Each lacked any hint of ego.

Such as Francine (Fran) Stone, 87. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” says the author of “Injustices,” which draws on volunteer work Stone undertook in the 1960s to promote fair housing. “I’m full of joy and comfort, and thank you very much for coming.”

Jenn Director Knudsen is a freelance writer and associate development director for the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at Portland State University.

Educators and students teach each other b b b Eddy Shuldman – Jewish educator, artist, b’nei mitzvah tutor, Congregation Neveh Shalom gabbai, the founder of Jewish Arts Month and much more – embodies passion for lifelong learning and creativity. She created the writing class at the Rose Schnitzer Manor that the students have dubbed “Older But Wiser.”

“When I retired from the public school system [teaching atrisk youth],” Shuldman says, “I wanted to continue teaching, and working with the residents at Cedar Sinai Park meant I could continue my own learning.”

Shuldman continues, “Getting [the residents’] voices out there helps the public understand that just because someone is over 70, that doesn’t mean they stop being intelligent and creative.”

Two years ago, Shuldman won a grant from The Regional Arts and Culture Council and then secured RSM as the writing course’s enthusiastic host. She brought on writing teacher Matthew B. Zrebski and volunteer Laurie Fendel, and then enrolled residents with stories to tell.

Seven residents each created a polished one-act play, which were performed last summer at the Community Music Center in southeast Portland. The excited response from the writers and audience goaded Caryn May, Carol Chestler and Nikki Director to bring the works back home so their friends at CSP could easily attend.

Board members of the National Council of Jewish WomenPortland Section, May, Chestler and Director convinced the nonprofit organization of the import of bringing “Acting Our Age” to the RSM. Meryl Haber, the local NCJW president, agreed and dipped into the NCJW’s Dorothy Asher Tribute Fund for Senior Cultural Programs. CSP, Mittleman Jewish Community Center, RACC, Oregon Arts Commission, National Endowment of the Arts and JAM also contributed funding or in-kind support.

The process of brainstorming, writing, editing and polishing required residents to work hard, Shuldman reflects. She, Zrebski and Fendel pushed the writers; in turn, the teachers experienced their students’ pleasure and frustration.

“Nothing these folks do surprises me,” says Shuldman, who, like Fendel, volunteers her time for Older But Wiser.

“Everything they do delights me.”

An additional RACC grant means Zrebski will teach another term at the Manor.

On March 3, RSM’s writers will participate in an open-mic short-story and poetry reading at the Geezer Gallery, 7710 SW 31st Ave. in Multnomah Village. For more information, call 503-244-0441.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 61

[TREND]

Natural Connections Holy Hikes, Torah Treks & Silent Screaming

PHOTO by Joseph Lieberman

From left, Deborah Popper, Oriana Kahn-Hurwit and Rabbi Boris Dolin prepare to hike along Ridgeline Trail.

by Joseph Lieberman The hills are alive with the sound of… prayer chants? They are when Rabbi Boris Dolin takes eager groups of hikers out of Temple Beth Israel and into the merry woodlands surrounding Eugene.

Influenced by his Oregon upbringing, a cult of forestscreaming rabbis in Israel and a dozen other sources, Rabbi Boris decided in the fall of 2011 to begin his series of monthly “Holy Hikes” as a way to “bring some of the Jewish learning and the social experiences that TBI offers out into the community, and out into the natural areas around Eugene.”

Designed to be family-friendly, with lots of learning, singing and schmoozing, the Saturday afternoon perambulations are casual in nature (literally and figuratively), but also have a deeper purpose.

“For many Jewish people, natural areas are the true ‘holy places,’ especially for those who do not spend much time in synagogues,” Rabbi Boris commented. “With so many unaffiliated Jews in the Eugene area, I hope the hikes provide a comfortable and welcoming environment to share in our Jewish community and learn with others.”

62 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

The next Rabbi Boris Holy Hike will be Sat., March 17, 2-5 pm, to Spencer’s Butte (optional carpool from TBI at 1:45 pm); call 541-485-7218 for details.

Preregistration is preferred.

Bring your own snacks.

