This information is included in the "Resources" section of each Hineinu, but it can be easy to overlook, so it's at the top of the news today.
If you are a member facing emotional, financial, or health challenges and would welcome support, please consider contacting the (a) Bikkur Holim (Visiting the Sick) Committee for spiritual support or (b) Lotsa Helping Hands for help with food, transportation, or other errands. If you're interested in being added to a list of people who support others in concrete ways, such as grocery shopping or running other errands, please contact Lotsa Helping Hands. An article on page 7 of the July Hakol explains more.
To request that the name of a relative or Havurah member be read during the Misheberach (healing prayer) at Shabbat services, please use the Misheberach Request Form, which was created in honor of Karen Labinger, of blessed memory, who used to read the names of people in need of healing during the Misheberach.
Weekly Parsha Study Saturdays, 9 am, Zoom Room Aleph & In Person
Join Havurah for a community-led study session of the weekly Torah reading before each Shabbat service.
Shabbat Morning Service Saturdays, 10 am, Zoom Room Aleph & In Person
All are welcome at our Shabbat services, including b'nei mitzvah services. You don't need to receive an invitation. Just come celebrate with the b'nei mitzvah, their family, and the community! Check our online calendar for details about all Shabbat services.
Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation Tuesdays, 12 pm, Zoom Room Bet & In Person
We gather mostly via Zoom to find moments of quiet and shalom in a welcoming space. Various styles of Jewish meditation are explored. No meditation experience necessary. All are welcome to drop in. 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
Bar Mitzvah of August Springgate Saturday, July 16, 10 am
Please join us in welcoming August Springgate as a bar mitzvah and member of our community. No invitation is required. All are welcome!
The Song Circle Monday, July 18, 7:30 pm – Zoom Room Dalet & In Person
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. It is open to all who wish to learn, share music, and grow their personal leadership techniques. The guided self-study requires access to a library of Joey’s music videos, written materials, and short instructional videos, which costs $18/month per person, but limited subsidies are available. Contact: Ken Lerner
Book Group – Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape Tuesday, July 26, 7 pm – Zoom Room Bet
Author Raja Shehadeh enjoys heading out into the countryside that surrounds his home. We accompany Raja on six walks taken between 1978 and 2006. The earlier forays are peaceful affairs, allowing our guide to meditate at length on the character of his native land. But recently his hikes have become less than bucolic and sometimes downright dangerous because his home is Ramallah, in the West Bank. In this book, Raja Shehadeh's elegy for his lost footpaths becomes a heartbreaking metaphor for the deprivations of an entire people estranged from their land. Led by Joel Beinin. Learn more.
AlteRocker Happy Hour Thursday, July 28, 4:30 pm – Zoom Room Heh
Come schmooze with us. And mark your calendars for monthly schmoozes - the last Thursday of the month!
Bat Mitzvah of Charlotte Wise
Saturday, July 30, 10 am – Zoom Room Aleph & In Person
Please join us in welcoming Charlotte Wise as a bat mitzvah and member of our community. No invitation is required. All are welcome!
Tikkun Olam Updates
Learn How You Can Help Save the Wild Fish of the Lower Snake River Thursday, July 7, 6:30 pm – Zoom Room Bet
Wild fish populations in the Snake River Basin, historically the most productive region in the Columbia River system, are nearing extinction. Urgent breaching of the four Lower Snake River dams is the only viable option to prevent the demise of these iconic species, to honor treaties and responsibilities to the Northwest tribes, to support recreational and commercial fisheries throughout the Columbia Basin, and to help keep the Orca populations in the Puget Sound viable. Join the Havurah Climate Action Team for a discussion about the crisis facing these wild fish and learn what we can do about this together. Register here. Contact: Michael Heumann
News from the Streets: Monthly PHFS Dinner
Our monthly dinner at Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) has continued through the pandemic under the guidance of Len and Elayne Shapiro, who are in need of more volunteers. Two families are needed each month: one to bring a veggie main dish, the other to bring a salad and yogurt for approximately 30 people. The food can be dropped at their house in Garden Home or at the PHFS shelter in the Lents neighborhood on the afternoon of the second Wednesday of the month. Sign up at bit.ly/havurahshalom. Thanks to the many families who have done this mitzvah and to those considering! Contact: Len and Elayne Shapiro
Gathering School Supplies to Donate
Margot Kirshbaum and Naomi Granek Brown’s mitzvah project is raising money and gathering supplies for Schoolhouse Supplies, so low income students in Portland get the supplies they need to thrive at school. Will you please help by donating money to Schoolhouse Supplies in honor of Margot and Naomi’s bat mitzvah, or by bringing physical donations (backpacks, notebooks, pens etc.) to the porch at 2279 SE 35th Place, Portland 97214? Thank you so much for your generosity!
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're interested in being on a list of people who support others in concrete ways, such as grocery shopping or running other errands, please contact Lotsa Helping Hands. To request that the name of a relative or Havurah member be read during the Misheberach (healing prayer) at Shabbat services, use this new Misheberach Request Form.
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) 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.