I hope you are enjoying your summer. For school children and teachers, sadly, we are half-way through. I hope everyone enjoys the remaining days.

This Sunday, we invite you to join the Portland Jewish community for Portland Pride. Bring your rainbow flags and join the group on Park between Couch and Davis. The parade kicks off at 11:00 a.m. -- plan to come early!

Portland's first Pride celebration took place in 1975. There was no parade. Instead, a group of about 200 people gathered in the South Park Blocks near Portland State University for a Gay Pride Fair, which featured arts and crafts, food, and dancing. The following year, the fair moved to Waterfront Park and grew to feature 15 booths.

In 1977, Portland celebrated its first Pride Parade. Controversy erupted when then-Portland Mayor Neil Goldschmidt proclaimed a “Gay Pride Day,” prompting a number of churches to publish an open letter in The Oregonian offering to help gays and lesbians repent. The proclamation also launched a move to have Goldschmidt recalled, with critics claiming he had “defamed Portland” by turning it into “a haven for homosexuals.”

The first parade drew between 300 and 400 marchers, which was followed by a brief rally iacross from City Hall. Meanwhile, about 200 opponents of gay rights gathered in Laurelhurst Park to protest the “Gay Pride Day” proclamation. It is worth reflecting on how far our community has come since then.

Following the parade, you will have time to watch the World Cup final -- Spain vs. Argentina. I personally hope it does not end on penalty kicks, although that would be incredibly tense to watch. The game will be the most-watched sporting event in the world with more than 1.5 billion viewers.

A quick soccer-related story.

For many years, I have helped arrange private trips to Israel for individuals and families. About 25 years ago, I helped a gentleman, Abe, plan three special trips to Israel. When each of his three children were of b'nai mitzvah age, he would take each child to Israel for two weeks. Abe was born and raised in Israel, but living in the United States.

When I arranged these trips, I would secure VIP services at the airport (far more common today than 25 years ago). VIP services included an individual who would meet the family at the end of the jetway and then expedite them through customs. One of my favorite people to hire for these transfers was Jacob Hodorov, an older gentleman who loved doing this work and found real joy in meeting interesting people.

The morning after Abe's arrival in Israel for his first child's special trip, I received a phone call from him. My initial reaction was concern -- was something wrong with his trip? Instead, he greeted me with youthful enthusiasm and asked, “How did I know?” I had no clue what he was talking about.

Jacob Hodorov is better known to Israelis as Yaakov Hodorov. Abe was in tears as he shared with me that while growing up in Israel he had Jacob's poster above his bed. He was his childhood hero! Not only did he walk through the airport with Jacob, but took him out to dinner that night to share time and hear stories.

Yaakov "Jacob" Hodorov is considered by many to be the greatest soccer goalkeeper in Israel's history. During his illustrious career, Hodorov played for Maccabi, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Shimshon Tel Aviv, and other clubs. In 1949, the year he made his international debut with the Israeli National Team, Hodorov was named Israel's Sportsman of the Year. Two years later, Arsenal -- one of England's top clubs -- offered him a contract. Hodorov turned it down, saying he was unwilling to leave Israel. Over the following 11 years, he appeared in 27 international matches for Israel and was the starting goalkeeper in every major competition. The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot later named him the fifth-greatest Israeli soccer player in the nation's history.

I had no idea about any of this. I simply knew him as Jacob. He was humble and never once mentioned his soccer career during all the years I knew him -- not until Abe's visit brought it all to light.

Israel will always face a giant uphill climb to qualify for the World Cup. Israel is not considered part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), owing to political tensions with neighboring countries. After Israel's establishment in 1948, many Arab nations refused to even play against her, which led to Israel's suspension from the AFC in 1974. (Israel did qualify for the World Cup in 1970.)

In 1986, Israel shifted to the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and remained there until 2000, when it was admitted into UEFA, European football's governing body. That move opened the door for Israeli teams to compete in European competitions -- but it also made World Cup qualification far tougher, pitting Israel against powerhouses like England, Spain, Portugal, France, and Germany. For this year's World Cup, Israel played in their UEFA Qualifying Group, which Norway ultimately won (and we saw how far they got).

On a very different note, many of you are aware that the Lake Theater in Lake Oswego has on its marquis, "Before there were the Jews there was…the Odyssey." An interesting way to promote showings of the new movie (and historically inaccurate). As you can imagine, this caught the attention of many community members and was very unsettling.

Although we do not know the intention behind it, we have contacted the owner of the theater, urging him to remove the language. Others have emailed or called the theater, including Rep. Emerson Levy on behalf of of the Jewish state legislator caucus and Rep. Daniel Nguyen. When I drove by this morning the sign was still up. Feel free to contact the theater and express your thoughts.

Finally, as the Jewish Federation begins planning its programming calendar for the next fiscal year, I have a request for you. Our Community shlicha (emissary from Israel), Shiri Grinfeld, has helped bring meaningful educational programs, cultural events, and community-wide gatherings focused on Israel to our community. From Yom HaZikaron (Israel's Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel's Independence Day) to year-round educational engagement, discussions, and partnerships, these programs have created invaluable opportunities for learning, connection, and dialogue around Israel.

We would love your feedback. Please take a few minutes to complete this short survey to help us shape future Israel-related opportunities for our community.

In addition, Shiri is available to facilitate Israel-focused educational workshops tailored to the needs and interests of any group. To explore opportunities, please contact Shiri by clicking here.

Shabbat shalom, and enjoy the parade and the game.