How Lovely Your Tents! (Reserved In Advance)
We are so excited to be moving more meetings and events into the building! To keep things running smoothly, please remember to reserve the space you need ahead of time with Rachel Pollak, Office & Facilities Manager. She will make sure you have the room and setup you need, clean and free of space conflicts. Email rachel@havurahshalom.org. If your meeting or event is going into Hineinu, the Hineinu submission form has an option to tell Rachel that you'll be here in person. (The deadline for Hineinu submissions is noon on Tuesday.)
Shabbat Morning Service – Zoom Room Aleph & In Person Saturdays, 10 am
Check our online calendar for details.
Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation – Zoom Room Bet Tuesdays, 12 pm
We gather to find moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Rabbi Benjamin, Adela Basayne, or Nancy Becker.
Morning Minyan – Zoom Room Aleph & In Person Wednesdays, 8:30 am
For all who want a regular prayer practice and those saying Kaddish.
B'Yachad Reconstructing Judaism Convention Wednesday-Sunday, March 23-27
It's not too late to register for the convention virtually, and Shabbat services are open to all who wish to join online. Learn more.
Text & Torah: Parshat Shemini– Zoom Room Aleph & In Person Saturday, March 26, 10 am
Torah study followed by a shortened morning service. Led by Andrine de la Rocha.
Lev Tahor Chanting Circle – Zoom Room Bet & In Person Tuesday, March 29, 7pm, at Havurah
Facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin. We’ll gather in community for an evening of contemplative practice, chanting interspersed with silence, guided by teachings from the tradition. Everyone is welcome.
AlteRockers Happy Hour – Zoom Room Heh Thursday, March 31, 4:30 pm
Come schmooze with us. And mark your calendars for monthly schmoozes the last Thursday of the month!
Basic Hebrew Conversation– In Person Thursday, March 31, 7 pm (and the following four Thursdays)
Let's have a party in Hebrew! We will spend five classes learning and practicing our conversational Hebrew while planning a party. And for the last class, we will hold a party and celebrate together. Hebrew level required: Basic reading and writing (can read and write single words and short sentences), and a vocabulary of about 50 words or more. (If you're unsure, try to list the words you know including colors, simple phrases, food, animals, and some verbs.) Taught by Racheli Ross. Register here.
Writers Workshop Oneg Shabbat – Zoom Room Aleph & In Person Friday, April 1, 7 pm
Participants in this year's Havurah Writers' Workshop (for non-writers!) will share short readings of their work at an oneg for the Havurah community and guests, with candle lighting and singing.
Discovering Shabbat Morning: Learner's Minyan– Zoom Room Aleph & In Person Saturday, April 2, 10 am
Rabbi Benjamin will lead this upbeat, interactive service focusing on the structure, key themes, and prayers of the morning service, especially for families with youth in Grades 5-6. All those hoping to become B’nei Mitzvah at Havurah are expected to attend. This is a Shabbat School and Hebrew class day. Talia Stein (Grade 6) and Hannah Treuhaft (Grade 5) are coordinating informal activities for those students staying around between the service and afternoon classes. Please include names of parent(s) and children attending in the notes box when you RSVP.
Tot Shabbat– Zoom Room Bet Saturday, April 2, 10:30 am
Young children (0-5) and parents celebrate with singing, movement, blessings, and storytelling. Please RSVP here.
Spring Garden Work Party Sunday, April 3, 10 am
Semi-annual work party to prune and spruce up our shul landscaping, rain or shine. All are welcome. Please bring pruners and garden gloves if you can.
Using Israeli Flavors in Vegetable Dishes– Zoom Room Bet Sunday, April 3, 2 pm New Date!
As many of us tend to eat a vegetable-forward diet these days, the Jewish holiday question becomes: How do we celebrate Jewish cuisine while eliminating the meat? Spend an hour with Jenn Louis to expand your knowledge of vegetable dishes from Israel and the Diaspora. Class will be a combination of demonstration, lecture, and Q & A. Led by Jenn Louis. RSVP here.
The Song Circle– In Person at Havurah Monday, April 4, 7:30 pm
The Song Circle is based on a program designed by Joey Weisenberg and the Rising Song Institute focusing on communal songs and niggunim, wordless melodies. The group meets on the first Monday of the month (through June) and is open to all who wish to learn, share music, and grow their personal leadership techniques. The Rising Song program is a guided self-study using a library of Joey’s music videos, written materials, and short instructional videos. Access to the library costs $18/month per person, but cost should not be a deterrent as limited subsidies will be available. Questions? Contact Ken Lerner.
