OJMCHE Opens New Exhibitions Exploring the Ongoing Work of Shaping Democratic Society
PORTLAND, OR (April 29, 2026) – At a moment when questions of national identity, belonging, and civic responsibility are at the forefront of public life, the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE) presents two concurrent exhibitions that examine the American experience from complementary perspectives: the ideals that define the nation, and the ways individuals and communities actively shape it.
Opening June 28, One Nation and How We Show Up: Oregon Jews in Civil Society, An America 250 Exhibition arrive as part of the national commemoration of our country’s 250th anniversary, using this milestone not as a retrospective, but as a prompt to examine how democratic ideals are lived and challenged today.
Together, these exhibitions move beyond reflection to something more immediate– an invitation to consider how democratic ideals are carried and redefined through everyday participation. In an era of polarization and rapid social change, OJMCHE offers a space to engage more deeply with the responsibilities and possibilities of belonging.
One Nation
One Nation, a traveling exhibition organized by the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum at Hebrew Union College, brings together a diverse group of artists whose work reflects on the promise and contradictions embedded in the national motto E Pluribus Unum, “Out of Many, One.” Featuring artists such as Arthur Szyk, Raphael Soyer, Archie Rand, Ruth Weisberg, and Mark Podwal, the exhibition spans painting, sculpture, textile, and mixed media. Across these works, artists explore themes central to American civic life—immigration and belonging, protest and dissent, labor and economic justice, religious freedom, and racial inequality—while questioning how a nation defined by diversity continues to navigate deep social and political divisions. As curator Phyllis Freedman notes:
“Our motto expresses more than an ideal. It reflects an essential truth…we are stronger and more resilient together, embracing all of our differences, than we are apart.”
Personal histories and collective memory intersect throughout the exhibition. Portraits of leaders and everyday citizens appear alongside symbolic images of journeys, borders, and shared responsibility. Together, these works ask viewers to consider not only what unites Americans, but also what challenges the nation’s commitment to liberty and justice, and invites reflection on the role individuals and communities play in shaping the country’s future.
How We Show Up: Oregon Jews in Civil Society, An America 250 Exhibition
While One Nation examines the ideals and mythology, How We Show Up brings the conversation closer to home. The exhibit traces the history of Jewish civic participation in Oregon, highlighting the many ways individuals and communities have shaped public life across generations, within and beyond the Jewish community. From early mayors who helped establish towns throughout the state to women who built networks of social welfare and immigrant support, to lawyers and activists advancing civil rights, the exhibition reveals a long tradition of engagement rooted in leadership, service, and advocacy. These stories offer a meaningful and sometimes surprising glimpse into the role minority communities played in shaping race and ethnic relations in the American West.
The unique curation and development of How We Show Up is the result of deep collaboration between Portland-based creative studio Upswell; Exhibition Advisor Ellen Eisenberg, Dwight & Margaret Lear Professor of American History, Willamette University; and Alisha Babbstein, Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. Drawing from OJMCHE’s collections of photographs, documents, and personal stories, the exhibition examines moments of tension and contradiction, exploring the limits of acceptance and the complexities of minority politics within broader civic systems. It reveals how communities actively shape public life, even while navigating exclusion and contradiction.
Presented as part of the national America 250 commemoration, How We Show Up shifts the focus from national narrative to lived experience, inviting visitors to consider how civic participation takes shape over time and what it asks of each generation. Erica Dillon, Creative Director at Upswell, shares:
“What emerges across these stories is a picture of democracy as something ongoing and imperfect, built through everyday acts of participation, care, and responsibility. The exhibition invites visitors to see these materials not just as history, but as evidence of how each generation decides what it means to show up for others.”
How We Show Up brings these themes into focus through specific, place-based stories. In one example, Jewish merchants in frontier towns like Astoria, Heppner, and Prineville moved from storefronts into civic leadership, serving as mayors and helping to shape the political and economic foundations of their communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In another, Portland women organized grassroots networks of care through efforts like the Jewish Ladies Free Loan Society offering small, no-interest loans to newly arrived immigrants, while groups such as Hadassah connected local organizing to global advocacy, fundraising and mobilizing support for medical initiatives abroad.
Together, these examples illustrate the many forms civic participation can take: from formal political leadership to mutual aid and community-based action, often extending beyond one’s immediate circle. Additionally, the exhibition does not shy away from complexity, highlighting moments when solidarity was incomplete, underscoring that participation in democracy is not only about showing up, but about who is included, and how.
WHEN
Public Opening on June 28, 11 – 5pm; exhibitions on view through November 29, 2026
Press Hours during Public Opening: June 28, 3 – 5pm with remarks beginning at 3:20 pm; Museum leadership will be onsite at this time and available for interviews.
Museum Hours: Wednesday – Sunday: 11am – 4pm
WHERE
Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education – 724 NW Davis Street, Portland, 97209
TOURS/EVENTS
Docent-led tours on free first Sundays in September, October, and November at 12:30pm and 2pm; Additional tours and events associated with these exhibitions, and ticket reservations, are available on the OJMCHE Events Calendar: ojmche.org/calendar
TICKETS
Adults: $10; Seniors: $6; Students: $5; Members: Free; Children under 12: Free
OJMCHE is free to all on the first Sunday of every month.
Daily Free Admission for: Blue Star Families (active military and their families); Members of the Press; Card-holding members of American Alliance of Museums; Council of American Jewish Museums (CAJM) members; Recipients of SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program); Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and Caregivers.
The One Nation exhibition is made possible by the Alice and Paul Meyer Exhibition Fund, with generous additional support from the Judy Margles Education and Culture Fund, and Craig E. Wollner Exhibition Fund. Funding for How We Show Up: Oregon Jews in Civil Society, An America 250 Exhibition has been generously provided by the Judy Margles Education and Culture Fund, Craig E. Wollner Exhibition Fund, and Zera Foundation.