Seaside Chevra
Seaside, Oregon- Home to Great Beaches, a Friendly Community and Jewish Connectivity
COMMUNITY SPRING & SUMMER UPDATE
HAPPY PASSOVER! CHAG SAMAECH!
SUMMER PLANNING IS UNDERWAY - CAN YOU HELP?
The Seaside Chevra is delighted to announce its summer program plans. We are in the process of finalizing plans for Rabbi Yehuda (Lenny) Oppenheimer and his wife, Rebbetzin Lonni Oppenheimer to be our Rabbi and Rebbetzin in Residence. They led a major Portland congregation for approximately 10 years prior to moving to Israel. The plan is for the Oppenheimers to reside in Seaside for much of the summer and the High Holidays.
We anticipate weekly Shabbat celebrations (including services, communal meals, classes, Havdalah ceremonies), expanded Jewish learning opportunities during the week (both group and one-on-one), kumsitzes on the beach, and more. We hope that the wide variety of ways to participate in the Chevra’s events will be appealing to you.
If you would like to financially help with offsetting the costs associated with our Rabbi and Rebbetzin in Residence program, please contribute HERE. Our goal is to raise $15,000 to cover flight, housing, and hopefully a stipend for the Oppenheimers.
Many new friends from Oregon’s North Coast have shown interest in the Seaside Chevra in the past few months. We are excited to welcome newcomers to the Chevra and to be able to provide expand Jewish enrichment activities and connectivity.
As plans are fine-tuned, we will keep you posted. We’re looking forward to your participation in the activities of your choice. If you have any leads for housing the Oppenheimers during August, please let us know. We are diligently researching options near the Seaside Cove area. Housing for the remainder of the summer and the High Holidays has already been arranged.
TORAH LEARNING OPPORTUNITY BY ZOOM - ARE YOU INTERESTED?
We are working closely with the Portland Kollel to bring an online Jewish education class to our community starting in May. The class will interactively explore the Torah portion of the week and conclude with an Ask-the-Rabbi Question session. Knowledge of Hebrew is not required and there is no charge. More details to follow after Passover.
VISITORS - PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD
The Seaside Chevra welcomes summer visitors to all our activities. If you would like to attend our Shabbat services or desire assistance with picking out a hotel near us, please reach out. We are happy to help you plan your visit. SeasideChevra@gmail.com
About Us:
The Seaside Chevra is the newest traditional addition to the North Coast Jewish experience. Our mission is dedicated to the enrichment of our collective and individual Jewish journeys.
The Chevra offers year-around activities and learning opportunities for Jews of all observance levels and backgrounds, for both local residents and visitors.
We have been blessed with the spiritual support of rabbis from the Portland community, committed to creating a warm, welcoming, connecting, and caring environment.
Please reach out to us at SeasideChevra@gmail.com for more information.
2024-2025 Seaside Chevra Highlights:
- Creation of a temporary synagogue space. (We hope to outgrow this space soon)
- March – Two Purim Megillah Readings and a festive "costume-optional" community Purim meal
- Weekly summer Shabbat morning prayer services and Torah readings with rotating visiting rabbis
- Weekly summer festive Shabbat lunches with traditional cholent and vegetarian options
- Weekly summer Shabbat afternoon classes on Jewish topics
- July – Sponsored a well-attended Community Klezmer Concert with refreshments
- September/October – Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur Services led by Rabbi Lenny Oppenheimer and Rabbi Yehuda Brown
- Provided festive holiday catered meals and housing for guests throughout Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (including a community break-the-fast)
- October – Hosted a Sukkah Barbecue, with opportunity to eat in the Sukkah and Wave the Lulav
- Helped people put Mezuzahs on their homes
- December/January – Daily community ceremonial lighting of Menorah at Seaside City Hall
- December – Amazing Community Chanukah Party at Bob Chisholm Community Center with 60+ people of all backgrounds and ages in attendance featuring live music, great traditional food, singing, & a special children's program
2025 Seaside Chevra Highlights:
- January - Launched the Seaside Chevra website
- March - Purim celebration with 2 Megillah readings and community festive meal
Looking forward, we hope to further expand opportunities to connect Jewishly and enrich our connectivity to each other and our shared Jewish heritage.
We welcome and encourage participation in the activities of your choice. Our events are intended for both locals and visitors.
To enable the Chevra to continue to provide Jewish enrichment activities, we encourage you to consider volunteering and/or donating to help with an upcoming event.
Email SeasideChevra@gmail.com. Thank you.
→ Donate Here: PortlandKollel.org/seaside (Credit card, Paypal, Zelle and checks are welcome)
For More Information: Contact Ze'ev and Laurie - SeasideChevra@gmail.com
© 2025 by SeasideChevra.com
All Rights Reserved