Last Call for Shabbat School

May 1: Shabbat School and optional Hebrew Classes enrollment deadline
May 22: Shabbat School Summit for all grade K-6 parents, 3-5 pm (on Zoom)

In order to retain the integrity of our Shabbat School model of parent-taught classes and to meet the diverse needs of families, their children, and the larger Havurah community, we have the following policy for Shabbat School enrollment:

Families must enroll their child(ren) for Shabbat School by May 1, to ensure a spot for the 2021-22 school year. From May 1 – August 1, enrollment in a particular grade is subject to space availability, at the discretion of the Education Director. Many of our grade level classes are already at capacity. Enrollment is not available after August 1 for the 2021-22 Shabbat School year.
 

Please read all about Shabbat School here. After that, if you'd like to join, contact Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Education Director at deborah@havurahshalom.org and enroll here.

Upcoming Classes

Sacred Action: Spiritual Practice for Pursuing Justice
Thursdays, April 29 - June 3, 4-5:30 pm
In this cohort, we will explore Jewish spiritual wisdom to guide our pursuit of justice and support our building a more loving world. In trusted community, and utilizing a range of texts and practices, we will focus on particular middot, “soul traits,” and their impact on our relationships and action. Guidance will also be given for practice and reflection in between sessions. To register, contact Rabbi Benjamin directly at benjamin.barnett@havurahshalom.org.

Earth Day Song Share Cancelled

Because of low sign-ups, we are going to cancel this month's song share. Instead, we will be compiling a playlist of Earth Day songs on Havurah's YouTube channel. If you'd like to add a song to the playlist, please email Leah at leah.shoshanah@havurahshalom.org.

Upcoming Events

Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, April 16, 7 pm – Room Aleph
Please join us for our spirited and joy-filled Kabbalat Shabbat Service led by J.D. Kleinke. Music will be provided by our talented Havurah musicians.

Community Minyan
Saturday, April 17, 10 am – Room Aleph
Please join us for Shabbat morning! This service includes davening, Torah reading and discussion. Led by María Lisa Johnson, Susan Brenner, Rose Venaklese, Diane Chaplin, and Barbara Slader.

Community Havdalah
Saturday, April 17, 5 pm – Room Aleph
Join Shabbat School for a community celebration of Havdalah, led by Leah Shoshanah, Rabbi Benjamin, and Deborah Eisenbach-Budner.

Saving Lives, Saving Dignity
Monday, April 19, 7-8:30 pm – Room Bet
Modern medical technology allows us to prolong life, but often in a way that directly contraindicates what a patient wants at the end of life. Dr. Molk an Emergency Physician and Author will share his thoughts to help you fully understand the emotional and financial costs, as well as the potential benefits and/or disadvantages in medical decisions. His talk will give you insights and empower you to make your decisions intelligently. This event is organized by the Ma'avar Committee. RSVP here.

Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation
Tuesday, April 20, 12 pm – Room Bet
We gather to find some moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Rabbi Benjamin, Adela Basayne, or Nancy Becker.

Whose B'nei Mitzvah Is It Anyway?
Tuesday, April 20, 7 pm – Room Bet
Parents explore the hopes and fears that inspire, inform and complicate the planning process. Led by Rabbi Benjamin, Deborah Eisenbach-Budner and Laura Orgel, psychologist and child/family therapist. RSVP here. 

Morning Minyan
Wednesday, April 21, 8:30 am – Room Aleph
For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish. Led by J.D. Kleinke.

AlteRockers Earth Day Cleanup
Thursday, April 22, 4-6 pm at Havurah Shalom
Join with Havurah’s AlteRockers on Earth Day to work together on a neighborhood cleanup around the building, as well as the surrounding blocks. This event will be entirely outdoors and will comply with social distancing guidelines. After a safety talk and getting cleanup supplies, we will spend a couple of hours picking up litter in the neighborhood to improve our community and protect our ecosystem. Join us and help give back this Earth Day! RSVP here. Please contact Ted Scheinman via the Havurah Member Directory with questions.
 

Bar Mitzvah of Uziel Lamanet
Saturday, April 24, 10 am – Room Aleph
Please join us in welcoming Uziel Lamanet as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community.

Garden Committee Spring Work Party
Sunday, April 25, 10 am - 2 pm at Havurah Shalom
We will prune, weed, clean, and spiff up all the plantings at Havurah in honor of spring. Bring good gloves, pruners, mask, snacks and water. Contact Barbara Gundle or Megan Koler via the Havurah Member Directory for questions. This activity will be in-person and will observe social distancing measures.

