Oregon Jewish Life January 2016 Vol.4/Issue 10

JANUARY 2016

THE JEWISH LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE FOR OREGON & SW WASHINGTON

Israel Advocacy?

There's an App for That!

Education

Preschool to College and Beyond

Jewish Theatre Collaborative

Offers Spectacular Final Season With Davita's Harp Concert & Play Starring Kayla Lian (pictured)

The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies presents the Annual Gus and Libby Solomon Memorial Lecture

From Jewish Interests to Jewish Values American Jewish Politics in the 21st Century

by Shawn Landres

Shawn Landres is currently a Civil Society Fellow at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and holds degrees from Columbia, Oxford and UC Santa Barbara. Co-founder of Jumpstart Labs, he is an active partner in early-stage ventures and social enterprises. Shawn has been named to the Forward 50 in 2009, as a White House “spotlight innovator” and is a recipient of the Liberty Hill Foundation’s NextGen Leadership Award.

Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 7:00pm Lincoln Hall, Recital Hall, Rm. 75 1620 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97201 This event is free and open to the public. For accessibility inquiries or other questions, please contact our office at 503-725-8449, or via email at judaicst@pdx.edu.

Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 3

Inside

Features

January 2016/ Tevet-Shevat 5776 | Volume 4/Issue 10

32

COVER STORY Don’t miss JTC’s stellar final season………………………………………….12 UPFRONT Israel Advocacy: There’s an App for that……..……………………………….8 BUSINESS Ins & Outs………………………………………….………………………………..10 ISRAEL What to fear? BDS or white supremacists………………………………….43 Islamic extremism in Israel……………….…………………………………….44 FOOD Chef’s Corner: Improve with practice…....…………………………………..46 NW Nosh: Hot Chocolate………. …….…...……………………………………48 SENIORS JFCS brings comfort and joy to survivors……………………………………50 Learn from those who came before…………………………………………..52 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Papercutter blends tradition and pop culture.. ……………………………54 Artists Rep offers play prize ……………………………………………………56

Education Why I love day school: Student reflections…..……………………………..18 Volunteers sew and reap joy…………..……………………………………….20 Youth leaders reflect on changing world…..………………………………..22 Innovations on Israel education…..…….…………………………………….24 The downside of privilege………………..……………………………………..26 Kids grow when parents step aside…………………………………………..27 Oregon Hillel: Making world better…….……………………………………..28

4 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

40

46

Spring break of helping others……………………………………………...29 PSU’s annual Solomon lecture explores politics……………………… 29 Lewis & Clark students react to racism…….…………………………….30 PJ Library’s free story hours…………..…………………………………….. 31 Moms invited to find Jewish soul in Israel…….………………………… 32

Health & Fitness Lack of sleep stirs emotions........………………………………………….35 Baby boot camp gets moms in shape…..…………………………………37 Tonsil cancer prompts vaccine campaign….…………………………….40 Is there a doctor in the house?........……………………………………… 42

JLiving Climate action through the year…………………………………………….58 Eugene rabbi restoring Jewish life in Poland…………………………….60 FACES from recent events …….……………………………………………..62 Chabad House opens at UO……….…………………………………………64 Previews of things to come …….……………………………………………65 Calendar …….……………………….…………………………………………..65

Columns

27 Family Time by Debra Rich Gettleman 42 To Life by Amy Hirshberg Lederman 44 An Oregonian in Israel by Mylan Tanzer 46 Chef’s Corner by Lisa Glickman 48 NW Nosh by Kerry Politzer 57 Ask Helen COVER PHOTO: Kayla Lian stars as Ilana Davita in the Jewish Theatre Collaborative’s mainstage production of “Davita’s Harp.”

Photo by Fredrike Heuer

™

Publishers Robert Philip and Cindy Saltzman

Pointing the Way: The Art of the Torah Pointer

Surviving Remnants

Florence Saltzman: Painter + Printmaker

Advertising and Editorial Director Cindy Saltzman Editor-In-Chief Deborah Moon Art Director Philip Nerat Copy Editor Susan Moon Social Media Editor Debra Rich Gettleman

THROUGH FEBRUA

RY 28, 2016

Webmaster Karl Knelson Columnists Debra Rich Gettleman, Lisa Glickman, Amy Hirshberg Lederman, Kerry Politzer, Helen Rosenau and Mylan Tanzer

1953 NW Kearney St., Portland, OR 97209 | 503-226-3600 | www.ojmche.org Tue-Thu 10:30am-4pm | Fri 10:30am-3pm | Sat-Sun noon-4pm

Contributing Writers Chaya Bialo, Harriet Cooke, Gloria Hammer, Robert Horenstein, Olivia Jacobs, Liz Rabiner Lippoff, Joseph Lieberman, Stevie Mack, Becca Marx, Polina Olsen, Harriet Rossetto and Sura Rubenstein How to reach us: Editorial: 503-892-7402 Advertising: 503-892-7403 Publisher: Publisher@ojlife.com

Oregon Jewish Life 6680 SW Capitol Hwy. Portland, Oregon 97219 www.ojlife.com A Prince Hal Production (TGMR18) The content and opinions in Oregon Jewish Life do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers, staff or contractors. Articles and columns are for informational purposes only and not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, Oregon Jewish Life, and its agents, publishers, employees and contractors will not be held responsible for the misuse of any information contained herein. The publishers reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Publication of advertisements does not constituteendorsement of products or services.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 5

Letter from the Publishers Are you looking for somewhere to connect and engage with the Jewish community? We at Oregon Jewish Life are working hard to be a community builder and to give a voice to the incredible people who make up Jewish life in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

As the new year approaches, we reflect on past accomplishments and challenges while looking forward to new opportunities.

The Jewish “family,” both in Oregon and throughout the world, has faced a difficult year: anti-Semitism, the BDS movement, the economy, terrorism and, for some, just feeling disenfranchised. It is not always easy being Jewish.

But as a community, we also have so much to be proud of: wonderful philanthropic and education initiatives; great thinkers, influencers and volunteers making a difference in the lives of so many; and of course the food! And let’s not forget how we have elevated debate and arguments to an art form – politics, Israel, Natalie Portman vs. Scarlett Johannsen, boiled vs. steamed bagels. Everything is debatable and everyone has an opinion, and our sense of humor keeps it fresh.

Recently a local leader told us that our magazine has “changed the conversation” in Oregon. We are not so sure we have changed the conversation as much as become a conduit for the conversations with the 35,000 people we reach each month.

Either way, it is an honor.

What we do know is this: for our community to thrive, we need to come together, be inclusive not exclusive, and use our incredible talents to improve lives and society.

So whether you want to read or watch features and interviews on local, national or international Jewish personalities, businesses, arts and entertainment, food, senior life or family fun, you can find it all in Oregon Jewish Life and online at orjewishlife.com.

Join the conversation.

We want to hear from you!

Cindy Saltzman & Bob Philip

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By Stevie Mack

Wanna Talk Israel?

Check out this App Talk Israel’s three founders are forward thinkers and have a clear vision for their process. Amir works with Daphna Wegner, a former DreamWorks Animation programmer, and Gadi Rouache, an awardwinning creative director.

Amir Give’on is a pretty smart guy.

Just ask his classmates at Princeton or Cal Tech, or his co-workers at NASA. He’s also passionate about Israel and connecting Israelis with Jewish Americans. Now he has used his entrepreneurial bent and his technical knowledge to help others be more savvy advocates for the Jewish homeland.

With a background in mechanical engineering, Amir is one of those bright guys who may be just flat-out brilliant. This fellow, who once worked with the people who sent us to the moon, has developed an intriguing app – Talk Israel (talkisrael.org/app).

Talk Israel launched in mid-September for iPhones and Android-based phones. The Talk Israel app acts as an aggregation and distribution channel for pre-existing content. It collects information about users’ preferences and then analyzes the data to provide people with the content they want most. Content delivery is based on an algorithm that recommends content, just like Pandora, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.

“We provide each user with a personal touch,” says Amir. He says Talk Israel’s developers believe that advocates will share more if they get the content in areas of interest they care about.

The goal of Talk Israel is to deal directly with Israel advocacy – to help users understand and reach beyond their basic ideas to

provide content they can use to support their advocacy of Israel. It motivates and informs users to be better advocates.

“Talk Israel is there to help advocates to reach outside their inner circle,” says Amir.

“Talk Israel helps advocates reach beyond the base or boundaries.”

Amir came to the United States from Israel in 1995. He started his education career at Princeton, left there to work for NASA and did postgraduate work at Cal Tech. He has a Ph.D. from Princeton in mechanical and aerospace engineering. At NASA he worked in the Jet Propulsion Lab for six years.

In starting Talk Israel, he spent a year designing the algorithm that is the foundation of the app. Part of that process is running tests and simulations – in essence test-driving the product.

Since the launch in September, Amir and his team have been going strong and picking up speed as they work out the kinks.

“We didn’t want to start too quickly,” says Amir. “We wanted to learn what users were looking for.”

One part of the research behind the project involves conducting focus groups to increase passion and interest for certain parts of the app. These groups are beginning to define trends and what direction users are moving. Clearly, Talk Israel has taken the pulse of what its users want in the app.

To date, they have a few thousand users, with about 20% of them returning to the app daily. But the future looks so bright that they are seeing good signs in their data, in where they want

Talk Israel: talkisrael.org/app 8 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Israeli-American and Jewish American to go and what is at the end of the communities in the United States. The game. group works to mobilize the community The app has done well in spite of to respond to strategic causes that support little marketing to this point.

U.S.-Israel related initiatives. Talk Israel “We didn’t want to throw seems like an asset that can promote both marketing money at it until we of those goals. knew what users liked,” says Amir.

“Talk Israel helps advocates reach beyond “This is our goal. We want it to be the base and boundaries,” says Amir. a collaboration of any organization “Feeling that we are always talking to each about Israel advocacy.” other and agreeing with each other is the Talk Israel’s three founders are norm. Talk Israel is there to change that, forward thinkers and have a clear to help advocates reach outside their inner vision for their process. Amir circle.” works with Daphna Wegner, a Amir is proud of other parts of his life former DreamWorks Animation as well. On the personal side, he and his programmer, and Gadi Rouache, an award-winning creative director. wife, Naomi Leight-Give’on, are expecting Talk Israel has received funding their first child in March. The couple also Amir Give’on from the Israeli-American founded jewcer.com, a nonprofit crowdCouncil and the Milstein Family funding program for Jewish initiatives. So far, jewcer.com has helped more than 300 projects raise more Foundation, a Los Angeles-based foundation that supports a diverse group of more than 60 pro-Israel organizations. than $1.9 million. While Amir serves as Jewcer’s “professional geek” and chief executive officer, Naomi is the nonprofit’s board IAC is the largest Israeli-American organization in the president and chief operating officer.

United States. According to its website (israeliamerican.org), During the day she is a trade diplomat in Los Angeles, but the mission is to build an engaged and united Israeli-American community that strengthens our next generations, the American after-hours she focuses her attention on Jewcer, cooking, baking and mosaic making.

Jewish community and the State of Israel.

One of IAC’s goals is to build bridges between the

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 9

RICK HASELTON RETIRES AS OREGON APPEALS CHIEF JUDGE

The Hon. Rick T. Haselton, whose 21 years of service on the Oregon Court of Appeals makes him the longest-serving judge in the history of that court, retired on Dec. 31. Haselton, who has been Chief Judge of the court since 2012, will continue to hear cases as a senior judge.

A native of Albany, OR, Haselton, 62, graduated from West Albany High School, Stanford University and Yale Law School.

He practiced law in Portland for 14 years, specializing in complex civil cases and appeals before being appointed to the Court of Appeals in 1994.

He is a current board member and past president of Congregation Kesser Israel in Portland. He has served as chair of the Multnomah County Legal Aid Board and many committees in the Oregon Judicial Department and Oregon State Bar. Oregon Chief Justice Tom Balmer, one of Haselton's former law partners, says Haselton "brought a brilliant legal mind and a clear, engaging writing style to his private law practice and then to the Court of Appeals, where he has been an outstanding leader."

Balmer will appoint a Court of Appeals judge to be Chief Judge in the near future. In early December, Governor Kate Brown named Scott A. Shorr and Roger J. DeHoog to fill two vacant seats on the Oregon Court of Appeals and appointed Lynn R. Nakamoto to the Oregon Supreme Court. There was no decision by press time about who the next Chief Judge will be on the appeals court.

Haselton says, “Serving on the Oregon Court of Appeals has been a daily privilege and blessing, and the culmination of my lifelong dream to serve Oregonians. I want to thank my wife, Sura Rubenstein, and my daughter, USMC Lt. Malia Haselton, who sustain and inspire me.”

Malia graduated from Portland Jewish Academy.

MIKDASH FOUNDER STEPS OUT OF ORGANIZER ROLE

Nate DeGroot, founder of Mikdash, has announced he is stepping away from his position as lead organizer of Portland’s East Side Jewish Cooperative.

The creation of Mikdash was the focus of Oregon Jewish Life’s October 2014 cover story (orjewishlife.com/ community-connections).

Nate is based in Boston, where he is finishing up his final year of rabbinical school at Hebrew College. He is also the rabbinic intern at IKAR in Los Angeles.

As he had the two previous summers, Nate spent last summer in Portland working on Eastside Jewish life. Over the summer Mikdash hosted more than 70 programs led by 45 different people, with a combined attendance of more than 600. Mikdash now has an active list-serve, a growing Facebook group, a meet-up group and a website.

A dedicated team of volunteers hosts events, facilitates programs and coordinates communications.

“Clearly there is a desire for a grassroots cooperative Jewish community in Portland, and thankfully there is now infrastructure and a foundation in place to support you all in the ongoing growth and sustainability of this beloved project,” said Nate in an email announcing 10 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

his decision. “Mikdash from the start has been rooted in the belief that each of us has gifts, and that the more generously we share those gifts and the more vulnerably we ask for them, the stronger and tighter and more meaningful a community we will be.” mikdashportland.org | MikdashPortland@gmail.com

TEMPLE BETH SHOLOM LAUNCHES SEARCH FOR NEW RABBI

Temple Beth Sholom in Salem is seeking a full-time rabbi after having a part-time rabbi for two and a half years. The campaign to create a fund to support a new rabbi far exceeded its goal by collecting $384,000 in six months. This success is an indication of the enthusiasm among the congregants for finding and keeping a rabbi.

Temple Beth Sholom was incorporated in 1937 and acquired its first building in 1947. Congregants led services until the first full-time rabbi in 1987. Previously unaffiliated but operating as a Conservative synagogue, the congregation joined the Reconstructionist movement in 1989. The congregation grew, sparking a move to a new building in south Salem in 2006.

The congregation is diverse in practice and membership. It supports a Sunday school and an adult education program as well as Friday night services, some Saturday morning services and a Wednesday morning prayer minyan. Many members of the congregation chant Torah, and there is an active bar/bat mitzvah preparation program. TBS is in the process of interviewing rabbinic candidates.

For application information, contact Marc Overbeck at marcoverbeck@ hotmail.com.

1274 Cunningham Lane S, Salem | 503-362-5004 | tbsholom.org

AHAVATH ACHIM MOVES SHABBAT SERVICES TO HILLSDALE

Sephardic Congregation Ahavath Achim plans to begin holding Friday evening and Saturday morning Shabbat services in the Hillsdale area in February or March. All other events, such as the Sephardic Winter Film Series and holiday services, will continue to take place at the synagogue at 3225 SW Barbur Blvd.

In a Nov. 13 email, Ahavath Achim President Renee Ferrera wrote: “As many of you are aware, our synagogue building was relocated to our current location in the mid-1960s due to urban renewal. … As the years passed, many of the Jewish families that once lived nearby have moved away and have left our synagogue as the last remaining Jewish institution in that neighborhood. In response to this shift, four years ago we began planning an eventual move to Hillsdale.”

Past President Richard Matza purchased the building at 6680-6688 SW Capitol Hwy. with the intent to sell it eventually to Ahavath Achim if the membership was interested. The synagogue board has voted to hold Shabbat services in one of the building’s storefronts, which is being renovated to provide a comfortable sanctuary and to open walls to share space with a neighboring tenant to accommodate Shabbat lunch.

Ahavath Achim has hired the architectural firm Stewart Gordon Straus Architect PC to work with the building committee and Project Manager Jeffrey Weitz to consider the congregation’s needs and options for layouts of the space.

“We will be shortly exposing the sale of our building to the entire market,” according to the email. “We are expecting the sale of the building to take some time to find the right buyer. … Our existing synagogue building will be in our community and will continue to be used by our community for quite a while longer.”

Synagogue: 3225 Barbur Blvd. | Shabbat Services: 6688 SW Capitol Hwy. | ahavathachim.org

BRAND NEW FOR YOU!

Jewish Federation Launches Interest-Free Loan Program Supporting one another through “life’s ups and downs” Jewish or “Hebrew” Free Loan Associations have been in the business of providing interest-free loans to individuals across North America for over a century. Sometimes life throws a wrench in one’s plans, and the support of one’s community can make the difference in how that challenge is met. The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland is excited to embark on a 21st century iteration of free loan for those in our area, ensuring the strength and vitality of our community now and into the future.

To learn more visit www.jewishportland.org/freeloan or call 503-245-6449.

The Jewish Free Loan of Greater Portland is supported by the Blumauer-Bloom Fund and the Nettie Rosen Director Free Loan Endowment Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and from generous donors like you.

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THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE. THE POWER OF COMMUNITY.

6680 SW Capitol Hwy | Portland, OR 97219 503-245-6219 | www.jewishportland.org

JewishPDX

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 11

Cover

Going out in a of

blaze

glory Jewish Theatre Collaborative in midst of stellar final season Story and photos

by Deborah Moon

JTC Founder and Executive Director Sacha Reich 12 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Jewish Theatre Collaborative is going out in a blaze of glory, capping an eight-year run of bringing both beloved and little-known stories of Jewish life to Portland audiences.

Passions were burning as the JTC launched its final season in November with “Aflame – an Album of Jewish Radicalism.” The season continues with a January concert and February Yeshiva learning session before culminating in the March-April mainstage production that inspired all of the programs – “Davita’s Harp,” a coming-of age story of a Jewish girl in 1930s New York City.

The staged reading that brought to life the voices of Jewish radicals (drawn from Dr. Tony Michel’s anthology Jewish Radicals: A Documentary History) was not the only thing that inspired passions; at the end of each of the two packed performances, the audience was deeply moved when JTC Founder and Executive Director Sacha Reich announced they were seeing the beginning of the theater's final season.

She says many were dismayed and some approached a board member with tears in their eyes.

But Sacha reassures, “We are not in shut-down mode.” JTC has announced that this is its final performance season to provide transparency and to inspire people to participate and experience original Jewish theater this year.

“We are happening,” says Sacha. “We are adapting this incredible, beautiful, powerful, affirming novel written by one of our most beloved American Jewish authors, Chaim Potok.”

While other Potok novels have been adapted for stage, this is the first staging of Davita’s Harp. Potok’s wife, Adena, whose life served as source material for the novel, has been reading the adaptations and providing additional insight, says Sacha.

“We’ve been trying to seed stories and messages into the groundwater of the community,” says Sacha of JTC’s eight seasons.

This year’s production of “Davita’s Harp” explores increasingly relevant and important themes, she adds.

She describes the play as an exploration of American identity and “what happens when the melting pot feeds and nurtures the next generation. Rather than differences dividing, there is nourishing, and she (Davita) integrates and comes through and emerges as an independent, thinking, questioning, compassionate human being.”

Set against the Depression and the rise of international fascism, Sacha says the story stresses there is much we cannot control, “but we have to be responsible for what we do have control over.”

During the play, Sacha says the audience will see “the formation of this person before your eyes. It happens not in huge moments but in mundane actions.”

“The story is populated by sensitive, ethical adults taking responsibility for the choices they make and concerned about the world they live in,” she continues. “It’s so relevant. Our world is in upheaval and violence increasingly is part of our world. We should be conscious and responsive in our lives. … The choices we make, make us.”

Last spring the JTC staff and board had the choice of stopping then or producing one final season. They chose to do one more season “to write the end of the story.” Sacha says that knowing this is the final season has provided clarity. Not having to begin building next year’s season gives JTC “the space to do art well ... to create world-class theater.”

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 13

However, JTC will not go extinct; the nonprofit theater will maintain its 501(c)3 status and retain its assets, including traveling shows and original scripts by Sacha, some written in collaboration with other members of the company.

