Speakers
Rachel Attias
Write What We’ve Forgotten
Rachel Attias is a writer, educator, and editor from the Hudson River Valley of New York, though she now calls Portland home. Her writing has appeared in n+1, Porter House Review, Portland Review, Columbia Journal, and more, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fictions. She holds an MFA from Oregon State University. Her writing and her heart are concerned with relationships both present and ancestral, memory, time, everyday absurdity, and humor.
Sandy Axel
Tachrichim: Traditional Jewish Burial Garments Demystified
I created The Shroud Crowd, a community-wide effort, in 2016 after serving as coordinator for the Chevra Kavod haMet from 2008-2014. The Shroud Crowd provides traditional burial garments to the Chevra Kavod haMet for use during the traditional ritual of tahara. I have served as a community volunteer for numerous organizations in the Portland area since I arrived here in 1986.
Eve Bernfeld
Women Remembering: A Conversation about Jewish Women and Memoir
Eve Bernfeld is a writer, theatre artist, teacher and mother living in Portland, Oregon. Her eclectic career has taken her from Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York to ImprovOlympic in Chicago; from helping found Riot Act Theatre in Jackson Hole to doula training in London; from student teaching at the Boston Arts Academy to teaching Alexander Technique at the University of Portland. She holds an MFA in Applied Theatre from Emerson College and her work has been published by Cathexis NW Press, Calyx, Northern Lights and Howlround Theatre Commons, among others. Tkhines, her recent poetry chapbook, contains work created when she was an art/lab fellow. Eve Bernfeld is a writer, theatre artist, teacher and mother living in Portland, Oregon. Her eclectic career has taken her from Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York to ImprovOlympic in Chicago; from helping found Riot Act Theatre in Jackson Hole to doula training in London; from student teaching at the Boston Arts Academy to teaching Alexander Technique at the University of Portland. She holds an MFA in Applied Theatre from Emerson College and her work has been published by Cathexis NW Press, Calyx, Northern Lights and Howlround Theatre Commons, among others. Tkhines, her recent poetry chapbook, contains work created when she was an art/lab fellow.
Zach Blank
Contemporary Jewish Fatherhood: A Father’s Day Panel
I’m Zach Blank, a Portland-based entrepreneur, husband, and proud dad of three. I’m currently building Jack, an AI operating system for the home that connects busy homeowners with trusted local pros and gives those pros the tools to run their business — all in one place. Alongside my wife, I also co-own Thinker Toys, Portland’s oldest toy store, a community gem focused on STEM toys, games, and creative play that we fell in love with and acquired in 2024. Before Jack, I founded Straightaway, a route-planning app that was acquired in 2020, and spent time as General Manager at Mapbox. I studied Advertising and Brand Strategy at the University of Oregon with a minor in Digital Art and Multimedia Design. Outside of work, I’m active in the Jewish community and serve on the National Young Leadership Cabinet of the Jewish Federations of North America. At the end of the day, my biggest motivation is my family — they’re the reason I keep building.
Rabbi Michael Cahana
Contemporary Jewish Fatherhood: A Father’s Day Panel
Rabbi Cahana has been Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Portland since 2006. He comes from a long line of rabbis including his father, Rabbi Moshe Cahana (z”l) and his brother Rabbi Ronnie Cahana in Montreal. The line continues with his nephew and niece. Along with his wife, Cantor Ida Rae Cahana, Rabbi Cahana is the proud parent of four adult children: David, newly married to Dr. Jessica Maung, and triplets Sarit, Lee and Casper.
Shana Rose Criscitiello
Sacred Flow: A Jewish Yoga Experience
Shana Rose is a wellness guide, yoga and meditation teacher, and the founder of Shana’s Sanctuary, a space devoted to helping others cultivate inner peace and “sanctuarize” their lives—mind, body, spirit, and soul. Drawing from extensive training in yoga, mindfulness facilitation, and Ayurveda, her work blends movement, sound, and spiritual inquiry to support deep healing and self-connection. Her path has taken her from clinical research and mindfulness programs in hospital settings to immersive study in traditional yoga practices and retreat facilitation around the world. At the heart of her offerings is a devotion to guiding others back to their own inner wisdom, helping illuminate the path toward greater presence, alignment, and purpose.
