Community News, May 11
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UPCOMING SHABBAT
Kabbalat Shabbat We look forward to celebrating our high school seniors at our first post-Pesach Kabbalat Shabbat and the final Kabbalat Shabbat of the year this Friday. Rabbi Joey will lead the service, and Ilene Safyan, Scott Snyder, Steven Sandberg-Lewis, Chaim Wolin and John Duke will help us welcome Shabbat with their inspiring music. Thank you to all of the generous musicians who have donated their time and talent to make our Kabbalat Shabbat music so wonderful throughout the year! Community Minyan This Saturday's Torah portion is Kedoshim (plural for holy), Leviticus 19:1–20:27. Leviticus is the middle book of the Torah and Kedoshim is the middle portion of Leviticus. Holiness is at the heart of the Torah! This portion gives us an opportunity to consider how to recognize the holiness in our lives. Please join us. Shabbat Afternoon Youth Hebrew, Shabbat School, Beginner/Refresher Hebrew at Havurah — See our online calendar for times. MUSIC NOTES - YOM HAZIKARON & YOM HA'ATZME'UT This week, the new month of Iyar is upon us. And on the 4th and 5th of Iyar, (today and tomorrow), we celebrate two significant holidays: Yom Hazikaron (Israel's Memorial Day) and Yom Ha'atzme'ut (Israel's Independence Day). Yom Hazikaron begins Tuesday night, May 10, and continues on May 11, and is immediately followed at sundown by Yom Ha'atzme'ut. Yom Hazikaron is a day spent in reflection; there are many powerful and poignant poems and songs commemorating those who have fallen. In Israel, it is a quiet day. People spend it listening to songs, attending memorial services and being with family and dear ones. At nightfall, Yom Ha'atzme'ut begins, and brings with it fireworks and festivities.
You can listen to Israel's National Anthem, "Hatikvah," (the Hope) HERE. There are so many wonderful songs that reflect the spirit of the people and the country, but we are unable to offer them because of copyright issues. If you want to know about some of the songs for today and tomorrow, search online or please feel free to get in touch with me and I’ll be happy to help you with resources and ideas. - Ilene Safyan DOROT, BAR MITZVAH & ALTER ROCKERS PHOTOS
More than 70 people joined us for our Dorot Shabbat Service and Potluck on Friday, May 6. The photo above was taken at the service by Sarah Shine. It was great to see so many b'nai mitzvah at Nathaniel Barbarasch Haas' bar mitzvah on Saturday, May 7. In the photo below, Nathaniel's fellow b'nai mitzvah and their families come up to the Torah for an aliyah. Watch for news in these weekly emails and on Havurah's website about community minyanim in 5777 where our recent b'nai mitzvah will lead and read Torah. Last night, Havurah Alter Rockers met at Noble Rot for happy hour. Read more and see a photo from the evening HERE.
DON'T MISS OUT - ADD YOUR VOICE TO OUR FUTURE! Havurah Shalom’s future depends on you! Please SIGN UP HERE for an intimate, invigorating meeting about Havurah’s future. Two meetings are scheduled for Sunday, May 15, in North and Southwest Portland, and a meeting is scheduled for next Thursday, May 19, in Northwest Portland. Click here for the addresses of 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 Women In Torah on Monday, May 16, 12:00 noon – This will be the final 'Women In Torah' class taught by Havurah member Alicia Jo Rabins this spring. The May 16 class will focus on Rachel and Leah. Even if you haven't been able to attend the previous classes in this series, you are welcome to take the May 16 class. Learn more here. Wednesday Morning Minyan, May 18, 8:30 am – Join us for this short, focused minyan where you can also say Kaddish. TWO DAYS LEFT TO RSVP FOR SHABBAT SCHOOL SUMMIT Saturday, May 21 (RSVP by May 13) 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. DISCUSSING NATHAN ENGLANDER'S INTRIGUING SHORT STORIES Book Discussion Group At the May session of Havurah's Book Discussion Group we 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 Israeli 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. RSVP here. AYELET WALDMAN TALKS SHOAH AT 2016 COGAN MEMORIAL LECTURE Author and journalist Ayelet Waldman will speak at PSU's Lincoln Performance Hall at 7:00 pm on Thursday, May 26, on "There's No Business Like Shoah Business: Why Would a Typical Jewish American Princess Be So Obsessed with Her People's Greatest Tragedy?" Waldman is the author of "Red Hook Road" and New York Times bestseller "Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace." Her novel "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits" was adapted to the film "The Other Woman" starring Natalie Portman. Waldman is making her first visit to Portland since 2009 thanks to the Sara Glasgow Cogan Memorial Scholarship and Lectures, which was created in 2007 by PSU Professor Emeritus Nathan Cogan in his late-wife's memory. (Nathan is also a member of Havurah.) Read more here. REFUGEE UPDATES Havurah Joins HIAS Welcome Campaign Havurah Shalom has signed on to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) Welcome Campaign, though we might not be listed on the HIAS website yet. Along with congregations across the country, we have signed a statement in support of refugees and we are committed to engage our community in refugee issues. The Hassans Move In The Hassan Family moved into their new apartment in Gresham a week and a half ago. Many thanks to the many Havurah members who donated items for the apartment and to the awesome moving and setup crews! See photos and read more HERE. PORTLAND HOMELESS FAMILY SOLUTIONS: GOOSE HOLLOW SHELTER HAVURAH DIRECT SERVICE NEWS • 2,483,539 children experienced homelessness in the U.S. in 2013. 87% of children in homeless families worry that something bad will happen to their family. - National Study of Homeless Children More info/interested? contact Gloria Halper: losninos6@gmail.com MEMOIR READINGS FROM A JEWISH PERSPECTIVE
Friday, June 10 Join us for an engaging evening of memoir readings by students of Rob Freedman’s workshop, "Memoir Writing from a Jewish Perspective." Each year this eight-week workshop helps participants to discover the stories they want to write and share. The emphasis is on those experiences that are uniquely Jewish in nature, reflective of our culture and identity – whether the writers are Jews by birth or by choice, or among the still perplexed. The evening will include a short Kabbalat Shabbat service and will be followed by a potluck dessert oneg. Please let us know if you can help coordinate the oneg. If you plan to attend the evening service and reading, please RSVP here by June 6. 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 for the position of rabbi. 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. |
Above photo is from Wikimedia.