Following the conclusion of this year’s mainstage production in April, the board and other supporters will convene to determine how to manage JTC’s assets and “under what circumstances it might be used in the future.” For instance, JTC’s touring show “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Well-Being: The Story of Lillian Wald” has received foundation grants for performances in 37 schools across east Multnomah County this school year. The play about the social reformer and founder of community public health nursing has been used in the health and wellness curriculum of Portland Public Schools.

“Five thousand students will get a dose of civic history to inform and inspire them to be agents of change in their community,” says Sacha.

Another touring production, “Hanukkah: The Power of Light,” has been a staple of the holiday celebrations at Cedar Sinai Park for several years.

Creating o riginal the ater is very “JTC was always part of our Hanukkah celebration,” says David This is jus time and la t part of th bor intens e cast and Fuks, who last fall retired as CSP CEO. David, who knew Sacha bring Davi ive. c rew workin ta’s Harp to g to stage this even before she created JTC, says that CSP also has taken residents spring. to many JTC productions through the years.

“Sacha is something of a genius,” says David. “From a cultural perspective, she is one of the best things to happen in the Portland Hebrew production of “The Comedy of Errors.”

Jewish community. She expresses her Jewish soul and feeds the “I had a background in Shakespeare, so I was involved in spirit of the rest of the community. the development of the translation and understanding the “Her productions have introduced us to excellence in Israeli nitty-gritty of what is embedded in the lines,” she says. playwrights, brought to life unexpected works of Jewish literature In 1997 she moved to New York and then to the Bay and created a cultural experience that has been remarkable. We area, where she had a theater company. She and her need to celebrate her marvelous contribution and to hope at some husband, Aaron Pearlman, also a Portland native, returned point she will find new ways to make theater available that speaks to their hometown in 2002 “to re-root ourselves here and to to the Jewish community.” contribute to the growth of community here.”

In a letter to supporters in September, Sacha and Interim Board The family, which now includes Lev, 15, and Ravit, 11, President Layton Borkan wrote: are members of Havurah Shalom. Sacha says her next “At the conclusion of this season, we will have created 24 original “production” will be Ravit’s bat mitzvah in the fall. works that have reached over 20,000 audience members with Initially Sacha taught Judaic studies at Portland Jewish characters and stories that have taken up residence in their hearts Academy, and her theater work was outside the Jewish and minds, shaping the way they view and understand the world.” community.

She directed two productions and served as the In 2008 JTC began with “Israel Onstage.” In 2011, Sacha artistic associate for Miracle Theatre Group, aka Milagro created "Charlotte Salomon's Life? Or Theatre?" which Jewish Teatro, where JTC has been in residency for the past three Review Editor Paul Haist called “profoundly stimulating theater years. … uncommonly sophisticated.” Two years later Sacha drew on Sacha says the partnership with Milagro has given JTC a successful element of the previous five seasons to create JTC’s the stability to accomplish what it has done over the past first season-long Page2Stage production. “A Pigeon & A Boy” three years. introduced audiences to stories of love and loss from BritishMilagro Founder and Executive Director José González mandate Palestine of the 1940s through modern-day Israel. Last says the two theaters share the goal of creating space for season the surreal era at the dawn of Argentina’s Dirty War came voices that are not being heard elsewhere. He is impressed to life for audiences in a season-long exploration of “The Ministry by JTC’s Page2Stage approach to that mission. of Special Cases.”

“I marvel at the courage to take a hard path to adapt Sacha says she hopes parents will take advantage of this year’s novels to the stage to expose people to different aspects of production to both inspire intergenerational conversations and to Jewish history and culture and tradition,” says José. introduce their children (ages 13 and older) to the works of Chaim Finding a universal message and connecting the story Potok, whom Sacha describes as an important influence on those of to current reality has always been a focus for JTC. For her generation. instance, Aflame was created to provide historical context A Portland native, Sacha moved to Israel in 1990, graduating for “Davita’s Harp,” but then talkbacks brought the from Hebrew University before spending three years training as a conversations into the present.

“We took audiences back director at Seminar Hakibbutzim in Tel Aviv. Her grad project for a firsthand encounter with the voices of Jewish radicals involved a Hebrew version of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” She of the teens, ‘20s and ‘30s in New York City. … The staged served as the dramaturge (providing context and history) for a 14 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

reading performances were followed by facilitated talkbacks.

What is the relevance of these ideas now? That is what we are always trying to do – provide historical context and relevance to today.”

“People left Aflame really excited about the encounter with the history and the ideas,” says Sacha, noting this final season seems increasingly timely in today’s chaotic world, where for the first time in 60 years “people are able to talk about socialism on national TV. … How did we get from the 1930s to 2015 with a Democratic socialist running for president?”

Noting that people find connections in different modalities inspired the other programs leading up to the mainstage production.

“This novel is really oral,” says Sacha. “The girl grew up with sounds – conversations and the sounds of harp music was a constant with every coming and going.”

Since when reading a novel, “you don’t know what that might sound like,” Sacha says the JTC decided to create a concert. “Music touches and

Jaimie M. Rea, right, gives a mo hug to Kayl therly a Lian befo re the Davi Harp cast ta’s did a read through of script in w th e hich the tw o play moth and daugh e r ter.

JTC Found er Sacha R eich and a JTC’s final ctress Kayl season th a Lian sit o at culmina Davita from n the stag te s with Davi e where A age 5 thro ta’s Harp th flame ope ugh 13 as is spring. K ned she comes ayla will po of age in 1 rtray Ilana 930s New York City.

D uring the play, Sacha says the aud will see “the ience formation o f this person before your eyes. It hap pens not in moments b huge ut in mund ane actions .”

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 15

JTC Founder Sacha Reich wants to fill every one of the 1,400 seats that are available during the JTC’s final mainstage production March 19-April 3.

ciently ffi u s s t r a e port th p u s d on ’t e n n o i a d t s e u w s y e tr arts ar e Th .

“As a coun e l b a n sustai m e h t e k a to m ists.” t r a f o s k c the ba ich

–Sacha Re

moves us in a way other art forms don’t.”

So JTC invited the musicians who have worked with the theater over the years to create music inspired by the novel, “music evoking these different influences in Davita’s life.” On two January evenings, Jack Falk, Cantor Ida Rae Cahana, Andrew Ehrlich, Courtney Von Drehle and Ralph Huntley will present a musical collage featuring Shabbat melodies, psalms, Yiddish music, communist and socialist tunes, and beautiful art songs – but no harp.

“These musicians are music interpreters,” says Sacha. “They are in conversation with the music.”

For those seeking a different entry point to Davita’s world, JTC offers A Taste of Yeshiva. The first session in February is nearly full. But another class will be offered in early April for those whose curiosity is provoked by the play.

“I think only a small part of our audience has exposure to text study in that setting,” says Sacha. Rabbi Tzvi Fisher (of the Portland Kollel) has put together a text study class that gives that firsthand experience, but also is about content relevant to the novel – what is our responsibility for our brother, our neighbor.” The class uses texts from Rabbi Akiva, who is central to the novel as a source of inspiration and object of study by Davita.

16 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Creating new programs and new theater is very resource intensive, says Sacha. JTC also faces the same challenges as many arts organizations in today’s economic climate.

Philanthropic giving to the arts has not recovered to prerecession levels, and public support for the arts in schools and other areas has fallen over the past decades. Funding has been an issue for JTC, even though the well-respected theater has received funding over the years from about 120 individual donors (including Portland theater benefactress Ronni LaCroute and Willakenzie Estates), as well from foundations and organizations including the Oregon Cultural Trust, The Oregon Community Foundation, Harold & Arlene Schnitzer Care Foundation, The Collins Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Cedar Sinai Park and Milagro.

“As a country we don’t support the arts sufficiently to make them sustainable,” says Sacha. “The arts are sustained on the backs of artists.”

Those realities have prompted JTC to curtail its programming.

Yet, the organization and its assets will remain – and with those glowing embers, when conditions change, the fire may once again ignite, bringing warmth and new cultural landscapes to Oregon.

EXPLORING DAVITA’S WORLD Davita’s World: The Music Jan. 18 & 19, 7:30 pm Milagro Theater, 525 SE Stark, Portland

Davita’s World: The Draw of Jewish Learning

12:30 pm, Feb. 10, Mittleman Jewish Community Center, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland 10:30 am, April 3, Milagro Theater A Taste of Yeshiva: Experience the style of learning that excited and nourished the heroine of “Davita’s Harp.” Engage in a lively debate over Talmudic texts from Davita’s revered Rabbi Akiva.

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Davita’s Harp, a new play alomon’s Charlotte eSatre?

Life or Th

Based on the novel by Chaim Potok; original adaptation for stage by Sacha Reich and Jamie M. Rea March 19-April 9 (7:30 pm, Thursday-Saturday; 2 pm, Sunday; with one Wednesday performance 7:30 pm, March 30) Milagro Theater Ilana Davita’s mother was Jewish, but chose atheism and communism. Her father was Episcopalian, but chose atheism and communism. While coming of age in New York in the 1930s with a missionary nurse aunt, a mystical story writing “uncle” and orthodox cousins, Davita discovers who she is and who she will choose to be.

Sunday, the tenth of January two thousand sixteen at three o’clock in the afternoon Congregation Neveh Shalom 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland, OR 97239

Please RSVP: nevehshalom.org/rabbi-kosak-installation or call 503.246.8831 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 17

Why I love Jewish day school Portland Jewish Academy

By Olivia Jacobs

Education "Study leads to action." ~ Talmud, Kiddushin

INSIDE

18 Why I love day school

20 Volunteers reap and sew joy

22 Youth leaders discuss changing world 24 Learning in the classroom of Israel 26 Giving kids everything has a cost

27 Kids learn when parents step aside

28 Hillel making the world a better place 29 Hear about American Jewish Politics

30 Students respond to racial threats on campus 31 PJ Library offers weekly story hours 32 Moms learn in Israel

34 Education Directory 18 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

I have attended a Jewish day school (Portland Jewish Academy) for the past nine years. Before that I went to a synagogue preschool program. I have always been surrounded by Judaism, and while that may cause my education to seem more secluded than most, I believe that it is quite the opposite.

Going to a Jewish day school has prepared me for the struggles and accomplishments of the future. I feel ready to take on high school and whichever tasks will be thrown at me afterward because of the core values I’ve learned throughout my experiences at PJA, such as study, respect, responsibility, community, appreciation and Jewish identity. These important bases of character will aid me in the process of transition between private and public school. I won’t know many people in my class next year, so the courtesy and confidence I’ve learned will help me meet new people and make new friends quickly.

However, my school has not only provided me with excellent skills for later in life. My education at Jewish day school has also taught me how to react in tough situations here in middle school countless times. For example, sometimes my friends and I heatedly debate current topics in class, and we Olivia Jacobs have a hard time coming to a consensus. But by the end of each argument, we agree to disagree and recognize our differing opinions, because we know that attempting to change a peer’s beliefs through forceful arguments could tarnish friendships or rip a hole in the strong fabric of our class. We try to keep our discussions healthy and free of disrespectful commentary on opposing views. I really enjoy this aspect of our school because it shows how when conflicts arise, togetherness will always prevail.

One very important reason behind my admiration of PJA still needs to be mentioned. What really makes Jewish day school special does not just pertain to specific subject matter or inscribable qualities. It’s hard to spot, but can be noticed everywhere once detected casually. What really makes Jewish day school tick is the aura surrounding it that brings grins, outstretched arms,

giggles and general joy among children, teachers and parents of all ages. It’s the adorable high fives between eighth-graders and kindergartners in the hallways and the collective murmur of prayers during Tefillah. It’s the sound of guitar and song during Kabbalat Shabbat and the excited face of a child excitedly rushing through an explanation of his or her wonderful idea for a class project. None of these things can be measured on any scale or titled with one word, because this encompasses so much warm feeling and specific experience. I guess the best way to describe it would be by calling it the “Jewish air” that I’ve been breathing for almost all of my life. And although after this year it might be a while until I smell it again, I wouldn’t trade it for any other atmosphere.

Olivia Jacobs is an eighth-grader at Portland Jewish Academy.

Maimonides Jewish Day School

By Chaya Bialo

To have a Jewish school available means that I get to practice my Judaism and learn about my religion. Practicing and learning are related but different. If I went to public school, I would be able to practice my religion, but I would be far away from learning about my way of life. People don’t always have the

opportunity to express themselves. I am very fortunate that we have a Jewish school in Portland and that I am a part of it and can express what I have learned and practiced.

I think that having a school available is one of the most important things in my life. A Jewish education means that I practice and make myself a better and smarter person. It is a great mitzvah to learn about my heritage. Learning about myself makes me feel like I am lucky to be part of the great nation of the United States that gives me the freedom and keeps me safe so that I can grow.

When I grow up I want to be someone that people would consider being a good contributor to my religion.

Chaya Bialo I am very proud of my teachers and principal who made this school a reality. I am really happy that all of the staff members get along very nicely. I need to say thank you to everyone who gives money and who hopes this school will be a great place to spend my day.

Further, I would like to thank my parents for transporting and paying for me to have a good education.

Chaya Bialo is a fourth-grader at Maimonides Jewish Day School in Portland.

Would you like up to $2000 towards your child’s Jewish preschool tuition?

right start

The Jewish Federation is proud to provide RIGHT START. For those who qualify, funding will be provided to help ensure your child has the right start on developing a life rooted in Jewish values and traditions.

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THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE. THE POWER OF COMMUNITY.

503.245.6219 | www.jewishportland.org 6680 SW Capitol Highway | Portland, OR 97219

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OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 19

Education

Diane Blitzer plays a letter game with a Maayan Torah student

By Deborah Moon

Maayan Torah volunteers sew and reap joy

Every child has a time when he or she would benefit from some one-on-one time with an adult. For some it's extra help with reading, for others it’s enrichment. At Maayan Torah Day School, a cadre of volunteers has stepped up to provide that oneon-one supplement.

Diane Blitzer, who volunteered to lead art lessons, has crafted teddy bears and a Torah scroll for the Maayan preschool. She stuffs her teddy bears with black beans instead of fluff to provide a calming weight to embrace students. Unlike most commercial toy scrolls, Diane’s Torah scroll has a removable mantle so children can practice “dressing the Torah.” Her “3D” volunteer projects grew directly out of her work as an architect.

20 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Recently Diane added “reading buddy” to her volunteer repertoire. Now meeting weekly with an elementary student from Israel, she has discovered she enjoys the individualized interaction as much as the student does.

“I think it’s powerful for kids to get reinforcement from someone other than their parents, someone who wants to sit and read with them,” says Diane. For her part, Diane says she enjoys the fact that “kids are good at making an adult think; they ask moving questions.”

Diane is just one of the adults experiencing the interactions that benefit both parties at Maayan.

“A number of volunteers work with our students; these volunteers are reading buddies, big brother types and learning supports,” says Maayan Principal Aviel Brodkin. “They don’t have family or students connected to the school, they were just

looking to get involved in children’s lives in our community.”

Another of those volunteers is Bruce Banasky, 67, who recently semi-retired from his family business.

“I had heard by word of mouth for the past few years that the school was filling a community need since its inception,” says Bruce. “Recently I heard Aviel was looking for volunteers.”

Noting he enjoys “giving back to the community,” with more free time now, he added Maayan to his other volunteer efforts, which include visiting seniors at Cedar Sinai Park and helping with recreational programs at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Portland.

“I enjoy children and they seem to enjoy me,” says Bruce. “To me it’s all about being yourself and letting them be themselves.”

Bruce works with two students at Maayan. “Both are lovely, caring, well mannered and highly intelligent,” he says. “I read both Hebrew and English with them, play some Hebrew letter board games with them and we do some light indoor kickball as needed!”

For volunteer Devora Fleshler, reading with a student at Maayan is in part a way to repay those who read with her children when they were young. She says Shoshana, now 24, needed extra help with reading, and Yofim, now 21, whom Devora and her husband, Aki, adopted from Russia at age 7, needed help both with reading and adapting to a new culture. Now she reads

with a fourth-grader from Israel each week, providing the support that was so crucial for Yofim.

“We are reading Charlotte’s Web,” says Devora, noting stories are a good way to stimulate conversation. “When we talked about Charlotte getting a pet, I asked her if she had any pets.

She really opened up and starting talking about her little dog.”

As a nurse practitioner working in women’s health care for 23 years, Devora says nurturing was an important part of her day.

She is now enjoying bringing that nurturing to her new role.

“There is a sweetness about young children,” she says. “It is very fulfilling.”

This is the second year that Alan Horowitz has volunteered at the school. A long-time speech pathologist in the Beaverton School District and with the Forward Stride therapeutic riding program, Alan says he went to look at Maayan Torah after hearing fellow Kesser Israel member Morris Engleson praise the program. “I decided it was a nice place to volunteer,” Alan says. Last year he read with one student every week; he says the teacher told him the student’s reading is much better this year, which has made a big difference for him. This year he is reading with two elementary children (one at a time) each week.

“The kids enjoy the time and the teachers appreciate the help,” says Alan. “It is a positive, good program and I enjoy being a small part of it.”

“I think it’s powerful for kids to get reinforcement from someone other than their parents, someone who wants to sit and read with them. Kids are good at making an adult think; they ask moving questions.”

–Diane Blitzer

Inspiring passionate learners PreK-12 Join us to learn more about our schools.

Grades PreK-8 • Info Day, Jan. 22 Grades 9-12 • Shadow Days through February Find more details and RSVP on our website.

Deadline for non-resident enrollment requests is Feb. 19.

503-262-4847 • www.riverdaleschool.com

Grade School • 11733 SW Breyman Ave., Portland High School • 9727 SW Terwilliger Blvd., Portland OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 21

Education Youth leaders discuss changing world and impact of BBYO

By Gloria Hammer

BBYO, formerly B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, has been in existence since 1925, originally as a club for teenage Jewish boys. A girls division was recognized in 1944.

BBYO has a pretty famous alumni list including Mark Cuban, Matt Groening, Adam Sandler and Sheryl Sandberg.

Despite changes over the years, BBYO remains committed to Jewish life, community service, social action and being a youth leadership model for Jewish girls and boys.

BBYO Portland City Director Sam Swire told us about BBYO regional presidents in the Evergreen Region, which includes Oregon, Washington, Montana and parts of British Columbia. Ayla Bussel, Regional BBG, N’siah youth president, is a senior at Henry D. Shelton High in Eugene. Sol Nudelman, AZA, Godol president presides over the boys chapters and is a senior at Lake Oswego High.

Ayla is busy applying to colleges and hopes to study psychology, education and/or law. She loves working with people, especially youth.

She says she thought her strong involvement with Judaism would end after becoming a bat mitzvah. But when some upperclassman invited her to a BBYO meeting, she attended and was hooked after a few weeks.

Sol, a third-generation Oregonian, is also busy with college applications and wants to major in finance. His big dream would be working for a professional sports team in upper management or finance. Sol has been involved in BBYO since eighth grade.

He knew he would give the organization a try – his dad, grandma, grandpa and aunt are all past members of the youth group. He has loved every single moment since his first meeting.

The following interview with the two teens has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Ayla Bussel and Sol Nudelman use their hands to make the sign symbolizing Evergreen, which is the name of their BBYO region.

What does being Jewish mean to you?

Ayla: It means strong values, morals and beliefs. It means getting an education and knowing what I stand for.

Sol: I belong to a very special community with people who are very compassionate, motivated and who are leaders. There is a special bond almost immediately when you meet someone and find out they are also Jewish.

Describe the most valuable skill you have gained from BBYO.

Ayla: The ability to listen and learn from others. Through numerous conference calls, programs and brainstorm sessions, I have learned to listen to and understand other people’s opinions as well as how to respectfully and thoughtfully voice my own opinions.

Sol: The ability to work with others. I was shy, not an outgoing kind of kid. BBYO broke me out of my shell. My social skills improved, and I realized I had the ability to lead. I’ve figured out how to brainstorm, communicate and execute successful events with others.

How has being active in BBYO affected your life?

Ayla: My high school experience would not be the same

22 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

without BBYO. I am forever grateful for the people I have met and the skills I have gained.

I cherish the weekends when our region gathers, and I get to spend time with these incredible and inspiring leaders. I am so lucky to be part of an amazing team of leaders who are truly changing the future of our region and leading us to higher levels of success.

Sol: BBYO has given me an opportunity to meet so many different people from so many different schools in Portland, around the state and the country. When I was around people involved in Christian religious groups, I felt pretty left out. Once in BBYO I felt such a connection with my peers and the people around me.

BBYO is an inclusive organization. How have you seen the program adapt to accommodate the special needs of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender individuals and those questioning their identity?

Ayla: Sol and I were present at the North American Executives Conference this past August when the executive body voted to pass the motion to make BBYO a genderinclusive organization.