Israel/Palestine Meeting– Zoom Room Bet Tuesday, April 5, 5 pm
We will discuss plans for future activities, including suggestions from the Film Working Group for possible films for us to discuss. All Havurah members are welcome to attend the meeting. RSVP here.
Kabbalat Shabbat– Zoom Room Aleph & In Person Friday, April 8, 6:30 pm
A family-friendly oneg followed by a spirited, all-ages service led by Rabbi Benjamin and Havurah musicians. All are welcome!
Bar Mitzvah of Julian Luker Saturday, April 9, 10 am
Please join us in welcoming Julian Luker as a bar mitzvah and member of our community.
Whose B'nei Mitzvah Is It Anyway?– In Person Saturday, April 9, 3:10-4:35 pm
Like any life-cycle ceremony, B’nei Mitzvah come to be about much more than the stated purpose – marking a passage of a child coming of age. What are some of the important explicit – and sometimes hidden – factors, choices, and messages? This workshop is not about logistics or expectations: it is about the meaning(s) of B'nei Mitzvah and its power as a rite of passage for the whole family. Together we will explore the hopes and fears that inspire, inform, and complicate the preparation and planning process. This frank and nonjudgmental workshop is about the big questions and how they impact the concrete decisions that parents and youth are called upon to make. Led by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Education Director, and Laura Orgel, Child & Family Therapist. RSVP here.
Announcements
Purim Videos by Middle School Students We had technical difficulties showing these at the Purim Party last week, but here are the Middle School videos for your delight. Thanks to the creative makers in Grades 7 and 8.
Suggestions for Havurah Book Group Due Soon
The time has come to choose the books we will read next year. If you've read a book that you would like to share, we hope you will consider submitting a suggestion to the Havurah Book Group. We read both fiction and non-fiction. Many of our books have Jewish authors or Jewish themes. However, we also read books that are chosen because their subjects interest the group. If you submit a suggestion and your book is chosen, the expectation is that you will lead the discussion. Along with your suggestion, please submit a short description of the book. Please keep descriptions between 250 and 350 words. Please send your suggestions to David Newman before April 15.
Passover Planning
Passover Recipe Collection
The Tikkun Olam Passover Planning Committee is putting together a recipe box to give our seders some new flavors, and we need your help! If you have favorite Passover recipes– old family favorites, new variations on an old theme, or simply meaningful recipes for the season, please share them with us here. Please share your recipes with us by March 25so we can include them in the finished recipe collection that will be made available to the entire community. – Beka Feathers
Seeking Seder Hosts
Continuing the biblical and congregational tradition of welcoming the stranger, the Tikkun Olam Passover Planning Committee is looking for Seder hosts. If you can open your home either virtually or in person, please contact me. (Contact information is in the membership directory.) Please let us know what you are considering, such as which day? How many? Child-friendly? Zoomed? As well as any other specifics. The committee will have some fresh resources and other Seder supports ready next month.– Adele Thompson
Order Passover Chocolate – Support T’ruah The turmoil in the world today is a reminder of why we must continue to celebrate the liberation from Egypt on Passover year after year: So many people are still not free, including the people who grow our food while facing unsafe and unfair working conditions. That’s why T'ruah is delighted to partner with Equal Exchange to sell fairly traded, kosher for Passover chocolate that allows us to celebrate our freedom without relying on the slave and child labor endemic in the cocoa supply chain. When you order any combination of products from Equal Exchange from March 1 to April 15, 10% of your purchase will be donated to T'ruah. Use this code when you check out: PESACH22. Order here.
Tikkun Olam Updates
Help Support an Afghan Refugee Family
The Sanctuary Committee has received approval from the Steering Committee to support an Afghan refugee family being resettled here in Portland. This family's first need will be housing, and we are calling on the generosity of the Havurah community. If you or someone you know might be willing to donate housing or rent at a reduced rate, please contact the Afghan Family Support Group core team at the link below. Preference is for 2BR housing on the west side or Beaverton. Click here for more information about this project and more ways to help. – Michael Rice
Seven Doors: Stories of Immigration Detention Thursday-Saturday, March 24-26, Zidell Yards, 3121 S Moody Ave
A pop-up exhibition installed in a 26-foot-long truck, Seven Doors is a long-term documentary photography and storytelling project by award-winning photographer Greg Constantine. It exposes the impact and trauma of immigration detention and shows how such detention practices are used as a central component of immigration and asylum policy in the U.S. and other countries. Promoted by Havurah's Sanctuary Committee. Learn more here.