Alongside her holistic training, Shana is currently studying with Embodied Jewish Learning, deepening her connection to Jewish ritual, prayer, and embodied spirituality. She weaves these teachings into her classes through sacred chant, blessing, and intention, creating spaces where ancient wisdom and modern practice meet. Her work is an invitation to come home—to the body, to spirit, and to the sacred within and between us.
Richard Freimark
Making your grandparents Kichel
Most people in the Jewish community of Portland know me as a commercial real estate broker. However, my roots are deeply intertwined with a family legacy of baking that dates back to the late 1800s in Frankfurt, Germany. My ancestors, the Freimark bakers, carried their craft across the Atlantic to the United States, where my father established the renowned Atlas Bakery in Syracuse, NY. Fred Freimark, my father, gained international recognition for his culinary artistry. Originally from Frankfurt, Germany, he honed his skills at world-famous culinary institutions in Germany, France, and Switzerland before immigrating to the U.S. in 1947 with my mother, Gerta Bibring Freimark.
Continuing the family tradition, I opened BagelMax bagels in Lake Oswego, Oregon, in 1995. After selling my bakery to Marsee Baking in 1997, I quietly transitioned back to my career in real estate. Recently, I have embarked on a new project: adapting my family’s commercial-scale recipes (originally yielding over 100-200 pounds per batch) for home bakers in a forthcoming book, “If You Can Read, You Can Bake.”
Rabbi Dovid Gleizer
Bridging the Divide: A Jewish Response to America’s Political Polarization
Rabbi Dovid Gleizer was raised in Brookline, Massachusetts. Following high school, he studied at Yeshivat Lev HaTorah in Israel before continuing at Yeshiva University, where he earned a degree in Psychology and learned in the Katz Kollel under the guidance of Rabbi Hershel Schachter. During his advanced rabbinic studies at Yeshiva University, Rabbi Gleizer and his young family relocated to Jerusalem, where he studied intensively at the Mir Yeshiva for six years. In August 2023, the Gleizer family moved to Portland, Oregon, where Rabbi Gleizer assumed the role of Rosh Beit Medrash of the Portland Kollel, founding and leading numerous educational initiatives within the community. In April 2026, he became the Rabbi of Congregation Kesser Israel. Rabbi Gleizer is guided by a deep love of Torah, a sincere care for every individual, and a commitment to helping others strengthen their connection to Hashem.
Known for his energy, warmth, and genuine interest in others, Rabbi Gleizer brings clarity and inspiration to those around him. He delivers a daily Talmud class as well as a weekly class on the Torah portion, focusing on practical and meaningful applications to everyday life.
Leanne Grabel
Jewish Women Remembering: A Conversation about Jewish Women and Memoir
Leanne Grabel is a poet, illustrator & performer, active in Portland’s literary community for fifty years. In love with mixing genres, Grabel has written & produced numerous poetry-based shows, collaborating with dancers, musicians and visual artists. Grabel is the 2020 recipient of Soapstone’s Bread & Roses Award for contributions to women’s literature in the Pacific Northwest. A Stanford grad and retired special education teacher, Grabel spent 25 years working with at-risk youth. Grabel has documented her life in several graphic memoirs, some poetry-based and others prose-based. Many examples are the website: https://leannegrabel.com
Shoshana Gugenheim Kedem
Women Remembering: A Conversation about Jewish Women and Memoir
American/Israeli artist, Shoshana Gugenheim Kedem, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Art/Lab: Innovating Jewish Arts and Culture, a community of contemporary Jewish artists, culture bearers and their audiences here in Portland, OR and the environs. Shoshana is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary artist, arts educator, curator, writer and Torah scribe. Her work takes shape as large and small scale collaborations with public and private audiences in a wide array of contexts from prisons, to houses of faith, museums, schools, rural fields or rivers. These socially engaged encounters are sculpted by brave and sometimes whimsical collaborations perhaps through a conversation, a blind-folded game, a silent canoe ride, an urban walk, a civics test, a shared meal or more. Shoshana’s work has been featured in Hyperallergic, Nashim, The Forward, Hadassah Magazine and other publications, films and podcasts. She has served as artist/scholar-in-residence for The Center for Jewish Life, Limmud North America, the Pearlstone Institute for Living Judaism, Aleph Alliance for Jewish Renewal, The University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Shoshana teaches, lectures, consults and takes creative residence internationally.
