Shwmae Haverim!
Shwmae Haverim!
That’s Welsh for “Hello Haverim.” Unfortunately, after too short a time with this amazing community, I’ve made the difficult decision to return to Wales in December1. As some of you know I moved to Portland from Wales after living in Cardiff for 6 years. I have loved living in Portland and especially getting to know so many wonderful Havurahniks. I consider myself so lucky to have found a job with this group of intelligent, passionate, active, interesting, spiritual, professional… and just plain incredible people. The Havurah community is unique and special and I only wish that you were the Reconstructionist Community of Cardiff so I could keep working here forever.
The decision to move was a difficult one as both my husband and I have loved our time in Portland. The Pacific Northwest is a playground for outdoor enthusiasts like us and we couldn’t have been happier with our weekends of mountain biking, hiking, camping, and general adventuring. However, even with the beautiful nature and adventure-at-our-doorstep, I missed something that I didn’t know I could miss – I missed my community. I had put down roots that I didn’t see or feel until I left, and maybe this realization was only amplified by the incredibly welcoming community of Havurah.
I know the community has big decisions and transitions ahead, but after working with so many Havurah committees and members I can’t imagine a community better equipped to handle these changes and to thrive within these opportunities.
Thank you for welcoming me into the community. My last day at Havurah will be December 2. Please keep in touch via email or Facebook or some other wonder of the internet … and if you find yourself in Cardiff I’ll have a cuppa tea and a biscuit2 waiting for you.
diolch a hwyl fawr3
Rachel
1 This note was written and the decision was made before November 8th.
2 It’s actually a cookie, and likely a very good cookie!
3 thank you and goodbye
From the Steering Committee --
We are very sad to see Rachel go and wish her and Andy all the best in the return to the UK. Rachel has been an important part of our staff and we so appreciate all she has done to take care of our building and improve our office processes over the last year and a half. We will miss her work and her presence in our community.
Steering is finalizing the job description and posting for Rachel’s replacement as Office and Facilities Manager. If you have questions about the position, please contact Debbi, debbinadell@gmail.com.
Photo above is of Rachel in Oregon. Photo below is of Rachel, Andy and their friends in Wales.
Announcing Our Rabbi Candidates
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The Rabbi Search Committee is pleased to announce that we have two candidates for the position of rabbi at Havurah Shalom. They will be visiting with us in December and January. Unfortunately, our third candidate had to withdraw his application due to family circumstances. These are the two weekends when our candidates will visit: December 2-3: Rabbi Benjamin Barnett - RSVP for weekend events with Rabbi Barnett here. January 6-7: Rabbi Micah Becker-Klein - RSVP for weekend events with Rabbi Becker-Klein here.
The process to determine which candidates to invite started with the focus groups and your participation.
A job description was then developed based on the feedback we received from the focus group and your input.
We realize that what we want is a “super rabbi” but also recognize that there is no one candidate who could possibly fulfill all that is in the job description. As you meet each of the candidates, we hope that the focus group report and job description will guide your evaluation of each individual, and the extent to which they embody the most important qualities we are seeking in a new rabbi. In April we posted the job at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Placement Center and started receiving resumes that were forwarded to us by the Placement Center. We received over ten resumes and three were from women. In July the Rabbi Search Committee reviewed the resumes and identified five rabbis with whom to hold Skype interviews in August. From those Skype interviews, we identified rabbis to invite to come visit. So why are none of the candidates women? Two of the rabbis interviewed in August were women. We hoped that we could have a balance of female and male candidates. Unfortunately the female candidates did not have the experience and qualities that Havurah Shalom is looking for and needs in our next rabbi. The Rabbi Search Committee believes that the two candidates who will be visiting with us are highly qualified and we look forward to your input after their visits. We hope you will take this opportunity to participate in as many of the events as you can. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at rabbisearch@havurahshalom.org. - The Rabbi Search Committee |
Nov. 2 Community Email
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RABBI CANDIDATES, RSVP FOR KABBALAT SHABBAT, FUN PHOTOS FROM SUNDAY
UPCOMING SHABBAT Community Minyan This Saturday, Sacha Reich, Roger Brewer, and Emily Simon will lead and leyn as we read and discuss parsha Noach, in which Hashem sends a flood that destroys the world and spares only Noah's family and the animals that Noah gathers on the ark. The Noahide Commandments are named, and a rainbow appears to symbolize the first covenant. In this same parsha, people try to build the Tower of Babel but are scattered into many groups speaking different languages. With Emily Simon giving the drash, we're sure to have an interesting conversation. Click here if you can join us! Photo of the Tower of Babel above is by Facug (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Tot Shabbat Young children (0-5) and their parents celebrate Shabbat with singing, movement, blessings and storytelling. RSVP here if you can come. ALTER ROCKERS PARTY THIS SATURDAY Saturday, Nov. 5 Join the Alter Rockers on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 7:00 pm, for a fall get-together. People should bring an appetizer or dessert to share, as well as whatever beverage they wish to drink. We will eat and drink, talk and laugh, and play a table or two of poker and other games as people are interested. Anyone interested in whiskey tasting, please bring a bottle. If you have not already responded, please RSVP to Sarah Rosenberg at sarah.r.rosenberg@gmail.com. REGISTER BY NOV. 7 FOR KABBALAT SHABBAT Kabbalat Shabbat
Our vegetarian Kabbalat Shabbat Dinner begins at 6:30 pm, followed by a Kabbalat Shabbat Service at 7:30 pm. We offer dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free choices. You’re invited to bring wine or juice to celebrate Shabbat. Childcare is available for kids age 2 to 8. RSVPs are required for all who plan to attend the dinner. Please RSVP here by Nov. 7. Cost adjustments for the dinner are available. Please call 503-248-4662 if you have questions. Whether or not you attend the dinner, please join us for our spirited, musical and joy-filled Kabbalat Shabbat Service at 7:30 pm. The service will be led by Rabbi Joey and Havurah musicians Andrew Ehrlich, Margie Rosenthal, and Larry Reichman. LAST SUNDAY PHOTOS - ART PROJECT & RACE TO END CHILD HOMELESSNESS
On Sunday, Oct. 30, at least 36 Havurahniks ages 5-9 and their parents made tiles for Havurah's courtyard art project. You can see the varied rocks they created for the bank of the river and photos from the afternoon workshop in this Facebook album. Eighteen-plus Havurahniks ages 10 and older created tiles for the lower part of the mural in the afternoon. The project is led by artist Lynn Takata, who has brought many communities together in the Portland-Salem area to create outdoor art together. All Havurah members are invited to help create our courtyard mural. Lynn will lead four more workshops at Havurah, two on Nov. 20 and two more on Dec. 4 and 11. The project is sponsored by Havurah's Design Committee. Refreshments are provided at each workshop. Sign up here. You can see other community artwork led by Lynn Takata at http://lynntakata.com/
On Oct. 30, 12 Havurah members braved the drizzle to run or walk the 5K Race to End Child Homelessness. This event was sponsored by New City Initiative, an organization which provides many programs to help homeless families transition into housing. The Havurah team raised $800 (including $250 donated by the Tikum Olam Committee) to be one of the top five fundraising teams. Thank you to Tom Berg, for organizing the Havurah team, and to all those who contributed. See more photos from the race here on our Facebook page. MORNING MINYAN & MAILING FOR RABBI CANDIDATE VISITS NOV. 9 Join us for our Wednesday Morning Minyan on Nov. 9, from 8:30 to 9:00 am. This is a weekly service for those who wish to have a regular prayer practice and those saying Kaddish. Following the minyan, our dynamic office volunteers will help prepare a mailing for our upcoming rabbi candidate visits. Please let Rachel know if you can help. POST ELECTION DEBRIEF WITH HAVURAH Sunday, Nov. 13 Losing sleep because of the upcoming election? Where will your head and heart be POST-election? Will you be relieved? Worried? Exhausted? Experiencing feelings of numbness or helplessness? Join members of the Tikkun Olam Committee Sunday, Nov. 13, for a guided conversation to listen in and/or contribute your voice to “what do these election results mean for social action?” What did we learn? What will “we” do next? TIKKUN OLAM Lift Urban Portland’s Annual Holiday Dinner on Dec. 25 Every year for the past 30 years, Congregation Beth Israel has hosted Lift Urban Portland’s community holiday dinner, and Havurah Shalom has supported Lift Urban Portland and the holiday dinner for more than a decade. Currently, Havurahnik Mike Feldman is a member of Lift’s board of directors. Volunteers are needed before, during and after the dinner to prepare and decorate, fill gift bags, greet guests, serve meals, and clean up. You can sign up here. The photo below was taken at a Lift Urban Portland holiday dinner.
Portland Homeless Family Solutions Tikkun Olam Direct Service Project Volunteer at Holiday Village on Dec. 16 Want to celebrate with our families this holiday season? Join us at our Holiday Village event on Dec. 16 at Goose Hollow. Every year, Portland Homeless Family Solutions hosts a holiday party for the families in shelter and any families who accessed services earlier in the year. They'll have dinner, music, crafts and games for kids, the opportunity for parents to shop for presents, and lots of holiday cheer! Volunteers are needed for the following roles:
Shift times are approximate and may change as the event date gets closer. Can't volunteer but want to donate items towards our other donation needs? Ready to volunteer at Holiday Village? Contact Bethany. Join us in doing our direct service project work with Portland Homeless Family Solutions. The next orientation at Goose Hollow Shelter is Nov. 8, 5:00 – 6:00 pm, 1838 SW Jefferson. Parking is behind the church. Questions? To help with meal preparation: Len Shapiro at lenshap@gmail.com. Any other PHFS questions, Gloria Halper, Tikkun Olam Committee member, losninos6@gmail.com. ADULT LEARNING Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation Davenology 101 A Kippah in the Caribbean This hour-long documentary is in Dutch with English subtitles, but don’t let that stop you. The film is co-sponsored by the Institute for Judaic Studies and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, and there is a fee: $8 for the general public; $5 for students or members of Havurah, IJS, or OJMCHE. The film is free for Havurah High and Middle School Students. Please pay and reserve here. Havurah students, your seats are already reserved! For more information, contact Ruth Feldman at ruth@ruthmike.com. Havurah Book Discussion Group At the next Havurah Book Discussion on Nov. 29, we will discuss The Marrying of Chani Kaufman, a fascinating novel by Eve Harris. Learn more about the evening and RSVP here.
PACIFIC NW RECONSTRUCTIONIST SHABBATON Online registration is open now for the Pacific NW Reconstructionist Shabbaton Weekend, May 5-7, 2017. Celebrate Shabbat at Camp Solomon Schechter with members of the five Pacific Northwest Reconstructionist congregations!
See the attached flier for more details and register here. There's priority registration for those who register by Nov. 23! IN THE COMMUNITY ... Edges of Identity: Jews, Punk and Poetry This will be an innovative day of learning with a star appearance by punk-klezmer band, Golem of NYC. "Edges of Identity: Jews, Punk and Poetry" sets the music of Brooklyn-based Golem amidst poetry, songs, and theatrical readings by a whole line-up of talents, notably among them PSU artist-in-residence (and Havurah member) Alicia Jo Rabins, an award-winning poet and former member of the band Golem. "Edges of Identity: Jews, Punk and Poetry" is a free ticketed event, open to the public. Doors open at noon, and the first performance starts at 12:30 pm. Sign up for free tickets here. Taste of Art ORA, a Jewish Art Organization, is throwing two parties and admission is FREE. In Hebrew, ora means light - luminosity, warmth, perspective, liveliness, brightness. Havurah member Lou Jaffe is on the board of directors of ORA. Join the preview party. Free tasty treats from Mother's Bistro combined with sample tastings of Ambacht Beer and Gompers Gin. You will enjoy live music from "The Noted.” Raffle tickets given for art purchases $25 and up. Five great packages will be awarded at the end of Sunday. You need not be present to win. Celebration of Art Art Sale by ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists. Judaic and secular art in many price ranges. Chanukah gift offerings. Live Music, and raffle tickets will be given for all art purchases $25 and up. Five great packages will be awarded at the end of the day. You need not be present to win. Be The Match Havurah member Karen Labinger’s son is raising money to support bone marrow donations through "Be The Match," a walk/run on Nov. 19. The company Jason works for, Emerald Health Services, is supporting Jason’s efforts. Karen hopes some Havurah members will consider donating to this cause through her son’s team. You can make an online donation through Jason’s team HERE. Fair Trade Chanukah Gelt Buy fair trade Chanukah gelt that tastes great! Scroll down this email from Fair Trade Judaica to learn more and order your gelt. Reconstructionism Today Read the most recent issue of Reconstructionism Today HERE.
