Community

Board of Directors 
Board members can be reached as a group with board@shirtikvahpdx.org

Bruce Birk:  Chair     bruceb@shirtikvahpdx.org
Emma Lugo: Vice-Chair      emmal@shirtikvahpdx.org
Randy Bluffstone: Treasurer      randyb@shirtikvahpdx.org 
Bonnie Robbins: Secretary     bonnier@shirtikvahpdx.org

Judy Siviglia: Ombudsmensch      judys@shirtikvahpdx.org

At Large:
Hillary Barbour       hillaryb@shirtikvahpdx.org
Nehama Bennet-Teasdale         nehamab@shirtikvahpdx.org
Jason Eisdorfer       jasone@shirtikvahpdx.org
Simon Goldstein       simong@shirtikvahpdx.org
Angela Michtom       angelam@shirtikvahpdx.org
Percy Wise       percyw@shirtikvahpdx.org

(See bios below)

Aron Borok: Past Co-Chair
Leora Troper: Past Co-Chair

*Members can access board meeting minutes by logging in on "My Account".

COMMITTEES of the Board

Member Services and Outreach Committee: 

This committee coordinates the following groups to foster a sense of community Kesher, of Yad l’Yad, Kesher,  K’vod haMeyt, and Volunteer Support.Yad l’Yad (Hand to Hand): Provides emotional and physical support needed for members during a difficult period. Visiting the sick, running errands, providing meals, transportation, writing letters, or even making phone calls are ways we have helped members. Kesher  (Welcoming): Welcomes new members, answering questions and greeting at events, helping to familiarize new members. K’vod haMeyt (Cemetery Group): Maintains our cemetery in partnership with Congregation P’nai Or and Kol Shalom and takes the lead in the mitzvot of helping to bury the dead and comfort the bereaved. Volunteer Support: Implements volunteer appreciation and supports volunteer recruitment and retention. Outreach Representative: Answers prospective member's questions about financial obligations

Tefilah (Prayer and Ritual) Committee

This group enhances religious services and experiences at Shir Tikvah by supporting lay leaders, helping to educate members about Jewish prayer and ritual practice, and by developing prayer materials.

Fundraising Oversight Committee 

These volunteers provide broad oversight, planning and coordination for all fundraising events.

Other Working groups: Legal & Governance, Investment, Life and Legacy Giving, Social Justice Working Group

BOARD MEMBER BIOs

Bruce: I was raised in Texas by Canadian immigrants and attended a large, Reform synagogue where my father was active in their leadership. I have lived in Portland since 1999 and am a Pediatrician at a local group practice. We have been  members of CST for 14 years plus. I am a devotee of Jewish music and have played guitar with services and Nashira. I am also the Mohel for our shul and the community at large. Beyond that I love to fix things, practice Tae Kwon Doe, and golf (poorly).  It has been my pleasure to serve on the board since 5778. I have worked on many projects including our security plans, the EJC, our use of technology, and much more.

Emma: 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.

Randy: Randy, his wife Marla and children Zoe and Ari have been members of Congregation Shir Tikvah since 2005. Wow, that’s more than 15 years! Both children became Bar/Bat Mitzvah at Shir Tikvah, have moved into adulthood and occasionally can still be found at Shir Tikvah events. Randy is the past chair of the board of directors and currently serves as treasurer. He invites you to say hi sometime.

Bonnie: I was raised in Miami FL, attending a Conservative synagogue and Hebrew school, celebrating holidays, etc. After some years away, I drifted back to Judaism, and worked at the Eugene synagogue’s preschool for years. I joined ST in 2005 when I moved to Portland - with an 11 year old who I was hoping to push to become a bat Mitzvah (totally her choice, cough cough), and she did. I’m a regular at Torah Study. I started Cinema Tikvah here in 2015. Outside of the Jewish realm, I like to make things! All kinds of things (well, not my bed). And as Bruce likes to tell people, I’ve been making lots of masks during Covid times.

Percy: 

Judy: I was born and raised Jew”ish" in a suburb of New York City. My understanding of Judaism was pretty much limited to Hanukkah and Passover. It was only when I left New York for the wilderness (Rhode Island, Colorado, North Carolina) that I realized how much being Jewish meant to me, and I started to educate myself so I could answer questions like “Wait - why don't you celebrate Christmas?!"  My wife Anna and I moved to Portland in 2004 with our 1-year-old son Griffin. Our daughter Ruth was born a couple years later. We joined Shir Tikvah for the Hebrew School and stayed for the Torah study. It has been the perfect place for our mixed family (Anna is not Jewish) to figure out how to raise Jewish kids. Once upon a time I was a journalist, taking pictures for newspapers in North Carolina and creating web content for the Oregonian. Now I am a 7th grade math teacher, because that seemed like a good career move. I am grateful to be part of the Board, as it’s allowed me to learn more about and contribute to this community I love.

Simon: Simon grew up in New Jersey, where his family belonged to an orthodox, later becoming a conservative congregation in New Brunswick; his grandfather was a founding member and past President of that shul. He came to Oregon in 1997, began participating in Shir Tikvah’s Torah Study in 2017, and became a member in 2018. A retired senior consulting manager of IT risk and security at Accenture, he is a past board president for Portland’s chapter of ISACA, an international technology and audit association. Simon has also volunteered in Beaverton’s Elementary School Art Literacy program, bringing art experiences to children in K-5 classes. He became a board member in 2019 and serves on Shir Tikvah’s Legacy and Investment Committees.  Aside from oil painting, he is an avid gardener, cook, and bread baker

Hillary: Hillary has been a member of Congregation Shir Tikvah from the beginning. In that time she has been a Nashira teacher and a regular Torah chanter at Shabbat services and High Holidays. Her daughter, Piper, is a 3rd grade Nashira student. Hillary is the Director of Strategic Initiatives for Burgerville where she oversees the company’s participation in the Pacific Northwest’s food and business economy. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, and is a founder of the Rocky Butte Farmers Market. She loves backpacking, gardening, and doing just about anything outdoors. 

Angela

Jason: We have belonged to Shir Tikvah (or it to us) for a long time.  Shir Tikvah helped raise our children, Olive and Sam, from a young age.  Diana is a dedicated attendee at Torah Study.  I was on the Steering Committee for many years during some interesting times just before we became a Board.  I am back because I can't get enough of a good thing.  This may be the fifth (?) congregation I have been a part of in my lifetime and it was like coming home when we discovered it.  What a great group we are!  I am honored to serve the congregation on the Board.

Nehama: I was born of Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri but had no Jewish upbringing. We moved to SanDiego 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.

Programs at Shir Tikvah are a collaboration between staff, volunteers and the Rabbi. Thank you for bringing us ideas that promote Torah (study), Avodah (prayer) and G'milut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness). Programs will be evaluated in terms of staff and volunteer capacity, as well as broad appeal to the congregation as a whole. After the proposal has been submitted and reviewed, staff may contact you about creating a budget for a program.

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