Reading by the Havurah Writing Group New date TBA DATE CHANGE
The Havurah Writing Group will be sharing short memoir pieces from their workshop followed by an oneg at a date to be announced.
Community Minyan Saturday, March 7, 10 am - 12 pm
Our Community Minyan is a welcoming and spirited service that includes davening, Torah reading and discussion. Led by Rabbi Benjamin or community members. Lunch follows. Childcare is available.
Purim Celebration Monday, March 9, 6 pm pizza and games; 6:30 pm Spieling and Megillah Come one, come all, for a night of joy, masquerade, and the story of the courageous individuals from long ago whose valor saved the Jewish people. We will have pizza, Megillah chanting, spieling, and more. Be sure to visit the Alter Rocker’s adults-only table to fulfill the mitzvah of being unable to tell Mordechai and Haman apart. Wear a costume if you have one, or pick out something from Havurah's collection. Bring your famous hamantaschen to share. RSVP here.
Please sign up to be at the door during the Purim celebration! Shifts start at 5:45pm.Sign up here!
Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation Tuesday, March 10, 12 pm - 1 pm
We gather on Tuesdays to find some moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Rabbi Benjamin, Adela Basayne, and Nancy Becker.
Morning Minyan Wednesday, March 11, 8:30 am - 9 am
For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish.
Kabbalat Shabbat Friday, March 13, 6:30 pm dinner & 7:30 pm service
Our catered vegetarian Kabbalat Shabbat dinner begins at 6:30 pm, followed by a Kabbalat Shabbat service at 7:30 pm. This event happens with the help of many volunteers. RSVP here, and please sign up for a volunteer spot by clicking here if you're able to help.
Contemplative Shabbat Morning Service Saturday, March 14, 10 am - 12 pm
Interspersing chanting and silence, we will move through the flow of Shabbat morning slowly and intentionally, aiming to open our hearts and deepen our awareness. No experience necessary. Contact Rabbi Benjamin with questions.
Leadership Development Training Sunday, March 15, 2 pm - 4:30 pm
Havurah’s Leadership Development Committee and MACG (Metropolitan Alliance for the Common Good) are teaming up to present a series of three workshops for Havurah leaders and members. Who should attend? Committee chairs, committee members, and any members interested in learning more about leadership at Havurah! Register here.
Returning to Israel After 26 Years: Deborah Eisenbach-Budner Shares Impressions & Questions (evening time, by popular demand) Wednesday, March 18, 5:45 pm
Deborah will share impressions and questions from her recent return to Israel/Palestine and her encounters with: religious relatives living on the West Bank, a few of today's Jewish and Palestinian peace activists, 'regular' Israelis trying to live their lives, Druze community members, and amazing and disturbing changes in Israel in the last 26 years. She also learned far more than planned about the current health care systems in Palestine and in Israel due to a freak accident (everybody is okay now).Please RSVP here.
National Refugee Shabbat Friday, March 20 at 7:30 pm & Saturday, March 21 at 10 am
Havurah will join congregations nationwide in dedicating our March 20-21 Shabbat services to honoring immigrants and refugees. The Havurah Sanctuary Committee & Rabbinic Chaplain Tivona Reith invite you to a special Friday night service March 20 at 7:30 pm. The hour long service will be filled with music and reflection, followed by an Oneg. On Saturday morning, March 21, beginning at 10 am, Rabbi Benjamin and the Havurah Sanctuary Committee will continue to weave in sacred time and space to honor refugees and asylum seekers during our community minyan.
Classes & Workshops
Kesher Tech: Exploring Our Website Friday, March 6, 10 am - 12 pm
Havurah's Communications & Membership Coordinator, Brad Pector, will guide you through the Havurah website. We will look at member features and how they can help you and your committee or cluster. Please bring your computer or tablet. Limited to 12 people.RSVP here.
Hineinu: Being Present for Each Other in Times of Struggle and Loss
A Workshop & Training to Establish a Bikkur Ḥolim Cohort at Havurah Thursday, March 5, 12, 19, 7 pm - 8:30 pm Facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin and Rabbinic Chaplain Tivona Reith.
