Community❯Civic & Government

How We Show Up Closing Panel November 15, 2026 Admission: $10 general admission, $5 for members with code on back of membership card Location: Auditorium, OJMCHE Share × " class="share-btn"> Share on Facebook &text=How We Show Up Closing Panel" class="share-btn"> Share on Twitter Email Sunday, November 15 | 2-3:30pm What does civic participation look like? How has the Jewish community shaped Oregon throughout its history? Panelists will discuss these questions and more in a lively discussion exploring Jewish civic engagement in Oregon, from building towns and holding office to advocating for civil rights, immigrant communities, and social justice. Speakers include Ellen Eisenberg, lead advisor to the exhibition and preeminent Western Jewish scholar; Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon’s former attorney general and first woman elected to the role; Paul Solomon, criminal justice advocate and grandson of federal judge Gus J. Solomon; and Portland City Councilor Elana Pirtle-Guiney The conversation will be moderated by Rabbi Rachel Joseph, Senior Rabbi Designate of Congregation Beth Israel. This program is presented as part of How We Show Up: Oregon Jews in Civil Society, An America 250 Exhibition . About the Moderator and Panelists Rabbi Rachel Joseph is Senior Rabbi Designate of Congregation Beth Israel, Oregon’s leading voice of Reform Judaism since its founding in 1858. Prior to becoming a rabbi, she worked in Washington, D.C. as a Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and for Americans United for Separation of Church and State as a lobbyist and Associate Director of Legislative Affairs. Ellen Eisenberg holds the Dwight and Margaret Lear Professorship in American History at Willamette University. Her published work includes five books on American Jewish history and, particularly, the history of Jews in the American West, including National Jewish Book Award finalist The First to Cry Down Injustice? Western Jews and Japanese Removal during WWII and a two-volume history of Jews in Oregon, Embracing a Western Identity: Jewish Oregonians, 1849–1950 and The Jewish Oregon Story, 1950–2015. A former federal prosecutor and state trial and appellate judge, Ellen Rosenblum was first elected as Oregon’s 17th Attorney General in November 2012, and was reelected in November 2016 and 2020. She is the first woman to serve as Oregon’s Attorney General. As Attorney General, Rosenblum has focused on standing up for the most vulnerable Oregonians. Her pr

A talk by Glynnis Fawkes. How does a cartoonist go about adapting a work of history, specifically Eric H. Cline’s 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed? In this talk Fawkes will describe the process of interpreting Cline’s text in comics, an exercise during which she repeatedly asked herself how she might tell this story visually. Through page compositions and dramatizations in which historical figures (such as Ramses III) speak, she imagined characters for whom we have no record offering...

A community gathering to share your ideas for a new learning commons, with free appetizers and a $20 stipend for eligible adults. Your feedback will shape the space.

Ride to the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims event, in Waterfront Park between Burnside and Ankeny. Remember those who have been killed in traffic violence Support survivors and their loved ones Act to pass Stop Super Speeders...

Overview Todd McGrain’s original bust of York, the enslaved man who was the only African American member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, was secretly installed on Mount Tabor Park in 2021. It was placed on the vacant pedestal where a statue of Oregonian editor Harvey Scott (1830-1910), a known racist, once stood. The surprising appearance of York, with no artist name attached to the work, is a local example of the protest art being created in the wake of political and social unrest. The...

Friday, November 6, 2026 6:00-8:30pm with Elsy Why Do Haitians Eat Pumpkin Soup (Soup Joumou)? Soup Joumou is much more than a delicious Haitian pumpkin soup. It is a powerful symbol of freedom. During the colonial era in Saint-Domingue, now...

Join us for an evening where learn how to break cycles that police normalcy and control information in society. From the creator of the Bedlam Book Club podcast comes a workshop about how to identify and disrupt the ableist social dynamics that often cloud discussions of truth and power. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about how definitions of madness have been used to direct power throughout history, and how to avoid replicating these cycles in our personal lives. The first half will focus on the basics of mad studies and the history of madness in the West. After a break, the workshop will detail how these ideas show up in daily life, how to interrupt them, and healthier ways of building knowledge and trust together. Workshop will be very hands-on and will contain lots of opportunities for discussion and questions. Zines, reading lists, and other resources will be available. RSVP required! Sliding scale suggested donation $5-$25 (No one turned away for lack of funds!)

In March of 1977, Milwaukie had our own "madness" experience. With no warning at all, Milwaukie’s HS Boys Basketball team won two Play-In games to qualify for the AAA State Tournament. The basketball play was earnest, but not extraordinary. The...