Learn more: www.shoshanagugenheim.com
Rabbi Emily Aviva Kapor-Mater
The Current State of Transgender Judaism
Rabbi Emily Kapor-Mater is the founding rabbi of the Portland Open Beit Midrash. Her rabbinic work centers on affirming and celebrating the lives and identities of the people who inhabit the margins of the Jewish community, drawing on innovative yet deeply rooted approaches to Jewish law, liturgy, and ritual. She is committed to creating welcoming spaces for adult Jewish learning that are both intellectually serious and accessible, particularly to those without formal backgrounds in Jewish learning. Her teaching emphasizes continuity with tradition and the creative possibilities that emerge when more voices are fully included.
Barak Kemeny
DJ
An exciting DJ you won’t want to miss—fCD (fur coats, champagne, diamonds) brings a global, groove-heavy sound. Expect disco-deep cuts from the Mediterranean, Israel, the Middle East, and North Africa, blended seamlessly with House, Baltic grooves, and global funk.
Your boogie operator, fCD, fuses traditional rhythms with modern electronic textures, crafting deep, lush, and rhythmic sets.
In the 2010s, fCD became a staple of Brooklyn’s sweaty warehouse scene, earning a reputation for high-energy, unforgettable performances. He’s been featured in VICE, The New Yorker and Willamette Weeks Top 5 Buzz List.
Judy Margles
Stories from South Portland: The Rise and Displacement of a Jewish Community
Judy Margles is the director emerita of the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE). During her 24-year tenure, she played a key role in the museum’s growth, transforming it from a “museum without walls” into a series of rented spaces, culminating in the 2014 merger with the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center and the 2017 acquisition of a permanent museum location. Before retiring in 2023, Margles oversaw an expansion that added a new gallery dedicated to human rights. Prior to her work at OJMCHE, she spent a decade as Curator at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Margles is a former chair of the Council of American Jewish Museums’ board and has served on the board of the American Alliance of Museums. She is currently a board member of the Cultural Advocacy Coalition of Oregon and Vanport Mosaic, and she advises on museum projects for various institutions across the US.
Michael Perman
Olive & Ember: A Sephardi Food & Wine Tasting
Michael Perman is a Professional Sommelier and CEO of C’EST WHAT? Wine and Sensory, which provides wine and chef services for private homes, corporate events and elevated retail brand experiences. His wine gatherings share fine wines from around the world, along with stories, pairing advice, tasting notes and ideas that help people make better wine selections.
Sheina Posner
The Real Housewives of Chabad: A Panel on Jewish Feminine Leadership
Born and raised in Brazil, Sheina studied in Israel and later worked in NYC before moving to Portland in 2020. Passionate about building warm, meaningful community she has dedicated herself to creating spaces where people feel connected, inspired, and at home. Sheina loves uncovering the timeless wisdom within Torah and its relevance to everyday life, modern struggles and personal growth.
Alicia Jo Rabins
Jewish Women Remembering: A Conversation about Jewish Women and Memoir
Alicia Jo Rabins is a writer, musician, performer, and feminist Torah teacher. The New York Times calls her voice “gorgeous”; the San Francisco Chronicle calls her writing “a poetry page-turner, both sexy and humble.” Her most recent book is a spiritual memoir, When We’re Born We Forget Everything, just out from Schocken Books. Rabins is the author of four additional books including poetry, essays and a children’s book about Leonard Cohen. A performer and composer who also works in theater and film, Rabins tours internationally with Girls in Trouble, her indie-folk song cycle about women in Torah. Visit her at www.aliciajo.com.
