Community News, April 27
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UPCOMING SHABBAT Community Minyan with Yizkor Join us for this Saturday’s Community Minyan on the eighth day of Passover. The service will include Hallel and Yizkor, with leading and leyning by Barbara Slader, Susan Brenner, Emily Simon, Buff Neretin, Barbara Sevde, and Rabbi Joey. Shabbat Afternoon at Havurah ...
SUNDAY, MAY 1 Havurah's annual cemetery clean up is this Sunday from 1:00 to 2:30 pm. Please join us in beautifying our cemetery, which is located at 5656 SW Humphrey Blvd. Bring garden implements and wear appropriate clothing. You can find directions to the cemetery here. May 1 Deadline to Register for Shabbat School To register a child for Havurah’s 2016-17 Shabbat School, the child’s family must be Havurah Shalom members and must register and pay for Shabbat School here by May 1. If you have friends or acquaintances who are considering our Shabbat School program, please let them know that they should contact Stacy Hankin soon with any questions they may have.
The Triumph of the Human Spirit In addition to several local events on Yom HaShoah on May 5, you may be interested in a talk sponsored by OSU’s Holocaust Memorial Program at Congregation Beth Israel this Sunday. Eva Mozes Kor will speak on the topic, “The Triumph of the Human Spirit: From Auschwitz to Forgiveness.” Eva is among the most prominent Holocaust survivors who still travel widely to speak of speak of what they saw and experienced in the Nazi camps. You can read a thumbnail of her story or see a flier about her visit here. HAVE YOU SIGNED UP YET? Havurah Shalom’s future depends on you! Please SIGN UP HERE for an intimate, invigorating meeting about Havurah’s future. Upcoming meetings are scheduled for Sunday, May 1, in SE Portland, Tuesday, May 3, in SE Portland, Wednesday, May 4, in SW Portland, and Thursday, May 5, in SE Portland. Beginning the following Sunday, meetings are scheduled in N and NE Portland. Click here for the addresses for the meetings. Sign up for a small group discussion in your neighborhood and meet the Havurahniks who live near you!
These small group discussions are not fundraising events but conversations about how to ensure Havurah Shalom’s long-term sustainability as a beautiful, vibrant Jewish community while remaining true to the egalitarian, respectful relationships that serve as our community’s foundation. The discussions will inform how we conduct our 'Give Back to the Future' endowment campaign. NEXT WEEK AT HAVURAH Monday, 12:00 noon - Women In Torah with Alicia Jo Rabins - This week we will learn about Lilith. You're welcome to take individual classes without signing up for the entire course. Learn more here. Wednesday, 8:30 am - Morning Minyan - Join us for a short, focused service where you can also say Kaddish. Wednesday, 7:00 pm - Whose B'nai Mitzvah Is It Anyway? - How do parents navigate planning a Bar or Bat Mitzvah with varying degrees of familiarity with and/or attachment to Jewish tradition, with a goal of inclusion and creating a meaningful experience for their teen? How do we make decisions? RSVP here. DOROT SHABBAT This will be the last Dorot Shabbat of the year! Join us for this casual, family-friendly and music-filled service. Beginning with candle lighting, Kiddush and challah, the service continues with prayers and music led by congregants, followed by a vegetarian potluck dinner.
KABBALAT SHABBAT, CELEBRATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS Friday, May 13 The vegetarian dinner will begin at 6:30 pm, followed by the service at 7:30 pm. We offer dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free choices, and you’re invited to bring wine or juice to celebrate Shabbat. Childcare is available. RSVP here for the dinner by Monday, May 9. REFUGEE HOUSING NEEDS & CULTURAL NAVIGATORS One of, if not the biggest, challenge facing refugees arriving in Portland right now is the high cost of housing. If you own rental units, or have a friend or family member who does, and would be willing to talk to Catholic Charities about the possibilities of renting to a newly arriving family, please contact Chris Coughlin (chriscoughlin60@gmail.com) or Michelle Welton (mwelton@catholiccharitiesoregon.org). There are also times when a single refugee adult arrives here who needs to rent a room in a house, so if you might be interested in sharing your home, check with Chris or Michelle. Seventeen Havurah members went through the Catholic Charities’ Cultural Navigator training this week, and we are starting to form teams of 2-4 people to be matched with families and individuals who have recently arrived in Portland. If you are interested in participating or finding out more information, it isn’t too late. Read more about this and about refugee housing needs here. Another training will be offered at Catholic Charities in mid-May. Watch your community email or contact Rebecca Darling-Budner if you are interested in attending a training. We hope that we are able to move the Hassan family into their apartment this Friday. Getting them settled into their new home will be a major milestone for them, as well as for our refugee support project! Thanks to everyone who has made it possible. -Chris Coughlin PORTLAND HOMELESS FAMILY SOLUTIONS & STREET ROOTS “… Jewish law (halakhah) attempts to guarantee housing stability. Though powerless to grant the Jewish people a permanent home, halakhah can at least help to assure individual members a stable place to live.” - http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/judaism-and-the-homeless PHFS Goose Hollow Havurah Volunteer Project News At the first of three PHFS Solutions Salons at the Goose Hollow Shelter, the keynote speaker was the passionate Israel Bayer, Executive Director of Street Roots. His own journey out of homelessness was aided by being a Street Roots vendor. About the vendor program: Over 120 active vendors buy and resell Street Roots in Portland. More than 20,000 newspapers are sold each month. Vendors purchase the paper for $0.25 and sell it for $1.00, keeping all profits and any tips.
