Hineinu: Elul 5783 Gatherings Starting Soon and More
Author
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 with Music Shabbaton (w/ Aly Halpert) Shabbat, May 10th 10:00a to 12:00p This community minyan will feature the musical contributions of Aly Halpert who is in residence with us this Shabbat. 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.
(IP) Tot Shabbat Shabbat, May 10th 10:30a to 11:15a Young children (0-5) and parents celebrate with singing, movement, blessings, and storytelling. All are welcome! Please RSVP when you plan to come. We provide free childcare for those staying to enjoy the full Shabbat service that ends at noon and which is followed by a light community brunch. Email info@havurahshalom.org to learn more.
(IP) Songs for Liberation Song Circle (w/ Aly Halpert) Shabbat, May 10th 4:30p to 6:30p (Currently this event is for Havurah members only, as registrations are capped at 80 people. Havurah members, be sure to RSVP.) Rising Song Records artist Aly Halpert concludes our music shabbaton with a Song Circle, a space to enjoy our voices together as we learn new and ancient Jewish songs and niggunim together. Aly Halpert is at the epicenter of a resurgence of Jewish music-making– introducing new tunes, new words, and new ways of bringing music into davening and community-building.
Rose Haven Walk (register at their 2025 Reigning Roses Walk site) Sunday, May 11th 10:00a to 1:00p Rose Haven supporters and guests will unite to stride a beautiful route through NW Portland on Mother’s Day at the 12th Annual Reigning Roses Walk. Walk with, or in honor of, a special woman in your life – a mother, grandmother, daughter, partner, or friend. 10 am check-in, 11 am begin walking. (We've cancelled the Havurah Teen Engagement plan for this event; just go to the Rose Haven 2025 Reigning Roses Walk website to register!)
(IP) Jewish Ethical Responses to the Problem of Racism Monday, May 12th 6:30p to 7:45p We will address topics such as countering white nationalism and antisemitism, Jewish perspectives on reparations, repairing Jewish pioneer memory, and responding to racial microaggressions. Facilitated by Karen Sherman and Adela Basayne.
(HYB) Steering Meeting Tuesday, May 13th 6:30p to 8:30p Steering members and staff will meet to consider matters of governance. All Havurah Shalom members are invited to attend Steering Committee meetings. For Zoom join links, visit havurahshalom.org/zoom (must be logged in) or call the office in advance for assistance (503-248-4662).
(IP) Hebrew as a Tool: Prayer and Torah (registration closed) Wednesday, May 14th 7:00p to 8:15p (This class will now be starting on January 8.) Using an in-depth, word-by-word approach, we discover literal meaning(s), ancient layers of understanding, and our own personal interpretations that stem from the nuances of the Hebrew text. Basic Hebrew decoding skills necessary.
(IP) B’nei Mitzvah Drash and Service Workshop Thursday, May 15th 7:00p to 8:00p Students and parents are guided through responding to Torah in a drash. You will also take a walk through the Shabbat Morning service. Led by Sarah Shine.
(HYB) Text and Torah Shabbat: "Forgotten" Jewish Rituals Shabbat, May 17th 10:00a to 12:00p One hour of text study with Diane Chaplin on special topics, followed by a brief service. 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.