On the next hike in mid-March to the top of Spencer Butte, the theme will be the nature of revelation. There will be a lot of uphill climbing, so it’s not as family-friendly. Rabbi Boris will discuss Moses climbing Mount Sinai in his quest for the Ten Commandments. At the same time, hikers can experience firsthand what it means to get a great new perspective from a mountaintop.

“Because we encourage preregistration,” Rabbi Boris said, “I can tailor the walks to any group dynamic. For example, in both our first hike to Mt. Pisgah, where probably a third of the 16 participants were children, and on our second hike to Hendricks Park, where half were kids, we could incorporate forest observation and learning games to add a bit more fun for the youngsters. So far the hiking groups have been small enough to stay together as one entity. Depending on the mix of adults and children who show up, however, we may be able to split up the groups to do age-appropriate activities and learning, so that everyone can have a meaningful experience.”

The final hike of 2011 along Ridgeline Trail was guided by the words of inspired Jewish thinkers, from Martin Buber to Anne Frank to Albert Einstein. A handout included this quote

from David Ben-Gurion: “The energy contained in nature, in the earth and its waters, in the atom and the sunshine will not avail us if we fail to activate the most precious vital energy: the moral-spiritual energy inherent in humankind, in the inner recesses of our being, in our mysterious, uncompromising, unfathomable and divinely inspired soul.”

Such stimulating phrasings, with a bit of Hebrew scripture tossed in, were discussed each time we stopped to appreciate some particularly engaging scene or view. Ridgeline Trail has groves of twisted tree boughs and branches encircled in thick coverings of moss. Swaths of long ferns with curling tendrils run up their entire lengths, creating a stunning effect of peaceful glades in dramatic shades of lush green and rust.

When I asked Rabbi Boris how he came up with the idea to do Holy Hikes, he replied, “There is so much in Jewish tradition, texts and Jewish ritual that invites us to spend more time in nature, both as an opening for spiritual experience and also to connect more closely with the historical experiences of our ancestors. As a native Oregonian (from Astoria), I personally feel most at home in the wilderness, and my Judaism is deeply connected to my love of nature. Many people move to Eugene for the natural areas, and it just makes sense to bring Judaism into these places.”

An unusual influence he experienced during his studies in Israel was the Breslov Hasidim “forest screamers.” The group has adopted the ancient Jewish mystical practice called Hitbodedut.

“They can often be found in the middle of the night in the forests outside Jerusalem,” Rabbi Boris explained. “The practice is more about having a conversation with God – a form of very personal prayer where one actually speaks out loud. They are not always screaming, but may get very emotional in their conversations. As part of my rabbinical studies we did some experimental Hitbodedut meditation, and I found it to be a very useful experience.”

The Breslov branch of Hasidic Judaism was founded by Rebbe Nachman (1772-1810), the great-grandson of Rebbe Yisrael, the Baal Shem Tov.

Rebbe Nachman himself practiced what he described as a technique of “silent screaming,” a kind of meditational shout drawn through imagination from the lungs to the brain. If that sounds very Zen, well, mystical Judaism often does. Nachman wrote that the process actually becomes a soundless scream in your mind rather than on your lips, or as he put it, “a small still voice shouting inside your brain,” bringing emotional release and spiritual connectivity.

“They go to the forest, because it is there that they can be most alone with God,” Rabbi Boris said of the Breslov Hasidim.

“In secluded forests or fields, one can more easily have a conversation with God in an intimate, informal manner. Rebbe Nachman poetically taught that when a person meditates in a private outdoor setting like that, all the grasses join in his prayer and increase its effectiveness and power.”

Rabbi Boris’ hikes, which don’t yet involve screaming except with delight, will continue throughout the spring and summer of 2012 and into the foreseeable future. And then, there are even bigger things to come.

“I’ve been working closely planning hikes with Oriana KahnHurwit, who’s been trained as a ‘Nearby Nature’ guide,” Rabbi Boris said, “and she’ll be starting a program called Torah Treks soon, in which she’ll lead Jewish-themed wilderness expeditions – and that could truly be wildly meaningful.”

