New time and date to be announced.

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.

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.

Additional evening time, by popular demand. Deborah will share impressions and questions from her recent return to Israel/Palestine and her encounters with: religious relatives living on the West Bank, a few of today's Jewish and Palestinian peace activists, 'regular' Israelis trying to live their lives, Druze community members, and amazing and disturbing changes in Israel in the last 26 years. She also learned far more than planned about the current health care systems in Palestine and in Israel due to a freak accident (everybody is okay now).

Israel’s yetziat mitzrayim (exodus from Egypt/the narrow space) is a cornerstone of Judaism and the foundation for our celebration of Pesach (Passover). One of the four names for Pesach is Hag ha-Herut (The Feast of Freedom). Jews in different historical contexts have understood mitzrayim (the narrow space) differently and therefore freedom has looked different in different generations. We will explore the evolution of these themes from the Torah narratives into the self-conscious construction of the Passover seder by the rabbis. We will look at visual and liturgical representations of slavery and freedom in haggadot (the book we use at the seder) from the last 600 years. One focus will be on the liberation of gender, which has been a hallmark of the last 40 years of some creative Jewish seders. Taught by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner

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.

A short and sweet service with Rabbi Benjamin, streaming online only.

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. **Note that Multi-Synagogue Torah Study, led by Emily Simon, will be on February 22 and March 22 this year. In April 2025, Multi-Synagogue Torah Study will again be held on the third Shabbat morning (third Saturday) of the month**

With the American Jewish community, we will dedicate this morning service to refugees and asylum seekers searching for freedom from violence and persecution. This service will take place online only.

Young children (0-5) and parents celebrate with singing, movement, blessings, and storytelling, followed by a nosh and time to play and schmooze.