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) Solidarity Shabbat Friday, Jun 27th 5:45p to 8:30p 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) Climate Change Shabbat Morning Shabbat, Jun 28th 10:00a to 12:00p Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin (who is on sabbatical until July 1, 2025), 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@havurhshalom.org.
(HYB) Rosh Ḥodesh Tov! Gender-Inclusive New Moon Ritual Sunday, Jun 29th 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) Palestinian Justice Letter Writing Group Monday, Jun 30th 6:00p to 7:30p We hold monthly letter writing group Zoom gatherings to write letters to our lawmakers for Israel/Palestine justice. Questions? Email Dale Oller (member log-in required to access directory). Feel free to drop in any time! There’s no need to RSVP, but please do RSVP if you need the Zoom login. Non-Havurah-members very welcome as well.
(IP) Pride Kabbalat Shabbat in the Park Friday, Jul 11th 6:30p to 8:30p Celebrate queer and Jewish joy with a special Kabbalat Shabbat service at Columbia Park! We’ll enjoy a potluck dinner together afterward. Beverages will be provided. BYOB. All are welcome.
(HYB) Shabbat Morning Shabbat, Jul 12th 10:00a to 12:00p Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin (who is on sabbatical until July 1, 2025), 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.
