“I describe it as a struggle between … the extremists trying to tear society apart and Jews and Arabs who believe in a shared society.” ~ Dani Elazar, CEO of Hand in Hand

The May 26 summit, “A Community Call to Confront Hate,” arose out of the belief that “Hate directed at any one of us is hate directed at all of us.” Bob Horenstein has voiced that sentiment many times over the past year as a diverse coalition of partner organizations came together to plan...

The year’s first indoor exhibit at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education will be an invitation to enjoy the outdoors. “Lawrence Halprin, Fountains” celebrates Jewish landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and his Portland’s Open Space Sequence, a reinvention of public ...

For 27 years, the Jewish Women’s Round Table has recognized women volunteers in the community at its Song of Miriam Awards Brunch, which has attracted as many as 325 people annually. 
In the face of the pandemic, last year’s brunch was cancelled. This year, JWRT leaders still believed it wou...

Hillel leaders in Oregon are ready to move forward to a new normal – one that emphasizes personal connections.
“If we’re not learning from what the last year has taught us, we’re missing good opportunities to better serve our communities and do our work better, build our relationships bet...

Noam Morris O’Glasser, a fourth-grade student at Portland Jewish Academy, won second prize in ORT’s Jewish Animation Competition with his submission entitled Noam Studios – the Ten Commandments.  
Noam’s prize was revealed June 1 in an announcement from ORT America that also named Talia...

Eastside Jewish Commons hires its first Executive Director; OBR new chair begins July 1; BB Camp hires 3; job openings at Neveh Shalom, Foundation School and Portland Jewish Academy

Congregation Shaarie Torah has hired Rabbi Gary Ezra Oren to serve as the Conservative congregation’s senior rabbi beginning July 1, 2021.

The Laurie Rogoway Outstanding Jewish Professional Award will be presented formally to Rachel Nelson at the 101st Annual Meeting of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

The Women’s Giving Circle of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland granted $26,000 to nine organizations to fund programs and initiatives that focus on women and girls, justice and Jewish continuity (see list below). (Women and girls refers to all cisgender women and girls, transgender wome...

Maayan Torah Jewish Day School has hired three new leaders – General Studies Principal Darcie Young, Director of Early Learning Lindsey Voorhees and Elementary Judaics Teacher Ela O’Connor – to move the school to “an even better and brighter Maayan.” The trio are joining the school over...

PHOTO: Rabbi Chanan Spivak, who will lead the Portland Kollel after the Fischers' departure, presented a "glance" at the future of the Kollel during a community Zoom meeting May 24.

The Portland Kollel plans to continue to build a strong Torah community and to enhance community engagement even a...

A dozen diverse partner organizations have come together to present “A Community Call to Confront Hate.” The virtual summit will be 9 am-1 pm, May 26. “An attack against anyone because of their ethnicity, race, religion or sexual orientation is an attack against all of us,” says organize...

The Oregon Holocaust Memorial in Washington Park was defaced with Nazi graffiti on May 1.
“To use Nazi symbols to deface a Memorial dedicated to the millions who were murdered during the Holocaust recapitulates the hatred that drove the original genocide,” says Judy Margles, director of the O...

Oregon Jewish Community Foundation President and CEO Julie Diamond has announced her retirement effective June 30, 2021. She will continue to support the philanthropic foundation as a consultant.
Effective May 1, Chief Financial Officer Chris Vitron serves as Interim CEO until a new CEO can be hi...

On May 5, Rabbi Tzvi and Esther Fischer announced they will be leaving our community to move to Detroit this summer. An article in a future issue of Jewish Review will explore their many contributions to Portland’s Jewish community.
“Over the past 15 years, our family has had the great opport...

Rabbi Gadi and Eve Levy arrived in Portland in 2014 intending to stay two years. With connections they have forged and the indelible mark they have made over the past seven years, their departure in June is “not really goodbye.”

When one of a woman’s most basic human needs goes unanswered, her self-esteem and dignity suffer. The simple answer is this: provide hygiene products to all who menstruate and can’t afford the cost of those products.
“Period poverty” is the lack of financial means to purchase products r...