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, December 2 2023
19 Kislev 5784
Need Help? If you are a Havurah member in need of help, log in to find resources here.
Havurah Updates
Hineinu: Rebecca Clarren Book Convo, Adult B'nei Mitzvah Due Date, Kabbalat Shabbat, Chanukah
The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance by Havurahnik Rebecca Clarren
5:30 to 7 pm, Wednesday,
Hineinu Correction: Regarding Two Events Tomorrow (Tuesday, November 28)
Correction: Upcoming Havurah Events
Havurah Book Group to Discuss The
Upcoming Events
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Saturday ,
DecDecember 2 , 2023
Shabbat, Dec 2nd 5:15p to 8:00p
Grade 4 Shabbat School class gets together to hang out and have fun! -
Sunday ,
DecDecember 3 , 2023
Sunday, Dec 3rd 10:00a to 12:00p
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Sunday ,
DecDecember 3 , 2023
Sunday, Dec 3rd 6:30p to 8:00p
Watch Selma before we meet, and we'll discuss the film together over Zoom. (Film rating: PG-13; teens welcome to join too.) -
Monday ,
DecDecember 4 , 2023
Monday, Dec 4th 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! -
Monday ,
DecDecember 4 , 2023
Monday, Dec 4th 7:00p to 8:30p
We will explore the military occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip through film, lectures, and discussion. We will ask questions about the declared purposes, political and legal foundations, impact, and future of the Occupation. Led by Joel Beinin. -
Tuesday ,
DecDecember 5 , 2023
Tuesday, Dec 5th 7:00p to 8:30p
Join members of the Havurah Leadership Development Committee to learn more about our unique community and the ways we all support each other in our participatory culture. All members are welcome to join us! -
Tuesday ,
DecDecember 5 , 2023
Tuesday, Dec 5th 7:00p to 8:30p
Eyal Bitton is the cantor at Portland's Neveh Shalom and was raised in the Moroccan Jewish community in Montreal. Through lecture and song, he will examine various elements of Moroccan sacred music—synagogue song, cantillation of sacred texts, the piyyut (liturgical poetry), and life cycle songs. Moroccan Jews have a very rich and proud religious culture, and a varied and ancient musical tradition, reflecting its Moroccan milieu, its Andalusian heritage, and more. -
Tuesday ,
DecDecember 5 , 2023
Tuesday, Dec 5th 7:30p to 8:45p
Jewish text study is similar to tuning a radio. Each type of text—TaNaKH (Bible), Rabbinic Literature (Midrash and Talmud), Medieval Commentary (Rashi, ibn Ezra, Nachmanides) and Mystical (Kabbalistic and Hasidic)—operates on a different frequency. Each seeks to clarify what we are hearing about the world, following a set of rules. Each reads the world’s signals. We will spend two weeks tuning into specific passages from the four genres. Hebrew is not necessary for this overview , although we will read some of the “greatest hits” together in the original. Transistor radios preferred to digital, because we are all subject to static. Led by Rabbi Joey Wolf. -
Wednesday ,
DecDecember 6 , 2023
Wednesday, Dec 6th 4:00p to 6:00p
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Wednesday ,
DecDecember 6 , 2023
Wednesday, Dec 6th 6:30p to 8:30p