Mariachi bandleader Francisco Aguirre leads the next Portland Folksong Society global folksong workshop at EJC! The workshop will be all about the music. As in PFS’ other global folksong workshops, participants will learn a few songs, in the original language, and sing them together with guidance from the leader.

Says Aguirre, “It will be a honor for me to teach mariachi or any other Latin American song,”

All Ages $10 advance/$12 door, with a discount for PFS members. Tickets here.

A native of El Salvador, Aguirre is a singer, guitarist and songwriter who plays a variety of Latin American styles. He leads Mariachi Chapala, a group that has been together since 2008 and is considered the Pacific Northwest’s premier practitioners of that Mexican musical style. And recent events have inspired him to write songs about the situation of immigrants in the United States.

Since 1976, Portland FolkMusic Society has been active preserving, presenting and promoting folk music and arts in the greater Portland Oregon area. PFS sponsors song circles, concerts, workshops and retreats – in person and virtual – and helps its members and the whole community pass the word around about folk music events, from old time ballads to sea shanties, from 60’s protest folk to contemporary singer-songwriters.

PFS is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

Nu! to Nigun: A Musical Chassidic Workshop

Join PDX Nigun Circle facilitator Aiden Kugelman-Samba for Nu! to Nigun, a monthly workshop inviting the Portland Jewish community into the powerful world of nigunim—wordless Jewish melodies that open the heart, deepen the soul, and connect us to something greater.

All Ages $5-$10 FREE, you are welcome to attend all classes, or drop-in.

Register Here

Whether you're new to this tradition or a longtime lover of Jewish song, this gathering is designed to help you build musical confidence, nourish spiritual depth, and experience the transformative joy of communal singing. Each session focuses on a single nigun, allowing us to sink into its unique emotional and spiritual landscape—whether celebratory, yearning, meditative, or ecstatic.

Rooted in Chassidic musical and spiritual traditions, Nu to Nigun is also a space of discovery. Through text-based learning and guided reflection, we’ll explore the historical and spiritual contexts of each melody—learning about the Chassidic group or teacher it comes from, and how it fits into the broader tradition of Jewish spiritual practice. Together, we’ll open up concepts like dveikut (spiritual attachment), tikkun olam, and the role of joy and song in Chassidic thought—always in an accessible, beginner-friendly way.

Our goals are simple but profound:

Learn by ear: Build your ability to learn melodies in the traditional oral style.

Understand the roots: Discover the history and intention behind each nigun and the movement it comes from (Chabad, Breslov, etc.).

Nourish the soul: Use melody and reflection to touch deeper places of the heart and return to connection with the Divine.

Strengthen community: Feel the joy of singing in harmony with others, across age, background, and level of observance.

This is a mixed-gender, mechitza-free space, open to all regardless of musical background, religious practice, or familiarity with Chassidut. Children are welcome (please let us know in advance if you plan to bring them so we can help create a good experience for all), but this is an adult-geared space just due to the complexity of the material.

Each workshop includes time to settle in and connect, followed by a structured but warm session that may include:

Vocal warm-ups and breath work

Kavanot (intentions) and spiritual framing

Accessible Chassidic teachings

Guided melody learning

Group singing with dynamic exploration (pace, volume, ornamentation, etc.)

Time for reflection and personal integration

You don’t need to know Hebrew or have prior exposure to nigunim. Just bring your voice, your curiosity, and your openness to being moved.

Whether you're seeking musical connection, spiritual renewal, or a deeper understanding of Jewish tradition, Nu! to Nigun is a space to encounter the ancient and the new, side by side—in song, in spirit, and in community.

Follow @pdxnigun circle on Instagram for updates, or get in touch via email: aidenkent13@gmail.com.Register Here

CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS!

Portland EJC tune workshop 2025 — Moldavian & Bessarabia Jewish tunes

Zev Feldman tells a story that when he spoke to a Moscow radio producer in the 70s he said that they couldn’t play Moldavian music on the radio because it was too Jewish! I spent two years in Romania on a Fulbright grant (and many years after) trying to understand how Moldavian and Jewish music influenced each other. So what’s the secret? Two highly professionalized musical clans— Roma Lautari and Jewish klezmorim—playing on each other’s gigs to service the jumble of ethnic and social groups in early twentieth century Bessarabia. This workshop will present some of the musical discoveries I’ve made on this journey — klezmer tunes flipped on their head to suit fast Moldavian dances, khosidls drafted into Christian wedding rituals, and Moldavian dance tunes that would feel right at home at a Jewish wedding today.

