Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Board Photo Coming
Board members can be reached as a group at board@shirtikvahpdx.org.
Nehama Bennet-Teasdale: Chair
I was born of Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri but had no Jewish upbringing. We moved to San Diego when I was 12 and I spent my teen years at the beach. As an adult I was attracted to Judaism through Jewish dance and the public lighting of the Hannukah menora. In 1998 my husband and I made aliyah and lived in Israel for 15 years. We returned to Portland to be part of our grandchildren’s lives in 2013 and joined Shir Tikvah. I’ve taught Kita Alef and Hebrew Through Movement in Nashira for 7 years. That’s my passion! I’m also active in Torah study, Talmud study and Tephilot.
Seymour Hanfling: Co-Chair
I grew up in religious Jewish family in the Chicago area attending a Conservative congregation. I spent three and half years in the Peace Corps (Sri Lanka and Liberia) and ended up in Portland when I ran out of money and needed to get a job. It has worked out well. My wife, Julia, and I followed Rabbi Ariel as Shir Tikvah was being created so that our daughters, Naomi and Mira, could experience a diverse progressive congregation. Both our daughters attended Nashira and had their Bat Mitzvahs here. I retired in 2018 after a long, varied career in education. I am happy to have joined the Board during our transition to a new facility and excited by the opportunities offered through our collaboration with the Eastside Jewish Commons.
Angel Ya'el Murauskas: Treasurer
Angel Murauskas (they) is a lifelong community organizer, artist, writer, and educator originally from the Philadelphia area. They fell in love with Judaism in early adulthood via the campus Hillel, where they first participated in planning and hosting broadly inclusive Jewish events that balanced tradition with progressive values. In the present, Angel participates in a variety of Portland community projects including planning all-ages DIY music performances; LGBTQ+ inclusion education for parents and allies; teaching queer approaches to Torah; and advocacy and crisis intervention for queer youth. They live at home with their two long-term partners, dogs, cats, and plants, and enjoy studying Hebrew, drawing, and singing in their spare time. Angel is passionate about the future of Judaism in the modern age, and is looking forward to being a part of guiding Shir Tikvah into our next phase of growth
CJ Alicandro: Secretary
CJ (they/them pronouns) has been living in Portland for over a decade now. They have degrees in social work from Portland State University and work in behavioral health and union organizing. Their 7yo son attends Shir Tikvah's Nashira Project when he's not on Roblox. When CJ isn't at shul, you can hear them singing showtunes loudly and often.
At Large:
Emma is a community activist and programmer at KBOO community radio. As a trans, queer woman she became involved in organizing within the transgender community and also served as a panelist and organizer on a range of queer community projects including the Transgender Day of Remembrance Interfaith Vigil. Emma is married to Nini and they share their home with six cats. Professionally she comanages their landscape business with her wife and sister. On air Emma co-hosts the radio program Transpositive and Prison Pipeline and serves as the Treasurer of KBOO. Emma has been a member of Shir Tikvah for five years and hosts Torah Chat on Saturday mornings before Torah study.
Mike Siegel is a retired radiologist who has been a member of Shir Tikvah since the beginning. "It's been interesting watching the changes in the congregation over the years," he writes. "Originally, founded and led largely by people that moved over from Congregation Beth Israel, Shir Tikvah evolved to be a community much more reflective of the diverse East side Jewish community. It also has attracted a much younger population than the original "founders". That's a good thing but creates its own challenges.
While my Jewish identity has always been a central part of my life, I've never been a particularly spiritual person. I rarely attend Shabbat services. But I've been a Torah study regular for years. I love the discussions, some wildly off topic, that goes on there. It's really added to my appreciation for the myriad ways we all come to, and express, our personal sense of Judaism."
My mother was Jewish, my father, not. They co-founded the Redwood City Unitarian Fellowship in the ‘60s, where I eventually taught Sunday School, while being very interested in my Jewish roots. More than any of the religions I explored as a Unitarian, I was mostly a Buddhist during adulthood. In 2016 I was introduced to Shir Tikvah, and every day since then I have become a little bit more of an observant Jew, and a student of Rabbi. I am part of the Kesher group, connecting members to information and answers about activities at Shir Tikvah. And I try not to miss Torah study and especially our Shabbat Tefilah. I am a former IT project manager, with a graduate degree in digital security. I love to read and sit in my tiny patio garden that I share with a Wisteria I’ve named Rachel. My daughter Olivia lives with her husband, my grandson Ezra, and Shadow the cat, in upstate NY.
Jenn Bildersee
The large Philadelphia Reform congregation where I grew up was a poor fit. But in 2014 Portland with no local Jewish friends, I worried my two kiddos might think I was personally inventing all the stuff about mitzvahs and seders. I went looking for Jewish community. I’m so grateful for what Shir Tikvah is, and that it’s here. As an Education Committee member I aim to represent Nashira families on the board. But as a single parent and occasional introvert, what I’m most interested in is supporting low-barrier opportunities for everyone to comfortably access programming, connect with others, and deepen their Jewish learning (as I hope to continue doing). In other news I like to read, travel, hike, and stay up late.
Hello, my name is Morgan Senkal (pronounced like Send without the -d, followed by Calvin without the -vin). I’m originally from New York (Queens), but I’ve been living in Portland since the early 90s. My Jewish journey began with my mother, who fled Belgium and her orthodox parents along with everything Jewish after the war to start a new life in the US with her new Turkish husband (my father converted at my grandfather’s insistence, but I suspect he wasn’t really into it). Being raised in a fairly insular and agnostic family, without much connection to distant extended family or local community, I grew up craving that connection and searching for meaning. That search brought me to studying Kabbalah in my early 20s, which had a huge influence on my life and worldview that resonates with me to this day. Fast forward to 2021 when several of my local support structures disappeared, I decided to finally make a more intentional effort to do what I’d been considering for years, and seek a community to learn what it means to live a more Jewish life and to find community, acceptance and support in that goal.
I have been a member of Shir Tikvah for over a decade. My family and I have enjoyed engaging in our vibrant, inclusive religious andlearning community, especially with the pandemic fading and the shul moving in with EJC. My husband Devan and I have twin children in the Nashira program. I grew up in the Northeast attending a conservative synagogue. My parents are also members of Shir Tikvah and most weeks we all gather for Shabbat dinner. I am a rheumatologist in a hospital-based practice. Outside of work I enjoy cooking, gardening, and visiting dog parks with myfamily. I look forward to learning from the seasoned Board members and getting to know more members of our community. I hope to contribute my voice and multigenerational perspective as we work toward a bright future for our thriving Shul.
Mon, November 4 2024
3 Cheshvan 5785
Upcoming Programs & Events
Nov 5 |
Nov 8 |
Nov 9 Junior Minyan Saturday, Nov 9 |
Nov 9 |
Nov 9 |
This week's Torah portion is Parshat Lech Lecha
Shabbat, Nov 9 |
Candle Lighting
Friday, Nov 8, 4:31pm |
Havdalah
Motzei Shabbat, Nov 9, 5:36pm |
Shabbat Mevarchim
Shabbat, Nov 30 |
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Mailing Address: 1631 NE BROADWAY ST, #314, PORTLAND, OR 97232
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