ACTING OUR AGE 2012

Eleven residents of Rose Schnitzer have written 5minute 1-act plays during an intensive playwriting workshop with Matt Zrebski.


These plays will be be featured in a public reading on Sunday May 6th, 2012 at Congregation Neveh Shalom  2900 SW Peaceful Lane.  Admission is free and the public is invited!


The readings will begin at 2pm and a brief talk-back will follow at 3pm.


Our writers include:
Ruth Henning, Evy Hirsch, Martha Pommerantz, Fran Stone, Diane Budner, Barbara Dubin, Charlotte Wiener, Betty Leonard, Lilian Steinberg, Marcia WIlson, and Miriam Gerber.


Our Actors include: Paige Jones, Nathan Gale, and Debbie Lamedman


We are ever so grateful to RACC- the Regional Arts and Culture Council who awarded us a grant, funding much of this venture. The Mittleman Jewish COmmunity Center is our financial manager and has helped with publicizing the event. Neveh Shalom has offered us a beautiful and accessible venue. Thank you to our most generous sponsors!

Jewish Theater This Weekend!

Sunday, April 1, 4 PM
Mittleman Jewish Community Center
6651 SW Capitol Highway
For tickets:
www.oregonjcc.org
503-244-0111

A Jewish Arts Moment- Thursday March 22!

The OLDER BUT WISER Writers of Rose Schnitzer Manor have completed their one-act plays!

We are proud to announce the premiere of these plays on August 14th (SUNDAY), The curtain goes up at 4pm. Doors open at 3:45. The plays should conclude by 5:30pm

These plays will be directed by well known local playwright and director, Matthew Zrebski and will feature local professional actors who will read each play.

Admission is free, however we are asking for a donation of $10 to help pay the bills!

A portion of this event is sponsored by the Oregon Arts Commission and a portion by the Portland chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women.The Mittleman Jewish Community Center has also been a generous supporter of all JAM events.

The Southeast Music Center

3350 Southeast Francis Street
Portland, OR 97202-3066

Surprised to see a JAM event in August? The writers began their work this spring, but illness and other commitments disrupted our plans....so who says we can't JAM a little in the summer?

Join us please!

MORE MUSIC

Jewish Community Orchestra Spring Concert
Conducted by John Carter
The Jewish Community Orchestra provides enjoyable music for the Jewish and greater community of Portland. Join us to celebrate Jewish Arts month.

Beethoven Symphony No. 3
Bloch Baal Shem Suite 
       with Yvonne Hsueh, violin


Date: Sunday - April 10, 2011 Time: 3:00 PM Location: At the MJCC 
Cost: Tickets available at the door. $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5 students. Children under 6 free.

Children's Theater!!!!!

".In Portland."PJA Children's theater performance
 
 Date:  Wednesday April 6, 2011
Time:  7 pm
Location: Mittleman Jewish Community Center 
              6651 SW Capitol Hwy
              Portland, Oregon
              503.244.0111
Admission is free.Enjoy a children's theater performance by Portland Jewish Academy 3rd graders.
Original play written and directed by Miriam Feder about the history of Portland. 

KLEZMOCRACY will ROCK THE HOUSE!!!!!!

This is one of the hottest Klezmer bands I have ever experienced!

SUNDAY, APRIL 3RD you can catch them in a very unique concert. 


3pm...The band will rev up their unique sound...You will start tapping your foot, then clap your         
            hands and before you know it you will find yourself on the dance floor!


4pm...Guest artists and audience members are invited to bring their instruments out and JAM with the band!!!!!!!


THE FIRST 50  TICKETS PURCHASED will be rewarded with priority seating. Call the MJCC @ 503.244.0111 and get your name on the list. Tickets are selling fast!  


BRING AN INSTRUMENT and/or YOUR DANCING SHOES!
                  BRING ON THE KLEZMER!

A portion of the cd sales proceeds will be donated to a Japan relief fund!

 Klezmocracy at MJCC

 Jack Falk and Ed Kraus jam with Klezmocracy

JEWISH THEATER COLLABORATIVE- TUESDAY!!!!!

