Oregon Jewish Life April 2018 Vol. 7/Issue 3

APRIL 2018

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WANDER NO MORE

Co-founder Roz Rothstein

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 1

Going First Class has never been so affordable.

Make your Spring vacation travels more luxurious with a new Mercedes-Benz from Mercedes-Benz of Portland and Mercedes-Benz of Beaverton. At our dealerships not only will you be treated with first class service but you will also find the area’s largest selection and the most affordable prices on the entire Mercedes-Benz inventory.

Mercedes-Benz of Beaverton

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Live. Thrive. Drive.

2 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

1605 SW Naito Pkwy. Portland, OR (877) 683-1342 mercedesbenzportland.com

Four cups of wine

Three pieces of matzah

One Jewish Community

Happy Passover from your friends at the

Jewish Federation of Greater Portland

jewishportland.org * 503.245.6219 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 3

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Oregon Jewish Life | A pril 2018 | Nissan - Iyar 5778 | Volume 7/Issue 3

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COVER STORY

WOMEN WHO LEAD

Roz Rothstein and the birth of a movement StandWithUs changes conversation in Pacific Northwest

Women and philanthropy 19 Carol Danish: Legacy donor 20 Three women who give 22 Dancing with Cancer 25 Laurie Lebowsky: Public servant 26 Cheryl Coon aiding refugees 28 Monica Brenner: Transitional leader 30 Laurie Sonnenfeld wears many hats 31

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FEATURES 32

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JEWS WITH ATTITUDE Israeli tech boom in Oregon

BUSINESS Ins & Outs 12 Skin care in Lake Oswego 14 Business Profiles 15 ISRAEL AT 70 70 fun facts for 70 years 39 #SharedLife donor registry 41 Airlifts brought refugees to holy land 42 Artists 4 Israel on Oregon campuses 44 Repairing the world one innovation at a time 45 Yom Ha’atzmaut in Portland 45 FRONT & CENTER April concert full of firsts Author shares insights on “The Graduate”

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Teens learn philanthropy from grandparents Kids & Teens Calendar

PREVIEWS: Celebrate our caring community 61 PSU presents April programs 62 PDX Hillel brunch 63 FACES & PLACES 64 Calendar 66

COLUMNS

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Chef’s Corner by Lisa Glickman NW Nosh by Kerry Politzer

COVER: Roz Rothstein.

PHOTO COURTESY OF StandWithUs

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JLIVING

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FOOD Chef’s Corner: Sweet treat 50 NW Nosh: 1905 feast for senses 52 ACTIVELY SENIOR Seniors find Shabbat community at Wendy’s CSP gala part of three-day celebration

KIDS & TEENS

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 5

TM

Years ago a joke made the rounds of how a Jewish man spotted a friend reading an Arabic newspaper and exclaimed, “Moshe, have you lost your mind?”

Moshe replied, “Well, I used to read the Jewish papers, but what did I find? Jews being persecuted, Israel being attacked, Jews disappearing through assimilation, Jews living in poverty. So I switched to an Arab newspaper. Now, what do I find? Jews own the banks, Jews control the media, Jews are all rich and powerful, Jews rule the world. The news is so much better!”

Ouch – bad taste, sarcastic? Yes, but this joke has survived because there is some truth on both sides.

Considering our small numbers, we are disproportionately represented in the many lists of the world’s most influential people. Our contribution to the fields of technology, science, agriculture, health, education and entertainment, as well as Nobel Prize recipients, is disproportionate to our numbers.

Being of the generation that never lived in a world without Israel, I wonder if we would have made such advances without the State of Israel. What is not debatable is that before the birth of Israel, we were a scattered people, often powerless and some would say spectators on the international stage; today we have a homeland and can control our own destiny to a degree.

When Israel was established in 1948, only 5% of the world’s Jewish population lived there. Today, 70 years later, the world’s largest Jewish population lives in Israel. The existence of Israel protects not only Israelis but the Jewish people throughout the world.

Yet Israel at 70, and the Jewish people as a whole, face many challenges – some say existential challenges: terrorism, antiSemitism, BDS, assimilation and perhaps the biggest threat of all, apathy.

Maybe it is not a coincidence that the number 70 is mentioned several times in the Torah: 70 elders of the Jewish nations, the core 70 nations and 70 languages of the world, 70 members of Jacob’s family who came to Egypt, the 70 faces (perspectives) of the Torah. In the Torah, 70 represents both a disturbing disunity and a strong, beautiful unity – much like Israel today at 70.

Ironically, 70 years after its founding, some continue to debate whether Jews have the right to claim Israel as the Jewish homeland, Jerusalem as our capital (ignoring our 3,000-year history in the land) or if the State of Israel even has a legitimate right to exist.

Israel is viewed as the “demon nation” by some, the “light unto all nations” by others and the “Start-up Nation“ by all.

Israel and the Jewish people are one people: Israel’s pain is our pain, Israel’s success is our success. In spite of our arguments and fractures, we are an engaged, caring and contributing force in the world.

Today we as a people and Israel as a nation are no longer just surviving, we are thriving. Perhaps that is our most valuable contribution of all.

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Many Branches, One Tree.

OJCF empowers individuals to achieve their philanthropic goals. We offer a wide range of charitable services to help people make the world a better place.

Donor Advised Funds l Endowment Funds Planned Giving l Supporting Foundations Youth Philanthropy l Collaborative Giving To learn more visit: www.ojcf.org

Doing Good!

April 15 in PDX

Register and choose your way to do good: jewishportland.org/GDD Contact Caron Blau Rothstein for more info. caron@jewishportland.org (503)245-6449 a special volunteer opportunity for 6-12th graders. jewishportland.org/GDD-JSERVE

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 7

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Oregon Jewish Life | A pril 2018 | Nissan - Iyar 5778 | Volume 7/Issue 3

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

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Stor y ideas for features and special sec tions are due 45 - 60 days prior to public ation.

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

This Yom HaAtzma’ut, celebrate red, white, and blue.

Magen David Adom, Israel’s largest and premier emergency medical response agency, has been saving lives since before 1948. And supporters like you provide MDA’s 27,000 paramedics, EMTs, and civilian Life Guardians — more than 90% of them volunteers — with the training, equipment, and rescue vehicles they need. So as we celebrate Israel’s independence, make a difference in the health, welfare, and security of the Israeli people with your gift to MDA. Please give today.

AFMDA Western Region 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 750 Los Angeles, CA 90048 Toll-Free 800.323.2371 • western@afmda.org www.afmda.org

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 9

Jewswith

Attitude

Dan Schoenbaum

Dan Schoenbaum leads an Israeli tech boom in Oregon

By Ygal Kaufman

Dan Schoenbaum is a man who likes to explore new ways to solve problems. Sometimes he even needs to find problems to solve. As CEO of Cooladata, one of the world’s leading cloudbased data warehousing and analytics firms, he wants to make Portland into the port of call for Israeli technological imports before they spread across the states.

“I was entrepreneurial at an early age,” says Dan, who went from finishing a bachelor’s degree in communications at American University in Washington, D.C., to joining the Israeli Defense Forces, to leading the extremely successful tech companies Tripwire and Redbooth before taking over at Cooladata in December of 2016.

“I used to buy components and build my own computers at home and sell them,” says Dan of his hobby when he was just 15. “I put myself through college by building PCs and selling them and teaching people how to use them.”

Cooladata started in Israel, but its North American offices are based here in Portland. This is something that Dan sees happening a lot in the future, noting his own building now fea10 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

tures several Israeli-led startups. It’s also something he’s actively working toward achieving.

“What I love about Portland is you feel and sense the Jewish community, which I think is fantastic,” says Dan. “I feel much more Jewish here than I did in the Bay area.” That’s just one reason why he loves to be in Oregon. But for a tech company looking to conquer the cloud-based data market, that’s a tougher sell.

“I’m always a person, when I hear it can’t be done, I spring into action and figure out how it can be done,” says Dan confidently. He had that in him before he joined the IDF, but he certainly honed his leadership skills there. And he also learned something about motivation and inspiration, tools he uses to this day.

Dan was inspired to move to Israel and join the army after reading a book by an Oregon State University professor. A Purity of Arms by Dr. Aaron Wolf, a professor of geography, environmental sciences and marine resource management, describes Wolf ’s own journey as an American fighting for Israel and learning something about himself along the way.

“The minute I read that book, I was just hell-bent on doing

that,” says Dan, specifically referencing the 80-mile walk described in the book as a training requirement. “That’s what led me from being a college student in the U.S. to joining the IDF.” Dan points to his experiences in the IDF as being formative in making him a leader.

"A lot of people are striving to understand how to leverage data. Israel is already 10 to 15 years ahead of us.” ~ Dan Schoenbaum

Dan spoke frequently and with great pride about his time in the IDF recently at an installment of the Mittleman Jewish Community Center’s PDX Business Breakfast series, which features conversations and speeches from heavy hitters in the business community. The talk was entitled “Bridging Business Between Oregon and Israel: Why I Chose Portland Over Pardes Hanna or Silicon Valley” and featured a conversation between Dan and Skip Newberry. As CEO of the Technology Association of Oregon, Skip is at the heart of the effort to bring tech jobs and innovation to Oregon. The two tech luminaries chatted about what makes Israel such a dynamo in

the tech world, what makes Portland such an up-and-comer and why the two are natural partners.

During their conversation, Dan remarked on how his time in the IDF shaped his future. “I fell in love with the tech scene there. I was just blown away by the tenacity and focus.” Commenting on how he joined the team at Cooladata, he described being approached by an Israeli team with a great product. “It’s very hard, when you’re sitting in Israel, to launch a product in North America…” said Dan. “You could do it in Boston, you can do it in the Bay area, it’s becoming more and more challenging – it’s becoming increasingly expensive – so I put together a business case on why Portland.” He says the Israelis had never thought of Portland, but were blown away by the depth of the talent pool here and the power of their buck versus opening shop in much more expensive cities like San Francisco or Boston.

“I really think it’s all about culture,” said Dan at the breakfast of how Israel became such a tech powerhouse. “Education in the Jewish culture has always been stressed.” But more specifically, he pointed to Israel’s domination of data, with more data scientists per capita than any country in the world. “People say, ‘data is the new oil’ – a lot of people are striving to understand how to leverage data,” said Dan. “Israel is already 10 to 15 years ahead of us.”

Ygal Kaufman is a freelance writer in Portland. He also does photography, video, audio and graphic design, as well as curating film screenings. kaufmanymedia.com cooladata.com

Congratulations

Robert Shlachter 2018 Recipient of the Oregon State Bar Litigation Section

Owen M. Panner Professionalism Award 209 SW Oak Street, Suite 500, Portland, OR 97204 • 503.227.1600 • stollberne.com OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 11

INS & OUTS

Beit Am rendering Beit Am gets grant to make new synagogue solar

Beit Am has been awarded a $51,250 grant by Pacific Power to develop solar power for its new building in Corvallis. The Beit Am Mid-Willamette Jewish Community is building a 6,700-square-foot synagogue, located on a 5-acre parcel Beit Am purchased in 2000.

Many members have advocated for making the new home more sustainable and have found a way to make solar power work with the congregation’s budget. Dan Orzech, Ken Winograd, Robyn Pekala, Jan Napack, Carol Rivin and Jana Kay Slater submitted the application and represented Beit Am in this multi-step and competitive process. The grant requires Beit Am to provide a $6,000 match.

Construction of the building structure will be delayed until early August while a waterline and fire hydrant servicing the property are updated to local code. The foundation will be laid this spring so that the structure work can begin as soon as the hydrant is operational.

Beit Am originally planned to be in the new building for the 2018 High Holidays. The completion date is now expected between January and March 2019.

Designs for the sanctuary are coming together, as the Interiors Subcommittee and the Religious Affairs Committee are collaborating to create a space that inspires fellowship and kavanah. The winter months and timeline change have not slowed Beit Am’s fundraising momentum. The amount left to raise toward the goal for a fully functional building is now less than $50,000 of the $2,695,000 goal. beitam.org/newbuilding Twistlock moves headquarters to Portland

Twistlock, the leading provider of container and cloud native cybersecurity solutions, announced record growth in 2017 across all aspects of the business. Twistlock’s record 2017 cements the company’s position as the leader in cloud native cyber security.

Ben Bernstein and Dima Stopel, both originally from Israel, founded Twistlock to address the need for security solutions for the cloud native space. Initially they didn’t have funding and had to eat cholnet for lunch to save money, but after getting some initial funding they brought on a strong group of colleagues to help build the organization.

Twistlock earlier this year announced the move of its corporate headquarters to Portland. The company has had an outpost in Portland since 2016 and moved into its current location at 411 NW Park in August of 2017.

“Moving our headquarters to Portland is another step in our journey to build a sustainable business. Spurred by the continued momentum within our customer base, we’re laser-focused on building a true 12 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

Josh Thorngren

Ben Bernstein

cybersecurity platform for cloud native environments in 2018 and beyond,” says Ben, chief executive officer at Twistlock. “This move will help us continue to drive business momentum by bringing us closer to customers, encouraging innovation and fostering a team of great talent.”

Josh Thorngren, VP Marketing at Twistlock, will present a workshop on Technology/Cybersecurity at TechFest NW. Josh will present “Cybersecurity at the speed of software” at 11:30 am, April 6, at Portland State University. Josh will discuss the current state of cybersecurity, the challenges faced by the industry today, and how companies can leverage emerging cloud technologies to address modern threats and create a security practice that provides comprehensive protection, no matter the speed or scale.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland is proud to help sponsor TechFestNW, presented by Willamette Week to showcase the best and brightest startups from all over the world including Israel.

"I’m thrilled that we will have a strong Israeli presence this year at TechfestNW,” says WW Editor & Publisher Mark Zusman. “Israel is one of the most entrepreneurial nations on the globe and we are delighted that Twistlock, an Israeli company that is establishing an office here in Portland, will be attending TFNW. Thanks go to the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland for helping put this all together!”

In 2017, Twistlock saw significant growth as a company, including expanding to four offices worldwide. With Twistlock 2.3, the 12th major release of the platform, Twistlock unified support for security for containers with serverless functions, thereby reinforcing the platform’s position as the most comprehensive solution for cloud native cybersecurity. twistlock.com

MJCC and BB camp selected for Keshet leadership project

JCC Association of North America and Keshet, the national LGBTQ Jewish nonprofit, have accepted 14 Jewish community centers and JCCA independent member camps from around the country to participate in the JCC Association-Keshet Leadership Project. The Mittleman Jewish Community Center and B’nai B’rith Camp are two of the organizations that participated in the kick-off leadership summit March 12 in New York City.

At the leadership summit, participants focused on developing a greater understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities. The summit grounded the work of inclusion in Jewish values. Each camp created an action plan to complete over the course of the year to make their community more LGBTQ inclusive.

To ensure their success, each camp will be supported by a Keshet

Keshet Leadership Convention: From left, Sandy Engel (MJCC), Lenny Steinberg (MJCC), Daniel Bahner (Keshet), Shayna Sigman (BB Camp) and Ben Charlon (BB Camp).

Shahar Edry

LGBTQ inclusion specialist, who will help each team work toward their individual goals.

The JCC Association-Keshet Leadership Project is a multi-service program that provides resources for Jewish institutions to become more inclusive of LGBTQ individuals and families.

For over a century, the MJCC has served as the living room for the Jewish community as well as Southwest Portland. Lenny Steinberg and Sandy Engel represented the MJCC at the summit.

“The MJCC is dedicated to providing a framework through policies, programs and culture for understanding the core concepts of sex, gender identity and sexual orientation,” says Lenny, the MJCC program director. “The MJCC will integrate Jewish values to foster LGBTQ inclusion to create a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ individuals and families. While the MJCC is still formulating our action plan, we will begin to update language in printed materials, on our website, in oral and written communication, and in signage around the building. We will provide staff and board training, integrate initiatives into our current and future programming, and partner with local LGBTQ organizations.”

Located on a lakeside campus on the scenic Oregon coast, B’nai B’rith Camp is a premier Jewish camp and conference center in the Pacific Northwest.

“BB Camp continues to be a responsive organization delivering highly engaging Jewish programming year round for all ages through innovation, collaborations and partnerships,” says BB Camp Executive Director Michelle Koplan. “The JCCA-Keshet Leadership Project partnership allows us to further engage in our deeply rooted values of inclusivity, providing a welcoming and accessible place for all campers and participants at BB Camp.”

“We’re delighted to have Ben Charlton, our camp director, and Shayna Sigman, our inclusion coordinator, participate in such meaningful work on behalf of our organization,” says Michelle.

asked them about their needs and what vacuum is here.

In May he plans to return to share what resources IAC could offer the community. IAC works in collaboration with existing organizations and provides a pro-Israel perspective.

“We only care to be supporting and ensure the community has the resources to build a community,” says Shahar, who led the IAC Arizona office before accepting the national post in December. He now works with developing communities that do not have an established chapter.

The mission of the IAC is to build an engaged and united IsraeliAmerican community that strengthens the Israeli and Jewish identity of our next generations, the Amercian Jewish community, and the bond between the peoples of the United States and the State of Israel.

Shahar’s first visit was to learn about the community, its size and the Jewish organizations here. “The IAC mission is how I want to raise my family,” says Shahar, whose son will be 3 in June. “It is the future I want for my kid.” shahar@israeliamerican.org | israeliamerican.org

Celebrating 50 Years COMMIT TED

. RESPECTED . INSIGHTFUL

Barry P. Caplan PARTNER

oregonjcc.org | bbcamp.org | keshetonline.org

Portland eyes Israeli-American Council

Israeli-American Council’s National Community Director Shahar Edry was in Portland in March to explore local interest in creating an Oregon chapter of IAC. He spent three days here meeting with numerous Jewish organizations and a lot of Israeli-Americans, ranging from newcomers to those who have lived here 40 years.

“This is really a neat community,” says Shahar. “They really want to bring a community here.”

During his first visit to Portland, he spoke with Israelis in Oregon and

Our friend and partner Barry Caplan joined Sussman Shank 50 years ago. We are truly grateful for his many contributions and leadership.

Congratulations Barry!

PORTLAND

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sussmanshank.com

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 13

Business

B

Lovely skin coming to Lake Oswego

By Deborah Moon

orn in a progressive hippie community in Seattle, Lovely Laban loves to share her personal appreciation for natural beauty and help others look and feel their best.

“I have always been fascinated with aging and the restoration of our bodies,” says Lovely.

“During graduate school, I took a position as a laser nurse and fell in love with making people feel better and more confident.”

