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.
AlteRockers Happy Hour Thursday, May 27, 4:30-6 pm – Room Heh Come schmooze with us. And mark your calendars for monthly schmoozes — last Thursday of the month!
Long-Range Plan Focus Groups: Teens & Parents Thursday, May 27, 7-8:30 pm – Room Dalet A 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. RSVP here.
Kabbalat Shabbat Friday, May 28, 7 pm – Room Aleph
Please join us for our spirited and joy-filled Kabbalat Shabbat Service led by Leah Shoshanah. Music will be provided by our talented Havurah musicians.
Bat Mitzvah of Rose Bobowick Veneklase Saturday, May 29, 10 am– Room Aleph Please join us in welcoming Rose Bobowick Veneklase as a Bat Mitzvah and member of our community!
Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation Tuesday, June 1, 12 pm – Room Bet
We gather to find some moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Rabbi Benjamin, Adela Basayne, or Nancy Becker.
BIPOC Community Meetup Tuesday, June 1, 7-8:30 pm– Room Heh If you identify as Black, Indigenous, or other 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 at via the Havurah Member Directory.
Morning Minyan Wednesday, June 2, 8:15 am – Room Aleph
For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish. Led by Ken Lerner.
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 us. Details in the budget section of our email above!
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.
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?
If you are facing emotional or 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 or emotional 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 Rabbi Benjamin.
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!
(HYB) Shabbat Morning with Music Shabbaton (w/ Aly Halpert) Shabbat, May 10th 10:00a to 12:00p This community minyan will feature the musical contributions of Aly Halpert who is in residence with us this Shabbat. Join us afterward for a light community brunch provided by the Lunches and Noshes Committee! Free childcare is provided. For Zoom information, please email info@havurahshalom.org.
(IP) Tot Shabbat Shabbat, May 10th 10:30a to 11:15a Young children (0-5) and parents celebrate with singing, movement, blessings, and storytelling. All are welcome! Please RSVP when you plan to come. We provide free childcare for those staying to enjoy the full Shabbat service that ends at noon and which is followed by a light community brunch. Email info@havurahshalom.org to learn more.
(IP) Songs for Liberation Song Circle (w/ Aly Halpert) Shabbat, May 10th 4:30p to 6:30p (Currently this event is for Havurah members only, as registrations are capped at 80 people. Havurah members, be sure to RSVP.) Rising Song Records artist Aly Halpert concludes our music shabbaton with a Song Circle, a space to enjoy our voices together as we learn new and ancient Jewish songs and niggunim together. Aly Halpert is at the epicenter of a resurgence of Jewish music-making– introducing new tunes, new words, and new ways of bringing music into davening and community-building.
Rose Haven Walk (register at their 2025 Reigning Roses Walk site) Sunday, May 11th 10:00a to 1:00p Rose Haven supporters and guests will unite to stride a beautiful route through NW Portland on Mother’s Day at the 12th Annual Reigning Roses Walk. Walk with, or in honor of, a special woman in your life – a mother, grandmother, daughter, partner, or friend. 10 am check-in, 11 am begin walking. (We've cancelled the Havurah Teen Engagement plan for this event; just go to the Rose Haven 2025 Reigning Roses Walk website to register!)
(IP) Jewish Ethical Responses to the Problem of Racism Monday, May 12th 6:30p to 7:45p We will address topics such as countering white nationalism and antisemitism, Jewish perspectives on reparations, repairing Jewish pioneer memory, and responding to racial microaggressions. Facilitated by Karen Sherman and Adela Basayne.
(HYB) Steering Meeting Tuesday, May 13th 6:30p to 8:30p Steering members and staff will meet to consider matters of governance. All Havurah Shalom members are invited to attend Steering Committee meetings. For Zoom join links, visit havurahshalom.org/zoom (must be logged in) or call the office in advance for assistance (503-248-4662).
(IP) Hebrew as a Tool: Prayer and Torah (registration closed) Wednesday, May 14th 7:00p to 8:15p (This class will now be starting on January 8.) Using an in-depth, word-by-word approach, we discover literal meaning(s), ancient layers of understanding, and our own personal interpretations that stem from the nuances of the Hebrew text. Basic Hebrew decoding skills necessary.
(IP) B’nei Mitzvah Drash and Service Workshop Thursday, May 15th 7:00p to 8:00p Students and parents are guided through responding to Torah in a drash. You will also take a walk through the Shabbat Morning service. Led by Sarah Shine.
(HYB) Text and Torah Shabbat: "Forgotten" Jewish Rituals Shabbat, May 17th 10:00a to 12:00p One hour of text study with Diane Chaplin on special topics, followed by a brief service. Join us afterward for a light community brunch provided by the Lunches and Noshes Committee! Free childcare is provided. For Zoom information, please email info@havurhshalom.org.