Sol: With those identifying with LGBTQ, the entire order has become inclusive and is looking to make changes in writing to be more gender inclusive.

information to a large audience in a matter of seconds.

However, with all this technology comes some challenges.

Misinformation and using social media in a harmful way is a risk. It is crucial to be responsible. That is something Sol and I stress in our region.

Sol: BBYO has only grown with the use of technology. It seems that every single chapter in every city has a Twitter account. I started my chapter’s Twitter account years ago. It is an easy way to communicate to your entire region as well as to international members.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Ayla: Working toward a Ph.D. in psychology and being happy and healthy and hopefully with a few kids. And saying “yes” to keeping Judaism in my life.

Sol: I will be working and traveling – I am really in love with the San Francisco area. I see myself starting a family. All the Jewish learning and BBYO involvement has strengthened my Jewish identity and will continue on as an adult.

BBYO is gender separate by chapters. How has that impacted discussions on gender identity?

Ayla: Although we hold separate AZA and BBG meetings and events, we are constantly working to collaborate as one cohesive body. AZA and BBG chapters recently gathered in Eugene for a program on feminism to learn about the history of feminism and current issues and to share views.

Sol: We will be moving forward to bring chapters together to continue being inclusive.

How has your awareness on gender equality changed?

Ayla: As a kid, I didn’t even know what the word “gay” meant. Now at 17, I am more educated regarding the LGBTQ community and the issues they face every day. The news that the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide was such a powerful moment for me, and it really shows the commitment of our society to create a world that is safe and accepting for everyone. There will always be people who are unwilling to budge on their views.

Sol: People’s perspectives are very different and have changed with the times. In the Northwest, people are primarily more liberal and caring toward change.

Blending Jewish values and learning with the best in education today.

WELCOMING ALL FROM ACROSS PORTLAND’S DIVERSE JEWISH COMMUNITY

How has the organization changed with technology?

Ayla: Our region’s leaders are encouraged to use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other forms of social media to promote events and initiatives. This technology allows us to spread

Soon starting at 18 months and to 10th Grade 503-245-5568 www.PortlandJewishDaySchool.org OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 23

Education Conference on Israel education shows innovation and growth of field A three-day conference dedicated to Israel education, iCamp, brought together 250 educational leaders, practitioners, stakeholders and funders from North America and Israel in Las Vegas. Hosted by the iCenter for Israel Education, the interactive gathering helped educators explore new approaches to help youth in all kinds of educational settings connect to Israel in personal and authentic ways. “iCamp focuses on the educators as they interact directly with experts and learn how to help learners build meaningful relationships with Israel,” said Anne Lanski, iCenter executive director. “Effective Israel education reflects excellent education.

It starts with talented educators – individuals who are knowledgeable and deft story tellers, who know how to tap into their students’ passions, and are able to bring Israel to life in nearly any educational environment – be it in a classroom, at a camp, on a bus or elsewhere.”

A highlight of iCamp this year was the launch of the Aleph Bet of Israel Education – 2nd Edition, representing a set of 12

24 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

core principles, approaches to content, and essential pedagogies that together constitute the building blocks of the field.

Chapters include “Israel as a Cornerstone of Jewish Identities,” “A Learner-Centered Approach,” “Eretz, Medina, Am Yisrael,” “Modern Hebrew,” “Israeli Arts and Culture,” “Relating and Relationships,” and “The Educator.”. iCamp participants has the opportunity to learn with the Aleph Bet authors and explore these building blocks more deeply.

Conference participants also experienced leading Israeli arts & culture and STEM initiatives. Mishy Harman and Yochai Maital share their unique combination of radio-style storytelling, live collage animation, music, singing, video, and other multimedia magic to provide an intimate glimpse of modern Israeli life in Sipur Yisraeli.

“One eye opening presentation for me was with Dr. Sivan Zakai, who is conducting a longitude research on how young children, at the age of 4 and 5, are actually able to relate and understand the complexity of Israel and Judaism.,” said Rabbi Meirav Kallush, from a Solomon Schechter Day school in New Jersey. “This will actually change the way we approach Israel Education at our lower school campus to offer opportunities for more complex engagements.”

Another participant, Paula Winnig, from the Bureau of Jewish Education in Indianapolis, said, “iCamp was a great opportunity to meet with other educators, hear from luminaries in thought development and Israel identity and education, and connect to my own Israel story. I was reenergized in my commitment to Israel education through iCamp, and I am so excited to bring these ideas back to my community!”

Las Vegas Hillel Director Matthew Kramer-Morning noted, “I look to connect students to Israel through their own interests because this type of connection truly is the most meaningful. At iCamp I get to learn directly with experts who champion this approach and have refined it from years of experience.”

Held previously in 2011, iCamp 2015 shows the growth of Israel education in just a few years. Along with the shared principles of Aleph Bet of Israel Education, a common Israel education language now exists, as does the recognition by many that Israel education is not confined to a set time of the day relying on a textbook. Rather, the diversity of iCamp’s participants – leaders from synagogues, day schools, camps, youth movements, college campuses, JCCs, federations, and more – underscores the many places where Israel education occurs through engaging, meaningful experiences.

“This is an exciting moment for those committed to bringing dynamic and inspiring Israel learning and experiences to today’s youth and young adults,” said Lanski. “We have more knowledge than ever about what these experiences consist of, and more talented educators in the field than ever before.”

Join us at

Congregation Shaarie Torah for all of our family friendly and educational programs

The Carl Preschool A play-based, Jewish cooperative preschool open to all. Our focus is providing a warm, fun and creative environment where your child will laugh, learn and grow.

Programs for Young Children Monthly and quarterly programming for toddlers, preschoolers and families with young children, such as: Torah Yoga, A Little Shabbat, Shirat Yeladim and Preschool Family Education.

B’nai Mitzvah & Religious School Experience quality Jewish education for K-12th through our Sunday School, Wednesday Night School, Portland Jewish Explorers, Bar/Bat Mitzvah training and Kadima Youth Group.

Teens & Beyond Involvement through our Ruach Minyan services, holiday celebrations, social action/tikkun olam programming, USY Youth Group, adult education and so much more.

OPEN HOUSE AT THE CARL PRESCHOOL! See Morah Elizabeth in action, meet other families and see why everyone is checking us out!

January 10, 10am - 12pm / January 11 & 12, 9:30 - 11am & 1:30 - 3pm

920 NW 25th Avenue, Portland, OR 97210 ~ 503.226.6131 ~ info@shaarietorah.org ~ shaarietorah.org OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 25

Education

By Harriet Rossetto

Trauma of Privilege

I have been in the center of the swirl of awareness about the unintended consequences of affluence and privilege on our children. I meet these youngsters and their families when crisis penetrates the denial system and they arrive at Beit T’Shuvah, the recovery community I founded 30 years ago. I have listened to their baffled, bewildered parents who “gave them everything,” only to have it thrown in their faces. I coined the family dynamic: “I hate you; send money.” At Beit T’Shuvah, we have been essentially “re-parenting” these children of all ages, allowing them to experience “all the disadvantages of success,” in the words of Larry Ellison.

A recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds a direct correlation between parents who overvalue their children and children who are narcissistic.

Researchers found that while parental warmth was associated with high self-esteem in kids, parental overvaluation was not.

Or as Madeline Levine put it: “Praise is not warmth pumped in; self-esteem is not self-efficacy.” I have heard from many recovering addicts that when they feel undeserving, praise exacerbates their self-loathing and sense of fraudulence.

I have read most of the developing literature on the effects of overparenting, helicoptering and indulging our offspring – resulting in entitled, depressed, addicted and, most recently, narcissistic kids. Their despair manifests in a wide range of self-destructive behaviors: drugs, alcohol, food (stuffing or starving), self-mutilation (cutting, piercing), and Internet addictions to gaming, chatting, and pornography. The more passive expressions of hopelessness and lack of purpose are the “failures to launch” – those who never leave or return to the “nest,” sleeping away the days, refusing to grow up.

These are not just symptoms of narcissism. After more than 30 years of observation, I argue that these children have been traumatized. They suffer from what I call “the trauma of privilege.”

The benefit of viewing this condition through a trauma lens rather than a personality disorder lens is that the latter is static, the former infinitely reparable. The label “narcissistic personality” brands you for life; trauma views adaptive behavior as a learned way of being that can be unlearned. The wounded, fractured self can be repaired in a community that offers emotional, physical and spiritual healing through exposure to multiple emotionally corrective experiences for privileged families trapped in the cycle of either/or-ness, fear of inadequacy and the never-ending pursuit of perfection.

Seen through the trauma lens, these narcissistic characteristics are the result of primary attachment disorder and parental “mis-attunement.” The parents need to produce a “perfect” child, wherein the child’s successes are a reflection of the parents’ worth. This creates in the child a sense of being a commodity – “valuable but not valued.” They alternate between grandiosity 26 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

and self-loathing or depression, unable to integrate self and self-image. They live in a paradigm of either/or: I am either number one or a total loser. Or as they say in recovery circles, hot shit or piece of shit. Their self is fragmented, split, at war.

They keep asking themselves the wrong question: Which one is the real me?

Healing the fractured self begins with the answer: They are both the real me. This leap from either/or to both/and begins to repair the trauma of either/or parenting. Through this lens, parents overvalue and/or overpraise their children because they, too, are fractured. Their fears, anxieties and insecurities about themselves render them incapable of reflecting wholeness back to their child. They are parents who have zero tolerance for their child’s imperfections; who can’t tolerate their child’s sadness, rage, fears and unhappiness; who can’t be present and nonjudgmental with their child’s inconsistent and contradictory states of being; and who can only mirror the praiseworthy aspects of the child. Such parents create narcissism – the quintessential split.

This is why we treat this condition as a trauma, which can be repaired. We teach them how to fail forward, to accept their defects and imperfections, to live within limits, to accept the discomfort of not getting what they want, to tolerate rejection and disappointment, and to take right action no matter what they feel. We help them to recover their passion and discover their purpose. Their challenge is learning how to integrate their opposing and contradictory selves, a necessary prelude to the development of integrity. After a considerable amount of time and attention, many of them come to life. They launch. These traumatized young men and women begin to take responsibility for both their successes and failures. Their parents learn how to say no and stop defining themselves by their children’s successes or failures.

It is not only children of privilege who are failing, it is their parents. Those fighting so hard to keep them from harm are causing the most damage. Parenting needs a wake-up call, and children must be allowed to fail before they forget how to value true success and become victims of the trauma of privilege.

This article originally appeared in the Jewish Journal in Los Angeles.

Harriet Rossetto is the founder of Beit T’Shuvah, a nationally recognized faith-based residential center in Los Angeles offering addiction prevention, rehabilitation and educational programs. Beit T'Shuvah houses 140 residents and 100 employees (80% of whom are former residents) and provides treatment to people who have limited or no financial resources. Harriet was honored by the White House in May 2015 as an “Advocate for Action” and at the request of National Drug Policy Control Director Michael Botticelli serves as an advisor on National Drug Control Policy.

Education

Family Time

Stepping aside

lets kids learn valuable lessons

By Debra Rich Gettleman

“You’re ruining my life,” bemoans my 15-year-old son, Levi, as he storms out of the kitchen in a fury. To be honest, this kind of teenage drama is relatively rare in our household. Levi’s grown into a fairly easygoing young man who handles most of life’s daily stressors with a cool, even-keeled sense of rationality that most of the time impresses the heck out of me. This time was different, and I was feeling unnerved by his palpable disquietude.

The reason for this unusual outburst was that we had denied Levi’s request to attend a winter weekend NFTY retreat at Camp Newman in Santa Rosa, CA. “I’m sorry,” I explained. “But we just don’t have the funds right now. If you want to go to the retreat instead of going to camp this summer, we can talk about that. But this is a lot of money for a weekend, and we just can’t do it.”

In reality, it felt lousy to say no to this request. Levi isn’t the kind of kid who asks for much. In fact, I can’t even remember the last time he asked for anything material, and I’m not even sure this request should count as material. For Levi, a weekend at Camp Newman represents a weekend of Judaic learning, connection to nature and camaraderie with a group of like-minded teens that doesn’t come around too often. But we were between jobs, and we really couldn’t afford to fund this superfluous luxury.

Most of the time Levi is strikingly mature in his understanding of parental rationale. But this time he just wasn’t getting it.

He proposed multiple scenarios including hitchhiking to California, dipping into his bar mitzvah savings and stuffing himself into an oversized UPS box and shipping himself to the retreat.

Since none of these were acceptable to his father and me, we remained steadfast in rejecting his pleas. Needless to say, we all went to bed feeling lousy, and I worried that the next morning might still be full of angst and disappointment.

But Levi awoke with a strong sense of purpose and determination. “What if I raise the money for the retreat myself ? Then can I go?” he asked. “Well, yeah,” I stammered. “I guess you can.”

With that he grabbed his phone and computer and disappeared into the kitchen. After a few hours he came to see me.

“So here’s the deal,” he began. “I had some money in my checking account from my neighborhood dog-walking. I also

spoke with the temple, and I’m getting my paycheck from my Hebrew school student teaching gig. With both of those I have enough to cover tuition for the retreat. So can I go?” “Well sweetie, that’s great,” I said, trying to tread delicately. “But what about airfare? That’s probably another $300 at least.”

He smiled broadly. “It’s actually anywhere from $285-$350 depending on which airline and flight I book. But I’ve got that covered as well.”

I almost detected a hint of arrogance in his voice. “You see, every year the family asks me what I want for Hanukkah, and I can never come up with anything,” he said. “So this year, I rallied the troops and told everyone I’d like to go to the NFTY event, and I raised more than enough to cover the airfare. So can I go?”

At this point I wasn’t sure if I should be proud or irritated by his unwavering determination and relentless resourcefulness. I thought about it for a moment and unable to come up with a reason to reject his proposal, I congratulated him on figuring things out and told him I was thrilled and excited that he’d managed to make this happen for himself.

I’ve been contemplating the experience for a few days now, and I realize something pretty amazing. Most of the time we parents want to give our kids everything. Whether it’s tangible items that make their lives easier or life lessons that we want to drill into their psyches, we tend to overdo it and convince ourselves that educating our kids is all about what we give them.

The truth is, sometimes the real lessons come when we step back, stop giving and let them figure out a way to fend for themselves.

Levi is stronger and smarter for having worked through this problem without my “saving” him or spoon-feeding him whatever teachable lesson I think he should have learned. Instead, by summoning his own resourcefulness and creative problem-solving skills, he managed to overcome obstacles and work through challenges to create the reality he wanted for himself. What better lesson is there than that?

Debra Rich Gettleman is a mother and blogger based in the Phoenix area. For more of her work, visit unmotherlyinsights.com.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 27

Young Adult Education

Oregon Hillel:

Making the world a better place

By Deborah Moon

Oregon Hillel has taken aim at making the world a better place through a trio of programs. Alternative Spring Break (see story next page), Manzil Midrash and the Tzaddik Initiative already have made a difference in the lives of students and others they have reached out to help.

MANZIL MIDRASH

opened my eyes to some of the similar experiences that we have shared while living in the United States.”

Participant Charlotte Rheingold agrees: "This program did an excellent job in creating a diverse, open environment in which to explore issues and burning questions about Judaism and Islam. It showed how much the two religions have in common, and how people relate to their religion in so many different ways that it is impossible to stereotype people.”

Another student found an unexpected element in the program. “Something I noticed while attending the sessions is that I've not only learned more about the Muslim faith, but also about my own,” says Linda Guillen. “I've learned about values within different sectors of Judaism. I loved feeling the connection in beliefs with my peers. I can't wait to see how much more Manzil Midrash can grow. I'm also really excited to see the incredible things it can do for not only our campus, but hopefully inspire other schools, as well.”

“Students often find themselves asking ‘Do my efforts really make a difference?’ or ‘What can I do to ensure a just society?’ ” says Amanda K. Weiss, Oregon Hillel director of Jewish leadership and learning.

“These questions cross cultural divides and religious theologies.”

So for the second year, Oregon Hillel has brought together a diverse group of students for a series of student-created and student-facilitated campus conversations – Manzil Midrash (house [Arabic] of study [Hebrew]). The project’s goal is to TZADDIK INITIATIVE foster interfaith understanding and cross-cultural encounters and proHillel International has enabled The Tzedakah group celebrates their incredible campus-wide mote open and respectful discourse Oregon Hillel to deepen its comfood drive in October, when they collected close to a ton of food – within the Jewish and campus mitment and understanding of tze1,953.5 pounds to be exact – for the UO Student Food Pantry. From community, specifically surrounding dekah (community service) opporleft are Jake Monasch, Terra Zicklin, Pammy Brutzkus, Kaylin Bierly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. tunities and tikkun olam (repairing and Arielle Wahba.

The conversations are co-sponthe world) through its Tzaddik sored by Oregon Hillel (at the curriculum based on student-faciliUniversity of Oregon), the UO Jewtated conversations. ish Student Union, UO Arab Student Union and UO Muslim Oregon Hillel Vice President of Tzedek Jake Monasch and Student Association; it is funded by Oregon Hillel and the Avi Tzedek Committee Chair Arielle Wahba will introduce the Schaefer Fund. curriculum at Hillel’s Retreat in the Snow scheduled for MarManzil Midrash topics are facilitated on a monthly basis by a tin Luther King weekend ( Jan. 15-18). Jake and Arielle will student leadership team. In addition to improving interreligious facilitate a conversation with 80 students from the University of relations in Oregon, organizers hope to create a curriculum that Oregon and Oregon State University about their responsibility can be replicated nationally for other campus student leaders. in helping their community and not standing idly by.

“This was the first time ever that the Muslim Student AssoFollowing the kickoff, Jake and Arielle will use this curricuciation took part in working with the Jewish Student Union to lum to teach their peers on the Tzedek Committee in biweekly learn more about the similarities and differences between our meetings. They also plan to incorporate the Tzaddik curriculum two religions,” says participant Fahma Mohammed. “This event into each community service opportunity they create.

28 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

University of Oregon students helped to build a school out of recycled materials in Guatemala on a previous Alternative Spring Break in partnership with the organization Long Way Home. This year Becca Marx will accompany Oregon students on another Alternative Spring Break project.

Making spring break count

By Becca Marx

This year over the academic spring break, the Oregon Hillel Foundation will take college students to do a community service trip in San Marcos, Texas. Students attending the University of Oregon and Oregon State University are thrilled to take part in this tikkun olam, repairing the world, initiative!

The trip is in partnership with the Jewish Disaster Response Corp, which assists communities in domestic disaster recovery while exhibiting Jewish values and promoting broad and visible Jewish participation. Throughout May 2015, massive flooding devastated Texas as 37.3 trillion gallons of water fell on the state. Of the 254 counties in Texas, 70 were classified as disaster zones. In Hays County alone (the county in which San Marcos lies), 1,400 homes were damaged or destroyed.

With that said, you can see why Texas needs our students’ help! The exact project has not been pinpointed yet; depending on the house they are assigned to, the students will either be doing demolition or building. This work is extremely meaningful. The students will get a chance to meet the family whose home they are working on. That gives the family not only the opportunity to express their gratitude, but also the chance to share their stories to bring the disaster alive for students.

Along with learning from the locals, the students will engage in curriculum facilitated by the JDRC senior Jewish educators on the theme of immigration in relation to the San Marcos community as well as the American Jewish community.

Becca Marx is the engagement director for Oregon Hillel-The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.

PSU announces Solomon Lecture on politics and new courses The 11th Annual Gus & Libby Solomon Memorial Lecture featuring Dr. Shawn Landres will be Feb. 4 at 7 pm in 75 Lincoln Hall on the Portland State University campus.

Sponsored by The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies, this year’s lecture will be “From Jewish Interests to Jewish Values: American Jewish Politics in the 21st Century.”

Landres will explore the shift in the American Jewish community from a focus on interest-group influence to a politics of Jewish values and significance, in large part due to the slow but steady Jewish demographic decline. Among other things, he’ll look at how Jews have been engaged in the public sphere in the past and how that is changing today.

Currently a civil society fellow at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Shawn Landres chairs the board of Impact Hub Los Angeles. He serves on the Los Angeles County Quality & Dr. Shawn Landres Productivity Commission (and chairs its Strategic Foresight Working Group) and on the City of Santa Monica Social Services Commission.

Co-founder and board co-chair of Jumpstart Labs, he is an active partner in early-stage ventures and social enterprises. He holds degrees from Columbia, Oxford and UC Santa Barbara.

This event is free and open to the public.

