Melton invites you to try a free sample class this summer! You will get a taste of our pluralistic, text-based learning style, meet faculty members and find yourself engaged in diverse Jewish subject matter.

To RSVP, please call (503) 892-3015 or e-mail melton@jewishportland.org. For more information on the Melton school, including schedules and registration material, visit www.meltonportland.org or contact the office.

Jewish Peoplehood and Memory June 24 from 7:15 to 8:15 RSVP for location Examine the role of memory in shaping Jewish identity and peoplehood using texts from the Hagaddah, early Zionist writing, contemporary American Jewish poetry, Israeli fiction and poetry, and more. Five Stories of Modern Jewish Identity July 14 from noon to 1 p.m. Oregon Jewish Museum 1953 NW Kearney St, Portland, 97209 Explore the multiple, fragmented, and fluid identities Jews have today using texts that touch on themes of gender, language, intermarriage, individualism, spirituality, and humor. Finding Meaning in Suffering July 15 from 7-8:00 p.m. P’nai Or, at St. Mark’s Church 9750 SW Terwilliger, Portland, 97219 How do we attempt to find meaning in suffering? How can the texts of our tradition shed light on the challenges of living in an unjust world?

Who Is Prayer For and Does It Work? July 21 from 7-8:00 p.m. Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Ballroom B 6651 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland, 97219 Delve into questions of the meaning, purpose, and impact of prayer. Jewish Ethics For Interacting with Non-Jews July 27 from 7:15-8:15 p.m. RSVP for location This lesson investigates themes of interfaith dialogue, the ways of peace, and more. Protecting Our Eden: Judaism and the Earth Aug. 2 from 7-8:00 p.m. RSVP for location Discover the world of Jewish environmental ethics. Meanings of Shabbat Aug. 4 from 7:00-8:15 p.m. Cedar Sinai Park 6125 SW Boundary St., Portland 97221 Enter the "palace in time," Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's name for Shabbat. This lesson will use texts from our tradition to illuminate the meanings of the 52 holiest days of the year.

In a lovely ceremony, we will gather with Melton students, alumni, teachers and founding leaders to honor our new grads.

Dessert will be served.

June 8, 2010
7:15 - 9:00 p.m.
at Havurah Shalom
825 NW 18th Ave. Portland, OR 97209

Song of Miriam

Melton is pleased to have nominated Jennifer Director Knudsen for the Jewish Women's Round Table's Annual Song of Miriam Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service.

During her 4 years on the board of Morasha-Melton, Jenn impressed us all with her diligent work on behalf of Melton. A consummate fundraiser and promoter, Jenn has been an inspiration to every one of us—even more so since she has continued to volunteer for Melton after stepping down from the board last year.

Jenn, who works in development at PSU, is also on the board at Congregation Neveh Shalom. At Neveh, she has been active in Kochavim, the summer camp, and Notz’tzim, the music program for children under 4.

Jenn came to Melton as a student, taking our adult educational program along with her mother. Doing so makes her a role model to the community, showing that Melton is truly a multi- generational school that helps adults to connect to their heritage at home as well as in the larger community. We are very grateful that Jenn’s relationship with Melton grew even stronger after she graduated. With her dependability and graceful personality, she brings out the best in us all.

Celebrate Jenn's award with us at the

18th Annual “Song of Miriam Award” Brunch
Sponsored by: The Jewish Women's Round Table

Sunday, June 6, 2010, 10:00 am - 12:15 pm

Mittleman Jewish Community Center 6651 SW Capitol Hwy., Portland, Oregon Music by: Barry Lavine

Early-bird Cost: $20 Postmarked by May 24th, ($10 children 12 & under), After May 24th: Cost is $28, Patrons $36.

RSVP with a check made out to JWRT, Attn: Jerrie Roth: 1231 SW Texas St., Portland, OR 97219. If you have questions please call Jerrie, 503-246-4367 or Ellen Bick, 503-297-3920.

*Carpooling is recommended* *Bring a can of food to donate to the Oregon Food Bank*

Melton invites you to try a free sample class this summer! You will get a taste of our pluralistic, text-based learning style, meet faculty members and find yourself engaged in diverse Jewish subject matter.

