Come tend our garden, rain or shine. Bring pruners and garden gloves and snack to share. All are welcome!

(Library.)

If you consider yourself a creative actor/singer who loves musical theater and trying new things, then please join us for this first ever musical theater workshop series. We are writing a musical - Freedom: The Untold Story of Moses – and want to work with a group of passionate performers to develop a physical, spiritual, and musical language for the piece. You can be a part of bringing the script to life and pick up a few tips and tricks to musical theater performance along the way! This will culminate in a staged reading performance of the first act at Havurah Shalom. Performance dates: Sunday, April 5, 2pm and 7pm 10 spaces open to adults. Questions? Contact Chari Smith

We gather to find some moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Rabbi Benjamin, Adela Basayne, Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Nancy Becker, or Ria de Neeve. We will meet both in-person (Havurah Sanctuary or Library) and in Zoom Room Bet. Log in to the website and then visit havurahshalom.org/zoom or call the office for join info (503-248-4662). All are welcome.

Monthly meeting of the HCAT. Zoom available!

Why did Eastern European Jewry embrace Zionism in the late 1800s? Was it inevitable that the revival of a Jewish national community in Israel would entail confrontation with the existing Palestinian Arab community and repeated wars with its Arab neighbors? We’ll address these and many other questions. Taught by Prof. Joel Beinin. Room Aleph This class will be taking place via Zoom only--not in person--while Coronavirus precautions remain in place. Students, please be in touch with Joel for join info.

For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish. We meet both in person and streaming online in Zoom Room Aleph. All are welcome. Please email info@havurahshalom.org for join info.

Facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin In what ways can Jewish spiritual practice guide our work for healing and justice in the world? In this group we will explore this question together through learning, discussion, and practice. At each meeting we will engage in various modalities, including meditation, chanting, contemplative study, and self-reflection. Guidance will be given for continued practice and engagement between sessions. Our intention will be to form a trusting and supportive group as a foundation for this sacred work. No experience necessary, but participants should be able to commit to all or nearly all of the meetings. Please RSVP by January 15. Limited to 12 participants.

David Kertzner will be leading another Havurah adult amateur writers group for anyone who wants to explore their interest in prose writing – and is not a published writer or working on a big writing project. This group welcomes people who have never shared their own writing or worked in a group before, but would like to try! The focus will be memoir writing in the broadest sense of the word. We will strive to be a supportive, reflective community using writing prompts and discussion to generate short pieces each week. Participants will select one of their pieces to develop in more depth and then share at a culminating Friday oneg for the Havurah community. Group size is limited to 8 participants. We will meet together for 8 sessions on Thursday evenings from 7-9 pm, January 16, 23, 30; February 6, 13, 20, 27; March 5 and a public reading with an Oneg on March 6. Spot reservations do not open until the spring! Please call David Kertzner if you have questions.

What do I do when visiting someone who is sick or in the hospital? What do I say to someone in mourning, or who is experiencing loss or suffering of any kind? How do I work with my own questions and discomforts around illness, death, and suffering? Havurah Shalom’s theme this year of Hineinu: Here We Are takes many forms. In this workshop, we will explore how we can say Hineinu when visiting those who are ill (bikkur ḥolim) or comforting mourners (niḥum aveylim). We will learn how to cultivate a listening heart and to sit with each other in compassionate and caring ways. The workshop will include study of Torah and other Jewish texts, chanting and meditation, reflection and discussion, and more. This series is a first step in creating a Bikkur Ḥolim (Visiting the Sick) cohort within Havurah, and will be designed as a training for those interested in helping us support each other in this way. Everyone is welcome to participate in the workshop, though, regardless of future commitment. This training will take place on Zoom while Coronavirus precautions are in place. For information on how to join, participants may contact Rabbi Benjamin or the office.

In these new workshops, Havurah's Communications & Membership Coordinator, Brad Pector, will explain and guide you through the latest technology. We will focus on one topic per session. This session's focus is the Havurah website. We will look at all of the features it has for members, and spend time getting to know how these features can help you and your committee or cluster. Limited to 12 people.

An in-depth look at the weekly Torah reading, led by congregants. No prior knowledge or study is necessary. At Havurah Shalom and in Zoom Room Bet. Email info@havurahshalom.org for Zoom link.

Join our Community Minyan in celebrating Shabbat. Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion, as well as an opportunity to say Kaddish. We will meet virtually through Zoom Room Aleph while COVID-19 precautions are being observed. Log in to the website and then visit havurahshalom.org/zoom or call the office for join info (503-248-4662 ext. 2).