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, In Person & Zoom Room Bet with some exceptions (check the calendar) 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
Shabbat Morning Service 10 am, Saturday, Dec. 24 — Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
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
Kabbalat Shabbat Service and Dinner 6:00 - 8:30, Friday, Jan. 13 We're gathering in person to welcome Shabbat. All are welcome! These monthly celebrations are held on the second Friday, from October through May. A light, pre-service oneg will be followed by a spirited, all-ages service led by Rabbi Benjamin and Havurah musicians, with dinner afterward for those who wish to stay. 6 pm Light Snack 6:30 Service (Join us remotely in Zoom Room Aleph) 7:30 Dinner RSVP here . Please consider a suggested donation of $15 for the meal, in recognition that the actual cost for food and preparation is $30. Thank you. Please consider volunteering for part of the evening! Sign up now! Contact Marni Glick or Sally Hersh for more information.
Honoring to Action: Celebrating MLK Day at Havurah 12-3 pm, Monday, Jan. 16 — Havurah Shalom Join the Racial Justice Committee & Rabbi Benjamin for Havurah’s first family-friendly event to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! There'll be music, poetry, learning activities, time for reflection, and opportunity to think about how our values as Jews help us continue the fight for civil rights. And pizza for lunch, too! (Please RSVP so we know how much pizza to order.) Recommended for ages 10 and up..Contact Kristine Munholland for more information. 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 The January First Thursday ( Jan. 5) meeting of the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty will host Jillian Joseph, Executive Divector of the Native Wellness Center. She will discuss work being done to assist Native American Communities, particularly the exciting new project "Barbie's Village" at the site of the former Laurelhurst Presbyterian Church. Register here. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.For more information, contact Sue Abrams.
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.
(HYB) Kabbalat Shabbat Celebration Friday, May 9th 5:45p to 8:00p A musical, all-ages Friday night service with family-friendly dessert and hearty nosh before and after. All are welcome! 5:45 pm Hearty Nosh, 6:30 Service, 7:30 Oneg. Free childcare is provided. Those joining on Zoom, please come at 6:30; the in-person hearty nosh portion and oneg will not be televised. For Zoom information, please email info@havurhshalom.org.
(HYB) Shabbat Morning with Music Shabbaton (w/ Aly Halpert) Shabbat, May 10th 10:00a to 12:00p This community minyan will feature the musical contributions of Aly Halpert who is in residence with us this Shabbat. 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.
(IP) Tot Shabbat Shabbat, May 10th 10:30a to 11:15a Young children (0-5) and parents celebrate with singing, movement, blessings, and storytelling. All are welcome! Please RSVP when you plan to come. We provide free childcare for those staying to enjoy the full Shabbat service that ends at noon and which is followed by a light community brunch. Email info@havurahshalom.org to learn more.
(IP) Songs for Liberation Song Circle (w/ Aly Halpert) Shabbat, May 10th 4:30p to 6:30p (Currently this event is for Havurah members only, as registrations are capped at 80 people. Havurah members, be sure to RSVP.) Rising Song Records artist Aly Halpert concludes our music shabbaton with a Song Circle, a space to enjoy our voices together as we learn new and ancient Jewish songs and niggunim together. Aly Halpert is at the epicenter of a resurgence of Jewish music-making– introducing new tunes, new words, and new ways of bringing music into davening and community-building.
Rose Haven Walk (register at their 2025 Reigning Roses Walk site) Sunday, May 11th 10:00a to 1:00p Rose Haven supporters and guests will unite to stride a beautiful route through NW Portland on Mother’s Day at the 12th Annual Reigning Roses Walk. Walk with, or in honor of, a special woman in your life – a mother, grandmother, daughter, partner, or friend. 10 am check-in, 11 am begin walking. (We've cancelled the Havurah Teen Engagement plan for this event; just go to the Rose Haven 2025 Reigning Roses Walk website to register!)
(IP) Jewish Ethical Responses to the Problem of Racism Monday, May 12th 6:30p to 7:45p We will address topics such as countering white nationalism and antisemitism, Jewish perspectives on reparations, repairing Jewish pioneer memory, and responding to racial microaggressions. Facilitated by Karen Sherman and Adela Basayne.
(HYB) Steering Meeting Tuesday, May 13th 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. For Zoom join links, visit havurahshalom.org/zoom (must be logged in) or call the office in advance for assistance (503-248-4662).
(IP) Hebrew as a Tool: Prayer and Torah (registration closed) Wednesday, May 14th 7:00p to 8:15p (This class will now be starting on January 8.) Using an in-depth, word-by-word approach, we discover literal meaning(s), ancient layers of understanding, and our own personal interpretations that stem from the nuances of the Hebrew text. Basic Hebrew decoding skills necessary.
(IP) B’nei Mitzvah Drash and Service Workshop Thursday, May 15th 7:00p to 8:00p Students and parents are guided through responding to Torah in a drash. You will also take a walk through the Shabbat Morning service. Led by Sarah Shine.
