Tuesday July 14, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

meet at the Lair Hill Bistro, 2823 SW First Ave, Portland, OR

$8.00 per person

benefit for the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland

RSVP to: Polina 503.452.1874; ojfas@comcast.net

In the early 1900's, Eastern European and Sephardic Jewish immigrants settled in South Portland.

It was a close and largely self-contained community. There were kosher butcher shops and bakeries, a Jewish orphanage and an old age home. There was social activism including the Workman’s Circle and immigrant benevolent societies. There were schools, a library with Yiddish books, and the Neighborhood House, a focal point with a Hebrew school, citizenship classes, and youth activities.

In 1958 Portland voted to create the South Auditorium Urban Renewal District and bulldozers demolished 54 blocks of the immigrant community.

Despite this, today there are intact reminders of the way life used to be. A Walking Tour of Historic Jewish Portland takes you to sites that remain including a school, synagogue, and community center.