Rosh Hashanah begins Monday night – the Jewish New Year. Allow me to extend my warmest wishes to you and your family for a sweet, healthy, and happy 5786.

Once again, the Jewish Federation has created this High Holidays resource page for you and your family to find ways to mark the new year in community. And, here are some things you may not know about Rosh Hashanah.

Last week, I shared that the Jewish Federation’s theme is “Moving from the Oys to the Joys.” We have been through so much these past five years with the pandemic, October 7 and its aftermath, concerns about security, political differences in our own country, and more.

To address this, allow me to share my comments made at our Cornerstone Event last week.

This year, the Jewish Federation is looking to “re-balance” its work on behalf of our Jewish community. We will continue to support 53 local and overseas Jewish organizations providing needed social services, along with educational, cultural, and communal programming. We will continue to combat antisemitism and Israel hate. We will continue to provide security assistance to keep our community safe. Most of all, we will work to build a more joyful and fun Jewish community.

Our Community Study in 2023 provided great insights. Our Jewish community has grown to over 56,000, we have low affiliation rates in Jewish organizations, many people do not feel comfortable entering Jewish spaces, and the eastside Jewish population is larger than the westside. One very important statistic that gets very little mention is less than 10% of Jews in Portland say their closest friends are Jewish. (In New York City it is 64% and the national average is 29%.)

The best predictor today of whether someone will be Jewishly involved or not is if their closest friends are Jewish. We do not live in a densely Jewish populated city like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, etc. In those cities, everything and everyone seems Jewish. I live in a neighborhood with 400 homes – only three are Jewish. To compare, when I lived in Baltimore, my street had 24 homes and 23 were Jewish -- and all of our friends there were Jewish.

Studies repeatedly show that Jewish day schools, Jewish summer camps, and Israel trips lead to greater Jewish involvement later in life. We will continue to invest in those opportunities. We also need to recognize the impact our friends and our children's friends have on making those Jewish choices.

The "friend economy" relates to how social relationships, community ties, and friendships influence our decisions. In this framework, individuals and families often consider the social environment, peer networks, and community connections when choosing ways to be involved Jewishly.

For example, families might select a particular synagogue, Jewish school, or camp where they have friends or where their children’s friends attend, fostering a sense of community. The same holds true for where we vacation, what type of car we may purchase, and more. These social networks and friendships shape people’s perceptions of inclusivity, values, and community identity, impacting decisions beyond purely logistical or doctrinal considerations.

Think about your own friends and “sphere of influence.” Think about how and why you interact with the Jewish community -- and with whom.

It is our hope to help create more Jewish friendships -- to connect more Jews and gather together to bring more joy to Jewish living.

This is why we are trying to be more “lighthearted” in our programming this year. We just held multiple sold-out showings of the comedy, Bad Shabbos. We are bringing in University of Southern California women’s basketball coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, for our Women’s Impact event on October 22 (here is a great profile video on her -- she is not to be missed!). Our annual gala on November 15 (information coming soon) will be a dance party where everyone can relax and just have a fun time. Plenty more joyful events and experiences are in the planning stages.

We have also created additional opportunities to bring people together. Our new shlicha (emissary) from Israel, Shiri, will be hosting cultural programs about Israel. Dr. Yosef Rosen, our Director of Jewish Life and Learning, will be expanding Jewish learning opportunities across the community (look for the catalog in a few days). We will host more volunteer opportunities led by Merit Pinker, our Volunteer Coordinator. And we have our Gather Grant program to help you facilitate grassroots Jewish get togethers.

In fact, I was a guest at a Gather Grant-sponsored get together this past week. A group of Jewish men, several I did not know before, went to see Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, the sequel to the 1984 film, This is Spinal Tap. (There is a very funny Jewish joke in the movie.) As we have shared – You pick the venue. You pick the attendees. The Jewish Federation will cover the costs. Our goal is to bring Jews together in any way possible, which may lead to new friends.

One of the best ways to meet new people and to really get to know one another is by traveling together. The Jewish Federation has created Global Travel Experiences, a three-year program to bring you to Jewish communities around the world. First up is our Mexico City trip (women only) in February 2026. Following will be a visit to Poland in May 2026. And more to come. Join us! Reply to this email for more information or click here.

You can help the Jewish Federation do all of this by supporting our 2026 Campaign for Community Needs. In less than three weeks we have raised over $1,117,000! Start the New Year by making your increased gift here -- we are grateful for your support and every gift makes an impact. 

Our community’s commemoration of what happened on October 7, 2023 will take place on Sunday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m. at Congregation Neveh Shalom. Please join us for this special, apolitical evening, as we share stories of courage and remember the victims of October 7. Registration is required.

To end on a joyful note that includes friends, you may have seen the National Toy Hall of Fame has announced their 12 finalists for this year's voting: Battleship, Catan, Connect Four, Spirograph, Trivial Pursuit, scooters, slime, cornhole, Star Wars lightsaber, Furby, Tickle Me Elmo, and snow (yes, the white wet stuff). Learn more here -- and make your voice heard -- cast your vote by September 24.

Shabbat shalom and l’shana tova u’metuka, a sweet and happy New Year with many more lasting friendships!