To RSVP, please call (503) 892-3015 or e-mail melton@jewishportland.org. For more information on the Melton school, including schedules and registration material, visit www.meltonportland.org or contact the office.

May 2 – “Torah, Revelation and Halakhah”

5-6 p.m.
Shaarie Torah
720 NW 25th St., Portland

Teacher: Jonathan Emanuel – Where does Torah come from? Explore Jewish approaches to revelation and observance from Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist perspectives.

May 2 – “Jewish Ethics: Looking Out for Number 1?”

10:30 a.m. to Noon
Kol Ami Learning Center
1006 NE 146th St., Ste B, Vancouver, WA

Teacher: Jan Rabinowitch – How do we prioritize our needs and those of others? Join us for a dynamic conversation on Jewish ethics.

May 16 – “Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?”

12-1:00 p.m.
JFCS, as part of the JFCS Day of Empowerment
1130 SW Morrison, Ste 316, Portland

Teacher: Erica Goldman – Why do we suffer? The Jewish tradition offers many answers to this fundamental question.

May 18 – Shavuot and Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah)

9:00 p.m.
Neveh Shalom, as Part of Neveh Shalom’s Night of Adult Jewish Education
2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland

Teacher: Sylvia Frankel – Learn the meaning of the holiday of Shavuot and the significance of the receiving of the Torah.

May 20 – “Jewish Ethics: Looking Out for Number 1?”

7:15-8:15 p.m.
Beth Israel
1972 NW Flanders, Portland

Teacher: Jan Rabinowitch – How do we prioritize our needs and those of others? Join us for a dynamic conversation on Jewish ethics.

Thanks to you, our Pizzacato fundraiser and The Chosen were both successful. We are no longer selling tickets, but if you would like to make a donation, please visit our Support Melton page. Thank you so much for your support!

On April 7th, 2010, the day after Passover, the Hillsdale Pizzicato will donate 20% of their proceeds to our school. Matzah detox with us via pizza, sandwiches, and more! Buy gift certificates for family and friends! Who knew supporting Melton could be so tasty?!

Pizzicato in Hillsdale
6358 Southwest Capitol Highway
Portland, OR

Pizzicato is open 11am-9pm.

On Sunday, April 18, 2010, at 2pm, Portland Center Stage is putting on a stage adaptation of Chaim Potok's The Chosen as a fundraiser for Melton.

Tickets are:
$60 general
$80 patron
Click here to purchase tickets.

This award-winning adaptation from the award-winning novel is the coming-of-age story of two boys growing up in two very different Jewish communities — “five blocks and a world apart” — in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the 1940s. In it, Danny, the brilliant and curious son of a Hasidic rabbi, struggles with his longing to know more of the world and his father’s unwillingness to speak to him when they are not studying the Torah. After a heated fight at a baseball game, Danny befriends Reuven, an Orthodox Jew from a nearby neighborhood who becomes a friend and a partner in investigating both their shared Jewish heritage and their wildly divergent family environments and hopes for the future. When Danny’s father prohibits him from speaking to Reuven because of a political disagreement about the nascent Israeli state, both boys learn that the bonds of religion, friendship and community are both more brittle and more binding than they could have possibly imagined.

To get your tickets for this exciting event, please click here, or call (503) 892-3015.

Oct 29 Almonds and Raisins: A History of Yiddish Cinema Documentary film. 7 p.m. at Neveh Shalom Admission: $18 RSVP, $20 at the door, $36 patron, $10 age 17 and below Before the film, Yiddish songs with Amy Shapiro and an introduction by David Fuks, Executive Director of Cedar Sinai. Afterward, discussion led by Prof. Robert Liebman of PSU. Almonds and Raisins is Russ Karel's wonderful history of the phenomenon of Yiddish cinema, as remembered by the actors, directors and producers who created it. Includes excerpts from many of the films of that vanished era. Narrated by Orson Welles. Nov 10 Melton Lunch and Learn with Judy Margles of the OJM 12-1 p.m. at Shaarie Torah Admission: Free Judy will discuss the Oregon Jewish Museum exhibit "The Shape of Time: Accumulations of Shape and Memory." Bring a kosher bag lunch. Coffee and tea provided.

