Ellen Eisenberg, the Dwight and Margaret Lear Professor of American History, completed her two-volume history of the Jewish community in Oregon with her new book, “The Jewish Oregon Story: 1950–2010.” In the latest volume, Eisenberg examines archival sources and more than 500 oral histories to chronicle the Jewish community in Oregon during a period of rapid change.
A recent article in The Oregonian commented on Eisenberg’s use of several narrative threads to discuss this period of Jewish history in Oregon — including the changing Jewish neighborhood in South Portland, the role of Jewish women in Oregon and the increasing role of Jewish Oregonians serving in civic roles.
Eisenberg is also the author of “Embracing a Western Identity: Jewish Oregonians, 1849–1950,” “The First to Cry Down Injustice: Western Jews and Japanese Removal during WWII” (a 2008 National Jewish Book Award finalist) and “Jews of the Pacific Coast: Reinventing Community on America's Edge,” coauthored with Ava F. Kahn and William Toll.
Eisenberg will deliver a book talk at the Oregon Historical Society on Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 6–8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.