Community News, May 25
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UPCOMING SHABBAT
Community Minyan Emily Simon, Susan Brenner, Sarah Wetherson, and other Havurahniks will lead and read Torah this Saturday as we daven and discuss Parsha Behar. In this Torah portion, the people are told that after they enter the promised land, they should let the land rest every seventh year – no sowing, no pruning. And during the 50th year, they aren't to sow, prune or even reap, but to eat directly from the land. Like all of us, the land needs time to rest and be replenished. The coming weekend is Memorial Day weekend, so some members may be out of town. To make sure we have a minyan or more, please use this MINYAN MAKER link to tell us if you plan to come. Thanks! Above photo of a painting by Vincent van Gogh is from Wikimedia. RABBI JOEY IS ON OREGONLIVE TODAY! Check out today's OregonLive to read about our own Rabbi Joey! THIS WEEK & NEXT Tomorrow, May 26, 7:00 pm, Ayelet Waldman, PSU Lincoln Performance Hall: The Sara Glasgow Cogan Memorial Scholarship & Lectures will feature Ayelet Waldman, speaking on "There's No Business Like Shoah Business: Why Would a Typical Jewish American Princess Be So Obsessed With Her People's Greatest Tragedy?" Read more here. Monday, May 30 - Memorial Day: Havurah's office will be closed for the holiday. Wednesday Morning Minyan, June 1, 8:30 am, Havurah: Join us for this short, focused minyan where you can also say Kaddish. 4 CHANCES LEFT! ADD YOUR VOICE TO OUR FUTURE You have four more chances to meet the Havurahniks in your neighborhood and discuss Havurah’s future. Please SIGN UP HERE for one of these intimate, invigorating meetings on June 2 or 14 in NE Portland, June 7 in NW Portland, or June 9 in SE Portland. Click here for the addresses of the meetings.
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. Watch these short videos to learn why your fellow Havurahniks want to Give Back to the Future! LEARN HOW YOU CAN HELP KIDS & TEENS WHO FLED CENTRAL AMERICA Sunday, June 12 Erika, an unaccompanied child seeking asylum, fled violence in Central America. Until last month, when she turned 18, Erika was supported by Morrison Center's Micasa program, which works with Central American refugees. Now that she has aged out of Micasa’s program, she will no longer receive support them. Erika’s current foster family will support her until the beginning of August. After that, she will need a home until her asylum case is resolved. If no one offers her a home, Erika could be sent to the Tacoma Detention Center. We hope that our community can find resources to support Micasa graduates such as Erika and keep them out of the detention center, which is essentially a privately run prison.
In partnership with the Morrison Center and the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice, we have identified volunteer opportunities working with unaccompanied children. Read more here. The above photo from Time is of young refugees from Central America being detained at the border between Texas and Mexico. PORTLAND HOMELESS FAMILY SOLUTIONS (PHFS) – GOOSE HOLLOW SHELTER HAVURAH DIRECT SERVICE PROJECT NEWS Based on a calculation using the most recent U.S. Department of Education’s count of homeless children in U.S. public schools and on 2013 U.S. Census data:
Join other Havurahniks at Goose Hollow to expand the experiences of these children with people who care. Children of any age are allowed to come volunteer with a parent or guardian. Upcoming Goose Hollow volunteer orientations: May 25, June 13 and June 20, 5:00 to 6:00 pm, at Goose Hollow, 1838 SW Jefferson. You can park behind the church. A SHIFT IN THE WAY WE GIVE TO LIFT MOMS DEMAND ACTION RALLY The evening will commemorate Hadiyah Pendleton and all the other young people who have tragically lost their lives to gun violence. Those gathered will proceed to the Morrison Bridge, which will be illuminated in orange light. SONG OF MIRIAM AWARDS BRUNCH, JUNE 5 AT 10 AM
