World Record Candle Lighting TONIGHT and Light in Hidden Places, April 17

 
TONIGHT at 7:10 p.m. join with Jewish communities from across Oregon and SW Washington for a unity Shabbat candle lighting where we plan to set a world record for the largest virtual Shabbat candle lighting! REGISTER HERE!
 
For those already registered, make sure you have your registration confirmation accessible.
 
A few quick updates:
 
  • Our community crisis campaign has now raised over $760,000. Thank you to the hundreds of people who have contributed so generously.
 
  • Additional grant requests will be reviewed later today and information will be sent out to the community next week. To date, we have allocated over $243,000 to local Jewish organizations.
 
  • We know of many local Jewish organizations who received federal loans from the Payroll Protection Program. We are gathering additional data, but these funds will assist many organizations during these uncertain times.
 
 
With physical distancing requirements during the current pandemic, Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, will be observed virtually this year. A short service created by the Oregon Board of Rabbis will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Monday night. To join the service, please use this link. The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE) will be recording the event to put on YouTube and Facebook for those unable to join.
 
 
 
In addition, every year on Yom HaShoah, communities around the world uphold the memory of victims of the Holocaust through Unto Every Person There Is a Name, a public recitation of Holocaust victims’ names, ages and birthplaces. I proudly participate each year. On Tuesday, OJMCHE will once again sponsor The Reading of the Names.
 
The names are provided by Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Research Center. Judy Margles, Executive Director of OJMCHE says, “Unto Every Person There Is a Name seeks to defy indifference and historical revisionism, which denies that the Holocaust ever happened, by personalizing the individual tragedy of the dead and the survivors. Keeping the memory of the victims alive fulfills one of the vital tenets of our collective experience – zachor – to remember.”
OJMCHE has created a video for this year’s Reading of the Names, normally held at Pioneer Courthouse Square.  
 
During this time of quarantine, I have tried to minimize my television viewing, although several of my favorite shows just released new seasons. But I did have the chance to read a new book, The Light in Hidden Places, written by Sharon Cameron. It is not my normal habit to provide a book review, but with Yom HaShoah next week, I thought I would share.
 
It is the true story of Stefania Podgorska, a Polish teenager who chose bravery and humanity by hiding 13 Jews in her attic during World War II. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You can learn more about Stefania Podgorska here.
 
Finally, mark your calendar for April 29th at 11:00 a.m. for a truly global happening as we celebrate Israel’s 72nd birthday with music, celebrity performances, interactive activities, and more! I promise you the entertainment will make this very worthwhile.
 
Shabbat shalom and I look forward to seeing you at 7:10 p.m. for candle lighting.

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