By ROCKNE ROLL
The Jewish Review

Randi Rosenfield has long had a deep connection to Israel. Now, the work that has sprung from that connection is being publicly recognized. 

Rosenfield will receive the Song of Miriam award from the Jewish Women’s Round Table this year following her nomination from the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. Rosenfield, who has lived in Israel twice and spoke with The Jewish Review recently before departing on her sixth trip to the country, has been actively involved with the Jewish Community Relations Council’s Israel Advocacy Committee for years, and currently serves as its co-chair.
“There are those volunteers who like to show up at meetings, who sort of talk the talk. Which is important; we need those people, too. But she walks the walk. She shows up.” Federation Director of Community Relations and Public Affairs Bob Horenstein said of Rosenfield. “She’s willing to roll up her sleeves, do the work and be present, which is really important. She’s a consummate volunteer.”

Frustrated with media coverage surrounding the Jewish state, Rosenfield resolved to get involved and contacted the Federation, which started her journey into the IAC’s work. 

“One of the most important things is I got educated. I think a lot of people would find it surprising, but I learned more about the Palestinian concerns,” she said. “I think a lot of people may think that the Israel Advocacy Committee is just, ‘Israel, right or wrong,’ but that’s not what it is. It’s about understanding the issues that are happening, and they’re so complex.”

Indeed, she recalled that one of the first words she was taught when learning Hebrew was ze mesovech – it’s complicated.

“People reduce Israel down to just the conflict with the Palestinians. They forget, first of all, there’s a regional conflict, and so that kind of flips the whole idea of who’s the David and who’s the Goliath. But more than that, Israelis are amazingly inventive and resilient and community- and family-oriented and have contributed so much to the world. We don’t hear enough of that,” she said.

Getting that message across is work Rosenfield has taken a key role in. She worked with Horenstein and others to draft a state plan to combat antisemitism for Gov. Tina Kotek’s office. In meetings with leaders outside the Jewish community, Rosenfield is keen to offer solutions – as in a recent conversation with Portland State University leaders about how to tackle instructors bringing anti-Israel political sentiments into unrelated subject matter. 
“Randi suggested to [PSU President Ann Cudd], ‘Why don’t you have surveys for these courses that are sent out to all the students for them to be able to respond in a way that’s safe?’” Horenstein recalled. 
Rosenfield’s voice is also a valuable contribution to conversations within the Jewish community. 
“In some of our committee meetings, she wants us to brainstorm, ‘How would you respond to someone making this claim?’ Not just to say, ‘you’re an idiot, you’re wrong,’ but what kind of questions might you ask of someone accusing Israel of apartheid, for example?” Horenstein said. 

Beyond her work with the IAC, Rosenfield and her husband have hosted for Greater Portland Hillel’s Shabbat Around the City – and beyond, as they’ve invited students back to their home on a weekly basis for more than two years. 
“We’ve built a community and a place where American Jewish and Israeli Jewish young people can feel safe to just be themselves, talk about whatever they want to,” she said. “It’s important to me to try and build bridges and connections between the Israeli community here and the American Jewish community here.”

Rosenfield will receive her award at the 30th Annual Song of Miriam Brunch, hosted by the JWRT Sunday, June 1 at 10 am at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit jwrt.org/song_of_miriam_2.html