Additionally, Judaic studies is adding three new courses for the term beginning Jan. 4: Jewish Literature of the Arab World with Michael Weingrad, Judaism and Gender with Rabbi Ariel Stone, and The Jewish Experience in Latin America with adjunct professor Mollie Nouwen, author of Oy, My Buenos Aires: Jewish Immigrants and the Creation of Argentine National Identity.

“Please remind people that anyone 65 or older is eligible to audit courses at PSU for free, and we welcome auditors,” says Judaic Studies Academic Director Natan M. Meir.

For more information on the lecture or courses, email judaicst@pdx.edu or call 503-725-5048.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 29

Lewis & Clark students respond to racial threats on campus

By Rachel K. and Rachel P.

On Tuesday, Nov. 17, hateful threats against the black students of Lewis & Clark College were posted on the anonymous social media platform YikYak.

On Friday, Nov. 20, a black student was assaulted by three white males while walking on campus. This escalation of incidents came on the heels of the annual Ray Warren Symposium on Race & Ethnic Studies. These were not isolated incidents.

For the last four years racist comments and threats have followed the symposium.

In the aftermath of these events, Jewish students at Lewis & Clark came together to re-examine the community we are part of and the damaging racism that has been directed against our friends and peers. We asked ourselves, in what ways have we been complicit and stood idly by as our peers were attacked and

The goals of our education program for our youth are the same as the entire congregation. We seek to construct powerful educational experiences that enable our students to become Critical Readers, Social Justice activists and Reflective Ritual Practitioners.

Bagels and Blox, a celebration of Judaism through creative arts and play for 2,3,and 4 years old and their families will take place at 3 p.m. on Sundays; February 22 and April 19.

Tot Shabbats

will be celebrated on Saturdays, January 24 and March 14, at 9:30 a.m

"We love Beit Haverim because for years it was the most diverse experience my kids had -- different types of families from all sorts of backgrounds. At this point, my kids have ground up in the community and they consider Beit Haverim and extension of their family."

— Kim Kent, parent, congregant, and religious school teacher

NOW ENROLLING FOR RELIGIOUS SCHOOL!

Beit Haverim

1111 Country Club Road Lake Oswego, OR 97034 503-344-4839, office@beithav.org www.beithav.org

30 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

made to feel unsafe? We have always said our events are open to all, but we began to ask ourselves, are they really? In what ways can we make them more accessible and inclusive? The Jewish principles of tikkun olam and social justice demand that we ask these questions.

We were not alone in this. Many students and student groups on campus have asked these same questions. After the initial YikYak posts, students on campus held a sit-in, a public show of support for our peers and for developing a positive, safe and inclusive campus. Many students at other colleges nationwide have faced their own horrifying attacks on black students’ lives and asked these same, difficult questions. In addition, there is a broad pattern of ineffective administrative response to these issues. When faced with the necessity to respond, administrations can misstep – or even worse, stay silent. It is our duty to hold our leaders accountable.

During the sit-in we experienced a lot of students, Jews and non-Jews, asking, “What can we do to help?” or voicing that they felt unsure of themselves in contributing to the dialogue.

During the sit-in we experienced a lot of students, Jews and non-Jews, asking, “What can we do to help?” or voicing that they felt unsure of themselves in contributing to the dialogue. In these challenging conversations, it is important to acknowledge the privileges we may possess and that we cannot hide behind them. We stress that it is crucial now to listen to the affected students on campus, to take it upon ourselves as a community to access resources for change and education, and to recognize not just the disadvantages others face, but the advantages this affords us. Our strengths and our weaknesses lie in our diversity.

Drawing on the Jewish values of tikkun olam, social justice and especially education, as we stand at these crossroads, we urge you to have these challenging discussions within your own communities, to continue to learn, to grapple with your gut reactions and to not let this fade into the background of everyday minutiae.

You can access more information about what is happening on campus at barryglassdoor.com.

Rachel K. and Rachel P. are members of Hillel leadership at Lewis and Clark College.

PJ Library brings stories to four neighborhoods

Song leader Justin Carroll, above, entertains children at one of four weekly PJ Library story and music hours around Portland that have been funded by a special grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Each story hour is in a unique location and features amazing local musicians and story tellers. Join the fun 10-10:45 am, Mondays at Yo Zone (18033 NW Evergreen Parkway, Beaverton); 9:30-10:15 am Thursdays at Realty Trust

Group, Inc. (600 Avenue A, Lake Oswego); and 10-10:45 am Fridays at SeaHorses (4029 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland).

A special intergenerational story and music hour meets 9:3010:15 am, Fridays at Cedar Sinai Park (6125 SW Boundary St., Portland). For more information, visit jewishportland.org/ pjlibrary or contact Rachel Rothstein at rachelr@jewishportland.org.

MAJOR OR MINOR IN JUDAIC STUDIES AT PSU! • Explore an ancient civilization.

• Delve into texts, history, art, literature, dance, and film.

• Discover the rich Jewish history of Europe, the vibrant culture of contemporary Israel, and the multi-dimensional community of American Jewry.

The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies is now proud to offer a Judaic Studies major at Portland State University, along with the Shleifer Scholarship, which will cover tuition and fees for eligible students.

Contact judaicst@pdx.edu or click to www.pdx.edu/judaic for more information OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 31

Education

Oregon women on the free October 2015 Momentum pose on a Jerusalem overlook.

Free tour teaches moms richness of Israel

By Deborah Moon

Last year 50 Oregon moms took advantage of free trips to Israel and returned full of enthusiasm for Judaism and the Jewish state – an enthusiasm they have shared with their families and community.

This year about 44 women are invited to take advantage of that same opportunity to discover the richness of their heritage courtesy of the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project in collaboration with the Israeli government.

32 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

In 2008, eight Jewish women who wanted to empower and inspire women with the rich beauty of their Jewish heritage created JWRP and Momentum, an eight-day journey through Israel. Since then more than 6,500 women from 19 different countries have experienced this life-changing trip, paying for only their own airfare.

In addition, husbands of moms who participated last year or who sign up this year are eligible for a heavily subsidized men’s trip in June.

“Women who went on Momentum want to be on the same

While Birthright shows young adults a Jewish nation, Momentum participant Sandy Nemer says Momentum shows moms “the soul of Israel.”

Valerie and Rodrigo find it an

all-around good fit.

Portlanders Janet Grayson, Sharon Feinblatt and Debra Hornbecker ltor in Israel.

page as their husbands,” says Eve Levy, who led the Portland contingents on both of last year’s trips.

While Birthright shows young adults a Jewish nation, Momentum participant Sandy Nemer says Momentum shows moms “the soul of Israel.” Sandy was on both of last year’s Portland trips – the first as a participant and the second time as a madrikah (helper) for Eve. “This trip is not just a tour. The trip is designed for mothers to have a glimpse of what Israel is and how Judaism can influence their life.”

“The trip impacted my role as a Jewish mother,” says Sandy.

“Now I can infuse the passion for being a Jewish American based on my trip to Israel.”

Sandy says women on the trip bring back experiences and passion that benefit the community in general as well as their own congregations. Women come back with an amazing sense of their Jewish heritage that they can share with both their families and other families in their synagogue.

“Momentum is a women’s retreat on steroids,” she says.

In Portland women from last year’s trips created Shine, a women’s group that has sponsored a variety of programs designed to share their enthusiasm. In December the group hosted two programs featuring Paula Shoyer, author of The Kosher Baker.

This year Portland-area moms are invited to apply for a free trip May 15-24 (airfare and tips not included). A second trip in December will be available for another group of Oregon moms.

Dads are invited for a trip June 26-July 6 ($699 plus airfare).

To apply for one of the trips, visit jwrp.org/apply.

What do they all have in common?

They believe Congregation Shir Tikvah's innovative education program encourages students to connect with Judaism in a positive, lasting way. Shir Tikvah offers 18 Sunday class sessions per year, along with lively holiday celebrations for the whole family. Classes are small, but not too small. It's fun, meaningful and located on Portland's Eastside.

Congregation Shir Tikvah Classes for pre-K - 7th grade

Non-members accepted on a case-by-case basis

For More Information: education@shirtikvahpdx.org 503.473.8227

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 33

Education Directory Beit Haverim Religious and Hebrew School

Maayan Torah Day School

1111 Country Club Road Lake Oswego, OR 97034 503-310-9184 beithav.org

2900 SW Peaceful Lane Portland, OR 98239 503-245-5568 PortlandJewishDaySchool.org

The goals of our education program for grades K-7 and Confirmation are the same as

Maayan Torah Day School, 18 months through 10th grade, focuses on each student’s

those for the entire congregation. We seek to construct powerful educational experiences

needs and progress by using the best practices in education. Nationally accredited,

that enable our students to become: critical readers, social justice activists and reflective

dedicated to academic excellence and high student achievement. We seek to instill the

ritual practitioners.

love of Torah and mitzvot as a wellspring, “Maayan,” in students’ lives.

Congregation Shir Tikvah Nashira Project

Portland Jewish Academy

7550 NE Irving St. Portland, OR 97213 503-473-8227 shirtikvahpdx.org

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

The Nashira Project is Congregation Shir Tikvah’s innovative education program for ages

Portland Jewish Academy serves students 6 weeks-8th grade. PJA strives to ensure an

4- 13. Our active, hands-on program is designed to encourage a life-long love of Jewish

academically excellent environment in which children thrive. PJA nurtures and inspires

learning. Held on Portland’s eastside, we offer students and their families 18 Sunday

positive Jewish engagement, respect for human and religious differences, and respon-

sessions a year, plus holiday celebrations and service learning opportunities.

sibility for the world. PJA graduates students who are successful in high school, college and life.

The Carl Preschool: A Cooperative Jewish Preschool 920 NW 25th Ave. Portland, OR 97210 503-226-6131 thecarlschool.com

Riverdale School District

The Carl Preschool is a play-based, Jewish cooperative preschool open to all. Where the

11733 SW Breyman Ave. Portland, OR 97219 503-262-4840 riverdaleschool.com

focus is providing a warm, fun and creative environment where your child will laugh, learn

Riverdale's simple but powerful goal is to produce students who know how to use their

and grow.

minds well. The Riverdale education is academically rigorous and learner-centered. Core academic disciplines marry with art, music and experiential learning at all grade levels

The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at Portland State University

from preschool through 12th grade.

University Center Building, Ste. 465 1881 SW 5th Ave., PO Box 751-JST Portland, OR 97207 503-725-8449 pdx.edu/judaic

Shaarie Torah Education Department

The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies fosters academic achievement,

Shaarie Torah serves youth, preschool -12th grade, through our many programs. These

civic engagement and leadership skills through the interdisciplinary study of Jewish

include Ivrit B’ivrit targeted to native Hebrew speakers, our hands-on religious school,

history and culture. Our four faculty focus on ancient Jewry, modern Jewish history, Israel

Portland Jewish Explorers, a B’nai Mitzvah seminar, teen programing and more. We have

studies and Jewish literature and create an enriching and stimulating atmosphere.

learning opportunities for all ages and levels, both in the classroom and out!

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

This directory includes schools and education programs advertising in this issue of Oregon Jewish Life magazine.

34 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Lack of sleep tampers with your emotions Distributed by American Friends of Tel Aviv University

&FITNESS HEALTH

[In treating the sick], the first thing to consider is the provision of fresh air, clean water and a healthy diet.

~ Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon Maimonides (As quoted in Robert Taylor, White Coat Tales)

INSIDE

35 Sleep & Emotions 37 Baby Boot Camp

40 Cancer & HPV Vaccine 42 To Life

Tel Aviv — Cranky or grumpy after a long night? Your brain’s ability to regulate emotions is probably compromised by fatigue. This is bad news for 30% of American adults who get less than six hours of sleep per night, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A new Tel Aviv University study has identified the neurological mechanism responsible for disturbed emotion regulation and increased anxiety due to only one night’s lack of sleep. The research reveals the changes sleep deprivation can impose on our ability to regulate emotions and allocate brain resources for cognitive processing.

The research was led by Prof. Talma Hendler of TAU’s Sagol School of Neuroscience, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and School of Psychological Sciences, and conducted by TAU graduate student Eti Ben-Simon at the Center for Brain Functions at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. It was published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Nothing is neutral any more?

“Prior to our study, it was not clear what was responsible for the emotional impairments triggered by sleep loss,” said Prof. Hendler. “We assumed that sleep loss would intensify the processing of emotional images and thus impede brain capacity for executive functions. We were actually surprised to find that it significantly impacts the processing of both neutral and emotionally charged images.

“It turns out we lose our neutrality. The ability of the brain to tell what’s important is compromised. It’s as if suddenly everything is important,” she said.

For the purpose of the study, Ben-Simon kept 18 adults awake all night to take two rounds of tests while undergoing brain mapping (fMRI and/ or EEG), first following a good night’s sleep and the second following a night of lack of sleep in the lab. One of the tests required participants to describe in which direction small yellow dots moved over distracting images.

These images were “positively emotional” (a cat), “negatively emotional” (a mutilated body), or “neutral” (a spoon).

When participants had a good night’s rest, they identified the direction of the dots hovering over the neutral images faster and more accurately, and their EEG pointed to differing neurological responses to neutral and emotional distractors. When sleep-deprived, however, participants performed badly in the cases of both the neutral and the emotional images, and their electrical brain responses, as measured by EEG, did not reflect a highly different response to the emotional images. This pointed to decreased regulatory processing.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 35

“It could be that sleep deprivation universally impairs judgment, but it is more likely that a lack of sleep causes neutral images to provoke an emotional response,” said Ben-Simon.

Losing a sense of proportion

The researchers conducted a second experiment testing concentration levels. Participants were shown neutral and emotional images while performing a task demanding their attention while ignoring distracting background pictures with emotional or neutral content – the depression of a key or button at certain moments – while inside an fMRI scanner. This time researchers measured activity levels in different parts of the brain as they completed the cognitive task.

The team found that participants after only The team found that one night of lack of sleep participants after only were distracted by every one night of lack of sleep single image (neutral and emotional), while wellwere distracted by every rested participants were only distracted by emotional single image (neutral images. The effect was and emotional), while indicated by activity change well-rested participants in the amygdala, a major limbic node responsible for were only distracted by emotional processing in the brain. emotional images. The “We revealed a change effect was indicated by in the emotional specificity of the amygdala, a region activity change in the of the brain associated with amygdala, a major limbic detection and valuation of salient cues in our node responsible for environment, in the course emotional processing in of a cognitive task.” said Prof. Hendler. the brain.

“These results reveal that, without sleep, the mere recognition of what is an emotional and what is a neutral event is disrupted. We may experience similar emotional provocations from all incoming events, even neutral ones, and lose our ability to sort out more or less important information. This can lead to biased cognitive processing and poor judgment as well as anxiety,” said Prof. Hendler.

The new findings emphasize the vital role sleep plays in maintaining good emotional balance in our life for promoting mental health. The researchers are currently examining how novel methods for sleep intervention (mostly focusing on REM sleep) may help reduce the emotional dysregulation seen in anxiety, depression and traumatic stress disorders.

American Friends of Tel Aviv University (aftau.org) supports Israel’s most influential, comprehensive, and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (english.tau.ac.il).

36 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Alexa Hasman keeps two strollers rolling as she stretches while one of the moms skips around the room.

Babies keep moms hopping in boot camp Story and photos by Deborah Moon

When she was pregnant with her first child, Alexa Hasman was working as a manager and trainer at a local gym. She looked for prenatal exercise classes but could find only yoga and aquatics classes, neither of which appealed to her.

Finally she found and enrolled in Beaverton’s Baby Boot Camp, which Alexa calls “a prenatal and postpartum stroller fitness company that helps pregnant and new moms stay in or get in shape pre- and post-baby.” When her daughter Madisyn was about 4 months old, Alexa decided to take advantage of national franchise opportunities and start a Baby Boot Camp in Southwest Portland, one of four Baby Boot Camp franchises in Oregon, all in the metro area. The other two area locations are Happy Valley and Sherwood/Tualatin.

As a member of Congregation Beth Israel and a preschool parent of a child attending Neveh Shalom Foundation School, Alexa felt it would be wonderful to have her program right in the heart of the Jewish community in Southwest Portland. She says about half of the moms in her class have

Two moms do the pony pull exercise required when their dreidel landed on shin OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 37

&FITNESS HEALTH

Babies keep moms hopping in boot camp

Madisyn, below left, leads the stroller crowd in leg lifts and laughter.

children enrolled at the Foundation School or are members of Neveh Shalom. With so many Jewish participants, Alexa plans a week of Hanukkah-inspired workouts each year, with the most popular being the dreidel workout.

Alexa is well-qualified to lead the fitness programs. She has an NPTI personal training and nutrition degree. She is an AFAA group fitness instructor, licensed provider of Core9 Birth Recovery and an RRCA-certified running coach.

Baby Boot Camp’s birth recovery programs help moms recover in the first nine weeks after giving birth. “We do specific moves in class that help with common issues that moms experience after delivery, such as abdominal separation and weak pelvic floors,” explains Alexa.

“Beyond our fitness roots, we are a community of moms that support each other through the hard and exciting times in parenting,” says Alexa, who is expecting her second child in June. “Our program not only provides a healthy lifestyle for moms but displays healthy behavior for their children and other family members. We also help with birth recovery and the fight against postpartum depression. ... A big component of this group is providing socialization for moms and fitness, both of which help combat baby blues and postpartum depression.”

Baby Boot Camp SW Portland: alexa.hasman@babybootcamp. com | 206-755-4773 | babybootcamp.com

38 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

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

OUR SERVICES Homemaker Assistance

1221 SW YAMHILL ST. SUITE 301 PORTLAND, OR 97205

Emergency Aid

503-226-7079

Disability Support Services

JFCS-PORTLAND.ORG

Counseling

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 39

&FITNESS HEALTH

HPV is passed during intimate body-to-body contact … some data suggest that even French kissing may be enough to pass the virus between individuals.

Jason Mendelsohn (in red socks) leads team AgencyONE across the finish line at The Ride to Conquer Cancer (dc15.ridetovictory.org) in Washington, D.C., late last year. Cycling for nearly 150 miles over two days took a lot of training for Jason, who spent as much as 18 hours a day in bed during his cancer treatment in 2014. Photo by Edwin Santiago Photography

After tonsil cancer, dad pushes HPV vaccines for all teens

“How could I leave Ronni and our kids with so much more in life to experience?”

“How could I not be there to give Ronni and our kids advice, just as my father does for us today?”

“Who would walk my daughter down the aisle?”

These are just a few of the worries that invaded Jason Mendelsohn’s psyche after discovering he had stage IV human papillomavirus-related tonsil cancer that had spread to several lymph nodes in his neck. After a radical tonsillectomy and neck dissection, in which 42 lymph nodes were removed, Jason underwent seven intense weeks of chemotherapy and radiation to rid his body of the invading cancer cells.

Jason Mendelsohn was 45 years old when he discovered a bump on his neck while taking a financial exam for his Orlando insurance company, The Ashar Group. After an unsuccessful 40 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

course of antibiotics and steroids, Jason was encouraged to undergo a needle biopsy and CT scan. Those tests confirmed squamous cell carcinoma related to HPV. “I had no symptoms,” explains Jason. “Zero. If I hadn’t felt that bump on my neck, my cancer would have spread throughout my whole body.”

Jason has been happily married for 20 years. He and his beloved wife, Ronni, are raising 14-year-old twins, Ryan and Lauren, and an 8-year-old son, Adam. The thought of not growing old with his wife and lifelong partner and missing out on watching his kids grow into adulthood was heartbreaking for Jason. Immediately after learning about his diagnosis, Jason began filming videos to share with his kids in case he didn’t live to watch them grow up.

“It was devastating,” Jason says. “I had never even heard of HPV-related cancer before my diagnosis.” Luckily for Jason, his treatment was successful and he is now committed to spreading

the word about HPV-related cancer. Jason has hit the speaker circuit to help educate people about HPV. He’s participated in the Washington “Ride to Conquer Cancer Bike Ride,” and has raised more than $20,000 to benefit cancer programs at several of the hospitals where he received treatment.

HPV is the leading cause of oropharyngeal cancers (cancers of the back of the mouth and throat). The HPV virus is a sexually transmitted virus that many people are exposed to when they first become sexually active. In fact, genital HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, affecting as many as four out of five women by the age of 50 and, according to the Population Reference Bureau, nearly 50% of males older than 18 are infected with HPV. While it is known that HPV is passed during intimate bodyto-body contact, it’s not completely understood how the virus is spread. Most studies point to oral sex as the culprit. But some data suggest that even French kissing may be enough to pass the virus between individuals.

