Oregon Jewish Life, the monthly, full-color gloss Jewish lifestyles magazine, highlights the vitality, diversity, challenges and accomplishments of the Jewish Community of Oregon and SW Washington.
Publishers Message: Come together...
No, this is not just a refrain from the Beatles song, but rather a ritual that has healed and comforted the Jewish people and all people throughout the ages. We come together for every major life event, from birth to death. We come together to mourn, to celebrate, to pray and to play. So during this month of incredible highs and lows, as we remember those we have lost on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and celebrate our “freedom” during Passover and the birth of Israel on Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), we will come together again.
This simple act of gathering together has tremendous power... and in many ways has helped preserve the Jewish people. So as we come together this month in remembrance and celebration, remember to gather those in need close, and those you love even closer. Come together... it is our tradition, our preservation and our future.
Wishing you all a wonderful Passover.
Robert W. Philip and Cindy Saltzman
Editors Message: Happy Birthday Israel
As the modern state of Israel prepares to celebrate its 64th birthday, we devote a section of our magazine to celebrating the technical, environmental and human miracles of that tiny nation. The mosaic of faces on our cover represents the diver- sity of this modern state.
When I realized this issue would focus on both Israel and Passover, I flashed on the refrain from Seder tables around the world, “Next Year in Jerusalem.” Why wait till next year? The thought, “This year in Jerusalem” offered story ideas for this issue. We spoke to several people about their recent visits and what they learned there.
As Israeli Shaliach Amos Meron says in this issue, “Israel speaks for itself the best.” The best way to truly understand the miracles and challenges of Israel is to go there. For those who can’t get to Israel now, we’ve tried to provide some insights in this issue. I’d also suggest reading the book Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel ’s Economic Miracle, by Dan Senor and Saul Singer. I started reading the book just after I was hired as editor of Oregon Jewish Life. It is truly an amazing book that explores how this young, tiny country is able to create more start-up companies than larger and more stable countries such as Japan, China, India, Canada and Britain.
The book begins with a chapter on the formation of A Better Place, which recently launched a nationwide grid to support electric cars with battery swap stations and charging spots. I was reminded of the book when interviewing Oregonians who visited Israel in February. They got to test drive the cars and ob- serve the battery swap procedure, which one man said was faster than filling up his gas tank at a service station in America.
The innovative thinking and willingness to take risks seem so counter to what I’ve read about the corporate culture in America today. It seems this small nation has lessons that stretch well beyond Jewish identity.
So even if it’s too late to get to Israel for Passover, why not visit the Jewish state later this year?
Deborah Moon