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 63

E [CONNECT]

Local endowments keep giving

OJCF Community Endowment Fund and Schnitzer Supporting Foundation Fall 2011 Grants to Community Organizations

by Janet Storm * zer t i * F n Endowments are eternal. The original founders of the Oregon Jewish Sch OJC Community Foundation understood this truth. One of the simplest forms of planned giving, an endowment is a fund in which an original sum (principal gift) is invested and the income from the fund (or a percentage of the total fund) is distributed annually to support a particular organization or program.

The original gift is invested and protected as an endowment so it will always remain in existence. Endowments are often named to honor the donor or as part of a family legacy, but they can also be anonymous. Endowments play a vital role in supplementing operating budgets and providing financial stability for our Jewish community.

In the fall of 2011, OJCF’s Community Endowment Fund and Schnitzer Supporting Foundation granted a total of $106,369 to 30 Jewish and secular organizations in our community (see boxes this page).

When OJCF established the Community Endowment Fund in 1996, it was for the purpose of providing a secure and permanent way for people of all income levels to contribute to the health of our community and enable OJCF to serve as a “first responder” to unforeseen community needs.

Through the years, the Community Endowment Fund has provided support for programming at more than 40 local Jewish and secular agencies.

Some of these programs might not have been established or continued, were it not for the Community Endowment Fund.

The same can be said for the Leonard and Lois Schnitzer Supporting Foundation. Leonard and Lois Schnitzer established this Supporting Foundation in 1997. Each year, the fund accepts applications for a variety of organizations and proposals considered by a grant committee for the annual distributions.

Some of the types of programs the Supporting Foundation has funded include the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland’s Annual Campaign, Jewish art and culture, community development, education, health and social welfare.

Since it began accepting applications in 2004, the Supporting Foundation has awarded more than $400,000 to Oregon’s Jewish community and the community at large. The Schnitzer Supporting Foundation was also one of the original creators of OJCF’s Living Room Fund, which subsidizes the cost of rentals for non-fundraising events hosted by Jewish organizations at the MJCC. Jewish tradition teaches us the importance of planting seeds of growth for our Jewish community – today and tomorrow. Endowments provide a wonderful way to fulfill this tradition.

You can help keep our community strong by creating a Jewish legacy that will honor you and your family forever. OJCF has the expertise to oversee the investment and distribution of these gifts for individuals and organizations in our community. Endowments are one way to realize your heartfelt commitment to creating a strong Jewish future for your children and grandchildren.

If you would like to learn more, please visit our website at www.ojcf.org or call Julie Diamond at 503-248-9328.

Janet Storm is the marketing and donor relations manager for Oregon Jewish Community Foundation.

64 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Birthright Israel Foundation Taglit Birthright Israel $1,000 $5,000 B’nai Brith Mens’ Camp Association Dining Hall Replacement $10,000 $5,000 Cedar Sinai Park Elder’s Family Learning Initiative $3,000 Doctor Rides for Seniors $1,000 Mindfulness of Aging $2,000 Community Warehouse Community Warehouse Washington County $500 Congregation Neveh Shalom The Mothers Circle Associated Program $3,000 $2,000 Congregation Shaarie Torah Rock’n Shabbat - PDX $2,000 Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon NE Emergency Food Program’s Outdoor Stand $500 $500 Hesed Shel Emet Oregon Jewish Indigent Burial Society $3,000 Jewish Community of Central Oregon Bend Jewish Library Automation Project $1,000 Jewish Family & Child Service Safety Net Services $5,000 $4,000 Jewish Federation of Greater Portland PJ Library Portland $5,000 $1,069 JFGP Annual Campaign $25,000 Jewish Student Union Eugene JSU at South and North High Schools $1,000 Jewish Theatre Collaborative The Loman Family Picnic at Theatre on Belmont $1,000 Mittleman Jewish Community Center Chai Baby Program $1,000 Living Room Fund $1,000 Warm Water Therapy Pool $3,000 $3,000 Moishe House Moishe House Portland $1,000 Morasha-Melton Melton Scholarship and Subsidies Fund $3,000 Oregon Area Jewish Committee OAJC-Building Bridges for the Future $1,000 Oregon Community Warehouse Community Warehouse Westside $1,000 Oregon Hillel Peer-Network Engagement Interns $1,000 Oregon Holocaust Resource Center Technology for Speakers Bureau presentations $300 Oregon Jewish Community Foundation Create a Jewish Legacy Initiative Grants $10,000 OJCF Website Upgrade $3,776 Oregon Jewish Museum Community History in Portland Cemeteries $2,000 Field Trip Scholarships for School Visits to OJM $2,500 Portland Jewish Academy Celebrating PJA’s 50th Anniversary $2,000 50th Anniversary Artist-in Residency $2,750 Returning Veterans Project 2012 Outreach Project $500 Temple Beth Israel Eugene TBI Arts & Aesthetics Committee $500 Total Grants $54,800 $51,569 *OJCF Community Endowment Fund and Schnitzer Supporting Foundation

