We Want to Get to Know You Better!

We need all Havurah households to complete the Havurah Census you have received in your email by May 31. The demographic information we are collecting is critical for understanding who is part of the Havurah community and how we project forward in our Long-Range Plan. All information is confidential and being aggregated by a third party.

Please complete your Havurah Census as soon as you can! If you have any questions, or did not receive the Census email, contact Sam Sirkin via the Havurah Member Directory.

Curious About Our Budget Process?

Understanding Havurah's Finances & Budget Process
Wednesday, June 2, 7-8:30 pm – Room Gimel
If you are curious about Havurah finances and wonder how the annual budget is built, we invite you to join former Treasurer and Finance Committee member Janet Byrd and current Treasurer Shari Raider for a closer look at our budget process. We will have a conversation about who is involved, what is considered, and how choices are made. This conversation is for all members – those who never think about organizational budgets and those who do!

How Recent Steering Committee Decisions Affect Next Year’s Budget

Our congregational meeting is on June 6 at 10 am in Room Aleph, and that means it will be time to view and vote on the 2021-22 budget. There are decisions that the Steering Committee made this year which will impact next year’s budget. Click here to read an article about the work Steering has done this past year to move us forward on a financially prudent path that gives us greater certainty around our Reserve Fund and our annual building maintenance investments. Also, learn about Steering’s decision to direct this year’s operating budget surplus towards investments in our people, our values, and our facility.

We Want to Hear from You!

The Long Range Plan Committee wants to hear from our younger members – teens, parents of teens and Shabbat School parents. You can join one of these Focus Groups to have your voice be part of the conversation about Havurah’s future.

Havurah Teens and Parents
Come to the Focus Group on Thursday, May 27 at 7 pm in Room Dalet. Gift cards will be sent to all teens who attend. Click here to register.

Shabbat School Parents
Come to the Focus Group on Wednesday, June 2 at 7 pm in Room Dalet. Click here to register.

COVID Vaccines Available (12+)

COVID Vaccines Available at Neveh Shalom
Need a COVID-19 vaccine? Congregation Neveh Shalom COVID-19 Outreach & Services (CNSCOS) will be offering all three vaccines: Pfizer (approved for children ages 12+), Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson on May 30 at Congregation Neveh Shalom. Sign up here! Everyone is welcome. Share as widely as you can!

Upcoming Events

Cemetery Workshop
Wednesday, May 26, 7-8:30 pm – Room Dalet
If you're interested in our beautiful cemetery, come to our workshop! The goal is to help members be more cognizant of the cemetery, and to see if we can develop a group who are trained to sell graves. We'll give a brief history of why we have a cemetery and why it's in the Jones Pioneer Cemetery. We will talk about who can be buried there and what options are available when it comes to grave site selection. Also to be covered: the process of selling a grave site and how we know what graves are sold and which are still available. Questions? Call Dave Weil via the Havurah Member Directory and leave a message. He'll call you back. RSVP here. This event is put on by the Cemetery Committee.

Text & Torah: Sh'lach
Saturday, June 5, 10 am – Room Aleph
Torah study and at-home bagel nosh followed by a shortened morning service. Led by Diane Chaplin or Rabbi Benjamin.

Annual Congregational Meeting
Sunday, June 6, 10 am – Room Aleph
June is the last month in our fiscal year and it is the time to consider our annual budget for the coming year, which starts July 1, 2021. We will present the budget, the proposed Steering Committee slate, and other topics of importance to the congregation. This event is the one time each year when we, as participatory members, can get together to review where we are, discuss what the future looks like, and ask and answer questions you may have. Please plan to join us! All members in good standing are welcome to attend, participate, and vote on the budget. This event is put on by the Steering Committee.

Nicholas Kristof Speaking on His Book Tightrope
Monday, June 7, 7 pm
Havurah is invited through our membership with The Interfaith Alliance on Poverty to 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. Poster here. Info brought to you by the Poverty & Homelessness Committee.

Tikkun Olam

Interested in Fighting for Racial Justice?
Wednesday, June 2, 7 pm – Room Aleph

A group will be meeting to explore the interest and energy available in Havurah for organizing additional educational and external anti-racist activities, perhaps through the formation of a new Tikkun Olam committee. This potential new committee could incorporate some of the work that has been offered over the past year by the Countering White Nationalism cohort, including a potential partnership with Western States to highlight the link between white nationalism and anti-semitism.

News & Events from Our Tikkun Olam Partners

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

Furnishing Maria & Carlos's Apartment

Exciting news for Maria and Carlos: They will have an apartment at the end of June! The Sanctuary Committee would like your help furnishing this apartment. Thank you for your continuing generosity. A spreadsheet of their needs can be found here.

Please enter your information if you will provide any of the furniture and supplies listed on the spreadsheet. Alternatively, you may contact Barbara Hershey via the Havurah Member Directory. I have agreed to coordinate this collective endeavor. We are collecting these items for a projected move-in date of June 28 or so. I am in inner NE Portland so if this is a good spot for you to drop stuff off, let me know. I hope to find someone on the west side who has garage space available as an additional collection site. Contact me if this is you!

Transparency & Inclusivity Q&A

Here is a question we received and the answer we got from the Havurah Presidents team:
 
Q: Why does Havurah choose to only list the total sum of salary costs rather than listing each salary separately?
 
A: We do not list each salary separately in the budget in order to protect the individual privacy of our staff with respect to their salaries and raises. For a full explanation of why we follow this practice and the history behind it, we invite you to read this article.
 
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.

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.

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!