Women infected with HPV are at risk for developing cervical cancer. Men who contract HPV can not only infect women, but also are vulnerable themselves to oral cancer, throat cancer, infertility and potentially death. According to the Oral Cancer Foundation, white, nonsmoking men in their 30s and 40s are

actually the most at-risk population for developing HPV-related oral cancers.

“What people don’t realize is that there is a vaccine that virtually eliminates the risk of contracting HPV,” says Jason. Doctors believe that Jason got the HPV virus back in college, decades before the cancer developed. HPV can lie dormant for many years before manifesting as cancer. Each year around 8,400 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with oral cancer caused by HPV. HPV vaccines are recommended for all preteen girls and boys between the ages of 9 and 16. The key to successful vaccination is to immunize your children (with the series of three HPV vaccines) prior to their becoming sexually active.

“I tell people … that their kids are likely to get it. But you can virtually eliminate the risk by getting the vaccine,” says Jason.

“So why wouldn’t every parent get it for their kids?”

Jason Mendelsohn is on a mission to spread the word about HPV, oral cancer and the effectiveness of the vaccine to protect children from the harrowing experience of facing cancer later in their lives.

“My life was a living hell for 10 months,” he says. “If I can save one family from going through that, by simply giving their kids a vaccine, that’s the most important thing I can do.”

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 41

&FITNESS HEALTH

Is There a Doctor in the House?

By Amy Hirshberg Lederman

I consider myself a fairly educated person when it comes to medical issues. True, I am not a doctor, although I often make recommendations to my family and friends as if I had completed multiple residencies. But between personal experience and having been married to a doctor for over 30 years, I definitely have a leg up when it comes to diagnosing anything that ends with “itis,” my favorites being arthritis, bronchitis, colitis and gastritis.

Health care coverage, which should be related to our medical concerns, has become a social, political and economic issue that confounds and frustrates most of us. As Jews, we can offer a unique perspective by examining the issues through a Jewish lens – using Jewish ethics as our framework and Jewish texts as our primary source.

The Jewish diagnosis of a medical issue begins with a starting point: we focus on the duties and responsibilities we owe to ourselves and others, rather than what we might claim as rights for ourselves – at the expense of others.

The Jewish question is not “What health care am I entitled to?” but rather “What are the responsibilities I have to myself, my family and my community to ensure optimum health?” And “What is our community’s responsibility to take care of those

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who need health care?”

There are many Jewish texts that can help us answer these questions. The Torah makes it clear that all human beings are precious and created in God’s image. It commands us to take action to protect the lives of others. Leviticus 19:16 teaches: “You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor.” This obligation to save a life (pikuah nefesh in Hebrew) is so sacred that almost all other Jewish mitzvot are suspended in order to fulfill it, including observing the Sabbath. Perhaps this is the real reason why Jews have always been drawn to the practice of medicine – because the physician is not simply seen as acting on behalf of his purse or patient, but as acting in the service of God. The duty to care for our bodies is found in Deuteronomy, in which God instructs us to “take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously.” Because our bodies are viewed as vessels of the soul, we must keep them healthy. Advice on how to be healthy comes from the great 12th-century doctor and rabbi, Moses Maimonides, and includes such things as eating properly, getting sufficient rest and exercise, breathing clean air, moderating our emotions and properly eliminating. Amazingly, this is not so different from what doctors advise us to do today!

But in order to maintain good health, Jewish law prescribes that we are entitled to have access to a doctor when we need one.

Over 800 years ago, Maimonides wrote: "One who is ill not only has the right but the duty to seek medical aid" and listed health care as the first of the 10 most important communal services a city should provide. What we glean from our tradition is that not only are we responsible for our own health, but that when we need a doctor, the community must provide one.

Regarding the Jewish obligation to those in our community who need care, the Torah commands us “to care for the widow, the stranger, the orphan and the poor,” all of whom were deemed to be the most vulnerable members of society. This obligation stems from the idea that every human being is entitled to the basic resources required to live a dignified, self-sustaining life, and Jewish tradition has interpreted this to include health care.

Throughout history, Jewish communities have always created systems to ensure that their citizens have access to health services. Doctors were even required to reduce their rates for poor patients, and if the cost was still too high, subsidies were established to pay for services.

The idea that everyone is entitled to medical care is stated plainly in the Talmud: “Whoever is in pain, lead them to a physician.” It was a revolutionary and sound idea 2,000 years ago, and it is a value we should protect and provide today.

Amy Hirshberg Lederman has written more than 300 columns and essays that have been published nationwide. amyhirshberglederman.com 42 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Israel

Accepted in mainstream, BDS more worrisome than white supremacy

By Robert Horenstein

This past October, anti-Semitism reared its ugly head in my hometown. First, the Portland Human Rights Commission, an independent body appointed by the city council, endorsed a petition from the local Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions coalition calling on the city government to divest from four U.S. companies “due to their serious human rights violations in the ongoing illegal and brutal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.”

A week later, a swastika was spray-painted on the side of one of our Sephardic synagogues, possibly by white supremecists.

To be sure, the two incidents, though unrelated, are symptoms of the same disease. Both the BDS movement, which seeks to delegitimize Israel and demonize its supporters, and the white supremacist movement, which gets its thrills from vandalizing Jewish houses of worship, are repugnant. Both are in the business of spreading anti-Semitism and hate.

And yet, there’s a major difference, which makes one much more worrisome than the other. The anti-Semitism of the BDS movement is of a deeply insidious nature and thus more dangerous than the old-fashioned, undisguised Jew hatred of white supremacists. It could, if unimpeded, become a serious threat to the well-being and security of Jews in the United Sates.

This isn’t to suggest that we don’t need to guard against the threat, especially of violent activity, that white supremacists still pose (recall, for example, the three murders committed by a former Ku Klux Klan grand dragon at two Kansas City Jewish institutions in April 2014).

Neo-Nazis and their ilk, however, are universally denounced.

Existing on the margins of American society, they harbor hatred toward people of color and other minorities, not only Jews.

Many of them have criminal backgrounds. Is it any wonder they’re reviled by every person of conscience? In Portland, whenever a Jewish facility has been victimized by anti-Semitic graffiti, the local Catholic archdiocese has offered to send volunteers to clean it up in a show of solidarity against hate.

The BDS movement, on the other hand, has had success in getting its anti-Semitic campaign of delegitimization to take hold within certain segments of mainstream society. It does this in three ways.

First, BDS activists are aggressively infiltrating ostensibly mainstream groups in order to advance their toxic agenda under the guise of promoting “human rights.” These include academic associations – most recently, the National Women’s Studies Association, which overwhelmingly approved an anti-Israel boycott

resolution in late November – university student governments, mainline Protestant church bodies, “Black Lives Matter” coalitions and even animal rights organizations.

Second, some of the BDS movement’s champions are respected academics from prestigious universities or, worse, influential Christian clergy. The latter are especially problematic because they’re often seen working alongside Jewish social justice advocates in interfaith coalitions that address domestic issues such as poverty and immigration. The fact, then, that most of these Christian leaders can hardly be considered anti-Semites makes it difficult to make the case that BDS is anti-Semitic in its effect, if not always in its intent.

Third, Jewish Voices for Peace, the virulently anti-Zionist group that plays a starring role in the campaign to isolate Israel, shields the BDS movement from allegations of anti-Semitism.

On university campuses and within liberal Protestant circles, JVP falsely – but convincingly – portrays itself as representative of mainstream Jewish opinion. Regrettably, it is abetted in this deception by a few progressive Jewish publications that don’t hesitate to publish incendiary opinion pieces by JVP leaders.

The ongoing challenge for the pro-Israel community, therefore, is to expose BDS as an odious movement that hides under a veneer of humanitarian concern for Palestinian suffering, but whose real aims are the elimination of Israel and the denial of the right of the Jewish people to national self-determination.

Because we are wrongly accused of using the charge of anti-Semitism as a tactic to stifle “legitimate” criticism of Israel, it’s essential to demonstrate that we’re not alone in discerning the BDS movement’s true motives. In an interview with Ynetnews last June, for instance, Bassam Eid, a renowned Palestinian human rights activist, denounced the “many anti-Semitic elements that have hopped onto the BDS bandwagon.” In October, Pope Francis called the rejection of the Jewish state’s right to exist a modern form of anti-Semitism. The following month, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop pledged to call out “anti-Semitic discrimination where we see it, wherever it occurs, particularly the pernicious BDS campaign.”

The more we get the mainstream public to react to BDS as it would to a swastika defacing a synagogue, the greater our chances in the long run to keep BDS in check.

Robert Horenstein is Community Relations Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. This article appeared in a January issue of the Jerusalem Report.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 43

An Oregonian in Israel

Recent terror attacks help world understand Israel’s reality

By Mylan Tanzer In the aftermath of the San Bernardino and Paris terror attacks, perhaps the world will begin to understand that Israelis cope with a local version of this same wave of terror. Americans fear additional acts of Islamic “lone-wolf ” terror on American soil. And Europe begins to fathom that the threat of ISIS is not limited to Syria and Iraq. In Israel that threat is characterized by lethal and spontaneous terrorist attacks every few hours, fueled by incessant and bloodcurdling incitement by Palestinian leaders, clerics and other public figures against Israel and its citizens. It is no wonder so many Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have been moved to stab, shoot and plow their cars into random Israelis.

These acts of terror cannot be prevented entirely. Effort is directed at limiting and containing these acts through increased police and military presence, shoot-to-kill orders against terrorists and destroying convicted terrorists’ homes.

The majority of this violence is perpetrated by West Bank and East Jerusalem residents. There seems to be an effort to limit the “spillover” to Israeli Arab citizens, who account for more than 20% of Israel’s total population and have complete democratic freedoms. Those freedoms can be easily exploited, just as they were by those homegrown terrorists in Paris.

The recent decision to outlaw the organization called The Northern Wing of the Islamic Movement in Israel was courageous and justified. But is it correct and smart? The answer is unclear but will become clear in the future. Contrary to his political behavior, this time Benjamin Netanyahu did not delay a tough decision nor did he distance himself from the responsibility. He circled around the issue for some time, analyzed it in depth and held endless consultations, but in the end he made a bold decision. Credit should also be given to Minister of Internal Security Gilad Arden for his influential role behind the scenes. Arden allowed the police force, which is under the responsibility of his ministry, to take the lead and submit its independent and alleged “out of the box” legal opinion.

Netanyahu reportedly considered that opinion as strongly as the legal opinion submitted by the more elite Shin Bet Intelligence organization.

The Shin Bet has prevented this decision from being made for several years. You certainly cannot accuse them of being followers of the radical Sheikh Rayed Salah, the charismatic and fomenting founder and head of the organization.

As Ben Caspit commented about this decision, “The Shin Bet thinks along more practical and pragmatic terms and concluded that the advantages of this move might be smaller than the potential damage. Not everything that is just, is necessarily smart.”

By way of background, the Northern Wing was originally part of the so-called “Islamic Movement” in Israel, which encourages the Islamic religion amongst Israeli Arabs. The movement has the same ideology and is affiliated with the broader Muslim Brotherhood movement, which strives for an Islamic awakening 44 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

under the slogan, “Islam is the answer.” The main areas of activity are religious (Islamic education and services) and social welfare. But the primary difference between the Israeli branch and the Muslim Brotherhood is the emphasis that the former places on encouraging Palestinian nationalism, whereas the latter is committed to cementing Muslim religious identity and repressing ethnic and national identity.

In 1996 the movement split into two wings over the issue of running or continuing to boycott the elections. The Northern Wing adopted a more extreme doctrine than the more moderate Southern Wing. The Northern Wing continues to boycott the Knesset, while members of the Southern Wing have been elected and represent Arab parties in the Knesset. The split began two years earlier with the signing of the Oslo Accords.

The Southern Wing, despite not recognizing the right of Israel to exist, supported the Palestinian Authority in signing the agreements, and the Northern Wing opposed them, reflecting their ideological alignment with Hamas.

The Jewish majority in Israel became aware of the Northern Wing during the second Intifada. The movement played a key role in inciting and encouraging the violence that saw the murder of over 1,000 Israelis. After Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount in 2000, Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority used the visit to provoke the violent uprising. The Northern Wing joined in and then took the lead amongst Israeli Arabs. The movement adopted the battle cry “defend Al-Aksa,” perpetrating the myth that resonates so strongly amongst Palestinians, that Israel is trying to destroy the Al-Aksa Mosque and take over the Temple Mount.

The Orr Commission was set up to investigate the circumstances and causes of the uprising of Israeli Arabs at the start of the Second Intifada, during which police killed 13 Israeli Arabs (13 deaths is the hourly toll in Syria). The commission placed solid blame on the Northern Wing and specifically Salah, and claimed that their incitement had a “palpable contribution to the flare-up of violence amongst the Arab population and went a long way to October events (as this uprising is referred to).”

Despite the recommendation to outlaw the movement and arrest the leaders, particularly Salah, this was not done. The belief was that Israel could contain and deal with the incitement, which would lose steam, and that this would be a more effective than outlawing the growing movement and arresting the popular Salah, which could create a backlash with very undesirable consequences. Salah has never stopped inciting, stating that Israel has no right to exist on any of the land that is part of the country, that every Jew that visits the Temple Mount defiles and contaminates it, and that the Western Wall is a historical hoax, set up as forward base to expel the Muslims from the area.

Over the last 15 years, the movement’s raison d’etre has become “defending Al-Aqsa.” They have set up a subsidiary organization called Morabitun (the name given to various historical defenders of Islam throughout history) that daily transports Arabs from throughout Israel from their homes in cities and villages to the Temple Mount. They sit around praying

and waiting for the short windows when Jews are allowed to visit ( Jews are forbidden to pray on the Mount) in order to provoke, insult and generally harass Jewish visitors. In addition, the Morabitun have apparently played a key role in smuggling the weapons that were found when police raided the mosque several months ago.

The recent outbreak of daily violence, which has killed over 30 Israelis, injured hundreds and created a new reality of lonewolf terrorists who act on their own, can be traced directly to the agitation of the Palestinian leadership, particularly the Northern Wing, that Israel is trying to change the status quo on the Temple Mount and destroy the Al-Aqsa mosque. “Intifada of individuals” terrorists who have been caught alive have stated their primary motivation was that they had been told by Palestinianleaders that Israel was about to expel Muslims from the Temple Mount and build the Third Temple where Al-Aqsa stands.

The Northern Wing’s political relevance comes almost exclusively from their incitement and propaganda about the Temple Mount. Despite waning popularity, Salah and his movement have played another central role in fomenting the current violence. The government is determined not to allow him to repeat his actions of October 2000. The crazed and hysterical ravings about the Temple Mount can no longer be overlooked.

Almost on an hourly basis, the Temple Mount agitation causes violent and frenzied actions by Muslims against Jews.

Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Salah and his movement have lost popularity over recent years. Mass rallies that routinely drew 50,000 just a few years ago seldom attract more than 10,000. Defending Al-Aqsa is Salah’s only relevant card, and this is what the government intends to eliminate. Therefore, the risk in outlawing the movement now seems to be lower. But there is a chance this could allow them to reinvent themselves. As long as they were a legal organization, they could be followed, neutralized and contained. This step could lead to a “romanticization” of the movement and create a kind of ISIS effect that will turn it into something “cool” for young and disenchanted Muslims. But again, the answer to this question will only be known somewhere down the road. For now, the politicians took responsibility and made a bold decision, and that is something not overly common for most of them.

The Shin Bet recommended that the local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood should be the organization outlawed.

Sisi’s Egypt already took this step. The Shin Bet claims that the Brotherhood is the primary agitator of the Islamic Movement in Israel. Their family tree included Hamas in Gaza. Intelligence gathered proves the direct connection between the Hamas leadership and Salah, and the pipeline of money between them.

When the Northern Wing was outlawed, its bank account had over 100 million shekels.

In the end, the Shin Bet’s recommendation was not approved because it would have been more difficult to enforce and also for fear of endangering our already damaged relationship with Turkey and perhaps even Jordan. The recommendation of the police to outlaw the Northern Wing was comprehensive and thorough and included opinions by all regional commanders and their advisors for Arab affairs. The expected backlash amongst Israeli Muslims would not be overly violent and would be containable. It was apparent that most ministers had come to the conclusion that even if the reaction of Arab Israelis would be harsh and extreme, it still would have been approved. Many

of them believe it is high time that the rule of law is imposed on this organization that has flown in the face of law for so many years.

The decision was made in early November. The announcement and implementation was held back until a good time was found.

After the Paris massacres, the government’s decision became much easier to explain. There would be no mass arrest of the tens of thousands of members nor closure of the charitable institutions of the movement, which have no connection to incitement. The leaders would be arrested, bank accounts would be seized and the incitement would stop, and if new organizations sprung up as fronts for the Northern Wing, they too would be closed. Everything else can continue to function, and the rank and file members can go about their business.

Given the organization and specifically Salah’s complicit role in inciting and fanning the uprising of October 2000 and his continued attempts to fan the flames of violence around the subject of the Temple Mount, why wasn’t this step taken long ago? I believe that the reason lies in the fact that the political and security leadership in Israel, after analyzing the current international wave of ISIS-inspired Islamic terrorism that has raised its head in Paris and San Bernardino and is threatening more violence throughout the United States and Europe, and is now such a common occurrence throughout the Middle East (Syria, Beirut, Tunis and of course Israel), has concluded that the violence can only be stopped with the eradication of ISIS. This is not something that can be controlled by Israel. For now, Israeli security forces have been quite effective in thwarting much of the current violence. But they are unable to eliminate it because most of it is undetectable until it occurs. It is inspired by incitement, and stopping, or at least limiting incitement, will have a visible contribution. Thus the move against the Northern Wing.

Furthermore, the most important consideration for Israel is to try to separate the West Bank Palestinians from Israeli Arabs and ensure that this wave of violence has limited or no impact in motivating Israeli Muslim citizens to commit acts of terror. This is another important reason the government acted against the Northern Wing, which is an Israeli Arab organization.

Will the move to outlaw the Northern Wing and arrest Salah and the other leaders achieve the desired result, or will it have the opposite effect? So far, there has been little backlash, and Israeli Arabs, most of whom seem to prefer the benefits and relative abundance of Israeli citizenship, have not acted on their criticism following the decision. But as we have seen, for West Bank and East Jerusalem Arabs, the unfounded concern over Al-Aqsa can cause educated, seemingly rationale and successful, familyoriented individuals (men and women) to “lose it” and go on a rampage against unarmed Israeli civilians. Therefore, any move to prevent incitement is welcome and necessary. In the case of Salah and the Northern Wing, it should have been done long ago. Given the current Al-Aqsa motivation amongst Palestinian Arabs, this decision is better late than never.

Mylan Tanzer is an American native who moved to Israel in 1981. He was the founding CEO of the first Israeli cable and satellite sports channel. Since 2005, he has launched, managed, and consulted for channels and companies in Israel and Europe.

Tanzer lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and five children.

He can be reached at mylantanz@gmail.com.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 45

Food

CORNER Before I was paid to cook, my occupation had absolutely nothing to do with food. To make food my profession, I spent several years watching and learning from some highly regarded chefs and professionals, who taught me plenty. Occasionally, I lament that I should have enrolled in an accredited culinary program, graduated with honors and perhaps spent a summer abroad studying culinary arts at the hands of a master chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant. Shoulda, woulda, coulda … at the end of the day, I am doing what I love.

Surprisingly, some of the world’s most famous chefs never attended culinary school. The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, made a career as a White House staff member before she purchased the small food boutique with the aforementioned name in Westhampton Beach, NY. At that time she had virtually no restaurant or catering experience. She cultivated her culinary abilities by studying the volumes of Julia Child's seminal cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. After relocation and expansion of her specialty store, she cashed in on her wild success and went on to become one of our most beloved and well-known TV chefs and cookbook authors.

Any foodie’s bucket list likely has a visit to Napa Valley’s French Laundry near the top. Executive Chef Thomas Keller sets the standard in his Michelin 3-star magnet for culinary enthusiasts and budding young chefs. Keller is completely self-taught. He learned his trade working as a prep cook and apprenticing at various Michelin-starred restaurants in New York and Paris.

My dear friend, Joe Kim, executive chef and part owner of Five Fusion and Sushi Bar in Bend, creates some of the most beautiful and inventive food imaginable. Despite no culinary school diploma, he has earned two well-deserved “Best

WHETHER YOU LEARN TO COOK AT SCHOOL OR HOME – PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

By Lisa Glickman

Chef in the West” James Beard nominations. Chef Kim learned his trade from his restaurateur father in San Francisco and apprenticing in the kitchens of Thomas Keller and his protégé, Grant Achatz. Chef Achatz, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, is considered a master of molecular gastronomy, which was invented and made famous by Chef Ferran Adrià of Spain’s world-renowned (sadly now defunct) Michelin 3-star restaurant El Bulli. Adria, the maestro, also never attended culinary school.