What is MACG? Orientation Monday, March 28, 7 pm– Register here.
Havurah is a member of the Metropolitan Alliance for the Common Good (MACG). Many of the ways we do things at Havurah come from their organizing model. We have many members for whom this orientation would be helpful. These two orientations will answer these questions: What is MACG? What is institutional organizing? How does it strengthen my institution? How does it reduce isolation and build connection? How does it lessen polarization and strengthen the center? How does being part of MACG lead to real positive changes in the public arena? Questions? Contact Bob Brown.
Gun Safety Initiatives: Sign from Home
Havurah has endorsed the effort by Lift Every Voice Oregon to place two common sense gun control initiatives on the fall ballot. One of the ways to participate is to sign your name to the petitions from home. The campaign needs more than 112,000 signees by early July. Please consider taking a few moments to add your name to the campaign and ask every registered voter in your residence to do the same. If you're willing, feel free to copy and forward this message to your email contacts. Our window for hitting the minimum required will be here soon.
Constructive Conversations about Race Workshop
Havurah is co-sponsoring a workshop led by David Campt and Allison Mahaley of The Dialogue Company, which provides encouragement and tools for having constructive conversations about race. The workshops are based on listening, storytelling, and compassion, and will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, April 21-23. Click here for a calendar of events and ticket prices, and to register. Financial hardship should not be a barrier to attending. Curious but not sure? On March 30 you can listen to a virtual keynote speech then decide whether you want to register for more. See this flyer for more information. Please contact Bob Brown or Kathy Gordon with questions. Sponsored by the Racial Justice Committee.
Gratitude and Presence: An Omer Shabbat Retreat Friday to Sunday, May 20-22, Online
In this three-day Jewish Meditation retreat with Rabbi Yael Levy, Rabbi Joshua Boettiger, and Rabbi Benjamin, we will travel deeply into gratitude and presence. Guided by teachings, we will practice sitting and walking meditation, heart-full prayer, and spend a Shabbat together. The retreat begins at 8 am PT on Friday, May 20, and ends at 11 am PT on Sunday, May 22. More details and registration here. Contact Rabbi Benjamin with questions.
Dare I Call You Cousin Exhibition– Now Online A portion of Havurah member Fran Payne Adler's Dare I Call You Cousin exhibition about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, done in collaboration with Israeli artists, photographer Michal Fattal and videographer Yossi Yacov, has been published by Persimmon Tree, and is now up online here. The introduction to it is here. As you may remember, Cousin opened right here at Havurah Shalom in March 2016, funded by Portland's Regional Arts and Culture Council, and co-sponsored by J Street. Please forward the links to anyone you think might be interested. The artists aim for more discussion in our communities, and more listening, talking, and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.
National Discussions About Israel/Palestine Ongoing – RSVP Offsite
The Havurah Israel/Palestine Committee is encouraging Havurah members to register for and attend all or some of the nine 1.5-hour national sessions of Expanding Our Conversation about Israel/Palestine being offered by Reconstructionist rabbis with a range of perspectives.
James Recycling Drop Off Event May 15, 10 am, MJCC
Save your hard-to-recycle items (plastics, styrofoam, small electronics) for a James Recycling Drop Off Event at the MJCC. All items must be clean, dry and sorted. Click on these links to learn What to Bring, How to Sort Items and What Goes in Curbside Recycling (and isn't accepted at the event). The cost to recycle each grocery bag or 5-gallon container of sorted plastics is $3 and recycling styrofoam costs $3 per 39-gallon garbage bag. The event is hosted by the Climate Action Committee of the Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. Steve Katz is Havurah's representative on this committee.
Resources
COVID-19 Vaccines & Assistance
Congregation Neveh Shalom COVID-19 Outreach and Services (CNSCOS) provides information about the pandemic, testing, and vaccines, and helps 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. Contact cnscos@nevehshalom.org or call 971-990-5652.
How can we support each other during the pandemic?
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@havurahshalom.org or 503-248-4662 ext. 3. If you would like to be on a list of people who support others in concrete ways, such as grocery shopping or running other errands, please contact Rabbi Benjamin.
