Hineinu: High Holidays Accessibility Survey, Erev Tisha B'av Service, and More
Author
Date Added
Hineinu, July 19, 2023
(The HavurahShalom.org website is expected to be down for repairs from about 7 pm to 9:30 pm tonight, July 19, 2023. Many of the links below may not work during that time!)
High Holidays Accessibility Survey is Open
The High Holidays Planning Team is reaching out to our members to learn more about any accessibility challenges that you may anticipate having or that you may have had in the past in Havurah spaces, such as the Tiffany Center, Havurah Shalom, and Youtube/Zoom.
Please help us make the High Holidays welcoming and accessible by taking this anonymous survey. Your input will help improve everyone's experience during High Holidays.
Please respond by this Friday (July 21). Thank you!
Check out these meaningful, paid teaching opportunities at Havurah:
Teach Beginning Hebrew Reading to Havurah Youth - Before Shabbat School on Saturdays - Sixteen Sessions -Click Here to Learn More
Teach Havurah 7th and 8th Graders Jewish Cooking & Culture - Wednesday Evenings - Six to Twelve Sessions - Click Here to Learn More
Hakol Submission Deadline: Thursday, July 20
Havurahniks, the deadline to get in your completed submissions for the August 2023 issue of Hakol, Havurah's monthly newsletter, is Thursday, July 20.Click to learn more.
Tisha B'av Service 7 pm, Wednesday, July 26 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
On Erev Tisha B'av, Havurah will hold a brief (one-hour) evening service with readings and contemplation about the losses we’ve experienced and the meanings we can make of loss as a community.Click to learn more.
Regular Happenings
Thank you for following our COVID safety guidelines for in-person gatherings, which were updated on June 15, 2023.
If a member's name is hyperlinked below, you can go directly to their contact page in the directory by clicking on their name and then logging into your Havurah account.
Zoom Room links can be found near the end of this email.
Weekly Torah Study 9 am, Saturdays, Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Bet
An in-depth look at the weekly Torah reading, led by congregants. No prior knowledge or study is necessary.
Shabbat Morning Service 10 am, Saturdays, Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
All are welcome at our Shabbat services, including b'nei mitzvah services. Upcoming b'nei mitzvah (Quinn Mafchir-Werth, July 22) are listed in the website calendar.
Mahjong Group 1 pm, first and third Mondays, Havurah Shalom Library
Mahjong is a fun, social activity that builds community, encouraging new friendships and cementing old ones. If you want to learn how to play, please contact Leah Hershey for teaching resources. If you are ready to join a game, pleaseRSVP on the calendar. To receive Mahjong Group updates, ask Leah to add you to the email list.
Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation 12 pm, Tuesdays – 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tuesdays: Zoom Room Bet only; 2nd and 4th Tuesdays: Havurah Shalom (Sanctuary or Library) and Zoom Room Bet.
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 8:30 am, Wednesdays, Zoom Room Aleph & In Person at Havurah
For all who want a regular prayer practice and those saying Kaddish. All are welcome.
Upcoming Events
Shabbat Morning with Bar Mitzvah of Quinn Mafchir-Werth 10 am, Saturday, July 22 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
Please join us for Shabbat morning services, incliding welcoming Quinn Mafchir-Werth as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community.
Book Group: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue 7 pm, Tuesday, July 25 – Zoom Room Bet
Winner of the 2017 PEN/Faulkner award for fiction, this debut novel tells the story of Jende Jonga, a Cameroonian immigrant living in Harlem. Jende has come to the United States to provide a better life for himself, his wife, Neni, and their six-year-old son. In the fall of 2007, Jende can hardly believe his luck when he lands a job as a chauffeur for Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers. But secrets and troubles soon emerge with the advent of the 2008 financial crisis. Discussion led by David Newman. Nonmembers welcome.RSVPfor Zoom info.
Tisha B'Av Service 7 pm, Wednesday, July 26 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
On Erev Tisha B'av, we will hold a brief (one-hour) evening service with readings and contemplation about the losses we’ve experienced and the meanings we can make of loss as a community. Questions? Contact Adela Basayne, Havurah Program Director, at adela@havurahshalom.org.
Eyes on the Ground: Israel Report-Backs 7 pm, Thursday, July 27 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Bet
Please join Havurah Shalom and P’nai Or for a photo journey report-back of members’ recent trips to Israel and the Occupied Territories. Some of us joined the recent Jewish Federation trip. Others joined delegations with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, an organization that partners with Palestinian and Israeli activists for Palestinian justice, supports Palestinian projects and helps protect Palestinians from Jewish settler violence. Learn the significance of recent events and how they relate to Tisha B’Av. Questions? ContactHarriet Cooke. RSVP
Climate Action Team Meeting (HCAT) 5:30 pm, Monday, July 31 – Zoom Room Gimel
Join the Havurah Climate Action Team's monthly meeting.