After being trained in aesthetic injectables, Lovely says, “I felt that I would have a much more positive impact in people’s lives through this field. I was around for the launch of Allergan’s Juvederm and was able to participate in a split Lovely Laban face study comparing it to Galderma’s Restylane.

My love and passion for the aesthetic industry was ignited!”

She launched her aesthetic medicine practice in California in 2009 and expanded to Portland in 2014. Lovely will open the second Oregon location of Skin by Lovely in June. “Lake Oswego will have a beautiful retail theater for skin care with state-of-the-art facial aging technology,” she says. “It will also serve as our flagship training center for physicians and other medical professionals from around North America to come and learn how to use products such as Botox, Juvederm and Restylane.”

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“With the opening of the Lake Oswego office," she says, “We are excited for this opportunity to introduce our products and procedures to a new market.

“A lot of time, thought and planning went into every last detail of this space. We really wanted to focus on creating a relaxing environment and providing patients with a truly luxurious experience.”

The new office will be located at 6000 SW Meadows Road, Lake Oswego. As in her other clinics, the Lake Oswego site will help people age gracefully by enhancing their natural beauty.

“Many people, especially women, feel guilt when they invest in themselves,” says Lovely.

“When you feel beautiful and confident, there is a strength and power that comes from that. It is energizing and empowering! Also, many people fear looking unnatural and that others will know they had work done.

“At Skin by Lovely, our expert providers offer a select menu of services and focus on only the safest and most effective FDA-approved treatments,” she says. “We want to enhance your natural beauty – not make you look like a different person.

Our focus is always on restoration, not augmentation. We are very passionate about what we do, and we strive to give all our patients the best possible experience with amazing results.” skinbylovely.com

BUSINESS PROFILES Get to know some of the people behind the businesses you see in Oregon Jewish Life

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 15

BUSINESS PROFILES FOURNIER GROUP

CEO + FOUNDER DIRK FOURNIER

A

s a teenager working for his father’s insurance agency, Dirk Fournier dreamed of providing a special agency experience. That’s why he founded Fournier Group, and that’s what inspires the Fournier Group team today.

The agency provides risk management solutions to diverse people and businesses.

Fournier Group’s goal: keep what’s important to you—your home, auto and other valuables; your small business; your large corporation—safe in the best possible way and boost your peace of mind.

After university, Dirk joined Safeco, then returned to the family business. He spearheaded the acquisition of several Oregon-based agencies, the cornerstones of Fournier Group today, and initiated the rebranding of all Fournier agencies under the name Fournier Group. In 2010, he acquired majority ownership of Fournier Group.

Dirk dreams big, inspires others and strives to propel the agency upward alongside a team of passionate professionals committed to making a difference for every client. Fournier Group serves as a trusted advisor throughout the insurance cycle, from initial consultation and needs identification through program design, policy placement, claims advocacy, and program review and renewal.

Fournier Group employees also make a difference for their community. As part of the agency’s nonprofit service program, every employee volunteers up to 30 hours a year for nonprofits of their choice on agency time—and many more outside of work. Staff nominate and vote for an annual agency cause and contribute to it throughout the year financially and through volunteer work.

At home with his family—partner, Efrain; twin 14-year-old boys, Parker and Cameron; and canine queen, Sunny—Dirk is humbled daily by the power of love, learning, gratitude, laughter and chutzpah.

As the insurance industry has undergone considerable consolidation and failed to attract solid talent, customers often receive less value, according to Dirk.

“Fournier Group views this shift as an opportunity to double down on our investment in good people and our commitment to providing value added services to every client,” says Dirk.

He urges everyone to get in touch for a complimentary consultation.

Fournier Group 510 SW 5th Ave., Suite 701, Portland 503-251-2255 fourniergroup.net 16 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

STERLING TALENT

PRESIDENT + OWNER BECKY JOHNSON

A

s an entertainment consultant since 1982, Becky Johnson has a huge roster of talent, including some of the top artists in the region.

“My specialty is helping people find bands, speakers, emcees, comedians and celebrities for their corporate and private events,” says Becky.

“We can also provide sound, lights, staging, on-site event management and catering for events of all types. Sterling Talent also has a full service wedding planner on staff.”

Becky booked the regional bands and national acts for the Ft. Vancouver 4th Of July Celebration for more than 20 years.

Now she provides music for nine summer concert series around the Portland area. Some of her clients include Hood To Coast, OHSU, Oregon State Fair, Washington County Fair, Nike, City Of Hope and The Royal Rosarians.

Even before launching her business, Becky was involved in the entertainment industry. “I sang professionally for 10 years prior to starting my company, which gave me a great background and a terrific network within my industry,” she says.

Becky says technology has streamlined so many aspects of her work.

“We are able to send the artists promotional materials to our clients almost immediately and they are able to preview audio and video samples which help them choose the perfect entertainment for their event,” she says.

Giving back is also important to Becky. She has volunteered for several nonprofits over the years to help them book the perfect entertainment for their events. She is a “passionate supporter” of local dog rescue groups. She volunteers with the Thyroid Cancer Survivor’s Association consulting with and supporting people recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer; she also leads a local Portland support group In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her husband, four children, seven grandchildren and two dogs.

Sterling Talent, Inc. PO Box 231059, Tigard, OR 97281 Office:503-590-5840 | cell: 503-260-1180 sterlingtalent.com

BUSINESS PROFILES OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY NEUROLOGIST DR. PENNY HOGARTH

D

r. Penny Hogarth is recruiting individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, both with and without Parkinson’s disease, for her current research project. Her current Parkinson’s project is being conducted in partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation. In addition to her active research program in OHSU’s department of Molecular and Medical Genetics, Dr. Hogarth also provides clinical care for people considering genetic testing for certain inherited conditions.

“The goal of our current Parkinson’s disease studies is to see how signals in blood, body fluids and brain imaging Dr. Penny Hogarth change over time,” says Dr. Hogarth. “This information will not only help us to understand the root causes of Parkinson’s, but also will help us to gauge the effectiveness of new drugs designed to slow the progression of the disease.”

“Recently, we have started to work with people who have certain genetic mutations that might put them at increased risk of the disease.”

It is thought that about 10% of Parkinson’s cases are genetic in origin. Two important “risk” genes called GBA and LRRK2 seem to be more common in the Jewish population.

Research coordinators Katrina Wakeman and Alison Freed are the frontline faces of Dr. Hogarth’s program.

“We are always looking to speak with people who have Parkinson’s disease, a rare disorder called Gaucher disease, or those who have family members with these diseases,” says Katrina. “We also love hearing from people who want to be ‘healthy controls’ or just part of a research registry to hear about research opportunities as they arise. We have something for everyone.”

Oregon Health and Science University Portland Parkinson’s study coordinator Katrina Wakeman: 503-494-1382 ppmi@ohsu.edu

MINERVAE STUDIOS

PHOTOGRAPHER JASON S. CURL

“I

love art – everything about it,” says freelance photographer Jason S. Curl. “If I’m not thinking or dreaming of art, I’m making it.”

“What separates my work from others is the wanton desire to bring elegance and artistically driven intent to a simple handshake; to create life and movement in a two-dimensional image,” he says. “To take something simple and make it grand pushes my creative juices to the limit; and then I smile.”

Jason has worked as a freelance photographer for almost 10 years on a plethora of creative ventures. Previously, he was a company photographer while serving in the U.S. Army.

Jason earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in photography/ printmaking from the Pacific Northwest College of Arts after receiving an associate’s degree in photography from Clark College.

I love all aspect of photography and have studied (and continue to study) everything under the sun; from some of the oldest techniques to the current digital age.

Jason believes a freelance photographer needs to be flexible and able to attack any subject with energetic enthusiasm.

While originality is paramount, he believes attention to detail and conciseness are very important to the overall form.

“Whether editorial or e-commerce, events or performances, I always strive to separate myself from the pack and work on my own unique voice in photography,” says Jason.

Jason has donated works and services to several causes through the years and plans to continue to do so. “It always fills me with boyish joy when I find out that what I did or contributed has made an immediate effect for the better,” he says.

pho-

PHOTO BY JASON S. CURL/MINERVAE STUDIOS

Minervae Studios Portland 503-902-2567 Booking.Minervaestudios@gmail.com jasonscurlphoto.webs.com

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 17

BUSINESS PROFILES B’NAI B’RITH CAMP

CAMP DIRECTOR BEN CHARLTON

P

assionate about Judaism, youth and active pursuits such as kayaking and basketball, Ben Charlton believes he has the best career.

“I get to take part in all that camp has to offer every summer and then get to share that with families throughout the school year,” says Ben, who has been BB Camp director for four years. “As camp director, I have the amazing opportunity to create immersive and meaningful experiences for more than 600 children every summer.”

But the fun doesn’t end when the school year begins. With the tremendous growth of Jewish camping, BB Camp has made major strides is expanding that success into lifelong and year-round programs.

BB Camp is not only home to Oregon’s only Jewish overnight camp, but also to amazing day camp programs, family camps and year round programs for all ages, including BBYO and PJ Library,” says Ben. “This year we are proud to launch BB Day Camp in Portland and bring the magic of BB Camp into the city.”

Originally from Washington, DC, Ben moved to Buffalo, NY, to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics. In Buffalo, Ben also began his Jewish communal career. He worked as a teacher and synagogue youth director.

He also worked with children with disabilities – and he has drawn on that experience at BB Camp.

“BB Camp has developed an amazing inclusion program so that we can better serve campers with disabilities,” says Ben. “We believe strongly in the value of camp and are determined to overcome any obstacles that may have prevented a child from attending camps in the past.”

B’nai B’rith Camp Office: 9400 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy., Suite 200, Beaverton 503-452-3443 bbcamp.org

18 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

HASSON COMPANY

PRINCIPAL BROKERS CAROLYN WEINSTEIN & ROBIN WEINSTEIN

C

arolyn Weinstein has been a Realtor in Portland since 1978. In 2003 her daughter Robin joined her business.

“In today’s market, it takes a smart, savvy broker who is a cutting-edge expert to meet a client’s real estate goals,” says Carolyn.

“As local professional Realtors who are committed to excellence in customer service, our objective is to work diligently, using all of the tools of the newest technology,” says Carolyn of the dedication she and Robin bring to their work.

“We represent buyers and sellers in everything from small condos to luxury homes and anything in between. We have enthusiastic energy that ensures results.”

Carolyn and Robin are active volunteers in the community giving both time and money.

Carolyn was honored in 2013 by The Portland Metropolitan Association of Realtors, who presented her with their Good Neighbor Award. Currently, she serves as a board member of Congregation Neveh Shalom, where she is capital campaign co-chair and a member of the building and grounds committee.

She serves on the Women’s Philanthropy board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

Robin has served on the board of the Young Leadership Division of the Jewish Federation and the Arabian Horse Association of Oregon.

As a company, Hasson has a proven track record of many sponsorships, donations and volunteer hours for organizations including Dress for Success, Relay for Life and Pixie Dust Productions.

Carolyn enjoys cooking for friends and family, reading, water aerobics and travel. Robin is an avid horseback rider, and enjoys Mah Jongg with friends and traveling.

Hasson Company, Realtors 25 NW 23rd Place, Portland cweinsteinpdxhomes.com 503-802-6415 and 503-802-6405

WOMEN WHO

LEAD WOMEN AND PHILANTHROPY

INDEX 20 CAROL DANISH 22 M IA BIRK LAUREN GOLDSTEIN ELAURA RIFKIN GERBER 25 D ANCING WITH CANCER 26 LAURIE LEBOWSKY 28 CHERYL COON 30 MONICA BRENNER 31 LAURIE SONNENFELD

T

he momentum from the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements sheds light on women’s issues such as safe and equal work environments and has forced change. But there is another movement happening where women are outpacing their male counterparts – philanthropy.

According to research done through the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, women are more likely to give to charity than men, even though they earn less than their male counterparts.

Women are also more likely than men to give to nearly every charitable subsector except sports and recreation, and we know that women tend to spread their giving out, giving to more organizations than men. Research on collaborative giving reveals women are far more likely to participate in philanthropy with others and pool their money as donors. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women are also more likely to volunteer than men across all age groups, educational levels and other major demographic characteristics.

Increasingly, women are gaining access to significant wealth or are creating it themselves. Life expectancy tables suggest that many women will inherit twice – once from their parents and again from their spouses. One estimate says women now hold one-third of the world’s wealth. As women outpace men in obtaining degrees in the United States, more women are in the workforce than ever before, and they stay there for longer periods of time.

Part of the research done by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute examined one significant aspect of philanthropy by women donors: large-scale investments designed to change the lives of women and girls. Achieving gender equity is at the root of this giving, whether it is ultimately directed to reproductive health, girls’ education, empowerment projects or other causes. And a growing group of elite women donors are stepping forward in this effort.

Today, Women Moving Millions (womenmovingmillions.org) has become an international organization of more than 250 women; each woman has committed to give or has already given at least $1 million to women’s and girls’ organizations, both in the United States and around the world. Since the launch of the initial campaign in April 2007, Women Moving Millions members have committed more than $500 million toward the advancement of women and girls and have elevated the power of female philanthropy to address social change.

Female philanthropists are not just stepping up, they are also becoming increasingly visible.

This research uncovers who these donors are and how they give. The findings suggest that among this group, philanthropy is quickly changing, too.

To learn more about the research being done at the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, visit philanthropy.iupui.edu/WPI. OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 19

Carol Danish – A leader dedicated to family, community and giving back

By Gail Mandel

C

arol Danish was taught at a young age – by both her parents and grandparents – that helping others and practicing tzedakah was a mitzvah.

“My family felt back then and still feels today the need to give back to create Jewish community, Jewish continuity and Jewish growth,” Carol says.

She took their lessons to heart, and it impacted the way she has lived her life.

When she became an adult at age 18, it was her turn to “step up.” Carol’s parents expected her to become active in the community and indeed she did.

In the mid-1960s, Carol was sitting on between eight and 10 boards, both Jewish

20 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

and secular. It was at this time that Carol’s aunt asked her a pivotal question over a Passover lunch. “Why do you do all of these things for secular organizations when the Jewish people need you more?” Carol realized that her aunt was right, and that there were a limited number of people willing to step up and take a leadership role

in the Jewish community.

It was then Carol decided she would focus her efforts on helping her people. “At that time my children were growing, and I decided to devote myself to the Jewish community and Israel.”

As she learned from her parents, Carol has never shied away from sharing the importance and joy of tzedakah with her children.

“The most important words are l’dor v’dor – from generation to generation,” Carol says. “I am revering the past by giving. I look to my parents and grandparents and say ‘I am doing good.’ I know that my children have heard me, as they are all giving back and assuming leadership roles in their communities. It’s a lot of nachas.”

When asked about her primary motivations for giving, Carol’s answer is clear: children, education, the making of community.

“I feel that young people are our hope and light for the next generation,” Carol says. “I would like to see the community create more chances for children and parents to come together to learn. I think in Portland there are many untapped opportunities for Jewish life to thrive.”

Debbie Plawner, Carol’s

WOME N W HO L EAD

daughter, is the board president at Greater Portland Hillel. “I spent many afternoons of my childhood under the MJCC boardroom table,” Debbie says. “Even at 4 or 5 years old, I knew my mom cared deeply about helping others,

“I want to see

the causes and organizations I support

now sustain

themselves and blossom for

generations to come.”

~ Carol Danish

even people we didn’t know and might never meet. She taught me and my siblings that every person deserves a good life, and that it is our obligation when we see opportunities to improve people’s lives to seize them.”

Carol’s philanthropy also extends to legacy giving, as she is committed to helping the community continue to do good work after she is gone. “There is a Hebrew word – hineni – here I am.

I am here now and believe I am responsible for how in the future Jewish kids will be educated and how

college students will come to Portland from all over and feel like they belong,” says Carol. “I want to see the causes and organizations I support now sustain themselves and blossom for generations to come.”

In recognition of her dedication to the future of our shared Jewish community, the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation has named Carol its 2018 Legacy Society Honoree. She will be honored at the foundation’s annual meeting and reception on June 21.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to honor Carol.

She truly leads by example,” says OJCF President and CEO Julie Diamond.

Ultimately what motivates Carol’s philanthropy and devotion to community is that she never forgets where she came from and the generations of Jews who came before her. Carol’s daughter, Debbie, recognizes this drive in her mother and cherishes the lessons she has received from her. “The gift I treasure most and am still learning is summed up by my mom’s favorite phrase – l’dor v’dor – or generation to generation. For my mom, every mitzvah connects her more deeply to her ancestors, from her mother, father and grandparents and also to her grandchildren and all the generations to come. That connection is the source of her strength, and it amazes me how much energy and light it gives her every day.”

Gail Mandel is the legacy development and marketing manager for the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation.

HONORING CAROL DANISH – TWICE 2018 OJCF LEGACY SOCIETY HONOREE Presented at the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation annual meeting and reception

June 21, 2018 5:30-7:30 pm Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education 724 NW Davis St., Portland Free; no fundraising.

RSVPs requested: nates@ojcf.org 2019 KIPNIS-WILSON/ FRIEDLAND AWARD WINNER Presented at the 2019 International Lion of Judah Conference Celebrating the 25th year of the Lions of Judah Endowment

Jan. 13-15, 2019

in Florida Jewish Federation of Portland’s award recipient is Carol Danish, one of the founders of Lions/Women’s Philanthropy in Portland.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 21

Philanthropists through the ages Mia Birk: Giving back fills her with joy

By Deborah Moon

Lauren Goldstein: A journey of meaning

By Deborah Moon

Elaura Rifkin Gerber: Philanthropy for all

By Deborah Moon

22 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

Mia Birk, 50, contributes her time, expertise and targeted funding to make the world a better place because, “I am grateful beyond measure for all that I have and all that I am. … Being able to give back fills me with joy.”

She doesn’t think of herself as a philanthropist, which for her conjures the image of major financial donors; she considers her contributions more about tikkun olam.

“I do not recall a time when volunteering and/or charitable giving were not a part of my family or life – whether it was tzedakah at Sunday school or raising money for BBYO in high school,” she says.

“A lot of things need both time and money,” she

Lauren Goldstein, 43, believes every philanthropist needs their own journey and exploration of meaning.

“Mine happened in two phases,” says Lauren.