Weekend In Quest The 11th annual Weekend in Quest, a Shabbaton (study weekend), will be held March 3-5, 2017 in Astoria, Oregon. It is sponsored by The Institute for Judaic Studies of the Pacific Northwest in Portland and co-sponsored by Havurah Shalom. The scholar-in-residence is Professor Roger Porter, Emeritus Professor of English and Humanities at Reed College. Professor Porter’s program is entitled “Who is the Jew?” Anti-Semitism in Shakespeare and Philip Roth. Shabbat services will be led by Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin, Emeritus Rabbi at Temple Beth Israel, Eugene. Catered kosher-style meals include a festive Erev Shabbat dinner, Kiddush lunch and Saturday evening dinner, with round-table discussions, social time and entertainment woven throughout the weekend. For more information, to download a brochure and to register, go to http://weekendinquest.org and/or contact Havurah member Mimi Epstein at mimiepstein42@comcast.net. MEET OUR RABBI CANDIDATES! Click here to learn about our rabbi candidates. These candidates will join us on the following weekends:
During each weekend, the congregation will be able to see and interact with the candidates at:
Visit our online calendar to RSVP for any of the above events. How is the decision going to be made? In mid January a final survey will be sent via email to each congregant asking them to rank the candidates. In February 2017, after considering all the feedback, the Rabbi Search Committee will give a recommendation to the Steering Committee. At a congregational meeting on March 5, 2017, the congregation will be asked to approve the Steering Committee’s recommendation. We look forward to seeing you at the interview weekends. We thank you for your engagement and participation throughout this important process. As always, if you have questions, please contact the Rabbi Search Committee at rabbisearch@havurahshalom.org. |
Oct. 26 Community Email
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ART IN OUR COURTYARD, JOYOUS SIMCHAT TORAH, BRAVE & CREATIVE HAVURAHNIKS
UPCOMING SHABBAT Community Minyan No matter how many times we hear the stories of creation in the first parsha of the Torah, Bereshit, we discover new revelations when we read them. If you took Rabbi Joey’s Rashi class earlier this year, you know this! Join leaders and leyners Beth Hamon, Susan Brenner, Marty Brown and Roger Brewer this Saturday to daven, and read and discuss Genesis 4:19 to 6:8. TWO ART WORKSHOPS THIS SUNDAY - CREATE A LEGACY FOR HAVURAH! Art Workshop for Youth Ages 5-9 & Adults The first two workshops to make tiles for Havurah's courtyard art are this Sunday, Oct. 30. Six spots are still available in the morning workshop from 10:00 to 11:30 am, which is for youth ages 5-9 with adults. Thirty is the maximum number that can register for this workshop. RSVP here if you'd like to join the morning workshop. Snacks will be provided. Art Workshop for Ages 10 and Older Eleven people have signed up for the afternoon workshop from 1:00 to 3:30 pm, which is for anyone age 10 and older. There's room for more! Please RSVP here. Snacks will be provided. People are already registering for the workshops on Nov. 20, Dec. 4, and Dec. 11, too. Read more and sign up for a workshop here. The photo of courtyard art at the top of this email was provided by artist Lynn Takata.
HAVURAH & TIVNU TALK TO NEIGHBORS ABOUT "YES FOR AFFORDABLE HOMES" Havurah and Tivnu Building Justice teamed up with the YES FOR AFFORDABLE HOMES campaign to reach out to neighbors in 381 homes in NE Portland Sunday morning, Oct. 23. Included in the event were Tivnu Gap Year students, local and state affordable housing leaders - including Havurah's own Steve Rudman, Janet Byrd, Rachael Duke, John Duke, Beth Kaye, and Steve Goldberg - and other concerned citizens. Above, Havurah and Tivnu celebrate Sukkot, the holiday of impermanent shelter and harvest, by canvassing for permanent housing.
SIMCHAT TORAH HAKOL HELP FRIDAY, OCT. 28 Our Hakol mailing will be on Friday, Oct. 28. Please come to the office at 9:00 am to help us fold and mail our Hakol. With enough help it will take less than two hours. Please email Rachel if you are able to assist. ALTER ROCKERS PARTY ON NOV. 5 Please join the Alter Rockers on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 7:00 pm, for a fall get-together. People should bring an appetizer or dessert to share, as well as whatever beverage they wish to drink. We will eat and drink, talk and laugh, and play a table or two of poker and other games as people are interested. Anyone interested in whiskey tasting, please bring a bottle. If you have not already responded, please RSVP to Sarah Rosenberg at sarah.r.rosenberg@gmail.com. WHAT WILL THE NEXT GENERATION OF HAVURAH BE LIKE? On Rosh Hashanah, the shofar’s blasts awakened us to new beginnings and new possibilities. What will the next generation of Havurah be like? The first generation of Havurahniks created a new kind of congregation in Portland - a participatory community, richly spiritual and dedicated to serious Jewish ideas and learning. The second generation saw the building of the physical structure that is our physical home. The third generation of Havurahniks are poised to ensure the future of our vibrant community.
This year - 5777 - we are creating a permanent endowment fund that will insure that Havurah Shalom continues to offer exciting cultural programs, a great Shabbat School, inspiring music, and meaningful religious celebrations open to all from generation to generation. We are calling this endowment campaign "Give Back to the Future." In this first phase of the campaign we are honoring Rabbi Joey for his many years of extraordinary leadership. We have already contacted a small group of families in Havurah, and I am thrilled to report that as of today, we have raised almost $100,000 toward our initial goal of $180,000 by the time of Rabbi Joey’s retirement. Nearly everyone contacted so far has agreed to contribute. We have trained 31 Havurah members to take on the challenge and the honor to speak with each of you directly about your financial support for Havurah’s Give Back to the Future Endowment Campaign. Please visit our Give Back to the Future web page to see 11 fellow Havurahniks speak about why they think it’s important to contribute to Havurah’s endowment. When you are contacted by one of your Havurah friends to talk about our Give Back to the Future Campaign, we know you will listen to the appeal, to hear the call to provide for the future generations of Havurah. - Margie Rosenthal, for Havurah’s Give Back to the Future Committee TIKKUN OLAM
Join the Havurah Team in the Race to End Child Homelessness! This event is sponsored by New City Initiative, which brings faith communities together to end the cycle of homelessness. Havurah's team will join many other teams from congregations throughout the area in three fun events:
Besides joining Havurah's team, you can help by:
Click here to register with the Havurah Shalom Team. For more information about the race, contact Tom Berg at bergtb@gmail.com or visit this website. Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) Goose Hollow Shelter Tikkun Olam-Sponsored Direct Service Project Upcoming Goose Hollow orientations: Nov. 8 and 30, Dec. 6 and 28, 5:00 to 6:00 pm. All orientations are at the shelter, 1383 SW Jefferson, with parking behind the church. Interested in learning more: Gloria Halper, losninos6@gmail.com ADULT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Davenology 101 Caribbean Jews—Did You Know? Did you know that:
There’s more to discover during Portland’s Jewish Book Celebration, which features Alice Hoffman’s The Marriage of Opposites, set in 19th century St. Thomas. There are two discussions of the book on Nov. 8, a talk about Jewish pirates of the Caribbean on November 13, and painting instruction related to the book on Nov. 15. Details here. Havurah Shalom will host A Kippah in the Caribbean on Wednesday, November 16, at 7 p.m. This hour-long documentary is in Dutch with English subtitles, but don’t let that stop you. The film is co-sponsored by the Institute for Judaic Studies and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, and there is a fee: $8 for the general public; $5 for students or members of Havurah, IJS, or OJMCHE. The film is free for Havurah High and Middle School Students. Please pay and reserve here. Havurah students, your seats are already reserved! For more information, contact Ruth Feldman at ruth@ruthmike.com. Havurah Book Discussion Group At the next Havurah Book Discussion on Nov. 29, we will discuss The Marrying of Chani Kaufman, a fascinating novel by Eve Harris. Learn more about the evening and RSVP here. PACIFIC NW RECONSTRUCTIONIST SHABBATON Online registration is open now for the Pacific NW Reconstructionist Shabbaton Weekend, May 5-7, 2017. Celebrate Shabbat at Camp Solomon Schechter with members of the five Pacific Northwest Reconstructionist congregations!
See the attached flier for more details and register here. There's priority registration for those who register by Nov. 23! IN THE COMMUNITY ...
The Bravery & Injustice Faced by Havurah Member Lindsey Grayzel Excerpt from The Guardian Two documentary film-makers are facing decades in prison for recording US oil pipeline protests, with serious felony charges that first amendment advocates say are part of a growing number of attacks on freedom of the press. ... Grayzel, an independent film-maker from Portland, Oregon, was also arrested and jailed on Oct. 11 while filming at a separate pipeline protest in Skagit County, Washington. She and her cinematographer, Carl Davis, had their footage and equipment seized and were kept behind bars for a day. "Everyone needs to be afraid when our first amendment rights are in jeopardy," Grayzel told the Guardian on Thursday before her criminal arraignment. ... "This is about the public’s right to know what is going on in this country." Read the complete story here. Edges of Identity: Jews, Punk and Poetry This will be an innovative day of learning with a star appearance by punk-klezmer band, Golem of NYC. "Edges of Identity: Jews, Punk and Poetry" sets the music of Brooklyn-based Golem amidst poetry, songs, and theatrical readings by a whole line-up of talents, notably among them PSU artist-in-residence (and Havurah member) Alicia Jo Rabins, an award-winning poet and former member of the band Golem. "Edges of Identity: Jews, Punk and Poetry" is a free ticketed event, open to the public. Doors open at noon, and the first performance starts at 12:30 pm. Sign up for free tickets here. Taste of Art ORA, a Jewish Art Organization, is throwing two parties and admission is FREE. In Hebrew, ora means light - luminosity, warmth, perspective, liveliness, brightness. Havurah member Lou Jaffe is on the board of directors of ORA. Join the preview party. Free tasty treats from Mother's Bistro combined with sample tastings of Ambacht Beer and Gompers Gin. You will enjoy live music from "The Noted.” Raffle tickets given for art purchases $25 and up. Five great packages will be awarded at the end of Sunday. You need not be present to win. Celebration of Art Art Sale by ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists. Judaic and secular art in many price ranges. Chanukah gift offerings. Live Music, and raffle tickets will be given for all art purchases $25 and up. Five great packages will be awarded at the end of the day. You need not be present to win. RABBI SEARCH The Rabbi Search Committee is currently identifying candidates to bring to Havurah for the interview weekends. Please don’t forget to put on your calendars the following weekends:
During these weekends, the congregation will be able to see and interact with the candidates at:
How is the decision going to be made? In mid January a final survey will be sent via email to each congregant asking them to rank the candidates. In February 2017, after considering all the feedback, the Rabbi Search Committee will give a recommendation to the Steering Committee. At a congregational meeting on March 5, 2017, the congregation will be asked to approve the Steering Committee’s recommendation. We look forward to seeing you at the interview weekends. We thank you for your engagement and participation throughout this important process. As always, if you have questions, please contact the Rabbi Search Committee at rabbisearch@havurahshalom.org. |
Leave a Legacy! Tile Art for Our Courtyard
All Havurah members are invited to create ceramic artwork for the Havurah Shalom courtyard. These free art workshops with artist Lynn Takata are sponsored by Havurah's Design Committee. Refreshments will be provided at each workshop.
Please register for the workshop of your choice below:
Explore creating forms inspired by wind, earth or water
Create clay tiles for the mosaic
Work alone or with your family and friends
Help install the mosaic next Spring
Family Art Workshop, Ages 5-9 with an Adult
Sunday, Oct. 30
10:00 – 11:30 am
Register here.
Family Art Workshop, Ages 10 through Adult
Sunday, Oct. 30
1:00 - 3:30 pm
Register here.
Adult Art Workshop
Sunday, Nov. 20
10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Register here.
Teen Art Workshop
Sunday, Nov. 20
1:30 – 3:30 pm
Register here.
Glazing Workshops, Ages 10 through Adult
Sunday, Dec. 4
10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Register here.
Sunday, Dec. 11
10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Register here.
A Joyous Simchat Torah Celebration
Sweets, simcha, music, Torah: What a celebration! Special thanks to our fantastic musicians - Andrew Ehrlich, Barry Lavine, Beth Hamon, Tanja Lux, Martin Morgenbesser, and another wonderful musician whose name I hope to post here soon. You can watch these videos of the Havurah Hakafot Orchestra and Havurahniks of all ages dancing and check out photos from Monday night here on our Facebook page.
Thank you to Fran, Marisa and Tom Berg, Saul Korin, Beth Shreve, Seth Kaplan, Patricia Schwartz, Mimi Epstein, Chris Coughlin, and everyone else who provided crafts for the kids and sweets and drinks for all. Rabbi Joey and Roger Brewer led and read Torah - joy and sweetness in abundance. Shana Tova!
Pictured above are musician, poet and Torah scholar Alicia Jo Rabins and her children. Below, Rabbi Joey jokes with Ted Scheinman, who is holding the Ten Commandments.
Oct. 19 Community Email
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SUKKOT, SHEMINI ATZERET, SIMCHAT TORAH, ART & LOTS OF LEARNING
UPCOMING SHABBAT Sukkot Shabbat Service Join us for a Friday night celebration during Sukkot with a Havurah-sponsored dessert oneg following the service. Please RSVP here if you can come!
