MJCC celebrates May 12, 16
By Paul Haist
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The Mittleman Jewish Community Center has planned two events in May to celebrate the successful reorganization and renovation of the center and to honor the many donors who made that possible.
Under the leadership of a reconstituted board of directors, the MJCC has implemented a new business model built around a boutique fitness facility, while the entire facility, which also houses Portland Jewish Academy, has been repaired and remodeled to better meet community needs.
The celebration will take place on two days.
The first event, dubbed the MJCC Gala, is set for the evening of May 12. It is for donors who have contributed $5,000 or more to the MJCC/PJA capital campaign.
The Gala will begin with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. in the center's elegant new ballroom. There will be live music.
Guests will get to see the renovated lobby and ballroom, as well as a history wall that documents Jewish Portland's rich past.
At 7:30 p.m., the new donor wall at the MJCC will be dedicated. It will incorporate the donor walls from the 1971 and 1996 capital campaigns and a facsimile of the new donor wall, which awaits completion as donations still are coming in.
The dedication will be followed by a sumptuous kosher banquet prepared by Allen Levin whose MJCC banquets earlier this year generated wide acclaim. Cost of the kosher dinner is $55.
Invitations have been sent to all qualifying donors. They also have gone to those who donated at least $2,500 to the current campaign, in the hope that they might consider increasing their gift to the $5,000 level, according to event co-chair Priscilla Kostiner.
The current capital campaign aims to raise $15.68 million. So far, nearly $13 million has been raised, according to Gayle Romain, the other event co-chair.
Dinner will begin at 8 p.m. There will be a multimedia presentation about the facility.
Both Kostiner and Romain are MJCC board members and members of the capital campaign committee. Both also are past presidents of the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.
The second celebration is set for May 16. It will begin with a 6 p.m. cocktail party for donors, followed by a 7 p.m. community celebration for all comers. Light refreshments will be served. The party will conclude with the formal affixing of a mezuzah.
Kostiner said that the celebration had to be planned for two evenings because of occupancy limitations set by the fire marshal and the large number of donors and others who are expected to attend.
Romain added,"This is a community center and we want everyone to participate in this rededication and that's why we're having two events. Everyone is welcome."