Skip to content

The Official Guide to Portland

  • Attractions
    • woman photographing view of portlandView All Attractions
    • Attractions Open Now
    • Museums
    • Parks & Gardens
    • Family Friendly
    • Shopping
    • On a Budget
    • EVEN MORE THINGS TO DO
  • Culture
    • people sitting at tables eating foodView All Culture
    • Arts
    • Beer
    • Biking
    • Cannabis
    • Cultural Communities
    • Craft Spirits
    • Food
    • Makers
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Outdoors
    • Sports
    • Weird
    • Wine
    • MORE CULTURE
  • Neighborhoods
    • people walking on the sidewalk under a vintage Hollywood Theater signView 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
    • Where to Stay
    • Tours & Itineraries
    • Transportation
    • When to Visit
    • International Resources
    • Portland Weather
    • COVID-19 FAQ
    • Safety in Portland
    • Plan a Meeting
  • Events
  • Search
Primary Menu 31 Events Near Me content loading animation Search
  • Attractions
    • woman photographing view of portlandView All Attractions
    • Attractions Open Now
    • Museums
    • Parks & Gardens
    • Family Friendly
    • Shopping
    • On a Budget
    • EVEN MORE THINGS TO DO
  • Culture
    • people sitting at tables eating foodView All Culture
    • Arts
    • Beer
    • Biking
    • Cannabis
    • Cultural Communities
    • Craft Spirits
    • Food
    • Makers
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Outdoors
    • Sports
    • Weird
    • Wine
    • MORE CULTURE
  • Neighborhoods
    • people walking on the sidewalk under a vintage Hollywood Theater signView 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
    • Where to Stay
    • Tours & Itineraries
    • Transportation
    • When to Visit
    • International Resources
    • Portland Weather
    • COVID-19 FAQ
    • Safety in Portland
    • Plan a Meeting
  • Events
  • Search
a man wearing a shroud and yamaka, reading the Torah
i
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 July 27, 2022 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

Kosher Eats

  • 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.

  • 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

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

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

Was this page helpful?

Visitor Information

In town or planning your visit and need some advice? Get in touch! Our information desk is currently staffed Monday – Friday.

visitorinfo@travelportland.com

1-888-503-3291 (toll free)
503-427-1372

Map & Guide

Get a Copy

Newsletter Signup

Get your guide to Portland's events, attractions and news.

Follow Us

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Information For

Local Businesses
Media
Meeting Planners
Travel Industry Professionals
Event Organizers

Brought to you by

Travel Portland Logo

We are a promoter and steward of this evolving city and its progressive values, which have the power to transform the travelers who visit us.

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
  • Español
  • Français
  • Deutsch
  • 日本語
  • 汉语
  • 漢語
  • 한국어
Copyright © 2022 Travel Portland
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Copyright Policy
Visit The USA Logo