Community Minyan At this Saturday’s Community Minyan, we will read and discuss Exodus 33:12–34:26. In this passage, Moses asks to see God and is allowed to see God's back, which is revealed while the 13 Attributes of Mercy are proclaimed. What does it mean to see and be seen? And what is rachamim, or mercy, which is repeated so often during High Holy Days? Join Rabbi Joey, Diane Chaplin, Sam Sirkin, and other Havurah leaders and leyners at this Saturday's service to learn and share your ideas. RABBI JOEY'S KOL NIDREI DRASH - "THE LAST DRASH" "This is likely the last time I'll give a Kol Nidrei drash for Havurah. The last drash - my son Simi said it reminded him of The Last Waltz. I appreciate the obvious similarities. "No, but I am philosophical about it. "Look, I'm left with some worries. This is because I think of myself as religious, but in a contemporary way. Over the years I have made it a point to let you know that I don't regard myself as different from you - we're all steeped in the same secular, agnostic culture. And even though I may have had a jump on you (when I took my first tentative steps on a pathway back to Jewish spiritual pracice in my early 20's), it still seems like it was just yesterday that I set out on this path." ... Read the full drash here. CLIMATE ACTION DISCUSSION COURSE Starts Thursday, Oct. 20 Come join the six-session discussion course on climate action. Increase your understanding about what is happening and how we can take action to increase resilience and mitigate the impacts of climate change. This course will refer to connections in Jewish texts that relate to our impact on the earth. The discussion sessions integrate video and readings compiled by the Northwest Earth Institute’s guide "Change is Our Choice: Creating Climate Solutions" that will help us choose accessible individual and community actions to build a better tomorrow. The planning committee includes Michael Heumann, Don Caniparoli, Jan Zuckerman and Steve Birkel. The first session of the course will be Thursday, Oct. 20, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Classes are from 7:00 to 8:30 pm on Oct. 20, Nov.10, Dec. 1, Jan. 5, Jan. 26, Feb. 9. Register online here! SUKKOT AT HAVURAH Folk Singing In the Sukkah If you love folk singing together, COME! Great singing abilities or “singing on key” is NOT necessary or important! Some Tikkun Olam folks are organizing an afternoon with singing and music (think guitars, autoharp, drums) to sing folk songs in our Sukkah! We will have some copies of Rise Up Singing to guide us. Bring your copy if you have one. Questions? Contact Susan Rosenthall at sarosenthall@msn.com or Judy Heumann at mjheumann@gmail.com. Tivnu Housing Sukkot Event This event involves morning canvassing in NE Portland and a dairy potluck lunch in Tivnu's sukkah. Learn where the gathering will be by emailing info@tivnu.org.
SHEMINI ATZERET Monday, Oct. 24 Shemini means "eighth" and Atzeret means "to gather" or "to store up." On the eighth day of Sukkot, the final day of the celebration, we gather the sentiments of gratitude and devotion acquired through the entire holiday season. Please join us! SIMCHAT TORAH WITH RABBI JOEY & THE HAVURAH HAKAFOT ORCHESTRA Monday, Oct. 24 Join us for our Simchat Torah Celebration on Monday, Oct. 24. Music, joy and sweetness for all ages! We'll have potluck desserts at 6:30 pm and a sweet, spirited service for all ages from 7:00 – 8:00 pm led by Rabbi Joey and Havurah violinist Andrew Ehrlich, who will lead the Havurah Hakafot Orchestra. RSVP here!
HAKOL HELP NEXT THURSDAY, OCT. 27 Our Hakol mailing will be on Thursday, Oct. 27. Please come to the office at 9:00 am to help us fold and mail our Hakol! With enough help it will take less than two hours. Please email Rachel if you are able to assist. HELP CREATE A LEGACY OF ART AT HAVURAH Sign up now for free tile-making workshops with Lynn Takata on Oct. 30, Nov. 20, Dec. 4, Dec. 11 Want to help create a beautiful work of art as a legacy for Havurah's future? Join other Havurahniks to make ceramics for Havurah's Community Courtyard Art Project. Free art workshops with artist Lynn Takata are sponsored by Havurah's Design Committee. Refreshments will be provided at each workshop. Read more and sign up for a workshop here.  TIKKUN OLAM
Join the Havurah Team in the Race to End Child Homelessness! This event is sponsored by New City Initiative, which brings faith communities together to end the cycle of homelessness. Havurah's team will join many other teams from congregations throughout the area in three fun events:
Besides joining Havurah's team, you can help by:
Click here to register with the Havurah Shalom Team. For more information about the race, contact Tom Berg at bergtb@gmail.com or visit this website. Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) Goose Hollow Shelter Tikkun Olam-Sponsored Direct Service Project From now until then, PHFS, along with the other 140 organizations of Welcome Home, will be organizing, door-knocking, and fundraising for this critical campaign to be enormously successful. Join us in the movement! Let us know that you want to become more involved or volunteer here at YES for Affordable Homes and follow along on Facebook! We know that it all starts with having a home, so let's make sure home is a place all Portland families can afford. Goose Hollow Family Shelter Orientations: (PHFS night shelter) ADULT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Davenology 101
A Kippah in the Caribbean November is Jewish Book Month. Havurah Shalom is co-sponsoring one of Portland’s community-wide events to augment discussions of this year's selection, Alice Hoffman's The Marriage of Opposites, which is set on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. On Wednesday, Nov. 16, Havurah will team up with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Institute for Judaic Studies to present the film, A Kippah in the Caribbean. It is a lively Dutch documentary (with English subtitles), suitable for teens and adults. For more information about this movie night at Havurah, please contact Ruth Feldman at ruth@ruthmike.com. Read more here about Jewish Book Month in Portland. You can watch a trailer of the movie here. Havurah Book Discussion Group At the next Havurah Book Discussion on Nov. 29, we will discuss The Marrying of Chani Kaufman, a novel by Eve Harris. Learn more about the evening and RSVP here. PACIFIC NW RECONSTRUCTIONIST SHABBATON Online registration is open now for the Pacific NW Reconstructionist Shabbaton Weekend, May 5-7, 2017. Celebrate Shabbat at Camp Solomon Schechter with members of the five Pacific Northwest Reconstructionist congregations!
See the attached flier for more details and register here. There's priority registration for those who register by Nov. 23! IN THE COMMUNITY ... ORA, a Jewish Art Organization, is throwing two parties and admission is FREE. In Hebrew, ora means light - luminosity, warmth, perspective, liveliness, brightness. Havurah member Lou Jaffe is on the board of directors of ORA. Taste of Art Join the preview party. Free tasty treats from Mother's Bistro combined with sample tastings of Ambacht Beer and Gompers Gin. You will enjoy live music from "The Noted.” Raffle tickets given for art purchases $25 and up. Five great packages will be awarded at the end of Sunday. You need not be present to win. Celebration of Art Art Sale by ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists. Judaic and secular art in many price ranges. Chanukah gift offerings. Live Music, and raffle tickets will be given for all art purchases $25 and up. Five great packages will be awarded at the end of the day. You need not be present to win. Sponsors are MJCC and Jewish Federation of Portland RABBI SEARCH The Rabbi Search Committee is currently identifying candidates to bring to Havurah for the interview weekends. Please don’t forget to put on your calendars the following weekends:
During these weekends, the congregation will be able to see and interact with the candidates at:
How is the decision going to be made? In mid January a final survey will be sent via email to each congregant asking them to rank the candidates. In February 2017, after considering all the feedback, the Rabbi Search Committee will give a recommendation to the Steering Committee. At a congregational meeting on March 5, 2017, the congregation will be asked to approve the Steering Committee’s recommendation. We look forward to seeing you at the interview weekends. We thank you for your engagement and participation throughout this important process. As always, if you have questions, please contact the Rabbi Search Committee at rabbisearch@havurahshalom.org. |
Rabbi Joey's Kol Nidrei Drash
Kol Nidrei Drash, 5777/2016
The Last Drash
Rabbi Joey Wolf
This is likely the last time I’ll give a Kol Nidrei drash for Havurah. The last drash – my son Simi, said it reminded him of the Last Waltz[1][2]. I appreciate the obvious similarities.
No, but I am philosophical about it.
Look, I’m left with some worries. This is because I think of myself as religious, but in a contemporary way. Over the years I have made it a point to let you know that I don’t regard myself as any different from you – we’re all steeped in the same secular, agnostic culture. And even though I may have had a jump on you, (when I took my first tentative steps on a pathway back to Jewish spiritual practice in my early 20’s), it still seems like it was just yesterday that I set out on this path.
So I’m amazed – where did the last thirty years go? It’s been thirty years this coming summer since I landed here with you in Portland – and I wonder what it all adds up to?
Hineni……… “Here I am.” Like the chazzanit’s “prayer before the prayer” I disabuse you of the notion that I stand before you with self-confidence. Eynee ch’day v’hagun l’chach. I, after all this time, feel “insufficient and unworthy”. Tonight this will be my confession, as someone who has tried to be a Jewish leader, one who prays and observes. . . and still doesn’t feel totally comfortable with the legacy I’m leaving you.
I wonder, honestly – have I gotten away with something? I confide that I’ve never had a sure sense of doing this, in the sense of it being a “role”, being a rabbi. I’ve always seen what I have been doing as an extension of everything else I knew from when I was young. I’ll explain: I always saw myself as an interpreter of sorts, going back to my discussions on the fly with grade-school and high school friends. They’d ask a question about the meaning of a ritual or an idea in the Torah they’d heard about. They were baffled, sometimes they were joking around, derisive. But they’d pause and wait to hear what I’d have to say. We were all secular American, middle class kids. I went to Hebrew school five times a week and I hated Hebrew school just like they did – I even set records getting kicked out. I’d say that we were all after the same things that kids are – but there was a space in which I held a fascination, a deep respect, for ancient ideas, somehow, I guess.
I used to explain it that I was fortunate to have a few very powerful teachers along the way. But this fact really doesn’t account for why it is that what these adults had to say resonated for me more than for my friends. And exactly what was it that resonated? Ancient poetry? Injunctions about the good life? I know there was travail in these words – there was suffering and longing. And there was a love for our people. This thing we call ahavat yisrael (love for the People Israel)– I’ve explained in the past that I learned it from going upstairs to my grandmother’s informal salons. The living room was full of smart women – there were some men up there too, but they were generally not as smart and less enthusiastic about everything, certainly less loquacious! We lived in a duplex outside of Boston, so there was an easy kind of comity about it, as guests came and went and felt free to visit downstairs on their way upstairs.
I learned this Jewish connectedness on Friday nights too around a table, where my father made Kiddush. We invited family and friends over every week, and I looked forward to coming inside from a fierce competition on the driveway basketball court in the driveway. (We had this basketball rim mounted to the outside wall of our kitchen, right off the dining room and there was this loud, vibrating sound inside the house whenever the ball was shot. It must have driven my mother crazy while she was cooking.) Outside we were at it – knocking one another around, sweating, cursing, some of the best basketball players in town. But then it grew dark, and we came in for Shabbat. One or two friends would join the others around the table. Usually a favorite uncle was there, maybe an aunt, but people, I’ll tell you, we enjoyed having with us. I was always proud to bring my friends to that table – some were Jewish, some weren’t. I’ve told the story to some of you before that I have this old friend. He lives up in Victoria. Anyway, he wasn’t Jewish and when we were getting ready, after dessert, to head out, he asked my mother, “Mrs. Wolf, would you like me to blow out the candles?” My mother said, “No, no!”
But what I’m saying is that once dinner was over, we did what everybody else was doing. We were teenagers, off in fast cars to wherever teenagers go to discover “what’s going on”. (There was never anything much really “going on”, in fact.)
So today, years later, I feel the same pulls to the culture we live in that you do. I love rock music and beautiful paintings, nice cars, good wine. I’m a foodie and I’m a sports junkie. This is a civilization of trophies and attainment: we all, to one degree or another, are immersed in it and spend our lifetimes, to whatever extent we can, steering through and away from these modern-day idols that are so ubiquitous and claim our attention. As we have witnessed in recent days, it’s a crude and disgusting brand of social politics that has hijacked us over time. It didn’t happen yesterday – it’s been going on for a long time, only it’s out in the open now: the self-promotion, the mendacity, the thuggery, the misdirection.
Hineni………. Here I am. After thirty years – I think it’s possible to say that we, as human beings, tend to look around us and identify with the “things” in our lives, the catch phrases that define us, the slogans, the bumper stickers, the gauges that somehow reflect what we think we know about who we are – despite the fact what we are ephemeral. And then we raise our children with these signs – they become our surrogate competitors, our indicators of how well we are doing. We develop their prospectuses, breathe a sigh of relief for everything that works out right, lose a night’s sleep when things go wrong. We are high rollers, speculators.
But really – what of us? Who are we? What are we capable of accomplishing? What can we honestly say we have done, when it’s all over?
This is my worry, whenever you ask me (and I realize for most folks it’s just a conversation-starter most of the time, but still…) when you ask me to size it all up, what it means that I’m retiring as your rabbi. What has it amounted to?
I can’t account for it. It seems like yesterday when I first came here – and expressed surprise and delight, thorough joy at your joy, amazement at your spiritual audacity. I experienced humility in the face of your honesty, your laughter, your tears. You were angry too – you would brook no false piety, nor did you for a moment seek to replicate the last generation’s pro forma brand of religious spectatorship.
I asked myself: What kind of rabbi could I / should I be, in the face of your truthfulness?
There was something else going on here. You did Torah. It was a crazy thing. What I mean is that (and you may not be conscious of this today – you may take it for granted) you have always examined the commentaries. I still think about it today. I’d visit you in your homes: several of you had bookshelves filled with the latest books on Jewish spirituality, inquiries on ancient texts. It blew me away how you were “right in there” with these things and talked about it all. And, of course, as all this material has gone online, you are in the thick of it. It’s the stuff that is often reserved for just rabbis in other places. Or if it’s not just the rabbis, there is frequently an exclusive clique or a code by which only a few have the rights to teach Torah. Everyone sits passively, spiritually lobotomized. But in Havurah Shalom, you taught Torah. You were passionate about it! It may not have been perfect Torah; in fact, there have been some pretty screwy things said in our precincts over the years – but you have always been chutzpahdik about it!