In this workshop, we will learn how to sit with each other in compassionate and caring ways, such as visiting those who are ill (bikkur ḥolim) or comforting mourners (niḥum aveylim). RSVP here.
2000 Years of Jewish Understandings of Slavery and Freedom
Preparing Ourselves for Passover Wednesday, March 11, 18, 25, 7 pm - 8:30 pm (tonight's class cancelled)
We will explore the evolution of the themes of slavery and freedom from the Torah narratives and in the haggadah, as well as the development of the Passover seder by the rabbis. One focus will be on the liberation of gender, a hallmark of the last 40 years of some creative Jewish seders. Taught by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner. RSVP here.
Do You Have a Skill to Share? Lifelong Learning Seeks Teachers
The Lifelong Learning Committee is currently seeking congregants to teach classes in the 2020-2021 school year. We have three focus areas: history or culture; spirituality or religion; and creative, hands-on learning. If you have an idea for a class, please email Eve Berry.
What Would You Like to Learn?
We’re also seeking feedback about types of classes to offer within our three focus areas. Is there a particular topic or skill you’d like to learn about? Please tell us!
Havurah's Tikkun Olam Cluster
Interfaith Alliance on Poverty Monthly Meeting Thursday, March 5, 12 pm - 2 pm, Westminster Presbyterian Church Faith perspectives on the budget as a moral document, hearing from Catholic, Protestant and Jewish traditions to speak to what their traditions say about their role in assuring our government’s budget reflects the moral imperative to assure economic and social justice.
Community Conversation On Homelessness Saturday, March 7, 9 am - 12 pm at Multnomah Arts Center Gymnasium
To continue the discussion at the Portland Downtown Neighborhood Association’s Educational Forum on Homelessness, Mayor Wheeler is hosting several more community conversations across Portland to share how the City is addressing homelessness and to listen to your priorities and ideas tied to the issue. Contact Gloria Halper (in the online Havurah directory) for more information.
Celebrate LIFT Urban Portland's New Food Pantry Monday, March 9, 4 pm - 6 pm
First United Methodist Church, 1838 SW Jefferson St.
Come take a tour, have a snack, and hear special guest Dr. Miles Hassell, author of Good Food, Great Medicine. Lift UP hopes to raise $20,000 to ensure that the pantry best serves our community. Details and RSVP here, or call (503) 221-1224.
IMIrJ Spring 2020 Cohort on Countering White Nationalism Havurah's Sanctuary Committee has an ongoing partnership with the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (IMIrJ), and we have the opportunity to organize a cohort of up to five people to join with other IMIrJ congregations to learn about white nationalism and explore how countering this growing movement is inextricably linked to advancing immigrant justice. If you are interested in this opportunity please review this document. If you are interested, or if you have questions, contact Shari Raider or Bob Brown.
Metro Tax Proposal
Recently Metro voted to refer a ballot measure to voters on May 19 to raise money for homeless supportive services through two annual taxes. Services will include case management, rent assistance, addiction and recovery, mental health care and employment support. Measures have broad support from the Portland Mayor to the Portland Business Alliance. Voters will have an option to renew the taxes after 10 years. Link to OPB article here.
Tutoring Is Fun & Rewarding: Join Tikkun Olam Adelante! Wednesdays, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Join the Havurah Tikkun Olam tutoring project at Ortiz Center (6736 NE Killingsworth)! We have a wonderful, dedicated group of tutors and motivated students from neighborhood primary and middle schools. We generally work one tutor/one student - on reading and math skills. Please contact Margie Rosenthal or Jay Moskovitz for more information or to arrange a visit to our program.
Inside Havurah
Creating a Havurah Liberation of Gender Seder
Do you want to gather with a small group of folks two to three times to do some study, singing, writing, drawing, thinking about ritual, making creative new ritual foods, and more?! All genders and all ages welcome to contribute. We will find a few meeting times in the next few months. Contact Deborah Eisenbach-Budner as soon as possible to be part of this creative process. The seder will be Sunday, April 12 at 3 pm.
Bereavement Group Sunday, April 26; May 3, 17, 24, 31; June 7, 10 am - 11:30 am at Havurah
Havurah will be offering a Bereavement Support group this spring so Havuraniks can come together to support each other with one another's grief, facilitated by David Molko, LCSW, of Jewish Family & Child Services. This will be a closed group so people can create a sense of community and comfort with this process. Please register hereto indicate your interest. David will follow up with a brief phone conversation to provide additional details and discuss group member needs.
