Oregon Jewish Museum Projects
Oral History Jewish Cemetery Project
Our elders’ memories are an invaluable resource threatened by the rapid passage of time. We are taking small groups of community members to Jewish cemeteries in Portland to film and interview them as they walk together and reminisce about their family and friends who are buried there. Names on gravestones trigger many remembrances, and the subsequent conversation between the participants is often striking, if bittersweet. We learn much about those who are no longer with us, but also from those are there to provide the memories. The finished films will be open to archival research and eventually made public. This project has received funding from the Oregon Heritage Commission, the Oregon Cultural Trust and Helen and Jerry Stern.
Oral History Project
The Oregon Jewish Museum’s mission to preserve and present the history of Oregon’s Jewish community relies heavily on our Oral History Project. The central goal is to develop a community oral history archive that provides a chronicle of the experiences of the Jews of Oregon. The current project expands the Oregon Jewish Oral History and Archive collection began in the 1970s by the late Shirley Tanzer. It aims to collect a comprehensive range of oral histories from community members across the state. We train volunteers to conduct the interviews and transcribe the tapes.
Museum in a Suitcase Project
As part of our educational mission, we are planning outreach programs designed to reach students in Oregon’s elementary schools. The goal is to teach these diverse students about the successful integration of one of Oregon’s earliest immigrant groups, namely Jews. A number of significant objects that help explain Jewish immigrant life, ranging from daily-life wares to objects used during religious observance will be included in the suitcase, along with curriculum materials and a teaching guide. We are interested in training docents who will visit schools and engage students. The Collins Foundation, Oregon Heritage Commission and the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland have funded this project.
www.oj
