Passover Events

The Last Chance Seder
Saturday, April 3, 6 pm
with Andrine de la Rocha, Diane Chaplin, and Howard Patterson
Join us on the last evening of Pesach as we follow our family Haggadah on the Exodus from Egypt to Freedom. With ritual foods, modern commentary, songs and witty banter. Suitable for adults and high school students. BYOMatzo. RSVP here.

A special event for wee Jews

Pesach Tot Shabbat
Saturday, April 3, 10:30-11 am – Room Bet
Join us for a short and sweet Passover Shabbat morning with singing and stories. Especially for families with wee Jews (0-5). Led by Leah Shoshanah and Adela Basayne.

Accompanying Maria & Carlos

This season of Pesach, as we commemorate our exodus from Mitzrayim, we also reflect on those still struggling in the narrow places. Havurah is sponsoring Maria and Carlos, Guatemalan asylum seekers whose search for safety echoes our own foundational story. If you are able, please consider contributing to our fundraiser to support Maria and Carlos as they prepare to move from the home of a Havurah family and into an apartment of their own.

Upcoming Classes

Begin with Aleph: Learn to Read Hebrew
Wednesdays, April 7 - May 12, 7 pm – Room Bet
This course is for beginners, even those who have "begun" before. Focusing on basic reading competency, we will uncover bits of Judaism that are only accessible through its original language. Our text has online home practice. Taught by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner. Sign up here.

Jewish Genealogy Class
Sunday, April 11, 18, 25, 10 am – Room Gimel
This Jewish genealogy introduction will show you that there is much evidence remaining to discover about your own family history. Over our three sessions, you will learn about your family history and how to use the tools to continue gathering information on your own. Please rsvp in advance so Barbara Hershey can collect information to help direct the class and send you a Family Group Sheet to organize basic information about already known family members. Sign up here.

Upcoming Events

Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, April 2, 7 pm – Room Aleph
Please join us for our spirited and joy-filled Kabbalat Shabbat Service led by Leah Shoshanah and Rabbi Benjamin.
 

COVID Gathering Guidelines

We are all seeing in the news that vaccine availability and eligibility is increasing. We want you to know that Havurah’s crisis team is regularly meeting to review the rapidly changing environment. We are committed to having our practices aligned with Jewish values and the most current information about COVID’s spread from reliable sources. As such, we’ve made a couple minor adjustments to Havurah’s Covid Gathering Guidelines, which you can find here.

Havurah Music Makers 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 database. Click here to take the survey!

Tikkun Olam

Interfaith Alliance on Poverty's Monthly Meeting: Shelters in PDX
Thursday, April 1, 12-1:30 pm
Plan to join April’s First Thursday meeting for an extensive update on the work of Shelter NOW. The session will highlight the various issues and opportunities that Shelter NOW is engaged in. RSVP and more info here. This event is run by a Havurah partner who works with our Poverty & Homelessness Committee.

Third Annual Fair Fight Bond Fund Virtual Fundraiser
Sunday, May 2, 6 pm
Havurah's Sanctuary Committee is co-sponsoring this virtual event which is being put on by The Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW. The organization's purpose is to secure the release of immigrants from the NW Detention Center. The fund is a revolving community bond fund that gives immigrants a 70% increased chance of winning their case by bonding them out of detention so they can gather evidence. To date, 40 people have been bonded out. RSVP here.

News & Events from Our Tikkun Olam Partners

Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) | Interfaith Alliance on Poverty (IAP) | Lift UP | MACG

Community Events & Offerings

Northwest Jewish Artists for its tenth Jewish Arts Month (JAM) art show — this year it is virtual! At your leisure, view seventeen artists’ fiber work, beadwork, metal art pieces, glass, ceramics, painting, and more. You can purchase unique artwork and Mother’s Day gifts online for yourself or family and friends. This year’s show takes place virtually online here. Everything displayed will be for sale.

Chronicling These Times
Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education just announced the second phase of a project to document these extraordinary times through a powerful oral history project and is looking for the help of the Jewish community. Through a short online interview you can become part of a national project that will provide a snapshot for researchers and future generations of the Jewish experience during these unprecedented times. Jewish community members of all ages and backgrounds who live throughout Oregon can participate by contacting Alisha Babbstein, OJMCHE archivist ababbstein@ojmche.org. The full story of the Chronicling These Times oral history project can be found here on OJMCHE’s website.

COVID-19 Vaccines & Assistance

Congregation Neveh Shalom COVID-19 Outreach and Services (CNSCOS)
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.

Assistance for Seniors to Get Vaccinated
If you have seniors in your organizations who need help signing up for vaccinations JFCS is partnering with Positive Charge! PDX to get them their appointments. Here is the link to the sign up form.

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!