by Cindy | Sep 25, 2026 | Arts, Culture, Featured Slider
By Cindy Saltzman / All photos courtesy of Rockne Roll/The Portland Jewish Review
For one Sunday in late August, Portland’s waterfront looked—and sounded—a little different.
Nearly 4,000 people came to Zidell Yards for the Portland Jewish Festival, filling the sprawling South Waterfront venue with music, dancing, food, families, artists, Jewish organizations and something that felt especially important right now: unabashed Jewish joy.
Presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland, the Aug. 30 festival brought together people from across the Portland metro area for a public celebration of Jewish culture and community. Federation President and CEO Marc Blattner had said before the event that one of its goals was for Portland’s Jewish community to be “loud and proud.” Judging by the turnout, Portland was ready.
The event took place at the Zidell Yards which sits prominently along the Willamette River, a highly visible location that helped take Jewish life beyond the walls of synagogues, schools and community centers and place it quite literally in the middle of Portland. The site itself has Jewish roots: the former shipyard was developed by the Zidell family, whose story began with an Eastern European Jewish immigrant.
The music reflected just how broad contemporary Jewish culture can be. Nissim Black and Kosha Dillz brought Jewish hip-hop and rap to the main stage, while Portland singer-songwriter Alicia Jo Rabins, Carpathian-Pacific Express and other performers added everything from indie folk to klezmer. Festival-goers moved between live performances, Israeli dancing, food and drink, vendors, children’s activities, artists and booths representing Jewish organizations from throughout the region.
NISSIM BLACK told us, “It was an amazing event and if felt so good to be met with so much love in the Northwest.It feels like we’re forgotten a lot in that corner of the world. It’s always a big privilege to return.”
But perhaps the best measure of the day wasn’t found onstage.
“The Portland Jewish Festival reminded me what a gift it is to be Jewish and living in Portland, Oregon,” said active community member, Michelle Bombet Minch, who described reconnecting with old friends, meeting people she had previously known only through social media and discovering just how many Jewish connections surrounded her. “It’s the conversation and connection” that she said she will carry with her.
That sense of connection was everywhere.
Dozens of community partners participated, representing congregations, schools and organizations including ADL Pacific Northwest, Greater Portland Hillel, Jewish Family & Child Service, the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Oregon Jewish Community Foundation, Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Portland Jewish Academy and many others. The Federation also partnered with JFCS on a kosher food drive connected to the festival.
The months of planning also included extensive security coordinated with the Secure Community Network, private security and Portland Police—allowing families to come together and concentrate on what the day was intended to be about: celebrating.
At a time when being visibly Jewish can sometimes feel complicated, there was something wonderfully uncomplicated about seeing thousands of people gathered on Portland’s waterfront simply enjoying being Jewish—and inviting the wider community to enjoy it with them.
by Cindy | Apr 17, 2026 | Featured Slider, Influencer, Influencers, Terrorism
You may think this is harsh.
But this isn’t new.
It’s a pattern.
From Uvalde—
to photo ops around American military cemeteries—
to carefully curated “humanitarian” appearances that somehow always circle back to monetization and exploitation.
And now—Bondi Beach.
A community still reeling.
Survivors. Grief. Shock.
The same outfit—
posted, tagged, and monetized within hours.
And no,
there was no real voice
when it came to October 7.
Just vague gestures—
like claims of sending supplies
that no one on the ground
ever seemed to see
Instead—carefully curated appearances,
including a Jordan visit in Feb.
tied to aid groups
with ( allegedly) serious questions about affiliations to H@mas supporting employees.
This isn’t just a PR strategy.
And it’s not just about deflecting from the criticism that keeps catching up to them-especially regarding their “philanthropic” ventures.
It’s the normalization of turning real pain into personal gain.
And it’s becoming more dangerous by the day.
#bondibeach #meghanandharry #grifters
by Cindy | Apr 15, 2026 | Featured Slider
Jewish Life Now is building on the success of our established resource guides in other communities by launching a Resource Guide for South Florida - just in time for Rosh Hashanah. We are so looking forward to being a part of this vital, growing and dynamic community!
by Cindy | Mar 13, 2026 | Activism, jewish news
The Jewish community of Arizona is very fortunate to have the ACTIC reach out to offer assistance. I hope other communities are receiving the same. Here is their message:
In light of the current climate and the increase in violence, the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center (ACTIC) and other law enforcement entities have disseminated information, reminding the public to remain vigilant and report criminal or suspicious activity.
