Havurah Shalom: Portland's Reconstructionist Community
Havurah Shalom is a Reconstructionist Jewish community based in Portland, Oregon. During the last 40 years, we have grown from a small group of families meeting in each other's homes to our current membership of 500 households.
Our mission is to provide a vibrant, diverse, participatory Jewish community steeped in spirituality, learning, and acts of social responsibility. As we enact our mission, we are guided by these values.
Our many committees and teams are organized in the following six groups we call clusters. Members are invited to join as many as they feel comfortable participating in.
Affiliated with Reconstructing Judaism, Havurah's progressive approach to Jewish life integrates traditional, communal Jewish practices with the intellectual and political impulses of democracy and pluralism. We are open to all who want to connect with Judaism; we welcome all identities.
Empowered and supported by our staff, Havurah members take leadership roles in governing, educating, providing music, taking social action, davening and reading Torah on Shabbat, and leading and leyning during High Holiday services.
Our High Holiday services, attended by over 1,000 people each year, are open to the public with no payment or tickets required.
Our emphasis on active involvement distinguishes us from most other congregations and allows members to become truly engaged in Jewish community. It enriches individual experience, deepens family relationships and friendships, and creates a strong, intertwined community. Each member has the opportunity to determine the direction and goals of our organization.
All are welcome at our High Holidays services, Shabbat services, and holiday celebrations.
Havurah Clusters & Committees
Community Brochure for 2023-24 / 5784
This year's community brochure lists many of the events, classes, and activities planned for the year 5784.
Affiliations
Reconstructing Judaism – The Jewish Reconstructionist movement sprang from 20th century American concerns about egalitarianism, the democratic process, and a focus on the community as arbiter of Jewish imaginative practice and theology.
Community of Welcoming Congregations (CWC) – An association of congregations in the Portland metropolitan area that welcome and affirm people of all sexual orientations and identities.
Metropolitan Alliance for the Common Good (MACG) – An organization of community-based institutions in and around Portland that works to create a strong, non-partisan civil sector voice to address economic, social, and environmental issues affecting our community.
Transparency & Inclusivity
Havurah Shalom aspires to be a transparent and inclusive community. To that end, we have developed guidelines to evaluate our communication and processes — a set of reminders that we employ in our effort to be as transparent and inclusive as possible. See our Transparency & Inclusivity Guidelines.
Long Range Plan
Havurah is currently working on a new Long Range Plan. Our previous Long Range Plan, published in 2014, highlights our vision for the coming years. You can find a one-page Overview of the Plan here and the entire Long Range Plan here. We are currently working on a new Long Range Plan.
Growth Report
Tom Berg and Deborah Eisenbach-Budner prepared this insightful report about Havurah’s growth and the decisions Havurah needs to make based on those projections.
Sat, July 27 2024
21 Tammuz 5784
Need Help? If you are a Havurah member in need of help, log in to find resources here.
Havurah Updates
Hineinu: Pride Shabbat in the Park This Friday, Call for Visual Art, and More
Havurah's Pride Shabbat in the Park
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm (6:30 pm Service, 7:30 pm Potluck Dinner), Friday, July 19
Upcoming Events
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Saturday ,
JulJuly 27 , 2024
Shabbat, Jul 27th 10:00a to 12:00p
Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. For Zoom link (Zoom Room Aleph), email info@havurahshalom.org. -
Monday ,
JulJuly 29 , 2024
Monday, Jul 29th 6:00p to 7:30p
We will resume our monthly letter writing on the last Monday of each month to write letters to our lawmakers for Israel/Palestine justice. Questions? Contact David Lewis. Havurah members and non-members welcome. RSVP for Zoom info. -
Thursday ,
AugAugust 1 , 2024
Thursday, Aug 1st 5:30p to 7:00p
The Havurah Ma’avar Committee is offering a six-week grief process-support group for Havurah members. Each group session will be held virtually Thursday evenings, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm, beginning July 11 through August 15. Chaplain Candi Wuhrman will facilitate the group with a focus on the dying experience, the impact of the relationship, the things unsaid, making peace within ourselves, forgiveness, and continuing the relationship after death. -
Saturday ,
AugAugust 3 , 2024
Shabbat, Aug 3rd 10:00a to 12:00p
Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. For Zoom link (Zoom Room Aleph), email info@havurahshalom.org. -
Monday ,
AugAugust 5 , 2024
Monday, Aug 5th 1:00p to 4:00p
We are excited to bring mahjong back to Havurah. It is a fun, social activity that builds community, encouraging new friendships and cementing old ones. And while some of us may play elsewhere as well, we all agreed that restoring its place as an ongoing congregational activity will be a good fit for Havurah and those of us who play or want to learn the game. So please don't hesitate to join us! For Havurah members and prospective members. -
Monday ,
AugAugust 5 , 2024
Monday, Aug 5th 7:00p to 8:15p
A gender-inclusive New Moon group, learning and celebrating each Rosh Ḥodesh with ancient and contemporary ritual. Open to any and all genders, inviting each to connect with our closest heavenly body, the Moon. An introductory meeting will happen on the full moon of Elul on Wednesday, Aug. 30 outdoors—weather permitting—in North Portland. Subsequent meetings will be on or near the new moon of each month either in person in North Portland or on Zoom, depending on seasonal shifts in the weather. Attend any or all sessions. RSVP to be updated on location and other details throughout the year. -
Thursday ,
AugAugust 8 , 2024
Thursday, Aug 8th 5:30p to 7:00p
The Havurah Ma’avar Committee is offering a six-week grief process-support group for Havurah members. Each group session will be held virtually Thursday evenings, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm, beginning July 11 through August 15. Chaplain Candi Wuhrman will facilitate the group with a focus on the dying experience, the impact of the relationship, the things unsaid, making peace within ourselves, forgiveness, and continuing the relationship after death. -
Friday ,
AugAugust 9 , 2024
Friday, Aug 9th 10:00a to 12:00p
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Saturday ,
AugAugust 10 , 2024
Shabbat, Aug 10th 10:00a to 12:00p
Please join us in welcoming Sebastian Mellman as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community. -
Monday ,
AugAugust 12 , 2024
Monday, Aug 12th 8:00p to 9:30p
Tisha B’Av is a powerful holy day in our cycle of Jewish time. Yet, it is often overlooked, considered as just a day of mourning for the destruction of the temples. We will look at how Tisha B’Av came to be the collecting point of Jewish loss, grief, and displacement as well as what Alan Lew calls “the moment of turning, the moment when we turn away from denial and begin to face exile and alienation as they manifest themselves in our own lives...Teshuvah – turning is the essential gesture of the entire High Holiday season.” We will also commemorate Tisha B’av with a short ritual that helps us being the process of Teshuvah. All are welcome. Stay tuned for an update on the location/medium of delivery: This event will be at Havurah Shalom and/or on Zoom. Havurahniks, please contact Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, deborah@havurahshalom.org if you would like to help plan this ritual.