She gained “my own passion toward being Jewish” while in college at Tufts. “Within the first week of school, I met more Jews my age than I’d met in my whole life,” she says. “One of my girlfriends convinced me to check out Hillel – and cook a Shabbat dinner.” Her involvement in Hillel and spending her junior year in Israel had a potent impact. “This college experience and understanding the intersection of my Judaism and giving was very powerful for me.”

Elaura Rifkin Gerber, 28, believes everyone can be a philanthropist.

“Organizations need both time and money,” says Elaura. “I was taught that even if you don’t have anything to financially contribute, you can always donate your time. In this way, I truly believe that everyone has the ability to become a philanthropist in their own community.”

Elaura grew up in Vancouver, WA, and went to the University of Oregon for her undergraduate degree. She moved to Washington, D.C., for grad school and stayed for about five years. Two years ago, Elaura and her husband, Dan, moved to Portland.

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Related story on teen philanthropists – Page 58 Stories continued on next page says. “I donate a lot of time.”

In her professional life, Mia was the bicycle program manager for the city of Portland 1993-99 and worked in several positions at Alta Planning and Design including president and CEO. Now she shares the wisdom and experience she gained to serve as a professional coach and business advisor who helps women in their career journeys and improves businesses’ approach to elevating women. She also donates that expertise.

“I intend to share that expertise with Impact NW and the Eastside Jewish Commons,” Mia says.

She sits on the board of Impact NW, a Portland nonprofit that provides comprehensive anti-poverty programs “to help people prosper through a community of support.” She also serves as chair of the steering committee for the Eastside Jewish Commons, a

project to achieve a new vision for Jewish community space on Portland’s Eastside.

She says the Eastside Commons project is now “full steam ahead.” The group launched a website (eastsidejewishcommonspdx.org) March 5, is in the process of forming a 501(c)3, and is developing a business plan and working on an architectural concept for a multi-purpose shared space. “We need to find a building and know the zoning parameters,” she says. That space needs to accommodate a preschool and a kosher café serving beer and wine along with all the other educational, cultural, religious and social programs being envisioned.

“This feels like the right moment; it seems to strike a chord,” says Mia. “There are a lot of Jews on the Eastside.”

Mia has lived on the Eastside since moving to Portland in

Her second step toward a philanthropic view of the world occurred on a 2012 mission to Israel with the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

The mission took participants to two youth villages, Neve Michael (where JFGP funded a petting zoo for animal-assisted therapy) and the Goldstein Youth Village (where federation provided funds for a fitness facility).

“We saw more of our federation dollars at work, with an outdoor fitness facility that was created to get young men and women into shape before entering the army,” says Lauren, adding that the stories of the young people at the village are incredibly sad. “Federation had already funded part of the gym, but while on the mission, our crew was able to pull together funding to complete the costs.”

“The kids that we met at Neve Michael and the Goldstein

Youth Village were touched and given a second chance through dollars that federation made possible,” she says. “It’s one thing to read or see pictures, but another to hear their stories firsthand.

Truly amazing what we’ve made possible over the years – one dollar at a time.”

Lauren’s personal journey to philanthropy is built on a foundation of tradition. Born and raised in Portland, Lauren’s parents and grandparents were involved in the Jewish community.

The family has belonged to Congregation Beth Israel “for a gazillion years.” She and her husband, Mark, and sons, Jack, 11, and Evan, 8, are still active in the Reform congregation.

“My grandmother, Ida Shleifer, used to talk with me about her work with Hadassah and other organizations,” says Lauren. “She came to Portland from the Ukraine – and like many Portland Jewish immigrants, started businesses and had to work

“When we first moved back to Portland, we were looking for ways to get involved in the Jewish community,” says Elaura.

“The landscape in Portland had changed quite a bit since I had lived in Portland last. A friend from college, Sara Epstein, was chairing the OJCF Giving Council, and it sounded like a great opportunity! It was a really nice way to meet other young professionals who cared about supporting our community.”

The Oregon Jewish Community Foundation Giving Council was launched in 2015. Since then, three cohorts of young professionals ranging in age from 22 to 40 have spent about nine months together to connect, engage in philanthropy and make grants. Each participant makes a tax-deductible contribution of $500, which the cohort uses to make grants. The council is part of a growing movement in giving circles – grassroots groups whose

members pool resources to have significant charitable impact in their communities. Members attend monthly group meetings and explore what it means to give through a Jewish lens and to make grants that help solve problems in Oregon’s Jewish and broader communities.

Elaura and Dan participated in the second and third cohort.

Elaura especially likes the council’s emphasis on empowering individual donors to have significant charitable impact in their communities, even if they are not wealthy. Pooled giving enables giving circles to multiply the impact of their giving. “Oftentimes, when you think of someone who is ‘a philanthropist,’ it sounds like a club exclusively for people who are wealthy and established,” she says.

Elaura now serves on the OJCF Board of Trustees. She and OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 23

WOME N WHO L EAD MIA BIRK 1993. Now she and her husband, Portland native Glen Coblens, live near Mt. Tabor. The couple have three children, Skyler, 19, a sophomore at the University of Oregon; Sasha, 15, a sophomore at Cleveland High School; and Levi, 5, a kindergartener at Glencoe Elementary. The family belongs to Congregations Shir Tikvah and Neveh Shalom, where Glen is vice president and where the couple recently co-chaired the annual auction. Mia is part of the Women’s Giving Circle at the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. The family is also involved with the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Maccabi Games and B’nai B’rith Camp.

Mia and Glen also contribute financially through their donoradvised fund at the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation to Jewish and secular organizations.

“A number of years ago, I was on the board of Cycle Oregon, which uses ride fees to support needs in rural Oregon,” says Mia. “Our grant funds were managed by OCF (Oregon Community Foundation), so I came to understand the value of community foundations. I was in charge of the grants committee, and I saw how small grants – like $3,000 to replace the Grange Hall roof in a small town like Enterprise – made such a difference.”

After that experience, she and Glen decided to create their own fund.

“OJCF provides a partnership and a tool for giving that anyone in the community can use, even with just a little bit of money,” Mia adds. “The foundation invests your money, and you can give to whichever organization you want. It is a wonderful tool.”

LAUREN GOLDSTEIN moving back to Portland, her involvement has grown much deeper in the ensuing years. She has served on the federation board for six years and chaired the annual campaign two years.

“The power of federation is that it has an educated view into the many needs of the Jewish community – both in Portland and abroad,” says Lauren. “Therefore, it can be the catalyst to support our community in such powerful and impactful ways.”

so hard. Yet, they always gave – whatever they could. This deep commitment to tzedakah and taking care of our own has been instilled in me since birth.”

In 1998 Lauren’s longtime friend, Cheryl Tonkin, persuaded her to return to Portland and become involved in federation’s women’s division.

Even though Lauren had been involved with federation since

ELAURA RIFKIN GERBER are members of Congregation Neveh Shalom. The couple live in Southeast Portland.

“My husband, Dan, and I make decisions together when it comes to larger gifts,” says Elaura. “We each have causes that we’re passionate about. He really values education and growing the Southeast Jewish community, while I am drawn to smaller, direct-service organizations that focus on creating opportunities for underserved children and supporting the elderly in our community.”

WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY

BY THE NUMBERS:

24 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

Women control over 60% of the wealth in the United States.

Participating in the giving council and on the OJCF board has given Elaura a firsthand look at Jewish and secular agencies in the community.

“I really believe in the saying ‘when you know better, you do better,’ ” says Elaura. “Once you see an organization in need, it’s hard to turn a blind eye. Sometimes all an organization needs is a small gift to help get them off the ground. Seeing an organization grow their programs to better serve more people is the best motivation.”

There are more than half a million women with personal incomes of $100,000 or more.

45% of American millionaires are women.

Because women live longer than men, they will end up in charge of much of the $41 trillion expected to pass from generation to generation over the next 50 years.

Judy Erel dances with cancer “This book is about how my life danced to the rhythms of extreme illness, conventional medical protocols and the decision to proactively support the best healing outcomes possible as I faced the lifethreatening, life-changing reality of incurable, chronic cancer,” writes Judy Erel in the introduction to her book Dancing with Cancer: Using transformational art, meditation and a joyous mindset to face the challenge. “My hope is that what I share here can help others find their own best healing possibilities.”

The book was released in February this year to coincide with World Cancer Day. The World Health Organization uses World Cancer Day (Feb. 4 each year) to highlight the fact that cancer no longer needs to be a death sentence, as the capacity exists to reduce its burden and improve the survival and quality of life of people living with the disease.

Judy is a painter, a poet, an art teacher, a meditation guide and a health coach, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2007.

In 2009 she began providing guided meditations and mandaladrawing activities in the haemato-oncology and other oncology departments of major Israeli hospitals.

Her book offers guidance and inspiration both to those suffering from cancer as well as those supporting them. It enables a better understanding of the cancer patient’s experiences and the possibilities of mind-body empowerment.

Throughout the book, Judy cultivates an attitude of gratitude, joy and self-empowerment, with a solution-based, creative and proactive mindset.

“I wish to stress the fact that I did not choose or use Thought Work instead of medical treatment,” emphasizes Judy in the introduction to her book. “I personally chose to follow the conventional medical protocols, as suggested by my doctors, as well as some supplemental therapy like energy healing (reiki) and herbs. I see Thought Work as a method for active support to maximize outcomes.”

Dancing with Cancer, by Judy Erel, Watkins Media Ltd., 2018, paperback, $19.95.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 25

W OM E N W HO L E AD

Laurie Lebowsky: Public service and tikkun olam

By Deborah Moon

Laurie Lebowsky Laurie Lebowsky and her husband, Brad, and stepchildren, Justin and Amanda, visited Israel in 2013 with Congregation Shir Tikvah.

L

aurie Lebowsky is proud to be one of more than 24,000 women running for office in the 2018 elections.

In February, she was appointed from a pool of 56 applicants to an open seat on the Vancouver City Council. As an incumbent, she believes she has a leg up for the non-partisan race for a four-year seat on the council. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the August primary vie for the seat during the November general election.

Like many women, Laurie began to seriously explore seeking public office following the 2016 general election and the Women’s March in January 2017.

Before she was appointed, Laurie attended a meeting of Emerge, a national organization dedicated to increasing the number of Democratic women leaders from diverse backgrounds in public office. Laurie had intended to enroll in Emerge’s sixmonth training program before she was appointed to office. She has signed up for two shorter candidate training programs – one through the National Women’s Political Caucus and another through a Realtor’s group.

She has launched a website (electlebowsky.com) as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts (@electlebowsky).

Laurie attributes her appointment to the city council to her

26 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

strong background in urban planning, which has given her experience in public hearings, policy and ordinances. After earning her bachelor’s degree in political science from Michigan State University, she moved to the Pacific Northwest and earned a fullride scholarship in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University, where she obtained a master’s degree. Her 24-year career includes her current post – since 2005 she has served as a planner for Clark County.

She also has been an active volunteer in Vancouver and Clark County. Laurie chaired the Clark County Public Health Advisory Council and served as vice president of Bike Clark County.

She also helped launch a Bike to Leadership program with the Vancouver School district. “We teach students about bicycle and pedestrian safety, then they become leaders in their schools and teach their peers. … Bikes give kids independence, which they don’t have as much of anymore.”

She feels her professional and volunteer experiences will serve her well as she works on the council for Vancouver’s future.

“This is a great group of people,” says Laurie of her fellow city council members. “I am excited to work with them to serve the city and tackle issues facing the city.”

Laurie and her husband, Brad, a nonprofit consultant who cofounded Hunger for Success, were married in 2009 at Congregation Neveh Shalom. Her stepson, Justin, now 24 and a mechanical engineer in Hillsboro, became a bar mitzvah at Neveh Shalom. Then the family joined Congregation Shir Tikvah, where her stepdaughter, Amanda, now 19 and a student at the University of Washington, became a bat mitzvah. With both children no

longer at home, the couple is considering joining Vancouver’s Congregation Kol Ami. “The ethics of Judaism inform my desire to be a public servant,” says Laurie.

The issues she focuses on include aging in place, jobs, affordable housing, inclusion and transportation.

Several of those issues are interconnected.

“I love cities and downtowns,” says Laurie.

“Cities are more livable when you have safe places for people to walk and bike. It’s also important in aging in place – having safe places to walk is really important to keeping seniors in their homes longer.”

On the issues page of her website, she notes that she understands the challenges for regional travel, neighborhood streets and addressing the needs of all people, whether young or old, drivers or walkers, public transit riders or bikers.

“According to the U.S. census, by 2030 a full quarter of U.S. residents will be over the age of 60,” notes Laurie; therefore, she “supports forward-thinking ways to help people age in place, such as age-friendly home-design concepts, reviewing comprehensive plan standards to anticipate the needs of citizens and creating opportunities for alternative accessible housing for our seniors. Along with a progressive transportation system, we can help Vancouver become an age-friendly place for all citizens in the city.”

Laurie has lived on both the east and west sides of Vancouver, which she feels gives her good perspective on dealing with the diversity in the community and the varied needs of different parts of the city.

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 27

WO M E N W H O L E A D

Cheryl Coon aids today’s refugees

By Jenn Director Knudsen

I

n Oregon, one in 10 residents is an immigrant according to the American Immigration Council. Our state – and Portland, in particular – also is home to increasing numbers of refugees, people fleeing unimaginable hardships including war, persecution and natural disasters.

Cheryl Coon has made it her life’s work to represent the most traumatized among those whose exodus from their native lands has become their master story, just as Exodus is ours. In 2016, Coon, a career lawyer, left the for-profit world to found and become executive director of Refugee Disability Benefits of Oregon, soon to be renamed Refugee and Immigrant Services and Empowerment, reflecting its expanded mission. Coon believes RISE is one of a kind in the entire country, assisting the neediest refugees and immigrants – those with disabilities, whether physical, emotional, or both.

Portland may not (yet) be the local refugees’ promised land.

But Coon – and her nonprofit’s small staff and board, composed of former refugees themselves – helps them secure services they wouldn’t receive without representation.

“Though it may seem unbelievable these people are turned down for help, they are,” says Coon, referring to RISE’s 130 clients.

28 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

Coon, 65, says her work is motivated by two of Judaism’s central social justice tenets. “My work is so intrinsically of a Jewish undertaking,” Coon says from her downtown Portland office. Her work also is motivated by her own family’s exodus; they left the United States for a foreign land when she was only 8 years old.

The granddaughter of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, Coon says in 1960 her nuclear family relocated from Los Angeles to Australia, which wasn’t their first choice. They were rejected from other locales on their list. Why? Because they were Jewish. That seminal experience, coupled with witnessing poverty “unlike anything I’d ever imagined” when traveling through China at age 10, inform Coon’s work to this day.

She says the foreign downtrodden often are the last to seek government assistance for services like mental health care, Above: Cheryl Coon at the RDBO’s Grand Opening event in June 2016. IRCO donated space for the event, which was attended by more than 200 refugee families and elected officials.

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English-language and job training, and benefits that help with rent, groceries and other basic necessities. Work eludes many of them due to their indefinite timeline for recovery from the extreme traumas they’ve survived – traumas like kidnap, rape and torture.

Coon has myriad illustrative stories.

RISE clients’ names are not included due to fear of retribution and privacy concerns.

Coon tells of an uneducated Rohingya woman – a member of Myanmar’s Muslim minority who are fleeing ethnic cleansing – who arrived here at age 24 after suffering rape, witnessing her brother’s and parents’ murders, and living in a refugee camp.

Another client is an Iraqi who’d been tortured under Saddam Hussein’s reign. He’d made it to the United States on a special visa, and then was called to serve in his native country as an interpreter alongside American troops during the Persian Gulf War. When he returned to his adopted land, he was suffering with a back injury from combat and debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder.

He’s fortunate to be represented by RISE, but that doesn’t necessarily make Portland the promised land.

Coon says, “Many refugees had no wish to leave their home country, but violence and war forced them to do so. They do not consider the U.S. to be the ‘promised land,’ but rather the place where they are safe and will build new lives because they must.”

But for others, arriving and living here does represent a promised land of sorts.

A Somali client of RISE says through an interpreter, “Life was very hard. Death was everywhere. To come to a place where we have enough food, yes, that is a promised land. I could not think of it while I was there. But now that I am here, I see already this is where my children will have a very different life from mine.”

RISE board member Victoria Libov characterizes her escape from Russian Crimea as an exodus to a promised land. “We just wanted to be free to be Jews,” said Libov, employment manager at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization.

“It was hard and painful to lock our apartment door for the last time knowing we would never unlock it again,” says Libov of her exodus. “I was leaving behind my brother, friends and my parents’ graves.”

Being chased by the Russian mafia was but one huge obstacle Libov overcame in her weeklong journey to a new, free, Jewish life here. “I have to admit from the day one (in 1991) in Portland we felt welcomed. We were surrounded by wonderful Jewish community members who became lifelong friends and family.” Three years later, her brother joined her.

Another RISE board member, Chhabi Koirala, 52, also offers some refugees a glimpse at a more promising future. A refugee from Bhutan, Koirala in the mid-1980s was among an ethnic minority from the south forced to speak a language other than his native tongue, follow a certain dress code and risk losing his citizenship.

Worse, he says, “Armies and police raided southern Bhutan, arbitrarily arrested people, tortured and raped women and children, and many people were held in detention centers.” He eventually sought asylum in Nepal, where he lived in a refugee camp for 17 “miserable years.” In 2008 he came to this country, where the struggle for basic services and starting life over were harder than he’d imagined. And he is able-bodied and of sound mind.

“It is (even) more challenging for refugees who are disabled and those who have mental health problems,” he says.

RISE needs volunteers – for example, to accompany clients during visits to Social Security Administration offices – and always seeks financial support.

Koirala is president of the Oregon Bhutanese Community Organization, and he is the family stability program coordinator at IRCO’s Asian Family Center. He also serves on RISE’s board. “We promote the integration of refugees, immigrants and the community at large into a self-sufficient, healthy and inclusive multi-ethnic society,” he says.

That’s a promise everyone should want kept.

Volunteer or Donate: rdbo.org | cheryl@rdbo.org 971-270-0755

JEWISH TEENS FUND REFUGEE PROGRAM Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation teens last year heard a presentation by Refugee Disability Benefits of Oregon for the first time. The group granted RDBO $2,000 to establish its Community Navigator program. Matt Zola of Congregation Neveh Shalom is one of the teens who supported the grant that trains teens in RDBO’s community to assist their elders.

“Over the course of last year, one thing that our OJCYF instructors taught us was that we can make a bigger difference in the community if we focus on teaching other youth to give back to their community,” says Zola, now a college freshman. “Our hope is that these youth will grow up and continue to serve their communities, which multiplies the benefit we can provide. As Jews, we also can closely identify with refugee and immigrant groups.”