Photo of Susan Lazareck taken by Donna Kleinman Sunday, June 5 Havurah is excited to honor Susan Lazareck with this year's Song of Miriam Award. Susan and her husband Jack have been a part of the Havurah community for 30 years, and Susan has worn many hats during this time. Read more about Susan here. CONGREGATIONAL MEETING, JUNE 5 AT 2 PM Sunday, June 5 At our April 17 Congregational Meeting, we learned about the Gesher (Governance and Staffing Recommendations) team recommendations. The Gesher team was charged to consider and propose a new governance structure and operational framework to help Havurah carry forward our strategic plan and meet the needs and goals of our congregational community. The Gesher team's data gathering completed earlier this year identified issues around the manageability of volunteer leadership roles, confusion about our decision-making structure, and the need to focus the Steering Committee on policy and strategy issues vs. operational ones. The team decided to follow the framework in Havurah's Long Range Plan and to concentrate Havurah’s organizational structure on these focus areas – Kehillah (Community), Avodah (Spiritual Life), Limud (Lifelong Learning), Hadracha (Governance) and Tikkun Olam. Read more and submit your comments here. ALTER ROCKERS MEET AT MISSION THEATER, JUNE 5 AT 5 PM Following the Congregational Meeting, Havurah Alter Rockers will migrate to the Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St, for the 5:30 pm showing of "Dirty Dancing." The theater opens at 5:00 and sells beer and pub food. Interested in the movie? Email Roberta Michaels. Want to add your name and email to the Alter Rockers list for regular updates? Email Sarah Rosenberg. LOST BOYS OF PORTLANDIA Tuesday, June 7 Outside the Frame presents "The Lost Boys of Portlandia," a new documentary featuring the real lost children of Portland. In a riff on Peter Pan, homeless youth debate if and how to return to mainstream society while creating their own film version of the iconic story. The evening will include original film shorts by homeless youth and a Q&A with the filmmakers. Reserve your FREE ticket at otfpdx.bpt.me.
This event is sponsored by Havurah Shalom. Outside the Frame, directed by former Havurah High School Teacher Nili Yosha, offers film workshops to marginalized youth and video production services to organizations that need a voice. Preview the film here. 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. If you plan to attend the service and reading, please RSVP here by June 6. Mimi Epstein has generously offered to oversee the oneg set up and take down on June 10, but she needs another Havurah member to partner with her. If you're able to help, please let Mimi know. Thanks! PORTLAND JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL, JUNE 15-29 Havurah Shalom is one of the sponsors of the this year's Portland Jewish Film Festival, which is produced by the Northwest Film Center and co-presented with the Institute for Judaic Studies. Learn about and see clips of this year's films on the Portland Jewish Film Festival website. While the Festival specifically celebrates the diversity of Jewish history, culture, and identity, Festival planners hope that these films, and the stories they tell, resonate beyond their settings and speak to universal experiences and issues that confront our common humanity.
Presented annually since 1992 in partnership with the Institute for Judaic Studies, the Portland Jewish Film Festival celebrates the diversity of Jewish history, culture, and identity while speaking to the universal experiences and issues that confront all humanity. PRIDE PARADE - MARCH WITH HAVURAH ON SUNDAY, JUNE 19 Why will you march with Havurah this year? Is it because:
Whatever your reason, come and march with us at Pride. The parade leaves W Burnside and NW Park at 11:00 am. (Our actual "step off" time will be known the week of the parade.) It’s a flat, 1.5-mile walk ending at the Pride Festival, at the waterfront. Please RSVP here. For more information, contact Sandy Ramirez. - Evan King LET'S TAKE A DEEP BREATH ON BDS Mitchell Plitnick His writing has appeared in Ha’aretz, the New Republic, the Jordan Times, Middle East Report, the San Francisco Chronicle, +972 Magazine, Outlook, and other outlets. He was a columnist for Tikkun Magazine, Zeek Magazine and Souciant. He has spoken across the country on Middle East politics, and regularly offers commentary through a wide range of radio and television outlets including PBS News Hour, the O’Reilly Factor and CNBC Asia. PORTLAND THORNS VS SEATTLE REIGN Join us at Providence Park as the Portland Thorns take on the Seattle Reign. We have our own Havurah section reserved on the south end of the field. Get Fired Up! Pick up your family’s dinner and make new Havurah friends as you watch the Thorns and contribute to your favorite synagogue! Adults - $54 DON’T WAIT – We sold out all of our seats last year and are limited to 60 Thorns fans for the game. Click here to reserve your seats. 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 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. |