The point is you bought the books and cut a path into the thicket. And Torah, as you correctly understood it, inspired a transformative vision of the world too.
And I have wondered, given this, what did I bring? Eynee ch’day v’hagun l’chach. I am insufficient and unworthy.
I return to my roots. I’m wondering, at the end of my career, about why I pray? What makes me religious, and by default – you (supposedly) less religious than me – your rabbi? How am I supposed to imagine that what I am all about is in some way distinguished from who you are? Specifically, if I so identify with you, just as I did with my friends growing up (now you are my friends!), so what does all this mean?
(Extemporaneous: I mentioned that some people inevitably ask me, “Joey, where are you going to live?” I mean, where am I going to live? What does that mean? I live here – I’m looking around the room…. YOU are my friends, you are my community. What am I going to do when I retire – move to Heaven?!)
Hineni. . . In halachic terms (in Jewish law), this special “prayer before the prayer” before the Amida tomorrow is called a reshut: it’s a disclaimer! It’s a way the leader of prayer on behalf of the community gets to ask permission – and to admit something about themselves before launching into this supremely important task.
And here I am, as I have always been – wondering if I am an impostor?
What made me begin to pray? What impulse led me to become a rabbi, even well before I was on the track? I can recall going out and buying my own Siddur that would fit in the palm of my hand like a large ocean shell revealing wonders from far out at sea. I remember buying my first kippah, its colorful embroidered design – I could clip it to a full head of hair, my first “true” tallit that I could wrap myself in. I remember making the decision to bind my arm and encircle my head with the tefillin – to wear the words of the Shema on a daily basis. It united me with my ancestors in a visceral way. I saw a man, a teacher, coming from shul on Shabbat, trudging home, he was very old – and at this point I reflected that I should not forsake him. Me binding myself in tefillin meant that you didn’t have to be old – you could be new – and put tefillin on!
Up until that time in my life, Judaism was an “ism” – a set of abstract values, coordinates on GPS – but in no way part of my embodied life. I kept this “ism” at an arm’s length, because that’s the way all secularists have been taught to “appraise” things they possess. . . But I have been making challah now on Friday mornings for the better part of 45 years. I like to say I am proud of “creating a total mess”, (Lisa gets out of the kitchen – she can’t stand it), getting the sticky dough on my fingers, and then I clean it up too. I have been keeping Shabbat, not just remembering it, for about that long. It’s a part of me. And I’ve kept sacred time by showing up for a minyan on Shabbat morning for most of that period. That’s the important thing. It’s a day of rest. I’m not running out to the world or doing whatever the rest of the world is doing just because Friday night is over.
But am I really greatly different from you? And what is it that I have accomplished in your midst? I keep returning to that.
When I was younger, I learned from some important teachers, as I have said – but what did they teach me, or how did their teaching work on me like some kind of magic? I composed these thoughts and then erased them and then composed them again, as I questioned what I remembered: I think that I must have heard something deep within me, perceived something ancient and abiding. I guess that what I cultivated and carefully transmitted to friends was something in the way of a quiet awareness. The Kotsker Rebbe explains it in a commentary on Moses being Eesh Anav Me’od, a “very modest personality.” It’s a curious phrase used to describe him. The Kotsker says that Moses cultivated a kind of patience – a “space”, if you will – for being small. Again, I am struck by how much of our society has lost its way – how much it is enamored by bloated, arrogant figures who game the system. They rush headlong into what belongs to others. They are loud. They certainly cannot chant a hymn. They cannot even complete a thought.
But I return to my original question: I want to test the proposition that there was something – a “space”, a reverberation – that moved me towards Jewish spirituality and learning. . . But what was it?
Clearly, back when I was a kid I learned about the sacred texts, but they were the same ones that others around me either dismissed or forgot about a minute later. They may have been texts in the Torah or in the Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah. Later they were poets, maybe Hasidic teachings. But it wasn’t the texts themselves – I think that what a few of the especially good teachers did was attune me to what I can only describe as the Timeless Voice resident in this sacred language. It was the Sound of the Universe, if only we could all open to it.
Just yesterday morning I paid careful attention to the psalm for the second day of the week (you read a specific psalm assigned to the day of the week after Aleynu when you are davenning in the morning)… So I was reading the psalm for Monday, and, specifically, the last verse “l’ma’an t’sapru l’dor acharon”. I was startled, because when I was formulating what I’d say to you tonight, I thought of this precious Voice that comes through the generations from long ago in the past. It’s ancient like the Shofar blast. But this verse in the psalm teaches us that we have an obligation to channel that voice until “the last generation”. It’s past and future. L’dor acharon. The final generation.
I had one unbelievable teacher my freshman year at Brandeis – I have never had a teacher like him – and everyone who sat around the table remembers the power that held us together in that small seminar room as if it were yesterday. That’s the Sound of the Universe operating behind the words. The text on the page danced for me, I can tell you that. It still does.
All of this I am revealing to you only months before I retire, because (and many of you know this), “becoming a rabbi” was not ever something I “planned” to do. I realize this probably sounds idiotic, but even in rabbinical school, I was simply doing what I had always done – studying and transmitting, connecting with this stuff. When I finished rabbinical school, I was astounded, because the person who “placed” rabbis was the father of my closest friend in rabbinical school (who will come here later in the year to speak), Wolfe Kelman, alav ha-shalom. . . Suddenly, on the phone, he tells me to go to Austin, Texas. Before I know it, I’m interviewing there and I have a “job”. I can’t tell you how strange and scary it was for me when people started calling me “Rabbi”. Or “Ra-bayh” (Texas accent). I really hadn’t thought much at all about playing a “role”, and it was overwhelming.
Hineni…. When I arrived here 6 years later in 1987, I was glad you could call me by my name. And here in Havurah, I have been doing what I have always done from the beginning. I’ve been Wondering. Explaining. Translating. Praying. Seeking. Chasing the Truth. And, in turn, representing to the best of my abilities, what I believed was urgent and sacred to you.
I thought about something else only a couple of nights ago. You know how the Bereshit stories we read on Rosh Hashana have this leitmotif operating in them – this prominence of the word “to be seen”? There’s a place that will “be seen”, there’s a well of water that “gets seen” (it’s in a nearby chapter), there’s a sacrificial animal “that will be seen” just in the nick of time. As readers, we can’t help but feel that the principal characters in the story are on the cusp of being seen too – but, for now, they are undisclosed, especially to themselves.
Reb Tzadok HaKohen, the great nineteenth century Hasidic teacher, explains that ever since Adam and Eve had misconceived longings for things in the Garden of Eden, (their eyes beheld the fruit on the Tree of Good and Evil and they desired it and it got them in big trouble), our human capacity to see clearly has been impaired, (really seeing things is complicated) and we must rely on hearing – becoming attuned. So these stories from Bereshit demonstrate that things can only be seen over time. What is perplexing now can take a lifetime to become clear.
In this sense, I have always considered an aspect of my work on your behalf in Havurah, in terms of “being seen” out in the community – in a manner that is consistent with your public commitments to social change.
This aspect of “being seen”, however, has often left me feeling bereft on a more profound level of us “being seen together right here”. You know, we are really a precious community – people who glow with one another. Look around the room. Nothing has made me happier along the way than introducing you to one another – to be discover powerfulness and this thing called chesed, kindness in a world that is often not that way. Just to be with one another is holy.
As a person who prays, it would make me happier if we could find a way to “be seen” among ourselves more often – in a deeper way. It’s what Heschel, ever known for and, in fact, chided by his faculty colleagues at the Seminary, for being out in the streets too much (!), referred to as “depth theology”. In Heschel’s words, “it’s what happens within a person to bring about faith.” It precedes all the mirroring in public, the self-promotion, the demonstrations, the vigils, the photo-ops. It’s about how we become quiet together; it’s the willingness to predispose ourselves towards Eternity – right now and alongside one another. Often there’s no particular grandeur in this – cultivating spiritual honesty is often an austere and lonely business. But there’s the beautiful music that arises from within us – music which we in Havurah know something about! Even when we cannot see it, we hear it moving within us.
There’s the line from Avinu Malkeynu – we’ll be singing it tomorrow evening at Ne’ilah – that each of us knows. We say: Avinu Malkeynu chaneynu va’aneynu kee ayn banu ma’asim. This might be one of the earliest lines I learned as a little kid, as a Jew. And since I learned it early on, I was praying it before I learned anything at all about prayer. Like Hannah, whom we read about in the haftarah on the first day of Rosh Hashana, my lips were moving and much later I found out that what I was doing was called prayer.
What does it say to us? Avinu Malkeynu – “Our Ancestral Being Reigning Supreme Energy”. . Chaneynu va’aneynu – “Grant us favor and answer us”. . . Kee ayn banu ma’asim – “Because we have no deeds.” In the end, when all is said and done, we worry that we ourselves are running on empty . We wonder: what have we accomplished in the face of what’s new? Standing at the brink, gazing at the vastness and complexity of the Universe, there’s the feeling we have no substance, no content, no claim.
On the other hand, Hineni. . . Maybe this is what I leave to you – the chance not to think about Jewish spirituality in terms of God, of how this or that theology measures up, but of the awareness that we can and must attune ourselves to the proper order of things; of the knowledge of the depth of the silence around us, the meekness and awe we can experience; of the stirring rest on the seventh day; of the emptying out of greed and covetousness; of the humility and reverence that accompanies the person who is truly glad to be alive. Of discovering kindness and emulating it again and again. Of demonstrating hospitality to those who ask to come inside where, after all, they belong to be. Of stepping aside in the face of the Earth’s clamor, even amidst its most chaotic moments.
Hineni – in a glimmer we are seen – the world is seen and together we are in the creation story, caring for everything around us, cherishing it – and it has been so good for me to be in this – creating with YOU!
Oct. 11 Community Email
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YOM KIPPUR, SUKKOT, SIMCHAT TORAH & MORE
YOM KIPPUR & SUKKOT Kol Nidre Service, 8:00 pm Please join us for our Kol Nidre Service at 8:00 pm tonight, at the Tiffany Center, and tomorrow for Yom Kippur Services, which begin at 9:30 am. You'll find more information here. Havurah's High Holy Days Services are free and open to everyone. Donations make it possible for us to open our doors to all, so no one needs to miss Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur services. Click here to make a donation for High Holy Days. This is our last call for High Holy Days volunteers! We need more folks to take down the flower arrangements on Thursday, Oct. 13, from 8:30 to 10:30 am. And Thursday afternoon, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, we need more people to help load up at the Tiffany Center and unload at Havurah. We plan to order cheese pizza for everyone so we can refuel at Havurah afterward. Click on the SignUp button below to join us!
Sukkah Decorating Havurah's sukkah will be built this Thursday and Friday. All are invited to decorate the sukkah any time on Sunday, Oct. 16, with greenery from our Yom Kippur flower arrangements, lavender and bamboo branches from Shelley Sobel's garden, and other decorations of your choice. Sukkot begins at sundown on Sunday. Be sure to mark your calendars for the Sukkot happenings at Havurah listed below. UPCOMING SHABBAT Text & Torah Our Text & Torah study this Saturday will be led by Diane Chaplin and will focus on Sukkot. It will be followed by a short Shabbat Service led by Rabbi Joey and Havurah members. We will serve breakfast and coffee, including bagels and lox and gluten-free options. Please arrive early to eat before the study begins at 10:00 am. Kudos to Susan Lazareck and Annie Goldberg for giving their first drash at Havurah last Saturday, and for doing it so beautifully! TZEDAKAH PROJECT FOR HIGH HOLY DAYS Hello Havurahniks! You generously donated enough Tzedakah items for Goose Hollow Homeless Shelter and refugee families to fill a van! We could use more of the following:
Of course, any of the items listed in your High Holy Days packet are welcome and appreciated. Thank you! - Goose Hollow and Refugee Resettlement Coordinators Gloria Halper and Rachel Oh
The above photo of Havurah's sukkah was taken by Ellen Regal. SUKKOT AT HAVURAH Alter Rockers Potluck in the Sukkah Havurah Alter Rockers will meet in the sukkah for pizza and vegetarian potluck salads and desserts. Please RSVP to Sarah at sarah.r.rosenberg@gmail.com or Roberta at herbs_daughter@yahoo.com if you can come. Sukkot Shabbat Service Join us for a Friday night celebration during Sukkot with a dessert oneg in our sukkah following the service. Please RSVP here if you can come! Folk Singing in the Sukkah Tivnu Housing Sukkot Event This event involves morning canvassing in NE Portland and a dairy potluck lunch in Tivnu's sukkah. Learn where the gathering will be by emailing info@tivnu.org.
SIMCHAT TORAH CELEBRATION WITH HAVURAH HAKAFOT ORCHESTRA! Join us for our Simchat Torah Celebration on Monday, Oct. 24. Music, joy and sweetness for all ages! We'll have potluck desserts at 6:30 pm and a sweet, spirited service for all ages from 7:00 – 8:00 pm, led by Rabbi Joey with Havurah violinist Andrew Ehrlich leading the Havurah Hakafot Orchestra. RSVP here!
