Recorded Events 2021

Exploring To Bear Witness

Recorded December 15, 2021

Watch this illuminating behind-the-scenes conversation on OJMCHE’s current exhibition To Bear Witness – Extraordinary Lives. Sankar Raman, photographer and founder of The Immigrant Story and photographer Jim Lommasson, who conceived the What We Carried project, discuss their process of photographing and interviewing the 14 individuals featured in the exhibition, who left their homelands—four survivors of the Holocaust who came from Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany and ten others from Bosnia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Rwanda, Sudan, Syria and Tibet—to build new lives in Oregon.

Redignification Through Remembrance

Recorded November 9, 2021

Portland State University Professor Amanda Byron Singer zoomed-in from Goerlitz, Germany where she is attending a Jewish Remembrance commemoration, which includes the anniversary of Kristallnacht. This remembrance of Jewish life is offered as a means to both celebrate a repressed and rich history, and to overtly counter the rise in Neo Nazism. Professor Singer shares her insights about the current ways that Germany is memorializing and representing the Holocaust. You can watch the recording of this talk here.

Ahead of His Time: Richard Neuberger a conversation with Steve Forrester and Chet Orloff

Recorded November 4, 2021

The title of this conversation is also the title of the chapter written by Steve Forrester in the recently published book Eminent Oregonians. The book’s subtitle is Three Who Matter: Abigail Scott Duniway, Richard Neuberger, Jesse Applegate.

Steve Forrester’s chapter focuses on why Neuberger is a forgotten figure in Oregon and national political history. Neuberger was the second Jew elected to the US Senate after the 17th Amendment, which mandated the popular election of senators. This chapter of the book is the first story of his life drawn from primary sources. You can watch the recording of this talk here.

Oregon Jewish Voices 2021

Recorded October 26, 2021

Started in 1999, and organized by writer Willa Schneberg, this annual event features readings by prominent Oregon Jewish poets and writers. The writers in the 2021 program, who span a range of genres including fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and essays, shared selections from their work in a virtual reading on Zoom.

This year’s speakers included Poet Joan Dobbie, Novelist Ellen Michaelson, Essayist Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, Poet Willa Schneberg, and Singer/Songwriter Amy Shapiro.

Noon Time Talk: Mending the Social Fabric with Bonnie Meltzer

Recorded October 12, 2021

Watch artist Bonnie Meltzer in a Zoom conversation about the work featured in her OJMCHE exhibition Mending the Social Fabric with Rachel Seiger of the Denver Jewish Community Center and textile artist Eli West of Portland Textile Month. Bonnie joins the Zoom conversation from her exhibition, which has at its core a parachute encircled by 75 handkerchiefs embroidered with text that amplifies the mending motif. The parachute, a symbol of safety, has rips and tears and over the course of the exhibition interactive community building happens as visitors sit and mend the damage.

Raise The Roof Film Discussion

Recorded September 24, 2021

Thomas C. Hubka, author of Resplendent Synagogue: Architecture and Worship in an 18th Century Polish Community and a consultant for Raise the Roof, and Judy Margles, Director of Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, discuss the film Raise the Roof. You can watch the recording here.

Annual Members’ Meeting 2021

Recorded June 21, 2021

We look forward to having our members join us online for this year’s Annual Members’ meeting. This was an opportunity to hear from Director Judy Margles on the work of the museum over the last year and during this unforeseen time of closure. There were also remarks from OJMCHE’s Board Chair Jeff Mazer. Our keynote address from Melissa Martens Yaverbaum, Executive Director of the Council of American Jewish Museums, shared observations from the field of Jewish museums over the past year – including their responses, setbacks, and innovations throughout the COVID-period. You can watch the recording here.

The Root of White Supremacy with Eric Ward

Recorded June 15, 2021

Understanding the history of white supremacy within our nation is key when considering how we as individuals can help create a more just future. Watch the recording of Western States Center Executive Director Eric Ward and OJMCHE Director Judy Margles as they explore the broad history of white supremacy and consider the connections between antisemitism and white nationalist ideology in the United States. This program is presented in partnership with the Baltimore Jewish Council and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education.

Lawrence Halprin: Touchstones and Innovation

Recorded May 25, 2021

Watch the recording of guest curator Kenneth Helphand as he discusses Lawrence Halprin, who stands as one of the great landscape architects of the modern era. In a distinguished career spanning 60 years, he created iconic and trailblazing projects including FDR Memorial, Sea Ranch, Ghirardelli Square, Nicollet Mall, Freeway Park, Levi Strauss Plaza, Jerusalem’s Haas Promenade, Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, as well as designs for campuses, shopping centers, communities and more. His innovative design for Portland’s Lovejoy and Forecourt (Ira’s) Fountains is the focus of the exhibit Lawrence Halprin opening at OJMCHE in June.

A Conversation with Author Sarah Federman

Recorded May 19, 2021

In the immediate decades after World War II, the French National Railways (SNCF) was celebrated for its acts of wartime heroism. However, recent debates and litigation have revealed the ways the SNCF worked as an accomplice to the Third Reich and was actively complicit in the deportation of 75,000 Jews and other civilians to death camps. Watch as Sarah Federman delves into the interconnected roles—perpetrator, victim, and hero—the company took on during the harrowing years of the Holocaust. This talk addresses the war years as well as the SNCF’s journey toward accountability in France and the United States, culminating in a multimillion-dollar settlement paid by the French government on behalf of the railways.

Pathways to Peace – A New U.S. Strategy Towards Conflict Prevention

Recorded April 20, 2021

The Global Fragility Act was signed into law last year but has yet to be implemented. The Biden Administration has a chance to build upon this strategy by realigning U.S. diplomatic, development, and defense efforts in a way that reduces instability in countries that are at risk of violent conflict and extremism. By partnering with communities and governments in fragile states to address the drivers of conflict, such as human rights abuses, social and economic exclusion, corruption, and impunity, the U.S. can renew its commitment to American leadership on democracy and human rights globally. Watch the recording of this discussion which includes the challenges and opportunities in implementing this new peacebuilding strategy.