Nominations for 2020 Steering Positions
Havurah's Nominating Committee has started work to fill positions for the 2020 - 2021 Steering Committee. We will be submitting nominations for the following positions in the spring:
Vice-President (four-year commitment)
Treasurer
Tikkun Olam (Social Action) Lead
Makom (Place) Lead
Limud (Learning) Lead
We are looking for motivated Havurah members who want to be involved in a hands-on manner with our governance and planning. With the exception of Vice-President, new members will serve from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022. If you have questions about Steering positions, please contact Debbi Nadell.
Have a Question About Havurah?
It is our intention at Havurah that what you know and understand about our congregation should not be a function of who you know. If you find yourself wondering about something related to Havurah, we hope you contact us. Send your questions to transparency@havurahshalom.org.
Please use this formto submit stories for this weekly community email. Submissions are due by noon on Tuesday each week.
Havurah Shalom is a vibrant, diverse, participatory Jewish community steeped in Jewish values promoting spirituality, learning, and acts of social responsibility.
Find our calendar and learn more at havurahshalom.org, or call 503-248-4662.
(HYB) Shabbat Morning Shabbat, May 3rd 10:00a to 12:00p Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin (who is on sabbatical until July 1, 2025), this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. Join us afterward for a light community brunch provided by the Lunches and Noshes Committee! Free childcare is provided. For Zoom information, please email info@havurahshalom.org.
(IP) Shabbat School Shabbat, May 3rd 3:00p to 5:15p This program gives children a foundation for lifelong Jewish learning and engagement while integrating parents and children in a caring Jewish community.
(ZM) Progressive Israel Network Sessions Sunday, May 4th 11:00a to 12:00p Havurah Shalom is hosting a four-session series from the Progressive Israel Network. Come learn in collaboration with representatives from five to six of the participating Progressive Israel Network organizations, including T’ruah, New Jewish Narrative, Partners for Progressive Israel, New Israel Fund, J Street, and Reconstructing Judaism.
All perspectives on Israel-Palestine, as well as all curious people, are welcomed and encouraged. Our guests will give presentations and take questions. You can register for all sessions, below, but it's okay if you can't attend all three sessions.
(Reconstructing Judaism, the central organization of the Reconstructionist movement, of which Havurah Shalom is a part, is a member of the Progressive Israel Network.)
(IP) Writing for Peace and Reconciliation, Within and Between Us Sunday, May 4th 6:30p to 8:30p Commemorate the last day of Pesach and Yitzkor in community Passover not only invites us to retell our ancient story but to look at our current reality and ask: what is our mitzrayim today? The obstacle in our personal and communal life? Where can we break through in an act of courage and compassion? April 20th & May 4th, 6:30 PM at Havurah, join Harriet Cooke for a writing/drawing group to explore this theme along with Yitzkor, the Sephirot and Counting the Omer. (It is recommended to attend either just the first session or both sessions.)
(IP) Jewish Ethical Responses to the Problem of Racism Monday, May 5th 6:30p to 7:45p We will address topics such as countering white nationalism and antisemitism, Jewish perspectives on reparations, repairing Jewish pioneer memory, and responding to racial microaggressions. Facilitated by Karen Sherman and Adela Basayne.
(CANCELED) Collage Art with Jewish Symbols Wednesday, May 7th 6:30p to 7:45p This class has been canceled by the instructor. If you are interested in doing art at Havurah, please reach out to Adela Basayne (info@havurahshalom.org). Bring your crafts and creativity out for making collage art with Jewish symbols. We will create hamzas, stars of David, trees of life, and images for blessing the home. All ages are invited! Led by Carolina Martinez.
(IP) Hebrew as a Tool: Prayer and Torah (registration closed) Wednesday, May 7th 7:00p to 8:15p (This class will now be starting on January 8.) Using an in-depth, word-by-word approach, we discover literal meaning(s), ancient layers of understanding, and our own personal interpretations that stem from the nuances of the Hebrew text. Basic Hebrew decoding skills necessary.
