Volume 50, Issue 15
Cheney, Olmert talk Iran
JERUSALEM (JTA)—With U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in Israel at the end of March talking about Iran, the big question was whether President Bush would be willing to use military force in the waning days of his presidency to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
The answer from most Israeli intelligence analysts: not likely.
Sarah Liebman wins Charlie prize
Portlander Sarah Liebman has won the prestigious 2008 Charlie Award for her outstanding service to the Portland Jewish community.
Aliyah, the shekel and the falling dollar
NEW YORK (JTA)—Facing a $20 million budget deficit for 2008, the Jewish Agency for Israel is considering some major organizational changes that could lead to a revamping of its aliyah operations.
Catholic chancelor discusses ties with Jewish community
Did they go to school on Yom Kippur or the Feast of Immaculate Conception? When Mary Jo Tully grew up in a Jewish Neighborhood of Chicago, this question rather than religion separated her playmates.
IDF musicians lead off Israel’s birthday bash in Portland
Portland-area Jews and others can join in the celebration of Israel’s 60th birthday this year with a series of four events co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Three of the four events are free.
World briefs
BBC sorry for errors in Israel reports
JERUSALEM (JTA)—The BBC apologized for major inaccuracies in two recent reports about Israel. On March 7, the British broadcaster reported that Israel had bulldozed the home of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva attacker while showing footage of a home being demolished.
Jewish super-delegates may decide Democratic race
NEW YORK (JTA)—According to a new survey conducted by the Forward, a disproportionately large share of the Democratic Party’s super-delegates are Jewish. Many of them have declared their support for Hillary Clinton, accounting for more than 15 percent of her current backers.
OJCF weathers economic downturn
Philanthropic giving ordinarily dips in the first months of a new year after donors have completed year-end arrangements in preparation for filing their tax returns.
PJA preschoolers get new playground
Portland Jewish Academy preschoolers and Shirlee Lenske check out the new playground during a Shabbat celebration and playground re-opening ceremony March 14.
Future is April 17 at youth foundation’s annual dinner
The topic will be the future and the message will be that the future is now when the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation hosts its annual dinner April 17 at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center.
‘Warm’ preschool enrolls for fall
Warm, supportive, caring and exciting are words one hears a lot when asking about the Aleph Bet Preschool, part of Maimonides Jewish Day School.
Windfall doesn’t fall far from the tree
When Rabbi Joshua Stampfer, emeritus rabbi at Congregation Neveh Shalom, was a very young man studying in his native Jerusalem, he attended a conference of rabbis on the occasion when David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s then retired first prime minister, was the featured speaker.
Candidate forum April 14 at MJCC
Most of the candidates in four key state-wide races that will be on Oregon’s May 29 primary election ballot already have confirmed that they will take part in a candidate forum set for April 14 at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center.
Christians ‘Stand with Israel’
The flag of Israel flies alongside the American flag at the entrance to New Beginnings Christian Center, where Christians United for Israel held an event called “Standing with Israel” on March 18.
Mintz to give Solomon talk
The Third Annual Gus and Libby Solomon Lecture presents Alan Mintz speaking on “Owning Our Culture: How Jews Can Thrive in 21st-Century America” at 7 p.m., April 10.
Portrait of the artist as a busy mom
Gazing out on the placid Galilee from the roof of her apartment building, the forty-something Aviva appears content with her life.
16th Annual Portland Jewish Film Festival
April 3, Thur, 7 p.m.
FUGITIVE PIECES
Canada, 2007
Film festival stirs memory of ‘Holiday in Siberia’ to help Refuseniks
It was in the summer of 1977. I had received an invitation by Dr. Ziony of Los Angeles to undertake a mission to the Soviet Union to meet with and deliver material to Refusniks. Refusniks were individuals in the Soviet Union whose applications for exit visas to go to Israel had been denied by the Soviets.
Francine Rafton, Wendy Westerwelle team up Jewish American princesses
Francine Rafton and Wendy Westerwelle are familiar names in Portland—Rafton for her long tenure as a broadcast personality and Westerwelle for her frequent appearances in Portland theater productions.
Museum says save May 4 for art auction
Gala planners at the Oregon Jewish Museum want everyone to save the date of Sunday, May 4, for the museum’s annual Gala and art auction at the Governor Hotel.
Sarah Liebman and her Charlie
A few years ago Sarah Liebman worked for the Jewish Review when she wasn’t in school.
Why Israel must kvetch
If there’s one question I’ve heard a thousand times from Jews all over, it is this: Why is Israel so bad at PR? I know that when Jews ask me that question, they’re also saying, “Suissa, you’re in the business, can’t you do something?”
Meditative retreats offer rabbis spiritual boost
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (JTA)—Three dozen rabbis and cantors are sitting in silent meditation in a sun-filled room at the Brandeis-Bardin Campus at American Jewish University in this southern California town.
Spring Weddings Edition
Read the Jewish Review's spring wedding coverage—seven new stories—by clicking here. Get useful tips for planning ahead, staying ahead and making the most of your day.
Jewish tradition allows creative space in wedding
Rebecca Budner and Ben Darling—his right arm thrown affectionately around her shoulders—laughed together while ticking off all the “-isms” they’re incorporating into their July wedding.
