Hineinu, May 11, 2022

Keeping the Eisenbach-Budners in our Prayers
We will keep embracing Deborah, Steven, Tamir, Lev, and Roza during this very difficult time and look forward to celebrating with them when they are back home.

Reviewing Long Range Planning Data on Sunday, May 22
The Long Range Planning Data Analysis Team has been combing through the information gathered through the Havurah census, survey, focus groups, and other recent work in the community for the past few months. We look forward to sharing the data with you and hearing your observations and recommendations as we put a formal Long Range Plan together. We will send participants materials for the meeting so they have a chance to review the data before we convene. Please RSVP here to help us determine whether we will meet in person or on Zoom. We hope you can join us! – Adela Basayne, Debbi Nadell, and Sam Sirkin

Genizah Ritual and Cemetery Beautification Day (Also on May 22)
As Jews, we are enjoined by tradition to treat our sacred texts as living entities. At noon on May 22, we will gather to open Havurah's genizah (a repository for our sacred texts) for the first time and respectfully retire our old machzorim. The ritual will be led by Rabbi Benjamin. Our annual Cemetery Beautification Day will follow the service. Additionally, Oren Kosansky will teach a class on Tuesday, May 17, for members interested in learning about the genizah tradition. (Details below.)

Mazel tov to the Havurah sixth graders who celebrated their Shabbat School siyyum (study completion) at Columbia Park last Saturday! Havurah's Shabbat School is a finalist for the Cedarbaum Award. See "Announcements" below.  (Photo taken by Sandy Bacharach.)

Classes & Events

Please follow our safety requirements at all in-person gatherings. Thank you!

Weekly Happenings

​Shabbat Morning Service
Saturdays, 10 am, Zoom Room Aleph & In Person
Check our online calendar for details.

Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation
Tuesdays, 12 pm, Zoom Room Bet & In Person
We gather to find moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Rabbi Benjamin, Adela Basayne, or Nancy Becker.

Morning Minyan
Wednesdays, 8:30 am, Zoom Room Aleph & In Person
For all who want a regular prayer practice and those saying Kaddish.

Upcoming Events

Hakol Deadline
Friday, May 13
Submissions for the June Hakol are due on May 13. Please use this submission form for your articles and images. Thank you!

Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, May 13, 6:30 pm, Zoom Room Aleph & In Person
A spirited, all-ages service led by Rabbi Benjamin and Havurah musicians. All are welcome! Unfortunately we will not yet be able to include an oneg or dinner, but stay tuned – plans are in the works.

Bar Mitzvah of Ari Strom
Saturday, May 14, 10 am, Zoom Room Aleph & In Person
Please join us in welcoming Ari Strom as a bar mitzvah and member of our community.

Conversation Group for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) and Multiracial Families
Sunday, May 15, 10 am, Zoom Room Gimel

We invite you to embark with us on gaining a better understanding of how anti-racism and belonging shows up within Havurah through this small group conversation. All conversation groups are structured by self-selected shared identity. This conversation is for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) and multiracial families. Led by Havurah consultants Tabitha and Adam St. Bernard-Jacobs. RSVP here.

Click below for a schedule of Anti-Racism & Belonging Conversations in June, August, and September.

New & Prospective Member Afternoon in the Park
Sunday, May 15, 4 pm
Wallace Park, NW 25th & Raleigh. Meet at the shelter.
The Welcoming Committee invites new and newish faces to an afternoon at the park for a chance to get to know each other and Havurah! Come and meet other new and prospective members and some longtime members too! Ask questions about Havurah and be ready to have some fun! RSVP here. (Artwork by Cassandra Sagan.)

Sustainability Actions We Can Each Take
Sundays, May 15 & 22, 7 pm, Zoom Room Bet
Steve Katz and Carolina Martinez welcome the Havurah community and non-Havurah friends to learn more about and discuss climate sustainable actions we each can take. Tell your friends and family, because together our actions can help the climate crisis! Learn more and RSVP.

Mahjong Monday Meetups – In Person at Havurah
Beginning Monday, May 16, 12 pm, Meets 1st & 3rd Mondays each Month
At noon on Majong Mondays, we will offer a training session for beginners and those who want to brush up on their skills with experienced players, followed by the regularly scheduled game, which runs 1 to 4 pm. Based on interest, an evening option can be scheduled for people who are unable to attend during the day. Please contact Leah Hershey if you are interested. Learn more and RSVP.

"Braiding Sweetgrass" Book Study – Zoom Room Dalet
Beginning Monday, May 16, 5:30 pm, Meets every other Monday
We will be reading "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer to connect to indigenous wisdom about life and social action around the environment. We are reaching out to see if new people want to join our lively and joyful book discussions. Open to nonmembers as well as members. Sponsored by the Climate Action Team. Contact: Michael Heumann. Learn more and RSVP.

