An Israeli Perspective On Life In Portland, Oregon, During The Pandemic

The economic situation is significantly worse in Portland than it is in Israel. For block after block, I saw stores that went out of business. Their windows were boarded up, as if rioters had broken the windows or the owners feared that they would, and graffiti covered the area in many places. Certain areas of the city were overrun with homeless people living in tents and crime in the city has skyrocketed. In many areas, it is not safe to walk alone, and carjacking is a major problem in the city, alongside other forms of robbery. 

The fact that the city is known to be the Antifa capital of America has not helped this in the slightest.   In fact, during the pandemic, there was massive rioting in Portland led by Antifa, which led to an arson attack outside the mayor’s home and in the Portland Courthouse. Prominent American journalist Andy Ngo, a native of Portland, was assaulted by Antifa when he tried to expose their crimes.  

This general atmosphere has adversely affected the local Jewish community. Earlier this year, several Israeli restaurants were vandalized with “Free Palestine” graffiti in Portland. Another vegan restaurant proudly holstered a “Free Palestine” sign outside, as if being anti-Israel helped animal rights. 

A Jewish student at Portland State University told me that the school curriculum relegates Jews to being “privileged whites,” who should not be defended: “Everything is relegated to race.  Everything is black and white. Marxist curriculum is quite common. We also had a Chinese professor, who was authoritarian and encouraging that mentality on campus.” This student added that Israel is a taboo topic in the city and therefore, he refrains from discussing anything Jewish with his friends.

A local Jewish resident of Portland claims that most of the synagogues in the city are still meeting over zoom and not in person; one is Beth Israel Congregation, the local Reform Synagogue. As the city becomes run down, the joys of everyday life have been drastically reduced.  The resident added, “Had I known that the city would be overrun with run-down shops that look like a war zone, graffiti and homeless people, I would have never made my retirement home in Portland.”

The city is very rich in gardens, parks and forests, and is in close proximity to a number of beautiful mountains and the Pacific Ocean, for which “during the lockdowns, I was very grateful for these green spaces,” I was told.  “I could go out and get exercise in the forests, without anyone else being there.  This gave me mental peace and solace during these difficult times.”  

However, this same local resident noted that at the same time, there are certain areas of the state that remain largely unvaccinated, and these people block the residents of the city from creating a post-pandemic reality for themselves, like Israel has managed to do.

(Editor’s note: Oregonians no longer must wear masks in public outdoor settings, state health officials said this week. Oregon was the only state mandating masks in all public outdoor settings where distancing isn’t possible, and is one of only five states with a statewide indoor mask mandate, according to The New York Times.)