HCAT Film Discussion: Kiss the Ground
Sunday, April 25, 4-6 pm – Register for Zoom info
Watch Kiss the Ground, a film about how soil regeneration can rapidly stabilize climate, restore lost ecosystems, and create abundant food supplies. Then join us for a discussion that will include speakers and an interactive presentation about local actions you can take.

Israel/Palestine Committee Film Discussion: The Gatekeepers
Sunday, April 25, 7-8:30 pm – Room Heh
Film is available on Prime Video, VUDU, Apple TV, STARZ, Fandago Now, Google Play, and at Movie Madness video store
Participants should have watched The Gatekeepers film but need not be experts on the Israel/Palestine situation. The 2012 Oscar-nominated documentary tells the story of Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security service, from the perspective of six former Directors who recount Shin Bet’s role from the 1967 Arab-Israeli War until their retirement. RSVP here.

Book Group: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Tuesday, April 27, 7 pm – Room Bet
Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice. A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice. Discussion led by Leatrice Kaplan.

PNW Reconstructionist Community Shabbaton
Friday & Saturday, April 30 & May 1 – RSVP for link & schedule
Join online together for services, learning, yoga, meditation, and discussion with communities from Ashland to Seattle. Featuring Reconstructionist movement ethicist and Talmudist Dr. Mira Wasserman as Scholar-in-Residence, on “The Talmud of Social Justice.” Shabbaton will include Friday evening and Shabbat morning communal prayer and gathering options as well as keynote late Saturday afternoon, with discussions and Havdalah Saturday evening.

Long Range Plan Focus Groups

Monday, April 19, 7 pm
Thursday, April 22, 7 pm
Sunday, April 25, 10 am
Monday, April 26, 7 pm

Havurah members will soon receive an invitation to complete the Havurah Census. You can also provide input for the Long Range Plan by attending a focus group. A 45-minute conversation with members of the Long Range Plan team gives Havurah members the chance to imagine our future, what we want to look like five years from now, and how we will get there. We welcome Havurah members of all ages to attend! RSVP via the links above.

Space Jam Q&A

As we have previously shared, the Expansion Opportunities Report from architect Richard Brown (who designed our current building) gives us some rough cost estimates and conceptual drawings for three options.

Option 1: Adding one story to the South side of the building, which would give us roughly 13,000 square feet total space and cost approximately $3.6 million.
Option 2: Adding two stories to the South side of the building, which would give us approximately 17,000 total square feet and cost approximately $3.8 million.
Option 3: Completely replacing our building with a new, 3-story building that would give us about 23,000 total square feet of space at a cost of about $9.3 million.

Q: Given the pandemic, are good air exchange/filtration, advanced AV/IT capabilities and seismic safety included in the building estimates?
A: No. The Expansion Opportunities Report we commissioned includes only conceptual drawings of possible building layouts and estimated costs. It definitely includes code requirements, but air exchange and AV/IT capabilities are subjects for later down the line if this is the option we choose.

Tikkun Olam

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. 

Nicholas Kristof Speaking on His Book Tightrope
Monday, June 7, 7 pm
Havurah is invited through our membership with The Interfaith Alliance on Poverty o hear Nicholas Kristof, sharing from his book Tightrope. Be prepared to be inspired, educated and moved to engage from this session "Conversation and questions on poverty. What are our moral imperatives?" More info here. Info brought to you by the Poverty & Homelessness Committee. 

News & Events from Our Tikkun Olam Partners

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

Community Events & Offerings

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.

Jewish Arts Month: Virtual Show
April 18 - May 8
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.

Good Deeds Month
Join with fellow Jewish community members in volunteering around Portland this month: from Tivnu, to cleaning parks, to helping homeless folks, and much more! There's something to get everyone engaged in their community. Learn more here.

Jewish Currents Is Looking for Soviet Jewish Stories to Publish
Jewish Currents invites pitches for our Fall 2021 themed issue, which will focus on Soviet Jewish experiences both in the Soviet Jewish diaspora and in the former Soviet Union. We are looking for reported features, investigative pieces, profiles, conversations, and essays; we also welcome tips for stories even if you can’t write the piece yourself. Please email pitches, tips, or finished work to submissions@jewishcurrents.org by April 23 with the subject line SOVIET ISSUE: [description of pitch].

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!