Havurah Shalom's Genizah: What & Why
Tuesday, May 17, 7 pm, Zoom Room Aleph
The genizah has been an integral part of Jewish ritual life in communities across time and space. Come spend an hour learning about the tradition of treating sacred texts as living beings deserving of honor and respect at the end of their useful lives. In preparation for the first opening of our genizah on May 22, this class will give us an opportunity to think deeply and expansively about life, death, and Torah. Led by Oren Kosansky. RSVP here.

Conversation Group for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) and Multiracial Families
Wednesday, May 18, 6:30 pm, Zoom Room Bet
We invite you to embark with us on gaining a better understanding of how anti-racism and belonging shows up within Havurah through this small group conversation. All conversation groups are structured by self-selected shared identity. This conversation is for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) and multiracial families. Led by Havurah consultants Tabitha and Adam St. Bernard-Jacobs. RSVP here.

"The Worst Thing"
Thursday, May 19, 5 pm
Movie will be shown in Zoom Room Aleph & In Person
In 1985, Kathleen lost her brother Eddie, an American soldier, to the Red Army Faction (RAF), a German leftist terrorist organization. This film follows Kathleen decades later as she travels to Germany to make peace with aging former members of the RAF. The documentary shows new possibilities for forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation and provides an intimate window into the long-term friendship between two queer women of color. Kathleen and the filmmaker, Des, will join us virtually after the movie. Pizza will be provided for in-person viewers. Sponsored by Lifelong Learning. RSVP here.

Long Range Planning Data Review
Sunday, May 22, 9-11:30 am, Location TBD
The Long Range Planning Committee invites all interested members to review the census and survey responses together with committee members as we move towards distilling recommendations from the data collected so far. Please RSVP here to help us determine whether we will meet in person or on Zoom.

Genizah Ritual
Sunday, May 22, 12 pm, Havurah Cemetery (Directions to Cemetery)
As Jews, we are enjoined by tradition to treat our sacred texts as living entities. We will gather to open Havurah Shalom's genizah, our repository for sacred texts, for the first time and respectfully retire our old machzorim. Led by Rabbi Benjamin.

Annual Cemetery Beautification Day
Sunday, May 22, 1 pm, Havurah Cemetery (Directions to Cemetery)
To beautify our cemetery, please bring garden implements and wear appropriate clothing.

"The Law in These Parts" Film Discussion
Monday, May 23, 7 pm – Zoom Room TBA
The Havurah Israel/Palestine Committee continues its discussion series of three Israeli documentaries on May 23. You can watch the trailer for "The Law in These Parts" here. Please watch the film, which is available through Kanopy.com, prior to the discussion. The discussion will be led by Fran Payne Adler and Lois Bronfman and is for Havurah members only. We encourage you to invite your Havurah friends to join us. Contact: Lee Gordon. RSVP here.

Book Group Discussion of Beloved
Tuesday, May 24, 7 pm – Zoom Room Bet
Winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize, Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a spellbinding and innovative portrait of a woman haunted by the past. Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. This novel has much to offer, whether you have never read it or have read it a dozen times. Discussion led by David Newman. Learn more.

AlteRocker Happy Hour
Thursday, May 26, 4:30 pm – Zoom Room Heh
Come schmooze with us. And mark your calendars for monthly schmoozes – the last Thursday of the month! 

Lev Tahor Chanting Circle
Thursday, May 26, 7 pm – Zoom Room Bet & In Person
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! RSVP here.

Bar Mitzvah of Sasha Blau
Saturday, May 28, 10 am – Zoom Room Aleph & In Person
Please join us in welcoming Sasha Blau as a bar mitzvah and member of our community.

Office Closure for Memorial Day
Monday, May 30
Havurah's office will be closed on May 30 for Memorial Day.

Pride in the Park Kabbalat Shabbat is Seeking Volunteers
Friday, June 17, 6 pm – Columbia Park
Celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat and Pride with a special service at Columbia Park! We’ll enjoy a paper-sack catered dinner afterwards. Would you like to take part in our Pride service leadership by helping to plan the service, offering intentions, sharing readings/poetry or playing music? Please contact Rabbi Benjamin. Would you like to help with things like food distribution, helping attendees, set-up and clean-up? Sign up here. RSVPs will open for the service in a couple weeks, but for now we are looking for people who wish to help.