HELP CREATE A LEGACY OF ART AT HAVURAH Sign up now for free tile-making workshops with Lynn Takata on Oct. 30, Nov. 20, Dec. 4, Dec. 11 Want to help create a beautiful work of art as a legacy for Havurah's future? Join other Havurahniks to make ceramics for Havurah's Community Courtyard Art Project. Free art workshops with artist Lynn Takata are sponsored by Havurah's Design Committee. Refreshments will be provided at each workshop. Read more and sign up for a workshop here. TIKKUN OLAM iAct for Refugees The Never Again Coalition is sponsoring this Sunday event, which includes live jazz, Lagunitas beers on tap, Oregon wines, a raffle and silent auction, and snacks by Le Pigeon, Little Bird and Stella Taco. iAct empowers refugees facing humanitarian crises in central Africa. Tickets are $10, which gets you two drinks, food and entry. Buy tickets here.
Join the Havurah Team in the Race to End Child Homelessness! This event is sponsored by New City Initiative, which brings faith communities together to end the cycle of homelessness. Havurah's team will join many other teams from congregations throughout the area in three fun events:
Besides joining Havurah's team, you can help by:
Click here to register with the Havurah Shalom Team. For more information about the race, contact Tom Berg at bergtb@gmail.com or visit this website. ADULT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Creating Climate Solutions Join us for the first of a six-session course to better understand climate change and how we can take action to increase resilience and mitigate the impacts. The course will refer to connections in Jewish texts that relate to our impact on the earth. The discussion sessions will integrate video and readings compiled by the Northwest Earth Institute’s guide "Change is Our Choice: Creating Climate Solutions." For more information, contact Michael Heumann (heumanncycle@gmail.com). Being Jewish Makes a World of Difference: Equity, Privilege & Otherness Rabbi Joey will lead the first three sessions where we will look at texts from Jewish tradition about equity and otherness. These examples of situational ethics will be the foundation for our study and reflection - what do the texts mean to you as an individual? What is the relevance in our own lives? What are the issues that we need to confront? How do we address the impact of our behavior and that of others in respectful and productive ways both in and beyond Havurah? Outside educators will facilitate these three sessions. The course is limited to 20 Havurah members, so register soon! Davenology 101
A Kippah in the Caribbean November is Jewish Book Month, and Havurah Shalom is co-sponsoring one of Portland’s community-wide events to augment discussions of this year's selection, Alice Hoffman's The Marriage of Opposites, which is set on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. On Wednesday, Nov. 16, Havurah will team up with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Institute for Judaic Studies to present the film, A Kippah in the Caribbean. It is a lively Dutch documentary (with English subtitles), suitable for teens and adults. For more information about this movie night at Havurah, please contact Ruth Feldman at ruth@ruthmike.com. Read more here about Jewish Book Month in Portland. You can watch a trailer of the movie here. Havurah Book Discussion Group At the next Havurah Book Discussion on Nov. 29, we will discuss The Marrying of Chani Kaufman, a novel by Eve Harris. Learn more about the evening and RSVP here. HAVURAHNIKS IN OUR COMMUNITY ... Alicia Jo Rabins' Poems & Music at PSU
Nili Yosha In Oregon Jewish Life Nili will show "The Lost Boys of Portlandia" at Havurah on Wednesday night, March 1, 2017. You can see a trailer of the movie here. RABBI SEARCH The Rabbi Search Committee is currently identifying candidates to bring to Havurah for the interview weekends. Please don’t forget to put on your calendars the following weekends:
During these weekends, the congregation will be able to see and interact with the candidates at:
How is the decision going to be made? In mid January a final survey will be sent via email to each congregant asking them to rank the candidates. In February 2017, after considering all the feedback, the Rabbi Search Committee will give a recommendation to the Steering Committee. At a congregational meeting on March 5, 2017, the congregation will be asked to approve the Steering Committee’s recommendation. We look forward to seeing you at the interview weekends. We thank you for your engagement and participation throughout this important process. As always, if there are questions, please contact the Rabbi Search Committee at rabbisearch@havurahshalom.org.
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Break Fast at Tiffany's
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Thank you for the wonderful response to our Break Fast (at the Tiffany Center) call to action. We are almost there! These are the remaining needs:
Just click on the SignUp button below to add your name to our list of awesome volunteers.
We wish you a peaceful Shabbat. G'mar chatimah tovah. |
Community Email, Oct. 5
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ROSH HASHANAH THANK YOU'S, YOM KIPPUR, SUKKOT & SIMCHAT TORAH
UPCOMING SHABBAT At this Saturday's Community Minyan, Maria Lisa Johnson, Susan Brenner, Emily Simon and Marty Brown will lead and leyn, with Susan Lazareck and Annie Goldberg giving the drash. The parsha Vayelech begins with Moses’ last days on earth, when he transfers his leadership to Joshua. It concludes with a prediction that Israelites will turn away from their covenant with God and a promise that Israel’s descendants won’t forget the words of the Torah. RABBI JOEY'S EREV ROSH HASHANAH DRASH Several people have asked to read the drash that Rabbi Joey gave on Erev Rosh Hashanah. You can read his drash here. As we did last year, we will collect the High Holy Days drashot from all Havurah High Holy Days drash givers who are willing and able to share their drashot. Watch this weekly email for a link to the collected words. The photo below is of a Black Lives Matter protest in Minneapolis from Wikimedia.
HIGH HOLY DAYS MUSIC SHARING Monday, Oct. 10 During the Days of Awe, Music Coordinator Ilene Safyan will meet with Havurah's singing group to share songs for Yom Kippur. Join us! TZEDAKAH PROJECT FOR HIGH HOLY DAYS & TIKKUN OLAM PROJECT High Holy Days Tzedakah Project Hello Havurahniks! You generously donated enough Tzedakah items for Goose Hollow Homeless Shelter and refugee families to fill a van! We could use more of the following:
Of course, any of the items listed in your High Holy Days packet are welcome and appreciated. Thank you! - Goose Hollow and Refugee Resettlement Coordinators Gloria Halper and Rachel Oh Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) Goose Hollow Shelter - A Havurah Tikkun Olam Committee Direct Service Project Join us in doing this Tikkun Olam project volunteer work. The next orientation at the shelter is October 10, 5:00-6:00 pm, 1838 SW Jefferson, with parking behind the church. Questions: Gloria Halper, Tikkun Olam Committee member, losninos6@gmail.com
MANY THANKS & YOM KIPPUR Many thanks to all of our wonderful Torah readers, Torah lifters and wrappers, service leaders, drash givers, musicians, singers, shofar blowers, cantors - and more. A great many people had a meaningful and moving Rosh Hashanah because of you. And many thanks to all who helped with moving, setting up, creating floral arrangements, organizing Erev Rosh Hashanah dinner, ushering, carrying the microphone to people who wanted to speak, cleaning up and storing items after the service yesterday - and more. Now comes Yom Kippur - These are the areas where we need the most help. If you haven't signed up to help yet (or even if you have), please consider clicking on the Sign Up button below and sign up for one or two of these roles. We need ...
Thank you for your generosity in welcoming so many to our Yom Kippur services! BEGINNING HEBREW TEACHER OPENING Do you have teaching experience with children and Hebrew reading fluency? Havurah usually offers three levels of Youth Hebrew before Shabbat School, 15 Saturdays, 1:30-2:40 pm. Teachers use a well-developed curriculum, which focuses on learning how to read prayer and biblical Hebrew. This is a paid position. If you're interested, please contact Deborah Eisenbach-Budner. IN THE COMMUNITY - POP-UP DIVINITY SCHOOL, POEMS & MUSIC BY ALICIA JO RABINS Thursday, Oct. 13 SUKKOT AT HAVURAH Havurah's sukkah will be constructed Thursday and Friday, Oct. 13 and 14. If you would like to add lavender and bamboo branches (generously provided again this year by our Co-President Shelley Sobel), and/or other decorations, you're invited to drop by Havurah's courtyard on Sunday, Oct. 16, and join in the fun. Also, mark your calendars for the Sukkot happenings at Havurah listed below.
Above photo of Havurah's sukkah was taken by Ellen Regal. Alter Rockers Potluck in the Sukkah Havurah Alter Rockers will meet in the sukkah for pizza and vegetarian potluck salads and desserts. Please RSVP to Sarah at sarah.r.rosenberg@gmail.com or Roberta at herbs_daughter@yahoo.com if you can come. First Session of "Creating Climate Solutions" This first class of six sessions will be held indoors because of the size of the group, but you're welcome to come early and eat in our sukkah! Join us for a six-session course on climate action to better understand climate change and how we can take action to increase resilience and mitigate the impacts. The course will refer to connections in Jewish texts that relate to our impact on the earth. The discussion sessions will integrate video and readings compiled by the Northwest Earth Institute’s guide "Change is Our Choice: Creating Climate Solutions." For more information, contact Michael Heumann (heumanncycle@gmail.com). Shabbat Service Join us for a Friday night celebration during Sukkot with a potluck dessert oneg in our sukkah following the service. Please RSVP here if you can come! Tikkum Olam Folk Singing in the Sukkah Tivnu Housing Sukkot Event This event involves morning canvassing in NE Portland and a dairy potluck lunch in Tivnu's sukkah. Learn where the gathering will be at info@tivnu.org.
SIMCHAT TORAH CELEBRATION Join us for our Simchat Torah Celebration on Monday, Oct. 24. Music, joy and sweetness for all ages! We'll have potluck desserts at 6:30 pm and a sweet, spirited service for all ages from 7:00 – 8:00 pm, led by Rabbi Joey with Havurah member and violinist Andrew Ehrlich and other musicians on accordion, bagpipes, tambourines and more. RSVP here and please bring a finger-food dessert to share! The photo below was taken at last year's Simchat Torah celebration.
COMING SOON ... Davenology 101 Community Courtyard Art Project Want to help create a beautiful work of art as a legacy for future Havurahniks? Join other Havurahniks to make ceramics for Havurah's Community Courtyard Art Project. Free art workshops with artist Lynn Takata are sponsored by Havurah's Design Committee. Refreshments will be provided at each workshop. Read more and sign up for a workshop here.
Havurah Shalom is co-sponsoring one of Portland’s community-wide events designed to augment The Marriage of Opposites. On Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7:00 pm, Havurah will team up with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Institute for Judaic Studies to present the film, A Kippah in the Caribbean. It is a lively Dutch documentary (with English subtitles), suitable for teens and adults. For more information about the movie night at Havurah, please contact Ruth Feldman at ruth@ruthmike.com. Read more here about this and other Jewish Book Month events in Portland. RABBI SEARCH The Rabbi Search Committee is currently identifying candidates to bring to Havurah for the interview weekends. Please don’t forget to put on your calendars the following weekends:
During these weekends, the congregation will be able to see and interact with the candidates at:
How is the decision going to be made? In mid January a final survey will be sent via email to each congregant asking them to rank the candidates. In February 2017, after considering all the feedback, the Rabbi Search Committee will give a recommendation to the Steering Committee. At a congregational meeting on March 5, 2017, the congregation will be asked to approve the Steering Committee’s recommendation. We look forward to seeing you at the interview weekends. We thank you for your engagement and participation throughout this important process. As always, if there are questions, please contact the Rabbi Search Committee at rabbisearch@havurahshalom.org.
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Rabbi Joey's Erev Rosh Hashanah Drash
Erev Rosh Hashana Drash, 5777/2016
Writing the Book of Life
Rabbi Joey Wolf
It’s hard to write these things. That’s what I was thinking while I was writing this drash. Can you imagine – I’ve been writing drashot for the High Holidays for nearly 40 years– and it just gets harder. It’s a Book of Life. And I wonder: What is it that I haven’t said before? What’s new?
While writing, I held out the possibility that I’d figure out what I’m trying to say in the process of writing. Somehow just sitting down and writing is a hopeful thing.
And then I considered the Book of Life from a very different perspective. I wondered what this metaphor of an open book would mean for the mothers of Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Tanisha Anderson, Walter Scott, Freddie Gray, Alton Sterling, Terence Crutcher. According to the Talmud, publishing the Book of Life is an open-and-shut deal for the tzaddikim (the so-called righteous) and for the re’shaim (the so-called wicked). The tzaddikim get first publishing rights and the re’shaim – well, their publishing possibilities aren’t even in the discussion.
But what would those mothers have to say about the Book of Life?
What’s the type-face in the Book of Life? Obsidian fonts? Edwardian? Who decides all of this stuff? By whose design are certain folks left in and others left out? Are we still using white-out?
The poet/essayist Claudia Rankine writes about the kind of anger that refuses “to be erased.” It resists “whiteness,” because it won’t accept it. But ultimately, she says, the effort it takes can make you feel lonely. She speaks of “a disappointment in the sense that no amount of visibility [Italics mine] will alter the ways in which one is unperceived.
We can talk about the Book of Life as much as we want, but I’d guess she’d say that “being written into it” may not even in the long run take care of the problem. You may be inscribed, have a sentence or a paragraph written about you, and still be unacknowledged, unobserved, unloved.
Or, put differently, there’s Raha Jorjani’s assertion in the Washington Post that black people in America should qualify for treatment as domestic refugees. Or Jamaican American Garnette Cadogan’s monograph on walking – how you encounter the city, discover its open spaces and closed spaces, how you claim it consistent with the movement of your body. You feel it like you’re one with the blood coursing from your heart to your external limbs. He describes having been a child and walked the streets of Kingston and then, upon moving to New York, there were quite a few surprises waiting for someone who was black – the ricocheting pedestrians scurrying from one curb to another to avoid him, the gratuitous pat-downs by cops, even getting punched when a frenzied white man misinterpreted his being too close, as he passed him on the sidewalk. If you think in terms of the sentences lined up on the pages of the Book of Life as broad avenues and boulevards, quaint city blocks – I guarantee you that there are many who don’t feel as free as we do to navigate them.