The ACTIC advises community members and law enforcement partners to call 911 immediately to report any acts of violence. Suspicious activity can also be reported to the ACTIC by submitting a tip using the contact information listed below. Submitted tips will be forwarded to the Threat Liaison Officer (TLO) assigned to the appropriate jurisdiction for follow-up.
To report suspicious activity or potential criminal activity, contact the ACTIC via:
| Website – azactic.gov | Telephone - (602) 644-5805 |
by Cindy | Sep 21, 2025 | Featured Slider, Israel, October 7
It’s now nearly two years since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attack triggered an ongoing war that has shaken the very foundations of our lives here in Israel.
It’s been another immensely trying year for Israel, as the war has not ended and terror groups in the Gaza Strip still hold 47 of the 251 hostages abducted on October 7. The country is deeply torn over its leadership, the war’s continued justification, and fundamental domestic matters such as Haredi conscription and an independent judiciary.
- September 2024: Following Israel’s stunning beeper operation against Hezbollah operatives, an escalation on the Lebanon front, including the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and an IDF ground invasion in southern Lebanon
- October 2024: Iran launches 200 ballistic missiles at Israel; Hamas leader and October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar is killed by the IDF in Rafah; IDF retaliates against Iran by striking Iranian military sites and air defenses
- November 2024: The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for “war crimes and crimes against humanity”; Israel and Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon
- December 2024: The Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad falls; Israel conducts numerous strikes on Syrian military sites and enters the UN-patrolled buffer zone in the Golan Heights
- January 2025: Israel and Hamas reach a temporary ceasefire and hostage release agreement
- February 2025: The IDF mostly withdraws from Lebanon but maintains military outposts there
- March 2025: The Gaza ceasefire collapses and IDF military actions in Gaza resume; Houthi missile attacks on Israel intensify “in rejection” of Israel’s “genocide in Gaza”
- April 2025: A Houthi hypersonic ballistic missile strikes the perimeter of Ben Gurion Airport; major wildfires break out in more than 100 locations through the Judaean Mountains area. The fires begin, ominously, on Israel’s Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron) and force the cancellation of most Independence Day celebrations
- May 2025: Israel begins a new wave of retaliatory attacks on Houthi-controlled Yemen; the UN Human Rights Commissioner declares Israel’s Gaza escalation and aid blockade “tantamount to ethnic cleansing”
- June 2025: Israel launches surprise attacks on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, beginning a 12-day war; Israel kills Iran’s top military leadership, including IRGC commander Hossein Salami; Iran fires over 500 ballistic missiles toward major Israeli cities, including 200 in one day (June 14); 31 Israelis are killed and over 3,000 injured; major damage is caused to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, the Bazan oil refinery in Haifa Bay, and Soroka Hospital in Beersheba; the United States strikes three Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israel
- July 2025: Houthis resume Red Sea attacks; the Gaza conflict continues
- August 2025: The IDF begins an offensive to take over Gaza City in the north; the Israeli Air Force launches multiple waves of airstrikes in Yemen, killing Houthi Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi and other senior officials
- September 2025: Israel conducts a surprise airstrike in Doha, Qatar, targeting most of the key Hamas leadership at a residential complex as they gather to discuss a ceasefire proposal for Gaza; none of the prime targets is believed to be killed; US President Donald Trump expresses deep unhappiness that Israel struck inside the territory of US ally and Gaza mediator Qatar
Since the war began, 904 IDF soldiers have been killed across the various arenas of conflict. More than 10,000 IDF soldiers have been treated for mental health issues. And Israelis’ fundamental sense of security and stability has been deeply shaken.
- 90% of Gaza border community residents have returned to their communities.
- Young Israelis who have been asked to contribute so much these past two years, notably in innumerable stints of reserve duty, are pledging to lead a new wave of political and social leadership.
- New political parties are being formed.
- Extraordinary scientific innovation from Israel continues, as our reporter Diana Bletter has documented.
- Tel Aviv share indexes have surged to all-time highs and the shekel appreciated nearly ten percent, with investors hopeful for an economic “peace dividend” with neighbors following the Iran conflict resolution.
(Excerpted from The Times of Israel, David Horowitz)
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