Questions About Havurah?
The Transparency & Inclusivity Committee is an avenue within Havurah Shalom to help members find the answers to questions or concerns they have wondered about. Please send your questions to transparency@havurahshalom.org. We will anonymously answer your question in Hakol. Everyone in our community benefits from this clarity!
Havurah Zoom Rooms
Room Aleph
PC/Mac/Smartphone: Click here to join.
Note for all devices: You can also open your Zoom app first, click “Join a Meeting” then enter meeting ID 604560503 and "call via device audio." The passcode is 5472.
Cell/Landline: Dial +1 669-900-6833 and enter meeting ID 604560503.
Room Bet
PC/Mac/Smartphone: Click here to join.
Note for all devices: You can also open your Zoom app first, click “Join a Meeting” then enter meeting ID 291215092 and "call via device audio." The passcode is 5472.
Cell/Landline: Dial +1 669-900-6833 and enter meeting ID 291215092.
Room Gimel
PC/Mac/Smartphone: Click here to join.
Note for all devices: You can also open your Zoom app first, click “Join a Meeting” then enter meeting ID 502586440 and "call via device audio." The passcode is 5472.
Cell/Landline: Dial +1 669-900-6833 and enter meeting ID 502586440.
Room Dalet
PC/Mac/Smartphone:Click here to join.
Note for all devices: You can also open your Zoom app first, click “Join a Meeting” then enter meeting ID 472484392 and "call via device audio." The passcode is 5472.
Cell/Landline: Dial +1 669-900-6833 and enter meeting ID 472484392.
Room Heh
PC/Mac/Smartphone:Click hereto join.
Note for all devices: You can also open your Zoom app first, click “Join a Meeting” then enter meeting ID 87852542099 and "call via device audio." The passcode is 5472.
Cell/Landline: Dial +1 669-900-6833 and enter meeting ID 87852542099.
To see our full Zoom room instructions, click here. Member sign-in required.
(HYB) Solidarity Shabbat Friday, May 23rd 5:45p to 8:00p Join Havurah members and friends for a Solidarity Shabbat service and potluck nosh. This is a spiritual space for community members working in solidarity with Palestinians - and for the liberation of all peoples - to come together to pray, build connections, and renew ourselves on Shabbat to continue our justice work. Please review Havurah's Brit Kavod for our community guidelines. Masks strongly encouraged and provided.
Shabbat Morning with Bat Mitzvah of Maya Rosenbaum Shabbat, May 24th 10:00a to 12:00p Please join us for Shabbat morning services, including welcoming Maya Rosenbaum as a Bat Mitzvah and member of our community.
(HYB) Rosh Ḥodesh Tov! Gender-Inclusive New Moon Ritual Sunday, May 25th 7:00p to 8:15p A gender-inclusive New Moon group, learning and celebrating each Rosh Ḥodesh with ancient and contemporary ritual. Open to any and all genders, inviting each to connect with our closest heavenly body, the Moon. An introductory meeting will happen on the full moon of Elul on Wednesday, Aug. 30 outdoors—weather permitting—in North Portland. Subsequent meetings will be on or near the new moon of each month either in person in North Portland or on Zoom, depending on seasonal shifts in the weather. Attend any or all sessions. RSVP to be updated on location and other details throughout the year.
CANCELED - Palestinian Justice Letter Writing Group Monday, May 26th (All day) We are taking May off for Memorial Day. See you in June! We hold monthly letter writing group Zoom gatherings to write letters to our lawmakers for Israel/Palestine justice. Questions? Email Dale Oller (member log-in required to access directory). Feel free to drop in any time! There’s no need to RSVP, but please do RSVP if you need the Zoom login. Non-Havurah-members very welcome as well.
(ZM) Book Group: A Day in the Life of Abed Salama by Nathan Thrall Tuesday, May 27th 7:00p to 8:30p The Havurah Shalom Book Group meets monthly to discuss fiction and nonfiction books voted on by Havurah members. All are welcome to any and all meetings. Copies of our upcoming books can be checked out by members in the Havurah library. *This is the last meeting for the year. We will start up again in September 2025.*
(IP) Hebrew as a Tool: Prayer and Torah (registration closed) Wednesday, May 28th 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.
(HYB) Shabbat Morning Shabbat, May 31st 10:00a to 12:00p Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin (who is on sabbatical until July 1, 2025), this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. 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.