Cadogan writes: “So I walk caught between memory and forgetting.” . . .
Nee-zacher v’nee-katev – these are the words we say in the Machzor throughout these holidays. “Remember us for life. Write us into the Book of Life.”
Racial otherness is not only about being squeezed out – it can be about toeing a thin line, or feeling the need to conform to a rigid idea – like the NFL quarterback who has refused to stand during the national anthem. He’s taken some abuse, but he’s gained surprising support too. There was at least one navy veteran who suggested that a code of respect (for a flag, for the country) should cut both ways; and if one, in this case a black person, doesn’t feel the respect coming his way, then why should all these so-called patriots be raining down hatred upon him?
This bland whiteness requires people to wipe out their pasts, to live in denial of a complex amalgam of stories and identities that brought us to this point today.
I love how the black writer Mississippian Jesmyn Ward muses about her past. It came as a shock to her that after some DNA analysis it turns out that her ancestry is actually 40% European. At first, this genetic profile threw her off course, but she realized the point that should have seemed obvious: about her enslaved ancestors submitting to rapacious masters. So it provided her a clearer narrative voice through which to contribute to the conversation about racial and economic justice and the acknowledgment of history.
Ward refers to a conscious kind of memory, a shift in thinking, maybe in “editing.” She says, “That’s how I remembered [Italics mine] myself. I remembered that people of color from my region of the United States [the delta region] can choose to embrace all aspects of their ancestry, in the food they eat, in the music they listen to, in the stories they tell, while also choosing to war in one armor, that of black Americans when they fight for racial equality.”
So, then, black identity, inscribed if you will, is not just a counter-narrative. It’s a way of publishing a Book of Life whose commentaries run down both sides of the page – I can relate to that. It’s about resisting the violence that stamps out who we once were, the yearnings, the strivings, the excruciating pain, the rage that still smolders, the sadness and the love that got us here. It’s about candor – about facing the future without sanitizing the past.
As we arrive at Year 5777, we ask the Teshuva questions. So you and I know that we’ll have the next ten days to do our cheshbon nefesh (our soul searching). According to the Talmud, we’re neither all bad nor all good – so the ledger is held open for us; we’re somewhere in the middle. But, if you are like me, maybe you’ll also be asking different kinds of questions, something like these:
If until now, year after year, I’ve been telling this story, rehearsing this rap about how I’m here with what I’ve “got” over the course of considerable time, I’m starting to wonder what I might be doing unconsciously or in a less than honest way to remain inside a bubble of sorts. I keep coming in here – repeating myself. Do the words make sense? Do the facts check out? This Book of Life I’ve been writing – what if it’s bad fiction, a Readers’ Digest piece? Should I be a part of a larger political conversation going on, writing bolder prose? Might I be showing it around to a broader audience? In certain ways, maybe I’m limiting the political space I inhabit in my speech.
There are other ramifications of Black Lives Matter – specifically Jewish ones. The Book of Life in our imaginations used to seem like something old – you know, the binding falling apart, the pages fraying. But it’s getting written right now.
The old edition had pages that were broad, squared off, in neat lines. You know, we’d think in terms of the standard immigration tropes, how our grandparents or great-grandparents arrived here in the western hemisphere from Lithuania or Poland or Romania, how they escaped pogroms and anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe, and how they came to this country as peddlers or tailors or seamstresses and worked their way up, first inhabiting the tenements or living in inner city duplexes alongside aunts and uncles. Later they moved to the suburbs and maybe they became business owners and then white collar professionals. ... For all intents and purposes, it’s climbing the ladder and becoming a part of the tapestry of America – becoming white! There were challenges along the way, but we made it.
But there are alternative scripts. We can look at Jewish identity in a wholly different manner: we may be Jews of choice or Jews of color who arrived via very different routes, and more recently … Maybe we’re Sephardic. Or we may be gender-queer Jews or conversos, in which case there are story-lines that need to be exhumed – ones that were previously deleted or eviscerated. And how about the Jewish families who knew poverty and heartache all along and were put off by Jews who “made it”?
When upon occasion I get outside of Havurah and join with the so-called “mainstream” Jewish community, I am reminded how similar we can look and dress and speak and tell the same jokes. But I see the flip-side: how in those venues, in our “whiteness” and sameness, there’s the pretense. There’s the masking of underlying insecurities. There’s a vigilance when it comes to political allegiances. We imagine ourselves as “liberal” and in the world; while at the same time our speaking points are narrowly circumscribed.
There’s a cleavage, however. The next generation is less sentimental and less forgiving when it comes to Israel; and it pays diminished attention to the Holocaust, which is inevitable as the event fades. There’s a new way of writing and remembering our commitments. All those trees we planted, all the money we gave to the Jewish National Fund (you remember putting money in those blue and white pushkes), it turns out that the forests covered a lot of crumbling villages we either didn’t know about – or didn’t want to include in the narrative. The backstory didn’t make it into the Book of Life, so there may have to be a new edition – one in which there’s sympathy for others with editorial challenges.
The new edition of the Book of Life is a controversial affair.
Indeed, there’s the problematic language of genocide that got into the Black Lives Matter platform this summer – and it was unfortunate, because it’s a coded term – genocide – and one with a theoretical history in international law. It’s understandable that as Jews who experienced the most technologically and immorally explicit instance of genocide in human history, we should recoil when the term is used against us.
When we ally ourselves with others who have experienced injustice, and they take authorial liberties, it forces us to be not only good writers, but careful readers. Close readers. In this case, what we’re talking about might be thought of as an interlinear translation of the Book of Life, in which the reflections of Others are placed on the page, line by line. And when we reflect honestly about what’s in two columns on the same page, our scrutiny directs itself to the $38 billion flowing from one so-called democratic society to another (that’s what the Obama administration just earmarked for Israel). What’s more, we consider that the investment causes people in both places to fear eviction and to be compelled to live in narrow places, to suffer daily humiliation in the face of enforcers of the law armed to the teeth, to risk incarceration, brokenness and invisibility, to stave off inadequate sources of water and electricity and livelihood. The new edition of the Book of Life juxtaposes this kind of violence and humiliation here in America and there in Israel – and yes, it’s true: we as Jews are being judged as well as doing the judging, as we are involved in editing the story.
If you’re wondering, we’re not talking about places like Russia or Saudi Arabia or Iran or Sudan or the failed state Syria (or in many other places in the world), because we know that any attempt to publish a Book of Life in these places would be subject to censorship and, with the exception of Egypt, we here in America are not underwriting these regimes.
The only real editing considerations that matter to us are those that pertain to societies that profess to be democratic, but who, at the same time, tolerate certain “documentary hypocrisies."
In this sense, writing the Book of Life requires us to pay attention to the erasures. If we’re going to write the comprehensive story, if we write it with honesty and conviction, then we’re going to have to stop this business of leaving out what’s embarrassing or even incriminating – it may even include an acceptance of what has been won unfairly and for which there is no reparation – as long as we do whatever we can to get things right today (going forward) – to make things as fair and as equitable as possible.
A footnote to all of this: Being good editors on Rosh Hashanah has nothing to do with ridding ourselves of defilement. This act of dedicated writing – this new edition of the Book of Life – should require pride and joy and commitment to the Jewish people. I recognize that there are some who cannot stand to be among their own, who seek out identification with Others as a way to overcome a blemish. This amounts to another kind of erasure.
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Interestingly, Lisa and I have a plan to travel to Colombia in a few months. This is because we think it’s important to go to places we have never been before, and we like to dig into the culture and the history of those places, like so many folks here tonight who have always inspired us to be inquisitive and curious. You know that only a few hours ago, we heard the results coming in from the important referendum about the future of that country that are dismaying. Anyone who knows anything at all about Colombia knows that it was until very recently a place where there was a decades-long torturous terrorist cyclical plague – pitting paramilitaries against the FARC. It’s a place where over 200,000 people were abducted, erased; but things are quite a bit more hopeful now. It fascinates me that wherever there’s a Book of Life, there’s been this problem of erasure.
And talk about ironies – one Colombian novelist Evelio Rosero in one of his books writes about this character who has disappeared. He’s a hostage held deep in the jungle by the FARC, who, with great effort, smuggles a letter out to home, to the established leaders of his city, the ones who have known him over the years. But in that letter written on a faded piece of paper he offers something in the way of a strange prayer. He pleads with them not to rescue him – because they are the ones who will certainly have him killed!
It seems to me that sometimes it’s like that when we want to ask the hard questions, when we want to write a new book – with open eyes. It’s a dangerous proposition to write the book differently, and people (even ones we have counted on until now) will raise their eyebrows.
But – see – it’s a Jewish project…. We’re old and we’re new!
We say throughout these Days of Awe Nee-zacher v’nee-katev. We want to be fostering good memory and good writing.
Over the next year 5777, join with me in doing some powerful writing. Aside from books written by the perfect tzaddikim and the perfect re’shaim, the Talmud tells us that the Book of Life is held open for the rest of these ten days, maybe considerably longer! It’s a work “in progress”. May you and I make the most of this opportunity. And it’s an open-source possibility – we can write the text collaboratively, and with the help of our allies who want to make the world more just and truthful. Let’s get after it together. L’shana tova tikatevu!
L'Shana Tova
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On behalf of the staff and Steering Committee of Havurah Shalom, we wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy and sweet new year. Shana tova u'metukah!
Please note that in observance of the holidays, Havurah's business office will be closed Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 3 and 4, and Wednesday, Oct. 12. Click here to see our High Holidays schedule.
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Community Email, Sept. 28
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CELLO MEDITATIONS, ILENE SAFYAN HONORED, L'SHANA TOVA!
UPCOMING SHABBAT Elul Meditations Get into the mood for the High Holy Days with meditative readings and music. Diane Chaplin will play holiday melodies and other Jewish meditative music on the cello. Led by Andrine de la Rocha. A Wonderful Weekend Thank you to everyone who made last weekend so engaging and meaningful. We had big gatherings for every Havurah happening, from Dorot Shabbat Friday night to Text & Torah Saturday morning to Selichot Service Saturday night. Special thanks to Dorot planners Jacob Mandelsberg, Sarah Shine, Gabe Adoff, and Karen Pomerantz; to Text & Torah study leader Diane Chaplin and service leaders and leyners Susan Brenner, Sam Sirkin and Marty Brown; and to Rabbi Joey, Karen St. Clair, and Beth Hamon for a beautiful and reflective Selichot service.
DEADLINE TO ORDER LULAV & ETROG The deadline to order your lulov and etrog is this Friday. All orders will be delivered to Havurah Shalom for collection. Quality sets are $40, deluxe sets are $55. You may order online here: https://www.havurahshalom.org/lulov BEGINNING HEBREW TEACHER OPENING Do you have teaching experience with children and Hebrew reading fluency? Havurah usually offers three levels of Youth Hebrew before Shabbat School, 15 Saturdays, 1:30-2:40 pm. Teachers use a well-developed curriculum, which focuses on learning how to read prayer and biblical Hebrew. This is a paid position. If you're interested, please contact Deborah Eisenbach-Budner. WE ARE ON A ROLL, HAVURAH We are on a roll, with wonderful offers of help from Havurah volunteers. Thank you! We still have open roles on Rosh Hashanah, especially on the second day, when we need to gather the flowers to make bouquets for people to take home with them, and when we need to store the items we set up for Rosh Hashanah at the Tiffany Center so they can be set up again for Yom Kippur. If you don't have a role yet, please consider signing up for one of these roles by clicking HERE or on the SignUp button below.
Can you fill one of these usher spots?
Other roles are also open for Yom Kippur, so please commit to what you can.
ILENE SAFYAN IS HONORED BY THE FORWARD & VOTERS NATIONWIDE Mazel tov to Havurah Music Coordinator Ilene Safyan! She and her song "Hashkivenu" were chosen by people across the country to be among the top three new Jewish voices for Forward’s 2016 Soundtrack of Our Spirit. This was posted on The Forward’s website this week: With great delight, the Forward presents the second Soundtrack of Our Spirit, a reader-inspired digital project to find the best new voices in Jewish music. After tallying thousands of votes from readers and consulting with our celebrity judges Lipa Schmeltzer and Neshama Carlebach, we’re proud to present the final playlist. We hope this music inspires and propels you into the High Holidays with soaring spirits. "As we enter a new year, let Jewish music elevate our sense of purpose and gratitude," said Jane Eisner of The Forward. "Let it reach across the generations to remind us what we can share by simply humming a simple tune." WESTSIDE TASHLICH SERVICE & POTLUCK - In addition to the service in Sellwood Park We’ll gather at the bridge just west of Huntington and south of Butner. Please bring a potluck dish to share and a picnic blanket. There will be some shelter in case of rain and an indoor site nearby in case of extreme weather. RSVP to Beth Shreve at shreves5@frontier.com. AFFORDABLE HOUSING MACG Housing Action Assembly Portland’s homelessness crisis is well known, as is the broader affordable housing crisis that displaces people across multiple income levels. MACG has been working on various strategies to address these crises through changes to existing policy structures. We need your support now to advance other solutions that are more substantial and more creative.
