Hineinu, August 31, 2022

Not only are we already in Elul (as evidenced by the daily-minus-Shabbat shofar blowing provided by Andrine de la Rocha, Diane Chaplin and Howard Patterson in Zoom Room Shofar at 11:30 am), we are about to be in September! Here are a few ways to prepare for the oncoming High Holidays!

Review the service schedule and other info in the 
High Holiday Information Packet

Sign up to help out before, during or after the holidays. It takes many, many hands to provide services and programming to our community! We have about 240 spots left to fill!
Volunteer Signup

Tell Your Friends!
High Holidays at Havurah Shalom is always free to everyone, no tickets required!
 

Gatherings

Thank you for following our safety requirements at in-person gatherings. 

Zoom Room links, including the High Holiday rooms Neshamah and Shofar, can be found near the end of this email.

Regular Happenings

Weekly Torah 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. Upcoming b'nei mitzvah are listed below and on the website calendar.

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.

Hear the Sound of the Shofar!
11:30-11:45 am, Aug. 28 through Sept. 23 (except Shabbat) – Zoom Room Shofar 
"When the Shofar is sounded, hear, all you inhabitants of the world." Isaiah 18:13 It is customary to hear the sound of the Shofar every day of Elul. To observe this custom, Andrine de la Rocha, Howard Patterson and Diane Chaplin will sound the Shofar every afternoon during the month of Elul, except for Shabbos. They will use the traditional Shofar calls and give a bit of kavanot each time. Each session will last only a few minutes, so be prompt or you’ll miss it! RSVP to be sent a link to the special High Holiday Zoom Room Shofar.

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.
 

• 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

Bat Mitzvah of Dorothy Korin
10 am, Saturday, Sept 3 — Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
Please join us in welcoming Dorothy Korin as a Bat Mitzvah and member of our community.

Contemplative Practice to Support Teshuvah
7 pm, Wednesday, Sept. 7 — Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Neshamah
In these sessions we will gather to engage with the sacred work of this season: Teshuvah — repentance and repair. Working with the spiritual tools of Mussar — applied Jewish ethics — and Meditation, we will practice and reflect together, examining where we have caused harm and lovingly holding ourselves accountable to make amends and grow as we enter the new year. RSVP to be sent a link to the special Zoom Room Neshamah

Racial Justice Committee Meeting
7-8:30 pm,  Sept. 8 — Zoom Room Gimel
Please join the Racial Justice Committee to learn what we have been up to and what we hope to work on in the future. Join us and be part of this new(ish) committee at Havurah!

Teens (7th - 12th grade) Pizza Party
5 pm, Sunday, Sept. 18 – Upper Sellwood Park - RSVP by Monday 9/12
All Havurah 7th-12th graders are invited to a Teen Pizza Party! Come meet up for a Teen only event (except chaperones) of pizza, drinks and dessert. Catch up with old friends or meet new ones. This will be a chance to hang out and play games. There will be a voting booth/suggestion box for you to tell Havurah Shalom what type of events and activities are interesting to you. Meet near the baseball bleachers next to the parking lot at SE 7th & Malden St.
 
Israel/Palestine Committee “Expanding the Conversation” Continues
First Event: Rashid Khalidi, “The 100 Years War on Palestine”
5 pm, Wednesday, Oct. 14 – offsite Zoom RSVP
The Israel/Palestine Committee is once again co-sponsoring the free Zoom series "Expanding the Conversation about Israel/Palestine." The fall the series will focus on Palestinian Voices. Details about the series and registration information are available in Hakol and through the portal link on Committee web page. The first event will feature Rashid Khalidi, author and Columbia University Professor, discussing "The 100 Years War on Palestine." Contact Joel Beinin for more information.

Tikkun Olam Updates

Barbara Smith Warner Speaks on Public Education and Generational Poverty
Thursday, Sept. 1, 12-1:30 — RSVP for offsite Zoom
Barbara Smith Warner, retiring Oregon representative, speaks to the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty about why public education is so important to lifting children out of generational poverty, how well Oregon is meeting the needs of these students and what the future looks like.

News From the Streets: 

The Lullaby Project
2 pm, Sunday, Sept. 11 – Lents Park
For the fourth year in a row, Portland Homeless Family Solutions is partnering with the Oregon Symphony on the Lullaby Project. This innovative program brings professional singer-songwriters and Oregon Symphony musicians together with parents from Family Village to co-create lullabies for their kids. This live community concert will debut this year's songs. Park entrance is on SE 92nd and Steele. The concert is open to the public and no tickets are needed.
 
Elul Food Drive for The Common Good Project
11-1 am, Sunday, Sept. 18 – Havurah Shalom
Elul is approaching, giving us time to prepare for the High Holidays. In thinking about others, Our Poverty and Homelessness Committee is conducting a food drive during the month of Elul to benefit The Common Good Project. See the food list here.
 
High Holiday Tzedakah Project
Drop off at Tiffany Center during High Holiday services
Havurah's Tikkun Olam Poverty and Homelessness Committee is organizing the High Holiday Tzedakah Project. We have selected two of our partner nonprofit organizations whose mission and values we feel strongly reflect those of Havurah: Rose Haven and The Common Good Project. Learn more about these organizations, and see the items needed and Tiffany Center drop-off info here. Thank you, Havurah, for your support!

News & Events From Our Tikkun Olam Partners

Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS): volunteer for our monthly PHFS dinner | Interfaith Alliance on Poverty (IAP) | Lift UP | MACG | Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW ​​​​​​ | Rose Haven

Announcements

Inquiry Received by the Transparency & Inclusivity Committee
The Transparency & Inclusivity Committee received an inquiry about criteria that are used by the Poverty & Homelessness Committee to choose community organizations that Havurah supports. Brief response: There is a description on our web page under the Committees tab: Tikkun Olam> Poverty & Homelessness. More information about this will be in the November Hakol.
 

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.