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Elaine S. Friedman

Elaine S. Friedman is the author of The Facts of Life in Portland, Oregon (1993) as well as several articles on librarianship. Before moving to Portland, she worked as a librarian at the University of Michigan Graduate Library and the Princeton University Computing Center. In Oregon, she served as a data administrator for the Center for Urban Education and as head librarian for Ater Wynne LLP. She is currently a freelance writer and researcher.

Author's Entries

  • Ben Selling (1852-1931)

    Ben Selling—an early Portland merchant, elected official, and philanthropist—truly reflects the inscription on the Skidmore Fountain in the city where he lived and worked for nearly all of his life: “Good citizens are the riches of a city.” In both his work and his personal endeavors, Selling put Portland and …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Congregation Beth Israel

    Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) is the oldest and most prominent Jewish Reform congregation in Oregon. Temple Beth Israel, the congregation's home on Northwest Flanders Street in Portland, is an impressive, Byzantine-inspired building that is on the National Register of Historic Places. The congregation had its beginning at a meeting …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Congregation Neveh Shalom

    Congregation Neveh Shalom is the name of both a synagogue and the congregation that holds services and celebrations there. As of 2009, it was the largest and most prominent Conservative congregation in Oregon. Blending traditional observance with an egalitarian ethic, it is the spiritual home for more than a thousand …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Congregation Shaarie Torah

    Shaarie Torah is the name of both a synagogue in northwest Portland and the Jewish congregation that makes its spiritual home there. In Hebrew, shaarie torah means “gates to the Torah.” The first Orthodox synagogue in the Pacific Northwest, Congregation Shaarie Torah was formed in 1905 to meet the religious …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Mittleman Jewish Community Center

    The Mittleman Jewish Community Center (MJCC) in Portland traces its roots to the B’nai B’rith Building Association, an organization formed in 1910 with the specific purpose of establishing a Jewish community center. In 1914, the two-story brick building opened its doors on Thirteenth Avenue between Market and Mill streets. It …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Pioneer Courthouse Square

    In the heart of downtown Portland, Pioneer Courthouse Square fulfills its mission to “welcome all to our community gathering place.” Its popularity is evident in the 26,000 people who traverse the Square every day and the hundreds of events that take place there each year. Recognized by the American …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Rabbi Yonah Geller (1920-2007)

    Rabbi Yonah Geller arrived in Portland in 1960 to lead Congregation Shaarie Torah in its new synagogue on Park Avenue. Even though the Orthodox synagogue had been a significant part of Jewish Portland since the turn of the twentieth century, Rabbi Geller understood that there was much work ahead for …

    Oregon Encyclopedia