Hineinu, January 25, 2023

Regular Happenings

Thank you for following our safety requirements at in-person gatherings. 

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

Shabbat Minyan Lunch is Back!
New! A lunch or nosh is now available after every Shabbat morning minyan. All in attendance are welcome to stay after the service to enjoy a meal together. Following our values of inclusion, community and connection, the Lunches and Noshes team is offering these meals to celebrate Shabbat with sustenance. If you'd like to join this team and be part of making lunches happen, please contact Susan Brenner. Let's eat!

Upcoming Events

Judaism And The Wilderness: A Brief Escape With Northern Exposure
2 pm, Sunday, Jan. 29 — Havurah Shalom
This will be a two-hour “class” in which we will watch one of the episodes from Northern Exposure’s fourth season—“Kaddish for Uncle Manny”—and explore together some of these themes. In this episode, Fleischman’s uncle in New York has died, and Fleischman goes on a journey to find ten male Jews in Alaska to say Kaddish. RSVP

Refugee and Immigrant Shabbat
7:30 pm, Friday, Feb. 3 — at Havurah Shalom and in Zoom Room Aleph
We will celebrate our 4th Refugee and Immigrant Shabbat. Rabbi Benjamin will lead the service, where the week's reading will be Be-Shallah, the flight from Egypt, parting of the Red Sea and the Song of the Sea. As in Exodus, refugees and immigrants today face challenges, and have times for celebration. Margie Rosenthal will lead the music. This Shabbat is sponsored by HIAS, who provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers around the world. Along with themes provided by HIAS, we will hear teachings and stories about Havurah’s own engagement with refugees and immigrants. Contact Michael Rice for more information.

Adult B'nei Mitzvah
10 am, Saturday, Feb. 4 — Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
Please share in our joy as Havurah Shalom’s Adult B’nei Mitzvah group is called to the Torah. After services, please join us for a luncheon sponsored by the B’nei Mitzvah group, with the help of the Havurah Community and our friends and family. Please RSVP by Jan. 19

Called to the Torah will be:

Alexis Nasdor-Jones Baghdadi • Fran Berg • Amanda Elliston • Lesley Isenstein •
Ericka Kimball • Megan Koler • Michelle Lamanet • Matthew Nelkin • Karen Polinsky• Ellen Regal • Jennifer Rousseau • Beth Segal • Rachel Shimshak • Brady Snyder •Liza Springgate • Sharon Stern • Justin David Strom • Susan Ungar • Mara Zusman

Havurah Teen Night
7 pm, Saturday, Feb. 4 — Havurah Shalom
Teens! Come hang out with your friends at Havurah! Activities include board games, gaga, cornhole, etc. Ice cream sundae bar for dessert, and music with DJ Saul. RSVP 

Tu B'shvat Tryon Creek Family Hike and Seder
1-3 pm, Sunday Feb. 5 — Tryon Creek Nature Center, 11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd.
Join us for a joyful, family-friendly hike from Tryon Creek Nature Center through trails to the Tryon Farm, about 20 minutes. A short Tu B'shvat seder (under cover of a large yurt if rainy or too cold), followed by return hike back to the nature center. The hike will be led by forest activist Brenna Bell. Seder will be led by Harriet Cooke and Karen Ballard. RSVP 

Leadership Retreat 
10:30-2:30, Sunday, Feb. 12 — Havurah Shalom
Havurah's annual leadership retreat is a chance for all committee co-chairs, staff and Steering to come together to look at the big picture of what is happening in Havurah. It is also a place for connections to happen across areas of interest with the hope of having a more diverse group of participants from the congregation at all events and activities. Attendance at the retreat is not restricted to co-chairs. If you have any interest in participating in this upcoming retreat, please contact Shelley Sobel or Debbi Nadell to receive an invitation. 

Taking Action Lunch Bunch
12 pm, Monday, Feb. 13 — Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Bet
Do you get emails asking you to contact your elected official, but don’t find the few minutes it takes to call or email them? Looking to connect with other Havurahniks? We have the solution. Together, by Zoom or at Havurah, we’ll eat lunch, chat, and spend a few minutes taking our political action. From climate change to social justice, we’ll have info on who to call or write. Bring your suggestions too. RSVP 

The Journey to Die For: The Dying Process
7 pm, Thursday, Feb. 16 — Zoom Room Bet
The fourth installment of the educational series: The Journey to Die for: Improving the Quality of Your Life hosted by the Ma'avar Committee. In this session, we will ponder the questions we all face in the last phase of life. Chaplain Candi Wuhrman and Dale Oller, MD will present on the dying process and facilitate a discussion on what happens to us spiritually and emotionally during dying, death, mourning, and grief processes. RSVP

Coming Together for a Community Member
Barry Sutton, a longtime Havurah community member who has been houseless has re-appeared after a long absence from Havurah, in the hospital. He had a stroke Dec. 29 and is recovering at Providence Hospital. A network of members of various congregations/communities Barry frequented, including Havurah, have connected to support him. Newly minted RN Zoe Sirkin has taken an active role as an advocate for him. Contact her or Sam Sirkin if you have any questions or thoughts.

