Hineinu: Elul 5783 Gatherings Starting Soon and More
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Date Added
Hineinu, August 2, 2023
Explore and Sign Up for Havurah's Elul Gatherings Havurah is celebrating the month of Elul with gatherings spanning spiritual, text-based, political, ecological and creative topics. We hope you will find them enriching, fun, moving, and worthwhile.
This year we are inviting all members to make art in any medium as another way to reflect your thoughts and feelings as we approach the High Holidays.
Your art can be in response to our annual theme or an expresssion of how you see yourself, our community, your connection to it, or anything else you are pondering as we approach the Days of Awe. Deadline is August 23. Send photos of your art via email to rachel.pollak@havurahshalom.org with the subject line Reflection 2023 and complete this form.
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
Creating a Brit Kavod: Gesher Seeks Havurahnik Volunteers The Gesher Committee wrote an article in the July 2023 Hakolon our desire to create a Brit Kavod, or a Code of Behavior, for our community. Based on the article, a number of Havurah members have already volunteered to work on this process. Gesher is looking for additional Havurah members to bring their ideas and creativity to this important endeavor. We hope to establish some dates and times for meetings before the High Holidays. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, contact Fran Weick.
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 10 am, Saturdays, Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph All are welcome at our Shabbat services, including b'nei mitzvah services. Upcoming b'nei mitzvahare 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
Celebrate Elul 5783 Sunday, August 6 to Friday, September 15, approximately –Various days, times, locations, and modes of delivery
We are approaching the final month of the Jewish calendar, Elul, which carries us into the High Holidays.
Elul gatherings taking place in the next couple weeks include the following (click on the event titles to learn more and RSVP/sign up): Creative Ways to Express Your Grief (first session is Sunday, August 6 at 2 pm on Zoom); High Holidays Greeter & Usher Training(Sunday, August 13 at 1 pm on Zoom); Make Your Own Talit(Sunday, August 13 at 4 pm, in person at Havurah); and Life Story Midrash (first session is Tuesday, August 15 at 7 pm on Zoom).
Steering Meeting 6:30 pm, Tuesday, August 8 – Zoom Room Gimel All Havurah members are invited to attend the monthly meetings of the Havurah Steering Committee.
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.
HCAT Book Group to Begin Reading Under the Sky We Make 5 pm, Monday, August 21 (details on subsequent HCAT Book Group meetings TBD; usually first or third Monday) – Zoom Room Gimel All Havurah members are welcome to become part of the Havurah Climate Action Team (HCAT) Book Group as we embark on our next book addressing the climate crisis, Under the Sky We Make, by climate scientist Kimberly Nicholas, PhD. In her best-selling book, Dr. Nicholas offers a hopeful, clear-eyed, and sometimes hilarious guide to affecting real change. For the August 21 meeting, please aim to read the book's introduction and first chapter. Details on the reading schedule and subsequent HCAT Book Group meetings, including an online meet-the-author event in September, will be posted in the calendar and Hineinu. Questions? Contact Harriet Cooke.
More Tikkun Olam
A New Request for Maria and Carlos Well, our ask for a bed for Rosa, Maria's cousin, was answered! But now we are seeking someone with a small pickup to transport it from the Pearl to their Beaverton apartment. We will work on getting young backs to move the bed. Also, they need twin sheets and blankets–and some pillows would be great. If you can help in any way, please contact Kathy Gordon or Debbi Nadel; there may be other ways you can support the family as well.
Christine & The Zamlers: The Lost Klezmer Music of S. Ansky 7:30 pm, Monday, August 7 – Eastside Jewish Commons, 2420 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland
Christina and The Zamlers (Christina Crowder, Jack “Yankl” Falk, Andrew Ehrlich) invite you to join our “community expedition” into an extraordinary discovery: the unlikely release of thousands of unique musical manuscripts from a Kyiv archive, where they had lain unseen for more than 100 years.
This concert will showcase some of the music and songs that have been rescued from obscurity — from deeply moving Hasidic nigunim and classically inflected klezmer concertos, to jaunty mazurkas, lively Jewish circle dances, and more. All Ages, $12-$18 sliding scale/person. Learn more and get tickets.
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.
New Parking Now Available! Legacy has generously given us permission to park in its lot at 1919 NW Lovejoy on weekdays after 5 pm and all day on weekends. We can park in any spot but 1-10. We hope this will make it easier to come for services and other programming! Please help us maintain our relationship with Legacy by honoring these guidelines.
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) 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.
(IP) What’s All This About Prayer? Wednesday, Aug 27th 6:30p to 8:00p What blocks you from praying? Maybe you don’t believe in God, or see no purpose in sitting there pretending to be spiritual. This class will study the reasons for prayer as explained and amplified by our sages, both ancient and current. It will be very interactive.
Emily Simon has been a member of Havurah since 1980. She now resides in Ashland where she is also a member of Temple Emek Shalom. She is a devoted student of Jewish text and an enthusiastic and effective teacher.
