Hineinu

Sukkot 5781: Bring it Home!

Like everything else so far about 5781, we are being given an opportunity to learn new things, be creative, and adapt to our current reality. Sukkot, our holiday of both gratitude (harvest) and awareness of our tenuous lives (dwelling in temporary shelter…) gives us even more chances. Sukkot starts with the Full Moon of Friday night, October 2. The themes of Sukkot could not be more relevant this year! Given that Havurah Shalom won’t be putting up a community sukkah to celebrate in, this is a chance to bring it home. Here are some great starting places below. Send along any other ideas or photos of your home celebration.

• Look at www.myjewishlearning.com for a myriad of suggestions for family celebration, adult learning, themes and theology, how to build a sukkah, and recipes.
• If you don’t already build one, try building a sukkah this year. Start simply so that you can simply start! Lots of ideas on the web – don’t fuss about it – just make a temporary shelter with some view of the sky.
• You could also find a place outside or close to the outside to decorate and set aside as your sukkah – a place to eat some meals for 7 days.
• Go to the farmer’s market, or your own garden, and look at vegetables and fruits; give your mind and soul the time to ponder their magnificence and design.
• Make some fun Sukkot/Autumn/Harvest themed decorations for your home or sukkah.
• Enjoy some Sukkot poetry and creative ritual and the Reconstructing Judaism affiliate offerings.
• Enjoy these stories and activities with children.

Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Education Director

deborah@havurahshalom.org

High Holidays Feedback

Upcoming Events

No Kabbalat Shabbat this week!

Erev Sukkot

Friday evening

Community Minyan
Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 am – Room Aleph
Please join us for Shabbat morning! Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion.

Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 12 pm – Room Bet
We gather on Tuesdays to find some moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Rabbi Benjamin, Adela Basayne, and Nancy Becker.

BIPOC Community Meet Up
Tuesday, Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 1, 7 pm – Room Gimel
If you identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a person of color, we hope you will join us. This will be a casual get-together with the sole purpose of listening to, learning from, and supporting one another. This meeting requires no ongoing commitment. RSVP here or just show up. If you're unable to make it but like this idea, or have other ideas as a BIPOC community member, please contact Yshai Boussi via the member directory.

Morning Minyan
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 8:30 am – Room Aleph
For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish.

Tikkun Olam Events

Confronting Hate: Uncovering the Hidden History of Discrimination in Oregon
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 7 pm – Special Zoom room
Walidah Imarisha co-edited two anthologies including Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories From Social Justice Movements. Imarisha’s nonfiction book Angels with Dirty Faces: Three Stories of Crime, Prison, and Redemption won a 2017 Oregon Book Award. She is also the author of the poetry collection Scars/Stars. More info here.

Discussion on White Supremacy, White Nationalism, and Anti-Semitism

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 7 pm – High Holidays web portal event

Havurah’s Countering White Nationalism cohort invites you to join us for a conversation about the differences between white supremacy and white nationalism, including the role anti-semitism plays within the white nationalist movement. We will show the first 36 minutes of a talk by Eric Ward (password: 8K?.4$f4), Executive Director of the Western States Center, as the starting place for our conversation. You might also be interested in reading this article by Eric Ward as background information. Please register on the High Holidays web portal, where you will find the questions we'll be considering. The event will go up on the web portal very soon!

Portland Homesless Family Solutions Meal Provider Training

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 5:30 pm & Thursday, Oct. 15, 12 pm on Zoom

PHFS is starting volunteer orientations again, for Meal Provider positions. Please see their website at pdxhfs.org to see what other volunteer activities are being offered under COVID. To become a new Meal Provider volunteer, this is their onboarding process: orientation, volunteer application, tour and training, and background check. Orientations and trainings are occurring virtually over Zoom. Please RSVP for an upcoming one-hour orientation if you would like to get started! RSVP to tc@pdxhfs.org for Zoom info.

Tikkun Olam Updates

Volunteers Needed for Oregon Food Bank and Tutoring

The Ortiz Center on N. Killingsworth in the Cully Neighborhood is in need of volunteers to distribute Oregon Food Bank groceries to families on Wednesdays after 2pm and anytime on Thursdays. This involves driving to families' homes and dropping the bag of groceries off. The Ortiz Center is also seeking tutors to work with kids online; the grade levels and subjects will vary. For volunteering to deliver food, contact Virginia Salinas. For volunteering as online tutor, please contact Jay Moskovitz. Email Judi Kloper for more info.

Portland Protests: A Conversation by Transform Network
Watch community leaders, including Rabbi Benjamin, speak on the Portland protests here.


Havurah's BLM Resource Page
Check out our new Black Lives Matter resource page!

Community Offerings

Harvesting Resilience: 30 Days of Spiritual Practice Before the Election

In the month of uncertainty and stress leading up to the November election, we need to care for ourselves more than ever. Starting October 4, we're sending spiritual practice straight to your inbox or phone. Nourish your mind, body, and spirit with five-minute original practices from rabbis, teachers, activists and leaders across the country here. You can sign up directly here.

Do You Need Help?

If you are facing financial hardship from a loss of employment, decrease in income, or any other impact of our recent crises; or, if you would benefit from the support of community members for 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 and Rabbi Benjamin.