Tunes will be taught by ear and with sheet music in various clefs. All ages and instruments are welcome.

All Ages $18/Person, Register Here

Free Noontime Concert

Cello Jam with Quinn Kun Liu and Deborah Shuster

Cello Jam was founded in 2018. Based in the Portland area, its members consist of cellist Quinn Liu and Deborah Shutser.

Quinn Liu received her Master’s Degree of cello performance from University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Quinn has played in a variety of orchestras such as the Portland Columbia Symphony, Portland Cello Project, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Inland Valley Symphony. Quinn is an active chamber musician and she has been invited and performed in several music festivals in the States and Asia.

Deborah Shuster studied at the Peabody Conservatory as an undergraduate and received her M.Mus. degree from The University of Colorado. She was a founding member of the Vento e Cordi Quartet in New York, and has played with the New York Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, the Spokane Symphony, the Windsor Symphony, Teatro Lirico e Sperimentale in Spoleto, Italy and the Michigan Opera Theater. She currently plays viola and cello in chamber ensembles in Portland and the Bay Area

Enjoy our free monthly concert series with top Portland musicians! Pack a lunch or stop by one of the many pods at 24th and Glisan, bring your food in (no pork or shellfish please), and come and hear the music! Small concerts that are semi-acoustic and always enlivening. All are welcome. What better thing is there to do on a Friday afternoon?!

Free | No RSVP needed

Planting Seeds of the ‎Divine elucidates how ‎Judaism’s sacred texts can ‎provide the foundation for ‎the “end destination” of ‎experiencing intimate ‎encounters with the Divine ‎Presence within—the God-‎consciousness that so ‎many of us seek and find ‎elusive. ‎

Smith’s holistic approach engages the intellectual emotional, spiritual, psychological, and embodied dimensions on a journey of self-discovery through Torah - reclaiming a contemplative, experiential-theological language to the heart of religious discourse.

Her presentation includes a 1 hour teaching and guided spiritual practice based on her new book, followed by Q&A.

All Ages $12-$15 Sliding Scale, Tickets Here

Yiscah Smith is a thought leader and spiritual activist committed to empowering and ennobling others in the spiritual practice of encountering the Divine spark within and beyond. She teaches Jewish contemplative practice and spiritual texts at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and for the online platform Applied Jewish Spirituality. In her private practice, Yiscah provides spiritual mentoring to individuals, both in person and online. Yiscah is also available, both in Israel and abroad, as a scholar in residence, keynote speaker, and workshop facilitator.

She is the author of Forty Years in the Wilderness: My Journey to Authentic Living and founder of Conscious Community Nachlaot, an alternative prayer space in Jerusalem. Her Authentic Jewish Living with Yiscah podcast episodes are available on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Yiscah’s recently published book, Planting Seeds of the Divine: Torah Commentaries to Cultivate Your Spiritual Practice was recently copublshed by the Jewish Publication Society (JPS) and the University of Nebraska Press (UNP).

The Jewish Federation and EJC Present Shaping the Soul: An Introduction to Musar

Lunch & Learn Series!

Musar is a classic Jewish path for becoming our best selves. For centuries, Jews have turned to Musar texts to guide the cultivation of patience, humility, generosity, and other character-traits. In this six-week journey, we’ll sample selections from some of the great Musar texts and explore how their moral practices can help us grow in character and spirit today.

1st Session: Thursday, November 6, 2025
2nd Session: Thursday, November 13, 2025
3rd Session: Thursday, November 20, 2025
4th Session: Thursday, December 4, 2025
5th Session: Thursday, December 11, 2025
6th Session: Thursday, December 18, 2025

Sessions will take place from 12 PM - 1:30 PM.
Kosher lunch will be provided.

