Nadene Goldfoot
In the 1960s, the premier venue for Jewish country club dances and formal social events in the Portland area was the Tualatin Country Club located in Tualatin, Oregon, just south of Portland. For country club events, galas, and golf, the community relied on the Tualatin facility, which was originally established by the Jewish-founded Concordia Club in 1912 precisely because Jews were excluded from other elite clubs in Portland. For other youth dances, lectures, and social gatherings closer to the city, the community frequently gathered at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center (MJCC), which was located in the Southwest neighborhood during that era. . However, historical estimates and demographic studies placed the Jewish population in the Portland metropolitan area at approximately 3,500 during that era. In 1960s Portland, antisemitism rarely took the form of violent extremism. Instead, it was largely sociocultural and institutional. Jewish Oregonians frequently faced systemic exclusion from exclusive country clubs, prominent corporate law firms, and certain fraternities and sororities.
Social Club Exclusions: Elite social organizations like the Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC), the Arlington Club, and the Waverley Country Club maintained informal or formal quotas that barred Jewish membership until the 1970s. Dancing in Portland during the 1960s was defined by a split between the psychedelic rock revolution, early soul and R&B nightlife, and local TV dance crazes. The decade featured massive R&B performances, thriving counterculture ballroom crowds, and neighborhood jazz and dance schools. The epicenter of the counterculture dance scene was the McMenamins Crystal Ballroom. For R&B and soul dancers, the premier destination was the Cotton Club at 2125 N. Vancouver Ave in North Portland. Known as the only nightclub on the West Coast with "wall-to-wall soul," it brought in major touring musicians and provided a vibrant hub for the local African American music and social scene. Portland State University's Urban campus: Portland State University is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next 20 years and was granted university status in 1969. There is no historical evidence of significant, organized anti-Semitism specifically directed at Portland State College (now Portland State University) in the 1960s. The college was a commuter school that grew rapidly during that decade. The campus culture was largely shaped by broader social movements, free speech, and the Vietnam War, rather than religious or ethnic tensions. While Portland's Jewish community faced historical housing and employment discrimination in the mid-20th century, anti-Semitism at the college itself did not figure prominently in campus affairs during that era. Professional Barriers: Many Jewish lawyers and professionals were unable to secure jobs at established non-Jewish firms, prompting the creation of their own prominent, successful practices (such as the origins of Tonkon Torp).The most famous Jewish judge in Portland, Oregon during the 1960s was Gus J. Solomon. Appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in 1949, he served as the state's first Jewish federal judge and was its longest-serving federal jurist. Breaking Barriers: During this decade, prominent Jewish leaders—most notably lawyer Moe Tonkon—actively fought to dismantle exclusionary practices by becoming the first Jewish members of Portland’s elite WASP-dominated clubs. Moe was an immigrant. Moe Tonkon (1905–1984) was a prominent Portland business lawyer, civic leader, and founding partner of the law firm Tonkon Torp LLP. A Bender, Russia native who grew up in Portland, he helped bring the Portland Trail Blazers to the city and served as a major trailblazer against local antisemitism. Neighborhood Redlining & Shifts: As the historic immigrant Jewish neighborhood of South Portland was largely demolished for urban renewal in the early 1960s, Jewish families moving to the suburbs or other parts of the city occasionally encountered restrictive housing covenants and subtle real estate discrimination. In the 1960s, Black Portlanders faced systemic discrimination heavily concentrated in housing, employment, and policing. Redlining and discriminatory real estate practices forced 80% of the city’s 15,000 African Americans into the Albina district. While Black Portlanders fought for civil rights, this concentrated community was continuously fractured by urban renewal projects, including the construction of Interstate 5 and Memorial Coliseum, which bulldozed Black-owned homes and businesses.In the 1960 U.S. Census, the Black (or "Nonwhite") population in Portland was approximately 15,000 to 16,000 residents. Specifically, census tract records indicate the city's Black population stood at 15,637 within Portland's city limits.
Interfaith Cooperation: In 1961, Rabbi Emanuel Rose from the Reform Temple helped found the Oregon Board of Rabbis, fostering early connections and mutual understanding with the Catholic and Muslim communities.Resource:https://www.ojmche.org/oral-history-people/rabbi-emanuel-rose/
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