Zevi Slavin
Experiential Introduction to Jewish Mystical Practice
Zevi Slavin is a Jewish educator and content creator exploring the depth and beauty of Jewish wisdom, identity, and spirituality. He hosts the Seekers of Unity youtube channel and podcasts which curates deep conversations about life, mysticism, meaning, and purpose – in dialogue with other religious and philosophical traditions. He’s here to share, learn, and connect, so feel free to ask him anything.
Michael Turner
Jonas Mekas and the Diary Film
Michael Turner is an award-winning nonfiction filmmaker whose work explores family, identity, and the emotional landscapes that shape how we live. His feature documentaries include The Way We Talk (2016), an autobiographical exploration of stuttering and vulnerability, and Monument (2023), an intimate portrait of parenthood and inheritance. Turner is a past Oregon Media Arts Fellow and Art/Lab Fellow, and the Program Director of the Silver Falls Film Festival. His films have screened at festivals, cinemas, and universities worldwide.
Patrick Varon
Olive & Ember: A Sephardi Food & Wine Tasting Experience
Patrick Varon is a Portland-based culinary producer and founder of Olive & Ember, a concept rooted in Sephardi and Mediterranean food traditions with a Pacific Northwest sensibility. With a background in venue operations and live experience design, his work blends food, storytelling, and hospitality into immersive, flavor-driven events.
Steven Wasserstrom
Oregonian Jews in the fight against fascism
Steven M. Wasserstrom is The Moe and Izetta Tonkon Professor of Judaic Studies and the Humanities Emeritus at Reed College in Portland Oregon. His publications include Between Muslim and Jew: The Problem of Symbiosis under Early Islam, published by Princeton University Press in 1995, Religion after Religion: Gershom Scholem, Mircea Eliade, and Henry Corbin at Eranos published by Princeton University Press in 1999. “The Fullness of Time”: Poems by Gershom Scholem, selected, edited and introduced by Steven M. Wasserstrom, translated by Richard Sieburth (Ibis Editions: Jerusalem, 2003) is the first edition of the poetry of the great Kabbalah scholar, Gershom Scholem. A second edition, under the title Greetings from Angelus, was published by Archipelago Books in 2018.
Leila Wice
Make Your Container: A JSP Workshop on Being Jewish &
Jewish Studio Process Facilitator Leila Wice is an artist/educator from Philadelphia and currently based in Portland, OR. Through ceramics, fiber, book arts, and printmaking, Wice explores art as ritual and ritual as art. She guides t’vilah (immersion to mark transitons) at Rachel’s Well Community Mikvah, and out in the wild. She has designed dance and performance-art costumes, and knitting patterns. This Spring, she contributed art to the Klezmatics 40th-anniversary album, and her ceramic installations “SAFETY • GLASS” and “SPOONS” are on exhibit at Jew&, along with relief and stencil prints that draw on sacred texts and protest chants.
Mimi Wilhelm
The Real Housewives of Chabad: A Panel on Female Jewish Leadership
Mimi Wilhelm is a nationally recognized leader in Jewish education. She holds a Master’s degree in Education and founded the local Gan Preschool, integrating best practices from Montessori and Reggio Emilia, and went on to develop the Jewish Reggio Inspired Early Childhood curriculum, now implemented in over 100 schools worldwide. She also serves as a mentor and coach to many of the programs that have adopted her curriculum.
In addition, Mimi currently runs the Chabad SW Portland Hebrew school and leads women’s Torah classes and community activities, further shaping and inspiring Jewish learning across generations.
Alongside her professional work, Mimi runs marathons, does Pilates, raises a large family, and plays a central role in leading her community. A lifelong learner, she is currently pursuing a degree in psychology with a focus on Marriage & Family Therapy.