REGISTER HERE

Join us for the celebration of the Jewish Ethiopian community holiday - Sigd. Sigd is a Jewish holiday that was preserved by Ethiopian Jews for centuries. It centers on the idea of accepting the Torah and yearning for Israel and Jerusalem. The holiday serves as another, more public layer beyond the private introspection of Yom Kippur.

This will be a community celebration! We will learn few Ethiopian dances eat Ethiopian food and participate in the traditional coffee ceremony.

All ages/$10 person (This event has limited attendance so be sure to get your tickets sooner rather than later).Tickets Here.

P’nai Or and the Eastside Jewish Commons present a documentary film about the October 2018 Synagogue Shooting in Pittsburgh,  There will also be commentary from a Eugene resident — who was in Pittsburgh at the time — about that shooting and antisemitic events in Oregon.

On Saturday, October 27, 2018, a white supremacist walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue with four semi-automatic assault weapons, shouting, “All Jews must die!” He murdered 11 congregants as they prayed. The documentary A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting paints a deeply personal, trauma-informed portrait of the survivors, victims, and victims' family members, and brings into sharp focus the hate-based crisis that threatens our collective safety and our social fabric.

The filmmakers’ personal access to the survivors and the families of the victims, help viewers experience how the lives of those directly affected have been profoundly changed, and how the Pittsburgh community and the congregations set out on a path towards healing.

After the screening, a member of the Oregon Jewish community who was in Pittsburgh at the time will share information about antisemitic experiences in Oregon and how communities and individuals have responded.

This screening is partially supported by a grant from the Oregon Jewish Community Youth Foundation (OJCYF).

Admission is free! Register Here

Over the past twenty-five years, Dr. Stephen Daniel Arnoff has spoken to rabbis and rock stars, priests and scholars, writers and teachers, hippies and fundamentalists about Bob Dylan and religion. His book About Man and God and Law: The Spiritual Wisdom of Bob Dylan has been called 'evocative,' 'soulful,' 'stirring,' and 'a revelation.' Join Stephen and award-winning multi-instrumentalist, Alicia Jo Rabins, for a teaching performance probing Bob Dylan's spiritual journey through a Jewish lens of sacred text, revelation, and faith.

All ages $10-$18 sliding scale Tickets Here

The Jewish Federation and EJC Present Shaping the Soul: An Introduction to Musar

Lunch & Learn Series!

Musar is a classic Jewish path for becoming our best selves. For centuries, Jews have turned to Musar texts to guide the cultivation of patience, humility, generosity, and other character-traits. In this six-week journey, we’ll sample selections from some of the great Musar texts and explore how their moral practices can help us grow in character and spirit today.

1st Session: Thursday, November 6, 2025
2nd Session: Thursday, November 13, 2025
3rd Session: Thursday, November 20, 2025
4th Session: Thursday, December 4, 2025
5th Session: Thursday, December 11, 2025
6th Session: Thursday, December 18, 2025

Sessions will take place from 12 PM - 1:30 PM.
Kosher lunch will be provided.

REGISTER HERE

Description:

Join JADE's Portland Death Educator, Rachel Crawford for a monthly Death Schmooze, where we talk about all things death. This is a space for anyone, whether you have been volunteering in your community for years or are totally new to Jewish end of life practices - you are welcome here. In this space we will share and listen to each other's grief stories, our struggles and our moments of beauty and spirituality related to our experiences of death.

These events are an opportunity to connect to each other on our shared experiences and connect to the beauty and legacy of Jewish ritual practices. 

Light refreshments will be provided. Seating is limited so be sure to register!

Event Registration Links: 

11/12/2025 https://luma.com/wbaubkm6

12/10/2025 https://luma.com/1juk343w

01/14/2025 https://luma.com/xcvw255y

Participants do not need to attend all three sessions - please sign up for any/all dates that you'd like to attend.  

Fee: Suggested donation to JADE $18

No one will be turned away for inability to pay. If you are able, please consider donating more than $18 to cover the cost for folks that are not able to donate. 

Community members 60+: You’re invited to JFCS’ upcoming Senior Social Hour on November 12th – an afternoon of play, laughter, and connection! Whether you’re a fan of Mahjongg, Rummikub, cards, or chess—or just curious to try something new—there’s a seat at the table for you. Bonus: a Mahjongg teacher will be on hand to guide beginners and share tips with seasoned players. Come for the games, stay for the friends! And feel free to bring along your favorite game to share.

