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  • Attractions
    • women dances with large fans outside on a city street surrounded by people in colorful dragon costumesView All Attractions
    • Museums
    • Parks & Gardens
    • Family Friendly
    • Shopping
    • On a Budget
    • EVEN MORE THINGS TO DO
  • Culture
    • people dining at picnic tables in front of a food cartView All Culture
    • Arts
    • Beer
    • Biking
    • Cannabis
    • Cultural Communities
    • Craft Spirits
    • Food
    • Makers
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Outdoors
    • Sports
    • Weird
    • Wine
    • MORE CULTURE
  • Neighborhoods
    • aerial view of downtown area with buildings and roadways, bridges crossing a river to a smaller set of buildings that expand into the distanceView All Neighborhoods
    • Alberta Arts District
    • Belmont
    • Central Eastside
    • Division/Clinton
    • Downtown
    • Hawthorne
    • Lloyd
    • Mississippi
    • Northwest / Nob Hill
    • Old Town Chinatown
    • Pearl District
    • St. Johns
    • Sellwood-Moreland
    • Williams
    • ALL NEIGHBORHOODS
  • Region
    • RegionView All Region
    • Near the City
    • Columbia River Gorge
    • Mount Hood
    • Oregon Coast
    • Willamette Valley
    • ALL REGIONS
  • Plan
    • Light rail train car driving past people shopping at an outdoor marketView All Plan
    • Portland Maps
    • Portland Visitor Center
    • Where to Stay
    • Tours & Itineraries
    • Transportation
    • When to Visit
    • Accessible Portland
    • Portland Weather
    • COVID-19 FAQ
    • Safety in Portland
    • Plan a Meeting
  • Events
  • Search
a man wearing a shroud and yamaka, reading the Torah
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Portland and the surrounding region offers a rich Jewish cultural history.
Culture / Cultural Communities

Jewish Community

Find out more about Portland's Jewish community and legacy.

Updated Sept. 19, 2023 1 min read

Portland is home to more than 40,000 Jewish residents, and Jewish history in Oregon goes back to 1849. Many Jewish residents helped shape Portland’s future, such as Bernard Goldsmith, the mayor of Portland from 1869-1871, who built the Willamette Falls Locks in Oregon City; Aaron and Jeanette Meier and Emil Frank, of the Meier & Frank department stores; “Soda Pop King” Louis Albert; and Sam Schnitzer of Schnitzer Steel, to name just a few.

Events & Festivals

  • Jewish Film Festival – held in June at the Northwest Film Center
  • Jewish Federation of Greater Portland community calendar
  • Jewish Book Month – every November
  • ORA – Northwest Jewish Artists
  • Portland Israeli Folk Dancing

Jewish Eateries in Portland

Enjoy top-notch Jewish eats, from restaurants to bakeries to breweries.

  • Sweet Lorraine’s Latkes & More

    This former-food-cart turned pop-up inside Labyrinth Forge specializes in NY-style Jewish cuisine, serving up latkes, knish, kugel, old-fashioned cake doughnuts and more.

  • Leikam Brewing

    This family-owned brewery serves (and ships) 100% kosher beers. In keeping with tikkun olam, the brewery donates a portion of its profits to nonprofit organizations.

  • Ben & Esther’s Bagels

    Vegan Jewish deli and bakery serving boiled and baked bagels, kugel, knishes, rugelach, hamentashen and more.

  • Cafe at the J

    Cafe at the J is certified by Oregon Kosher and offers sandwiches, soups, salads, pizza, falafel, pasta, bagels, and more plus Kosher Meals To-Go for Shabbat.

  • Garbonzos

    Garbanzos is the latest kosher addition to Portland's food scene. Pitas, falafel platters, soup, salad and more are served up fresh six days a week. All items on the menu are gluten-free, vegan, halal and certified kosher.

Attractions

  • Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
  • Mittleman Jewish Community Center
  • Oregon Holocaust Memorial

Resources

  • Oregon Jewish Life monthly lifestyle magazine
  • Oregon Kosher
  • Jewish Federation of Greater Portland – local congregations
Cultural Communities

Oregon Jewish Museum

In times of social upheaval and political uncertainty, museums like OJMCHE are more relevant than ever. Explore the rich history and ongoing resiliency of Oregon’s diverse Jewish community with interactive exhibits and experiences for all ages.

Visit The Museum

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Visitor Information

visitorinfo@travelportland.com
1-888-503-3291 (toll free)
503-427-1372
Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Portland Visitor Center

1132 SW Harvey Milk St #104,
Portland, OR 97205

Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

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