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 29

W OM E N W HO L E AD

32 Gain lifeskills at camp

Monica Brenner takes lead for transitions 34 Fire can’t dim spirit

36 Jewish camps thrive

38 Parent’s summer blues 40 News from camp

By42Deborah BB launchesMoon day camp

M

onica Brenner has spent the past 25 years raising 43 Solomon Schecter grows

money for or leading nonprofits, primarily in the arts.

44 Camp-Hebrew school tie “I love what the arts can do for our city,” says Monica. “I’m drawn to help arts serve our community and youth.”

45 Camp Most recentlyDirectory she served as interim executive director of The Circus Project, which “transcends social barriers and inspires personal transformation through circus instruction and performance” with classes for adults and children of all ages including homeless youth. She also headed the Portland Festival Symphony, which provides free classical concerts in parks each summer.

“Everybody has the right to share in the beauty of classical music,” she says.

“I’m drawn to raising money for the arts and running arts organizations.”

Now she is drawing on her administrative experience and passion for the arts to help the family that created Willowbrook Arts Camp transition the summer arts camp to a new era. Its 37th summer will be the first time the camp has not been family run. Monica was hired last spring to work with the family for the 36th year. This year, as interim director, she will ensure the camp is up and running and that the heart and soul the family has poured into it for decades continues to shine through.

Willowbrook Founder Althea PrattBroome launched her arts and nature summer camp in 1982 with a group of 20 children. Willowbrook now serves some 1,900 children with more than 225 staff at Brown’s Ferry Park in Tualatin.

“Her vision flourishes,” says Monica.

“Arts and nature spark creativity.”

“Willowbrook is a nomadic camp,” she says. “It is a massive undertaking. We set up an entire camp at the park in just two weeks, then we pack everything up in two weeks at the end of summer.”

30 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

Monica enjoys both the problem-solving skills needed to meet those logistic challenges and the opportunity “to see the arts through the eyes of kids.”

Younger campers are exposed to arts including puppetry, weaving, ceramics, drama and music, as well as nature study.

As children age, they are able to choose from those same activities as well as additional options such as learning to play an instrument, photography, stagecraft, fused glass, dance and creative writing.

Since moving from Chicago to Portland in 1989, Monica and her husband, John Henrichsen, have been members of Congregation Neveh Shalom. Their sons, Eli, 16, and Ethan, 21, attended Foundation School. Eli is now vice president of his BBYO chapter, and Ethan is active with Chabad at the University of Oregon.

“The Jewish community helped me shape my kids’ Jewish experience,” she says.

Monica sees a similar emphasis on tradition at Willowbrook. “The history of the camp feels like how I feel about my Jewish community,” she says. “I hope I can keep up the heart and soul the family has put into this organization.” willowbrookartscamp.org

Monica Brenner looks over the stored supplies that each summer convert a park into an arts camp.

Laurie Sonnenfeld: Music, realty and tzedakah are her passions

By Kerry Politzer

L

aurie Sonnenfeld is a woman who wears many hats.

She is the principal broker at Laurie Sonnenfeld Realty; she manages and promotes Pa’lante, a salsa and Latin jazz band; and she hosts a folk music program on local radio station KBOO (90.7 FM).

Laurie has been involved at KBOO both as a volunteer and a board member for many years. She met her husband, jazz DJ and Pa’lante bandleader Nick Gefroh, at KBOO, and it was a match made in musical heaven.

Music has been very important to Laurie since childhood, so it is only natural that it would continue to surround her.

“My father played the violin,” she explains. “My mother had a very beautiful voice, and she grew up with a lot of music, too.

Her sister was an accomplished pianist, and they spent many hours playing and singing light operas.”

Laurie’s father, a German Holocaust survivor, had a small band that played in clubs in Germany. In 1936, he escaped from a concentration camp and fled on an Italian boat to Shanghai. He eventually made his way to California, where Laurie was born.

Portland called to Laurie because of its natural beauty. After moving here in 1977, she felt at home within a month.

“I was (already) running into people I knew; that’s what I wanted,” she says. “Portland had that small-town aspect. It was possible to find a sense of community very quickly.”

Laurie wrote for the alternative Portland Scribe newspaper and worked at the old Arbuckle Flat Coffee House, which regularly hosted live music. Soon, Laurie developed a vast network of friends, some of whom would later become her real estate clients. In 1983, she became a programmer for the folk music show at KBOO. Today, Laurie continues to draw from the creative well of music. She spends her free time studying blues, folk and Latin piano. She feels a deep connection between music and spirituality, one that even figured into her choice of congregation. Cantor Ann Brown’s “warmth and beautiful

voice” drew her to Beit Haverim, as did the musical leanings of the congregation’s rabbi, Alan Berg. “(He) has that musical passion, and he brings the most interesting music references into his Torah study, into his sermons, into everything – because it’s such a big part of him,” Laurie says.

Another passion of Laurie’s is helping others. Before entering into the real estate field, she served in positions with The Boys and Girls Aid Society of Oregon. She recounts, “I did marketing, publishing, video, photography and other public relations for the agency. At night and on weekends, I handled emergency intake with 11- to 17-year-old runaways and other kids who needed help. I would take calls from police or the kids themselves, pick them up at police stations or juvenile detention, and determine the best short-term plan (for them).”

Laurie’s commitment to tzedakah continues at Laurie Sonnenfeld Realty/Homes With Character. “(My clients) really like our giving program; I give a portion of our profits to green and progressive groups like Oregon Wild and the Feral Cat Coalition, the Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization and some others. It’s so important to me.”

Other causes dear to Laurie’s heart are animal welfare, the environment and preservation of local homes. As a Realtor, she specializes in what she terms “homes with character.”

Laurie is about to celebrate 30 years as a Realtor in Portland.

Soon she will hold a gala at which Pa’lante will perform. In this way, she can marry her two main passions: music and community. cascadiahomes.com | PalantePDX.com

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 31

BIRTH OF A

MOVEMENT

By Deborah Moon

Roz Rothstein and StandWithUs help others speak up for Israel

32 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

COVER STORY COVER STORY

Roz Rothstein and StandWithUs help others speak up for Israel

DISMAYED BY THE LACK OF ORGANIZED SUPPORT FOR ISRAELIS IN THE FACE OF THE SECOND INTIFADA, THREE CALIFORNIANS REFUSED TO BE BYSTANDERS. “We did not have a grand plan, we began to meet the immediate need of a voice to support the Israeli people,” says Roz Rothstein, who serves as CEO of StandWithUs, the now 16-year-old, international, nonprofit Israel education organization that grew out of that effort.

Roz and her husband, Jerry, and friend Esther Renzer soon realized so much more needed to be done.

“We were all volunteers, but it became clear in the first year (that) it was so badly needed; it took off like wildfire,” says Roz. “It felt like a movement.”

“We were offering people the opportunity to explain what was going on and offering them tools to help them teach their friends,” she says. “We realized there

were no user-friendly materials out there.”

Creating accurate, well-researched, documented information in user-friendly formats required researchers, writers, a graphics team and money to print and ship the materials. So the founders incorporated StandWithUs as a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

“We’ve grown exceptionally fast,” says Roz. “We have 18 offices and a $13-million budget.”

SWU now supports people around the world who want to educate their campuses and communities about Israel.

SWU provides university fellowships, high school internships, middle school curricula, conferences, materials, social media, educational films and missions to Israel.

Roz is the daughter of Holocaust

survivors who met in a displaced persons camp after the war. She learned about the importance of Israel from her parents, Ann Lautenberg and Abraham Kreiner, and from the Zionist youth group Bnei Akiva.

As a leader in the youth group, Roz says she also learned some administrative skills she now uses and “the importance of youth leading youth, a principle that we heavily rely on at StandWithUs.” She further honed her experience with youth, administration and nonprofit work as the director of family and children’s programs at a JCC. During the first year of SWU, she continued her 20-year career as a family therapist; but soon SWU encompassed all of her time, and she accepted the title of CEO.

350 students and SWU staff pose at the Israel in Focus student conference. This year's student conference in Los Angeles Jan. 19-22 also featured the StandWithUs international conference on Combating BDS. PHOTOS COURTESY STANDWITHUS.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 33

ROZ ROT H S T E I N / S ta n d W i t h U s Roz is extremely concerned that younger Jews often do not feel connected to or inspired by Israel.

“These are the future supporters or nonsupporters of Israel,” she says.

The following Q&A with Roz has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

I understand that concern about anti-Israel bias in the media during the Second Intifada was the motivation to create SWU. But did any particular event precipitate the final commitment to found SWU? It’s a funny thing about leadership. I and the other founders of StandWithUs, Jerry Rothstein (COO) and Esther Renzer (president), had no interest in leading or beginning a new organization. We were actually waiting and hoping there was some grand plan by some big successful well-endowed organization to tell all of us what we could do to help Israel. And we waited, and nothing happened. Clearly there was no big plan.

And then something horrific happened: Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran were murdered in the hills of Tekoa on May 8, 2001, when they decided to play hooky from school and go on a hike.

They were cornered by Palestinians, who brutally murdered them.

The murder of these two boys was the catalyst for us to stop waiting for an unknown organization to come forward with the grand plan to support Israel.

The painful realization was that we would need to create a new organization with the mission to stand up for Israel and Israelis when they are attacked or misrepresented, and to empower people around the world to educate their communities of all ages about Israel. The boys were murdered on May 8, 2001.

Our first meeting (an emergency one held at our home with 50 professionals including rabbis of every denomination) took place two weeks later, May 21, 2001.

At first, it was unclear how we would fulfill the mission of a new organization that supports Israel. That mission rapidly became clear, and we were soon approached by people of all faiths and ages who wanted/needed our help. Our mission statement (Supporting Israel Around the World, Through Education and Fighting Anti-Semitism) is posted on our website, and we are very focused and growing quickly.

Did any of your three now adult children have any experiences that drove your desire to found SWU? No, not before the founding of StandWithUs. The founding of StandWithUs was a result of the violence that erupted in Israel during the early part of the Second Intifada terrorist war against Israel, the way the media was portraying the conflict and the missing leadership strategy for Israel in the Diaspora in 2000 and 2001.

However, after we began the organization we realized that although our own children grew up in Jewish schools and camps, while learning about and also traveling to Israel, they were symbolic of other young adults who were simply unequipped to have deep conversations about Israel on their college campuses.

This important realization helped us understand the need for Israel education of a different kind. Yes, it’s important that we 34 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

teach our children a love for Israel. But without some basic information about history, size, strategic threats and the ancestral Jewish connection to Israel, they are at a loss to engage in the deep conversations that will likely come up.

Your parents are Holocaust survivors; can you discuss how that shaped/contributed to your belief in the necessity of SWU? First, I should underscore that Israel was extremely important to my parents and all their friends.

They were excellent role models in their excitement and caring for the reborn state of Israel. The Holocaust made them homeless refugees and they lost family members.

Miraculously, they were able to relish the announcement that Israel had been reborn in their own lifetimes ... providing a homeland for every Jew in the world.

For them it was profound.

Israel filled their hearts with joy and made them feel more whole. They learned about Israel becoming a state with all the other homeless Holocaust survivors while they were still in a DP camp. I can only imagine how elated they must have been. My mother often talked about how they danced all night on that special day in May 14, 1948.

And there was another important issue for me, also connected to the Holocaust. Being a daughter of survivors sharpened my interest and understanding in this simple issue: that the way Palestinian children are being taught to hate Jews parallels the hateful lessons taught to the Nazi youth in the 1930s before the Holocaust began in 1939.

While witnessing the bus bombings and shootings at the beginning of the terrorist war against Israel, I was concerned that any hope for peace with the Palestinians was being made impossible because of the perpetuation of severe hatred. We see this represented in Palestinian mosques, school books, television shows, streets and even sports events named after terrorists, money paid to the families of terrorists by the Palestinian government, etc.

Israel is expected to make peace with the leadership of a society that is being consistently led down a path lined with

Clockwise, above: StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein chats with attendees at the International SWU conference in January.

StandWithUs provides speakers and educational materials to help people understand Israel; Here, Pacific NW StandWithUs Shaliach Udi Asaraf talks to high school students.

Students question panelists during the student panel on “Challenges and Opportunities on the Ground.�

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 35

ROZ ROT H S T E I N / S ta n d W i t h U s hatred and violence. Before we started StandWithUs, I already understood that well-meaning people were unaware of this huge impediment to peace.

Your mission statement says you believe “education is the road to peace.”

Yes. We believe that with more information, everyone can be helpful and everyone gains. Information can bring understanding on all levels and keep the parties accountable.

Understanding of the Jewish ties that bind them to Israel is key to understanding why so many Jews feel connected to the issues.

When you began in 2001, what was your initial program?

Our initial goals were, first, to organize a few demonstrations to show support for the Israeli people during a most difficult time – to tell Israeli citizens that they are not alone and that people outside of Israel deeply care.

Second, to help correct media misinformation. We had an initial meeting with the Los Angeles Times to discuss their clear bias after we did a systematic study of how they often omitted information that would explain Israel’s side of the story, they frequently used misleading headlines and their photos (size and use of color) often favored the Palestinian perspective.

Third, we created a newsletter and began to disseminate information to a growing global StandWithUs membership.

Fourth, people wanted teaching materials to distribute to their communities, so we began to create fact sheets and booklets to help people educate their communities. Once our profile began to rise, we were contacted for help by frustrated students all over the country who were experiencing antiSemitism as a result of the conflict in Israel. The anti-Semitism was coming from anti-Israel student groups, speakers brought to campuses and professors. It was not at all the universities, but it was becoming commonplace at far too many across the country and in Canada. And there were segments of the Jewish community that minimized the problem. Today most Jewish organizations clearly see the anti-Semitism that was clear to us 16 years ago.

We then were invited by people in Detroit to open a chapter there. As soon as our campus work began to take off, we opened up an office in New York, where we grew our campus team quickly. In 2006, we opened an office in Jerusalem, and offices soon sprang up in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Do you collaborate in any way with the AMCHA Initiative: Protecting Jewish Students?

Tammi Benjamin does great work. We do sign most of the letters she writes to campus administrations. We also partner with hundreds of other organizations.

“Today most Jewish organizations clearly see the anti-Semitism that was clear to us 16 years ago." ~Roz Rothstein

When you expanded beyond California, where was your first new office/chapter?

We expanded to San Francisco because there was a sister group growing there, and we wanted to support their efforts.

36 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

In Oregon, SWU’s Emerson Fellows work closely with campus Hillels.

Is that an intentional or organic partnership? Are all/most Emerson Fellows active in Hillel?

Most of our Emersons are active in Hillel, but since we don’t only recruit Jewish students as Emersons, it is not a requirement.

We look for students who are leaders on campus and can bring together the different groups to support Israel. Most of our Emersons are in charge of their pro-Israel campus activities and involved with Hillel, Chabad or other major Israel clubs on campus.

While I know all SWU’s programs are important to educate people about Israel and combat anti-Semitism, which one program do you consider vital to your mission?

Our strategy to empower students before they arrive in college campuses is very important. That is why we began a High School Internship program in 2012 and most recently a middle school curriculum, which is now in 36 schools in 12 states (including Oregon).

We will continue to expand our work on colleges with our Emerson Fellowship program, and we will also expand our program in high schools to prepare students so that they are ready to lead when they arrive in college.

Do you have other areas of age groups where you plan to expand your efforts?

Once we stabilize our new LINK program and are satisfied with its growth and progress (as we are with our work in high school and college campuses), we hope to develop programs for grammar schools. standwithus.com

S ta n d W i t h U s / pac i f i c N W

StandWithUs changes conversation in Northwest

S

ince StandWithUs was founded 16 years ago, half a million college students have participated in SWU campus programs. The Israel education nonprofit has distributed tens of millions of copies of the user-friendly educational materials it developed. Hundreds of millions of people have watched and shared SWU educational videos, and more than a billion interactions have occurred on SWU social media platforms.

Even before SWU opened its Pacific Northwest office on June 20, 2017, the group was having an impact in Oregon and Washington. Since then, their efforts have multiplied.

“StandWithUs is a great partner and resource in terms of educating the community about Israel via knowledgeable speakers and helping the JCRC to combat the delegitimization of Israel,” says Bob Horenstein, director of community relations and strategic initiatives for the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

The need for the work SWU does became apparent to the federation’s Israel Advocacy Committee several years ago.

“Our IAC Education Committee reached out to Oregon and SW Washington high schools and attended social studies conferences to learn more about Middle East curriculum in the schools,” says IAC chair Michelle Bombet Minch.

“We discovered an infiltration of anti-Israel curricula and needed to respond swiftly to offer teachers impartial resources on the complex,

often misunderstood IsraeliPalestinian conflict.”

In the spring of 2016, SWU told the IAC about its shaliach program to send a visiting young Israeli into high schools.

A JFGP grant funded the first SWU shaliach; during the 2016-17 school year, the shaliach visited over two dozen schools in Oregon and SW Washington.

“If an invitation for a return visit to those schools for 2017-2018 is any indication of success, then it’s apparent the program is making great strides,” says Michelle.

“Teachers and students enjoy the opportunity to meet a young Israeli in person and to have a dialogue about culture, society and the relationship with Israel’s Arab neighbors. This personal connection is a much needed respite in today’s world of information overload from textbooks and online learning.”

With the opening of a regional office in Seattle, SWU is expanding its programs and available resources.

The regional team is led by Executive Director Randy Kessler. A lifelong Seattle-area resident, Randy and his family reside on Mercer Island. After a successful career in corporate technology and education, Randy made the move to fulltime Israel education.

Roland Roth is the managing director of SWU’s NorCal and PNW regions. He has been a professional fundraiser in the Jewish community for almost four years, first with Jewish National Fund and now with StandWithUs. PNW Associate Director Alisa Chessler credits her successful career in the medical industry to always having clearly

Above: SWU and the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland collaborate on many Israel education programs including a humorous and insightful talk at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center held Feb. 5. Gil Hoffman, the chief political correspondent and analyst for The Jerusalem Post, spoke on “Peace, Politics and Plutonium: Israel’s Challenges and Opportunities during the Trump-Netanyahu Era.” From left are Randy Kessler, SWU Pacific Northwest executive director; Hoffman; and Bob Horenstein, JFGP community relations director. PHOTO BY DEBORAH MOON

defined goals and strategic plans. Alisa and her young daughter relocated to Seattle in July to join SWU after successfully launching a proIsrael initiative in New York.