Building a vibrant Jewish community together with you.

Stay connected to your community with our new e-newsletter.

Contact us at 503.245.6219 | www.jewishportland.org

JewishPDX

[CULTURE/MUSIC]

PDX Live

photo by Cortney Erskine

A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On

“

From left: Klezmocracy band leaders Ralph Huntley on keyboard and Joe Janiga on drums; Ed Krauss on clarinet; Jason DuMars on saxophone, who does not do PDX Live; Damian Erskine on bass guitar; Courtney Von Drehle, who plays guitar, saxophone, accordion; and Cantor Deborah Bletstein perform together at a Klezmocracy CD release party last fall.

by Elizabeth Schwartz

”

“Everyone I saw in the sanctuary was either swaying to the music, clapping to the tune, nodding to the beat, and/or singing along.

I cannot remember a Friday night service I enjoyed more or one where I felt as ‘moved’ towards starting the Sabbath. I actually was whistling the prayers and your music for the next couple of days,” says Norman Chusid, a member of Congregation Neveh Shalom.

Chusid is describing PDX Live, a bimonthly contemporary interactive Friday night Shabbat service spearheaded by Neveh Shalom cantor, Deborah Bletstein.

If this doesn’t sound like a typical kabbalat Shabbat service, that’s because it isn’t. Bletstein, who came to CNS in 2010, had wanted to create a contemporary Friday night service for several years, in the manner of Craig Taubman, a well-known contemporary Jewish musician/composer whose Friday Night Live CD and TV specials are changing the way many Jews experience Friday night services. While Bletstein acknowledges Taubman’s 66 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

influence, she has distinctly different ideas about what kind of music she wants to present.

“I wanted to use Taubman’s context but not his music,” says Bletstein. “I wanted to run the gamut with diverse kinds of music, by taking the traditional Friday night prayers and giving them a gospel or reggae or calypso feel. There are all these interesting new territories to discover within the Friday night service.”

Bletstein found her way to the cantorate by way of Broadway, and brings her eclectic background in pop, Motown, rock, jazz

PDX Live

Interactive, musical kabbalat Shabbat services.

7:30 pm Fridays, March 16 and May 11.

Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland.

All are welcome.

For more information, go to www.nevehshalom.org.

photo by Deborah Moon

and musical theatre to Neveh Shalom. She grew up in Detroit, and after college moved to New York City, where she became a member of Actor’s Equity and trod the boards of Broadway for four years. After attending her father’s Reform shul in Detroit, which featured contemporary Jewish liturgical music, Bletstein began to consider a different path for herself.

“I wanted to do something with my talent that could personally satisfy me, while bringing a lot of meaning to other people’s lives,” she explains.

As styles of worship change from clergy-led to more congregational participation, many congregations are creating these kinds of interactive services.

“Neveh was very receptive to this idea,” says Bletstein.

“Today’s congregations want to participate, and Neveh Shalom is a singing congregation. PDX Live is designed to excite and engage people and get them to participate. I thought with my background I’d be able to execute this vision, and Neveh Shalom has committed the resources to do it.”

Bletstein launched PDX Live last May, with the help of Ed Kraus, a member at Neveh Shalom and a local musician, radio host and concert producer.

