From The Oregonian
U.S. Senate confirms Portland attorney Michael Simon as Oregon federal judge

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Portland lawyer Michael Simon to be Oregon's next federal judge, ending a journey that was both longer and bumpier than expected and one that lawmakers said highlighted the dysfunction gripping the nomination process. READ MORE

Michael Simon, Oregon's newest federal court judge - and a past President of our organization (right) with OAJC Board member Ken Lewis at OAJC's 2011 Judge Learned Hand Luncheon in June. 






Jews eager to share Passover, their master story told in the Seder

"The Seder is supposed to take place in people's homes," ... The clergy are not in charge. So every Seder will be different. It may be all in Hebrew. Or none of it may be. In some there's a lot of singing; in others, less singing. The Seder is an event that gets created in the image of the family holding it."READ MORE

From the Portland Jewish Review
Interfaith advocates take moral arguments to legislators

From KATU
Islamic peace rally converges on Pioneer Square
Supporters of the Corvallis Islamic Center targeted after the Portland bomb plot held a "Peace Solidarity" rally at Pioneer Courthouse Square on Sunday, December 19. The rally started at 2 p.m. About 300 people were gathered in the square by around 2:40 p.m. 
More than two dozen organizations -- including Christian, Jewish and Buddhist groups -- added their names to the sponsorship list for this event. OAJC was a sponsor of this event. READ MORE, SEE A LIST OF SPONSORS, AND WATCH VIDEO HERE.

From the Portland Jewish Review

Jews, Muslims, Christians join hands at Rizwan Mosque event
Jews showed up on Sept. 11 at Portland’s Rizwan Mosque for an interfaith event, even though it was Shabbat Shuva—the Shabbat of Return that falls between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.The event marked the ninth anniversary of the 9-11 attacks and also the day on which a Florida preacher intended to burn one or more Qurans. READ MORE

Shabbat Shuva at the Rizwan Mosque
With regard to all the talk about the Islamic center proposed for near Ground Zero in Manhattan and also with regard to Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., who would have burned Qurans to commemorate 9-11, I can’t think of much that needs to be said that hasn’t already been said. READ MORE

Left - OAJC Vice President Steve Bilow with Harris Zafar of the Rizwan Mosque.

Click here for a compilation of television coverage of this event. 

OAJC honors Chief Justice, lawyer Sept. 21
On Sept. 21, the Oregon Area Jewish Committee will present its prestigious Judge Learned Hand Lifetime Achievement Award to Chief Justice Paul J. De Muniz of the Oregon Supreme Court. A Special Recognition Award will be presented to Elisa Dozono of Miller Nash LLP. READ MORE

From The Oregonian
Life story: Portland businessman and philanthropist Merle Greenstein loved a joke, his family and friends
Friends say it was hard to walk away from an encounter with Merle Greenstein. "Wait, wait, wait," he'd say, "I have one more." One more joke, one more story, one more invitation to dinner or to a fund-raiser for a cause he believed in. The former scrap man with the photographic memory, who'd pieced together a large and loving quilt of family, friends and accomplishments, died July 1 at 73 of prostate cancer.  READ MORE

Longtime Portland businessman, philanthropist and angel investor Merle Greenstein has died after a lengthy illness. He was 73. Greenstein died July 1.The American Jewish Committee Oregon Chapter — now known as the Oregon Area Jewish Committee — honored Greenstein in 2008 with its Maurice D. Sussman Award for his 55 years of community service. Through AJC, he spearheaded the fundraising drives for “Anne Frank in the World” in 1992 and the 2002 project “Anne Frank: A History for Today,” according to an obituary released by his family.
READ MORE 

From The Oregonian
Cultural bridges built on pillar of Muslim community, Cedar Mill's Salma Ahmad

Josefina “Salma” Ahmad reads at OAJC's Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Ahmad recently won an award from the FBI for her commitment to promoting cooperation among people of all ethnic, religious and social groups. OAJC Director Emily Gottfried is quoted in this article. 
READ MORE

On OPB's Think Out Loud

Rev. Arvin Luchs of Portland First United Methodist Church reading names at Pioneer Courthouse Square at OAJC's Yom HaShoah event. Luchs is interviewed at the beginning of a special Think Out Loud program on genocide entitled "Never Again." READ, LISTEN AND BLOG HERE