Nadene Goldfoot 
Between 1880 and 1924, the mass migration of roughly 2.5 million East Europeans to the United States dramatically altered the American Jewish landscape. Compared to Germans who had arrived earlier, Eastern Europeans tended to be far more traditional in their religious practices. They were predominantly craft or industrial workers (particularly garment workers) and more receptive to socialist and Zionist ideologies than were their American coreligionists.
Around 1910, Jewish immigrants in Portland, Oregon centered their lives in the South Portland neighborhood, established a vibrant community with local institutions, and bridged differences between older German settlers and newer Eastern European arrivals. During the 1910s, Portland's Jewish population was roughly estimated at around 2,300 to several thousand people, as the local community grew rapidly due to new Eastern European immigration.
Hattie "Zlata" Goldfoot nee Jermulowske The Immigrant Hub: South Portland (just south of downtown) became a dense, walkable neighborhood where families lived close to synagogues, kosher markets, and bakeries. During the 1910s, Portland's growing Jewish community was served by several active congregations, including Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation Shaarie Torah, and early gatherings of Congregation Ahavath Achim, Because the region's main racial prejudices at the time targeted Asian and Indigenous populations, European Jewish immigrants were generally accepted into white civic, business, and political circles. Exclusion was going on, though, socially.
In the 1910s, Jewish people in Portland faced minimal systemic employment discrimination in daily commerce, working mostly as independent merchants, peddlers, and storekeepers or within family networks, though they experienced social exclusion in elite local clubs.Congregation Beth Israel: Established in 1858, it was Portland's oldest congregation. During the 1910s, the members worshipped at their prominent building located at Southwest Tenth and Main Streets until a fire destroyed it in the 1920s.Congregation Shaarie Torah: Founded in 1905 by Russian Jewish immigrants, the Orthodox congregation was active during the 1910s in a refurbished building originally moved to First Avenue, south of Hall Street. Congregation Ahavath Achim: Formed around 1910 by Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Turkey and Rhodes, they began regular prayer services and formally organized their community before officially incorporating in 1916. Congregation Kesser Israel: Founded in 1912 by Eastern European immigrants as an Orthodox shul in the South Portland neighborhood. This is where my paternal grandparents attended, and then my grandfather died in his horse and wagon accident in 1912. My bubba attended alone, then. Neveh Zedek Talmud Torah: An Orthodox congregation formed from earlier mergers that served the local community on the-then South Portland-centered Jewish district before eventually evolving into later Conservative affiliations decades later. Ahavai Sholom: Founded in 1869, this congregation operated out of their building built in 1904 at Southwest Park Avenue and Clay Street during the 1910s. Linath Hazedek: Formed as an Orthodox congregation in 1914.My father and his siblings were born 1906, 1908, 1910, 1911 and 1912; his birthday being in 1908. His Jewish parents were from different parts of Lithuania. He attended: Failing Grade School. He grew up speaking Yiddish only; his mother spoke only Yiddish. How did the 1st grade teacherhandle such a classroom, most likely with many like my father, and my experience as teaching for 25 years includesteaching ESL to adults. I am just amazed at what thesechildren had to adjust their brains to. My father remembered that there was one black boy in his class. At age 4 my dad and his 6 year old brother were out selling newspapers, making change and learning about life. I imagine he was a quick learner in math. Mel Blanc, also bornin 1908, was in his class in high school. Mel was Melvin Jerome Blanc, though born in California, nicknamed “The Man of a Thousand Voices”, was an American voice actor and comedian Blanc is best known for voicing iconic Warner Bros. characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester, and Yosemite Sam. Failing was named for Josiah Failing (July 9, 1806 – August 14, 1877)who was a businessman and the fourth mayor of Portland, Oregon, United States. Born in New York, he moved to Portland when it was still a small town of a few hundred. He and his son Henry, who also became a noted businessman and mayor of the city, started a general merchandising business that became very successful.Josiah moved out here in 1851, was one of the first to live in Portland. He located his store diagonally across the street from the business of Henry W. Corbett, a future U.S. Senator with whom the Failing business would later partner.The OHSU School of Medicine has roots dating back to the late 19th century and is one of the oldest western medical schools. In 2012, the OHSU School of Medicine celebrated the 125th anniversary of its founding., so it had been established in 1887, and was here already. Local Practices: Surviving regional and institutional records from the Oregon Health & Science University Historical Collections & Archives do not indicate that a formalized religious quota system was active at the Portland-based medical school during the specific 1910–1920 timeframe. such as existed on the East Coast.
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