“Ed Kraus has been my right hand for all things musical in the synagogue,” notes Bletstein. “He’s my main collaborator; to have a congregant who shares your vision of bringing quality music to the synagogue, whether it’s music we build or guest artists, is really special. I trust Ed implicitly.”

Kraus introduced Bletstein to Klezmocracy, a local jazz/fusion band, and Bletstein, Kraus and the band members quickly created a dynamic partnership.

“It was instant chemistry with me and Ed and the band,” Bletstein recalls. “I pioneered the vision, but the collective group helped build it. It’s a collective, creative, collaborative experience, and the end result is I have a band full of people who are equally excited about this project and want to continue make this a successful program. It’s not just a gig for them; they’re part of the creative process.”

Kraus, who plays clarinet and saxophone in PDX Live, agrees. “I think the band appreciates being asked to be part of the creative process and being let into a world of Jewish prayer that wasn’t initially familiar to them.” Bletstein adds, “They have this sort of magical connection to Jewish music, and they’ve become very drawn to it.”

Klezmocracy’s drummer, Joe Janiga, has been intrigued by Jewish music and ritual for many years. Janiga has played his share of b’nai mitzvot, and seeing young Jewish people assume the responsibilities of adulthood within their Jewish communities was a profound experience for him.

“I’d never witnessed something so heartfelt and deep, and it’s neat to now be an integral part of these services and getting the energy flowing.”

While the music for PDX Live may be new for congregants, the structure of the service is not.

“People will get the traditional prayers, but then they go on this journey with us through all of these different genres of music,” says Bletstein.

Part of the creative interaction between Bletstein and the

band is the inherent flexibility of the service format. “PDX Live is not a set thing; we’re constantly challenging ourselves with new music.” Currently, the group is putting together an arrangement of Ma Tovu with a Moroccan beat. “We’ll see how it turns out,” says Kraus. “We often don’t know how things will sound until the final rehearsal.”

Members at Neveh Shalom have embraced the new format wholeheartedly.

“It was the best Friday night service I have ever attended,” says David Honigstock.

Trudi Stone adds, “The music and your voice rose to heaven and I felt my prayers went with you. It was not only beautiful to listen to but very spiritual. I hope we see this type of service again.”

Sheila and Bruce Stern concur. “We had no idea prayers could sound like that.”

Elizabeth Schwartz is co-host of the Yiddish Hour on 90.7 FM KBOO Community Radio and a freelance writer living in Portland.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 67

[HAPPENINGS/Review]

A Tree Grows in Kenton

by Elizabeth Schwartz

In late winter, Tu B’Shevat events pop up like the first crocuses in Jewish communities everywhere, and Portland is no exception. On Feb. 12, about 30 people gathered at the Kenton Community Garden to celebrate the holiday, known as Mystical painting: Bari Gilbert and Rachel the “Birthday of the Trees.”

House, right, display the paintings they Co-sponsored by the Jewish created at the Jewish Women’s Circle Federation of Greater Portland and Evening of Meditation, Mysticism and Art. The Feb. 7 painting workshop led by Neria Moishe House, this event brought Cohen of New York drew more than 40 together two communities: young Jewish Josh Lake leads a Tu B’Shevat seder for women. Hosted by Portland Jewish Women’s adults and the people of the Kenton young adults before they plant fruit trees at Circle, www.portlandjewishwomen.com. neighborhood, a low-income community the Kenton Community Garden. Photo by Photo by Marcia Weiss Elizabeth Schwartz in north Portland.

Tu B’Shevat celebrations have become more popular in recent years, because their focus on Jewish stewardship of the natural world resonates with today’s environmentally conscious Jews. Josh Lake, the JFGP’s Young Adult AdVenturist, wanted to create a Tu B’Shevat event that would appeal to Jews in their 20s. He partnered with Moishe House, a home in SE Portland where young Jews live together and plan events for other young Jewish adults.

Lake also wanted to create an ongoing connection with the Kenton Community Garden. “For Federation and for us as Jews, it’s about creating ties in the general community, to realize we have common values with other communities,” he explains.