There is no cost to attend but registration is required.  For more information and to RSVP, visit https://www.jfcs-portland.org/senior-social-hour/

The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland 
Presents:

Gil Hoffman, Executive Director of Honest Reporting

Peace, Politics and Propaganda:
An Insider's Look at how Israel is Overcoming the World's Challenges

Tuesday, November 11, 2025 | No cost to attend
7 PM — 9:00 PM

Eastside Jewish Commons
2420 NE Sandy Blvd.
Portland, OR 97232

There are a limited number of spaces available in the Re-Rack Parking lot (2240 NE Sandy Blvd), on a first come, first serve basis.

RSVP HERE FOR NOV. 11

(Part of EJC's Reed Currents Series: A series that engages community, stirs dialogue, and explores the flow of ideas across civic, cultural, and creative life. This series is supported by a generous donor through the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation).

Too Fat for China follows Phoebe Potts, comic storyteller and professional Jew, as she tries, fails and eventually succeeds to adopt a baby. After a US adoption goes horribly wrong, Potts finds herself surprised, disgusted and ultimately resigned to the role she plays as a middle class white lady in the business of adopting babies in the US and internationally. Potts’ tragicomic journey is about looking for more, more love, more life and more family and will do anything to get it, including having her morals and values fold in on themselves.

Potts' comedic theater performance debuted on National Adoption Day, Nov. 23, 2019 and is a sequel to Potts’ graphic memoir, Good Eggs (Harper, 2010), which charts her travails with infertility and the endless rounds of treatments and miscarriages she and her husband endured. Roz Chast, the New Yorker cartoonist, called Potts’ memoir “sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always honest, intelligent, and completely involving.”

$25/All ages Tickets Here

Co-sponsored by Congregation Neveh Shalom!

The Jewish Federation and EJC Present Shaping the Soul: An Introduction to Musar

Lunch & Learn Series!

Musar is a classic Jewish path for becoming our best selves. For centuries, Jews have turned to Musar texts to guide the cultivation of patience, humility, generosity, and other character-traits. In this six-week journey, we’ll sample selections from some of the great Musar texts and explore how their moral practices can help us grow in character and spirit today.

1st Session: Thursday, November 6, 2025
2nd Session: Thursday, November 13, 2025
3rd Session: Thursday, November 20, 2025
4th Session: Thursday, December 4, 2025
5th Session: Thursday, December 11, 2025
6th Session: Thursday, December 18, 2025

Sessions will take place from 12 PM - 1:30 PM.
Kosher lunch will be provided.

REGISTER HERE

A graphic memoir that brings together adventure, community, conservation, and personal growth from an award-winning artist and storyteller

Based on Jeremy Collins’ extensive, art-filled travel journals, Eventually a Sequoia is part memoir, part manifesto. Collins, already highly regarded as an artist and climber, was invited to bring his sketchbook on a new kind of adventure: documenting the experiences of those who live along the endangered Amazon River. From there, his art and his curiosity took him to other endangered corners of the world.

Collins’ art-based storytelling captures these experiences in visceral form, from the wonder of passing caribou to the terror of a venomous snakebite. Through it all, he profiles the "sequoias" he meets--people whose small seeds produce enormous results,

Eventually a Sequoia is an inspirational and vivid exploration of the natural world and how it can empower an individual to grow, change, heal, and thrive.

All Age/$5-$8 Sliding Scale, No One Turned Away for Lack of Funds

JEREMY COLLINS is a multifaceted artist, climber, and adventurer whose work intertwines the grit of the wild with a mastery of visual storytelling. Known for his breathtaking illustrations and striking narratives, Collins captures the raw beauty and intensity of the natural world through his art and prose. As a climber, his daring ascents in some of the world’s most remote and challenging locations have shaped both his work and worldview, fostering a deep connection between him and the rugged landscapes he immerses into.