Udi Asaraf is this year’s SWU shaliach for the region.

Udi and his work were featured in a January Oregon Jewish Life article titled “Knowledge Trumps Hate.”

PNW Campus Director Noa Raman is a first-generation American with Israeli immigrant parents. After a 2014 TaglitBirthright Israel Trip, Noa concentrated her coursework

at Lewis & Clark on the Middle East and received a research grant for her thesis, “Causes of Territorial Disputes: How Uncertainty and Resources Contributed to the 1967 SixDay War.” PNW High School Coordinator Aryeh Gelfand joined StandWithUs in the summer of 2017. He lived in Israel for two years. He has staffed Birthright trips with Israel Outdoors and also attended the Brandeis Collegiate Institute’s monthlong intensive Jewish educational experience in Brandeis, CA.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 37

StandWithUs Randy and SWU CEO Roz Rothstein, with input from Noa, Udi and Aryeh, replied to the following questions about SWU and the Pacific Northwest.

Does the Pacific Northwest face any region-specific challenges or advantages in terms of supporting Israel?

The Pacific Northwest has many people of all faiths and backgrounds who support Israel, however we also have some of the nation’s leading antiIsrael groups here. In the eight months that our new team has been leading the Northwest chapter of StandWithUs, we have seen anti-Israel films shown at area churches, an “Israeli Apartheid Wall” constructed at the University of Washington, and public demonstrations with people holding signs like “Israel = Terror” and “One Holocaust Does Not Justify Another.” In every case, StandWithUs was there to monitor, expose and help challenge misinformation.

How would you characterize feedback from high schools visited by Udi this year (especially Oregon High Schools)?

Feedback has always been positive. Oregon is not a diverse state, so teachers and principals are pleased to have their students meet and learn from someone from another country.

Occasionally, there are schools that are apprehensive about bringing an Israeli to speak about a charged topic, but after he speaks, they realize that the talk is not political but merely an educational experience.

In addition to being the SWU High School Intern at Beaverton High School, Jennifer Caplan

is also president of the regional BBYO. Udi has spoken multiple times at her synagogue, Neveh Shalom.

What are “Emerson Fellows” achieving on Oregon college campuses?

SWU Emerson Fellows attempt to interface with other campus clubs by supporting one another’s initiatives to build coalitions and connections.

Emersons educate their peers about Israel and work to create an environment where meaningful dialogue about the region and conflict can occur.

Fellows bring educational programming to campus that suits their interests and also create creative campaigns.

They combat anti-Semitism and work to defeat anti-Israel divestment resolutions and to pass legislation in the student government emphasizing dialogue and cooperation.

Negin Akhavan at the University of Oregon and Shayla Norris-York from Portland State University hosted “Gratitude Days,” an SWU activation that invites passersby to pause from their busy lives and write something they are grateful for. It is based on a similar program held annually between Holocaust Remembrance Day and Independence Day in Israel.

38 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

Each campus engaged close to 200 students. Negin and Shaya also hosted the “Israeli Soldiers Tour.” Alex Raphael of Lewis & Clark penned an article on it for OJL. On Valentine’s Day, all three Emersons hosted a bake sale fundraiser for the Israel organization “Save a Child’s Heart,” which helps children anywhere in the world in need of open-heart surgery. Students successfully engaged new faces about the humanitarian work Israel does on a day-to-day basis.

Can you describe the importance of SWU’s relationship with the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland?

The relationship has been tremendously important and has grown over the years. Without federation support, we never could have covered Oregon as extensively as we have. We have hosted more than 30 speaking engagements in Oregon and SW Washington during this school year alone.

Any other comments about SWU programs in Oregon?

We want to continue to bring enlightening speakers to Oregon, and we want the community to know that we are

Above: This year StandWithUs combined its Israel in Focus student conference with a community conference on Combating BDS. The joint conference in Los Angeles drew many participants from the Pacific Northwest. From left are Roland Roth, SWU Northwest managing director; Noa Raman, SWU Northwest campus director; Shayla Norris-York, Portland State University; Roz Rothstein, SWU co-founder and CEO; Randy Kessler, SWU Northwest executive director; Negin Akhavan, University of Oregon; Jennifer Caplan, SWU High School Intern, Beaverton High School; and Aryeh Gelfand, Northwest high school coordinator.

PHOTO BY CHRISTINA MIA MORALES

here as a resource to support Israel through education. Last year, we launched an effort to reach out to Hispanic Christians with an increasing number of educational materials and speakers in Spanish. northwest@standwithus.com 206-801-0902

Israel at

70 FUNFACTS Compiled by Dan Seligson

To prepare for Israel’s 70th birthday, here are 70 fun factsaboutIsraeli food, culture, geography, academicsand more!

1. Cherry tomatoes were

engineered in Israel.

2. Israel is the only county to have more trees today than it did 50 years ago.

3. An Israeli company developed the world’s first jellyfish repellent.

4. Israeli Linor Abargil won the Miss World contest in 1998. She went on to campaign against sexual violence.

5. Israel was the first country to conform to an international standard that certifies diamonds as being “conflict free.”

6. After Tokyo and New York City, Tel Aviv has the most sushi restaurants per capita.

7. Israel is the only country to have a sacred language (Hebrew) as its national tongue.

8. Thanks to its national snack (think peanut Cheetos), babies in Israel are 10 times less likely to suffer from peanut allergies.

9. Israel’s cows produce more milk than cows from other countries.

10. The “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” TV series was produced by an Israeli named Haim Saban.

11. People of the book: Israel publishes more books per capita than any other country.

12. Palwin wine, Israel’s oldest brand, was first produced by the Palestine Wine and Trading Company, established in 1898.

13. Israel has the world’s highest rate of entrepreneurship among women.

14. There are more than 40 kosher McDonald’s in Israel. The only one outside Israel is in Bueños Aires.

15. In 1992, Israel experienced such a severe winter that snow fell in the Negev desert.

16. Israel has the highest number of university degrees per capita than any other country.

17. Haifa’s subway system is one of the world’s smallest, with four carriages and just over one mile of track.

18. Buses around Israel have signs that quote the biblical passage, “You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old.”

19. One million notes are left in the Kotel (Western Wall) each year. They are cleaned out twice a year, before Passover and Rosh Hashanah.

20. The largest known dog cemetery in the ancient world was unearthed in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.

21. Beersheva has the largest number of chess grandmasters per capita of any city in the world.

22. Israeli bank notes have Braille on them to assist the blind.

23. The glue on Israeli stamps is kosher.

24. Israel celebrates Mother’s Day on Shevat 30, the birthday of Henrietta Szold, the founder of Hadassah.

25. Microsoft has more employees in Israel than it does per capita anywhere in the world.

26. A group in Netanya broke the world record for the largest sock mosaic, using 12,000 in total.

27. Coffee and cafés are so good in Israel that it’s the only country where Starbucks failed trying to break into the local market.

28. Israel has one of the highest concentrations of bird traffic in the world—500 million migrating birds cross its airspace each year.

29. Every year, an Israeli Arab hotel manager named Jaaber Hussein buys all the state’s chametz (leavened products) for Passover.

30. A green pepper grown in Moshav Ein Yahav claimed the record for the world’s largest, weighing in at over a pound.

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31. The most popular name for Israeli babies—both boys and girls—is “Noam.”

32. Israel’s Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth and is 8.6 times saltier than the ocean.

33. Bamba, Israel’s favorite snack, was first produced in 1964 and was cheese-flavored. Allergy-fighting peanut butter was introduced two years later.

34. Israel has the highest number of museums per capita in the world.

35. More than nine out of 10 Israeli homes use solar power to heat water.

36. Feeling adventurous? You can buy hummus-flavored ice cream in Jaffa.

37. Napoleon tried to lay siege to Acre in 1799. There is a “Napoleon Hill” in the city.

38. There are 285 replica models of historical, cultural and religious sites on display at the Mini Israel Museum in Lod. 39. Israel is the first country to place a ban on the use of underweight models on catwalks.

40. Israeli inventor Rafi Yoeli is building the world’s first flying car.

41. Israelis who observe Shabbat can buy car insurance that doesn’t cover Saturdays.

42. The Mount of Olives in Jerusalem is the world’s oldest continuously used cemetery.

43. The animals at the Jerusalem biblical zoo are fed kosher for Passover food over the holiday.

44. Israel has more orchestras per capita than any other country.

45. Leon Uris’s Israel epic “Exodus” stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for more than a year in 1958.

46. Israeli rabbis, with help from scientists, have ruled that giraffe milk is kosher.

47. Alexander the Great is said to have entered Israel in 333 BCE via the caves at Rosh Hanikra.

48. Beersheba is twinned with 14 towns and cities around the world.

49. Israeli academics produce more scientific papers per capita than anywhere else in the world.

50. Israel has appeared in the World Cup finals only once, in 1970.

51. Philanthropist Baron de Rothschild died in 1934 in France and his remains were transported to Israel once it became a state.

52. Israel is one of only three democracies in the world without a codified constitution. The others are Britain and New Zealand.

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53. By law, the Jewish National and University Library receives copies of every book printed in Israel.

54. Israel has more computers per capita than any other country.

55. The most common street name in Israel is “Ha’Zait,” which means “Olive Street.”

56. Per capita, Israelis are the world’s biggest consumers of fruits and vegetables.

57. Israel’s Save a Child’s Heart organization performs lifesaving heart operations for children worldwide, including many Palestinians, free of charge.

58. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the number of Christians is increasing.

59. Israel has its own day-long festival of love, called Tu B’Av. 60. Relative to its population, Israel has absorbed more immigrants than any other country, with newcomers from more than 100 countries.

61. Voicemail technology was developed in Israel.

62. Israeli humanitarian aid workers are often the first to respond to disasters around the world.

63. Israel is home to the world’s only theater company comprised entirely of deaf and blind actors.

64. Life expectancy in Israel is among the highest in the world, at 82 years.

65. Israel has won more Nobel Prizes than all other Middle East countries combined.

66. The World Centre of the Bahai faith is in the Israeli cities of Acre and Haifa.

67. Golda Meir was the third woman in history to serve as prime minister.

68. Team Israel won four games in the 2017 World Baseball Classic without a single player on an MLB roster.

69. Israel is the 11th happiest country in the world (the United States is 14th) of more than 150 ranked.

70. Jerusalem has over 1,500 public parks and gardens.

Originally published on JewishBoston.com

#SharedLife donor registry unveiled at AIPAC Bone marrow recipient Dr. Steve Arnow (wearing shirt "I am living a Shared Life") with his family meet Gev Blau (back), an IDF soldier who donated the bone marrow that saved Dr. Arnow’s life.

Ezer Mizion, the largest nonprofit organization providing health support services in Israel and the largest Jewish bone marrow registry, launched its new campaign, #SharedLife, at The American Israel Public Affairs Committee Annual Policy Conference.

The AIPAC Policy Conference, held this year March 4-6 in Washington, D.C., is the largest gathering of America's pro-Israel community. The conference features demonstrations of groundbreaking Israeli innovations, keynote speeches

by American and Israeli leaders, and educational sessions.

The conference drew more than 18,000 pro-Israel Americans, more than two-thirds of Congress and more than 3,600 college students including 283 student government presidents.

To honor Ezer Mizion, AIPAC shared an emotional video (watch.aipac.org/watch/vi9qUpCTUVrSijXM4LvG3z ) showcasing the organization’s impact.

In 1998, Dr. Bracha and Moti Zisser founded the Ezer

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Mizion's bone marrow registry. What originally began as a small project has today expanded to be the largest Jewish-specific registry around the world. Through its exclusive partnership formed in 2005 with the Israel Defense Forces, Ezer Mizion is able to obtain a fresh pool of pre-screened candidates from each recruitment cycle. To date, its database has 885,264 registrants (including 470,038 IDF recruits), has successfully matched nearly 12,000 patients and has facilitated nearly 3,000 transplants.

The #SharedLife campaign showcases the strong connection between a donor and a recipient. In addition, Ezer Mizion was recognized for building and maintaining the largest Jewish bone marrow registry.

Dr. Zisser, who is the director of the registry, debuted the new campaign and introduced a donor/recipient duo to demonstrate its impact. Steve Arnow’s journey began when he was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Through Ezer Mizion, he connected with IDF soldier/donor Gev Blau for a transplant. The two were introduced for an emotional first meeting on the AIPAC stage.

EzerMizion.org

®

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On the

Wings of Eagles

By J. Wandres

“Operation Solomon,” the 1991 airlift of more than 14,300 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, was a significant success story. But it does not equal “On the Wings of Eagles,” the 1949-1950 resettlement of more than 70,000 Jews from all over the Middle East. That clandestine airlift was managed by a gentile from Oregon.

Robert Francis Maguire Jr. had earned a flying license as a teenager in Portland. He studied at Reed College before graduating from Oregon State University. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942 right after the United States declared war on Germany and Japan.

Following the war, Maguire took a job flying for Alaska Airlines. When David Ben-Gurion contracted with the airline for four propeller-driven DC-4 aircraft, Maguire and other Alaska Airline pilots ferried the squadron to Israel. In 1948 and 1949, similar aircraft had ferried supplies during the Berlin Airlift into the Allied sector of Soviet-blockaded Berlin.

Ben-Gurion’s first concern was to bring home some 49,000 Jews existing in harsh exile in the outback of Yemen, a country on the Horn of Africa. It is not clear how long Jews had been in the mountainous region; some believe since the time of Solomon. Yemen, a heavily Muslim nation, was anti-Semitic and levied harsh proscriptions against Jews. Yet, as journalist Joe Spier wrote, the Yemeni Jews, “In synagogues and schools … taught their children to write and speak Hebrew, and to teach the Talmud.” The devout Jews learned they would return to the homeland “on the wings of eagles.”

Most had never seen a DC-4 aircraft and were afraid to board. Their rabbi had to persuade them that their exodus was a life or death choice and absolve them to fly on Shabbat. Aircraft crews removed seats to lighten the load, which permitted up to 100 refugees with carry-on possessions to crowd together into the plane.

Pilots often had to take off from airstrips in the outback, and then fly over water and at night to avoid hostile ground forces trying to shoot them down. Before radio-based navigation, the pilots had to navigate by the stars to Lod airport in Tel Aviv.

When Alaska Airlines bailed out, Maguire formed Near East Air Transport. During the next two years, NEAT and “On the Wings of Eagles” brought some 70,000 Jews from other lands to their homeland. Nicknamed “Operation Magic Carpet,” the airlift ended in September 1950. Ben-Gurion honored Maguire, an Episcopalian, calling the Oregonian his “Irish Moses.”

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Maguire returned home and settled in Van Nuys, CA, where he married and raised two sons. He formed a corporation to establish Fixed Base Operations facilities at several California airports. In 2004, Maguire was awarded a Medal of Honor by the Simon Wiesenthal Organization. In 2005 at age 94, Robert Francis Maguire Jr. departed this world on his own Wings of Eagles.

Operation Solomon had help from Solomon Ezra

By Shuly Wasserstrom

One of Portland’s Jewish residents insists he’s “just like everyone else,” but in truth, Solomon Ezra was an integral part of a covert operation to bring thousands of Jewish Ethiopians to Israel. He has quite the story to tell.

Solomon has lived in Oregon since 1994, but he was born in Ethiopia and spent time in Israel during his youth. He was born in the Jewish village of Ambober in the Gondar province in 1960 and was raised in a religious, traditional household, led by his grandfather Tuwabe Melku, who was a chief rabbi in the area.

At 16, Ezra was jailed and tortured after being accused of spying. His sister, who was living in Israel, helped negotiate his release, and he immediately moved to Israel. He served in the Israeli Air Force and immersed himself in Israeli culture, but he never stopped thinking about the Jews in Ethiopia. Ultimately he played an essential role in the movement to bring them to Israel.

A good student in Israel, Solomon landed a scholarship to Boston University and began his undergraduate education.

His connections in Ethiopia were still strong, and in 1990 he returned and began to organize what would become Operation Solomon – a covert operation to fly thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. The Ethiopian government, immersed in a civil war, resisted the movement, but negotiations eventually led to an agreement.

On May 24, 1991, a ceasefire in the civil war was negotiated so the Israeli planes could fly in and out of the country.

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After the operation, Solomon went back to Boston to finish his degree. He then completed a master’s degree at UC Davis in California, where he was recruited by Intel and moved to Portland in 1994.

Solomon has been involved in Portland’s Jewish community and raised four children with his wife, Mimi. Keeping Ethiopian Jewish traditions alive and passing them onto his children is very important to him. He returns to Israel as often as possible to visit family. He says he would have loved to live in Israel, but life in Oregon has been good to him.

Solomon has now turned his attention to building a syn-

Solomon and Mimi Ezra with their four children.

Solomon recalls this day as the most thrilling of his life. He was briefly involved in facilitating negotiations, but he mainly acted as a coordinator for the community on the ground.

“It was a dream come true,” he says. “Finally, they let my people go.”

For 36 hours, Solomon helped check IDs and assign a number to each family. He was registering each person at the consulate before boarding the plane to start their new lives in Israel.

“Everyone wanted to come, but the selection screening was very detailed,” Solomon recalls. “It was a critical time. I had already lost my parents and other family members, and I didn’t want to leave anyone behind.”

Officials worked throughout the night – and quickly – in case the government leaders decided to call it off. Tensions were high and the Israeli government worked tirelessly to complete the operation. They took seats out of airplanes to fit as many people as possible.

“I had never worked so hard, but I was not tired. I was so excited. Every person who worked on the project did an outstanding job. I have never seen that kind of concentration, it was beautiful,” he says.

By the end of the operation, 35 aircraft had airlifted 14,325 Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Solomon was on one of the last planes out.

“It was emotional for me. We all did an excellent job. I’ve never been more proud in my life,” he says.

Ezra's grandfather: Chief Rabbi Tuwabe Melku.

agogue in Rishon Lezion, Israel, in honor of his grandfather.

He is determined to help Ethiopian Jews in Israel keep traditions alive and is building the synagogue in traditional fashion.

“Rishon is central Israel, and I wanted it to be in the center for the communities in the north and the south,” he explains.

He says he often thinks of the family he lost in Ethiopia and hopes this synagogue will serve to honor them.

To contribute to that effort, contact Solomon at: sezra_2000@yahoo.com or 503-750-1683.