You can help before the assembly in these ways:
To register, volunteer, or share a story of housing pressure, contact Bob Brown at rebrown47@gmail.com or Steven Goldberg at stevengoldberg@comcast.net. The above photo is from www.homeforward.org. Tivnu Housing Sukkot Event This event involves morning canvassing in NE Portland and a dairy potluck lunch in Tivnu's sukkah. Learn more at info@tivnu.org.
PHFS GOOSE HOLLOW DIRECT SERVICE UPDATES "My ten-year-old and I volunteered last month and loved it. She made friends with three girls close to her age. They sat and drew together for a couple of hours. It was sweet." - Stacy Shinault, Havurah Goose Hollow Family Shelter Volunteer Join us in doing this Tikkun Olam project volunteer work. The next orientation at the shelter is Oct. 10, 5:00 - 6:00 pm, 1838 SW Jefferson. Parking is behind the church. Questions: Gloria Halper, Tikkun Olam Committee, losninos6@gmail.com. Our High Holidays tzedakah project this year will be collecting items needed at the Goose Hollow shelter as well as items needed for the refugee families Havurah is helping to resettle here in Portland. SUKKOT AT HAVURAH Havurah's sukkah will be constructed the weekend of Oct. 15 and 16. If you would like to add lavender and bamboo branches (generously provided again this year by our Co-President Shelley Sobel), and/or other decorations, drop by Havurah's courtyard on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 16, and join in the fun. Also, mark your calendars for the Sukkot happenings at Havurah listen below.
Alter Rockers Potluck in the Sukkah Havurah Alter Rockers will meet in the sukkah for pizza and vegetarian potluck salads and desserts. Please RSVP to Sarah at sarah.r.rosenberg@gmail.com or Roberta at herbs_daughter@yahoo.com if you can come. First Session of "Creating Climate Solutions" This first class of six sessions will be held indoors because of the size of the group, but you're welcome to come early and eat in our sukkah! Join us for a six-session course on climate action to better understand climate change and how we can take action to increase resilience and mitigate the impacts. The course will refer to connections in Jewish texts that relate to our impact on the earth. The discussion sessions will integrate video and readings compiled by the Northwest Earth Institute’s guide "Change is Our Choice: Creating Climate Solutions." For more information, contact Michael Heumann (heumanncycle@gmail.com). Kabbalat Shabbat - CANCELED Tikkum Olam Folk Singing in the Sukkah Above photo of Havurah's sukkah was taken by Ellen Regal.
JOIN US FOR OUR SIMCHAT TORAH CELEBRATION Please join us for our Simchat Torah Celebration on Monday, Oct. 24. Music, joy and sweetness for all ages! We'll have potluck desserts at 6:30 pm and a sweet, spirited service for all ages from 7:00 – 8:00 pm, led by Rabbi Joey with violin music by Andrew Ehrlich and accordion, bagpipes, tambourines and more. RSVP here and please bring a finger-food dessert to share! The above photo was taken at last year's Simchat Torah celebration. IN THE COMMUNITY ... Study with Havurahnik Alicia Jo Rabins Bringing Jewish Texts to Life Through Art The evening will include text study interwoven with songs and poetry, presented in partnership with Portland State University. "Pop Up Divinity School" Performance and Q&A Alicia Jo Rabins will perform poems and songs, and answer questions about Judaism, gender, poetry and music. COMING SOON ...
Community Courtyard Art Project Want to help create a beautiful work of art as a legacy for future Havurahniks? Join other Havurahniks to make ceramics for Havurah's Community Courtyard Art Project. Free art workshops with artist Lynn Takata are sponsored by Havurah's Design Committee. Refreshments will be provided at each workshop. Read more and sign up for a workshop here. Jewish Book Month in Portland - at HavurahHavurah Shalom is co-sponsoring one of Portland’s community-wide events designed to augment The Marriage of Opposites. On Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7:00 pm, Havurah will team up with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Institute for Judaic Studies to present the film, A Kippah in the Caribbean. It is a lively Dutch documentary (with English subtitles), suitable for teens and adults. For more information about the movie night at Havurah, please contact Ruth Feldman at ruth@ruthmike.com. Read more here about this and other Jewish Book Month events in Portland. RABBI SEARCH - THE LATEST The Rabbi Search Committee is currently identifying candidates to bring to Havurah for the interview weekends. Please don’t forget to put on your calendars the following weekends:
During these weekends, the congregation will be able to see and interact with the candidates at:
How is the decision going to be made? In mid January a final survey will be sent via email to each congregant asking them to rank the candidates. In February 2017, after considering all the feedback, the Rabbi Search Committee will give a recommendation to the Steering Committee. At a congregational meeting on March 5, 2017, the congregation will be asked to approve the Steering Committee’s recommendation. We look forward to seeing you at the interview weekends. We thank you for your engagement and participation throughout this important process. As always, if there are questions, please contact the Rabbi Search Committee at rabbisearch@havurahshalom.org.
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5777 Rosh Hashanah: 17 + 10 + 6 = 33
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First, just a friendly reminder to vote early and vote often for Havurah Music Coordinator Ilene Safyan, who has been honored nationally as one of ten finalists whose song may be included in Forward's Soundtrack of Our Spirit 2016. You won’t want to miss Ilene’s singing and the inspiring music by other finalists. You can vote here every day from now through Sunday. Second, a reminder that we have Dorot Shabbat tonight, Text & Torah tomorrow morning, and Selichot Service tomorrow night. You can read more here. We hope you can join us for one, two or all three of these services! The Gaps for Rosh Hashanah We're making progress as we plan for Rosh Hashanah, but we still need more volunteers. These are the gaps that especially need filling. If you haven’t chosen a volunteer opportunity yet, please click here or on the Sign Up button below to help in one of the following ways:
Will you be one of the 33 Havurahniks to help us prepare for Rosh Hashanah? Please click below and let us know. (Some other positions are also still open. However you can help will be greatly appreciated!) You don’t need to create an account with SignUp.com to sign up to help with Rosh Hashanah. All you need is an email address. It's truly inspiring when our community comes together to create the amazing mitzvah of welcoming everyone to our High Holy Days services. Shabbat Shalom!
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Community Email, Sept. 21
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SELICHOT, ILENE'S HASHKIVENU, ELUL MEDITATIONS, SUKKOT HAPPENINGS
UPCOMING SHABBAT Dorot Shabbat
Join us for a casual, family-friendly and music-filled service for people of all ages. Beginning with candle lighting, Kiddush and challah, the service continues with prayers and music led by congregants, followed by a vegetarian potluck dinner. Please RSVP here if you can come. The above photo was taken at a recent Dorot Shabbat. Text & Torah Study - Selichot We’ll examine the history of this unique time that precedes Rosh Hashanah, learn about the traditional observances, and recite Selichot poetry. Torah study will be followed by a shortened Saturday morning service led by Rabbi Joey and Havurah members. We will serve breakfast and coffee, including bagels and lox and gluten-free options. Please arrive early to eat before the study begins at 10:00 am. Shabbat School - First Day of New School Year Selichot Service This meditative, musical evening will help us usher in the High Holy Days. This year Selichot takes place at a time in which we wonder how we are implicated in envisioning a more equitable and just society. What does it mean to ask for forgiveness amidst the pleas and demands for Black Lives Matter and the scorched-earth conspiracy rhetoric of Donald Trump? Do we see ourselves changing? Letting go – of what? Returning – to what? Praying – with what in mind and in our hearts? Join us as we begin the process of teshuvah, of resolving those issues that have been heavy on our hearts and minds. Please arrive early and bring a candle in a container and a dessert to share. Please RSVP here if you can come.
Mazel tov to Havurah's Music Coordinator, Ilene Safyan, who was chosen as one of ten finalists who have the chance to have a recording included in Forward's Soundtrack of Our Spirit 2016! People across the nation are voting between now and Sunday evening. The song that receives the most votes will be selected for the soundtrack. PLEASE CLICK HERE, scroll down to find Ilene's "Hashkivenu" and VOTE! You can vote EVERY DAY, now through Sunday! Ilene's recording of "Hashkivenu" gave our community peace and comfort during difficult times this year, when many of us were overwhelmed by violence and tragedy in our country and the world. You can find other beautiful songs on this web page recorded by musicians from across the country. AWESOME VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH HOLY DAYS We Need You - All of You! If you've already signed up to volunteer during High Holy Days, thank you!! If you haven't, please click on the Sign Up button below and add your name to a role that suits you. You don't need to create an account with SignUp.com. Just click on the button below and enter your email address.
It's Much Easier Than You Might Think!
We don't need people to haul impossibly heavy loads. But we do need volunteers to help arrange the spaces we'll be using in the Tiffany Center. Can you help create the sacred space for our High Holy Days services? If so, please click on the Sign Up button above and let us know you can help. We hope you'll join us at the Tiffany Center from 6:30 to 7:30 pm on Thursday, Sept. 29. We can do it if we all work together!
We also need help on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, Oct. 4, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, as we place Havurah items in safe places at the Tiffany Center so we can retrieve them when we set up for Yom Kippur. Please use the Sign Up button above to let us know if you can help. You might even get to bring home a beautiful bouquet of flowers afterward! Many other roles are still available, so please commit to what you can. Register for Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner by This Thursday Havurah members can sign up for Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner here. The deadline to register is this Thursday, Sept. 22. Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate the New Year, see old friends and new, and introduce your growing children to the joys of community!
High School Student & Parent Orientation Middle School Orientation Talmud Lite High Holy Days Music Sharing Morning Minyan
Many thanks to all who attended the Affordable Housing discussion at Havurah last week and especially to Havurah members with extensive experience in affordable housing issues who led the discussion. Pictured above, from left to right, are Janet Byrd, David Fuks, Steve Rudman, and Steve Goldberg. Read below to learn about next steps. MACG Housing Action Assembly Portland’s homelessness crisis is well known, as is the broader affordable housing crisis that displaces people across multiple income levels. MACG has been working on various strategies to address these crises through changes to existing policy structures. We need your support now to advance other solutions that are more substantial and more creative. You can help before the assembly in these ways:
To register, volunteer, or share a story of housing pressure, contact Bob Brown at rebrown47@gmail.com or Steven Goldberg at stevengoldberg@comcast.net. Tivnu Housing Sukkot Event This event involves morning canvassing in NE Portland and a dairy potluck lunch in Tivnu's sukkah. Learn more at info@tivnu.org.
"My ten-year-old and I volunteered last month and loved it. She made friends with three girls close to her age. They sat and drew together for a couple of hours. It was sweet." - Stacy Shinault, Havurah Goose Hollow Family Shelter Volunteer Join us in doing this Tikkun Olam project volunteer work. The next orientation at the shelter is Sept. 28, 5:00 - 6:00 pm, 1838 SW Jefferson. Parking is behind the church. Questions: Gloria Halper, Tikkun Olam Committee, losninos6@gmail.com.
Saturday, Oct. 1 Get into the mood for the High Holy Days with meditative readings and music. Diane Chaplin will play holiday melodies and other Jewish meditative music on the cello. Led by Andrine de la Rocha.
Havurah's sukkah will be constructed the weekend of Oct. 15 and 16. If you'd like to add lavender and bamboo branches (generously provided again this year by our Co-President Shelley Sobel), and/or other decorations, drop by Havurah's courtyard on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 16, and join in the fun. Also, mark your calendars for these Sukkot happenings at Havurah: Alter Rockers Potluck in the Sukkah Havurah Alter Rockers will meet in the sukkah for pizza and vegetarian potluck salads and desserts. Please RSVP to Sarah at sarah.r.rosenberg@gmail.com or Roberta at robertakaplan@gmail.com if you can come. First Session of "Creating Climate Solutions" This first class of six sessions will be held indoors because of the size of the group, but you're welcome to come early and eat in our sukkah! Join us for a six-session course on climate action to better understand climate change and how we can take action to increase resilience and mitigate the impacts. The course will refer to connections in Jewish texts that relate to our impact on the earth. The discussion sessions will integrate video and readings compiled by the Northwest Earth Institute’s guide "Change is Our Choice: Creating Climate Solutions." For more information, contact Michael Heumann (heumanncycle@gmail.com). Kabbalat Shabbat Join us for our monthly musical and engaging Kabbalat Shabbat Service. The Dinner starts at 6:30 pm, and RSVPs are required by Monday, Oct. 16. The musical service begins at 7:30 pm, and all are welcome. Weather permitting, oneg desserts can be eaten in the sukkah following the service. Tikkum Olam Folk Singing in the Sukkah!
Reconstructionist Birthright Israel Trip - Registration is Open! The Reconstructionist Movement is excited to partner with Israel Experts to offer a uniquely Reconstructionist journey to Israel as part of the Birthright Israel program (meaning the major costs of the trip are covered for qualifying participants). 21–26 year olds who are members of Reconstructionist communities are encouraged to apply! You can sign up here. Study with Havurahnik Alicia Jo Rabins Bringing Jewish Texts to Life Through Art The evening will include text study interwoven with songs and poetry, presented in partnership with Portland State University. "Pop Up Divinity School" Performance and Q&A Alicia Jo Rabins will perform poems and songs, and answer questions about Judaism, gender, poetry and music.
The Rabbi Search Committee is currently identifying candidates to bring to Havurah for the interview weekends. Please don’t forget to put on your calendars the following weekends:
During these weekends, the congregation will be able to see and interact with the candidates at:
How is the decision going to be made? In mid January a final survey will be sent via email to each congregant asking them to rank the candidates. In February 2017, after considering all the feedback, the Rabbi Search Committee will give a recommendation to the Steering Committee. At a congregational meeting on March 5, 2017, the congregation will be asked to approve the Steering Committee’s recommendation. We look forward to seeing you at the interview weekends. We thank you for your engagement and participation throughout this important process. As always, if there are questions, please contact the Rabbi Search Committee at rabbisearch@havurahshalom.org.