Collins’ work invites us to understand the challenges and struggle of wilderness and ourselves, sparking a deeper appreciation for both the environment and the human spirit’s capacity to endure. His complex, cerebral, and whimsical drawings and maps have been featured in books, films, and commercial work. From the cover of National Geographic to his award-winning book Drawn: The Art of Ascent, and Earth

Almanac, Collins is a bottomless well of inspired expression. Learn more at jercollins.com.

Nu! to Nigun: A Musical Chassidic Workshop

Join PDX Nigun Circle facilitator Aiden Kugelman-Samba for Nu! to Nigun, a monthly workshop inviting the Portland Jewish community into the powerful world of nigunim—wordless Jewish melodies that open the heart, deepen the soul, and connect us to something greater.

All Ages $5-$10 Sliding Scale, you are welcome to attend all classes, or drop-in.

Register Here

Whether you're new to this tradition or a longtime lover of Jewish song, this gathering is designed to help you build musical confidence, nourish spiritual depth, and experience the transformative joy of communal singing. Each session focuses on a single nigun, allowing us to sink into its unique emotional and spiritual landscape—whether celebratory, yearning, meditative, or ecstatic.

Rooted in Chassidic musical and spiritual traditions, Nu to Nigun is also a space of discovery. Through text-based learning and guided reflection, we’ll explore the historical and spiritual contexts of each melody—learning about the Chassidic group or teacher it comes from, and how it fits into the broader tradition of Jewish spiritual practice. Together, we’ll open up concepts like dveikut (spiritual attachment), tikkun olam, and the role of joy and song in Chassidic thought—always in an accessible, beginner-friendly way.

Our goals are simple but profound:

Learn by ear: Build your ability to learn melodies in the traditional oral style.

Understand the roots: Discover the history and intention behind each nigun and the movement it comes from (Chabad, Breslov, etc.).

Nourish the soul: Use melody and reflection to touch deeper places of the heart and return to connection with the Divine.

Strengthen community: Feel the joy of singing in harmony with others, across age, background, and level of observance.

This is a mixed-gender, mechitza-free space, open to all regardless of musical background, religious practice, or familiarity with Chassidut. Children are welcome (please let us know in advance if you plan to bring them so we can help create a good experience for all), but this is an adult-geared space just due to the complexity of the material.

Each workshop includes time to settle in and connect, followed by a structured but warm session that may include:

Vocal warm-ups and breath work

Kavanot (intentions) and spiritual framing

Accessible Chassidic teachings

Guided melody learning

Group singing with dynamic exploration (pace, volume, ornamentation, etc.)

Time for reflection and personal integration

You don’t need to know Hebrew or have prior exposure to nigunim. Just bring your voice, your curiosity, and your openness to being moved.

Whether you're seeking musical connection, spiritual renewal, or a deeper understanding of Jewish tradition, Nu! to Nigun is a space to encounter the ancient and the new, side by side—in song, in spirit, and in community.

Follow @pdxnigun circle on Instagram for updates, or get in touch via email: aidenkent13@gmail.com.Register Here

Navigating Campus Life as a Jewish Student in Today’s Complex Times

The Mittleman Jewish Community Center, OJMCHE, EJC and PDX Hillel have partnered for a deep dive into the topic of Antisemitism on college campuses. This presentation provides resources to incoming college students and their parents preparing them for higher education in today's political climate.

FREE/ALL AGES

featuring College Counselor Jody Bothe and PDX Hillel Director Andy Friedland. Jody Bothe holds a Masters in Education form University of Vermont and a College Counseling certificate from UCLA, and has over 35 years of certified experience guiding students on the path of higher education.

Register Here

(Part of EJC's Reed Currents Series: A series that engages community, stirs dialogue, and explores the flow of ideas across civic, cultural, and creative life. This series is supported by a generous donor through the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation).

KENAHORROR! Presents: Vampires & Antisemitism

screening Dracula (1931) with Bela Lugosi

Discussion following the film

Throughout history the stories, myths, and fears by and about Jewish customs and Jewish people have been used to create literature, film and art, often without the consent of, or input from, the people depicted. It is a little known fact that most spooky books and films that predate nuclear war feature these stories that cast Jewish folklore and traditions as something to be feared. In this series we will illuminate how Jewish stereotypes became the foothold for the genre of horror as we know it today.

