A Message from President Mark Berkovitch
Dear congregation,
Last night [Jan. 20, 2026], our members gathered at the synagogue to reflect on what we accomplished in 2025, share where we’re headed in 2026, acknowledge important leadership transitions, and—most importantly—thank the people whose quiet work sustains our community. I’d like to share some of these updates with you now.
Leadership and Community Acknowledgments
I want to offer our deepest thanks to our departing board members, Avrel Nudelman, Natan Meier and Sol Varon, who have been invaluable to maintaining the fabric of Ahavath Achim through their steady leadership, institutional memory, and care for this community. We are truly grateful for their years of service.
We welcomed Aiden Kugelman-Samba to the board a few months ago. We appreciate the energy and perspective Aiden brings, and we look forward to continued collaboration. We are also thrilled to welcome Jack Falk to our board, elected and confirmed at our meeting this week. Jack will also be our new Treasurer, an important role we’ve needed to fill for many years. Jack brings a wealth of experience in non-profit financial management, and we’re looking forward to his contributions.
Board members serve in two-year terms, and elections are held every other year. Please join us in thanking Avrel, Natan, and Sol for their service and contributions, and welcoming Aiden and Jack.
Gratitude for Community Builders
In 2025, we welcomed Arad Bulka as our new Synagogue Administrator. Arad has already made a meaningful impact, and we are grateful for the professionalism, organization, and the heart he brings to this role.
And a very special thank you to Eli Falk, who leads our services and reads Torah for us weekly. Eli’s dedication ensures that our doors are open every Shabbat morning. This weekly rhythm is the heartbeat of our Congregation and we are deeply grateful.
In that spirit, I want to offer special thanks to Renee Ferrera, who leads our Culinary Committee. Renee’s leadership, creativity, and attention to detail have elevated our communal meals and gatherings, turning food into a vehicle for warmth, hospitality, and connection. I also want to thank Patrick Varon and his family, Lisa and Josephine, who have prepared truly amazing meals for our community time and again. Their generosity, time, and love are felt every time we gather around the table. These meals are not just nourishment—they are an expression of ahavath Yisrael and Sephardic tradition at its best.
Welcoming Congregation Beit Yosef
This past year also marked an important moment in the life of Portland’s Sephardic community: the convergence of Congregation Beit Yosef and Ahavath Achim. This was not an ending, but a coming together that has been years in the making—rooted in shared tefillah, learning, relationships, and values. We are honored to welcome the members of Beit Yosef into our community and to carry forward their legacy, spirit, and contributions. Together, under one roof, we are strengthening Sephardic life in Portland and ensuring continuity across generations. I’d like to especially recognize Jared Laws, Mati McKenzie, and Julio Cortez, for their leadership during this transition, and for jumping into offering their skills and expertise to all aspects of our kehilla openly and generously.
Financial Snapshot
Financially, we are in good shape overall. We are confident that through continued strong programming, increased engagement, and focused fundraising, we can continue building a sustainable foundation for the future. Your generosity is critical to our continued success!
2025: A Year of Momentum
2025 was an exceptionally active and meaningful year for Ahavath Achim. What stands out is not only the volume of programming, but the consistency and intention behind it.
We hosted nine community Shabbat dinners and eleven High Holiday meals, along with ten High Holiday learning sessions. We celebrated Sephardi Shavuot with an all-night velada that included dinner and four learning sessions. Throughout the year, we offered Sephardic Foundations classes, Zohar & Zhug sessions, women’s Torah study, seven film screenings, and special cultural events such as Bingo and Burmuelos and Hag HaB’not. We also held women’s henna workshops for Purim and Rosh HaShanah and young professionals cooking workshops that helped cultivate new leadership and connection.
This level of activity does not happen accidentally. It happens because people step up, take responsibility, and care deeply about the experience of others. Taken together, this reflects that the congregation is alive, intentional and growing, one that is building Jewish life week by week.
2026: Building Forward
Looking ahead to 2026, our focus is on deepening roots and expanding reach. We are planning more community Shabbat dinners, expanded women’s programming, and the launch of children’s programming, which is a critical investment in our future. We will continue Young Professionals cooking workshops, Zohar & Zhug with Dr. Yosef Rosen, and expand film programming as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our film festival. Weekly women’s Torah study and Sephardic Foundations classes will become ongoing anchors of learning. We are also planning robust holiday programming throughout the year, including Tu B’Shevat, Purim, Mimouna, Shavuot, Tisha B’Av, Tu B’Av, and daily morning Selihot in Elul. Culturally, we are investing in visiting artists, musicians, academic scholars, and rabbis.
New initiatives like the Sephardic Havdala Café in collaboration with the Eastside Jewish Commons and Sephardi Sundays—sharing Sephardic diaspora stories, food, and experiences with the wider Portland Jewish community—will expand our partnerships and visibility.We are also exploring all-ages cooking workshops, Science and Religion On Tap, member-only events, field trips, Shabbat dinners, summer BBQs, and the possibility of a one-day Sephardic cultural festival.
Conclusion
What we are building at Ahavath Achim is more than a calendar of events. We are building a living center for Sephardic life—rooted in tradition, sustained by relationships, and open to the future. I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished together and profoundly grateful for your participation, partnership, and trust as we continue this sacred work.
Thank you,
Mark Berkovitch
Synagogue President
"El Presidente Grande"
Last night [Jan. 20, 2026], our members gathered at the synagogue to reflect on what we accomplished in 2025, share where we’re headed in 2026, acknowledge important leadership transitions, and—most importantly—thank the people whose quiet work sustains our community. I’d like to share some of these updates with you now.
