Hineinu

Photo by Jay Castor on Unsplash

May We Stay Well

We may have flattened the curve in Oregon. Good news, which means only that our medical infrastructure won't be overtaxed: we are still at risk for catching or transmitting the virus that reveals itself to be more complex as time goes by. This week's Torah portion, Kedoshim, reminds us to love our neighbors, to care for strangers, to be holy. Right now, loving my neighbor looks like staying home except when necessary, wearing a mask  and maintaining 6 feet of distance from others when I must go out. Every choice we make can be an act of love.

May we all be safe and well,
Adela Basayne, Program Director

____________________________
 

Rabbi Benjamin's Omer Writing: Spiritual Practice in Precarious Times
Rabbi Benjamin is posting reflections on each week's sefirah or quality, designed to support spiritual and life practice for this time. Read his latest post, Open Heart, Willing Spirit.

____________________________
 

Earth Day 2020 - A Little Mini-Sing-along led by Beth Hamon
Enjoy a short, sweet video sing-along of a few songs for Earth Day.

____________________________
 

Let's Help Each Other
Do You Need Help or Would You Like to Offer Help?
If you would benefit from the support of community members for things like grocery shopping, errands, or any other concrete needs, for any reason, please contact Rabbi Benjamin at benjamin.barnett@havurahshalom.org or 503-248-4662 ext. 3.

If you would like to be on a list of people to support others in concrete ways, such as grocery shopping or running other errands, please contact Susan Lazareck at susanlazareck@gmail.com and Rabbi Benjamin at the email above.
 
If you are facing financial hardship from a loss of employment or decrease in income, or from any other impact of this crisis, please contact Rabbi Benjamin at the email or phone number above.

____________________________
 

Upcoming Events
Dates, Times, and Zoom Rooms Listed Below

Although we are not publishing these links broadly, please feel free to invite your family and friends to any of our services below.
 

Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation
Thursday, April 30, 5 pm – Room Bet
We gather to find some moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Adela Basayne or Nancy Becker.

​​​​​​​Bedtime Stories with Cassandra Sagan
Thursday evening, 6:30 pm – Room Gimel
Story with Cassandra Sagan, maggid/Jewish storyteller/teacher. Everyone welcome! Please bring your drawing materials. Jammies and stuffies welcome!

Kirtan Shabbat
Friday May 1, 7:30 pm – Room Aleph
Join us this Friday for a kirtan-infused Shabbat service. (“Kirtan” is Sanskrit for “repeat” — a simple, call-and-response form of devotional, communal singing that originated in Eastern religious traditions, and moved to the west with yoga and meditation.) A kirtan Shabbat follows the arc of the tradtional Friday night service, slowed down and simplified, to invoke the meditational spirit at the heart of all Jewish prayer.

Bar Mitzvah of Gautam Josse
Saturday, May 2, 10 am – Room Aleph
Please join us in welcoming Gautam Josse as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community.

Class with Emily Simon
Mondays, May 4, 11, 18, 3 pm – Room Bet
Join Emily Simon to study the following questions that may help us through this time of forced insularity: 1) Where in the Tanach has G-D commanded that we stay home (or stay inside)? 2) What were the circumstances of each of these instances? 3) And, most importantly, what can we learn from them? Having a Tanach in front of you will be most helpful, but there will also be source sheets available during the class. RSVP here.

Counting the Omer
Spiritual Practice for Precarious Times
Tuesday, May 5 (and every Tuesday until May 26), 12 pm – Room Bet
During these seven weeks of Counting the Omer, the period linking Pesach with Shavuot, our Tuesday meditation will focus on the sefirot, or qualities, associated with each week. Rabbi Benjamin will guide us in reflecting on and practicing with these attributes, as tools for resilience and support in this moment. Everyone is welcome to any or all of these sessions. Facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin.

Morning Minyan
Wednesday, May 6, 8:30 am – Room Aleph
For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish.

Radical Amazement, Radical Concern
Teachings for this Hour from Abraham Joshua Heschel
Wednesday, May 6, 13, 20, 7 pm – Room Bet
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was a radical, in theology and action. His work integrated intellectual rigor with love of tradition, and he called for intimate spiritual attention alongside moral public action. In these sessions we will explore excerpts of his work on topics including empathy, freedom, and responsibility, as well as awe and appreciation. Please RSVP here by May 3. There will be reading sent out before each class. Facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin.