Nov 19 Melton at the Museum: Community Reception 6:45 p.m. at the Oregon Jewish Museum Admission $18. Join the Melton community for a reception and enjoy the exhibit "The Shape of Time: Accumulations of Shape and Memory." March 14 Brunch and Learn: How to Have a Meaningful Seder With people who have hosted legendary seders. 10 a.m. to noon. Location to be announced. Admission: Free June 8 Melton Celebration of Learning 7:15 p.m. Location to be announced. Join us as the Melton community welcomes its newest graduates!

You may ask yourself, what Melton is up to a month before classes begin? The answer is that we are holding a number of events, which we hope to see you at.

Taste of Melton - Aug. 11
10 a.m.
Havurah Shalom
925 NW 13th Ave., Portland


Sylvia Frankel will be leading a class on the subject of Shabbat.

To RSVP, please call (503) 892-3015 or e-mail melton@jewishportland.org. For more information on the Melton school, including schedules and registration material, visit www.meltonportland.org or contact the office.

"The Ethics of Tzedakah Priorities"

Taught by Jan Rabinowitch
Aug. 13, 7 p.m.

This free sample class will be held in the comfort of a private home, and will be taught by a Melton faculty member. RSVP for directions and more info.

RSVP with the OAJC:
503-295-6761 or emily.gottfried@oajconline.org

Melton at the Museum

"Women of Valor" by Jan Rabinowitch - Aug. 19 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Oregon Jewish Museum
310 NW Davis St, Portland

Admission is $3.

Hors d'oeuvres will be served.
RSVP to the Melton office: melton@jewishportland.org or 503-892-3015

Members of the Melton community are invited to come celebrate Jan Rabinowitch's glasswork exhibit at the Oregon Jewish Museum. Jan will lead a brief exercise to engage participants in her exhibit, Women of Valor. The glass robes she has crafted are faceless portraits, each representing a different woman from the narratives of the Torah. While it is commonly said that "clothes make the man," in Women of Valor, it is the "women who made the robes."

For more information on the exhibit, visit the Oregon Jewish Museum webpage at www.ojm.org.

Jan Rabinowitch began working in fiber in the 1970s, turned to paper in the 1980s, and fell in love with glass in 2000. Her works are found in galleries, at juried competitions and can be seen online at www.verretas.com

Dear Melton Community,

This summer's Melton Service Event has been scheduled! We will be volunteering at the Sunshine Pantry in Beaverton to make back-to-school packs for underserved students.

Date: Sunday, August 2
Time: 2-4 p.m.
Location: The Sunshine Pantry, Building 26, 7795 S.W. Cirrus Drive, Beaverton

Please join the Melton school as we collaborate with the Sunshine Pantry to help kids start school prepared!

The packs will be distributed by the Pantry and will include school supplies such as:
- backpacks
- lunchboxes
- notebooks
- pencils

... and snack and lunch items such as:
- juice boxes
- crackers
- dried fruit
- other non-perishables.

Already busy Aug. 2? You can still make a difference by donating items for the kids! For more info, please call Sharon Strauss at the Sunshine Pantry between 11 and 2, Monday through Friday:

Sharon Straus, Sunshine Pantry
Phone: 971-506-7827
Website: www.sunshinepantry.org

Sunshine Pantry is a non-profit food pantry offering food, clothing, household items, toys and toiletries for needy families in Beaverton. It is the only local pantry that keeps a kosher freezer and offers kosher foods, in addition to gluten-free and diabetic-friendly fare.

This collaboration between the Melton School and the Sunshine Pantry was created out of a common commitment to education, and a desire to make education accessible to all.

For more info, please contact the Melton office at 503-892-3015 or melton@jewishportland.org.


Don't forget to register!
Registration continues all summer, but there are advantages to early signup.

Core students who register for Year 2 (Dramas and Ethics) before July 15 receive a tuition discount -- $705, or $535 Subsidized.

Graduate students who register sooner rather than later can rest easy knowing their spot is secure in the class(es) of their choice. (For class discounts and other Melton benefits, please ask us about the Alumni Association!)