“Planting trees isn’t just a Jewish value, it’s a humanistic value. So now when the folks in Kenton think about Jews, they’ll know that Jews plant trees.”

Lake turned to Angela Moos, chair of the Kenton Neighborhood Association, to Community Havdalah: The Jewish Women’s find a suitable location for a communal fruit tree planting.

Round Table held its 12th Annual Community Havdalah Service at Rose Schnitzer Manor’s “It’s been hugely successful; the energy of all the attendees is great. This is a neighZidell Hall Jan. 28. Rabbi Ariel Stone and borhood that’s not very culturally diverse, so it’s good to expose people here to a wider guitarist J.D. Kleinke of Congregation Shir concept of community building,” says Moos.

Tikvah lead the service and singing, followed “This is all about connecting with trees and fruits and patience,” says Julie by a reception. The residents love having Auerbach, a raw food chef who lives in Moishe House. “Here we are taking the first the families and children visit, said JWRT President Ellen Bick. Eighteen synagogues step to planting the fruits that will grow with time, and the community that we’re and organizations cosponsored the 2012 engaging with and helping to feed over time.”

Havdalah.

Sam Balto, who heard about this event via Facebook, says, “You’ve got trees, Jewish people and a holiday; it’s the perfect hat trick.” Balto also enjoyed the Tu B’Shevat Seder that preceded the tree planting. “The Seder made it more meaningful and connected it to Tu B’Shevat; it gives added meaning to the work we’re doing.”

Ma’ayan HaTorah Day School honored (from left) Sandy and Howard Katz, Morris and Jenat Engelson, on Feb. 11. Opened this past fall, the school plans to grow to provide a K-8 program for families who seek both an excellent secular as well as religious Judaic education. The awardees received a glass trophy in the shape of a water drop, symbolic of drops in the wellspring (“Ma’ayan”) of knowledge. The event raised more than $25,000 for the new school.

68 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Smart Folks Support Teens: Winners of the fundraiser called The Q (from left): Iris Cox, Amitai Berniker, Eli Fabens, Meredith “Dith” Pamp,Len Berman, Rachel Marchello, Dustin Marchello and (not pictured) Benjamin Cox, all won Kindles and bragging-rights sweatshirts for their trivia prowess at this year’s Q. A perpetual trophy, which will have a plaque with the winners’ names added each year, is on display in the lobby of the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, where the Q is held each year. This year’s Q raised more than $31,000 to support youth programming provided by Jewish Student Unions and NCSY in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Oregon Episcopal School recently launched the 10th JSU in area high schools, and two more schools have expressed interest. For more information on NCSY or JSU programs, contact Meira Spivak at meira@jsu.org.

[HAPPENINGS/preview]

Purimschpiels and Parties As Purim approaches, there is the usual assortment of purimspiels and parties around town. Following are a few tidbits to whet your appetite.

(For more events, see the March calendar on page 70.)

This year’s Purim festival at Congregation Shaarie Torah will mix tradition and innovation. How about the Megillah read by a purple dinosaur?

This year’s festival on the evening of March Do Jump will turn the world upside down 7 promises to deliver at Congregation Shaarie Torah’s Purim with all the traditional bash. Photo by JeffreyFreeman.com trimmings – costumes, great food, yummy desserts, complete mayhem – but will top it off with a special performance by Do Jump! Theater: Turning the world upside down, one person at a time. The dance troupe Do Jump has been performing in Portland for more than 20 years. The fun begins at 5:30 pm. For information or tickets, call Shaarie Torah at 503-226-6131 or email education@shaarietorah.org.

Continuing its grand tradition of elevating the humble Purimschpiel to a theatrical event not to be missed, Congregation Beth Israel presents: The Pirates of Purim at 6 pm March 7. Following a short service and Megillah reading, this free show will feature songs based on Gilbert and Sullivan classics with more than a dash of Johnny Depp.

You can be sure there will be eye patches, peg legs and parrots aplenty as the classic Purim story is retold with piratical panache. Just remember: Dead Men Tell No Schpiels.

Bring some pots and pans to bang as graggers then donate to Community Warehouse’s annual Pots and Pans for Purim drive. Bins will be set up in the foyer. This is not recommended for children under age 8. For information, call the main Temple office at 503-222-1069.

