Before the end of Jewish-American Heritage Month, it’s fitting to recognize that PSU’s campus was once the site of a lively Jewish neighborhood, with immigrant families from Eastern Europe and Russia settling the area that stretches from Portland State to the South Waterfront. Stories from those days enrich our understanding of the heritage of Portland and of PSU.
For example, Sarah Neusihin emigrated to Portland from Russia in 1922. The sister of a well-known Portland Rabbi, Joseph Fain, went into the pickle business to supplement the family income. After operating out of her house for many years, her popular pickle enterprise moved into a building on S.W. College Street in the space currently occupied by Phat Cart.
Harold Schnitzer was born in the same neighborhood in 1923 to immigrant parents. He attended Shattuck Elementary School (now PSU’s Shattuck Hall) and Lincoln High School (now PSU’s Lincoln Hall) and went on to work alongside his brothers in the family scrap and steel business before founding Harsch Investment Properties (now Schnitzer Properties) and becoming a noted Portland philanthropist. His lifelong interest in scholarship led him to found the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies here at PSU.
PSU is proud of our Jewish heritage and the profound contributions of Portland’s Jewish community. Today, PSU is home to a vibrant community of Jewish students. Organizations like PDX Hillel and the Jewish Student Union create community for our students, and deepen our collective understanding of Jewish culture.
Over the past year, we have faced allegations of antisemitism on campus. We are committed to cultivating a safe, supportive and welcoming campus environment for all students. We are taking steps to address these allegations, and we are meeting and working closely with Jewish leaders across our community.
For example, we recently launched a free class to help our community understand the context of antisemitism and I am grateful to Natan Meier, the Lorry I. Lokey Chair in Judaic Studies at PSU, for teaching the class and sharing his expertise. More than 100 students are taking the online class which many have already completed. Early feedback included this comment from a student: “Not only did this class help inform me on how to convey my opinions without using Antisemitism ideas, but it has also brought a lot of insight about what's happening in the world.” I hope that we’ll be able to offer this course and others like it again in future terms.
I have personally been meeting with leaders of the Jewish community in Portland to understand how we can better support our Jewish students and I have been heartened by the relationships we are strengthening through these conversations.
As we close out Jewish American Heritage Month, I want to restate PSU’s commitment to providing equitable access to an excellent education, supporting all learners and all points of view and eschewing hate of any kind.