Community Celebration - Mittleman Jewish Community Center

Join us Tuesday, May 24 at 5:30 pm for our annual Community Celebration!
We look forward to celebrating in person. If you are unable to attend in person, you will be able to watch a livestream of the event.

RSVP This is a free event and there will be no solicitation. Light refreshments will be served.

Our program includes:

Recognizing our Pillar of Excellence Awardee, Jerry Sadis.
Presenting The Harry Glickman Award to two outstanding high school students, Lyla Paru and Everest Sibony
Inducting new member into the Oregon Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, Jake Raiton
Honoring Stingray Swim Team Superlatives, our members who visit most frequently, camp counselors and most committed members
A performance by Michelle Alany & The Mystics! Read more details in the blue sections below.

All “Friends of the Center Society” members are sponsors of the Mittleman Jewish Community Center’s Community Celebration, and additional sponsorships are available. V isit our Sponsorship page here.

Pillar of Excellence Awardee, Jerry Sadis

We are pleased to recognize Jerry Sadis as our Pillar of Excellence Awardee.

Jerry Sadis served on the MJCC and PJA Boards from 2007 to 2016, and he served as President of the Boards from 2009-2011. He was born and raised in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting. He started his career as a Certified Public Accountant with the firm that is now Delloitte and Touche. In 1972, he joined Fred Meyer Inc. as Assistant Controller and worked there until 1987, leaving as Executive Vice President. Jerry has served on the boards of Robison Home (Cedar-Sinai Park), Congregation Beth Israel, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, Portland Jewish Academy, and the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, and was President of Congregation Beth Israel and the Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, in addition to PJA and the MJCC.

Harry Glickman Scholar/Athlete Awardees

Lyla Paru has been an all-star cheerleader at Oregon Dream Teams since her freshman year of high school. Her team placed third in the nation in 2019 and second in the nation in 2021. Lyla was also a member of Beaverton High School’s (BHS) varsity sideline and competitive cheer teams, and, in 2020, she was the first cheerleader from BHS to be named to the All-State team. Lyla volunteered her time at the beginning of the pandemic to assist over 200 senior citizens in the metro area obtain COVID vaccine appointments. She is an active volunteer with Guide Dogs for the Blind and Potluck in the Park. Lyla works as both a lifeguard and youth gymnastics coach. She was a LINK crew member at BHS, mentoring incoming freshmen during her junior and senior year. She completed a rigorous course load at BHS including five AP courses and six dual-credit college courses through the BHS marketing pathway program and PCC. Lyla plans to attend University of Oregon and major in advertising and business.

Everest Sibony is a four-year basketball letterman and two-year basketball Captain at Seaside High School. He was the 2020-2021 Unanimous League Most Valuable Player, and his team won the league championship three out of four years. He was a three- year soccer letterman and two-year state champion. He was also a two-year golf letterman and league champion in golf. His community service includes work with the Shape Up Across Oregon Exercise Program, the Tobacco/Alcohol/Drug Prevention Program, and he was also an Elks Hoops Shoot Regional Finalist. He is an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts. Everest was selected as valedictorian and has a 4.0 GPA. He is student body President, and won the social studies Award of Excellence. He will attend the University of Portland and play on the basketball team.

Oregon Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Awardee, Jake Raiton

We are pleased to recognize Jake Raiton as our Oregon Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Awardee.

Jake Raiton grew up playing many sports but focused on tennis. He was ranked #1 in the State of Oregon throughout his junior career and reached a national ranking of #23 during high school. A three-time PIL champion and two-time Oregon High School State champion, Jake graduated from Wilson High School in 1995 and went on to play varsity tennis at University of Michigan, graduating in 1999. Jake is the Director of Development at Green Light Development and currently lives in Northeast Portland with his wife Cory and their two children, Elliot and Katherine.

Stingrays Swim Team, Day Camp, and Members

We are also excited to recognize:

Stingrays Swim Team
Graduating Seniors
Max Flecker
Noah Peng
Nicolas Vincent

State Qualifiers
Eian Peng
Noah Peng

Most Frequent Users of the MJCC
Norene DeLance
Jay Holcombe
Thomas Kolb
Petr Konopatskiy
Nadine Nakagawa
Sabina Shafir
Michael Siegel
Catherine Sutton
Richard Weil
Steve Wick

Day Camp Counselors
Grace Daiker
Emma Worting

Entertainment by Michelle Alany & The Mystics

Be entertained by Michelle Alany & The Mystics!
Journey through exotic lands with this fiddle-driven caravan of Jazz Manouche, Balkan, Klezmer, Sephardic & original soul music all spiced with an original Texas fiddle twist. With her captivating band, Michelle Alany brings fresh interpretations of ancient melodies, hypnotic strings and wild improvisation with her energizing soulful music.