The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education had much to share at its annual meeting Tuesday, June 23. Most of that news was celebratory – the members elected Dan Sharp and Lisa Kaner to the museum’s board of directors and elected Jennifer Yoken as the board’s new president along with a full slate of officers – but some of the news was surprising.

“I’m so glad that we are all here, and I’m very happy to have the opportunity to speak with you tonight and share some of the successes that the museum has experienced since last July,” Interim Executive Director Gail Mandel said, “look to the future, and share news of future exhibitions, and highlights from our strategic plan, and, alas, to share some challenges that we have faced as well.”

Many of OJMCHE’s successes have been public – high-profile events featuring Rabbi Sharon Brous and Amb. Deborah Lipstadt, engaging exhibits encompassing the breadth of of Jewish life and art and another thought-provoking and entertaining Jewish film festival among them.

“The festival highlighted films that widened our lens on identity, memory, conflict, and care while reminding us that our shared humanity remains the most compelling narrative of all,” Mandel said. “I am thrilled to share the planning for film festival for 2027 is already underway.”

Less publicly, more than a thousand students toured the museum as part of the statewide Holocaust education program OJMCHE helped launch through Senate Bill 664, while more than 4,000 people heard presentations from the museum’s Speakers’ Bureau. Meanwhile, the museum crafted a new strategic plan, which will be rolled out over the course of the summer.

“This document will serve as our North Star, guiding us over the next three to five years as we work to preserve Holocaust and Jewish memory, combat antisemitism and promote the understanding of Jewish culture, elevate Jewish cultural identity and community and educate communities about human rights through the lens of the Holocaust,” Mandel said.

There have been challenges, as well, Mandel explained. Some have been public, like the swastikas that were graffitied on the exterior of the museum’s building last summer. (See “OJMCHE graffiti remains under investigation,” Aug. 13, 2025, page 4)

“OJMCHE shared this blatant expression of antisemitism with the community, and while it was investigated by the police, unfortunately, the responsible individual is never identified and held accountable,” Mandel said.

Other challenges have been less public. Mandel continued to note that seven additional instances of vandalism have occurred at the museum since the swastika graffiti of last summer, incidents which were not made widely public until the meeting. Six were windows being broken but the seventh, which occurred on May 13, involved an individual spray-painting “F--- Jews” on the museum’s exterior, the first word being an expletive. Portland police have investigated all seven of these additional incidents, Mandel said, with assistance from the museum’s security camera footage, but no arrests have been made.

“The vandalism, as a whole, is likely a combination of opportunity and antisemitism, and throughout, it has been both disheartening and enraging for the entire staff,” Mandel continued. “However, despite the disruption and cost these events have created, we do not see these incidents as a victim narrative. We see that as confirmation that OJMCHE and its educational mission matter.”

That mission will be guided by Sharp and Kaner along with the rest of OJMCHE’s board – the pair were elected by a unanimous vote of the museum members present to replace Peter Glade and Leonard Shapiro, who are stepping down.

Yoken, previously the board’s secretary, was formally elected as the board’s next President along with Vice President Jason Kaufman and Secretary Adam Nashban while Ruth Roth was elected to another term as the board’s Treasurer. The collective slate of officers was also elected unanimously.

“As I step into the role of board chair, I do so with gratitude, humility, and a deep sense of responsibility,” Yoken said. “OJMCHE’s mission to preserve history, especially those of Oregon Jews, teach the universal lessons of the Holocaust, celebrate Jewish culture and educate against antisemitism and hatred is more important than ever.”

Yoken will take over on July 1 for Liz Lipoff, who is stepping down as President but will remain on the museum’s board. She recounted seeing a photograph from her grandfather’s barber shop on display during her first visit to the museum. Her commitment to the institution only deepened from there.

“I went to high school with a majority Jewish population, and you bet we studied the Holocaust. Yet, even considering the demographics in Oregon, I was shocked by how many people knew very little, sometimes nothing, about the Holocaust. And then I found out it wasn’t even in the curriculum of most Oregon schools,” Lipoff recalled. “It is now.”

She explained that, tagging along with a school tour group taking part in that curriculum, the museum’s educators showed her new perspectives on exhibits she had been through countless times.

“I am here because we enrich and we educate,” she said. “And now education is more important than ever before.”

PHOTO: Outgoing Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education Board President Liz Lipoff, left, is recognized by incoming President Jennifer Yoken at the Museum's annual meeting Tuesday, June 23. Yoken was elected unanimously by OJMCHE's members. (Rockne Roll/The Jewish Review)