The following is a selection of local resources and organizations that will further individual learning and action as well as provide services that align with and support OJMCHE’s mission to explore the legacy of the Jewish experience in Oregon, teach the universal lessons of the Holocaust and promote intercultural conversations to challenge visitors to resist indifference and discrimination and to envision a just and inclusive world.
OUTSIDE OJMCHE:
- Café Europa, through Jewish Family & Child Services [http://jfcs-portland.org/services/holocaust-survivor-services/]
Cafe Europa provides social services for Holocaust survivors in Oregon and their families, including gatherings that offer the opportunity to connect with others who share some aspects of the wartime and post-war experiences, in order to support Survivors’ community participation and enhance their quality of life.
- Coalitions of Communities of Color (CCC) [https://www.coalitioncommunitiescolor.org/]
The CCC supports a collective racial justice effort to improve outcomes for communities of color through policy analysis and advocacy, culturally-appropriate data and research, and leadership development in communities of color.
- Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at Portland State University [https://www.pdx.edu/judaic/home]
The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies at PSU explores a global civilization and its fascinating journey through history from antiquity and the medieval world to modern-day Europe, Israel, America and beyond. The program engages students of all backgrounds through a rich and flexible curriculum, and serves the greater Portland area through a range of community partnerships and events.
- The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) [https://irco.org/]
IRCO serves the needs of immigrants, refugees, and general community in Oregon and SW Washington; empowers all ages from around the world to build new lives and become self-sufficient by providing more than 200 culturally and linguistically specific social services.
- The Immigrant Story [https://theimmigrantstory.org]
The Immigrant Story documents stories of immigrants in short, accessible visual, written narratives in order to enhance empathy, help promote an inclusive community, advance dialogue and dispel myths about new Americans. Learn more and submit photos and stories through their website.
- Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) [https://nayapdx.org/]
Throughout NAYA’s history, the organization has sustained its diverse traditions while expanding and modernizing its programs and services to meet the needs of self-identified Native Americans from infancy to the elder years. As an urban Indian agency, NAYA Family Center impacts the lives of over 10,000 individuals from over 380 tribal backgrounds annually.
- Never Again Coalition [http://www.neveragaincoalition.org/]
The Never Again Coalition is Portland, Oregon’s response to genocide and other crimes against humanity. With a focus on Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rohingya Crisis, the organization works towards revitalizing the phrase Never Again.
- Next Generations Group [https://nextgenerationsgroup.wordpress.com/]
Next Generations Group is dedicated to serving the Portland, Oregon-area descendants of Holocaust survivors, child survivors, and refugees, and friends in the community who want to help keep their stories and lessons alive and relevant.
- Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center [http://www.oregonnikkei.org]
The Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center shares and preserves Japanese American history and culture in Portland’s Old Town neighborhood, where Japantown once thrived. Tours are designed to tell the story of people of Japanese descent (Nikkei) in Oregon before, during, and after World War II.
- Portland Chinatown Museum [https://www.portlandchinatownmuseum.org/]
The Portland Chinatown Museum honors Chinatown’s past while celebrating its present and helping create its future.
- Q Center [https://www.pdxqcenter.org/]
The Q Center is a GBTQ2SIA+ community center in Portland. The organization serves as an information hub, and its core programs include peer-led groups, senior engagement, and larger community connection.
- Western States Center [https://www.westernstatescenter.org/]
The Western States Center has played a catalytic role in building people-centered movements for social justice since 1987. The organization assists communities and civil society to uphold the rule of law by responding to social movements that exploit bigotry and intolerance.
READING OPPORTUNITIES
The following books provide insight into the Oregon Jewish experience or have been authored by local Holocaust survivors.
HISTORY
- The Jews of Oregon 1850-1950 by Steven Lowenstein
- The Jewish Oregon Story 1950-2010 by Ellen Eisenberg
MEMOIR
- Not All Was Lost by Irene Bessette
- Memories of a Berlin Childhood by Marianne Buchwalter
- Wishing Upon a Star: A Tale of the Holocaust and Hope by Eline Hoekstra Dresden
- In the Shadow of Death: A Young Girl’s Survival in the Holocaust by Mariam Kominkowska Greenstein
- Tapestry of Hope by Alice Koppel Kern
- To Survive is Not Enough by Ruth Lindermann
- In My Hands, Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke
- Becoming Alice: A Memoir by Alice Rene
- I Am Telling You by Mark Shaprio
- With G-d at My Side: A Child’s Story of Survival by Menachem Taiblum
- Our Escape from Nazi-Occupied Norway: Norwegian Resistance to Nazism by Leif Terdal