Yom HaShoah Service

Recorded April 7, 2021

Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, was observed virtually this year. Watch the recording here of a short service led by Oregon Board of Rabbis with the participation of local rabbis, Holocaust survivors and their descendants via Zoom.

Mass Atrocities: Could it happen in the US?

Recorded April 6, 2021

Watch the recording here of Dr. Waller as he shares his findings from his recent report on risks in the United States, published through the Stanley Center for Peace and Security. Through his work with the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass atrocities, Dr. Waller has identified categories of risk that have particular significance in our current social and political landscape. Mike Brand and Jessica Murrey then respond to Dr. Waller’s presentation, engaging questions and conversation from their unique perspectives in atrocity prevention, policymaking, and peacebuilding.

A Musical Tribute for Yom HaShoah

Recorded March 31, 2021

Watch the recording of the conversation between Holocaust survivor & OJMCHE Speakers’ Bureau member Ruth Bolliger and OJMCHE Director of Education Amanda Coven. The conversation is then followed by Portland Chamber Music performing music composed by musicians and composers who were imprisoned and murdered during the Holocaust.

A conversation with Faris Cassell

Recorded March 16, 2021

Watch the recording as Faris Cassell talks about her journey writing her award-winning book The Unanswered Letter. In 1939, as the Nazis closed in, Alfred Berger mailed a desperate letter to an American stranger who happened to share his last name. He and his wife, Viennese Jews, had found escape routes for their daughters. But now their money, connections, and emotional energy were nearly exhausted. 

After languishing in a California attic for over 60 years, Alfred’s letter came by chance into Cassell’s possession: “I felt like I held a life in my hands.” Questions flew off the page at her. Did the Bergers’ desperate letter get a response? Did they escape the Nazis? Were there any living descendants? For decades, Cassell could not rest until she discovered the ending of the story.

A conversation with author Gabrielle Glaser

Recorded March 11, 2021

Watch the recording of Gabrielle Glaser talk about her most recent book, which tells the shocking truth about postwar adoption in America through the bittersweet story of one teenager, the son she was forced to relinquish, and their lifelong search to find each other.

Annual Gala: Settling in, a virtual journey

Recorded March 7, 2021

Thank you to the more than 300 of our friends and supporters who showed up last night and not only raised funds to keep the museum going strong, but also raised our spirits with generous gifts, messages of goodwill, and cameo appearances in our video. If you were unable to join us, you can watch the hour-long recorded program here–please note the program starts about 30 minutes after the pre-show or you can view just the OJMCHE overview video here. 

Listen to the Past, Stories from OJMCHE’s Oral History Collection: Synagogues

Recorded February 25, 2021

Watch the recording of OJMCHE Archivist Alisha Babbstein, Curator of Collections Anne LeVant Prahl, and Director Judy Margles as they discuss their favorite oral history clips and tell stories about the community that created them. This time the focus is on synagogues. Today Oregon is home to nearly 40 synagogues, representing a delicate balance of old and new and all exemplifying unique regional sensibilities. Note: Some of the sound clips are hard to hear.

History, Place, and the Reckoning with Pioneer Monuments and Memorials

Recorded February 18, 2021

Pioneer statues and memorials –- always with different implications for different people – have recently become increasingly controversial across our country. For many viewers, they still celebrate pioneers and the pioneer spirit central to the founding of the state; for others, they stand as provocative relics of a racist past. Recent protests over these prominent symbols reveal a deepening divide in the debate over historical memory. Watch the recording of Ellen Eisenberg, David Lewis, and April Slabosheski discuss disputes over the role played by such statues and memorials in our public spaces.

Lessons From the Pandemic: Challenges & Successes in Documenting Oral Histories in a Virtual Setting

Recorded January 28, 2021

In late August OJMCHE asked their community to help document these extraordinary times by sharing stories on how we have collectively and individually experienced the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests, struggles for justice, the 2020 presidential election, and, since November, the presidential transition. Since then 30 volunteer interviewers have been trained and have conducted over 200 interviews, with the oldest participant age 92 and the youngest age 13. Topics covered in this webinar conversation include the challenges of training interviewers remotely on interviewing skills as well as proficiency with the technology, the ethics of access to technology and the resulting outcome of whose story is told, and how these techniques will be applied to, and perhaps change, the collecting of oral histories going forward.

Trezoros: The Lost Jews of Kastoria, Film Discussion

Recorded January 27, 2021

Trezoros (the Ladino/Judeo-Spanish term of endearment meaning “Treasures”) takes us from the joyful innocence of the pre-war years through the heartbreaking struggles of the Holocaust, to a unique place in time and history of a Greek Jewish culture lost forever. Watch the recording of the Zoom conversation with Larry Confino, Director/Producer; Lawrence Russo, Director; Dr. Joe Halio who served on the film as a consultant on Sephardic history; and Andrea Grass, who provided important archival photos and film to the project through her family.

Listen to the Past, Stories from OJMCHE’s Oral History Collection

Recorded January 14, 2021

Watch the recording of OJMCHE Archivist Alisha Babbstein, Curator of Collections Anne LeVant Prahl, and Director Judy Margles discuss their favorite oral history clips and tell stories about the community that created them. This event’s focus was on work. The remarkable progress Oregon Jews made as they integrated into the life of the state–from their days as immigrants to fully participatory Oregonians and Americans is reflected in the world of work and the development of their career choices that opened to them over the years of the 19th and 20th centuries.