Teens and Parents: Reconstructionist Teen Weekend, March 17-19
Want to meet other teens from Reconstructionist communities? Like to do hands-on social justice work in Portland? Love to share your city with visitors? Thirty 8th- to 12th-graders from Reconstructionist congregations in NY & NJ are coming to Portland for a social justice weekend run by local non-profit Tivnu: Building Justice, and YOU are invited to join in. 

Join us for hands-on volunteer work, spirited discussions about the roots and solutions of houselessness and other injustices, a closer look at how some Portland organizations are addressing the needs of unhoused folks, and some time to relax and have fun together (Shabbat dinner, a hike in the Gorge, roller skating). The cost is $100 per student and scholarships are available – reach out to Michelle Bobowick. RSVP by Feb. 8 | Learn More

Tikkun Olam Updates

Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice January Newsletter  
Read the latest Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice Newsletter and learn ways to advocate for immigrants. 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.

Beyond the Count: Perspectives and Lived Experiences of Jews of Color 
5 pm, Wednesday, Feb. 1 — Offsite Zoom
The Racial Justice Committee invites you to a "virtual teach-in" by the Jews of Color Initiative and Dayenu about the complex fabric of Jews of Color Identities, lived experiences, and perspectives. Arya Marvazy, Senior Director of Programs at the Jews of Color Initiative, will speak about the Initiative's critical research that presents the largest dataset of Jews of Color in United States history. A panel discussion will follow. RSVP

News & Events From Our Tikkun Olam Partners

Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS): volunteer for our monthly PHFS dinner | Interfaith Alliance on Poverty (IAP) | Lift UP | MACG | Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW ​​​​​​ | Rose Haven

Registration is Open for Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization
5:30-7:30 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Jan. 26, 31; Feb. 2, 7, 9 [Required orientation either 2 pm, Thursday, Jan. 19 or 5:30 pm, Thursday, Jan. 24] — Offsite Zoom

The Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good (MACG) Havurah Core Team hope you will consider registering for the 5-session virtual course “Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization.” (View 1.5-minute video.) This course has been developed and presented by local Indigenous leaders in Washington, Montana, two Canadian provinces, New Zealand and Australia. The course is very powerful and moving. Please spread the word wide and far within our community and beyond. You can link to this flyer. Since Havurah is a MACG member, there is no cost. RSVP

There will be three follow-up sessions led by local Indigenous leaders beginning one month after the end of the course. These sessions are designed to consider local actions and personal goals. We are excited to be able to offer this powerful and informative course.  We hope you will attend and share this invitation with others.  Please email Bob Brown or Michael Heumann if you have any questions.

Do you know the next new member of Havurah Shalom's staff?

Spread the Word: We are Hiring

Participation and Publications Coordinator 
Salary range $40,000-45,000

Please tell your friends and professional circles about the open position at Havurah Shalom! We are looking for someone to facilitate membership and participation, as well as to create, edit, and manage internal and external communications and databases. Find the full job description here. To apply please send resume and cover letter to adela.basayne@havurahshalom.org

Community Announcements

23rd Annual Community Havdallah
7 pm, Saturday, Jan. 28 — Zidell Hall, Rose Schnitzer Manor (Cedar Sinai Park), 6140 SW Boundary, Portland and in Offsite Zoom
Co-sponsored by Cedar Sinai Park and Jewish Women's Round Table. Refreshments following service. Free & open to the community.

Faith Focus on Abortion 
2-4 pm, Sunday, Jan. 29 — First Unitarian Portland, The Eliot Center of First Unitarian Portland Buchan Reception Hall, 1226 SW Salmon St. 
Please join us for the Focus on Abortion: Americans Share Their Stories exhibit and a ritual for healing, liberation and reproductive justice led by clergy and lay leaders from several faith traditions. RSVP

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. 

Jewish Community Orchestra Young Artists Showcase
3 pm, Sunday, Feb. 19 — Mittleman Jewish Community Center
The Jewish Community Orchestra holds an annual Young Artists Competition and selects four winners to perform one movement of a concerto. This concert's featured Jewish composer is Erich Wolfgang Korngold. The mission of the Jewish Community Orchestra is to provide enjoyable music to the Jewish and surrounding communities of the Portland Metro area. Our goal as amateur musicians is to further the growth of local artists by presenting concerts that attract, educate, and entertain our audience. More Info  

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

To see our full Zoom room instructions, click here. Member sign-in required.