Weekly Parsha Study Saturdays, 9 am, Zoom Room Bet & 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
AlteRockers Movie and (Optional) Dinner Afterward – Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song Thursday, Aug. 4, 4 pm, Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st Ave
We will watch the film "Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song," about one of the most influential songwriters, singers, poets, and spiritual leaders of our lifetimes. The interviews and the previews of this film are tremendous. We will meet for the matinee, followed by an optional dinner afterwards. Please RSVP to Ted Scheinman with your name and the number in your party. (See Directory for contact information.)
Erev Tisha B'Av, "40 Days of Teshuvah" Saturday, Aug. 6, 7:30-9 pm, Havurah Sanctuary
On this traditional night of mourning, we will gather to see the short film "40 Days of Teshuvah" and have space for reflection, discussion, and shared grief for our individual and collective losses in this difficult year. For those unable to meet in person, you can watch the film at home here. In addition, see Bayit resources hereand here. Hadar is providing a full day of online activities on Sunday as well. Learn more and RSVP here.
"This Is Real" Book Discussions Sundays, Aug. 21 & 28; Sept. 11; Oct. 9
Maybe no one ever feels ready to enter into this intensely introspective time. This year, we will have help. Havurah is encouraging everyone to read the inspiring and practical classic by Rabbi Alan Lew, This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation. Learn more about this community endeavor, with discussion groups to share your questions and insights facilitated by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner and Adela Basayne. You are welcome to attend all four or as many as you like.
Oct. 9, 7-8:15 pm in the Havurah Sukkah --RSVP here.
Tikkun Olam Updates
News From the Streets: Elul Food Drive for Homeless Camps
Elul approaches, giving us time to prepare for the High Holidays. Thinking of others, our Poverty & Homelessness (P&H) Tikkun Olam Committee is conducting an Elul food drive for The Common Good Project. The Common Good Project has been providing food to several NE homeless shelters for over 18 month. The August edition of Hakol will have an article with details including the food list. You can also find the list on the Poverty & Homelessness web page. Dates when you can deliver food to Havurah are: Friday, Aug. 26, 1:30-4 pm, and Sunday, Sept. 18, 11 am-1 pm
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
Looking for New Committee Members
The Lifelong Learning Committee is looking to expand our committee. If you love the classes we have been offering, then you are a perfect candidate for the committee. You don't need to teach or have a specific skill. You just need to be organized to help support the people who do teach the classes. By joining the committee you become part of a great group of people who enjoy working together. For more specifics, please contact Eve Berry or Joel Beinin.
Come Sing with Us!
The residents at Robison love to sing each Wednesday at 11 am. But we need more volunteers to help lift them in song. Just one hour a week can make a huge difference. We have a fabulous pianist and easy lyrics for well-known songs. Please contact Kim.Hughes@cedarsinaipark.org. We are excited to have you come sing with us!
Resources
Do You Need Support?
If you are a Havurah 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, (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, please use this 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.
Daily Shofar Blast Sunday, Sep 14th (All day) Hear the Sound of the Shofar each day of Elul (except Shabbat): Andrine, Diane & Howard (& sometimes Dominic & Wesley) help prepare us for Rosh Hashanah with shofar, deep thoughts, and a touch of kavanah (intention). Videos will be posted daily on Havurah's YouTube and Facebook pages.
(HYB) Torah Study for the High Holy Days Thursday, Sep 18th 7:00p to 8:30p During the High Holy Days we read four sections of the Torah. This series of study sessions will give us an opportunity to read the texts and explore their meanings. We will look at what our teachers before us thought of the readings, as well as investigate modern commentators. We also will come up with our own thoughts and see how we can understand the texts for our lives today.
Led by David Dropkin. No experience necessary. Please join us.
(HYB) Shabbat Morning Shabbat, Sep 20th 10:00a to 12:00p Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, 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.
Daily Shofar Blast Sunday, Sep 21st (All day) Hear the Sound of the Shofar each day of Elul (except Shabbat): Andrine, Diane & Howard (& sometimes Dominic & Wesley) help prepare us for Rosh Hashanah with shofar, deep thoughts, and a touch of kavanah (intention). Videos will be posted daily on Havurah's YouTube and Facebook pages.
(IP) Teen Honey Cake Baking Sunday, Sep 21st 10:30a to 12:30p Bake honey cake muffins to share with family and friends and start the New Year with a sweet treat.
(HYB) Rosh Ḥodesh Tov! Gender-Inclusive New Moon Ritual Sunday, Sep 21st 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.
(HYB) Erev Rosh Hashanah Service Monday, Sep 22nd 7:30p to 9:00p We usher in the new year together with song, prayer, and reflection, setting the tone for our Days of Awe journey.
All are welcome. Our Erev Rosh Hashanah service will take place at the Tiffany Center. The service will also stream on Youtube.