Sliding Scale Tickets $7 - $18

Your facilitators:

Miss Petra is a film and folklore nerd, professional aerialist, & co-founder of Prismagic Circus.

Andrine de la Rocha is a queer Jewish American Priestess, & creator of the Hebrunes Oracle.

Powered by

Tickets for good, not greed

In this delightful book, Karen Treiger places herself in the long arc of history and invites the reader to join her time travel. Bringing her ancestors to life, the author shares the stories of five immigrant Jewish families who settled in Seattle and Portland. Two families began their journey in Portland in distinct waves of Jewish immigration. Those in Seattle shaped the city’s early years and defined its gilded age. This book tells history through the eyes of Jewish merchants who settled in the Pacific Northwest with hopes and dreams for themselves and especially their children.

Free/All Ages, Please register and consider donating to EJC at checkout

For parents of high school age teens

Moving Traditions Scholar in Residence Parent Programs

Join Rabbi Daniel Brenner, Vice President of Education at Moving Traditions, for these informative, interactive workshops on Jewish parenting.

Brought to you by Moving Traditions, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, and Jewish Family & Child Service of Portland.

Register Here

I work in watercolors to gain the transparency of oils and vibrancy of acrylics and the beguiling nature of water; an attempt to control the uncontrollable.

This 2-day workshop will focus on the following as it pertains to painting botanicals.  We will work through these different techniques and apply them to your final project for the class. 

• create volume and depth

• Describe dimensions through subtle folds and wrinkles

• blend colors and create soft marks and exploding patterns

• paint flowing lines of stems and veins using brush techniques

• glaze or layer details without overworking your flowers

• color mixing on the paper

• paint blurry objects in the background

• illuminate your flowers with light and shadow

• convey curves on petals and define texture

Please email the instructor for the supplies list - marylyngough@gmail.com

All Ages/One Ticket pays for BOTH dates, registrants must attend both sessions.

About Mary Lyn Gough

I am an enthusiastic gardener and Mother Nature is full of amazing textures, colors, shapes and patterns. I have always been drawn especially to the complexities, beauty, and specificity of flowers. No two are alike, even from the same variety. They are my subject and inspiration.

I aim to capture an immersive experience in each painting that envelops the viewer in my work, my vision of the blooms, the secrets they must share. So real, they're unreal, the work compels you to reach for a touch or lean in for the scent of the bloom.

I have been painting for over 30 years and have been teaching for the last couple of decades.

Mary Lyn Gough

Website - Marylynghough.com

Enjoy our free monthly concert series with top Portland musicians! Pack a lunch or stop by one of the many pods at 24th and Glisan, bring your food in (no pork or shellfish please) and come and hear the music! Small concerts that are semi-acoustic and always enlivening. All are welcome. What better thing is there to do on a Friday afternoon?!

Guitarist Christopher Woitach and trombonist John Moak bring a warm, conversational energy to every performance. Woitach, a highly regarded jazz guitarist, is known for his rich harmonic sense, fluid improvisation, and inventive arrangements. Moak’s trombone playing combines a full, lyrical tone with effortless swing and expressive phrasing. Together, the duo explores jazz standards, original compositions, and fresh takes on familiar tunes, creating an intimate and engaging musical dialogue that highlights their shared artistry and deep respect for the jazz tradition.

FREE. No RSVP needed.

I work in watercolors to gain the transparency of oils and vibrancy of acrylics and the beguiling nature of water; an attempt to control the uncontrollable.

This 2-day workshop will focus on the following as it pertains to painting botanicals.  We will work through these different techniques and apply them to your final project for the class. 

• create volume and depth

• Describe dimensions through subtle folds and wrinkles

• blend colors and create soft marks and exploding patterns

• paint flowing lines of stems and veins using brush techniques

• glaze or layer details without overworking your flowers

• color mixing on the paper

• paint blurry objects in the background

• illuminate your flowers with light and shadow

• convey curves on petals and define texture

Please email the instructor for the supplies list - marylyngough@gmail.com

All Ages/One Ticket pays for BOTH dates, registrants must attend both sessions.

About Mary Lyn Gough

I am an enthusiastic gardener and Mother Nature is full of amazing textures, colors, shapes and patterns. I have always been drawn especially to the complexities, beauty, and specificity of flowers. No two are alike, even from the same variety. They are my subject and inspiration.