Many professional bakers and pastry chefs have culinary school backgrounds, yet the art of combining flour, yeast, sugar and eggs into spectacular works of delectable art is a God-given talent. Some of the best in the business learned at their grandmother’s knee, not Johnson and Wales.

It is never too late to do what you love. It may not require years of school, but it will require practice and persistence. Cooking is a practice, just like yoga, constantly reaching and stretching to become better. For some it’s instinct, for others trial and error.

Start at the beginning; learn the basics and the sky is the limit!

Chef Julia Child didn’t attend culinary school until age 50, and by all accounts it was far from easy for her. This is an adaptation of her Boeuf Bourguignon, one of her most famous recipes. It demonstrates the classic braise. When made a day in advance, it only gets better.

The method of using a searing hot pan to sauté protein, and then using the same pan to create the sauce is the basic way to create many quick and delicious recipes. This one involves marinating the fish, searing it and then developing an exciting sauce with yellow miso paste, ginger and a touch of orange.

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.

46 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Boeuf Bourguignon 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 3- to 4-pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed of major fat and cut into tennis ball-sized chunks Kosher salt Freshly ground pepper 1 large onion, coarsely chopped 2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped 3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 cups Burgundy-style red wine, Pinot Noir or Cotes du Rhone 2-3 cups beef stock For serving: 1 pound small new potatoes 2-3 large carrots

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Use a paper towel to dab any moisture from meat. Generously season meat with salt and pepper. Brown meat on all sides in batches so that pan is not crowded and set aside. Preheat oven to 325º. Add onion to pan and scrape up any browned bits. Cook onion until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add chopped carrots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and tomato paste. Toss to coat in oil. Add flour to pan and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes. Add wine to pan and bring to boil. Allow wine to reduce slightly for 3-5 minutes. Return beef to pan and add beef stock. Liquid should almost cover meat, but not quite.

Add more liquid if necessary. Bring liquid to a boil. Turn off heat, cover and place in oven for 2 to 2½ hours until meat is very tender.

While meat is cooking, prepare carrots and potatoes. Fill a medium pan with cold water and season with salt. Wash potatoes and cut in half. Slice carrots into 2-inch diagonal slices (or flower design, see picture). Add vegetables to water and cook over high heat. When water boils, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are very tender. Remove beef from oven and uncover pan. Use a slotted spoon to remove meat from pan. Carefully strain the braising liquid into another pan; push on solids with the back of a large spoon. Discard solids. Place beef back in pan with strained sauce along with cooked carrots and potatoes.

Seared Tuna with Miso Ginger Cilantro Sauce 6 5-ounce tuna steaks, about 1-1¼ inch thick 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce ½ teaspoon white pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil

Whisk lemon juice, sesame oil, soy sauce and pepper in a shallow dish. Add tuna steaks and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Ginger Miso Cilantro Sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil ½ cup chopped shallot 1 tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger 1 cup low-salt chicken broth Juice and grated rind of 1 large orange 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 tablespoons yellow miso paste 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Whisk sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a large nonstick skillet to high. Remove tuna from marinade and blot excess marinade from fish. Quickly sear fish in vegetable or peanut oil to desired doneness (I like mine medium rare) on both sides and set aside to keep warm. Turn pan to medium high heat and add sauce ingredients. Allow sauce to reduce by a third. Plate fish and spoon sauce over. Garnish with additional cilantro and serve immediately.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 47

NWNosh

Hot

Chocolate in Portland and Eugene, too

By Kerry Politzer

Now that winter is fully upon us, it’s time to recharge with a mug of hot cocoa. Portland offers plenty of spots for warming up with a chocolatey beverage.

Alma Handmade Chocolates

You might be familiar with this local chocolatier because of its unique 23-karat-gold chocolate icons. But you may not know that Alma is a true hot chocolate hotspot. Among the nine varieties offered are a classic drinking chocolate, a kiddie cocoa and even a tea-infused hot chocolate. For more exotic tastes, there’s a Thai coconut concoction with ginger, chilies and lime, and a hot chocolate made with habanero caramel.

Alma NE: 140 NE 28th Ave, | Alma SE: 1323 SE 7th Ave. | 503-517-0262 | almachocolate.com

Cacao

The two downtown locations of this high-end chocolate shop offer a range of hot chocolate options. The everyday hot chocolate comes in milk and dark options, and then there are three “drinking chocolates” – Rivoli, a rich, European-style dark chocolate beverage; a cinnamon-infused milk and dark version; and “Spicy,” which is spiked with cayenne, smoked paprika and ginger. Dairy-free customers will enjoy the almond milk hot chocolate. All of Cacao’s beverages have a high ratio of chocolate to liquid. For a take-home experience, you can purchase a 12-ounce bottle of premium ground drinking chocolate.

414 SW 13th Ave., 503-241-0656 | 712 SW Salmon St., 503274-9510 | cacaodrinkchocolate.com

Cup & Bar

This year-old tasting room and store, which is run by Trailhead Coffee Roasters and Ranger Chocolate Company, pairs small-batch coffee with handmade chocolate. Try a Ranger mocha or a hot chocolate, and accompany it with a tasty baked goodie.

118 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. | 503-388-7701 | cupandbar.com

Moonstruck Chocolate

The five locations of this shrine to all that is chocolate provide plenty of sweet satisfaction. You can accompany your cup of classic, dark or Mayan hot chocolate with a truffle or two. Takehome tins of ground chocolate are also available. moonstruckchocolate.com

Oui Presse

While this beloved local coffee shop offers much more than hot chocolate, customers make trips here just for a cup of 48 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

cocoa. What makes it so special? Café owner Shawna McKeown explains, “We make our hot chocolate by melting down a combination of Belgian milk and dark chocolate, adding a few flavor-enhancing (and all-natural) ingredients and blending it until it's just right. We also use this mixture as the base for our mochas.” McKeown’s chocolate chip cookies, also made with Belgian chocolate chips, are a great accompaniment.

1740 SE Hawthorne Blvd. | 503-384-2160 | oui-presse.com

Provisions Market Hall-Eugene

Eugene is home to a great new foodie destination where you can enjoy hot chocolate. Located in the bustling 5th Street Public Market, Provisions Market Hall serves up a hot dark chocolate ganache with housemade whipped cream and a dusting of chocolate on top. Sit down and enjoy a cup in between shopping for groceries and people watching.

296 E Fifth Ave., Eugene | 541-743-0660 | provisionsmarkethall.com

Woodblock Chocolate

Although this small shop at the front of a chocolate factory does not prepare beverages, it does sell bags of high-quality drinking chocolate for $20. Ground into small particles for ease of melting, the chocolate is made from 70% cacao. Woodblock recommends whisking it into simmering nut, soy or cow’s milk.

For even more chocolatey goodness, add a few specialty origin chocolate bars to your order; they come in flavors including dark milk, toasted sesame and salt.

1236 SE Oak St. | 503-477-5262 | woodblockchocolate.com

Indian & Middle Eastern Cuisine Hours: Tues – Thurs & Sun 5 - 9 Fri – Sat 5 - 10

503.231.0740 www.bombaycricketclubrestaurant.com 1925 SE Hawthorne Blvd • Portland, OR 97214 OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 49

Seniors

JFCS and Lifeline bring survivors safety, joy and comfort Story and Photos by Liz Rabiner Lippoff

There is a Portland Jewish Family and Child Service program called Lifeline. According to the JFCS website, Lifeline offers “in-home support for seniors and people with disabilities to age safely and independently in their homes, and direct aid and guidance for individuals and families experiencing financial hardship to avoid crisis and make progress toward self-sufficiency.”

Lifeline serves the community in general, but it also specifically targets a unique, deserving – and shrinking – demographic in our community. Lifeline has brought joy and community to these individuals along with providing survival essentials.

Lifeline serves our Holocaust survivors.

According to Program Manager Brian Fallon, the Portland metro area is home to approximately 150 survivors, about two-thirds of which interact with Lifeline programming to some extent. Most of our survivors come from the former Soviet Union, but other European countries are also represented. The lion’s share of the program’s funding comes from German government grants, primarily through The Claims Conference, the mission of which since its founding in 1951 has been “to secure what we consider a small measure of justice for Jewish victims of Nazi persecution” (claimscon.org). Another grant by the Successor Organization and administered by the Claims Conference focuses on reparations for property that was stolen by the Nazis. As is often the case, community financial support also plays a part.

Lifeline Services for Holocaust Survivors

Sonia Liberman in her apartment at Rose Schnitzer Manor with family photos behind her, including one of her mother.

50 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Lifeline Program Manager Brian Fallon: brianfallon@jfcs-portland.org Café Europa Event Coordinator Missy Fry: 503-226-7079, ext. 133, or MissyFry@jfcs-portland.org The Claims Conference: ClaimsCon.org JFCS programs and donations: jfcs-portland.org

“JFCS serves over 100 people through the Holocaust Services Program,” Brian explains. “Of those, 45 receive in-home support via our homemakers, and three are referred out to Sinai InHome Care for personal care services. All receive case management support from our team. An additional 18 people receive case management services alone.”

Staff and volunteers work one-on-one with clients to try to get pensions and reparations that the clients sometimes don’t even know they are eligible for. The contact list for the monthly social events called Café Europa includes118 survivors. The activities range from visiting an art exhibit to an outing at the zoo. The participants celebrated Hanukkah together with a party at Shaarie Torah. Recently they had a showing of “Woman in Gold” at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.

“We try to balance fun activities with some of substance,” Brian says.

Cafe Europe participants (from left) Anneke Bloomfield, Marian Shaffer, and Les and Eva Aigner enjoy a trip to Seaside. Photo courtesy of JFCS

The scope of services expands beyond this, however. JFCS distributes about 145 Thanksgiving food boxes, and 70 of those go to survivors. Half of the households referred through Adopt-A-Family belong to survivors. Most of Congregation Kesser Israel’s Passover food boxes are distributed by JFCS to survivors. JFCS also drives 15 survivors to an annual seder sponsored by the Sisterhood at Beth Israel.

Brian believes the homemaker program is particularly valuable because “it allows people to stay in their homes and stay safe and well fed, to age in place and be comfortable.” He adds that it means much more than that. It’s about “the recognition, the companionship, the connection and the sense of belonging. For many of them, being Jewish (in their home country) limited them. Judaism was considered a different nationality, and they were subjected to prejudice, ridicule and judgment” even before the atrocities began. “When they came here, they could embrace their Jewish identity. ( JFCS programs) help to solidify and identify them with the Jewish community, and it means a lot to

them.”

For Brian himself, the job has been a revelation. “When I took this job, I had no idea it would hit me like this. Seniors, kids, mental illness … I’ve bounced around all over the social service field and have seen so much. But coming here and meeting survivors, getting to know them, visiting their homes, hearing their stories … I can’t even express it. It is something bigger than any one person’s story. It’s the importance of being a human being.

Any kind of service or support that we can bring to these individuals, who bore the burden of genocide, to bring kindness and pleasure to someone who, on a metaphysical level even, suffered so much. It’s about healing this huge wound in the human soul.

It is about humanity.”

Sonia Liberman, 82, is a Polish survivor who settled in Israel after the war. She first encountered Café Europa when she moved from Israel to California in 1960 to live near family. She says that there are a lot of survivors in southern California, and she attended their Café Europa weekly meetings. Sonia arrived with only a few words of English, but she went on to become a teacher for 50 years, first in public school and then at a Jewish day school. When she retired from teaching, her son, daughterin-law and two grandsons convinced her she should retire near them in Portland and live at the Rose Schnitzer Manor.

The number of survivors is much smaller here, and Café Europa only meets monthly, but Sonia likes the staff and the programs, and she attends regularly. “I identify much better with survivors,” Sonia says. “Other Americans don’t have any idea what it means to be a survivor. They only know what they watched in a movie or read in a story, like Anne Frank. I don’t usually share that I am a Holocaust survivor, but I am not hiding.” The last 10 years in California, as a matter of fact, Sonia spoke about her experience at high schools and colleges.

“I don’t consider myself a victim. I will never consider myself a victim; even though they wanted to destroy me, they didn’t succeed. We cannot keep our stories secret. We should be sure everybody knows that they are not spared from what could happen. They should fight for justice and for peace.”

Liz Rabiner Lippoff is a marketing consultant, freelance writer and community volunteer. LizInk.biz

JFCS Holocaust Survivor Programs • In-home assistance: housekeeping, companionship, meal preparation and transportation • Emergency aid for expenses that people need as they age but that they can’t afford, such as dental care, glasses, hearing aids and various therapies, as well as for emergencies they can’t afford such as water heaters and air conditioners • Case management and care coordination, including bilingual (Russian/English) staff to address immediate and long-term needs • Specialized services for Holocaust survivors, including assistance with reparations and compensation • Café Europa gatherings that afford social, educational and recreational activities to enhance quality of life OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 51

Seniors

Who is wise? The one who learns from all people. For as it is stated: ‘From all my teachers I have grown wise.’

–Ben Zoma, Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), 4:1

Learn from all people with oral history collection

By Sura Rubenstein Photos courtesy of OJMHCHE

The Soda Pop King, the labor organizer and the high school teacher in Baker City all have something to say. And thanks to the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, their stories – and their teachings – are just a couple of clicks away.

The stories of Lou Albert, Manly Labby and Elizabeth Hirsch Baer are part of the museum’s extensive oral history collection, now in the process of being posted online at ojmche.org/educate/collections/oral-history.

To date, transcripts and audio files of about 65 of the museum’s more than 600 interviews are online, with additional interviews posted on an ongoing basis. The project has been funded by a grant from the Oregon Heritage Commission.

Anne LeVant Prahl, the museum’s curator of collections, notes that as many as 50 oral histories are added to the collection database each year, so that the collection continues to expand.

“This is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about Oregon Jewish history and Oregon Jewish life,” she says.

For more information about the oral history collection or the interviewees, or to volunteer, contact Prahl at curator@ojmche. org or 503-226-3600.

LOUIS ALBERT, 1891-1976, was born in Kiev, where he father was a rabbi, and came to America in 1906. In 1911 he moved to Portland with $6.75 in his pocket, which he used to buy a horse and wagon to go door to door in the laundry and cleaning business.

In 1929 he bought a soda plant and turned it into a million-dollar business, the Royal Flush Bottling Co. OMJ 1449

Shanghai Stories Sought The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education is preparing an exhibit on the experiences of Jews who came to Oregon through Shanghai.

If you or a member of your family lived in Shanghai before immigrating to Oregon, please contact Curator of Collections Anne LeVant Prahl at 503-226-3600 or curator@ojmche.org to share your story.

52 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

ELIZABETH HIRSCH BAER, 1899-1977, was born in Baker City.

After graduating from Wellesley College in Massachusetts, she returned to Baker City, where she taught mathematics and German at Baker High School until her retirement. She was one of only a handful of people who maintained their Jewish connections in this small town as others moved away to seek wider opportunities. Elizabeth Hirsch Baer . OJM 718 MANLY LABBY, 1900 to 1983, was born in Golta, Russia, and came to the United States with his family in 1906. In 1910 he moved to Portland, where he worked as a newsboy and helped to organize a strike against the Oregonian and other city newspapers in 1914. In 1928 he started working in the garment industry and was heavily involved in unionization. He became a business agent for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, and was one of Portland’s few Jewish labor organizers. OJM 431 JOY LEVI ALKALAY, 1920-2014, was born in Vienna, Austria, the only child in a Sephardic family. The family was permitted to leave Austria after they recognized the German threat, because they were Yugoslav nationals. But Joy was later interned by the Italians on the island of Korcula. There, she met and married Joe Alkalay, and the couple eventually moved to Portland. In her interview, Alkalay discusses her work with the Joint Distribution Committee in Milan, Italy, after World War II, her work in Portland with the Anti-Defamation League, and

from 1956 until her retirement with Congregation Beth Israel, where she eventually became director of administrative affairs.

The couple had no children, and after Alkalay's death, she left a bequest of more than $1 million through the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation to support Beth Israel, the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and the State of Israel through Jewish Federations of North America. OJM 09426 GLADYS "LADDIE" LOEWENBERG TRACHTENBERG, 1910 -1993, was a granddaughter of pioneering merchant Julius Loewenberg and the niece of Ida Loewenberg, longtime director of Neighborhood House, and of Zerlina Loewenberg, who ran the South Portland Library.

She graduated from Oregon State University and attended Western Reserve University in Cleveland before leaving school to return to Portland after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She worked at the Neighborhood House for several years, and, after her children were in school, began working at Dammasch State Hospital, the state mental hospital in Wilsonville, for many years. Over the course of three interviews, Trachtenberg discusses the social and civic involvement of her family from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s. She begins with the emigration of her maternal grandparents from Germany, settlement in Portland, and the business ventures of her grandparents and parents. She also discusses her family’s involvement with the Neighborhood House, the Willamette River floods, and anti-Semitism in Portland. In this photo, Trachtenberg, at right, poses with, from left: aunts Ida and Zerlina Loewenberg, and her mother, Rose Loewenberg Goodman. OJM 01580 BERNARD BROWN, 1918-2013 was a survivor of forced labor on the Russian front, Auschwitz, Mathausen, and other camps. He was born into a religious family in Romania and had studied at a yeshiva. After liberation

by American forces in 1945, Brown searched unsuccessfully for others in his family. A year later, he married Lydia (Libby) Brown, another survivor, and the couple eventually came to Portland in 1951. A $250 loan from the Free Loan Society enabled him to buy a small pickup for his work as a peddler, and soon he was able to buy his first home in Portland. The Browns, who later moved to New York, were active in the Jewish community. Barry Brown served as president of Congregation Kesser Israel for 10 years, as treasurer of Hillel Academy, a Torah day school they helped establish (now incorporated into PJA), and the Portland Mikvah. As a young man, Brown remembers that he rebelled against Judaism, but after the war he committed himself to an observant Jewish life, Jewish causes and helping improve the lives of other Jews.

OJM 01720

Tu BiShvat is a perfect time to express appreciation to our community for planting the seeds that will provide care and benefit generations to come.

Thank you to everyone who has given to the Cedar Sinai Park Capital Campaign.

Because of you, we are well on the way to building the new Harold Schnitzer Health & Rehabilitation Care Center in 2016. Its 48 beautiful new homes will be filled with love and light for our elders.

At the same time, your donations will fully remodel the Robison Jewish Home — enabling it to provide short-term rehabilitation and post-acute care in private rooms. Thank you!

There’s still time to make a gift.

Call (503) 535-4422 or visit CedarSinaiPark.org/CapitalCampaign.

DIGNITY by DESIGN CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

CEDAR SINAI PARK FAMILY OF SERVICES ROSE SCHNITZER MANOR INDEPENDENT & ASSISTED LIVING ADULT DAY SERVICES • SINAI IN-HOME CARE• KEHILLAH ROBISON JEWISH HEALTH CENTER • JEWISH FAMILY & CHILD SERVICE (JFCS) • AFFORDABLE HOUSING: PARK TOWER APARTMENTS, THE 1200 BUILDING, ROSE SCHNITZER TOWER, LEXINGTON APARTMENTS

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 53

Arts & Entertainment On display at MJCC through Jan. 31

seniors Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik’s blends tradition with pop culture

By Polina Olsen

Tree of Mothers and Daughters: There are a few comic book characters whose identity has been passed from mother to daughter, such as Black Canary and Silk Spectre. “Tree of Mothers and Daughters“ explores the Jewish tradition of matrilineal descent, contrasted with a lack of details in the Torah about most mother/ daughter relationships.

I Can Do This: In B’reshit (Genesis) 18: 9-16, Sarah is informed by visiting strangers that she will have a son, and she laughs at the thought, due to her advanced age – but it is from her that the next generation of Jews will spring. There is an intentional resonance between the form of this piece and traditional fertility idols, which includes cut-up pieces of Jessica Jones, a character who balances being a super hero with being a young mother.

54 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Jewish-themed papercuts generally don’t conjure up visions of Star Trek.

References to Jews beautifying commandments with this colorful, baroque folk art date to 1345. Symbols and inscriptions include biblical passages, Stars of David and the Zodiac – complete with fantastic animals. Captain Kirk and his Starship Enterprise are unlikely candidates.

Unless, of course, you’re Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik, a Los Angeles-based artist who presented his custom-made papercut to William Shatner, the actor who played Captain Kirk, at the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland’s Gala on November 14. A graphic designer and self-proclaimed “science fiction geek,” Isaac synthesizes comic book figures with Jewish tradition to produce his sleek, clean-lined version of an ancient art.

