The Hamon Library
Three major donors (Andy Hamon, Rabbi Halpern and Keren Joshi's grandmother, Trudy Moses) in the last year have brought our library to between 700 and 800 volumes. Everything is cataloged, and the shelves are full.
In 2007, look for new library initiatives to stimulate congregational interest in and use of the library.
For a completely new index (effective November 2006), click onto the following Microsoft Excel link: Library Index. Please note: All books coded A or H are from the Anton Hamon collection; R is from Rabbi Halpern; M is from the Trudy Moses collection.
Beit Haverim dedicated its library to late and beloved congregant Anton “Andy” Hamon in a dedication service and open house that took place the weekend of March 10, 2006.
To read a transcript of the tribute presented by Brian Olson, click onto library dedication speech.
Andy Hamon directed food and beverages for Sheraton Hotels for almost 20 years, including one year overseeing the Garden Court at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. He worked some 12 years as an administrative assistant at the OHSU School of Nursing before retiring.
Andy’s musical career spanned an even longer period of his life. At age five, he sang for the first time on radio. He sang for troops with the USO during his time in the Army, and subsequently toured as singer with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. He performed after that as a solo act in nightclubs, and he sang with Portland Opera for six years before his health forced him to retire. He said once that “music is the only thing that ever came easy to me”.
In addition to opera, Andy’s other passion was books. Content of a book was obviously important to him, but just as important was the “feel” of the book. Quality paper, print and binding always allowed him to enjoy a book more. Andy was never reading less than three books at a time and often had six going “in case I get bored”.
He loved authors that “challenged” him with their writing style, and he always had a dictionary at hand.
His favorite book in his Jewish collection, besides the Tanakh (of which he had two, one for upstairs and one for down) was a Sephardic Haggadah. The beauty of the book captivated him. One of his goals was to be able to read Hebrew before he died.
Andy had almost a thousand books in his collection, about 250 just in his Jewish library alone. Andy’s partner, SMJC congregant Brian Olson, has donated Andy’s Jewish books and three large bookshelves to SMJC.
Brian noted: “They need to be where they can be of use. He would love that. He always loved learning and sharing ideas with others.”
“Andy’s daughters and I,” Brian continued, “are humbled and honored that this gift has been accepted and that his name will be attached to the library at SMJC. This is a wonderful legacy to a truly wonderful person and fits so well within our Jewish tradition of ‘standing on the shoulders of those who came before us' ”.
“Andy was an ‘everyman’ or ‘anyman’ ”, Brian concluded. “He had the same trials and success in life as anyone else, but in everyone there is someone extraordinary. I have the honor of speaking to that on March 10. My hope is to convey Andy’s extraordinary life journey by sharing some moments from our life together.”
“Brian’s contribution in memory of Andy has doubled the quantity and quality of our fledgling collection,” former Beit Haverim Library Committee Chair Elizabeth Katz stated. “Andy’s love of books and learning will indeed both whet and satisfy our own appetites for Jewish learning, and in this way Andy will live on.”
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Rabbinical Leadership:
Rabbi Alan Berg
Email: rabbiberg@beithav.org
Mailing Address:
PO Box 311
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Office:
530 4th St.
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Ph: (503) 344-4839
Fax: (503) 344-4870
Email: office@beithav.org
Worship &
Sunday Religious School:
LO United Church of Christ
1111 Country Club Rd
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Directions
Founding Rabbi &
Rabbi Emeritus:
Rabbi Larry Halpern
 Member of the Union for Reform Judaism
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