It's time to prepare for the High Holidays! Once again, Havurah Shalom is opening our doors to all who wish to celebrate with us, free and ticketless. We will be back at the Tiffany Center as well as streaming online. See our complete schedule in the digital info packet below!
Zoom Room links for 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
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!
Havurahnik Mahjong Group Monday, Oct 20th 1:00p to 4:00p Just for Havurah members, our Mahjong Group is a fun, social activity that builds community, encouraging new friendships and cementing old ones. And while some of us may play elsewhere as well, we all agreed that restoring its place as an ongoing congregational activity will be a good fit for Havurah and those of us who play or want to learn the game.
(ZM) Climate Change Book Group Slow Reading of "Not Too Late" Monday, Oct 20th 5:30p to 6:30p All are welcome! Havurah members and non-members alike are invited to join us in this slow, section-by-section reading of "Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility." Click and RSVP. Attend any or all of these HCAT (Havurah's Climate Action Team) Book Group discussions about "Not Too Late."
Hakol Deadline is Tuesday, October 21 Tuesday, Oct 21st (All day) Havurah members, click to learn how to submit your contributions to our monthly newsletter, Hakol.
(ZM) Cohort D of Coming Home to Solidarity Tuesday, Oct 21st 11:30a to 1:30p What is Coming Home to Solidarity? Coming Home to Solidarity is a workshop designed to help us create a culture and community where all members freely show up as their authentic selves; where all are valued, appreciated, and have a sense of belonging. The workshop is an opportunity for white-bodied or white-identifying congregants to come together in a supportive and caring environment to reflect, learn and unlearn, heal from the ways we have been impacted by white supremacy, and start to recognize new possibilities for taking action. Havurahniks, click to learn more and RSVP.
(HYB) Steering Meeting (Oct. 21) Tuesday, Oct 21st 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.
A link to a draft agenda, accessible only to logged-in members, will be posted here in advance of the meeting.
(IP) Torah and Film: Ecclesiastes and Groundhog Day (1993) Tuesday, Oct 21st 7:00p to 9:00p What is the meaning of life, especially when you're living the same day over and over? In this two-part class, we’ll explore the themes of futility, impermanence, and transformation in the book Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) alongside the 1993 film Groundhog Day. Led by Rabbinic Intern Noah Lind.
