Upcoming Events

All levels are welcome.
November 4 - December 9
7:00 pm
Cost: $10 per class.
Class is held virtually and led by Allison Victor.
oregonjcc.org/israelidancing

Bar Mitzvah Boy
By Mark Leiren-Young
November 5 – 25, 2020
A non-observant Jewish grandfather/successful divorce attorney decides he needs to have a Bar Mitzvah ASAP and finds his faith during study with a Rabbi who seems to be losing hers. A heartfelt comedy/drama that explores faith, religion, and what it means to be part of a community.

$20 per play. $80 for the season. 
Click here for more plays
Purchase your ticket here
Make sure to write Portland in the Home JCC box.

This December, we will be collecting Gift Cards for families.
Bring joy to families in need by donating gift cards to the annual Adopt-a-Family holiday
program at: Jewish Family & Child Service. Additional information and drop-off details coming soon.

All levels are welcome.
Through December 9
7:00 pm
Cost: $10 per class.
Class is held virtually and led by Allison Victor.
oregonjcc.org/israelidancing

Cosella Wayne: Or, Will and Destiny
with Jonathan D. Sarna
Monday, December 7, 5:30 pm
Cost: $5
Register Now

Published serially in the spiritualist journal Banner of Light in 1860, Cosella Wayne: Or, Will and Destiny is the first coming-of-age novel, written and published in English by an American Jewish woman, to depict Jews in the United States and transforms what we know about the history of early American Jewish literature. The novel never appeared in book form, went unmentioned in Jewish newspapers of the day, and studies of nineteenth-century American Jewish literature ignore it completely. Jonathan Sarna, who introduces the volume, discovered Cosella Wayne while pursuing research at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies in Jerusalem. This edition is supplemented with selections from Cora Wilburn’s recently rediscovered diary, which are reprinted in the appendix. Together, these materials help to situate Cosella Wayne within the life and times of one of nineteenth-century American Jewry’s least known and yet most prolific female authors.

Jonathan D. Sar­na is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Pro­fes­sor of Amer­i­can Jew­ish His­to­ry at Bran­deis Uni­ver­si­ty and directs its Schus­ter­man Cen­ter for Israel Stud­ies. He is also the chief his­to­ri­an of the Nation­al Muse­um of Amer­i­can Jew­ish His­to­ry. He is author or edi­tor of more than thir­ty books on Amer­i­can Jew­ish his­to­ry and life includ­ing Amer­i­can Ju­daism: A His­to­ry.   

Holiday Shorts
By Hank Kimmel
December 10 – 23, 2020
In a new series of hilarious Woody-Allen-esque short plays, Atlanta playwright Hank Kimmel delights with a new set of offbeat, comic 10-minute plays featuring themes of the holiday season.

Free special event with Playwright Hank Kimmel
Thursday, December 3, 4:30 pm

$20 per play. $80 for the season. 
Click here for more plays
Purchase your ticket here
Make sure to write Portland in the Home JCC box.

Gates of Light is a 13th century Kabbalistic text that influenced all later Jewish mystics. Its exploration of the many names of God deepens our understanding of the Torah, ourselves, and the world. It will help us understand Kabbalah and give us spiritual-practical insights into Jewish living. Join Rabbi Joshua Rose for a look into the book Sha’arei Orah - Gates of Light.
12:00 pm via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrf-qpqDItGdI7YNnnX2p-QTtAPxYuwWL5

Free and open to the community.
In partnership with Congregation Shaarie Torah

Join the MJCC and the Greater Portland Jewish community each night of Chanukah at 5:30 pm for candle lighting, blessings and a fun family-friendly activity including sing-alongs, cooking demos, Zumba dance party and more!

Details coming soon.

Exquisite Potential
By Stephen Kaplan
January 7-27, 2021
Free special event with Playwright Stephen Kaplan: Tuesday, December 22, 4:30 pm

All parents think their children are brilliant. Alan Zuckerman just happens to think his 3-year-old son, David, is the Messiah. Thirty years ago, Alan and his wife, Laura, visited their rabbi to verify David’s possible divine nature. Thirty years later, everyone older and wiser, it appears that dad might have been onto something.

$20 per play. $80 for the season. 
Click here for more plays
Purchase your ticket here
Make sure to write Portland in the Home JCC box.

New Year's Eve at Noon - A Virtual Ball Drop for All
Thursday, December 31
11:00 am

Gates of Light is a 13th century Kabbalistic text that influenced all later Jewish mystics. Its exploration of the many names of God deepens our understanding of the Torah, ourselves, and the world. It will help us understand Kabbalah and give us spiritual-practical insights into Jewish living. Join Rabbi Joshua Rose for a look into the book Sha’arei Orah - Gates of Light.
12:00 pm via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrf-qpqDItGdI7YNnnX2p-QTtAPxYuwWL5

Free and open to the community.
In partnership with Congregation Shaarie Torah

An Unexpected Life
By Alice Eve Cohen
Feb. 4 – 24, 2021
In a newly revised version of What I Thought I Knew, Alice Eve Cohen weaves hope, humor and an entertaining cast of characters into her captivating memoir of a high risk, unanticipated pregnancy.

Free special event with Playwright Alice Eve Cohen
Thursday, January 21, 4:30 pm

$20 per play. $80 for the season. 
Click here for more plays
Purchase your ticket here
Make sure to write Portland in the Home JCC box.

Beau Jest
By James Sherman
March 11-31, 2021
What's a nice Jewish girl to do when her parents expect her to marry a nice Jewish doctor even though she’s already in love with another man? Hiring an actor to play her imaginary beau in front of the family seemed like a good idea until the charade is a little too successful and the “hired” boyfriend begins to capture her heart.

Free special event with Playwright James Sherman
Thursday, March 4, 4:30 pm

$20 per play. $80 for the season. 
Click here for more plays
Purchase your ticket here
Make sure to write Portland in the Home JCC box.