Zoom Room links can be found near the end of this email.
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 Alef & 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 and In Person We gather 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, Nancy Becker, or Deborah Eisenbach-Budner.
Morning Minyan Wednesdays, 8:30 am, Zoom Room Aleph & In Person For all who want a regular prayer practice and those saying Kaddish.
Mahjong Group 1 pm, first and third Mondays — Havurah Shalom Mahjong is a fun, social activity that builds community, encouraging new friendships and cementing old ones. Please don't hesitate to join us!
Book Study: Finding The Mother Tree, Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest 5:30 pm, first and third Mondays — Zoom Room Bet We’ll meet the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, until we finish Suzanne Simard's inspiring and illuminating exploration of the complex, interdependent world of trees. Join us whenever you can. For information, contact Michael Heumann, Havurah Climate Action Team. RSVP here
Upcoming Events
Chanukah Shabbat Morning Service 10 am, Saturday, Dec. 24 — Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph Join us for a cozy, dreamy, snowy Chanukah Shabbat, both at Havurah (weather permitting) and in Room Aleph (regardless of the weather). Andrine de la Rocha, Howard Patterson and Diane Chaplin will zoom-guide this introspective service as it wends its way, dreaming a path into the new moon of Tevet, and slowly returning to greater light. Grab a cup of cocoa and a handful of marshmallows, and snuggle in for an eclectic service, weaving the old and the new into this liminal space between Solstice and New Year.
Book Group: The Overstory by Richard Powers 7 pm, Tuesday, Dec. 27 — Zoom Room Bet This novel is about nine Americans whose unique life experiences with trees bring them together to address the destruction of forests. Join the Book Group for a discussion of this compelling work. Nonmembers welcome. Please note date correction from that briefly shown in Hakol. RSVP
Teen Engagement Committee Meeting 7 pm, Tuesday, Jan. 3 (first Tuesdays monthly) — Zoom Room Heh The Teen Engagement Committee has a standing meeting on the first Tuesday of the month. We are looking for adults and for teens in Grades 7-12 who want to help plan and participate in social events with other teens in the Havurah community. Participation in the Havurah Middle/High School programs is not required.
Antisemitism and Israel-Related Speech 11 am, Sunday, Jan. 8 — Offsite Zoom The Joint Israel Commission of the Reconstructionist Movement will present a webinar on “Antisemitism and Israel-Related Speech.” The speakers include authors of two essays expressing contrasting views on an April 2021 public statement of Reconstructing Judaism on the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s definition of antisemitism and Prof. Amos Goldberg (Hebrew University), a co-author of the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism. RSVP
Palestinian Voices 7 pm, Wednesdays, beginning on Jan. 11 — Havurah Shalom Joel Beinin will offer an eight-week class on “Palestinian Voices.” We will read, view, and experience films, poetry, prose, music, and (Covid conditions, permitting) food. You are invited to be open to hearing things that may make us uncomfortable in a spirit of respectful and open-hearted engagement – with the materials and with each other. This is an in-person course only. RSVP
SAVE THE DATE: Celebrate MLK Day at Havurah! 12-3 pm, Monday, Jan. 16 — Havurah Shalom The Racial Justice Committee will host a family-friendly event to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There'll be music, poetry, intergenerational learning, time for reflection, and opportunity to think about ways to continue the fight for justice. And pizza, too! Please plan to join us. RSVP
Rumble on the River #4 6 pm, Tuesday, Jan. 17 — Havurah Shalom and Special Zoom Room The HCAT-sponsored Rumble on the River is a community forum on Zenith Energy & Portland’s Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub. A lineup of deeply respected health, public safety, energy, & environmental panelists will share information and respond to our concerns and questions. This is a hybrid event and the panelist presentation will be recorded. Zenith and the CEI are extremely dangerous situations in our backyard. They require all of us stepping up to become aware and help pressure Portland to move forward with informed community involvement. RSVP
Participation and Publications Coordinator at Havurah Shalom Salary range $40,000-45,000
Havurah Shalom is a vibrant, diverse, participatory Jewish community steeped in spirituality, learning, and acts of social responsibility. If you enjoy working with an amazing dedicated and collaborative team, this is the opportunity for you. The Coordinator helps facilitate Havurah’s participatory, communal, and spiritual ethos among prospective, new, and longstanding members. This position also creates, edits, and manages internal and external communications and databases.
