If you’ve been to the building lately, you may have seen trash or needles in the Havurah courtyard, or encountered people charging their phones, resting on our benches, or worse. Last week, our staff wrote a piece in Hineinu about the challenges of being a shul in the downtown/metro area, where the citywide houselessness crisis impacts us all. In that article, staff wrote about striking a balance between our need for safety and cleanliness and our desire to practice chesed, lovingkindness, whenever possible. This article is to let you know that Havurah leadership is also working on this issue.
Havurah leadership has asked the Courtyard Task Force to meet, hear the concerns and experiences of our members and staff, understand what steps are being taken now, consider adjustments to current practices in order to address concerns, and make recommendations to Steering if policies or practices need to be updated. To read more about the Courtyard Task Force and how to contact that group with your suggestions and concerns, click here .
Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work together to address this sensitive, complicated issue.
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
This Saturday, Aug. 20, Andrine de la Rocha & Howard Patterson, who have spent the year 5782 studying with Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute,will zoom-lead an earth-based embodied feminist Shabbat service. The drash will be presented by Rabbi Benjamin.
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.
Safety Trainings
Back to the Building Safety and AV Training Thursday, Aug. 18, 6:30 pm — In Person — RSVP
As more and more of us return to Havurah's beautiful building, we are all finding changes and hoping we still know how to do things. From opening the main entry, using the alarm, and knowing what security features are at hand to using the technology we've added to support Zoom meetings, this quick yet comprehensive safety/AV tour of the building will answer all your questions. Led by Office and Facilities Manager Rachel Pollak. (If you are having a meeting at Havurah and would like Rachel to give a much abbreviated version of this tour to the attendees, please let her know!)
Online Stop the Bleed Tuesday, Aug. 23, 9-10 pm — Online — RSVP
Free online course provided by Secure Community Network. With SCN’s Stop the Bleed course, you’ll gain the ability to recognize life-threatening bleeding and intervene effectively. The person next to a bleeding victim may be the one who’s most likely to save them. Take the course and become empowered to make a life-or-death difference when a bleeding emergency occurs. The training will last approximately one hour with time available for questions.
Situational Awareness Thursday, Aug. 25, 6:30 pm — In Person — RSVP
Led by Jessica Anderson of Secure Community Network. Build observation skills and learn best practice techniques to recognize and react to various situations in your everyday life–from going to synagogue and dropping off children at school, to going to the gas station or an ATM. The class will cover the basics of situational awareness and how to help protect yourself, your family and your community. The training will last approximately one hour with time available for questions.
Upcoming Events
This Is Real and You are Completely Unprepared: Book Study Group Beginning Aug. 21, 7pm
Whether you’ve read the book before, or this is your first time, R. Alan Lew’s book can deepen our experience of the High Holidays as a journey of personal transformation. We’ll meet four times to share our reflections on the ideas and practices in different chapters. Come to one, some or all. Led by Adela Basayne and Deborah Eisenbach-Budner.
We have purchased several copies, available to members on a first come basis in the office.
Aug. 21, 7-8:30 pm, An introduction to the process (Chapter 1) — Zoom Room Bet — RSVP here
Aug. 28, 7-8:15 pm in the Havurah Sanctuary and Zoom Room Bet — Elul and Teshuvah (Chapters 2-4) — RSVP here
Sept. 11, 7-8:30 pm, Zoom Room Bet — Coming towards Rosh Hashana and the Days of Awe (Chapters 5, 6, 7) — RSVP here
Oct. 9, 7-8:15 pm in the Havurah Sukkah — Yom Kippur and Sukkot (Chapters 8, 9, 10 and epilogue) —RSVP here
Tikkun Olam Updates
Good News for the Darmani Family
By Michael Rice — Zakrullah, Horia and Zoya Darmani will make a big step this weekend and move into Crescent Court apartments on SE Division Street. The two-bedroom unit, part of an affordable-housing development, will bring the family out of their temporary housing at the Clarion Inn and Suites in Clackamas. Zakrullah found and applied for the apartment. The Havurah Afghan Family Support Group (AFSG) helped with initial fees, and Lutheran Community Services Northwest will also provide rental assistance. This is great news, and AFSG will share how our community can help the Darmanis with other household needs in the weeks ahead.
News From the Streets:Elul Food Drive for The Common Good Project
See our P&H page on Havurah's website for the list of food items needed and drop-off dates, etc. Also check out information about our committee's work, organizations we support, and more! Each TO committee has an easy-to-find web page: just click on the "committee" tab! 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
Once a month since 2015, Havurahniks have prepared a dinner, served it and then sat with "guests" at Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS). We have continued preparing and delivering throughout Covid under the coordination of Len and Elayne Shapiro. We invite you to join us!
Update Your Account!
Have you changed addresses or phone numbers? Had a name change? Added a family member? Put in everyone's birthday? We rely on our member data base to be complete and accurate for so many of our functions. Log into your account on the website, and click on My Account in the pull down menu on the top right hand side, where you see "Weldome" and your name. You'll see all the places you can edit. THANK YOU!!!
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 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.
(IP) HCAT & Partners' Climate Action Fair at MJCC Sunday, Apr 28th 12:00p to 4:00p HCAT invites you to continue with our climate action month by attending a community wide Climate Action Fair at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Cosponsored by the MJCC and the Jewish Federation’s Climate team, meet dozens of environmental organizations and discover resources for actions you can take. A series of speakers will talk about forestry, electrification, native plants and climate friendly foods. (And let Elianne Lieberman know if you can give someone a ride or are seeking a ride!)
Passover Minyan (Yizkor) Tuesday, Apr 30th 8:00a to 9:15a For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish. We will observe Yizkor today as well. We meet both in person and streaming online in Zoom Room Aleph. All are welcome. Please email info@havurahshalom.org for join info.
Experience the Omer: Making it Count! Tuesday, Apr 30th 7:00p to 7:30p [RSVP to be emailed a recording of the April 9 intro session.] The Omer is an ancient tradition marking time between the Exodus from the Narrow Place to the Expanse at Sinai. Explore tools and practices to facilitate your own learning and experience from Liberation to Revelation. We will have an intro class followed by half-hour check-ins, one for each Sephira. Led by Andrine de la Rocha. 7 pm, Tuesdays, Apr. 9 (Intro), 23 (Chesed), 30 (Gevurah); May 7 (Tiferet), 14 (Netzach), 21 (Hod), 28 (Yesod); Jun. 4 (Malchut) Led by Andrine de la Rocha.
(ZM) Book Group: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Tuesday, Apr 30th 7:00p to 8:30p February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. “My poor boy, he was too good for this earth,” the president says at the time. “God has called him home.” Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns, alone, to the crypt several times to hold his boy’s body.
From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying.
Prayer Flags for Our Planet Thursday, May 2nd 11:00a to 3:00p This exhibit is about science and art.
It is meant to be a learning experience, about the top 60 solutions to climate change, as researched by over 5,000 scientists.
And most importantly it is about hope.
It is about learning about these solutions to climate change and
changing the hearts and minds of those around us,
so that we can all work together.
Anne Nesse, 2024
(ZM) B'nei Mitzvah Event Planning 101 Thursday, May 2nd 7:00p to 8:30p We will break the event planning process into manageable steps. Led by Chari Smith. We will meet in Zoom room Gimel