Leadership and Community Acknowledgments
I want to offer our deepest thanks to our departing board members, Avrel Nudelman, Natan Meier and Sol Varon, who have been invaluable to maintaining the fabric of Ahavath Achim through their steady leadership, institutional memory, and care for this community. We are truly grateful for their years of service.
We welcomed Aiden Kugelman-Samba to the board a few months ago. We appreciate the energy and perspective Aiden brings, and we look forward to continued collaboration. We are also thrilled to welcome Jack Falk to our board, elected and confirmed at our meeting this week. Jack will also be our new Treasurer, an important role we’ve needed to fill for many years. Jack brings a wealth of experience in non-profit financial management, and we’re looking forward to his contributions.
Board members serve in two-year terms, and elections are held every other year. Please join us in thanking Avrel, Natan, and Sol for their service and contributions, and welcoming Aiden and Jack.
Gratitude for Community Builders
In 2025, we welcomed Arad Bulka as our new Synagogue Administrator. Arad has already made a meaningful impact, and we are grateful for the professionalism, organization, and the heart he brings to this role.
And a very special thank you to Eli Falk, who leads our services and reads Torah for us weekly. Eli’s dedication ensures that our doors are open every Shabbat morning. This weekly rhythm is the heartbeat of our Congregation and we are deeply grateful.
In that spirit, I want to offer special thanks to Renee Ferrera, who leads our Culinary Committee. Renee’s leadership, creativity, and attention to detail have elevated our communal meals and gatherings, turning food into a vehicle for warmth, hospitality, and connection. I also want to thank Patrick Varon and his family, Lisa and Josephine, who have prepared truly amazing meals for our community time and again. Their generosity, time, and love are felt every time we gather around the table. These meals are not just nourishment—they are an expression of ahavath Yisrael and Sephardic tradition at its best.
Welcoming Congregation Beit Yosef
This past year also marked an important moment in the life of Portland’s Sephardic community: the convergence of Congregation Beit Yosef and Ahavath Achim. This was not an ending, but a coming together that has been years in the making—rooted in shared tefillah, learning, relationships, and values. We are honored to welcome the members of Beit Yosef into our community and to carry forward their legacy, spirit, and contributions. Together, under one roof, we are strengthening Sephardic life in Portland and ensuring continuity across generations. I’d like to especially recognize Jared Laws, Mati McKenzie, and Julio Cortez, for their leadership during this transition, and for jumping into offering their skills and expertise to all aspects of our kehilla openly and generously.
Financial Snapshot
Financially, we are in good shape overall. We are confident that through continued strong programming, increased engagement, and focused fundraising, we can continue building a sustainable foundation for the future. Your generosity is critical to our continued success!
2025: A Year of Momentum
2025 was an exceptionally active and meaningful year for Ahavath Achim. What stands out is not only the volume of programming, but the consistency and intention behind it.
We hosted nine community Shabbat dinners and eleven High Holiday meals, along with ten High Holiday learning sessions. We celebrated Sephardi Shavuot with an all-night velada that included dinner and four learning sessions. Throughout the year, we offered Sephardic Foundations classes, Zohar & Zhug sessions, women’s Torah study, seven film screenings, and special cultural events such as Bingo and Burmuelos and Hag HaB’not. We also held women’s henna workshops for Purim and Rosh HaShanah and young professionals cooking workshops that helped cultivate new leadership and connection.
This level of activity does not happen accidentally. It happens because people step up, take responsibility, and care deeply about the experience of others. Taken together, this reflects that the congregation is alive, intentional and growing, one that is building Jewish life week by week.
2026: Building Forward
Looking ahead to 2026, our focus is on deepening roots and expanding reach. We are planning more community Shabbat dinners, expanded women’s programming, and the launch of children’s programming, which is a critical investment in our future. We will continue Young Professionals cooking workshops, Zohar & Zhug with Dr. Yosef Rosen, and expand film programming as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our film festival. Weekly women’s Torah study and Sephardic Foundations classes will become ongoing anchors of learning. We are also planning robust holiday programming throughout the year, including Tu B’Shevat, Purim, Mimouna, Shavuot, Tisha B’Av, Tu B’Av, and daily morning Selihot in Elul. Culturally, we are investing in visiting artists, musicians, academic scholars, and rabbis.
New initiatives like the Sephardic Havdala Café in collaboration with the Eastside Jewish Commons and Sephardi Sundays—sharing Sephardic diaspora stories, food, and experiences with the wider Portland Jewish community—will expand our partnerships and visibility.We are also exploring all-ages cooking workshops, Science and Religion On Tap, member-only events, field trips, Shabbat dinners, summer BBQs, and the possibility of a one-day Sephardic cultural festival.
Conclusion
What we are building at Ahavath Achim is more than a calendar of events. We are building a living center for Sephardic life—rooted in tradition, sustained by relationships, and open to the future. I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished together and profoundly grateful for your participation, partnership, and trust as we continue this sacred work.
Thank you,
Mark Berkovitch
Synagogue President
"El Presidente Grande"
Join our Whatsapp group to discuss and share.
Contact us to contribute to our blog, newsletter, or with comments.
Sponsor or Donate towards our blog or newsletter to help us keep growing and thriving.
Contact us to contribute to our blog, newsletter, or with comments.
Sponsor or Donate towards our blog or newsletter to help us keep growing and thriving.
6686 SW Capitol Hwy. Portland, OR 97219
Mailing address: 5150 SW 85th Ave. Portland, OR 97225
Phone: 503.227.0010
[email protected]
Mailing address: 5150 SW 85th Ave. Portland, OR 97225
Phone: 503.227.0010
[email protected]
