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Jewish Community News
Living Legacy: April 2004
Living Legacy: Live as a Jew and embrace traditions
By Shelley Leveson
Alan and Dianne Portnoy have one of the better “how
we met” stories. Alan was living in Marina Del Rey, California,
and wanted to please his parents, who were visiting from New York, by
bringing a Jewish girl to dinner. Since he didn’t know any, Alan’s
friend who lived in his building offered Dianne’s phone number.
Boldly, he called her and explained his situation. As a favor, Dianne
agreed to dinner with Alan’s folks. The “fake date”
led to a real one. Two and a half years later, they married.
The Portnoys have come a long way from those early days together, when
their Jewish circles were limited. Today, they’re actively involved
in many aspects of a thriving Jewish life.
The Portnoys have shared their time and resources with many local and international Jewish organizations, especially the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center, and extended significant energy toward the soon-to-be-built Gloria and Ken Levy Family Campus.
In addition, the Portnoys established a Living Legacy philanthropic fund through the Jewish Federation of Greater San Jose. “This enables us to contribute as our means allow and disburse the funds when needs arise,” says Alan.
Alan grew up in New York City in a traditional household.
His father was raised in the Orthodox tradition, but embraced the Conservative
movement when Alan was still young, co-founding a Conservative synagogue
in Manhattan. As the synagogue president, Alan’s father was extremely
active in the Jewish community, as was his mother.
Alan graduated high school at the tender age of 16, earning a B.S. in
electrical engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute before
he was 20. From there he went to Carnegie Mellon to get his MBA. In 1967,
he moved to the West Coast for his first job with Fairchild Semiconductor.
Dianne, on the other hand, was raised in Tucson, Arizona with little involvement in the Jewish community. “My twin brother and I went to Sunday school, and we had a double bar/bat mitzvah, but that was basically it,” says Dianne.
After graduating high school, Dianne studied art education at the University of Arizona. After two years, she tired of reading about art and wanted to see it in person. She became a flight attendant on American Airlines, traveling to nearly every continent. As one of the few Jewish flight attendants, Dianne encountered some eye-opening anti-Semitism. Other attendants often called her to handle the “ornery Jewish customers.”
Dianne recalls one particular flight to Palm Springs, where they had flown through such severe weather that passengers were vomiting and the pilot had to make numerous passes at the runway. Upon landing, after the passengers disembarked, the pilot said to the attendants, “I don’t know how you handled all those damn Jews.”
These incidents, however, were not common, and Dianne flew
for ten years – until she became pregnant with her first daughter,
Stephanie.
Daughter Shana was born a few years later. As the girls grew up, the Portnoys
gradually became more involved in Jewish life. They joined a temple and
Dianne began taking classes on Judaism.
“I realized that if I was going to raise my children to be Jewish, then I needed to start learning,” says Dianne. She discovered a profound interest that is still going strong today. “Studying Judaism is one of the most fascinating things you can do. It’s like calisthenics for the brain, but soul-satisfying as well.”
The Portnoys moved to the Bay Area in 1987, and joined Shir
Hadash soon after. “We immediately felt comfortable there,”
says Alan.
They quickly immersed themselves in the local Jewish community –
serving on numerous boards in a variety of positions. Dianne was among
the founding members of SBI, the South Bay Institute for Jewish Living
and Learning. Currently, she serves on the executive board of the JCC,
chairing the annual gala and the Homes of Vines and Roses Home Tour.
Dianne also began teaching. “It became clear to me that we couldn’t just talk and learn about being Jewish, but needed to live as Jews and embrace traditions,” said Dianne. At that point the Portnoys decided to keep a kosher home.
Several years ago, Dianne was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She says that her family and her deeply felt commitment to Judaism were a tremendous source of strength during that difficult time. To celebrate her recovery, she participated in the Bay Area Breast Cancer Network art project, “We All Have a Story to Tell,” creating an intricate collage on a simple butcher’s apron. Prominent in her work were symbols of family, Judaism and tzedakah, including her Lion of Judah pin.
The Portnoys look forward to the day when the new community
campus will serve as a gathering place “for all generations for
generations.”
“Imagine a place where the golden-agers help out with the children
while mom and dad attend a Jewish study class or workout at the fitness
center,” says Dianne.
The Portnoys have a more personal event to look forward to as well. Their daughter Stephanie will be getting married January 1, 2005, to Shakespearean actor Ray Porter. Stephanie, 28, is a costume designer for music videos, movies and commercials. Their younger daughter Shana, 25, has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and has worked in girls’ homes. She will be returning to school to get a master’s degree in special education.
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