Israeli and Palestinian Literature
Tuesdays, May 19, 26 and June 9, 23, 7 pm – Room Dalet
Joel Beinin will offer a class on Israeli and Palestinian Literature. See the schedule and readings and RSVP here.

____________________________
 

Updates Inside Havurah
Our Community Presses Onward Despite the Pandemic

Deadline May 1! Purchase Our New Machzor!
​​​​​​​We're so close! Help us reach the finish line. Kol Haneshamah Machzor Leyamim Nora’im from the Reconstructionist Press is our machzor of choice. Thanks to generous donations made so far, we have enough funds to acquire approximately 550 new machzors. Our goal is as many as 700 to replace our current set. Consider participating in this effort by purchasing your own, purchasing one for the community, or making a donation to the machzor fund. $40 covers a copy, shipping, book plate, and future song inserts. Deadline May 1. Click here to order!

Welcoming Maria and Carlos to the Havurah Family
You may have heard the news that Havurah is sponsoring a refugee family seeking asylum in the US. We will be part of Maria and Carlos’ extended community, helping them navigate the daunting challenges involved in building a new life in this country. As Maria and Carlos settle into their new home there will be many ways that Havurah members can support them with specific needs such as translation (Spanish), educational support and transportation. If you are interested in finding out how you can help, please contact Kathy Gordon or Debbi Nadell. Additionally, if you are able, we hope you will help out with a one-time or monthly contribution.

Introducing Neighborhood Groups
Slack invites are going out! Please accept them when you can.
Our community has grown tremendously in the last few years. We are grateful for the riches that accompany growth. One of those riches is the opportunity to build strong connections among our diverse membership. To further that opportunity, we have grouped members into 26 neighborhoods. with the goal of creating social, emotional, and spiritual connections among neighbors. Soon, you will receive a welcome from a Neighborhood Captain.  Once each group is established, there will be opportunities to get together (virtually for now), check in with each other, and ask for assistance, if you need it. We are still building this network and are looking for Neighborhood Captains. Contact Stacy Hankin if you are interested.

Reconstructing Judaism Resources
Visit ReconstructingJudaism.org and click on Recon Connect or the Virtual Shabbat Box. There you will find the community, innovation, spirit and depth that embody Reconstructionist Judaism. Recon Connect is an online hub updated regularly with live experiences from across the Reconstructionist movement. The Virtual Shabbat Box is a weekly offering of multisensory experiences: essays, meditations, and other resources that you can download for Shabbat.

Our Weekly Emails
If you have something you think should be included in Hineinu, please submit to the regular weekly email form here.

____________________________
 

Donations Needed

Havurah Food Donations to PHFS Families
PHFS not only shelters 26 families at their new Lents location, they also have two dedicated staff to assist over 30 families living in hotels and those newly "housed." From May to July, we will put together food boxes for these families. Our goal is for each Havurah Neighborhood Group to commit to putting together a Food Box (or more than one!) over the next three months (May-June-July). The item list (all non-perishables) is in this link. Box drop-off is Tuesday and Thursday between 9 and 11 am, 6220 SE 92nd Ave, Portland, 97266. Questions? Contact Gloria Halper or Emma Hoyle (Emma@pdxhfs.org). Item list (all non-perishables) and more information is here. In addition, to help with our monthly food commitment, coordinated by Len and Elayne Shapiro, sign up here.

____________________________
 

Other Resources for You
From Our Siddur to a Havurah Website Guide

Digital Copy of Shabbat Vehagim
.
Digital Copy of the Daily Prayerbook
.
COVID-19 Resources Spreadsheet
.
Oregon Jewish Life COVID-19 Resources
.
A Spreadsheet of Livestreaming Services, Torah Study, and more
.
Community Resources During COVID-19
.
Daily Online Jewish Mindfulness Sit with Institute for Jewish Spirituality
.
Recon Connect: A Hub for Live Experiences from Reconstructing Judaism
.
Meditations, Blog Posts & Podcasts to Help Adults Coping with Uncertainty & Anxiety
.
This Can Be Our Finest Hour, But We Need All Of You (COVID-19 article)
.
How to Explain Coronavirus to a Child with Anxiety
.
A Guide to Havurah Website Resources (including how to access the member directory)
.
Ritualwell Coronavirus Articles (a website by Reconstructing Judaism)

Click on the image above to read the April issue of Hakol!