June 30, 2022 | Noon (PT) | In Person and Virtual, RSVP at bottom of page

Please join us at noon on Thursday, June 30 for a conversation responding to the June 24 SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. A panel of thoughtful and knowledgeable community members – writer Judith Arcana, Rabbi Rachel Joseph, and Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran – will discuss the ruling through a Jewish lens. What does Judaism have to say about abortion? We invite you to attend in person or via Zoom. The program is free of charge but registration is required.

This program is co-sponsored by Congregation Beth Israel and Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.

Donate Today

We are grateful for your participation and encourage you to consider supporting our virtual programs.

Judith Arcana lives in Portland, where she writes stories, poems, essays, and books. She’s a Jane, a member of Chicago’s pre-Roe underground abortion service, and appears in the new HBO documentary THE JANES. Her poetry collection What if your mother includes poems about abortion, adoption, and IVF, and her story collection Hello. This is Jane. includes fiction about abortion — and tattooing.

Rachel Joseph joined Congregation Beth Israel in July of 2012, sharing her passion for, commitment to, and leadership in community building. She is a leader in social and racial justice activism, and in equity and inclusion efforts with the CBI and greater Portland communities. She serves on the boards of Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, is a member of the National Clergy Advisory Board for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and has previously been on the board of TIVNU, the Jewish Gap Year Program and chair of the Oregon and SW Washington Board of Rabbis.

Dr. Sharon Meieran (she/her/hers) serves as District 1 Commissioner for Multnomah County and practices emergency medicine in the Portland area. She uses her experience on the front line caring for those in crisis to inform her policy and advocacy work. Her key focus areas include behavioral health, housing and homelessness, community safety, coordination of services for the most vulnerable, and reproductive healthcare, equity, and justice.

In addition to being a practicing emergency physician, Sharon also served as Medical Director for the Oregon Foundation for Reproductive Health. In this role, she worked on issues of reproductive equity and justice, with a goal that all pregnancies be as wanted, planned, and healthy as possible. Dr. Meieran graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Economics, attended law school at Hastings College of the Law, and subsequently attended UCSF medical school in San Francisco. She completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Meieran and her family live in Southwest Portland.