culture

Oregon Historical Photo: Menashe Shoes

By Jen Bodendorfer (OPB)
Jan. 11, 2016 2 p.m.


Nessim Menashe in front of his new and secondhand shoe store in Northwest Portland, which operated until 1921. Circa 1916.

Nessim Menashe in front of his new and secondhand shoe store in Northwest Portland, which operated until 1921. Circa 1916.

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education

Each week Oregon Experience shares a photo highlighting the state’s diverse, exciting history.

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Jewish immigrant Nessim Menashe operated a new and secondhand shoe store in Northwest Portland in the early 1900s. The Menashes were one of the first Sephardic Jewish families in the area and quickly set up small shops. Oregon's Sephardic Jews arrived from Turkey and the Isle of Rhodes, bringing different culture, language, foods and music than the area's earlier German Jewish immigrants. Most Sephardic Jews settled in South Portland's immigrant neighborhood, but the Menashes branched out with shops throughout the city.

Watch the Oregon Experience documentary “The Jewish Frontier” to learn about the history of Jewish entrepreneurs in Oregon.

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