Congregation Neveh Shalom kicks off the holiday with a Purim Megillah reading and celebration March 7 at 6:30 pm. Live from Portland...it’s Wednesday Night! Come and join us for our Saturday Night Live themed Purimspiel, written and performed by our high school students, clergy and special guests. Partial Megillah reading during the show with the remaining chapters chanted after the performance.

Come in costume and enjoy Hamantaschen after the show!

Megillah reading and morning minyan the next day at 7 am.

503-246-8831 or www.nevehshalom.org.

Back of the bus for women in Israel?

Orthodox Jews and Jewish feminists have different values which often clash. Tension between secular and religious Jews has been rising in Israel and Jerusalem and its buses have been a flash point. Israeli Shaliach (emissary) Amos Meron will illuminate this conflict. He will show a DVD of an Israeli television program, A Touch Away, (with English subtitles) about a love story between a Russian immigrant, a secular man, and a young Orthodox woman. He will lead a discussion of the film and discuss developments in Israel with regard to the secular/ religious divide.

1 pm, March 18 at Temple Beth Sholom,1274 Cunningham Lane South, Salem. For more information: office@tbssholom. org or 503- 362-5004.

TABLE & CHAIR AFFAIR: This hand-crafted bench was created

by Jewish artist Bruce Schafer to be sold at this year’s Table & Chair Affair March 15. The event is a fundraiser for the Community Warehouse.

The non-profit now provides essential household goods for free to 40 to 50 families each week. The annual fund-raiser includes the famous “Hot Seat” party with silent auctions, followed by the “Reserved Seat” dinner with live auction. For tickets or information: visit communitywarehouse.org/chairaffair or call Jocelyn at 971-255-110

March 14 auction aids MJDS, fetes Goldstein At its annual benefit dinner “A Time to Expand,” Maimonides Jewish Day School will honor Gersham Goldstein for his leadership and support of Jewish education.

Goldstein is a long-time supporter of MJDS and a strong proponent of Jewish education. He is immediate past chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, of which MJDS is a partner agency. Goldstein is Of Counsel at Stoel, Rives, LLP, and is one of the nation’s leading tax attorneys.

Honorary Committee Chair Charles Schiffman says, “I urge everyone who cares about the future of this community to attend the dinner, in order to pay tribute to a dedicated community leader as well as to support this outstanding school.”

The dinner will be March 14, 5:30 pm, at the Benson Hotel.

For information or reservations, call 503-977-7850, email maimonidesjdsoffice@yahoo.com or visit www.Kidsrpriceless.com.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | MARCH 2012 69

[HAPPENINGS/PREVIEW]

MARCH CALENDAR Thu. March 1

Tue. March 13

Wed. March 21

Jews, Mainline Christians and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Overcoming the Divide Between Our Communities. Presented by JFGP’s Community Relations Committee 7-9 pm at MJCC. Info: 503-245-6496 or bob@jewishportland.org

Sephardic Film Series: Three short films about the music and culture of Yemen, Moroccan and Spanish Jews. Free film, refreshments, discussion.

7 pm at Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur Blvd., Portland. Info: 503-892-6634

Interfaith Spring Equinox Celebration hosted by Havurah Shir Hadash. 7:30 pm at the Havurah, 185 N. Mountain Ave. in Ashland. 541-488-7716

Sun. March 4

Thu. March 15

Purim Carnival, presented by Beth Israel Brotherhood, noon to 2 pm at Blumauer Auditorium (Sherman Education Center: 1931 NW Flanders Street). 503-222-1069

Red, A Theater Event Fundraiser for Oregon Jewish Museum. 7:30 pm at Portland Center Stage.

Ticketholders also invited to a conversation with actor Daniel Benzali March 4.