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Well-Being: The Life of Lillian Wald
Jewish Theatre Collaborative
Date: Tuesday March 29, 2011
Time: 7 - 8:30 pm

Location: Mittleman Jewish Community Center 
              6651 SW Capitol Hwy
              Portland, Oregon
              503.244.0111

Tickets:  $12 Adults
             $ 8 Seniors/Students
Premier performance of a two-person play based on the biography of Lillian Wald, a Jewish social reformer in the realm of urban poverty and pioneer of Public Health. Wald used her ingenuity and social creativity to find solutions to profound social malaises at the turn of the 20th century. 
Presented by Jewish Theatre Collaborative, as part of Women's Heritage Month.

MONDAY NIGHT 3/28

Family Dynamics with Ruth NemzoffBrandeis Resident Scholar

Date: Monday, March 28, 2011 Time: 7 - 9 pm Location: Mittleman Jewish Community Center                6651 SW Capitol Hwy               Portland, Oregon               503.244.0111 Author Ruth Nemzoff is a resident scholar at Brandeis Women's Studies Research Center. She will be speaking about her recent book, Don't Bite Your Tongue: How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with Your Adult Children. Admission is free.

The week of March 14th

All Week Long: Art work in the lobby of the MJCC...Free admission during regular business hours!


Monday Night:  Part of JAM and Part of The Portland Pride Reading Series: Visiting Mr. Green
Location: The Sanctuary @ Sandy Plaza
                 1785 NE Sandy Blvd.
                 Portland, OR

One of the most produced plays in the world! 86 year old widower, Mr. Green is almost hit by a car driven by young corporate executive Ross Gardiner. Found guilty of reckless driving, Ross is ordered to spend the next six months making weekly visits to Mr Green. What starts off as a comedy about two people who resent being in the same room together develops into a gripping and poignant drama, as family secrets are revealed and old wounds are opened.

Starring Benjamin Farmer & George Fosgate.

http://www.pdxprideseries.com/


Shemaya Blauer
Touch Drawing Demonstration 
Date: Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Time: 6 - 8 pm
Location: Mittleman Jewish Community Center
              6651 SW Capitol Hwy
              Portland, Oregon
              503.244.0111


Art Spark featuring ORA
Regional Arts & Crafts Council

Date:  Thursday, March 17, 2011 Time:  5 - 7 pm  NO HOST BAR~ MINGLE, MEET, SCHMOOZE, ESS A BISSEL! RAFFLE FOR $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE, ART, MORE!!!!!!!! Location:  Urban Farmer Restaurant               (inside The Nines Hotel)                525 SW Morrison St                Portland, OR  97204                503.222.4900

THE WEEK OF MARCH 7TH

@ the MJCC: week 1  ART IN THE LOBBY. Free admission. See the fabulous work of Fabric artist -Laurie Fendel, Painter- Sharon Segal, and Paintographer- Ellen Shefi.


If you see something you like feel free to grab an artist's card and call them!
http://www.northwestjewishartists.org/
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Israeli Art ExhibitFrom Jerusalem's Safrai Gallery

Dates:  March 10 - 13, 2011
Location:  Congregation Beth Israel
                   1972 NW Flanders
                    Portland, OR  97219
Call for info:  503.222.1069 


Over 600 works by Israeli artists from the Safrai Gallery in Jerusalem will be on display for four days. Check Beth Israel website for details.
http://www.bethisrael-pdx.org/brotherhood.htm
--------



Portland Women's Film FestivalDocumentary Showcase:  ",Return."   and  ".Surviving."

Date: Saturday, March 12, 2011
Time: 3 pm

Location: Hollywood Theater
                 4122  NE Sandy Blvd.
                 Portland, OR  97214

Admission:  $7
http://www.powfest.com/powfest-festival-schedule.html

RETURN is a first person account adapted from Dr. Fred Sondermann’s memoirs of his trip back to Germany 30 years after the Holocaust. The film walks the viewer through the experience, contemplating victimization, the nature of blame, the appropriate issuance of forgiveness, and the determination to move forward unburdened by ghosts of the past. (32 minutes)

SURVIVING is an intimate portrait of the relationship between the filmmaker and her adoptive mother a Holocaust survivor, as the filmmaker attempts to come to terms with the legacy that she has inherited. (43 minutes)

A Panel Discussion will follow these screenings!