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Artists 4 Israel comes to Oregon campuses

As Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary as a modern state, of Oregon campus for our second Annual Israel Block Parstudents on three Oregon campuses will have the chance to get ty,” says Loren Murphy, Oregon Hillel’s Israel Engagement free custom T-shirts created by Artists 4 Israel, an arts-based Fellow. “The Israel Block Party is an on-campus event where humanitarian aid and advocacy group. students are exposed to the cultural aspects of Israel through The Hillel of Greater Portland will host Artists 4 Israel as interaction. At University of Oregon we will have Artists 4 part of Israel Week events at Portland State University. The Israel paint a pro-Israel mural and paint T-shirts for students artists will paint T-shirts for students on campus from 2 to 5 to take home. pm, April 17.

“At Oregon State Oregon Hillel will University campus this bring the group to the will be our first Israel University of Oregon and Block Party, and will be Oregon State University one of the first largefor an Israel Block Party scale, pro-Israel events on on each campus. Artists 4 campus put on by Hillel.

Israel will paint T-shirts Our intention is to paint for students at UO April T-shirts for students on 18 and at OSU April 19, campus and help expose from 10 am-3 pm on both them to Israel-related days. While on the UO topics and groups that are campus, Artists 4 Israel on campus.” also will paint a pro-Israel During Israel Week at mural.

PSU, PDX Hillel will also According to their webpresent a screening of the site (artists4israel.org), film "Healing Ink." Artists 4 Israel’s campus This is an opportunity programming unites From left, Sophie Joslyn, Rachel Lodgen and Arianna Shapiro enjoy last year’s Israel Block to learn about the project diverse student groups to Party at the University of Oregon. This year’s block party will feature Artists 4 Israel. behind Artists 4 Israel, learn about themselves, which brings the world’s each other and Israel and most talented tattoo to create artwork in support of peace and unity. artists to Israel and around the world to cover the scars of those “Our participating, non-Jewish artists have all been part affected by terror attacks or war. A member of the production of our cultural missions to Israel and come back wanting to team will present the film at 7 pm, April 17. share their stories and personal experiences,” according to the PSU’s Israel Week will also feature: website. “They inspire the pro-Israel, Jewish and other campus • Israeli Shabbat at PSU Native American Center, 6-8 pm, communities and connect them with thousands of new allies, April 13. Cosponsored by the Jewish Student Union. leaving behind powerful and permanent displays of support for • Israeli Innovation at 70: Panel and lunch, noon-1:30 pm, peace and Israel.”

April 19. Three speakers will share their own entrepreneurial For the group’s T-shirt program, famous street artists cusvisions. Speakers will be given 10 minutes to present about tomize the shirts with graffiti images and words of the students’ their respective businesses and backgrounds, in a Ted-talk choosing. Students wear the shirts around campus throughout style, followed by panelist discussion and Q&A from the the year, reminding them of the day they connected with Israel. audience.

The graffiti mural program provides an experiential and • Tel Aviv Night Out, 7-9 pm, April 19, at PSU Native participatory creation of beautiful art led by non-Jewish American Center. Enjoy Israeli music, Israeli food and Israeli artists painting large peace-, Israel- and art-themed murals on music videos. campuses. Students are invited to participate in spray-painting For more information and locations of Israel Week events at their own positive message with the artists’ expert guidance.

PSU, contact info@pdxhillel.org or 503-867-3646.

Artists are also available to speak about their personal experiFor information on the Israel block parties at UO and OSU, ences in Israel. contact loren@oregonhillel.org or 541-343-8920 ext. 102.

“Oregon Hillel is bringing Artists 4 Israel to the University 44 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

Israel

Repairing the world one innovation at a time For a relatively young and small country – only 70 years old and less populated than North Carolina – with few natural resources, Israel is playing a disproportionate role in helping solve some of the world’s biggest challenges. In a new book, Avi Jorisch, Middle East expert and senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, explores how the essence of Israeli culture drives innovation and improves the world as billions benefit from their developments.

Through extensive research and more than 100 interviews Jorisch explains in Thou Shalt Innovate: How Israeli Ingenuity Repairs the World (Gefen Publishing House; March 5, 2018) how and why Israelis view solving the world’s gravest problems as a historic privilege and duty.

Jorisch writes, “This is the story of how Israelis are helping to feed the hungry, cure the sick, protect the defenseless and make the desert bloom by tapping into the nation’s soul: the spirit of tikkun olam – the Jewish concept of repairing the world.”

Out of the conflict and chaos that arises from Israel’s geopolitical strife, the idea of making the world a better place drives its development. They are dedicated problem solvers at heart and are uniquely positioned to repair historic darkness with light and healing.

Israeli advances in tech, medicine, agriculture, water independence and conservation and more have had a massive global impact.

In Thou Shalt Innovate, Jorisch interviews Israeli pioneers and details their extraordinarily inspiring stories of ingenuity including: • How a quadriplegic man developed an exoskeleton walking device that allows paraplegics to walk again.

• How an Israeli innovator created the uber of ambulances through a crowdsourcing smartphone application that alerts first responders to emergencies getting them there in a matter of minutes.

• How a large tree out of place inspired a water expert to invent modern drip irrigation – the system that revolutionized farming with water conservation and increased crop yields.

Today water poor areas around the globe use drip irrigation.

• How the first solar panel water heater was invented and is now used in most homes in Israel and Palestine, increasing the country’s energy independence.

• How a food storage expert developed a bag – the Grain

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Cocoon – that has saved villages throughout Africa from famine and is now used worldwide.

• How a doctor developed one of today’s most popular drugs to treat multiple sclerosis by extracting a precious protein from discarded infant foreskin.

• How with little time and even less financial support, a general with a dual PhD in electrical engineering and business dedicated his life to protect the defenseless and developed the Iron Dome Missile System – advanced radar and software that predicts an incoming rocket’s trajectory and shoots it out of the sky.

Jorisch writes, “Thou Shalt Innovate is a tale about Israelis who have chosen hope and healing over death and destruction. In a part of the world that has more than its share of darkness, these stories are a ray of light.”

Jorisch is a seasoned entrepreneur and Middle East expert.

He is a senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council and founder of IMS, a merchant processing company that services clients nationwide. A thought leader in exploring global trends in the Arab world, radical Islam, counterterrorism and illicit finance, Jorisch previously served in the US Departments of Treasury and Defense.

Yom Ha’atzmaut in Portland

Oregonians are invited to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the modern state of Israel beginning at 5 pm, April 18.

Make your way through Israel and join PJ Library partner organizations as they showcase several cities and regions throughout Israel using interactive activities such as archaeological digs – shifting through the sand to find ancient artifacts at Masada or decorating mystical Hamsas in Tzfat. There's something fun for the whole family!

Other activities include climbing to the top of Masada on the MJCC’s rock wall or bouncing in King Solomon's Temple bounce house. Children can also enjoy face painting and henna artwork.

Playing the hottest hits from Israel will be Israeli DJ, DJ Guy. Adults can grab a drink and dance the night away. Delicious cuisine will include Israeli salads, pita, falafel and other Israeli-inspired treats.

As you head into the celebration, stop by the “Israel from the Eyes of the Community: A Community Art Display” in the MJCC Gallery and vote for your favorite photo. Winning photos will be announced at 8 pm. The photos of Israel by local photographers will be on display April 10-30.

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FRONT & CENTER

By Deborah Moon

Michael Allen Harrison will bring his rare concert grand piano to Congregation Shaarie Torah for two firsts – his first performance at Congregation Shaarie Torah and the Conservative congregation’s first community-wide fundraising event.

Portland pianist and composer Michael Allen Harrison is well known for his December concerts at The Old Church and his annual “Ten Grands” concerts to support music education.

He has performed at Congregations Beth Israel, Neveh Shalom, Ahavath Achim and Havurah Shalom, but his April 29 concert will be his first at Shaarie Torah.

Michael says his Bösendorfer Concert Grand 280VC is one of about five in the world. He acquired it about a year ago when Bösendorfer brought it to Portland as part of a world tour to introduce the redesign of their famed 280 model.

In addition to his piano, he’ll bring his extensive repertoire of traditional and original Jewish music and other popular melodies. He’ll likely share some of his original music from “Crossing Over: A Musical Haggadah” and “Soul Harmony,” two musical theater events he wrote with Rabbi Alan Berg. Some guest musicians are likely to make surprise appearances. He also plans to perform a song or two with his sister, Linda Harrison, a flutist who has worked at Shaarie Torah for about two years and helped facilitate his upcoming concert.

Shaarie Torah President Peter Lyman says that with Linda’s connection to Michael and the board’s desire to present a community-wide fundraiser, all the pieces lined up. Since the arrival of Rabbi Joshua Rose and Executive Director Gary Fifer, Peter says, “We’ve really ramped

An Intimate Evening with Michael Allen Harrison Sunday, April 29, 6:30 pm Congregation Shaarie Torah, 920 NW 25th Ave., Portland $36 General Admission Tickets $72 VIP Tickets (Includes preferred seating and access to pre-party with Michael Allen Harrison) Sponsors $250-5,000: all include pre-party, CDs and preferred seating for a varying number of tickets shaarietorah.org | 503-226-6131

46 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

Shaarie Torah hosts Michael Allen Harrison for first benefit

Michael Allen Harrison

Michael Allen Harrison and his sister Linda decide where to put his piano in Shaarie Torah's sanctuary for his April 29 concert.

up the programming, and anything we can do to support that is a good thing. My hope is this becomes a template and gives us the confidence for future fundraisers.”

Gary agrees. “The synagogue is in a rebuild mode. … We are taking a new look at who we are and what our vision is, what we uniquely do.”

The congregation has been active in issues such as homelessness, hunger and interfaith dialogue. Gary says having a special artist like Michael, whom people want to hear, may bring in people who have never been in a synagogue before.

“It’s casual, educational outreach,” he says. “Music is the universal language. It appeals to a lot of people for different reasons.”

Linda adds that it will also be a special experience for longtime members of Shaarie Torah.

Previously Michael’s major connection with Shaarie Torah was during his bar mitzvah studies. His teacher was Rabbi Chaim Reznik, Torah reader and assistant cantor at Shaarie Torah, who provided bar and bat mitzvah instruction for two generations of Portland-area children.

“He was a good bar mitzvah teacher who paid attention to detail and made sure I got all the inflections right,” says Michael. “Because I’m musical and I got it right might be why he liked me.”

Now he’s returning to the shul to bring back a little of that musical magic.

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FRONT & CENTER

Insights on “The Graduate”

with author Beverly Gray

By Mala Blomquist

Beverly Gray will be in Oregon to talk about and sign her latest book, Seduced by Mrs. Robinson, How “The Graduate” Became the Touchstone of a Generation, at 7 pm, April 12, Bloomsbury Books, 290 E Main St., Ashland (bloomsburyashland.com).

The path that led her to write this, her third book, didn’t seem on the horizon when she was completing her doctorate in contemporary American fiction at UCLA. She had planned a career in academia when she received two very different job offers. One was to work with B-movie legend Roger Corman, and the other was to teach English at a girl’s school. “I went to my professors and asked them which they thought was the better option, and they said, ‘Take the movie job.’ ” says Beverly.

She’s never regretted her decision, although she does admit to making some “pretty sleazy movies.” But she learned a lot – including not to take herself too seriously. At New World Pictures with Corman, her duties included editing scripts, writing publicity material, casting voice actors and collaborating with directors.

“I love working with writers and improving others’ ideas,” she says.

Beverly teaches aspiring screenwriters at the world-renowned UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. “I’m trying to help the students be the best writers they can be, given the way they choose to approach it. I don’t promise anyone fame or fortune, or failure, but I want the script to be as

48 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

life – that I really understood. It was exactly what I was feeling good as they can make it – given what their goals are for it.” right about then,” Beverly says.

Beverly’s first two books were Roger Corman, Blood-Sucking The underlying Jewish component of the film also fascinated Vampires, Flesh-Eating Cockroaches and Driller Killers and Ron Beverly.

The director, Mike Nichols, himself a Jewish immiHoward, from Mayberry to the Moon … and Beyond. She was grant who came to the United States from looking for inspiration for a third, when she Berlin as a child in 1939, was looking for realized the interesting turn that movies a leading man who was out of the maintook in 1967 – they reflected real life. stream, someone who didn’t seem to fit into “The baby boomers had been moldthe context in which he found himself. ed by our memories of JFK in 1963, the Beverly remembers a favorite quote from civil rights movement (both the positive, Nichols: “I kept looking and looking until idealistic side and the other side with civil I found Dustin, who is short and dark and disturbances and riots) and the Vietnam Jewish, which is the way I envision myWar,” says Beverly. “The war was affecting self.”

Hoffman’s character resonated with a our outlook on a day-to-day basis.” generation of young people who didn’t feel One of the era’s films that particularly quite right themselves. interested Beverly was “The Graduate.” “It Seduced by Mrs. Robinson features insight does not mention the things going on – like about how the film was made, the various racial strife and the war,” she says. “But the decisions that had to be reached and commovie was very clever and powerful, and promises made. It also touches on parts young people immediately connected with that aren’t necessarily obvious, such as the it.”

Beverly comments that “The Graduate” is art direction and camera work. She also assesses how and why the movie is still with like a Rorschach test; when she talks to peoBeverly Gray us today. ple about the film, they all view it through “It was really a fun book to write, and I enjoy talking about the lens of what was on their mind at the time – from sex to it,” says Beverly. feminism.

For more information about Beverly, including her enter“For me, the whole party situation at the beginning of the film, where everyone welcomes the homecoming of this gradu- taining blog, Beverly in Movieland, visit beverlygray.com. ate and then proceeds to tell him exactly how he should live his

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 49

CORNER

A SWEET TREAT FOR AN ALL-GIRLS WEEKEND

By Lisa Glickman

Three years ago, I finally made good on a proposal to get some of my best girlfriends together for an all-girls weekend. Last year I chose a beautiful home in the heart of the Oregon wine country. For one weekend a year, we abandon our busy lives, spouses and kids to share lots of laughter, long walks, great food and camaraderie. I even hired a yoga instructor!

For women, it is sometimes hard to allow ourselves the luxury to just relax and be ourselves with no one else to take care of. We are professionals, wives and mothers. We are volunteers, caretakers and homemakers. We take great pride in our accomplishments, sometimes with little or no recognition. Even with the help of a hardworking, supportive partner, we know the “ship” would not run straight without us.

My girlfriends mean the world to me. I can always count on them to be there for me during the good times and the bad. No one understands what it means to be a woman better than a good girlfriend. We share secrets, ask advice, boost confidence and tell the truth when that blouse is definitely the WRONG color!

Plans are beginning to come together for this year’s third annual all-girls weekend. Last year it was wine country, but maybe this year we’ll visit the Oregon Coast or find a log cabin in the woods where we can come together and celebrate what it means to be a girl. The food is always a highlight of the trip. Everyone brings something to add to the party, and together we have created some amazing meals. Last year, Traci made a pineapple upside down cake that made us swoon! This vintage dessert brings back sweet memories of childhood. Fragrant pineapple surrounded by warm buttery caramel and classic yellow sponge cake. We happily devoured every bite!

50 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE DOWN CAKE ½ cup butter 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple OR 2½ cups fresh pineapple (sliced or crushed) 10 maraschino cherries, halved 1 cup sifted cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 4 eggs 1 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon butter, melted 1 teaspoon almond extract Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt ½ cup butter in a 10-inch, oven-proof skillet over very low heat. Remove from heat and sprinkle brown sugar evenly over pan. Arrange pineapple to cover bottom of skillet. Distribute cherries (I used Luxardo maraschino cherries) around pineapple, set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Separate the eggs into two bowls. In a large bowl, beat egg whites just until soft peaks form. Add white sugar gradually, beating well after each addition. Beat until medium-stiff peaks form. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks at high speed until very thick and pale yellow. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold egg yolks and flour mixture into whites until blended. Fold in 1 tablespoon melted butter and almond extract. Spread batter evenly over pineapple in skillet. Bake until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake with a table knife. Cool the cake for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving plate.

Garnish with few bright red maraschino cherries if desired.

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

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 51

NWNosh

The 1905 dishes up pizza, jazz & veggies

By Kerry Politzer

52 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

“I’m exploring my passion and sharing it with others by booking music and pairing it with my favorite food.”

– Aaron Barnes

F

or a post-Passover treat, there’s nothing quite like pizza. And where better to eat it than at The 1905 with its wealth of veggie options? The pizzeria is the brainchild of lifelong vegetarian and jazz musician Aaron Barnes. He serves a style of pizza that is a cross between what he terms the “New York street slice” and the artisanal gourmet pizza that is popular in Portland.

The 1905, which is named after the year the famed Lombardi’s Pizza opened in New York City, doubles as one of Portland’s finest jazz venues. There is live music every night.

“I’m exploring my passion and sharing it with others by booking music and pairing it with my favorite food,” says Aaron. “It’s my perfect environment, the place where I want to be all the time.”

While Aaron has loved pizza since he was a toddler, he didn’t become serious about the dish until he came across a Pizzicato Pizza recipe in the newspaper. He set about trying to make good pizza at home, but soon realized he needed to study with the pros. To that end, he shadowed Brian Spangler of Apizza Scholls and Ken Forkish of Ken’s Artisan Pizza. With his newfound knowledge, he was able to conceive of the recipe that is making The 1905 a favorite among Portland pizza lovers.

Talking with Aaron, it is evident that he has spent countless hours distilling exactly what makes a good pizza.

“I really do think there’s a certain balance,” he says. “There are

certain things about dairy, for example. Dairy dulls the palate.

So you might want extra cheese, but with extra cheese comes less flavor of everything. And too much sauce can make (the pizza) wet; too much dough makes it bready and awkward to chew.”

In keeping with New York tradition, Aaron serves both individual slices and whole pies. He also offers a variety of bases and toppings: “We like to blend elements that suit a variety of palates. I try to have pizza with a red sauce, or a pesto base, or olive oil with no sauce.”

Particularly popular is the Oregon truffle pizza, a cheesy, decadent creation made fragrant with fresh garlic, white truffle oil and black truffle salt. But when it comes down to it, Aaron is a traditionalist; he favors the classic margherita pizza.

The mozzarella and Parmesan at The 1905 are made with vegetarian rennet, and Aaron also makes Daiya “cheese” available for those who eschew dairy. And if you happen to chance upon The 1905 before Passover has concluded, you can still order grainless dishes such as basil fries with lemon-garlic aioli, caprese salad or grilled asparagus dressed with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.