“I always begin with text, often (from the) Bible and other traditional sources, but also the words of poets and musicians,” Isaac says. “I layer cut-up comic books into my work, drawing parallels between comic book mythologies and religious traditions.

Comic superheroes exist outside of the ‘natural’ world, be they visitors from other planets or people whose powers stem from strange scientific accidents. They have weaknesses and flaws, and their struggles are often a metaphor for the human experience.”

Isaac started papercutting during his wife Shawna’s rabbinical training in Israel. By the end of the year, he was showing at a Jerusalem arts fair.

“It was like finding something you were supposed to be doing all along,” he says.

“When we returned to the U.S., I continued papercutting. I was working on ketubot and doing traditional artwork. Then I found my voice, the way I wanted to express myself, and started incorporating comic books. I felt I had a breakthrough.”

Today Isaac lectures and writes about the intersection of art and Judaism, and teaches workshops at the Union of Reform Judaism’s Camp Newman. He served as artist-in-residence at the 2013 URJ Biennial and received the juror's award in the 2015 show at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center. He is a teaching fellow at American Jewish University's Dream Lab and is a judge for the RAVSAK Artists' Beit Midrash.

Galleries around the country have shown his work, and commissions include the “Tree of Life” for the chapel at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. And there’s another Portland connection. He designed 13 windows that grace the entryway of the Maimonides Jewish Day School on Capitol Highway.

Isaac was happy to visit Portland again, where he has many friends. And, as a lifelong Star Trek fan, he was thrilled to meet and create something for the star of the show. He named the piece “To Boldly Go.” “In ‘To Boldly Go,’ I explore the story of Lech L’cha Canaan (Genesis/ Bereshit12:1to 17:27), in which G-d tells Abraham and Sarah to go forth in a new land,” he says. “Along the way they discover who they are and spread blessings to everyone they meet. Bill (Shatner) is also a philanthropist; he spreads blessings. I liked the parallel.

“This piece was modeled on Vasquez Rocks, which is the background for many Star Trek episodes and a place where I hike with my family. It plays the role of the desert on the way to Canaan where Abraham and Sarah walked. The color in the background is cut-up Star Trek comics. Behind the camels, the color is from Captain Kirk’s uniform shirt. The rest of the piece features glimpses of the Starship Enterprise and quotes that I think tie into the story of Abraham and Sarah. In one speech bubble, Captain Kirk says ‘And I will go far.’ It includes the words ‘To boldly

Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik presents William Shatner with a papercut titled “To Boldly Go.” Pictured from left back are: Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik, William Shatner, Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik, and front: Aviva, Yael and Mira Brynjegard-Bialik. Photo by LeeAnn Gauthier

go where no man has gone before.’ Abraham and Sarah go forth into the unknown, and that’s what Star Trek is about.”

Isaac also included the Federation Starship Enterprise in his piece, as a reference to the JFGP gala. When he told his wife about the commission and presentation, she insisted on coming and bringing their three daughters, too.

“All of them are big Shatner fans,” Isaac says. “I spoke at the cocktail reception before the gala. Mark Blattner introduced me and William Shatner, and we talked about the work and the

meaning behind it. He said it was going up in his house. He was so nice and gracious, and spoke to my girls, and gave them practical career advice. He was exactly the role model I hoped he would be.”

Papercuts by Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik are on display in the main lobby of the Mittleman Jewish Community Center until Jan. 31. Read more about Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik at nicejewishartist.com.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 55

Arts & Entertainment

Artists Rep offers Oregon Play Prize to talented playwright The Table|Room|Stage new play development program at Artists Repertory Theatre is accepting submissions for the new Oregon Play Prize through Jan. 31. This is a rare opportunity Luan Schooler, director of new play development for an Oregon playwright to win a commission, work with a theater on play development and receive a first full production playing field so that an unknown writer has the same chance as of his or her work at Artists Rep. a playwright who has already enjoyed successful productions. By The Oregon Play Prize is a $10,000 commission for a new involving the public in the final selection, we're all embarking play written by an Oregonian. The playwright will be provided on a big adventure together.” support in script development with space, consultations and In August 2014, Artists Rep received a $125,000 Oregon readings, and the play will be produced by Artists Rep when it Community Foundation “Creative Heights” grant to establish a is ready. robust new play development program The play must be written by a resithat will create opportunities for local dent of Oregon. Scripts may be in any and national playwrights, ensure that stage of completion, from a well-deunderrepresented voices are heard on veloped idea to a completed draft, but stage, and establish Artists Rep and must be unproduced. Plays must be Portland as an engine for new play submitted to Artists Rep by Jan. 31, development.

2016. A panel of Artists Rep staff and T|R|S is a two-year pilot program volunteers will read all submissions and that will commission eight new plays select three finalists. Descriptions and including the Oregon Play Prize. writing samples of the finalists will With the T|R|S program, Artists be posted on the Oregon Play Prize Rep will offer commissions to eight webpage (artistsrep.org/explore/tableplaywrights over the next two years to room-stage/oregon-play-prize) in late start a new play, to finish one already spring 2016. Oregonians will vote for begun or to revisit one that hasn’t the one they most want to see proyet been fully realized. Artists Rep is duced, and the prize will be awarded in committed to offering women, writers summer 2016. The timeline to proof color and writers of work for young duction will depend on the readiness audiences a place at the table. The of the project. Complete submission inaugural commission of T|R|S has guidelines are posted on the website. been awarded to Yussef El Guindi for “We're excited to read the work of the completion of his play about the playwrights from all over Oregon,” says immigrant experience, “The TalentLuan Schooler, Artists Rep Director of ed Ones.” This play will be read and New Play Development and Dramaworkshopped at Artists Rep during the turgy. “The process we've created for current season. the Oregon Play Prize will level the Yussef El Guindi, winner of first T R S commission

T|R|S is a two-year pilot program that will commission eight new plays including the Oregon Play Prize.

56 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Ask

Helen

After rough year, get your mojo back by engaging the world Dear Helen:

I had a really rough year in 2015. I lost a beloved friend and a beloved pet. I had medical issues that were difficult to diagnose and to cure. I had to cut far back on my social life to accommodate all the immediacies of family and healing. Now I am feeling isolated, somewhat vulnerable, definitely poorer, and very protective of both my body and my soul. I miss being the optimistic and outgoing person I have been most of my life. I am wounded and fragile. Do you have good advice for getting my mojo back?

Seeking Inspiration

Dear Seeking:

That old saying about the Chinese character for “crisis” also representing “opportunity” is highly relevant. You’ve been through the worst of it, one can only hope. Now’s the chance to create a better life, not just recreate the one you had before all the bad (as if you could). Instead of being resistant to the changes, look for ways to become the new and happier you.

Think about hummingbirds in a late summer garden. They’re attracted to the bright colors, the reds and oranges, and they come seeking sweetness. Your mojo is only going to come back when you make an attractive landing zone for it. Instead of cowering in your room hoping the world turns into a friendlier place, go out and engage with it. Seek out the sweetness life offers. Try new things and even new people. You’ll have dead ends and misses. But you’ll also have surprises and delights, and those joys – both hoped for and unanticipated – will start to fuel your spirit again.

Think about your time: What’s fixed and what’s malleable about your schedule. Identify zones that are available to pursue happiness. Then go after it in a variety of ways.

Do for others: Look for volunteer opportunities, from your local food bank to a Habitat for Humanity build. See a bigger world than your small life.

Get involved with a cause: Commit to helping, whether it's for your favorite candidate or a local or environmental issue.

Learn something new: Take an art class, study a language or explore a new way of cooking. But push your gray cells to work

and play.

Get physical: All the gyms have New Year’s specials. Try Sufi dancing, weight machines, Nia, spin or restorative yoga. Look for ways to get back into your body.

Get metaphysical: Start reading uplifting writers. Meditate regularly. Even 10-15 minutes a day of quiet breathing or life-affirming mantras will impact your soul. So will going to synagogue more often, both the prayers and the music.

Get mental: Join a book group by asking your friends if they know of an opening, or start one based around your own reading preferences. Share opinions and tastes, and get to know other people’s world views.

Make time for old friends: Get deeper with the friends who stood by you in your tough times. Have them over for dinner one-on-one, or start a monthly salon.

Meet new folks: Tell people you’re interested in expanding your social circle. Ask to be invited to parties. Look at the “happenings” section in the Weekly and go to gatherings that are a little bit of a stretch to push you out of your comfort zone.

Cultivate curiosity: Like a child learning to walk, every baby step will help move you down the road to happiness. Don’t isolate or clutch what feels safe so tightly that you cannot embrace the new. Leave room in your life for unexpected joys. Ask for and welcome surprises.

Give gratitude regularly: Times were hard. They’ll be hard again. The best insurance policy is a warm personality and a resilient soul. Believe in and cultivate goodness. Practice tikkun olam. Help the world heal and you will heal, too.

Best Wishes to all readers for a 2016 of Health, Wisdom, Joy, Laughter, Friendship, Love, Goodness, Creativity and Peace.

A resident of Eugene since 1981, Helen is a member of Temple Beth Israel, where she studies and speaks on Torah. She claims to have black belts in schmoozing, problem-solving and chutzpah. She’s a writer and an artist (kabbalahglass.com). Please email your questions to helen@yourjewishfairygodmother.com and subscribe to the blog at kabbalahglass.com/blog/ OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 57

J

P’nai Or gathered in a member’s sukkah for Sukkot Shalom vs. Climate Chaos. From left are John McManus, Harriet Cooke, Beth Hirschfield and Gulzar Ahmed.

Photo by Pam Vergun.

Weaving climate action into Jewish life

By Harriet Cooke, MD, MPH

g n i v i L

INSIDE

58 Climate Change

60 Eugene Rabbi in Poland 62 FACES

64 New UO Chabad House 65 Previews

65 Calendar

58 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Last January, a friend from my congregation, P’nai Or, loaned me Naomi Klein’s latest book, This Changes Everything, Capitalism vs Climate. My friend had found the book too depressing to finish. The title had been scribbled on a piece of paper magnetized to my refrigerator door for months, so I borrowed my friend’s book. By page four of the introduction I was hooked and motivated to do something, anything!

The festival of Tu B’Shevat was five weeks away, a holiday that marked both ecological and economic events. Perhaps, I thought, I could share some teachings from Naomi’s book.

P’nai Or is a Jewish Renewal community that is currently between rabbis and is being led by talented lay-leaders and Maggidot ( Jewish storytellers and teachers). I volunteered to lead programming for Tu’B’shevat, the New Year of the Trees. Ancient Israelites counted the beginning and the ending of the harvest and tithing season in midwinter when the sap begins to rise. This was biblical tax day. It is also the holiday we celebrate with a seder that includes eating four different types of fruit to represent the four worlds of reality: spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical.

Supported by our tikkun olam committee, I was determined to turn many of the ideas in Naomi’s book into a radio play and began writing “The Rising Sap,” which would be read aloud by congregants. The kavanah (intent) was to help raise awareness of the urgency of our situation, generate passion for taking action and hope that, together, we can successfully address climate change.

We wanted to share these teachings with our larger interfaith community, so my good friend, Beth Hirschfield, reached out to our Muslim, Christian and Native American friends, who would speak about the ecological teachings from their traditions.

To put it all together in five weeks felt impossible, but when Hashem plants a passionate seed within us, miracles can happen.

At some point the first two lines of a song came to me to the tune of Gloria Gaynor’s song, “I Will Survive.” “First I read the book, and I was petrified ... thought we were doomed and there would soon be no more azure skies.” I plunked out the rest of the words, and the play had suddenly become a musical. The heaviness of the topic was made lighter through song.

We had no idea who would come and simply planned for the space we had. Over 70 people showed up, filling every seat and having room for all. We read the play, sang, ate the fruits with their individual teachings and reflected on the ways we need to change our thoughts, emotions and our ways of life. If we are ever to have the insight, courage, strength and determination to face and deal with the ecological crises of our time, it is going to take transformation on all levels of our being.

Then what? To succeed in addressing climate chaos, Tu B’Shevat would need to be just the beginning.

Purim was next and we needed a theme. Haman became a fossil fuel baron planning to frack Shushan and advocating for the TPP, the Trans Persian Partnership. I played Mordecai. And after becoming the king’s new vizier, I wrote policies to help the kingdom switch to green renewable energy and laws to form the Shushan public bank.

I started a Naomi Klein book study group and for Pesach invited the group to my home for a Climate Change Eco-seder.

That summer many of us showed up at the Shell No kayaktivist action to help detain the icebreaker Feneca and bring awareness to the Arctic drilling, which, baruch HaShem, has stopped.

For High Holidays I wrote another little play, this time about a modern Jonah, followed by an environmental al cheyt (confession of sins). I’d been feeling a bit like Jonah, the way Jonah didn’t want to follow through with his calling because he thought everyone would just think he was nuts and God wouldn’t destroy the city of Nineveh anyway.

Climate change is not a theme for just one year. Climate change and the social movement that we all must be part of is the theme of our lives.

The seventh day of Sukkot we traditionally recite the Hoshanot, the prayers for God to help save us from drought, famine, pestilence and exile – the same things we are facing in these climate-changing days. Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center had been imploring congregations to hold a special event on that day, Sukkot Shalom vs. Climate Chaos.

This was also the Sukkot of the Shmita year, the seventh year when Torah tells us we are to forgive debt. It was another opportunity to teach the connection between Torah and the economic changes we need to make to keep the worst of the climate disaster from happening and bring social justice to the world.

Climate change is not a theme for just one year. Climate change and the social movement that we all must be part of is the theme of our lives. As overwhelming as the problems are, I have learned there are economic solutions that can not only help solve the climate crisis and lead us to a sustainable way of life on our finite planet, but also hold the potential to finally bring the social justice to our world that we have not yet been able to achieve.

Want to hear the rest of the Naomi Klein song and the updated solutions to climate chaos introduced in the play? Come join us for a Tu B’Shevat seder with P’nai Or and Havurah Shalom Jan. 24 at Havurah Shalom. And be part of The Rising Sap!

The Rising Sap Harriet Cooke

Heaven only knows what part our study, prayers and actions contributed toward that result. Torah reminds us that every little thing matters.

In Elul, the month leading up to the High Holidays, P’nai Or voted to support and promote Climate Change for Families and Plant for the Planet (ClimateChangeRecovery.org), which teaches children how to become ambassadors for climate action.

This became the congregation’s yearly tikkun olam project. The group has two free academies for students in January; visit their website for details.

WHAT: A play on climate change and a joint Tu B’Shevat seder of P’nai Or and Havurah Shalom WHEN: Jan. 24 – potluck supper at 4:30, seder and play 5-7 pm WHERE: Havurah Shalom, 825 NW 18th Ave., Portland COST: Sliding scale donations up to $20 with a portion to be donated to Plant for the Planet, free academies that teach children and families how to be climate justice ambassadors © LeeAnn Gauthier INFO: Havurahshalom.org, pnaiorpdx.org, holisticooke@aol.com or 503-248-4662 © LeeAnn Gauthier

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 59

JLiving

The Dolin family in front of the Wilanów (pronounced Vilanuv) castle near their apartment in southern Warsaw.

Eugene rabbi helps restore Jewish identity in Poland

By Joseph A. Lieberman

After being crushed by the Nazis and further diminished

by Soviet-era communism, it hardly seems likely that Warsaw, Poland, could nourish anything resembling a thriving Jewish community today. And yet, support for Jewish culture is emerging from some very unlikely sources.

Last summer, Eugene’s Rabbi Boris Dolin and his wife, Sarah, left Oregon to accept pastoral and educational positions in Warsaw and surrounding communities. For the past half year, they’ve been busily expanding on their efforts to rebuild Jewish life there, aided by forces they hadn't known existed prior to their arrival.

“Two of the most surprising elements are how absolutely unique this community is and how enthusiastically non-Jewish Polish urbanites are celebrating Jewish culture,” Rabbi Boris recently told me via a Skype connection from his Warsaw apartment.

When I asked him to define “unique community,” he replied: “A generation or two ago, many members of my congregation didn't even know they were Jewish. In some cases, there had been a deathbed revelation from a parent or grandparent, who admitted having to hide their Jewishness from those trying to annihilate or oppress them decades back. Others discovered they’d been adopted as babies by Christian neighbors long ago in a last-ditch effort by desperate parents to save them. And for many, a visit to the 2-year-old POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, built on the site of the tragic Warsaw Ghetto, revealed to them their Jewish roots and ancestors through an ex60 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

amination of freely available archival material. (Polin is Hebrew for Poland and ‘rest here.’) Of course some people in the community had no Jewish roots and chose to convert, or were simply raised Jewish.”

Rabbi Boris's progressive Jewish congregation, Beit Warszawa, has been a beacon to young adults and others who’ve discovered that somewhere along the line they had Jewish roots. “We can’t call them converts to Judaism,” Rabbi Boris insists, “because they’re more like returnees. Our job is to re-educate them on what it means to be Jewish and how to celebrate that.”

Those wanting to rejoin the Jewish community after a generation or more of assimilation are finding that it’s an easier transition doing so with a liberal congregation than entering the Orthodox life of Nożyk Synagogue, the only surviving pre-war Jewish house of prayer in Warsaw.

“Beit Warszawa is a member of Beit Polska, the umbrella organization for Progressive/Reform Judaism in Poland,” Rabbi Boris explained. “We operate as a full-fledged synagogue with regular Friday night and Saturday morning services and, of course, all the Jewish holidays.”

Ironically, Michael Schudrich, the leader of Nożyk Synagogue and the Chief Rabbi of Poland for the Orthodox community, is also an American whom, like Rabbi Boris, spent time in Japan and is conversant in Japanese.

“In fact, our first greeting was in Japanese,” Rabbi Boris said.

“We do find opportunities to work together, but since Beit Warszawa was formed in 1995, and Nożyk Synagogue came into being in 1902, they’ve had time to develop a more established community despite the losses of wartime and serious pre- and

post-war emigration to the U.S., Canada, Argentina and the Land of Israel.”

Boris, Sarah and their three children are trying to learn Polish as efficiently as possible – the rabbi with a hired tutor and the kids through interacting with other children in a Montessori school where Sarah also teaches.

“Most of my congregation understands some English and many are fluent,” Rabbi Boris told me. “There’s also a part-time translator who assists with services and classes, but hopefully I can become moderately conversant by the end of my first year here. This is especially important for the smaller communities around the country such as Gdansk and Konstancin-Jeziorna, where I travel on a regular basis to help strengthen and train lay leaders to take over some rabbinical duties in lieu of having a full-time rabbi. One local woman who started out like that is now completing her studies in New York.”

High tech comes into play in the form of a Google translation app on Boris’s smart phone. “I speak an English sentence into it, and the electronic voice repeats it in Polish, kind of like the translator gadgets we used to see on Star Trek,” Rabbi Boris said.

I had to ask Rabbi Boris about anti-Semitism because it seems so closely tied to Polish history. True, Jews found a safe haven in Poland more than a thousand years ago, and for a while between the 16th and 18th centuries about 80% of Diaspora Jewry lived on Polish lands. That period of relative calm, however, was followed by pogroms, Cossack massacres, impoverishment and eventually the Holocaust, in which 85% of Polish Jewry was destroyed. But what about today?

“This was another unexpected twist,” Boris replied. “Today you

can find klezmer music, Yiddish theater and Israeli film fests, all performed or supported by non-Jewish Poles! At least in the main urban areas, the Jewish mystique is culturally cool. There are lots of Jewish celebrations, but one of the biggest, sponsored by the Jewish Center on Twarda Street in Warsaw, is the annual festival called Open Twarda Street. Nearly 10,000 people attend each May!” In addition, Rabbi Boris pointed out, “Kosher restaurants can be found in Warsaw and Krakow, and there are also a few cultural organizations in both cities such as a JCC and Jewish theater. Out in the countryside, though, many younger people have never even met a Jew, and some anti-Semitism remains.

On the other hand, the recent win by right-wing political parties had more to do with returning to traditional Catholic conservatism rather than being anti-anyone, and no groups that may have been openly anti-Jewish gained any representation.”

For those wondering if Oregonians might be able to contribute something to Beit Warszawa’s dynamic and creative revival of Polish Jewry, Rabbi Boris recommends visiting their website Beit.org.pl, where he has a blog, and people can donate to the synagogue and to Beit Polska.

Rabbi Boris said, “We are about so many things: Jewish identity-building, renovating Jewish synagogues and cemeteries throughout the land, connecting American Jewry with their Polish heritage, and changing the narrative from one concerned only with Judaism’s deep and tragic past in Poland to one embracing a far brighter future.”

