Daily Shofar Blast - Beginning on Rosh Chodesh Elul
Friday, August 18 to Friday, September 15 (except on Shabbat) – Havurah Facebook Page
Daily Elul Kavannah and Shofar blasts will be posted on the Havurah Shalom Facebook page by Diane Chaplin, Howard Patterson & Andrine de la Rocha. Elul Tov! The daily shofar blasts are being offered as part of Havurah Shalom’s celebration of the Hebrew month of Elul. To access the daily shofar post, visit (and sign up for) the Havurah Facebook page here.
HCAT Book Group is Reading Under the Sky We Make
5 pm to 6:30 pm, typically the first and third Mondays of each month – Zoom Room Gimel
All Havurah members are welcome to become part of the Havurah Climate Action Team (HCAT) Book Group as we engage in reading 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. The first session took place on August 21 and covered the introduction and first chapter; details for upcoming sessions—including which chapters to read—will be shared in Hineinu and in the calendar. Reach out to Harriet Cooke if you have questions. (Havurah members only.) RSVP
Kabbalah for T'shuvah
7 pm to 8:15 pm, Thursdays, August 24 and 31; September 7 and 14 – Havurah Shalom
This is a four-week class for exploring our understanding of and relationship with God for T’shuvah. Through meditation, journaling, reading and discussing excerpts from Rabbi Alan Lew’s book, This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared, and Rabbi Abner Weiss’s book, Connecting to God, Ancient Kabbalah and Modern Psychology, we’ll turn the ideas of Elul into the practice of Elul. Limit 10 participants. Led by Harriet Cooke. All are welcome. RSVP
Return of the Beavers: A Walk Along Fanno Creek
8:30 am to 11 am, Sunday, August 27 – Hideaway Park, Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District
This walk/hike will focus on the environmental transformation of an urban/suburban watershed by beavers. We'll observe and discuss the rise in the water table and resulting growth in vegetation, underground storage of water, flood control and learn about the positive effects of the return of beaver to the Fanno Creek watershed. Please note this program will require walking about 1.5 miles on uneven and at times muddy ground. Led by Jeffry Gottfried. All are welcome. RSVP
Temperature Tapestry Climate Project
10 am to 11 am, Sunday, August 27 – Havurah Shalom RSVP
or 11:15 am to 12:15 pm, Sunday, August 27 – Zoom Room Heh RSVP
Want to be part of another meaningful art installation at Havurah? Let's gather and get Creative for the Climate! We will be knitting, crocheting, weaving, etc. a tapestry that tracks the temperature during different times in history up to the present for Portland, Oregon. Coordinating colors, we will make stripes representing the temperature. For example, red for the hottest and purple or blue for the coldest, with other colors representing in-between temps. Using weather data, we will make rows that designate the high temperature for that day in Portland. Yarn will be provided; sliding scale payment. Led by Judi Soloway. All are welcome.