Street Roots vendors …
Some of the Street Roots vendors have been or are currently "guests" at Goose Hollow. Please consider supporting them with a purchase of the paper. Find a Street Roots vendor here. For more information about Havurah's involvement with PHFS, contact Gloria Halper: losninos6@gmail.com. LAST WEEK TO DONATE FEMALE HYGIENE PRODUCTS ALTER ROCKERS ROCK AT NOBLE ROT Tuesday, May 10 SHABBAT SCHOOL SUMMIT Saturday, May 21 Kids will gather for special programming while parents discuss general Shabbat School topics. Then parents will meet in grade groups to plan summer activities and teaching for the upcoming year. At least one parent from each family should attend; two would be better if you have children in multiple grades. RSVP here by May 13 with the names of adults and children attending, as well as children’s ages. Childcare for children 0-5 years old is available with prior reservation. NEXT BOOK DISCUSSION - SHORT STORIES BY NATHAN ENGLANDER Tuesday, May 24 The May session of the Havurah Book Discussion Group will review What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, a collection of short stories by Nathan Englander. Englander presents a range of eccentric, unforgettable characters, including pot-smoking Hasidim, geriatric vigilantes, tough Jewish kids in the suburbs, and two Israel mothers who make a desperate bargain. Englander brings wit and wisdom to a variety of themes including desperation, sexual longing, innocence in the face of adversity, and the nature of evil. Register here. SONG OF MIRIAM AWARD WINNER: SUSAN LAZARECK
Havurah is thrilled to honor Susan Lazareck this year with the Song of Miriam award! Susan and her husband Jack have been a part of the Havurah community for 30 years, and Susan has worn many, many hats during this time. Read more about Susan here. If you’d like to see Susan receive her award at the Song of Miriam Awards Brunch on Sunday, June 5, at the MJCC, and you want to sit at a table with other Havurahniks, register using this form and email Debbi Nadell to tell her you’d like to sit at the Havurah table. VOTE FOR HAVURAH LEADERS & COMMENT ON NEW GOVERNANCE PROPOSAL Please click here to vote on the ballot of candidates nominated to serve as Officers and Steering Committee Members. At our Congregational Meeting last Sunday, a proposal was made to change the Havurah governance structure. You can review the presentation for the new structure here on our website as well as make comments or recommendations until May 10. The plan is to vote in June on the governance structure, which will create new Steering Committee positions. The present slate of nominees includes officers for a two-year term AND several members who have agreed to extend their current terms on the Steering Committee until the new slate can be presented, reflecting the new structure. Thank you, Shelley Sobel and Debbi Nadell, Co-Presidents FINANCIAL & DUES NEWS Please complete your membership/dues commitment for the new year by the end of April using this link. Every member must complete this form, even if you are not changing the amount of your dues commitment. For those who pay dues via automatic debit, the May debit will occur about a week late so we can compile the dues commitments. Thank you, Karen Westerman and Larry Reichman, Finance Committee Co-Chairs THANK YOU FOR AN AWESOME COMMUNITY SEDER
Many thanks to these Havurah members who created a welcoming and meaingful community seder at Havurah on April 23:
The above photo was taken by Elyse Hill. You can see more photos from the seder here on Havurah’s Facebook page. OFFICE CLOSURE THIS FRIDAY, APRIL 29 Havurah’s office will be closed this Friday for Passover. ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR RABBI THROUGH JUNE Based on information from all who participated in Havurah’s rabbi search survey and focus groups, Havurah Shalom has posted this job description on our website. Applications for the position will be accepted now through June 30, 2016. The new rabbi’s start date will be August 1, 2017. All inquiries about the job should be directed to Rabbi Joel Alpert, Director of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Placement Center. His contact number is 215-576-0800 ext.304. Please do not send resumes to the committee! Learn more and see the committee’s timeline here. |