The 1905: 830 N Shaver St., 503-460-3333, the1905.org

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 53

ACTIVELY SENIOR

Rachel Meyers shares seniors’ “Wendy’s Shabbat” Filmmaker Rachel Meyers with her grandmother Roberta Mahler.

By Gloria Hammer

If you love Jewish films, you won’t want to miss “Wendy’s Shabbat,” a short film presently a hit on the film festival circuit.

Rachel Meyers, who spent her teen years in Portland, created this heartfelt documentary about her grandmother and her grandmother’s friends, who for nearly a decade have celebrated Shabbat at their local Wendy’s.

Rachel captures the relationships of this Palm Desert community of seniors through her close relationship with her grandmother, Roberta. This group of 18 to 28 Palm Desert seniors has created an extended family that says the prayers and catches up on gossip – and no one has to clean up.

“Wendy’s Shabbat” is about growing old and finding a place to gather for Shabbat; it is about family, friendship and the legacy 88-year-old Roberta Mahler leaves her grandchildren.

Rachel shares her rich relationship with her grandma with the audience, who may become lost in their own memories. Rachel captures the depth of having a relationship with the older generation as she looks at what life is like for this growing world of seniors. The film is a riot.

Rachel has a wide range of experience and connections to tap into. She did her undergraduate work at Claremont College and earned her Master of Fine Arts at the Yale School of Drama. Her Los Angeles Company, 3 Penny Design, has been working on creating three-dimensional collaborations in film, theater design and fine art for years. Her projects have been in television commercials, music videos and live entertainment events.

“Wendy’s Shabbat” is a short film that will remain in your thoughts for a long time.

The following Q&A with Rachel has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

54 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

You moved to Portland and went to West Sylvan Middle School?

I was just starting seventh grade, and we moved to Portland from Los Angeles. I think it was 1992. I remember being in shock when West Sylvan didn’t close for the Jewish holidays. I told my family I didn’t want to have a bat mitzvah, and I was marched into Cantor Linda Shiver’s office at Neveh Shalom to talk about Jewish identity. I am not quite sure what she said in that conversation, but she stirred something up inside of me that lit a fire of interest in Judaism and Jewish culture that I never had before. After that, I was involved in Jewish youth groups at both the regional and international level. These experiences truly shaped my path in terms of Jewish identity.

Tell me about your Grandma Roberta.

We are very close. She is smart with a sharp wit, abundant loving kindness and a perfect memory. She’s terribly funny.

Talking to her feels like chatting with a girlfriend, because she says it like it is. Roberta is an encyclopedia of wisdom, memories and adages. She sees things in me and in others with such clarity. She illuminates the full picture or, in other words, shows me doors inside myself that I don’t see.

It was quite hard for her after my grandfather passed away.

They were married for 57 years. She shared with me her vulnerability when she was newly widowed and trying to navigate her own identity after having been married for most of her life.

That is when we became friends, as adults.

She’s marvelous, fascinating and exploding with love. I could talk about her all day. Filming the movie was surprising. I felt the challenge of wanting to be protective of her portrayal on film while being honest as a filmmaker, because the film is really about community, the loneliness of aging and how we navigate the prospect of our own mortality while facing the future.

How did going to Wendy’s fast food in Palm Dessert for Shabbat evolve?

Roberta started going to Wendy’s after Jack, her husband, died. They were married for 57 years, and my grandfather had been gone for 10 years. That is a long time to be a couple. A group of senior citizens in her retirement community started the tradition eight years ago, and she found out about it and joined in. There are many couples and being single has been hard for her, but the community of Wendy’s has felt like family and an extended group of friends to see every week to celebrate their religion and share Jewish traditions together.

When did you decide to make a film of this experience?

I had heard about Wendy’s Shabbats for years, and I had attended and taken some photos and thought it would be a fantastic documentary. I shared my idea with friends, who thought it was hysterical and sweet. They encouraged me to make it happen. Working in the film industry made it easy to put a team together. It was mostly a female crew. Jeanne Tyson was my cinematographer. I storyboarded and planned the shot list with my field producer, Juliana Schatz, who helped guide our question formats. We brought our two-member camera team out to Palm Springs for a weekend to do interviews and shoot the Shabbat dinner. After shooting was complete, my editor, Dana Turken, and I organized the narrative. We worked side by side for weeks to land on the lock of our edit for the film.

For the past eight years, a group of Palm Desert seniors have gathered for Shabbat dinner at Wendy's each week.

members of the Wendy’s Shabbat have passed away. I feel honored to have been able to make this film and share their voices on screen, and my heart is full that there is a testament of their lives and my grandmother’s story.

What else would you like to share?

I wanted to be a director when I was in college. I directed at one theater but was deterred by early challenging experiences of being a young woman director that didn’t have the confidence to navigate making the work I wanted on my own terms.

I moved into design, which has been a rewarding career that I love. “Wendy’s Shabbat,” which I directed, has reminded me of the possibilities that when the right factors are at play and the right people come together to make something important and are invested, then your imagination and energy are the only limits.

What are your thoughts on your industry’s inequalities in pay, getting the work and more?

I was interviewed for a documentary about “Women in Film” earlier this year. I’ve noticed a changing tide in Hollywood in how they are hiring and interviewing for new work. I feel optimistic for more women storytellers and filmmaking crews to change the shape about whose voices we hear and how stories are told.

How long did the shoot take?

We shot in Palm Springs for two days a year ago in December. The edit took several months until we locked the picture and started submitting it to festivals over the summer. We screened it for the first time to members of the Wendy’s Shabbat group who appear in the film.

What have you taken away from such a personal experience filming your grandma and her circle?

It has been very touching to hear feedback from people who have seen the film and identify with the themes of aging and the sweetness of the Shabbat gathering. Our premier was in the Atlanta Film Festival. We are currently in seven film festivals with more to come from Sedona International to Chicago.

The reception is immense and positive. On a sadder note, I have learned about the reality of documentary and filmmaking with older subjects. Since shooting in December of 2016, three

What project are you most proud of?

Every project you work on becomes your love and you pour everything into it. Currently, I’m editing my second short film and in the planning and fundraising stages for a feature film I will direct. It also deals with the topic of mortality and has a strong Jewish matriarch. I’m excited about the next steps and journey for that film.

What is your most ambitious project to date?

I designed a giant set in Times Square last year for Crayola that was pretty ambitious and working on the Golden Globes and the Emmys was challenging. What I discovered is whether the project is a 99-seat theater or Times Square, you face the same challenges. Smaller projects like “Wendy’s Shabbat” can be the ones with the biggest rewards. wendysshabbat.com

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 55

ACTIVELY SENIOR

Cedar Sinai Park celebrates all things new

By Deborah Moon

This year Cedar Sinai Park’s Annual Gala is just part of the three-day celebration May 4, 5 and 6. In addition to the festive gala at the Hilton on Saturday night, the weekend will feature the dedication of the new Cedar Sinai Park chapel and a family carnival on the CSP campus (see box).

Cedar Sinai Park invites friends and family to visit the “new” CSP during “Homecoming, a Three-Day-Long Celebration.” Explore the campus with its recently completed Harold Schnitzer Center for Living, renovated Robison Health & Rehabilitation Center and refurbished Rose Schnitzer Manor. The weekend’s experiences feature something for everyone.

Two of the events are on the campus. On Friday, join the parade of the Torah scrolls from Zidell Hall at Rose Schnitzer Manor across the street to formally dedicate the Sara Glasgow Cogan Memorial Chapel.

Enjoy live Klezmer music, drinks and nibbles leading up to Kabbalat Shabbat services.

The Homecoming Carnival on Sunday offers campus visitors a free afternoon of games, treats and fun.

“It’s so exciting to celebrate Cedar Sinai Park with the opening of our rehab center and how much it offers to our community,” says Michelle Eastern Gradow, who is co-chairing the gala with her mother.

“I hope the community will join us all weekend to celebrate. The Friday night service will be lovely. It is being coordinated by Eddy Shuldman and Jemi Mansfield. Our Saturday night gala will be lovely and delicious at the Hilton Hotel, and our Sunday family carnival on campus will be fun for all. Please come and support Cedar Sinai Park.”

Proceeds from the annual gala benefit the residents of Cedar Sinai Park.

“We hope that the community will support Cedar Sinai Park so that our elders will always be able to live with the care and support they so richly deserve,” says Beverly Eastern. “It is my pleasure to serve again as cochair, with my daughter, Michelle Eastern Gradow, for the Cedar Sinai Park annual benefit.”

The mother-daughter duo reunites to chair this year’s benefit for the third year. Michelle previously served as the longtime chair of the event with a variety of co-chairs. Her parents, Bev and Stan Eastern, had chaired the event many years ago.

This year’s gala features cocktails, dinner, music and a hypnosis show. Portland-based band The Bylines will perform their sophisticated, jazz-inspired, story-driven pop music. Created by Reece Comedy Hypnotist Justin Marshburn and Marianna Thielen, the duo blends their skills James will perform at the for a fun show whether performing as a Thielen/Marshburn May 5 CSP Gala. duo or with a larger band. Marianna brings her background in composition, classical vocal work and musical theater for a playful vocal show. Reece accompanies her on the piano with a symphony of intricate melodies rooted in a combination of 56 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

dreaming of becoming a stage entertainer.

Justin travelled coast to coast doing hypnosis demonstrations and teaching hypnosis classes. Called to do a stage hypnosis show many years ago, Justin reluctantly agreed. The show was a hit and started everything down a wildly different path that wends its way to the Hilton on May 5.

Rose Schnitzer Manor residents and friends toast the 20th anniversary celebration of Cedar Sinai Park’s assisted living complex last month.

During the "Homecoming" celebration in May, visitors will be able to explore the refurbished RSM, as well as the recently completed Harold Schnitzer Center for Living and renovated Robison Health & Rehabilitation Center.

classical, jazz and pop music. Their website says, “The Bylines musical cocktail goes down easy, and emphasizes something that is so often forgotten when such prolific songwriters present their craft: listening to music is, above all, supposed to be an experience… and a fun one.”

After gala attendees soak in the jazz-inspired music of The Bylines, they will be mesmerized by comedy hypnotist Justin James. Justin founded The Hypnosis Company in 1994, never

CEDAR SINAI PARK CELEBRATION Chapel Dedication Sara Glasgow Cogan Memorial Chapel 6 pm, Friday, May 4 Robison Health & Rehabilitation Center 6125 SW Boundary St., Portland RSVP at cedarsinaipark.org/giving/homecoming CSP Annual Gala Presented by the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer Family Fund at Oregon Jewish Community Foundation/Arlene Schnitzer & Jordan Schnitzer 6:30 pm, Saturday, May 5 Hilton, Portland Downtown 921 SW 6th Ave., Portland Cocktail attire suggested Tickets $140 at cedarsinaipark.org/giving/homecoming Homecoming Carnival Presented by R&H Construction 2-5 pm, Sunday, May 6 Cedar Sinai Park Main Campus 6125 SW Boundary St., Portland No RSVP necessary For information about tickets and sponsorships, contact CSP Development and Events Coordinator Keiley Baldwin at 971-717-7186 or kbaldwin@cedarsinaipark.org.

The Bylines will bring a jazzy beat to the Gala.

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 57

K I D S

and teens too!

OJCYF teens learn from their grandparents

Rosemarie & Layton Rosenfeld

W

hether they are called bubbe and zayde, grandma and grandpa, or nanny and poppa, it is clear that grandchildren share a special bond with their grandparents. It’s a treasured relationship that presents a wonderful opportunity for grandparents to share their life experiences and personal values with younger generations. In fact, studies of intergenerational philanthropy have shown that the future giving and volunteering practices of children and teens are influenced by the customs of their grandparents.

The members of the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation are preparing for the group’s annual benefit dinner. This year, the theme is Roaring Youth Philanthropy, a nod to the 1920s and the major philanthropists of the time. In the spirit of l’dor v’dor and seeking to learn from preceding generations, three OJCYF board members sat down with their grandparents to learn more about their values and the motivations behind their philanthropy. Excerpts of their conversations are below.

58 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

Sam Blauer is in 10th grade at Wilson High School. In addition to OJCYF, Sam is very passionate about BBYO and has represented Oregon at the Maccabi games. Sam interviewed his paternal grandfather, Stan Blauer.

Sam: What are the values that motivate you to be philanthropic?

Stan: I am very thankful for what I have and what I have accomplished in my life. There are a lot of people out there that are not as fortunate as I. It's a good feeling to help other people who can't help themselves.

Sam: How are your passions reflected in your giving?

Stan: Whenever I see something that touches me and is a worthwhile cause that could benefit from a contribution, I try to support them if I can. When something gets to you and it makes you feel good about helping them – then that's what you do.

Sam: What wisdom do you want me, your children and your grandchildren to remember in life?

Stan: Always treat people the way you want to

Stan and Sam Blauer

Jonah Song and Esme Segal

be treated. Respect, caring, empathy ... be as good as you can be at whatever you do.

Layton Rosenfeld is in 11th grade at Catlin Gabel. In addition to OJCYF, Layton plays soccer and tennis and is a founding member of Shine, an organization that develops eco-friendly products to meet the basic needs of the houseless. Layton interviewed her paternal grandmother, Rosemarie Rosenfeld.

Layton: What are the values that motivate you to be philanthropic?

Rosemarie: I am following in the footsteps of my father, who was very generous and supported many organizations. After I married, I discovered that my father-in-law was the same kind of person my father had been. My husband was also very generous in giving his time, not just his resources.

Layton: How are your passions reflected in your giving?

Rosemarie: I give to many different organizations. I give to Jewish organizations, organizations that provide food and housing for the homeless, and organizations that support education and literacy. I also give to cultural organizations and environmental groups.

Layton: What wisdom do you want me, your children and your grandchildren to remember in life?

Rosemarie: I most want you to remember to be good. Be kind to people. Follow the precepts of Judaism. When you ski, smile and keep your knees bent.

Jonah Song is in 10th grade at Oregon Episcopal School. In addition to OJCYF, Jonah plays soccer and piano and enjoys photography. He interviewed his maternal grandmother, Esme Segal.

Jonah: What are the values that motivate you to be philanthropic?

Esme: The biggest thing that motivates my giving is considering the underprivileged and realizing how fortunate I am.

Jonah: What wisdom do you want me, your children and your grandchildren to remember in life?

Esme: I want you to remember to always be honest, honorable and proud of who you are. Never forget your Jewish heritage.

Jonah: What would you like your giving legacy to be?

Esme: I would like to be remembered as a decent human being who tried to help wherever she could.

ROARING YOUTH PHILANTHROPY WHAT: Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation annual benefit dinner and celebration GUEST SPEAKER: U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici WHEN: 5:30-8:30 pm, Thursday, May 3 WHERE: Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland WHY: All proceeds benefit the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation and are granted to community nonprofits by youth foundation members.

TICKETS: $54 per adult and $36 per youth REGISTER: ojcf.org QUESTIONS: Sonia Marie Leikam at 503-248-9328 or soniamariel@ojcf.org

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 59

KIDS CALENDAR

TUESDAYS

STORY TIME IN ANNE AND GOLDIE’S CHILDREN’S CORNER: 11-11:30 am, First Tuesdays, second floor of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, 724 NW Davis St, Portland. Co-sponsored by PJ Library. ojmche.org

WEDNESDAYS

APRIL 15

GOOD DEEDS DAY: Times and locations vary. Several family-friendly

CHAI BABY + PJ LIBRARY INDOOR PLAYGROUND: 10

projects. jewishportland.org/community-calendar/good-deeds-day-2018

am-noon, every second Wednesday (September-June) at the MJCC, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-244-0111

APRIL 27-29

THURSDAYS

NEVEH SHALOM FAMILY CAMP. Families with children ages 0-2nd grade join together for a fantastic weekend at Camp Solomon Schechter, Olympia, WA. Together we’ll celebrate Shabbat with family friendly services, activities and games. 503-246-8831

PJ STORY HOUR YAD B'YAD: 9:30-10:30 am, Thursdays at Rose Schnitzer Manor, 6140 SW Boundary St., Portland. rachelr@jewishportland. org or 503-892-7415

FRIDAYS

APRIL 15 & 29

KINDERGARTEN ALIYAH TOURS: 9:30 am at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland. Families with children ages 4-5 are invited to come check out Neveh Shalom’s education program, ALIYAH! 503-246-8831

RECURRING:

A LITTLE SHABBAT: 5-6:30 pm every third Friday at Congregation Shaarie Torah, 920 NW 25th Ave., Portland. 503-226-6131 FOURTH FRIDAYS WITH RABBI EVE POSEN: 5:15-7 pm, fourth Fridays. RSVP for location: 503-246-8831 or eposen@nevehshalom. org

SATURDAYS

SUNDAYS

NORTH STORY HOUR WITH PJ LIBRARY: 9:30-10:15 am, Sundays at New Seasons, 3445 N Williams Ave., Portland. rachelr@ jewishportland.org or 503-892-7415

TOT SHABBAT WITH MINI MENSCHES: 9-11 am, first and third Saturdays at Congregation Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders, Portland.

503-222-1069

TOT SHABBAT: 10:30 am, first Saturdays, at Congregation Ahavath Achim’s Hillsdale location: 6686 SW Capitol Hwy. 503-227-0010

B’NAI B’RITH CAMP is Coming to Portland!

BB CAMP IS COMING TO PORTLAND!

BB DAY CAMP ortland

Field Trips • Music • Athletics • Teva (nature) • Jewish • Enrichment Arts & Crafts • Dance • Gaga • Israeli Culture • Science • Maccabiah Water Play • Shabbat Celebrations • and so much more!

P

YOUNG FAMILY TOT SHABBAT: 10:15 am-12:15 pm, first and third Saturdays at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland. Daniela Meltzer, 503-246-8831

KIDDUSH CLUB FOR K-2ND GRADE: 10:15-11:30 am, first and third Saturdays at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland. Followed by lunch. 503-246-8831 TORAH TROOP FOR 3RD-5TH GRADERS: 10:00-11:30 am, first and third Saturdays, Congregation Neveh Shalom. Meet in the main service for the beginning of the Torah service. 503-246-8831

SHABBAT STORYTIME: 9:45-10:15 am, second Saturdays, at Congregation Shir Tikvah, 7550 NE Irving St., Portland. Followed by bagels and coffee. 503-473-8227

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

TOT SHABBAT: 9-9:30 am every second Saturday at Congregation Kol Ami, 7800 NE 119th St., Vancouver. 360-896-8088

Register Today! bbcamp.org/portland 503.496.7447 pdx@bbcamp.org Financial Assistance Available

Located at Congregation Beth Israel - Bus Transportation Offered!

