High Holidays greeters and ushers do way more than it looks! In addition to welcoming people to services and handing out machzors with a friendly smile, they are always keeping out a watchful eye for people who may need help, and doing their best to keep us safe. In this hour-long session, we will learn how to help people having medical or psychological emergencies, how to be aware of our surroundings, and what the best practices are for emergencies specifically at the Tiffany Center and Havurah Shalom, where our High Holidays services will be taking place. Have some fun in the session, come out more knowledgeable than before, and then sign up to greet and usher when volunteer sign-ups open August 15! (This class is for members only.)

This is a tallit making class for anyone who has ever wanted to create their own, taught in person at Havurah by Laine Barbanell Schipper and Carolina Martinez.

Monthly meeting for the Teen Engagement Committee leadership. Havurah teens and their parents are welcome. We meet in Zoom Room Bet.

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.

The ancient rabbis used midrash—meaning inquiry—to create new stories that explained contradictions, filled in gaps, or explored deeper meaning in Biblical stories. Using Life Story Midrash developed by Rabbi Dayle Friedman, we will inquire into our own life stories through individual writing and chevruta (paired) discussion. We will study traditional midrash, and then creatively reimagine and rewrite personal stories that—as we approach the High Holy Days—beckon our attention, with an eye toward embracing our fragmented stories as a coherent, meaningful narrative. (Each class builds on the next, so participants are strongly encouraged to attend all three sessions.) Led by Tivona Reith.

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.

Led by Patty Magid-Volk. Come explore Avinu Malkeynu and other key prayers of the High Holiday liturgy. We will be looking through the lens of Hebrew grammar and vocabulary in order to gain some translation skills and find essential meanings of the prayer(s). It is helpful to be able to decode the aleph-bet, although not necessary if you are comfortable with transliteration.

Eric Kimmel will be telling three stories from his Rosh Hashanah book Days of Awe. Join us on Zoom with your elementary-aged kids for a fun way to welcome in the High Holiday season.

Daily Elul Kavannah and Shofar blasts will be posted on the Havurah Shalom Facebook page and the Havurah Shalom YouTube page by Diane Chaplin, Howard Patterson & Andrine de la Rocha. Elul Tov! The daily shofar blasts are being offered as part of Havurah Shalom’s celebration of the Hebrew month of Elul! As Elul precedes Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we use this time for study, reflection, and mental and spiritual preparation. All are invited to attend our gatherings, which span spiritual, text-based, political, ecological and creative topics. We hope you will find them enriching, fun, moving, and worthwhile. For questions about this programming, please reach out to Rachel Pollak.

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**

Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. We meet in person and in Zoom Room Aleph. Please email Rachel for Zoom info: rachel@havurahshalom.org.