Choosing a wedding planner
Jennifer Greenberg and Donna Page offer these tips on choosing a wedding planner:
• The right fit is imperative. Make sure your personalities are a good match.
Planners can ease stress of big day
Choose flowers, find a videographer, hire musicians, buy blue and gold invitations; Auntie Miriam is angry—she wants a backyard reception but Grandma insists on a palace. While many couples enjoy handling the details and diplomacy involved in their wedding, others prefer the services of a professional planner who can carry them from soup to nuts.
Jewish wedding traditions explained
Following is a description of traditions that are part of many Jewish weddings.
Wedding checklist
Twelve months before
•Set wedding date with fiancée. Buy a wedding planner; discuss budget with parents.
Mittleman Jewish Community Center offers one-stop weddings
Jewish couples can create their dream wedding at the elegantly appointed Mittleman Jewish Community Center, where kosher catering, decorating, planning and audio-visual services are all available under one roof, according to Jordana Levenick, rentals and special events coordinator.
Remembering Joan Asher Liebreich (1937-2008)
You can’t talk about Jewish weddings in Portland without remembering Joan Liebreich. An active member of the National Council of Jewish Women and a dedicated volunteer for Vision Northwest, Liebreich facilitated countless weddings at Congregation Beth Israel during her tenure as program director. After leaving Beth Israel, Liebreich continued working privately as an event planner.
April 17 Chair Affair to benefit Community Warehouse
The Community Warehouse, Portland’s only furniture bank supplying household goods at no cost to those in need, will host their second annual fundraiser, The Chair Affair at the Art Institute of Portland on Thursday, April 17.
Award-winning MJCC girls gymnastics team to host meet April 13
The MJCC gymnastics team placed third All Around at the Shamrock Meet on March 16.
MJCC hosts health/fitness fair April 6
On April 6 from 1 to 4 p.m., the Mittleman Jewish Community Center will host the MJCC Family Health and Fitness Fair.
Neveh Shalom puts groggers to use
What do pots and pans, ladles and salad spinners, apple corers and can openers have to do with the celebration of Purim? Well, nothing and everything.
Scholarship deadlines April 15, May 1
Deadlines to apply for scholarships administered by The Oregon Jewish Community Foundation are coming up soon. Visit www.ojcf.org and select “Receive a Scholarship” for guidelines and application materials.
‘Rabbis’ Hermaphrodite’ April 6 topic
“The Rabbis’ Hermaphrodite: Gender Ambiguity and Legal Identity in Judaism” will be the topic when the Institute for Judaic Studies’ Writers and Scholars lecture series resumes April 6.
Author, poet to speak April 21 in advance of Holocaust Remembrance Day
Holocaust survivor, author and poet Itka Zygmuntowicz will speak at the West Hills Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship 7 p.m. April 21.
Shaarie Torah brings Telushkin back
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin returns to Congregation Shaarie Torah on April 6 for two lectures.
Immigrants’ plight recalls ’when we were strangers in Egypt’
Immigration has emerged as a hot issue this election cycle, raising important questions about public policy and human rights, including how social justice for immigrants affects Oregon and the Jewish community.
Community invited to read, discuss ‘Disobedience’
What if everyone read the same book and then had the chance to discuss the issues it raises with others? That is the basis of Neveh Shalom Reads, a first in what organizers anticipate will become an annual event.
Three short films give profound glimpses of Israeli life April 13
Portland Hadassah and Urban Jews PDX team up April 13 to present three short films directed by Israeli Film Students from Hadassah College Jerusalem.
Neveh auction nets record $110,000
The 230 people at Neveh Shalom’s Reach for the Stars auction (shown at right at silent auction tables) helped the congregation net in excess of $110,000, a record amount despite the congregation’s $9 million capital campaign.
16th annual Song of Miriam volunteer award brunch slated June 1
The 16th Annual “Song of Miriam Award” Brunch for recognition of outstanding volunteers sponsored by the Jewish Women’s Round Table will be June 1 at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center.
Announcements
TAMAR COX
Iris and Benjamin Cox of Vancouver, Wash., announce the birth of their daughter Tamar Miriam on Feb. 13. Tamar is also welcomed by her older brothers Avi, Sam and Rafi.
Action is needed to smash glass ceiling in communal world
NEW YORK (JTA)—Can we talk about gender? Again? Or maybe not.
Rice presses, and Israel eases up on Palestinians
JERUSALEM (JTA)—For the first time since the Annapolis peace parley last November, the United States is leaning heavily on Israel to move ahead in peacemaking with the Pales
Pope plans to visit synagogue during upcoming U.S. trip
NEW YORK (JTA)—Pope Benedict XVI will make a historic visit to a New York synagogue the day before Passover.
Passover connects us to our inner immigrant
NEW YORK (JTA)—Immigration restrictionists frequently charge that American Jewish attitudes about immigration are mired in a sepia-toned time warp where bubbes in babushkas and wide-eyed zayd
Being light to nations key to Jewish survival
(JTA)—It’s impossible to augur the future of the Jewish people. It can only be summed up in two words: “I hope."