60 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

KESSER KIDS' TIME: 10:45 am-noon every second and fourth Saturday at Congregation Kesser Israel, 6698 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland.

503-222-1239

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L iving

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Celebrate our caring community April 17

The Sixth Annual survivors to understand Celebrating our Caring and heal their transmitted Community luncheon trauma through writing. honoring the work of She also speaks about her Jewish Family & Child mother’s history as well as Service will be held how her mother’s trauma 11:30 am-1 pm, April affected her as a sec17, at the Multnomah ond-generation Holocaust Athletic Club, 1849 SW survivor.

Salmon St., Portland.

On her website (coacheLunch is complimentary, milycohen.com), Emily but guests are asked writes, “Intergenerational to make “a meaningful trauma isn’t just about donation” to JFCS. what happened in the The theme of this past; it’s about what’s still year’s luncheon is “Aging happening and what will in Place,” ensuring that continue to happen in the seniors have the support future – unless we stop the systems they need to cycle.” grow old in their own JFCS offers multiple homes, on their own resources to help seniors terms. cope with the physical For the next 18 years, and emotional impacts of Baby Boomers will turn Emily Wanderer Cohen aging. Following are three 65 at the rate of roughly examples of how JFCS 10,000 a day, transformhelps seniors age in place: ing the institutions of aging. An AARP study • Most Holocaust survivors are now in their found 90% of people age 65 and over hope 80s and 90s, and the vast majority wants to to stay in their own homes as they grow old grow old in their own homes, on their own rather than move to senior housing. terms. JFCS provided local survivors with a “Aging in place is an issue of increasing total of 14,350 hours of homecare services, societal and personal relevance,” says JFCS enabling them to age in place with comfort Interim Executive Director Ruth Scott. “We and safety. hope that this theme resonates with everyone, • Licensed clinical social workers specialize regardless of age. It’s a situation that virtually in counseling for people coping with mood all of us will face at some point in time – disorders and the complexities of the aging whether it’s our loved ones or ourselves.” process. Common concerns include bereave“Our goal is to spark a discussion about ment, isolation, trauma, anxiety, depression what we need to do as a community to give and family dynamics. The Counseling and people the support they need to grow old Holocaust Survivor Services programs address gracefully,” she says. the many issues related to trauma and aging, Emily Wanderer Cohen, author of From including the ability to make and sustain Generation to Generation: Healing Intergensocial connections; communication gaps and erational Trauma Through Storytelling, will be changes; age-specific coping strategies and bethe keynote speaker at this year’s luncheon. haviors; and the effects of trauma on memory “As aging in place gains popularity as an and other cognitive functions. alternative to traditional health-care facilities, • JFCS partners with Multnomah County access to affordable, skilled care must keep up on PEARLS (Program to Encourage Active, with that trend,” says Emily. “What’s more, Rewarding Lives for Seniors), a successful, skilled care for Holocaust survivors requires evidence-based model that provides free, a special set of skills and a particular sensitivhome-based counseling services to low-inity to their trauma, which often reappears or come seniors who are isolated or have physintensifies in the later years of life.” ical limitations – all designed to help these The daughter and granddaughter of Hoindividuals remain in their homes for as long locaust survivors, Emily works with multiple as they want. generations of Holocaust and other trauma The annual luncheon helps provide the OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 61

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PREVIEWS

support JFCS needs to provide that support for seniors, as well as for other members of the community. An affiliate of the Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, JFCS has been the “face” of Portland’s Jewish community for 71 years. Thanks to the generosity of donors, this past year JFCS assisted more than 2,000 people through four programs: Holocaust Survivor Services, Emergency Aid, Disability Support Services and Counseling.

To continue and expand these programs, organizers hope to increase luncheon donations by 18% over last year, for a total of $130,000.

Renée, Irwin and Larry Holzman are the presenting sponsors of Celebrating our Caring Community. Victor and Toinette Menashe are the honorary chairs. Master of ceremonies will be Ida Rae Cahana, senior cantor at Congregation Beth Israel.

RSVP required by April 9; register online at jfcs-portland. org, or contact Kerry Goldring at KGoldring@jfcs-portland. org or 503-226-7079, ext. 111.

PSU presents three April programs

The community is invited to three April programs coordinated by The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at Portland State University.

The month of programs begins April 9 with the 2018 Lorry I. Lokey Program "Not What You Think: The Role of the Holocaust in the Establishment of Israel." Dr. Aviva Halamish (Open University of Israel) will confront the widely accepted assumption that the Holocaust had a decisive influence on the establishment of the State of Israel Aviva Halamish in 1948. Explore questions like: Is there a link between the Holocaust and the establishment of Israel? Who promotes this claim? What really happened and how did the Holocaust impact the process of establishing a Jewish state in Palestine?

The 6:30 pm lecture will be in room 238 of the Smith Memorial Student Union, Portland State University. This event is made possible thanks to the generous support of Lorry I. Lokey and is cosponsored by the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Middle East Studies Center.

62 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

A two day mini-course, History of Anti-Semitism, will meet on two Sundays in April. This intensive minicourse will chart the development of hostility towards Jews from antiquity to our day. In lectures and discussion, students will gain an understanding of how anti-Jewish hostility has persisted over millennia even as it has adapted to individual historical and geographic John Efron contexts. Topics include: anti-Jewish bias in the ancient world and foundational Christian sources; social and economic marginalization and expulsions in medieval Europe; the emergence of political and racial anti-Semitism in the 19th century; Nazi anti-Semitism; and contemporary expressions of anti-Jewish sentiment, including left- and right-wing nti-Semitism.

Prof. John Efron, Koret Professor of Jewish History, University of California, Berkeley, will teach the minicourse , April 15 and 22 from 9 am to 5 pm at 350 Karl Miller Center, PSU. Prof. Efron is the author of Medicine and the German Jews: A History and Defenders of the Race: Jewish Doctors and Race Science in Fin-de-Siècle Europe.

This program is made possible thanks to a grant by the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation.

The month’s programs will wrap up April 25 with the 11th Annual Sara Glasgow Cogan Memorial Lecture. Dr. Timothy Snyder, of Yale, will speak on "Resisting Tyranny: Lessons from the European 20th Century" at 7 pm in PSU’s Hoffman Hall, 1833 SW 11th Ave. This event is made possiTimothy Snyder ble thanks to the generous support of Professor Emeritus Nathan Cogan, the Cogan Family, and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.

The talk is co-sponsored by the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, the Oregon Historical Society, The Mittleman Jewish Community Center/Portland Jewish Academy, the Russian Flagship program, Oregon Humanities, and the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Project.

Information on all three programs is available from judaicst@pdx.edu, 503-725-8449, or pdx.edu/Judaic. Registration is available for each program respectively at tinyurl.com/ Lokey2018; pdx.edu/judaic/courses; and tinyurl.com/Cogan2018.

PSU President to keynote PDX Hillel Brunch

Dr. Rahmat Shoureshi, who last year became the ninth president of Portland State University, will be the keynote speaker at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Greater Portland Hillel.

“We are thrilled that President Shoureshi will be our keynote speaker for the event on April 29,” says PDX Hillel Director Rhonda Abrams. “Although he only began at PSU in August, he became a fast friend of PDX Hillel. Under his leadership, we have found new and exciting ways to partner with Portland State University, and we look forward to sharing those updates with the community at our event.”

President Shoureshi leads Oregon’s most diverse and innovative public university. With nearly four decades of academic experience, he has a record of expanding research opportunities and a history of inspiring faculty collaboration.

Prior to joining PSU, Dr. Shoureshi served the New York Institute of Technology as provost and vice president for academic affairs, then interim president. He has held faculty positions at Wayne State University, Purdue University and the Colorado School of Mines. He served as dean of the School of Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Denver from 2003 to 2011. An expert in automation, control systems design and artificial intelligence, Dr. Shoureshi holds nine U.S. patents for biomedical and engineering systems, sensors and devices.

“There are so many exciting new developments at PSU to share with the community,” says PDX Hillel President Debbie Plawner. “I know readers will appreciate learning of his commitment and passion for supporting Jewish life on campus.”

The Hillel celebration is being used as a fundraiser to support having an Israel Fellow in Portland. Former Israel Fellow Shiran Halfon plans to fly in from Israel to join the celebration.

“Our belief in the power of an Israel Fellow comes from the myriad of stories we hear from students about how the Israel Fellow welcomed them to coffee and helped spark a desire in them to think more deeply about Israel, about themselves and their place in the world,” says Debbie. “I get goosebumps when I think about students who have shared with us how our Israel Fellows have changed their lives.”

Funds from the brunch will ensure future Portland area students will have access to such rich experiences.

Current Israel Fellow Hagit Ojalvo has made a huge impact in just six months. Hagit has recruited and guided student leaders at PSU (including Muslim student leaders) on a trip to Israel and has planned a week-long series of innovative, educational and fun events for the whole community to join students on our campuses and celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut (see related story page 45).

Dr. Rahmat Shoureshi, president of Portland State University

Greater Portland Hillel 10th Anniversary Brunch

WHEN: 10 am, April 29, 2018 WHERE: Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland HONORING: Rob and Mara Shlachter TICKETS: $36 available at pdxhillel.org/celebrate10 or 503-867-3646

Thou shalt not be a victim, thou shalt not be a perpetrator, but, above all, thou shall not be a bystander. −Yehuda Bauer

Yom HaShoah Day of Remembrance Events Public tour of the Oregon Holocaust Memorial Sunday, April 8, 12pm

Commemorative Service Wednesday, April 11, 7pm Congregation Beth Israel 1972 NW Flanders Street, Portland

Presented in partnership with Congregation Beth Israel and Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education

Reading of the Names of Victims of the Holocaust Thursday, April 12, 10am-5pm Pioneer Courthouse Square 701 SW 6th Avenue, Portland OJMCHE thanks the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland for their support

724 NW Davis St., Portland, OR 97209 | 503-226-3600 | www.ojmche.org OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 63

L iving

J

ISRAEL 360 – On Feb. 27, Ravit Baer, deputy consul general of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, joined Israel360 and Neveh Shalom for a conversation on developments in Israel-U.S. relations and other issues of interest to our community. It was an evening full of rich, honest and forthright questions and answers. Photo by Stephen Sirkin

WEEKEND IN QUEST – The 12th Annual Weekend in Quest, above, was at full capacity with 72 people at the March 2-4 program presented by The Institute for Judaic Studies at the Holiday Inn Express in Astoria. Oregon State University Professors Rena Lauer and Yiftakh Osterloh led this year’s weekend based on the theme “Jewish Masculinity and Femininity in the Premodern World.”

INTERGENERATIONAL CHESED – Northeast Portland Chabad’s Chesed Connection brings joy to seniors in Northeast Portland. Rabbi Chaim Wilhelm launched Chesed (loving kindness) Connection after seeing the impact of showing people someone cares when he aided hurricane relief in Houston.

64 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

FACES & PLACES

REJECTING HATE – Wilson High School student Isaac Vollen talks to lunchtime crowd about hate speech and how to react. After finding a swastika in school locker, Isaac organized the meeting with the support of the school and the Jewish Student Union. The lunch gathering drew diverse students to talk about hate speech and how to deal with it. Principal Brian Chatard, five or six other WHS faculty members, JSU Director Doovie Jacoby and members of the Black Student Union participated. Participants urged students to stand together and speak out against all bigotry.

TIVNU HOSTS KEHILLAH – Above: During a six-day Portland experience hosted by Tivnu: Building Justice, members of the senior class of Kehillah Jewish High School of Palo Alto, CA, discuss communities and food as they get their hands dirty at Zenger Farm. At right: Under the supervision of Tivnu Trainer Erik Brakstad, a KJHS senior works on a project requested by Hazelnut Grove, an organized tiny house village of formerly houseless Portlanders. From March 4 to 9, the class explored how local Portland organizations address social justice issues in the city while also making time for Oregon visitor favorites like Powell’s City of Books and cross-country skiing on Mt. Hood. Tivnu offers short-term programs such as this alongside their flagship Jewish social justice gap year.

PAINTING PROJECT – The Big Brothers and Big Sisters brought their young charges for a painting experience at Joys Art Studio in Hood River hosted by Gloria Hammer. Step by step guidance by studio owner Joy Kloman gave kids 6-14 the chance to produce a painting to take home. The children painted dolphins that were selected by Gloria’s granddaughter Sadie. Gloria hopes to grow the program so more children can experience art.

FACES & PLACES

ALBERTA SHUL PURIM – The Alberta Shul’s Purim celebration culminated in a march around the neighborhood and down Alberta Street led by the Unpresidented Brass Band. Located in the historic Alberta Arts Neighborhood of Northeast Portland (4550 NE 20th Ave.), the 110-year-old wooden building once served as a home for Tifereth Israel. The building now provides a gathering space for Jewish learning, art, prayer and social justice organizing on Portland’s east side. Fundraising for the purchase and remodeling of the building is ongoing (albertashul.org). Photo by Richard Mitchell

HILLSBORO PURIM – Chabad of Hillsboro drew a full house to its Purim Celebration.

FRIENDS OF THE CENTER – Above, from left, MJCC Executive Director Steve Albert, guest speaker Susan Stamberg and emcee Sarah Glass at the March 4 Friends of the Center Brunch. Susan Stamberg, "mother of NPR," spoke about Jewish mothers and her experiences meeting inspirational women. Below, Steve Friedman, right, presents the Harry Glickman Scholar Athlete Award to Laz Glickman and Layton Rosenfeld. The event raised nearly $100,000 to support myriad programs at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center that change the lives of people and ensure that the J can fully serve the community.

INNER ESTHER – About 65 women – including from left Karen Blauer, Lisa Schroeder, Debbie Plawner and Julie Diamond – attended Find Your Inner Esther... A Purim Experience. Sarah Glass moderated a panel discussion featuring modern-day Esthers state Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, Executive Chef Lisa Schroeder, Journalist Maxine Bernstein and Elaine Cogan, lecturer and trainer. The Feb. 26 Purim program at Opal 28 was presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland: Women’s Philanthropy.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018 65

Through April 8

APRIL CALENDAR

Exhibit: The Passover Series featuring serigraphs

by Shlomo Katz (1937-1992). MJCC lobby.

503-535-3555

April 1-29 “The Thanksgiving Play,” a truth-telling comedy.

Wed-Sun at 7:30 pm, Sun at 2 pm at Artists Repertory Theatre, Morrison Stage, 1515 SW Morrison St., Portland. A group of mismatched teachers and actors have been charged by the school district to devise an ethnically sensitive play to somehow celebrate both Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Month. Tickets: 503241-1278 or artistsrep.org

April 3

SEE KIDS CALENDAR PAGE 60

Wondering Jews: Medicare and Medicaid 101.

2 pm at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane. 503-246-8831

and performer Alicia Jo Rabins at MJCC. RSVP by April 15 to 503-226-3600 or ojm.tofinoauctions. com/doorsopenwide/tickets/ticket_sales

April 10-30 Exhibit: Israel from the Eyes of the Community in the MJCC gallery. 503-535-3555

Habitat for Humanity Build with Congregation Neveh Shalom and Bilal Mosque. 10 am. For location: Steve Sirkin, stevejew18@frontier.com

April 11

April 25

Yom Hashoah Commemorative Service. 7 pm at Congregation Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders St., Portland. ojmche.org

Cogan lecture: Resisting Tyranny. See page 62

April 12 Reading of the Names to memorialize victims of Holocaust. 10 am-5 pm at Pioneer Courthouse Square. 503-226-3600

April 26 Kollel's 7th Annual Kosher Wine Festival. 7 pm at the MJCC. $72. portlandkollel.org/wine

April 27

Sparks of Tradition: An Evening of Jewish Storytelling. 7 pm at Rose Schnitzer Manor, 6140 SW Boundary St., Portland. 503-246-8831

April 13-19 Israel Week at PSU. See page 44

North Coast Shabbat Group. 8 pm at Seaside Senior Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Services led by Leonard and Elayne Shapiro followed by oneg Shabbat. Bev Eastern: 503-244-7060

April 4

April 15 & 22

April 29

Film: Defiant Requiem with special appearance

by Conductor Murry Sidlin. 7 pm at OJMCHE. 503-226-3600, ojmche.org

History of Anti-Semitism. See page 62

PDX Hillel 10th anniversary brunch. See page 63

Good Deeds Day. Various locations. jewishportland.org/GDD or 503-245-6449

Shaarie Torah benefit concert. See page 46

Memoir Writing workshop. 11 am at MJCC. oregonjcc.org/memoir

April 17

April 6 Twistlock at TechFest. See page 12

Yom Hazikaron, Israel Memorial Day. 8 pm at MJCC. 503-535-3555

Film: Orthodoxy and Feminism Together – Oy! “The Women’s Balcony.” 1 pm at Temple Beth Sholom, 1274 Cunningham Lane S., Salem.

503-362-5004

April 8

April 18

Yom Hashoah Holocaust Memorial Tour. Noon at memorial in Washington Park, 97205 SW Washington Way, Portland. 503-226-3600

Yom Ha’atzmaut. See page 45

April 9

April 19

Lokey Lecture at PSU. See page 62

Israel Block Party at OSU. See page 44

April 10

April 21 & 22

Brown Bag Lunch: Lessons from the Holocaust documentary from Never Again Coalition. Noon at OJMCHE. 503-226-3600

Israel in Egypt performed by Oregon Repertory Singers. 3 pm at First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson St., Portland. Handel's powerful retelling of the Passover story. orsegypt. brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006

April 5

“Denial,” last film in the 2018 Sephardic Film Series. 7 pm at Congregation Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur, Portland. Admission and Sephardic dessert free. 503-750-0888

66 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | APRIL 2018

Celebrating Our Caring Community. See page 61

Israel Block Party at UO. See page 44

April 22 OJMCHE Gala “Doors Wide Open.” 5 pm silent auction and reception; 6:45 dinner and performance by Portland-based violinist, singer

The Next 35 Years of Social Change in Israel.

7 pm at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland. New Israel Fund Executive Director Mickey Gitzin looks at future of Israeli progressive movement. 503-246-8831

May 3 OJCYF benefit dinner. See page 58

May 4-6 Cedar Sinai Park celebration. See page 56

May 6 Shir Dance-a-Lot with Congregation Shir Tikvah.

5-8 pm at Coopers Hall, 404 SE 6th Ave., Portland. Music and dancing. Bit.ly/DanceALot

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