KLEZMOCRACY SIGNS ON TO JAM!!!!!

We are so pleased to welcome Klezmocracy to JAM. One of the finest Klezmer bands around, this group will rock the house!


Do you have a musical instrument you love to play? GOOD NEWS! Following the Klezmocracy Concert, there will be a jam session....yup....COME JAM AT JAM!!!!!!


More information will follow, but for now...mark your calendars : April 3rd at the MJCC 3pm.


It's time to rock the house!!!!!!

Great News!....thank you OAC!!!

We received fantastic news yesterday!

The Oregon Arts Commission has awarded Jewish Arts Month 2011 a stunning grant of $5,250.

Their trust and support mean so much to us. We still need to raise additional funds, but with this award, hopefully others will pitch in to help us on our way.

Won't you consider making a tax deductible donation to  JAM?
It's as simple as writing a check to the MJCC (Mittleman Jewish Community Center) and write JAM in the memo line. (6651 SW Capitol Hwy, PDX 97219)

 MJCC's development director took our ideas and put them into a cohesive and persuasive grant. Thank you Helen Gundlach! The MJCC is a partner in our efforts and is also our fiscal manager.

 A matching gift to the Oregon Cultural Trust should yield additional tax benefits. We aren't tax advisors but if you look at the OCT website you can get more info about how it all works.

YAHOOOOOO!!!!!! we are on our way!

The Calendar is Building!

We're still in the process of shaping our calendar but the events are beginning to take shape.

Dates are still tentative for some of the events listed.....but we will have a full calendar accessible by the public, shortly!

••Thursday, March 3: THE ARTS THROUGH JEWISH EYES @ THE MJCC 7:30 PM
••Sundays thru Fridays in the month of March: A Rotating Art Exhibit in the lobby of the MJCC
      with demonstrations!
••Thursday, March 17 ORA Northwest Jewish Artists are featured at the RACC sponsored ART SPARK
    location TBA....music will also be provided by a local musician (TBA)!
•• SHELLEY JORDON,  member of the pilot cohort of the JERUSALEM CULTURAL FELLOWSHIP      
    will talk about her experience this summer in Israel and Berlin as well as discuss her newest works.
date/time/venue TBA.

NEW THIS YEAR:  Children's Programming
Student photography exhibit.....venue, dates and times tba
Children's film festival....stay tuned!

ALSO IN THE WORKS:
Folk Dancing, music concerts, theater, film........

Oregon Arts Commission Grant Hearing

We went to Salem this morning to listen to the Art Builds Communities Grant Hearings. JAM submitted a grant and we wanted to see/hear the process.

We listened to numerous grant proposals. Each has its merits and flaws. The committee was remarkable in their ability to remain focused and to treat each proposal with absolute integrity.

I learned so much about the process and even more about what constitutes a solid grant. I don't envy the committee their task to make decisions. Following each grant I had to stifle the urge to jump up and shout...."That is such a cool idea!....fund this!" 

We heard positive statements about our grant and it was a lovely thing to hear, but the  same was true for many, many grants we listened to. We will wait patiently, work on additional fund raising efforts and try to build a fund that will see JAM into the future. The official word should come sometime in December.

Grant writing is hard work!  Kudos to Helen Gundlach for her efforts to bring JAM grant dollars.... and now it's time for our community to step up and support this annual festival. Grassroot financial support will assure the future of JAM. Please consider supporting JAM!

Tax deductible donations can be made to the Mittleman Jewish Community Center (MJCC). Please write JAM in the memo line. Matching gifts to the OREGON CULTURAL TRUST will yield a tax credit!
Questions? send inquiries to jampdx@gmail.com

THANK YOU!

JAM 2011 Update

Last year JAM became a reality thanks to the generosity of The Oregon Arts Commison, National Endowment for the Arts and some individual donors.

We had numerous sponsors who will be identified in the next blog posting. Special thanks needs to go to The Mittleman Jewish Community Center (MJCC) who not only took on fiscal management responsibility but also donated space and staff time to make this possible.

A new grant has been written to the OAC and we hope that they might be willing to offer us funding one more time. This financial assistance will allow to concentrate on fine tuning our festival while looking for other financial resources.

