Logo

September 18, 2025 | Third Thursday Thoughts
Dawn LaRochelle, Executive Director

My dad, Myron “Roy” Schoenfeld, z”l, was the ultimate Renaissance man—minus the tights and lute. He was every Jewish mother’s dream: a doctor twice over, with both an M.D. and a Ph.D. after his name. He wrote scores of medical articles, a book called How Doctors Make Decisions, and even an award-winning essay, “Why I Choose to Remain a Jew,” which he dedicated to me on the eve of my bat mitzvah (better than a fountain pen, right?). He invented the original infusion monitor now used in hospitals worldwide… though, to my eternal chagrin, he let the patent lapse, which is why I’m still chasing grant deadlines instead of sunsets. He designed jewelry dazzling enough for Cartier’s Christmas window. He built a business renting out high-end medical equipment before “medical startups” were cool.

But when it came to words—especially the mushy, romantic kind—he was a walking blooper reel. Case in point: when Bette Midler’s “Wind Beneath My Wings” took over the airwaves in the late ’80s (Gen X’ers, you know the pain), my dad couldn’t get enough of it. He belted it out in the shower, the car, the kitchen —you name it. Except when he finally turned to my mom, eyes shining, to proclaim his love Bette Midler-style, he proudly called her “the hurricane beneath my feet.” Not exactly the lyric that wins a Grammy…or a swooning wife.

That story has stayed with me, not just for the comic value, but because it proves how a single line can make all the difference. Words shape meaning, and sometimes they trip us up entirely. But images? They have a way of cutting straight through the noise. Which brings me to something I’ve been waiting to share with you: a new image—our brand-new logo—just in time for the Jewish New Year.

The new logo is a representational take on the Museum’s iconic stained-glass window, Star of David proudly at its center. We chose marine and seaglass shades as a nod to the sweeping Maine sky and the coastal waters you can glimpse from our entryway. It reflects both our Jewish heritage and our Maine roots. And, perhaps most significantly, it keeps us anchored in tradition yet open to new horizons. After all, windows don’t just frame what’s inside; they invite us to look outward, to glimpse other worlds, and to connect across them.

And speaking of windows into other worlds, here are just a few upcoming opportunities to see familiar things in a new light:

• Portland Jewish History Trail Tours – September 21 and October 26
  The Portland Jewish History Trail invites us to read the city itself as a kind of living text. On these guided walks, ordinary buildings suddenly become storybooks, and hidden corners reveal the Jewish lives that helped shape Portland. It’s like looking at the same streets through stained glass: colorful, layered, and nuanced.
• Happy Hour with a Historian – October 27
  Words don’t just fill pages, they shape communities. At our next Happy Hour with a Historian, Rabbi Dr. David Freidenreich, MJM’s Historian-in-Residence, will unpack the brand-new Maine Jewish Community Study, showing how numbers and narratives together give voice to a century of Jewish life in Maine. It’s history with a twist (and a toast): serious insights, spirited conversation, and a reminder that words spoken aloud can be just as powerful as those written down.
• Logo Launch Party – October 23
  And then there are times when words just won’t do, and that’s where images (and maybe a cocktail or two) step in. Join us as we raise a glass and celebrate the unveiling of our new logo: a fresh symbol of who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re headed. Expect food, drink, laughter, plenty of “oohs” and “aahs”—and yes, newly-branded MJM merch! Just in time, too: we may be ringing in the High Holidays, but Chanukah is just around the corner!

As we step into 5786, this new logo feels like more than just a design change. It’s a symbol of fresh beginnings, a reminder of the beauty and vibrancy of Jewish life in Maine, and a window into the connections we continue to build every day. I hope you’ll come see it for yourself, whether in our galleries, along the Portland Jewish History Trail, or at one of the many programs we have planned for the months ahead. Your presence, your participation, and your support are what bring this Museum to life — and together, we’ll keep finding new ways to honor our past while opening doors to the future.

L’Shanah Tovah!

Dawn

Dawn LaRochelle
Executive Director