Qualifications: BA in a related field + 2 years of experience in non-profit or membership organization or 3 years of experience in non-profit or membership organization.
Full-time, benefited position including: Medical, dental, generous PTO, retirement benefits when eligible. Hybrid after onboarding.
News from the Streets — Poverty and Homelessness Committee Havurah has been an very active partner with Path Home (formerly Portland Homeless Family Solutions). See the link at the bottom of this section for our monthly meal volunteering info. And this time of year there are many extra volunteer opportunities
FOOD, FOOD, FOOD! Lift Up has provided food boxes throughout NW PDX for many years and is another P&H Committee-supported organization. Check them out — there are many volunteer opportunities here too.
Interested in P&H work? Please contact Gloria Halper.
The Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW believes another world is possible. In our vision, all immigrants deserve to be treated with respect and care under laws that are just and humane. In our vision, we live in safety, peace and power together. And we welcome the stranger because we have been strangers ourselves.
Since 2017, the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW has been a powerful voice for immigrant justice in the Jewish communities statewide, inspiring activism and supporting and moving forward the work of immigrant justice organizations. We build relationships and community in taking our lead from those directly impacted by immigration policy.
Please join us in any way that works for your busy life: Take actions suggested in the newsletter. Join our advocacy, accompaniment and community engagement work. Donate to enable our work to go on. Subscribe to the JCIJ Newsletter. Read the latest newsletter here. Keep In touch with the Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW at jcij.nw@gmail.com and follow by liking us on Facebook.
Weekend in Quest 2023 Friday-Sunday, March 3-5 — Holiday Inn Express in Astoria OJMCHE is excited to announce that Weekend in Quest is returning to Astoria on the Oregon Coast. Join us in person for a weekend of community and study with Professor Mika Ahuvia, whose lectures will draw upon her recent book On My Right Michael, On My Left Gabriel: Angels in Ancient Jewish Culture. Sessions will focus on the presence of angels in ancient and contemporary Judaism, classical rabbinic sources, Jewish magic, and liturgy. Eddy Shuldman will serve as the weekend's service leader. For detailed information and registration, visit OJMCHE's website.
Reckoning Together Pilgrimage: Ten Days Left to Register! March 16-19, 2023, Montgomery, Selma & Birmingham, AL, and Atlanta, GA The uniquely Reconstructionist trip will visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and Legacy Museum in Montgomery and iconic sites of the Civil Rights Movement. The memorial and museum are powerful and sacred spaces for truth-telling and reflection about racial violence in America and its ongoing legacy today. We will meet with leaders of the historic Civil Rights Movement to gain insight and inspiration for the ongoing fight for racial justice in our day.
There will be opportunities to learn, pray, eat, and converse with values-aligned folks from across the Reconstructionist movement. Scholarships are available. Register here
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.
Havurah Zoom Rooms
Room Alef PC/Mac/Smartphone: Click here to join. Note for all devices: You can also open your Zoom app first, click “Join a Meeting” then enter meeting ID 604560503 and "call via device audio." The passcode is 5472. Cell/Landline: Dial +1 669-900-6833 and enter meeting ID 604560503.
Room Bet PC/Mac/Smartphone: Click here to join. Note for all devices: You can also open your Zoom app first, click “Join a Meeting” then enter meeting ID 291215092 and "call via device audio." The passcode is 5472. Cell/Landline: Dial +1 669-900-6833 and enter meeting ID 291215092.
Room Gimel PC/Mac/Smartphone: Click here to join. Note for all devices: You can also open your Zoom app first, click “Join a Meeting” then enter meeting ID 502586440 and "call via device audio." The passcode is 5472. Cell/Landline: Dial +1 669-900-6833 and enter meeting ID 502586440.