I aim to capture an immersive experience in each painting that envelops the viewer in my work, my vision of the blooms, the secrets they must share. So real, they're unreal, the work compels you to reach for a touch or lean in for the scent of the bloom.

I have been painting for over 30 years and have been teaching for the last couple of decades.

Mary Lyn Gough

Website - Marylynghough.com

Join Shulchan PDX in an all ages High Holiday Hoedown to celebrate the ancient post-Yom Kippur Tradition of dancing and cavorting in the fields!

All ages, $5/person

Register here.

Find out more about Shulchan

Step into the Oracolor Wheel™—a 20-foot circular walking meditation inspired by Jewish wisdom. Through twelve colorful pathways and 48 soul qualities, pause, reflect, and consider what you’re ready to carry forward. Walk at your own pace—come as you are, and leave with a word, intention, or prayer to guide your return to your true self in 5786. Community member and creator of the Oracolor Wheel™ Debbie Plawner will be facilitating this event.

All Ages $18/Person, Register Here

Debbie Plawner is the author of Illuminated Paths: 52 Ways to Access Your Inner Wisdom Through the Colors of Torah, a transformational system rooted in Oracolor™—her original framework that integrates Torah wisdom with the language of color to support deep personal insight and spiritual alignment. Set to be published in 2026, her work offers tools for reflection, growth, and renewal. Debbie brings over two decades of experience as a strategist, researcher, and facilitator, along with a lifelong devotion to spiritual study and creative expression. Through readings, workshops, and seasonal practices, she helps people reconnect with their inner wisdom and live with greater clarity and purpose.

Event Title: Memory Erev Shabbat Potluck Dinner w/ JADE & OneTable

Date: Friday, September 26th, 2025

Time: 6PM - 8PM

Location: Eastside Jewish Commons

Event Registration Link: https://gettogether.onetable.org/events/df48cd2a-a599-4128-90d5-d41f1d89976c/details?shared=true

Description:

At a Memory Shabbat dinner, guests are invited to bring food that connects them to the memory of a loved one that has died. This project is a collaboration with the Jewish Association for Death Education (JADE) and OneTable. A Memory Shabbat is a meaningful opportunity for people to connect and remember the legacy of those who came before us and this concept is especially potent during the time of High Holidays and the Days of Awe.

This is a special dinner event only for members and friends of Congregation Shir Tikvah.

Bring a dish, stories, and memories that are connected to a loved one that has died.

Please reach out to your dinner host, JADE Portland-based Death Educator and Shir Tikvah member Rachel Crawford if you have any questions: rachel@jadeinfo.org

The trumpet and shofar are part of a deeply ancestral aspect of the Jewish lineage. Their import spans the time that sons of Aharon played silver trumpets as instructed by G-d to Moses in Numbers, to the present-day shofar calls and increasing interest in using the shofar as a musical instrument. Many people want to know how to play the ram's horn as its stirring power rouses us, widening our awareness and spurring our action orientation for tikkun olam. MUST BRING YOUR OWN SHOFAR! Register Here

Free Noontime Concert!

Enjoy our free monthly concert series with top Portland musicians! Pack a lunch or stop by one of the many pods at 24th and Glisan, bring your food in (no pork or shellfish please) and come and hear the music! Small concerts that are semi-acoustic and always enlivening. All are welcome. What better thing is there to do on a Friday afternoon?! 

Accordionist Courtney Von Drehle (with clarinetist Andrew Alikhanov) Emmy nominated composer and multi-instrumentalist Courtney Von Drehle has been working on his particular brand of musical alchemy since 1980. Early projects in hybrid rock music led to collaborations with many modern dancers and the honing of his ability to create music to accompany other media. This has led to numerous commissions for music for film scores, commercials, radio, dance, theater, and performance projects. In addition to co-leading 3 LEG TORSO with the inimitable Béla R. Balogh, Mr.Von Drehle is also a member of the Afro-Hebrew ensemble KLEZMOCRACY, a resident composer for DO JUMP THEATER, and half of VONIGA, a collaborative musical entity with Joe Janiga.