Tikkun Olam Updates

James Recycling Drop Off Event
Sunday, May 15, 10 am - 12:30 pm, Mittleman Jewish Community Center
All items must be clean, dry, and sorted. Learn What to Bring, How to Sort Items and What Goes in Curbside Recycling/not accepted at event. Each grocery bag or 5-gallon container of sorted plastics costs $3 to recycle, and Styrofoam costs $3 per 39-gallon garbage bag. Hosted by the Climate Action Committee of the JCRC/Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. Steve Katz of Havurah's Climate Action Team is Havurah's representative on the committee.

How to Protect Democracy and Cool Our Planet
Tuesday, May 17, 5 pm
Find out what Congress is doing to advance climate solutions and how we can help from Representative Andy Levin (MI-9) at Jewish Earth Alliance's May Networking Meeting. An inspiring speaker, Rep. Levin is a union organizer, renewable energy entrepreneur, and synagogue president, who represents Michigan's 9th district in Congress. Havurah's Climate Action team is co-sponsoring this event. Contact Elianne Lieberman if you have a question to ask Mr. Levin. Event will be recorded. Register at bit.ly/JEAMay.

Landscaping Job for Carlos
Carlos, a Guatemalan immigrant being sponsored by Havurah, is looking for a landscaping job this summer. A junior at Beaverton HS, Carlos likes working outside with his hands and is eager to help support himself and his mother, Maria. If you have leads, please contact Kathy Gordon.

News & Events From Our Tikkun Olam Partners

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

Havurah Announcements

"Rabbis & Abortion" by Rabbi Joey Wolf
"I’m a religious Jew. I pray in the morning, routinely study the text of the Bible in the original Hebrew. In fact, not only do I read it, I weigh the thoughts it has inspired in powerful teachers over the centuries. In the case of Judaism, readers have always enlarged the written word, made it take flight, yes, but in so many ways, rooted it in real-life contexts. The reality is that one in four women will have an abortion at some time in their lives. And the reality is that five men (and one quite like-minded woman rushed into office by some who have given the word unprecedented, well, a new life) wish to preempt the arduous personal decisions of this quarter of our nation." Read more here.

Shabbat School is Finalist for Cedarbaum Award
Havurah's Shabbat School is a finalist for the $5,000 Cedarbaum Award from the Mordechai Kaplan Center for Jewish Peoplehood, as a model of educational innovation. The founders of Havurah Shalom designed the K-6 Shabbat School as a family cooperative, bringing families together for learning and teaching. Currently, with the direction and support of our education staff, Shabbat School parents work together in 28 teams; each team collectively plans and implements four class sessions for their child’s grade. The winner of the Cedarbaum Award will be announced on Sunday, June 26.

Paid Zoom Host Positions Open
Havurah is seeking two Zoom hosts to be there for us on Zoom during services. These are paid positions for two people who will monitor our Zoom rooms during services and other events, as well as help support the online component of b’nei mitzvah. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply. Please share the job description with those who may be interested. See job description.

Congregation to Vote to Amend Havurah's Bylaws at Annual Meeting
Havurah Shalom’s annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, June 12, at 10 am. This year’s meeting will include a request for approval of amendments to Havurah’s Bylaws. An annotated version of the Bylaws summarizing the requested changes is linked here. The changes propose an additional officer position, Recording Secretary for the Steering Committee, who will serve a two-year term and be responsible for taking minutes at Steering Committee meetings and maintaining the archives of the Steering Committee. The proposed Bylaws amendments also reflect general housekeeping changes, including deleting obsolete committee references and requirements. Please send questions or comments to corporatesec@havurahshalom.org.

Transparency & Inclusivity Committee Seeking New Members
Interested in joining a vibrant and relevant committee? This committee's purpose is to ensure continued transparency of governance decisions to allow for greater communication between members and leadership – and among members – so that every congregant feels valued. We believe this leads to greater membership engagement and promotes inclusivity. We meet monthly and/or there are opportunities to work on specific projects. Contact Janice Kettler through the Havurah directory for more information.

Community News

Finding a Clearing: A Faith-Based Story Exchange
Connecting Through Empathetic Storytelling
Saturday, May 21, 5:30 pm, 7270 NW Helvetia Rd, Hillsboro
Youth Advocates for Immigrants & Refugees, a youth-run organization dedicated to building bridges of multicultural understanding through art, activism, and storytelling, is partnering with the Islamic Community Center of Hillsboro and Narrative4 to host a faith-based story exchange to connect participants through empathetic storytelling. Click here for a flier about the event.

Resources

Do You Need Support?
If you are facing emotional, financial, or health challenges and would welcome support, please consider contacting the (a) Bikkur Holim (Visiting the Sick) Committee for spiritual support, (b) Lotsa Helping Hands for help with food, transportation, or other errands, or (c) Rabbi Benjamin, for spiritual and moral support – 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 Lotsa Helping Hands.

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.​​​​​​​

To see our full Zoom room instructions, click here. Member sign-in required.