Tickets: www.ojm.org or 503-226-3600

Sun. March 25

Sun. March 18

Wed, March 28

Wed. March 7 Temple Emek Shalom’s annual Purim Celebration at (1800 E. Main St. in Ashland). Carnival games 5 pm. Dinner 6 pm (Martolli’s pizza and homemade Hamantaschen for sale). Megillah reading and Religious School plays 7 pm. Info: 541-488-2909 or emekshalom.org Purimschpiels and parties at Congregations Neveh Shalom, Beth Israel and Shaarie Torah (see page 69).

Sat. March 10 The ALS Association’s 10 Year Anniversary Bash presented by Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, with co-chair Arlene Schnitzer and Jordan Schnitzer. 6 pm at Oregon Convention Center. Tickets: gala@alsa-or.org or 800-681-9851 ext. 3

Tue. March 13 Dr. Daniel Gordis, “Perspectives from an Americanborn Israeli scholar,” 7:30 pm. Co-sponsored by JFGP and MJCC. Tickets: Yael at 503-245-6219. www.jewishportland.org

Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt speaks at 7 pm at MJCC. Co-sponsored by MJCC, Lewis & Clark Law School and JFGP’s Community Relations Committee and Solomon’s Legacy. 503-244-0111 Sunday Forum: Marc Blattner, CEO of JFGP speaks to Kol Shalom on “Connecting With Our Jewish Community.” 9:45 am at Kol Shalom Center, 1509 SW Sunset Blvd.503-459-4210 An Afternoon with Golda Meir, presented by Shalom Chapter of Hadassah. The history of a person, a people and a nation through the words of Golda Meir as portrayed by Joan Wolfberg. 2 pm at Firstenburg Community Center, 700 NE 136th Av. Vancouver, WA. 360-727-3387 Heirlooms and Hineni: An Afternoon with Young Adult Book Author Ruth Feldman and Artist Diane Fredgant. 2 pm at Oregon Jewish Museum.

503-226-3600

Mittleman Jewish Community Center, abbreviated in calendar items as MJCC, is located at 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland.

Jewish Federation of Greater Portland is abbreviated as JFGP.

Painted Life: A film by Jacob Pander. Noon at Oregon Jewish Museum; repeats 7 pm Thurs, March 22.

Tickets: 503-226-3600 Ann Kirschner, Sala’s daughter and author of Sala’s Gift: My Mother’s Holocaust Story delivers the Singer Family Lecturer in Judaic Studies.7:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Israel, Eugene. 541-485-7218 Six: social playground’s 2nd event for young adults, “Through the Lens,” will feature independent film and media. Moderated by Boaz Frankel, local filmmaker and host of The Pedal Powered Talk Show.

7 pm at McMenamin’s Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, 21 and up. 503-226-3600

Fri. March 30 North Coast Shabbat service led by Leonard and Elayne Shapiro. 8 pm at the Bob Chisholm Community Center , 1225 Ave. A,Seaside. Bev Eastern, 503-244-7060

Sun. April 1 Mah Jongg Magic Tournament sponsored by Congregation Beth Israel Sisterhood. 1-5 pm at a Lake Oswego residence. Info: Bobbie 310-923-2254

EXHIBITS: March 2-27

Letters to Sala: A Young Woman’s Life in Nazi Labor Camps, a treasure trove of documents saved by one young woman during her five-year ordeal among Jews forced to work as slave laborers during the war. Letters to Sala, on loan from the New York Public Library and the French Children of the Holocaust Foundation, at Temple Beth Israel, 1175 E. 29th Ave, Eugene, is presented by The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at the University of Oregon. 541-485-7218.

March 10-April 11 Artist Renate Dollinger’s “Stories of the Shtetl” at Kaewyn Gallery, Main Street and 101st Avenue, Bothell, WA. Renate Dollinger was born Rose Renate Sandberger in Breig, a mountain village in Silesia, Germany. She fled to England on the Kindertransport in 1939. The exhibition opens with a public reception 4-7 pm March 10.

425-483-7385; www.framewrightbothell.com.

ONGOING At Oregon Jewish Museum TRANSPORT: Works by Henk Pander and Esther Podemski The Dawn of Tomorrow: Oregon Jews and Woman Suffrage Jaap Pander: Let There Be Light

1953 NW Kearney St. 503-226-3600.

70 MARCH 2012 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

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www.CGIportland.com

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