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2016 Portland Jewish Book Celebration
Jewish Book Month is an annual event dedicated to the celebration of Jewish books. It's observed during the month before Chanukah.
This year Portland’s Jewish Book selection is Alice Hoffman’s The Marriage of Opposites. The novel is evocative historical fiction based on the 19th century Jewish community in St. Thomas and the family of the artist Camille Pissarro, called the father of impressionism. The Jews who first settled in St. Thomas in the 1600s, when the island belonged to Denmark, descended from Sephardim who had fled the Inquisition.
Havurah Shalom is co-sponsoring one of Portland’s community-wide events designed to augment The Marriage of Opposites. On Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7:00 pm, Havurah will team up with the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Institute for Judaic Studies to present the film, A Kippah in the Caribbean. It is a lively Dutch documentary (with English subtitles), suitable for teens and adults. For more information about the movie night at Havurah, please contact Ruth Feldman at ruth@ruthmike.com.
The following are all of the month’s events listed on the Portland Jewish Book Celebration bookmark, which you can find at Havurah and other locations:
- Ahava Reads - A discussion of The Marriage of Opposites onTuesday, Nov. 8, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the MJCC, 7829 SW Capitol Hwy.
- Pageturners - A discussion of the novel onTuesday, Nov. 8, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Hillsdale Library, 1525 SW Sunset Blvd.
- Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean - Story telling onSunday, Nov. 13, 10:30 am, at Mirabella Tower, 3550 SW Bond Ave. Ron Silver and Eric Kimmel will tell salty tales of the Jewish pirates who found revenge as they raised havoc in the Spanish New World.
- Pissarro, Pinot & Palette: Impressionism & Beyond – Art discussion and painting instruction session onTuesday, Nov. 15, 7:00 – 9:30 pm, at the MJCC. Jeffery Hall, an accomplished, local artist, will talk about his work and how it related to The Marriage of Opposites, and lead a painting instruction session.
- A Kippah in the Caribbean (2015 movie in Dutch with English subtitles) – Movie onWednesday, Nov. 16, at 7:00 pm, at Havurah Shalom. Explore the culture of Caribbean Jews from Portugal, The Netherlands, and Brazil, to Curacao, Suriname, Aruba and the island of Saint Eustatius.
For more information, visit oregonjcc.org/book.
Vote for Ilene Safyan's Song Every Day!
Mazel tov to Havurah's Music Coordinator, Ilene Safyan, who was chosen as one of ten finalists to have their recording included in Forward's Soundtrack of Our Spirit 2016!Community Email, Sept. 14
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AFFORDABLE HOUSING FORUM, BOOKS, ART, MUSIC, SELICHOT
UPCOMING SHABBAT Community Minyan Join Rabbi Joey and leaders and leyners Maria Lisa Johnson, Susan Brenner, Arleen Slive, Teri Ruch, and Sam Sirkin at this Saturday’s Community Minyan. We will read from Ki Teitzei, which means "When You Go Out." The parsha addresses civil and criminal laws, including those related to vows, loans and fair wages.
Tot Shabbat Young children (0-5) and their parents celebrate Shabbat with singing, movement, blessings and storytelling. We touch on the main highlights of the Shabbat morning service: wonder, fun, song, listening to the world, dancing and Torah. Tot Shabbat is fashioned for the under 6 crowd, but older kids are welcome (and can help tell a story, etc.) Afterwards we enjoy an informal oneg nosh and the chance to play and schmooze. Led by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner. Please RSVP here. The above photo from Tot Shabbat was taken by Barbara Gundle. HIGH HOLY DAYS ARE ALMOST HERE Havurah has a decades-long tradition of opening our doors to the community for High Holy Days. It takes our entire community to make this possible! We currently have 25% of our High Holy Days roles filled. Please sign up for at least one volunteer position through our Signup.com website. It's simple. Just click here or on the button below and enter your email. You don't need to create an account to sign up for a High Holy Days role.
We’re looking for ushers for all services. This 45-minute role is a key part of creating a welcoming environment at the Tiffany Center. It’s great for both new Havurahniks and experienced volunteers. We also need volunteers to help us move items from Havurah to the Tiffany Center on Thursday, Sept. 29, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm – people to load at Havurah and people to unload at the Tiffany Center. It’s the perfect role for the strong high schoolers in your life! Many other roles are still open, too, so please commit to what you can. RSVP Deadline for Childcare is Monday, Sept. 19 The RSVP deadline for High Holy Days childcare is Monday, Sept. 19. Registration forms must be in the office by Monday to qualify for a preregistration discount. Forms can be downloaded here. Preregistration costs are $20 per service for the first child and $15 for each additional child. Drop-in costs are $25 for the first child and $20 each additional child. Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner Havurah members can sign up for Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner online here. Space is limited, so please book ahead. It’s a time to celebrate the New Year, see old friends and new, and introduce your growing children to the joys of community! Learn more about Havurah's holiday services here. THIS WEEK & NEXT WEEK AT HAVURAH Affordable Housing Forum At our Affordable Housing Forum, we will have an insightful and engaging panel of Havurah members who have devoted their lives to housing issues:
The photo below is from the Yes for Affordable Homes campaign.
Getting Down to Tachlis (the Nitty Gritty) - B'nai Mitzvah Logistics This class is best for those with Bar or Bat Mitzvah dates between December 2016 and December 2017. The class will cover many of the items in the B’nai Mitzvah Handbook and is designed to answer questions for those people concerned with the nuts and bolts of planning, building rental, setting up, catering, etc. Only parents need attend. Led by Rachel Palmer, Office & Facilities Manager. Please RSVP online here. BYTE - Border Youth Tennis Exchange Charlie Cutler, son of Havurah member Beverlee Cutler and one of Havurah's own "kids" (now grown) is hosting an information session for the NGO that he founded, Border Youth Tennis Exchange (BYTE). BYTE brings young people living on both sides of the border between Arizona and Mexico together for a shared activity: playing tennis. This video and this flier show and explain how BYTE works. Though this event isn't officially sponsored by Havurah through our Tikkun Olam Committee, Havurah has a tradition of encouraging our young people in their social action endeavors. This is an opportunity to see what Charlie is doing to reduce barriers along the border. Learn more about the evening here. High Holy Days Music Rehearsal Havurah members interested in music will meet at Havurah with our Music Coordinator Ilene Safyan to sing, learn and rehearse High Holy Days music. Please contact Ilene if you have questions. Hakol Deadline is Monday, Sept. 19 The deadline for the October Hakol is Monday, Sept. 19 at NOON. Thank you in advance for your articles (& photos)! Email Rachel at rachel@havurahshalom.org. Book Discussion, My Promised Land: The Triumph & Tragedy of Israel We will discuss My Promised Land: The Triumph & Tragedy of Israel by Ari Shavit, a prominent Israeli journalist. Unlike many books on Israel, My Promised Land incorporates the views of Israel's Arab minority, Mizrachi Jews, and the Palestinians. The result is a nuanced portrait of a country coming to grips with its past while moving forward into an uncertain future. This book is guaranteed to generate a lot of discussion. Please join us. Feel free to bring a nosh. RSVP here. Morning Minyan Our weekly Wednesday Morning Minyan is for people who want to incorporate a regular prayer practice in their lives and for people saying Kaddish for their loved ones. Please join us. DOROT SHABBAT Friday, Sept. 23
Join us for a casual, family-friendly and music-filled service for people of all ages. Beginning with candle lighting, Kiddush and challah, the service continues with prayers and music led by congregants, followed by a vegetarian potluck dinner. Please RSVP here if you can come. The above photo was taken at a recent Dorot Shabbat. SELICHOT IS SATURDAY, SEPT. 24 Text & Torah Study of Selichot We’ll examine the history of this unique time that precedes Rosh Hashanah, learn about the traditional observances, and recite Selichot poetry. Torah study will be followed by a shortened Saturday morning service led by Rabbi Joey and Havurah members. We will serve breakfast and coffee, including bagels and lox and gluten-free options. Please arrive early to eat before the study begins at 10:00 am. Selichot Service This meditative, musical evening will help us usher in the High Holy Days. This year Selichot takes place at a time in which we wonder how we are implicated in envisioning a more equitable and just society. What does it mean to ask for forgiveness amidst the pleas and demands for Black Lives Matter and the scorched-earth conspiracy rhetoric of Donald Trump? Do we see ourselves changing? Letting go – of what? Returning – to what? Praying – with what in mind and in our hearts? Join us as we begin the process of teshuvah, of resolving those issues that have been heavy on our hearts and minds. Please arrive early and bring a candle in a container and a dessert to share. PHFS GOOSE HOLLOW DIRECT SERVICE UPDATES At the Goose Hollow homeless family shelter last week, a five-year-old told me that she lived in two places ... one during the days (PHFS day shelter at 13 Salmon) and one for nights (Goose Hollow). -Gloria Halper Join us in doing this Tikkun Olam direct service work. The next orientation at Goose Hollow is Wednesday, September 28, 5:00 – 6:00 pm, 1838 SW Jefferson, with parking behind the church. Questions: For Meals: Len Shapiro (One can participate in the preparation and serving of the dinner meal without attending an orientation.) All other PHFS questions: Gloria Halper, Tikkun Olam Committee member. ELUL MEDITATIONS WITH CELLO MUSIC Saturday, Oct. 1 Get into the mood for the High Holy Days with meditative readings and music. Diane Chaplin will play holiday melodies and other Jewish meditative music on the cello. Led by Andrine de la Rocha. CHANGE IS OUR CHOICE: CREATING CLIMATE SOLUTIONS First Session, "Creating Climate Solutions" Evidence of and impacts from climate change are happening all around us right now. Join us for a six-session discussion course on climate action that will help us better understand what is happening and how we can take action to increase resilience and mitigate the impacts of climate change. This course will refer to connections in Jewish texts that relate to our impact on the earth. The discussion sessions integrate video and readings compiled by the Northwest Earth Institute’s guide "Change is Our Choice: Creating Climate Solutions" that will help us choose accessible individual and community actions to build a better tomorrow. The planning committee includes Michael Heumann, Don Caniparoli, Jan Zuckerman and Steve Birkel. The first session of the course will be Thursday, Oct. 20, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. If you are interested in participating or want more information, contact Michael Heumann (heumanncycle@gmail.com). COURTYARD ART PROJECT WORKSHOPS All Havurah members are invited to create ceramic artwork for the Havurah Shalom courtyard. These free art workshops with artist Lynn Takata are sponsored by Havurah's Design Committee. Refreshments will be provided at each workshop. Workshops for people of different ages will be offered on Oct. 30, Nov. 20, Dec. 4 and Dec. 11. Learn more and register here.
IN THE COMMUNITY ... Mother's Circle Info Session The Mothers Circle is a 13-week community-wide empowering program geared to women of other religious backgrounds raising kids in a Jewish family environment. Sponsored by the Oregon Board of Rabbis and held at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, this supportive class is for anyone wanting to learn more about the "how-tos" of tradition, holidays and rituals. There is no cost. Come learn more at an information session, Mothers Circle style Rosh Hashanah "mini-lesson" and coffee on Sept. 18. Email the Mothers Circle or call 503-293-7313 to RSVP or for more information. Reconstructionist Birthright Israel Trip - Registration is Open! The Reconstructionist Movement is excited to partner with Israel Experts to offer a uniquely Reconstructionist journey to Israel as part of the Birthright Israel program (meaning the major costs of the trip are covered for qualifying participants). 21–26 year olds who are members of Reconstructionist communities are encouraged to apply! You can sign up here.
During the summer Havurah's Rabbi Search Committee reviewed the resumes submitted for the position of rabbi at Havurah and conducted interviews. By the end of the High Holy Days, the candidate visits will be announced by community email and on Havurah's website, and bios of the candidates will be placed on the website in November. You will have several opportunities during the interview weekends to see the candidates in action and to interact with them. The schedule for those weekends will be published in Hakol, the community email, and on the website. We are looking forward to seeing you at the different events and getting your feedback. Please remember to put on your calendar the following dates:
If you have any questions and/or concerns, please email rabbisearch@havurahshalom.org.
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Ceramic Art Project for Our Courtyard
All Havurah members are invited to create ceramic artwork for the Havurah Shalom courtyard. These free art workshops with artist Lynn Takata are sponsored by Havurah's Design Committee. Refreshments will be provided at each workshop.
Please register for the workshop of your choice below:
Explore creating forms inspired by wind, earth or water
Create clay tiles for the mosaic
Work alone or with your family and friends
Help install the mosaic next Spring
Family Art Workshop, Ages 5-9 with an Adult
Sunday, Oct. 30
10:00 – 11:30 am
Register here.
Family Art Workshop, Ages 10 through Adult
Sunday, Oct. 30
1:00 - 3:30 pm
Register here.
Adult Art Workshop
Sunday, Nov. 20
10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Register here.
Teen Art Workshop
Sunday, Nov. 20
1:30 – 3:30 pm
Register here.
Glazing Workshops, Ages 10 through Adult
Sunday, Dec. 4
10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Register here.
Sunday, Dec. 11
10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Register here.