Teen Engagement Committee Meeting 7 pm, Tuesday, August 1 – Zoom Room Heh
Help create ongoing opportunities for teen engagement at Havurah. Meetings held on the first Tuesday of each month.
It's Time to Save Our Most Valuable Lands 7 pm, Tuesday, August 8 – Havurah Sanctuary
Havurah will host Uris Shanas, founder of This is My Earth (TiME), an international organization to save our most precious lands, who will discuss TiME and it’s innovative way to steward hotspots around the world with transparent, democratic, and equal principles. Uris is a graduate of PSU and an Israeli citizens. Co-sponsored by Havurah’s Climate Action Team and the Jewish Federation of Portland. (Questions? Contact Elianne Lieberman. Please note that the Jewish Federation is handling event registation.) Register at jewishportland.org/time
More Tikkun Olam
Maria & Carlos: Seeking a Bed for a Guatemalan Family We Sponsor
For over three years, Havurah has been accompanying Maria and Carlos, a Guatemalan family seeking asylum. Very recently, they were joined by Rosa, Maria's 27-year-old cousin who fled Guatemala to seek asylum in the U.S. She is living with Maria and Carlos and the family is short one twin bed. There may be other ways to support the family as well. If you are interested in helping, please contact either Kathy Gordon or Debbi Nadel.
Disarming Danger: BeAware Situational Awareness Training 11 am to 12:15 pm (Pacific Time), Thursday, July 27 – Zoom (register below)
Join the Secure Community Network for a webinar to learn how to disarm danger before it occurs with our national BeAware situational awareness training curriculum. Led by Jewish communal security training experts, this webinar will also include insight from former FBI Special Agent and Threat Assessment Expert Molly Amman. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Rachel Pollak, Havurah Office & Facilities Manager, at rachel@havurahshalom.org.
"Bookish: Ceramic Sculpture & Photography" (an exhibition by Willa Schneberg)
Saturday August 12 - Sunday, September 3 – Astoria Visual Arts (Gallery) (1000 Duane St., Astoria, Oregon)
There will be a 5 pm artist talk at the August 12 opening. On September 2, at 2 pm, Havurahnik Willa Schneberg will read from her new collection, The Naked Room, and offer a free poetry workshop from 3 to 4:30 pm, “Developing Radical Empathy Through the Persona Poem.” There will be a 12-participants maximum. Each participant will receive a copy of The Naked Room. If you are interested, please register by emailing astoriavisualarts@gmail.com. Funded in part by a grant by the Ford Family Foundation.
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.
(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 meeting. 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.
(ZM) Havurah Climate Action Team Meeting Monday, Aug 25th 5:00p to 6:30p Havurah members, join the next monthly meeting of Havurah's Climate Action Team in Zoom Room Gimel, from 5 pm to 6:30 pm. ***For Havurah members who are not already on HCAT, RSVP/register to be emailed the agenda for our next meeting when it's ready. You don't have to commit to attending all the meetings listed.*** Questions? Contact Elianne Lieberman or Marianna Grossman.
(IP) Hebrew for Prayer: The Ashamnu Monday, Aug 25th 6:30p to 7:30p Come explore key prayers of the High Holiday liturgy. We will be looking at the Ashamnu prayer through the lens of Hebrew grammar and vocabulary in order to gain some translation skills and find essential meanings of the prayer. It is helpful to be able to decode the aleph-bet, although not necessary if you are comfortable with transliteration. Led by Patty Magid-Volk.
(ZM) Palestinian Justice Letter Writing Group Monday, Aug 25th 7:00p to 8:00p 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.
(ZM) Healing the Heart, Soothing the Soul: A Grief Process Support Group Tuesday, Aug 26th 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.
(HYB) Special Steering Meeting: Staffing Task Force Presenting Comprehensive Staffing Plan Tuesday, Aug 26th 6:30p to 8:30p The Staffing Task Force will be presenting the comprehensive staffing plan which has been created through community and staff feedback about the needs of our community to support members, staff and ensure our sustainability as a participatory community. The plan includes a number of staffing models for Steering to consider. This meeting is to introduce the plan and respond to questions from Steering and Staff.
At the September Steering meeting, the Staffing Task Force will have another opportunity to answer questions from Steering and Staff and then a decision will be made in October by Steering on how to proceed.
Havurah members are invited to this presentation on 8/26 but questions will only be entertained from Steering and Staff so as to ensure that Steering and Staff have ample opportunity to understand the models being presented so Steering can make an informed decision in October.
