Havurah's Covid Gathering Guidelines

This is a reminder that Havurah has established COVID Safety Guidelines, which can be found on the Havurah website under News/COVID-19 Information or by clicking here. Multnomah County has shifted from “Extreme Risk” category to “High Risk” category and Havurah’s Core Crisis Team will be meeting to discuss whether we should adjust our guidance in light of that change. Until we revisit our COVID Safety Guidelines, the current Guidelines remain in effect.
We thank you for your understanding as we navigate these difficult issues and do our best to keep our Havurah community safe. If you have any questions about our Guidelines or our process, please reach out to one or both of the co-presidents, Miriam Reshotko at miriam@havurahshalom.org or Ben Walters at ben.walters@havurahshalom.org.

Upcoming Events

HIAS Refugee Shabbat
Friday, March 5, 7 pm – Room Aleph
Havurah is participating for the third year in HIAS’ Refugee Shabbat, during which Jews in the US and around the world will reaffirm our commitment to welcoming refugees and asylum seekers. Please join Rabbi Benjamin, Leah Shoshanna and community members for services on Friday, March 5 at 7 pm as we integrate themes of refugees and asylum seekers into the readings, prayers and music of our service, and learn how we can take action.

Community Minyan
Saturday, , March 6, 10 am – Room Aleph
Please join us for Shabbat morning! This service includes davening, Torah reading and discussion.

Q&A with the Filmmakers of "A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff"
Saturday, March 6, 8:30 pm
A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff, the acclaimed one-woman show by Alicia Jo Rabins, has been adapted into a film, to be featured in Portland International Film Festival. Join us as Havurah Shalom hosts the Jewish community in a talk-back and Q&A with Alicia Jo and her director, Alicia J. Rose!

To participate, purchase a ticket through PIFF for virtual viewing. Here's a discount code for 20% off any screening at PIFF44, Drive-In or virtual. offered to the Jewish community by the NW Film Center:  
Discount code: FESTFRIEND44

The film will be available to you Friday, March 5, to Sunday, March 14. Consider watching it individually or in a group you organize at 7 pm on March 6, then join our Havurah-hosted Zoom Room at 8:30 pm for the talkback. RSVP here. Zoom or before. Zoom information will be included in your confirmation email.

We Voted, Now What? How to Help Our Elected Officials Enact Bold, Visionary Policy
Sunday, March 7, 4-6 pm – Special Zoom Room, RSVP for link
An engaging and interactive presentation by Havurah's Climate Action Team and Jewish Earth Alliance. Come away feeling empowered and knowing why it is important that your representatives hear your voice (even if they share your views). No matter the subject or if you are of voting age, this program will inspire and inform anyone who wants to make a difference by engaging with their elected officials. The event is free but a reservation is required. RSVP here .

Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation
Tuesday, March 9, 12 pm – Room Bet
We gather to find some moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Rabbi Benjamin, Adela Basayne, or Nancy Becker.

Morning Minyan
Wednesday, March 10, 8:30 am – Room Aleph
For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish.

Gefilte Fish Class with Rachel Shimshak
Sunday, March 14, 2 pm – Room Gimel
To overcome your years of hesitation, join Rachel Shimshak to learn how to make her mother’s gefilte fish. It will impress those in your pod. With so many of us spending increased time at home cooking almost all of our meals, it’s time to take the plunge and give homemade fish a try. RSVP here.  

Family-friendly Letter Writing Party to Save the Planet!
Sunday, March 14, 5-6:00 pm
Bring your friends and family to create personal letters and pictures urging our members of Congress to protect the ozone layer by passing the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. We partner with the Jewish Earth Alliance to combine our personal letters and send to members of Congress to uplift Jewish voices in protection of our climate.
Rebecca Darling-Budner will offer family friendly activities and Marianna Grossman will provide resources for meaningful collective action. Here is the link to the Jewish Earth Alliance for more information.
 

Writers Workshop Oneg
Friday, March 19th - 7-9 p.m.
Participants in this year's Writers Workshop will share readings of their work from the past two months at an Oneg for the Havurah community and guests. This event will take place in Zoom Room Aleph. Please email info@havurahshalom.org if you need Zoom join info.

Havurah Musicmakers Survey

We are assembling a database of all Havurah members who make music and want to share it. It will be used to identify singers and musicians for regular and special services, Shabbat school activities, holidays, song-shares, and other events. If you or anyone in your family is a musicmaker — experienced, fledgling, or aspirational, all ages welcome! — and would like to be included in the new database, please click this link to take the survey.

Passover Is Coming Up!

Passover Prep activities and resources are coming your way. Stay tuned!

Virtual seders
We are trying to gauge interest in having virtual seders again this year. However, we are not sure if people are tired of zoom or are making other plans.

If you are would like to attend a virtual seder led by a fellow Havurahnik OR would like to host a seder for your fellow Havurahniks, please let Debbi Nadell, Shelley Sobel or Eve Berry know ASAP. Thank you.

March 31st is the Deadline for submitting suggestions for the Havurah Book Group for next year

Once a month the Havurah Book Group meets to discuss a book that has been chosen by the group. We read a mix of genres including: fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and drama. When submitting suggestions please include a short description of the book. We will include it on the ballot when we vote on which books we want to read. The expectation is that the person suggesting the book leads the discussion. Email suggestions to David Newman.

Space Jam Update

The Space Jam Committee is exploring options to meet Havurah’s space needs. The March The Space Jam Committee is exploring options to meet Havurah’s space needs. We are publicizing Q&As in Hineinu that have come up in various meetings.