Last year we developed a template for hosting a Portland area Jewish arts festival. Our planning team reviewed, studied and evaluated everything we did. We learned so much and we're determined to make year two more exciting - a festival that will reach more broadly across age groups and spread across the broader community.

Above all, we will need to find ways to financially support JAM. We can't become dependent on grants for our future.

Do you want to be involved as a planner? Write to us! jampdx@gmail.com or to eddy shuldman at  sparksofspirit@gmail.com.

Would you consider a tax deductible donation? Donations large and small are needed. Send your check to the MJCC but write in JAM donation on the memo line. Your contribution will be a statement of your support to building networks throughout our community through the arts.

Stay tuned for info re: JAM events. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT JAM?

We'd love to hear from you!

We're thinking about a poetry slam,  a dance, big name concerts......

REALLY.....what would you like to see?

We're writing  grants, dreaming dreams, and recruiting volunteers to help us make things happen.

Why not join us?

Great MUSIC!!!!!!

At long last, Amy Shapiro and Jeff Olenick will appear in concert at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center Thursday March 18th at 7 pm!!!!!!!  Tickets are only $5 at the door!


Yiddish, Hebrew and English folk songs that will get your foot tapping and your lips moving.


Jewish Arts Month is pleased to feature this musical couple.

This is a must see/hear concert!   Won't you join us?

Poet scheduled to read~

Francis Payne Adler will be reading poetry at our PRE-JAM SLAM February 24th @ 7pm at the MJCC.
Fran is an activist poet, professor, and all around mensch. How lucky Portland is that she decided to move here!
Come to our event, hear her words, become inspired and of course, buy a copy of one of her books
Fire and Ink, The Matriot, and Raising the Tents.
..............................remember: Admission is free!

Lots of Words...but worth reading!

We crammed ourselves into a small office space this morning to continue our planning for Jewish Arts Month (JAM.) The MJCC was hopping busy! The conference room was full, an event was going on in the ballroom and I counted 3 separate meetings going on in the cafe. How cool that our "J" is so vibrant and busy!

In the coming weeks there will be lots of talk about the exciting events we have  planned, but first, let's acknowledge all of the people who are working hard to make this event happen. We'll have to bring a camera to the next meeting to capture all the "shayna punims" of the team.

The grant writing talents of Helen Gundlach earned our grant from the Oregon Arts Commission! In addition to her duties as director of development for both the MJCC and Portland Jewish Academy, she found the time to cultivate a beautiful grant. Thanks Helen!!!

Lisa Horowitz doesn't sit on the planning team, but as CEO of The Mittleman Jewish Community Center and Portland Jewish Academy has offered incredible support. Our team will work hard to repay your confidence in us.

Another MJCC staffer, Jordana Levenick has been busy  creating a beautiful program guide, reserving rooms, and consulting on all marketing efforts.

Barbara Steinfeld is the Vice President of Travel Portland. She has helped design our grant evaluation tool and has facilitated a number of important contacts. She is also our Twitter Maven!

Esther Liberman faithfully takes notes, maintains our events calendar and is working on the design of our upcoming webpage with the  graphic arts staff at the "J". She's member of ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists, creating  beautiful works of bead art.

Cantor Ida Rae Cahana is a talented musical artist and adjunct clergy member at Temple Beth Israel. She is also a member of the MJCC board and is working closely with Ed Kraus, whose voice is well known to fans of KBOO's The Yiddish Hour. Together they are putting together several musical programs that will feature local and internationally know performers.

Founder and director of the Portland jewish Theater Collaborative, Sacha Reich brings theatrical vision to our team. KinderTransport will be a featured part of JAM coming to A.R.T. in March.

Priscilla Kostiner brings years of experience to our work. Long time supporter of Jewish cultural arts, religious lay leader and MJCC board member, Priscilla is leading our fundraising efforts.


 Our newest team member is Abby Myers. Under her leadership our kick-off party will involve city leaders as well as numerous talented artists and performers. Refreshments and free admission will welcome our guests.

Eddy Shuldman is a local artist, member of ORA and one of the originators of JAM. She is coordinating venues to feature local 2-D and 3-D artists .