Conversation About Our Pilgrimage to the Deep South: Reckoning with Our Shameful History of Racism
3 pm to 4:30 pm, Sunday, August 27 – Havurah Shalom
An informal discussion about the pilgrimage taken by four Havurah members in March to Alabama and Georgia with 200 other Reconstructionist Jews from around the US, including twenty Jews of color, some of whom were rabbis of color. Highlights were Bryan Stevenson’s Legacy Museum and Memorial to lynching victims, the Rosa Parks Museum, hearing from survivors of Bloody Sunday in Selma, and attending Sunday church service at the Ebenezer Baptist church, founded by Martin Luther King, Jr. All are welcome. RSVP
Teen Room Mural Painting & Posters
3 pm to 5 pm, Sunday, August 27 – The Havurah Annex
Calling all Havurah teens (7th-12th grade) for mural painting and poster making! We had a fantastic first day painting a mural on one of the walls in the new Teen Room and the entryway at the Havurah Annex. Join us as we continue painting the murals and begin making posters for the Rose Haven Book Drive. Come reconnect with Havurah friends and meet new teens too! Cupcakes, cookies and drinks provided. RSVP
Ice Cream Social with Our Houseless Neighbors
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Sunday, August 27 – Havurah Shalom Courtyard
The Havurah Poverty and Homelessness Committee will be holding a face-to-face social gathering in the Havurah courtyard for Elul as a way of saying thank you to all who appreciate and respect our courtyard space, and to remind us to recognize each other’s basic humanity. We will sit together and enjoy a treat. Not to discuss social problems, not to offer service, just share with folks who so often can feel invisible—a small way of gaining understanding for all who attend. Check out the event flyer. We believe this event is in the spirit of Tikkum Olam and Teshsuvah. Questions? Contact Marcia Suttenberg or Steve Rudman. All are welcome. RSVP
Meeting for Proposed Havurah Committee for Palestine Justice
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Monday, August 28 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Bet
Havurah's Steering Committee is considering our (the proposed Havurah Committee for Palestine Justice's) application to become a Tikkun Olam committee. The Steering Committee would like to know how we plan to advocate for Palestinian justice. Please come to this meeting to discuss this and other important topics. Bring your ideas and proposals. (Havurah members only.) Questions? Contact David Newman.
Taking Action Lunch Bunch
12 pm to 1 pm, Tuesday, August 29 – Zoom Room Heh
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, 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. Questions? Contact Elianne Lieberman. (Havurah members only.) RSVP
Peter Beinart: Reparations and the Palestinian Right of Return as a Form of Teshuvah for the Nakba
5 pm to 6:30 pm, Tuesday, August 29 – Offsite Zoom Room
Peter Beinart will take part in a nationally organized conversation with Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman of Reconstructionist Congregation Shaarei Shamayim focused on reparations and the Palestinian Right of Return as a form of teshuvah for the Nakba, a subject which Beinart has also written about here. You can sign up for the August 29 event via this link (or you can RSVP with Havurah to be emailed the sign-up link). A follow-up discussion with Rabbi Benjamin will take place the following week on Tuesday, September 5. Questions? Contact Joel Beinin or Lee Gordon. (All are welcome to this nationwide event that Havurah's Israel/Palestine Committee is co-sponsoring.)
Also, “Dare I Call You Cousin” exhibition by Havurah member and poet Frances Payne Adler, photographer Michal Fattal, and filmmaker Yossi Yacov, about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is now published online. Exhibited originally at Havurah.
Rosh Ḥodesh Tov! Gender-Inclusive New Moon Ritual
Evening of Wednesday, August 30 and subsequent new moons starting in October – In Person or Zoom Room Heh (Leader will announce which.)
A gender-inclusive New Moon group, learning and celebrating each Rosh Ḥodesh with ancient and contemporary ritual. 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. Please RSVP to be updated on the location and other details throughout the year.
The Play of Turning and Returning
7 pm to 8:15 pm, Wednesday, August 30, 2023 – Havurah Shalom RSVP
or 7 pm to 8:15 pm, Thursday, August 31 – Zoom Room Heh RSVP
Using simple, incremental birthright practices of story, voice, movement, and stillness, we'll enter the text and discover our own personal midrash, stories, chochma flashes (insights, ahas!). Open to everyone: cultural creatives and recovering serious people, newbies and scholars. Childcare will be provided for the in-person version. Led by Cassandra Sagan. All are welcome.
Shabbat Morning with Bar Mitzvah of Roger Veneklase
10 am, Saturday, September 2 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
Please join us for Shabbat morning services, including welcoming Roger Veneklase as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community. All are welcome.