Q: Where do our members live and is that being taken into consideration when looking at other locations?

A: When we last checked, 54% of our members lived on the east side of the river, 41% lived on the west side, and the balance lived out of the metro area. Our current location in NW Portland works well for that split, which is why we have asked our realtor to look for “close in” properties that also have parking. We will have more updated and accurate information about where our members live after the completion of the Census that is being conducted by the Long-Range Planning Committee. In addition, there is a Survey that the Long-Range Planning Committee will be sending out after the Census which will be asking members to answer questions about their willingness to travel to different parts of the Portland Metro area. Answers to that Survey will also help inform our decision on where to look for potential replacement properties.

Tikkun Olam Cluster Updates

Jewish Earth Alliance Presentation
Sunday, March 7, 4 pm
An engaging and interactive presentation by Jewish Earth Alliance. Come away feeling empowered. Presented by the Climate Action Team, but appropriate for any person, even if not of voting age, who wants to make a difference by engaging with their elected officials. RSVP for join info.

Caring for Our Houseless Neighbors
From Jenn Louis: Our contributions to our homeless neighbors have been useful and appreciated! Thanks to everyone for your participation. Want to ride along? Extra car space and assistance in is needed on Tuesdays and Thursdays to transport and distribute goods. Reach out if you are interested via the Havurah Membership Directory.

Help is still needed. Here are items that are needed most:
- Canned foods, food and meals to reheat (non-perishable)
- Blankets and comforters
- Lantern mantles (see Amazon wish list)

Please see jennlouis.com (homeless relief) for more information on how you can participate.

Lunch Brigade Volunteer Opportunity
Tikkun Olam's Poverty and Homelessness Committee has been a part of the lunch brigade program at the Bybee Lakes Hope Center (BLHC) since September. We, along with six other congregations from the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty, have delivered daily lunches to those in shelter at BLHC. Sunday is our day. If you would like to participate with a small group of other Havurahniks there are Sundays in February and March available. Please contact Gloria Halper via the Havurah Member Directory.

Community Events & Offerings

HIAS: Refugee Shabbat Havdalah
Saturday, March 6, 5 pm
Advance registration required here.

HIAS: Perspectives on the Global Jewish Movement for Refugees
Sunday, March 7, 10:30 am
Educational program about the global Jewish movement for refugees.
Advance registration required here.

2021 Weekend in Quest
Circus Jews Under National Socialism: A Lecture & Performance
Sunday, March 7, 11 am
Scholar in Residence Stav Meishar
2021 Weekend in Quest is a free virtual program that honors the roots of the program as a Shabbaton Study Weekend. This year’s program has shifted to a webinar format with Scholar in Residence Stav Meishar. The true stories of Jewish circus artists between the world wars are told with sensitivity and humor by Stav Meishar, a circus artist and academic. The lecture is based on over seven years of extensive research and combines photos from personal albums, recorded testimonies, and personal stories. Additionally, Meishar will present excerpts from her show "The Escape Act", a show based on one of the stories she uncovered–that of a Jewish acrobat who survived the Holocaust hiding in a German circus. Stav Meishar is a theatre maker, multidisciplinary performer, academic researcher and educator, working across circus, theatre, and contemporary performance. Register for Weekend in Quest at OJMCHE website.

Uncovering the Hidden History of Discrimination in Oregon
March 8
In this time of national and local reckoning with our country and city’s grim legacy of discrimination and hate, we have come together as a broad coalition of friends and allies to create a series of public programs to confront hate. We have been reminded almost daily that our communities of color, immigrants, and LGBTQ persons, as well as many of our neighbors of various religious faiths, are frequent targets of vicious hatred. Nevertheless, we have also seen seeds of hope. We have witnessed an upsurge of people ready to stand in solidarity with those who are targets of discrimination and hate—people who are eager to listen, to learn, and to take action to make Portland a place that truly protects the lives, well-being, and dignity of all who live here. See more info here.

Healing the Heart: A Jewish Meditation Retreat
with Rabbis Yael Levy, Joshua Boettiger, and Benjamin Barnett
April 15-18
How can we draw from the healing capacities of Jewish contemplative practice? What are the spiritual tools that can nurture healing, that make room for it in our lives, our communities and our world? See further details and registration information here.

COVID-19 Vaccines & Assistance

Are you eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine? Sign up for one through the OHA website here. You can look for new appointments on Monday and Thursday mornings at 9 am. The website currently has many issues. It may take an hour or two to get through. Open new tabs and keep trying!

Also, Congregation Neveh Shalom COVID-19 Outreach and Services can help you make sense of all there is to know about the pandemic, testing, and vaccines. For those who have been exposed to the virus or tested positive and need to quarantine, CNSCOS can assist with and cover costs for things like grocery shopping, finding housing, childcare, or transportation. For those who have been affected by Covid-19 in an indirect way, CNSCOS can help with finding and applying for financial resources, running errands, accessing food assistance, finding other helpful services, or just calling to chat with folks who are feeling isolated or lonely.

The CNSCOS team also provides timely information online here and via a weekly email here. Contact covid19@nevehshalom.org or call 971-990-5652 if you need COVID-19 assistance.

Do You Need Help?

Havurah Zoom Rooms

To see our full Zoom room instructions, click here. Member sign-in required.

Questions About Havurah?

The Transparency & Inclusivity Committee is an avenue within Havurah Shalom to help members find the answers to question they have wondered about. Please send your questions to transparency@havurahshalom.org. We will anonymously publish your question in Hakol and then answer that question. Everyone in our community benefits from this clarity!