Joseph Lieberman is a freelance writer in Eugene.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 61

J

Living

BETH ISRAEL SISTERHOOD HONORED – Congregation Beth Israel Sisterhood board members, from left, Debbie Braymer, Ellen Bick, President Stephanie Siegel and Lynn Gelber, were delegates to the Women of Reform Judaism Assembly, held in conjunction with the recent Union of Reform Judaism Biennial.

Beth Israel Sisterhood received a Silver Or Ami (Light of Our People) Award for the program Network: PDX and two honorable mentions for programs: Miss Representation and Becoming a Bat Mitzvah.

FACES & PLACES

GIVING TUESDAY

FUNDS – Volunteers raise funds towards the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland’s annual community campaign, supporting our local and global Jewish community. Combined with other donations throughout the day, $240,000 was raised on Giving Tuesday.

FOOD – The Rothstein family packs frozen peas at the Oregon Food Bank part of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland’s Giving Tuesday evening of service. Fulfilling OFB’s mission of getting food to the people who need it most, 74 volunteers packed more than 7,500 lbs. of food, providing 6,300 meals.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF LIGHT – Portland's stormy power blackout on Dec. 9, in the middle of Hanukkah, didn't deter the dedicated group that meets every morning at Kesser Israel to study a page of Talmud.

From left: Steve Meyerowitz, Rabbi Tzvi Fischer and Michael Rosenberg. Photo courtesy of Jon Perrin

MIKVAH WISDOM – Miriam Lipskier, left, addresses a group of women in a program presented by Chabad of Oregon and Mikvah Shoshana, “Behind Closed Doors, The Sexual & Sacred.” Miriam is the co-director of Chabad Jewish Student Center at Emory University and a sought after speaker on feminism and mikvah.

CRAFTS, CANDLES & HANUKKAH – Rabbi Ken Brodkin leads a rousing rendition of Maoz Tzur during Congregation Kesser Israel's Hanukkah bash on Dec. 7. Young and old gathered for latkes, sufganiyot, a buffet from Century Catering and an olive bar and olive oil tasting from Barbur Foods, along with an array of crafts, games and photo booth where Darren and Leann (Silberberg) Dall and their daughter, Shoshana, get in the holiday spirit. Photos by One Click Studio

62 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

TIVNU HIKE – Tivnu Gap Year 2015-16 participants hike up Mt. Scott in central Oregon in a community building outing. Tivnu: Building Justice is the only domestic Jewish gap year program for recent high school graduates. Participants work on social justice issues and gain social and hands-on skills that will benefit them in college and beyond.

Chabad brightens first night of Hanukkah

SHANGHAI NIGHTS – The Larry Nobori Band presents Jazz in Shanghai Dec. 3 at the MJCC as part of the community’s Jewish Book Month Celebration. Photo by Len Steinberg

On the first night of Hanukkah, Chabad centers across Oregon and SW Washington simultaneously held celebrations in Ashland, Bend, Hillsboro, Clark County and Portland's Director Park collectively bringing together more than 1,200 participants.

HILLSBORO – Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey lights the 8-foot “made in Hillsboro” menorah as the Jewish community of Hillsboro celebrates the first night of Hanukkah.

HILLSBORO – Young and old enjoyed the Pre-Hanukah Story Hour at Barnes & Noble, led by Chaya Rivkin, director of Chabad Jewish Center of Hillsboro Hebrew School.

PORTLAND – Chabad of Oregon Rabbi Moshe Wilhelm kindles the first Hanukkah flame in Portland's Director Park in front of nearly 400 participants. This year Chabad of Oregon was joined in presenting the event by the American Red Cross Cascades Region, whose Director Amy Shlossman said, "The Red Cross is proud to partner with Chabad as we work together to serve our local community every day and be there whenever, wherever disasters strike." This year, in addition to the traditional lighting of the 12-foot “Portland Menorah” the event featured a 5-foot ice menorah. Photos by Rob Pro Photo

ASHLAND – Chabad Rabbi AviZwiebel and his children lead the Hanukkah celebration in southern Oregon, dedicated to the victims of the Umpqua Community College shooting in Roseburg, where a shooter killed nine people. Evan Burns who helped fellow students barricade their room during shooting said, “I grew up being told not to say I was Jewish because my family was scared of what may happen if the wrong people knew. Since then, I’m proud to say I’ve been to Israel, ... pressed my hands against the Western Wall, and now tonight ... my first time ever lighting a menorah is shared with you.” Photo by Jyl KleinA survivor of the UCC shooting lit the menorah Sunday night, the first night of Hanukkah. Evan Burns is studying business and history at UCC and was at the school when the gunman opened fire in October killing nine people. Burns helped his fellow students stay safe and barricade their room.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 63

JLiving Globe-trotting couple opens Chabad House in Eugene Courtesy of Chabad of Oregon

Rabbi Berel Gurevitch, 25, Rebbetzin Rivky, 22, and their twin girls bring service and learning experience from five states and four countries to new Eugene campus Chabad House.

Appearances can be deceiving. Brooklyn-born Berel Gurevitch may look and sound like a native New Yorker, but he’s traveled the world building knowledge and experience serving Jewish communities, a skill set he’ll put to good use at the University of Oregon this year.

Both Berel and his wife, Rivky, grew up in suburban Crown Heights, NY, but between the pair they’ve crossed multiple oceans and continents. The young couple, Rabbi Berel is 25 and Rivky is 22, have studied and served in more communities than most people visit in a lifetime – from Manchester, England, to Oslo, Norway; Detroit to Austin; and northern Israel to South America. All this helped prepare them for the 2015-2016 school year opening of the new Chabad House on the UO Eugene campus. The center is dedicated to providing Jewish students of all backgrounds and denominations with a “home away from home” where they can enjoy a home-cooked meal on Shabbat, socialize with other students, enjoy religious services, and explore their Jewish identity and heritage in a non-judgmental environment.

In addition to their international service dossier, both Gurevitches boast distinguished family pedigrees in serving Jewish communities. Rabbi Gurevitch’s grandfather was a Chabad emissary in Pittsburg, as was his father in Connecticut and later New York. He is the fifth of his siblings to open a Chabad House, joining his two older brothers in Arlington, TX, and Argentina, and his sisters in Houston and Philadelphia.

Rebbetzin Gurevitch, whose mother is one of 17 children, also descends from multiple generations of Chabad emissaries; her grandparents opened the first Chabad House in Michigan. The generational apples haven’t fallen far: Rivky’s aunts and uncles 64 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

serve local communities in China, Ukraine, Germany and France and the states of Alaska, Ohio, Michigan and Washington.

Rivky arrives with personal experience in education and outreach, having served as counselor or head counselor at Chabad summer camps in Michigan, Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin. She has also taught courses in a Detroit day school and online.

As members of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, an organization dedicated to serving the needs of Jews around the world, the couple hopes to enhance Jewish life for the students at the University of Oregon. Their new Chabad House joins more than 230 existing Chabad on Campus centers around the world, and is one of 19 new centers opening this school year. Chabad on Campus centers are partially funded by a seed grant through the Rohr Expansion Initiative of philanthropists George and Pamela Rohr and are financially independent. Chabad on Campus has the largest network of full-time, professionally staffed Jewish campus centers in the world.

The Gurevitches have been heartened to see what a beautiful Jewish community Eugene hosts and how warmly they have already been received. They anticipate getting to know everyone on campus and in the community, and profess a deep optimism in their special nonjudgmental and inclusive approach.

Rabbi Berel and Rebbetzin Rivky may once again be far from home, but they promise to establish a permanent, warm and open home for all at their new Chabad Center, practicing the vision they preach of truly “loving one’s fellow as oneself.”

You can find the Gurevitches on Facebook at Facebook.com/ Jewisheugene, online at JewishEugene.org or by calling 347272-5845.

PREVIEWS

OPB screens “The Jewish Frontier” at MJCC before on air premiere

Oregon Experience: “The Jewish Frontier” will air at 9 pm, Jan. 25 on OPB TV. Oregon Public Broadcasting also will present an advance community screening of the show at 7 pm, Jan. 19, in the Stern Family Ballroom of the Mittleman Jewish Community Center (6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland).

The new, one-hour Oregon Experience documentary “The Jewish Frontier” examines the history of the Jewish people who helped build the American West.

They were some of the earliest settlers, arriving with the Gold Rush and staying to create the businesses and communities that formed the state.

They range from junk peddlers in Portland’s immigrant community, to entrepreneurs who built multi-million dollar businesses.

This includes Aaron Meier, who opened his first Portland store in 1857 and went on to operate Meier & Frank, one of the nation’s largest department stores.

Bernard Goldsmith was a mediator between the military and Native Americans, and became Portland’s first Jewish mayor.

Louis Solomon and three men Sigmund Heilner followed gold circa 1900. OJM 00812 miners to Southern and Eastern Oregon where he established a one of the region’s longest-operating businesses.

Through Urban Renewal that displaced homes and synagogues, to the devastating aftermath of the Holocaust, Oregon’s Jews have continually found new ways to honor the past, and set the foundation for a future, while at the same time redefining what it means to be Jewish in the American West.

Using rare historical photos, film and more than two dozen interviews with people all over the state, “The Jewish Frontier” tells the story of pioneering Jews who helped shape Oregon.

PDX Playwrights offer festival within Fertile Ground Festival

For its sixth consecutive year, PDX Playwrights returns to the Fertile Ground Festival with a strong lineup of comedies, dramas and lyrical work, with six nights of performances Jan. 22-31 at Hipbone Studios (1847 E Burnside).

PDXP’s “Festival Within the Festival” is its largest contribution to the Fertile Ground Festival of New Works ever, featuring 28 plays by 18 different playwrights, with dozens of Portland’s best- Miriam Feder writes with PDXP and is producer for its Festival-Within-the-Fertile Ground Festival. “We help playwrights bring their work to an audience by taking care of a lot of the production pieces, making it affordable and helping them through the process. It’s a very heimish approach.” She also writes with P-Town Playwrights, along with Jewish playwright Rich Rubin, known both for his probing historical work and lighthearted comedies.

Miriam has three short plays in the PDXP mix this year. Her play “Under a Tin Roof Moon” was chosen to be part of Daisy Dukes Shorts Night, on Jan. 22 at 7 pm (followed by a party). It also shows Saturday Jan. 23 at 7 pm (followed by Sam Dinkowitz’s hilarious Spectravagasm 8: Drugs by separate admission). Miriam’s short “A New Woman” is part of Short & Sweet, Jan. 30 at 7 pm and Jan. 31 at 3 pm. Her play “Bathtub Gin” will be featured on a bill with Peter Armetta’s “You Are Not My Enemy,” a modern Noh adaptation Jan. 31 at 1 pm.

Audiences may remember Miriam’s full-length play, “Ephemory,” from the 2012 production at the Headwater’s Theatre. “Ephemory” tells the tale of her mother’s immigration as a teen from Hitler’s Germany to the USA. Miriam has performed vignettes from this work for the Next Generation’s Group and Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. A generation of PJA students will remember Miriam as the playwright, composer, director and accompanist for “In Portland,” the third grade play.

Tickets for all shows are $10, available in advance through Box Office Tickets (boxofficetickets.com or bit.ly/1YeaJC5), or at the door. Fertile Ground Festival passholders (up to 20 per show) admitted free.

JANUARY CALENDAR Through Jan. 31 Papercut exhibit at MJCC. See page 54

Through Feb. 28 Three exhibits continue at OJMCHE: Pointing the Way: The Art of the Torah Pointer; Surviving Remnants; and Florence Saltzman: Painter + Printmaker. Ojmche.org or 503226-3600

Jan. 4 PJ Library Hillsboro Story Hour. 1011 am every Monday at Yo Zone, 18033 NW Evergreen Parkway, Beaverton. 503-892-7415.

Jan. 6 Shalom for the Soul: Jewish Wisdom for Stress Management.

Wednesdays 7-8:15 pm., Jan. 6-Feb. 10, at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland. $36 course material fee.

503-293-7309 or nevehshalom. org/adult-ed

The Rise and Demise of Blacklisting. 7-9 pm at Congregation Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders, Portland. Ron Silver and Michael Simon discuss this post-World War II witch-hunt for communists and fellow travelers and how it ran its course.503-222-1069

Jan. 7 Indoor Playground with Chai Baby and PJ Library. 10 am-noon at the MJCC. Playing, Running, Kosher Snacks, Storytelling and prize drawings! For parents/caregivers and their children up to 5 years old. Free. 503-535-3539 PJ Library Lake Oswego Story Hour.

9:30-10:15 am at Realty Trust Group, Inc., 600 Avenue A, Lake Oswego). Repeats every Thursday.

503-892-7415 Dad’s Night Out. Group of dads who get together for a drink, some nosh and interesting relaxed discussion led by a local rabbi (January: Rabbi Michael Cahana).

Join Us in January at CBI Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Friday, January 15, 7:00 PM

Congregation Beth Israel . 1972 NW Flanders St. Join us for our annual MLK Shabbat Evening Service, featuring celebrated activist and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Dr. C.T. Vivian and members of the NW Gospel Choir and CBI’s Kol Echad Choir as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s enduring legacy.

FOOD! DRINK! FUN!

Taste of Temple 2016

Sunday, January 31 5 PM - 8 PM

Castaway 1900 NW 18th FEATURING many of Portland's best restaurants, wineries, distilleries, and breweries.

To learn more about these events, contact Tracy at 503-222-1069 or tracy@bethisrael-pdx.org

www.bethisrael-pdx.org OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 65

JANUARY CALENDAR

$5 suggested donation, open to all Jewish dads and dads who are raising Jewish kids.

For location, 403-246-8831 or jgreenberg@ nevehshalom.org

Jan. 8 PJ Library Southeast Story Hour. 10-11 am at Seahorses, 4029 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland.

Every Friday in January except Jan. 1. 503-8927415 Intergenerational PJ Library Story Hour. 9:3010:15 am at Cedar Sinai Park 6125 SW Boundary St., Portland. Every Friday in January except Jan. 1. 503-892-7415

Jan. 10 Congregation Neveh Shalom announces the installation of Rabbi David Kosak as our senior rabbi. 3-4 pm at Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland. All are invited to be part of this significant moment in the congregation’s history. Service of installation with reception to follow. Congregation Neveh Shalom Main Sanctuary. Free, but RSVP requested – tinyurl. com/kosakservice Fitness Palooza. 11 am-1 pm at the MJCC. 503244-0111 or oregonjcc.org

Jan. 10-12

Jan. 15

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at 7 pm MLK Shabbat Service at Congregation Beth Israel, 1972 NW Flanders St., Portland. Features activist and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Dr. C. T. Vivian and members of the NW Gospel Choir and CBI’s Kol Echad Choir. 503-222-1069 or tracy@bethisrael-pdx.org A Little Shabbat, presented by PJ Library and Congregation Shaarie Torah. Lively Shabbat full of singing, greeting, stories, eating and new friends. Appropriate for families with children in preschool, 2 years and older. Free. 503-226-6131

Jan. 16 “Two Sided Story,” a film presented by J Street.

7-9 pm at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane. Portland@jstreet.org

Jan. 18 PJ Library MLK Day of Preschool Service Learning. 10-11:30 am at Congregation Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland. A program for kids 0-5 and their grownup friends.

503-892-7415 Maayan Torah Day School hosts a family social at the MJCC Sportsplex. Indoor play and festivities including soccer, gymnastics and volleyball.

All ages are invited. $15 per family. 503-2455568 or info@maayanpdx.org

Carl Preschool Open Houses at Congregation Exploring Davita’s World: The Music. Repeats Shaarie Torah, 920 NW 25th Ave., Portland. See Jan. 19. See page 17 Morah Elizabeth in action and meet other families.

10 am-noon on Sunday; 9:30-11 am and 1:30-3 Jan. 19 pm on Monday and Tuesday. 503-226-6131

“The Jewish Frontier,” a new episode of Oregon

Feb. 11 Experience, will be presented by OPB. Free adMega Challah Bake. Make challah and have fun with Chabad of Oregon and 250 women at the MJCC. RSVP or info: chabadoregon.com

vance screening 7 pm at the MJCC. See page 65

Jan. 20

Recognizing and Responding to Biased InstrucJan. 12 The Sephardic Winter Film Fest continues with the thriller “24 Days.” 7 pm at Congregation Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur Blvd., Portland. A tense and timely thriller, “24 Days” tells the heart-breaking true story of the 2006 kidnapping of 23-year old Ilan Halimi from his Paris suburb by a group calling themselves “The Gang of Barbarians.” 503-892-6634 or jewishfilmportland.org

Jan. 13 Portland Jewish Academy Open House. 10-11 am at PJA, 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland.

Tours during school hours in early childhood, lower and middle school. PJA serves students 6 weeks through eighth grade. 503-244-0126

tion in the Classroom. 7-8:30 pm at the MJCC. Join us as we meet with Jacqueline Regev from the Institute for Curricular Studies to learn about recognizing biases in the classroom and how to respond to them. This is geared towards eighth-graders and above and their parents.

503-892-7415 or rachelr@jewishportland.org

Jan. 21-31 Fertile Ground city-wide festival of new works. A printed festival guide is available in many theater lobbies including Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage and Portland’5 Centers for the Performing Arts. fertilegroundpdx.org

Jan. 22

Riverdale Schools Info Day for PreK-8. High school shadow days also available (through February) with reservation. riverdaleschool.com or

503-262-4847 66 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE

Jan. 24 Yad Day Family Sunday. Join the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education for crafts, storytelling and hands-on exhibits. Along with OJMCHE’s exhibit about Torah pointers, called Pointing the Way, visitors are invited to craft handmade yads and listen to stories in the museum’s auditorium. This event is co-sponsored with PJ Library. Free with museum admission. 10:30 am-noon, at OJMCHE, 1953 NW Kearney St., Portland. 503-226-3600 or ojmche.org The Rising Sap, a play on climate change. See page 59

Jan. 25 “The Jewish Frontier,” a new episode of Oregon Experience, airs at 9 pm on OPB TV an on watch. opb.org. “The Jewish Frontier” is a one-hour documentary about the Jewish pioneers who came to the Far West in escape of persecution.

It uncovers the powerful legacy of some the state’s earliest and most influential settlers.

Jan. 30 The Q, Trivia Contest raising funds for NCSY youth programs. 8-11:10 pm, MJCC. $54. 503757-3037 or meira@ncsy.org

Jan. 31 Taste of Temple V. Fundraiser and friendraiser for Congregation Beth Israel features array of delicious food and drink brought to you by the finest purveyors in the area. 5-8 pm at Castaway, 1900 NW 18th Ave., Portland. RSVP required. 503-222-1069 or marisa@bethisrael-pdx.org

Feb. 2 The Year of Living Biblically, a book talk. 7 pm at the MJCC. Hear about the book in preparation for visit by the author, A.J. Jacobs, Feb. 21, who will be the keynote speaker at the J’s Friends of the Center Brunch. 503-244-0111 or oregonjcc. org

Feb. 4 11th Annual Gus & Libby Solomon Memorial Lecture featuring Shawn Landres on American Jewish Politics. See page 29

Feb. 9 The Sephardic Winter Film Fest continues with “Jerusalem: Center of the World.” 7 pm at Congregation Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur Blvd., Portland. 503-892-6634 or jewishfilmportland.org ADDING EVENTS: TO obtain a password to enter events on our online calendar, go to Quick Links at the bottom right of our homepage (ORJewishLife. com). Click on Calendar Access Request and fill out the form. before publication.

OREGON JEWISH LIFE | JANUARY 2016 67

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

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

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

Robert Stolar

Managing Director Private Wealth Advisor 522 Fifth Avenue, 10th Floor New York, NY 10036 212-296-6704 robert.stolar@morganstanley.com Source: Barron’s “Top 100 Financial Advisors,” April 20, 2015. Barron’s “Top 100 Financial Advisors” bases its ratings on qualitative criteria: professionals with a minimum of seven years of financial services experience, acceptable compliance records, client retention reports, customer satisfaction, and more. Finwancial Advisors are quantitatively rated based on varying types of revenues and assets advised by the financial professional, with weightings associated for each. Because individual client portfolio performance varies and is typically unaudited, this rating focuses on customer satisfaction and quality of advice. The rating may not be representative of any one client’s experience because it reflects a sample of all of the experiences of the Financial Advisor’s clients. The rating is not indicative of the Financial Advisor’s future performance. Neither Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC nor its Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors pays a fee to Barron’s in exchange for the rating. Barron’s is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, L.P. All rights reserved. © 2015 Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management, a division of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, LLC. Member SIPC. CRC1179133 04/15 8225582 PWM001 04/15 68 JANUARY 2016 | OREGON JEWISH LIFE