Jonah: A Deep Dive During Elul
7 pm to 8:15 pm, Tuesday, September 5 – Havurah Shalom
Join Emily Simon to learn and discuss many of the myriad interpretations of Jonah—all the way from Herman Melville to feminist theorists, to our very own previous Havurah teen drashes (and if you don’t remember the teen drashes—it’s even more reason to come!). Expect to have a good time, find out what resonates for the class, and then—if you are willing—be prepared to participate in the Mincha service on Yom Kippur. Readings will be emailed ahead of class. Familiarity with the Jonah story is much appreciated but not required. All are welcome. RSVP
Teen Engagement Commitee Monthly Meeting
7 pm to 8 pm, Tuesday, September 5 – Zoom Room Heh
We need your and your teen's help in keeping the momentum going as, together, we develop engaging opportunities for them to connect. (Havurah members only.)
Rabbi Benjamin Leads a Discussion of the Peter Beinart Presentation
7 pm to 8:15 pm on Tuesday, September 5 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Dalet
Rabbi Benjamin will lead a Torah and values-based discussion of the complex issues raised by Peter Beinart’s Aug 29 Conversation: “Reparations and the Palestinian Right of Return as a Form of Teshuvah for the Nakba.” You are strongly urged to watch the Beinart conversation live or recorded prior to attending this discussion (to attend the August 29 Peter Beinart talk, you can register via this link). All are welcome. Click here to RSVP for the discussion led by Rabbi Benjamin.
A Reparations Primer
6 pm to 7:15 pm, Wednesday, September 6 – Zoom Room Dalet
Considerations about reparations are complicated. This causes any meaningful discussion about reparations not to go anywhere. This discussion will not answer many questions but will provide a framework for thinking about what it means to plan for a reparations program. The hope is that people will learn the language and tools to discuss reparations. This discussion might also motivate people to participate in our 5-part class offering about reparations offered by the Racial Justice Committee in the fall. There may be some short pre-readings. Questions? All are welcome. Please reach out to Bob Brown. RSVP
Safety and Situational Awareness: Useful Skills For Greeters, Ushers, and All Members
6:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Wednesday, September 6 – Zoom Room Heh RSVP
or 1 pm to 2 pm, Sunday, September 10 – Havurah Shalom RSVP
During Elul, all Havurah members are warmly encouraged to sign up for our safety and awareness training, listed in the Elul offerings as Greeter and Usher Training. While anyone who is interested in ushering at High Holidays or in being a greeter at High Holidays and at Havurah throughout the year is encouraged to take this training, it’s not just for greeters and ushers! This training gives you valuable skills around situational awareness, welcoming, and de-escalation (among others) that can benefit everyone. You will learn how to respond appropriately to challenging situations that can come up in anyone’s life — at home, at work, at school, or out in the community. The two remaining class sessions are the same, except one is on Zoom and the other is in person at Havurah. Questions? Contact Joel Bettridge or Rachel Pollak (rachel@havurahshalom.org). (These trainings are for Havurah members only.)
Growing a Tree of Intentions After the Al Chet
7 pm to 8:15 pm, Thursday, September 7 – Havurah Shalom
How do you make baring your soul (anonymously) fun? By participating in a ribbon tree project! Participate in this kick-off event of the Ribbon Tree Project, a way to inspire each other as we begin the new Jewish year. The Yom Kippur Al Chet prayer has us examine where we “missed the mark” in the past year. After taking a closer look at the prayer, and using a Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) lens and personal reflectional time, we’ll start creating a tree of intentions and hope for the coming year. Led by Elianne Lieberman. All are welcome. RSVP
Shabbat Morning with Bar Mitzvah of Abraham Cogan
10 am, Saturday, September 9 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
Please join us for Shabbat morning services, including welcoming Abraham Cogan as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community. All are welcome.
Selichot
9 pm to 10 pm, Saturday, September 9 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Neshama
The Saturday before Rosh Hashana, we gather to begin to ready our hearts for the compassion and forgiveness the High Holidays ask of us. All are welcome.
For more upcoming events—High Holidays and Elul gatherings—check out Havurah's 5784 High Holidays packet.