Room Dalet PC/Mac/Smartphone:Click here to join. Note for all devices: You can also open your Zoom app first, click “Join a Meeting” then enter meeting ID 472484392 and "call via device audio." The passcode is 5472. Cell/Landline: Dial +1 669-900-6833 and enter meeting ID 472484392.
Room Heh PC/Mac/Smartphone:Click hereto join. Note for all devices: You can also open your Zoom app first, click “Join a Meeting” then enter meeting ID 87852542099 and "call via device audio." The passcode is 5472. Cell/Landline: Dial +1 669-900-6833 and enter meeting ID 87852542099.
To see our full Zoom room instructions, click here. Member sign-in required.
(ZM) Climate Change Book Group Slow Reading of "Not Too Late" Monday, Aug 18th 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."
(ZM) Healing the Heart, Soothing the Soul: A Grief Process Support Group Tuesday, Aug 19th 5:30p to 7:00p **Note: Registration for this group is now closed.** During the month of Elul, we are guided to examine our souls, explore our relationships, reflect on our actions with God and others, and prepare ourselves spiritually to begin a new year. With the Spirit of Elul, we will journey into exploring the aspects of grief. For Havurah members only. Limited to 8 people. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend all sessions.
(IP) Israeli Dancing Wednesday, Aug 20th 7:30p to 8:30p Join us to learn Israeli dancing! We’ll teach the steps and tell the stories behind Israeli dances while you enjoy the catchy rhythms, creative body movements, and spending time with friends.
Led by Havurah members Cindy Merrill and Gail Schwartz with dance instructor Rhona Feldman.
Hakol Deadline is Thursday, August 21 Thursday, Aug 21st (All day) Havurah members, click to learn how to submit your contributions to our monthly newsletter, Hakol.
(HYB) Solidarity Kabbalat Shabbat Friday, Aug 22nd 5:45p to 8:00p Join Havurah members and friends for a Solidarity Shabbat service and potluck nosh. This is a spiritual space for community members working in solidarity with Palestinians - and for the liberation of all peoples - to come together to pray, build connections, and renew ourselves on Shabbat to continue our justice work. Please review Havurah's Brit Kavod for our community guidelines. Masks strongly encouraged and provided.
(HYB) Shabbat Morning Shabbat, Aug 23rd 10:00a to 12:00p Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. Join us afterward for a light community brunch provided by the Lunches and Noshes Committee! Free childcare is provided. For Zoom information, please email info@havurahshalom.org.
(HYB) Rosh Ḥodesh Tov! Gender-Inclusive New Moon Ritual Sunday, Aug 24th 7:00p to 8:15p A gender-inclusive New Moon group, learning and celebrating each Rosh Ḥodesh with ancient and contemporary ritual. Open to any and all genders, inviting each to connect with our closest heavenly body, the Moon. An introductory meeting will happen on the full moon of Elul on Wednesday, Aug. 30 outdoors—weather permitting—in North Portland. Subsequent meetings will be on or near the new moon of each month either in person in North Portland or on Zoom, depending on seasonal shifts in the weather. Attend any or all sessions. RSVP to be updated on location and other details throughout the year.
(ZM) Israel-Palestine Committee Monthly Planning Meeting Sunday, Aug 24th 7:00p to 8:30p Havurah members, you are welcome to join the Israel-Palestine Committee planning group. We meet monthly in Zoom Room Dalet (fourth Sundays, 7 pm to 8:30 pm). For Zoom Room info, visit havurahshalom.org/zoom (be sure you log in to your Havurah member account).
Daily Shofar Blast Monday, Aug 25th (All day) Hear the Sound of the Shofar each day of Elul (except Shabbat): Andrine, Diane & Howard (& sometimes Dominic & Wesley) help prepare us for Rosh Hashanah with shofar, deep thoughts, and a touch of kavanah (intention). Videos will be posted daily on Havurah's YouTube and Facebook pages.
