Community Email, July 27
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THORNS GAME SATURDAY, BLACK LIVES MATTER, SHABBAT IN THE POOL
UPCOMING SHABBAT, TORAH-TALK & WEDNESDAY MINYAN Bat Mitzvah of Talia Sibilla This Saturday Talia Sibilla, daughter of Brynna and Dana Sibilla, will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah. Join us in celebrating with Talia and her family, and welcome her to our community. Mazel tov, Talia! Rabbi Joey's Video Interview by L.A.'s Jewish Journal (Torah-Talk) Rabbi Joey spoke about last week's Torah portion Balak and how it connects to our chagrin with political speech during election season in this video interview by L.A.'s Jewish Journal. Morning Minyan Our weekly Wednesday Morning Minyan is for people who want to incorporate a regular prayer practice in their lives and for people saying Kaddish for their loved ones. Please join us on Wednesday mornings at 8:30 am.
ROSES, THORNS & HAVURAH - THIS SATURDAY! Thorns Game is this Saturday - Tickets Still Available Reserve seats for you, your friends and your family HERE. Enjoy a fun night with your friends, watch our winning women's team, and enter your name in a raffle to win a handsome Portland Timbers scarf.
This is Havurah's only fundraiser in 2016! Interested in bringing your family or looking for financial assistance? Contact Debbi Nadell. HIGH HOLIDAYS MUSIC SHARING TONIGHT Our musical High Holiday preparations will begin in earnest later in August, but we have scheduled a couple of opportunities to come together to begin to think about some of our favorite music that we might wish to include this year, and to share some new melodies and ideas with one another. Upcoming music sharing sessions at Havurah are: Wednesday, July 27 — 7:00 to 8:30 pm, at Havurah Monday, Aug. 8 — 7:00 pm at Havurah Saturday, Aug. 27 — Havdalah and Music Sharing — time and place to be determined More sessions on different nights will begin later in August. We’ll do our best to accommodate everyone’s schedule with regard to the evenings we schedule our music sharing. In the meantime, come join us for a summer singalong tonight. - Ilene Safyan PORTLAND HOMELESS FAMILY SOLUTIONS NEWS RE: HAVURAH'S TIKKUN OLAM COMMITTEE'S DIRECT SERVICE PROJECT AT GOOSE HOLLOW SHELTER Goose Hollow Shelter Orientation Come see the shelter and how a basement space with basketball hoops gets transformed into private sleeping quarters for eight families every night of the year. Questions regarding this project? Contact Gloria Halper. SHABBAT IN THE POOL – RSVP BY THIS MONDAY! Saturday, Aug. 6
We will have the Sellwood Park Pool to ourselves from 5:15 to 6:15 pm, then gather for Havdalah singing, a story, and BYO picnic under the trees. RSVP here by this Monday, Aug. 1 with family name(s) and ages of any children so we can reserve enough lifeguards. In order to defray the major cost of renting the pool/lifeguards, please consider making a donation of $5–$15. The above photo was taken at last year's Shabbat in the Pool. BLACK LIVES MATTER Wednesday, Aug. 3 The Tikkun Olam Committee is hosting an open conversation about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and police violence on Wednesday, Aug. 3, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Havurah. This gathering, open to the Havurah community, is intended to provide a safe space to discuss issues and share feelings. Please RSVP here so we know how many people to expect. Questions? Contact Tikkun Olam Co-Chair Liz Schwartz. Read about other upcoming BLM-related events here. TISHA B'AV SERVICE Saturday, Aug. 13 Susan Brenner and Roger Brewer have kindly offered to lead a Tisha B'Av Service at Havurah on Saturday, Aug. 13, beginning at 8:30 pm. If you're interested in helping, please contact Susan. She's looking for Havurahniks to help with the planning! Tisha B'Av means Ninth of Av. It is a day of mourning to commemorate the tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people, many of which have occurred on the Ninth of Av. Learn more about Tisha B'Av here. If you can attend the service on Aug. 13, please bring a flashlight. HASSAN FAMILY UPDATE & HOW YOU CAN HELP Refugee Protection Act
Rachel Oh, Ken Lerner, and Chris Coughlin have continued to stay in touch with the Hassan family as their Cultural Navigator team. Between the three of them, some of the ways they have supported the family have been to go to the Social Security Administration office to help Aden unravel the delay with getting a social security number, drive Aden to an informational interview at Portland Public Schools, locate a donated computer and help Aden get it set up, revise Aden's resume, take the whole family to the zoo, and try to check in on a regular basis to see how they are doing. Overall they seem to be adjusting. But they can use our help. Read more here. Above photo of the Hassan Family was taken by Chris Coughlin. PARKING NEAR HAVURAH FOR THE MOBILITY-CHALLENGED For members experiencing mobility challenges (whether temporary or permanent) finding parking near Havurah on Saturday mornings can be a barrier to attending Shabbat services. Neighbors to the rescue! One of our neighboring businesses has offered us the use of ten spots on Saturdays, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. There are certain rules and restrictions. If you have mobility issues, and a nearby spot would make it easier for you to attend Saturday morning services, please contact the office, and we will provide more information. Other ways to travel to Havurah include these public transportation options (scroll to bottom of page) and Portland's new Biketown bicycles. GREAT FOOD, GREAT GAMES & FUN WITH FRIENDS Havurah Unpicnic Mark your calendars – Congregational Unpicnic at Havurah! We are starting with bagels at 10:00 am, then games, either the standing and moving kind (bean bag toss or other games) or the intellectual sort (board games, Settlers of Cataan, chess, Mah Jongg), or just catching up with old and new friends.
Organized games for children – any volunteers to help with this would be appreciated! If you'd like to lead an art project so people of all ages can create collages from leaves, sticks, grass, and other outdoor items, please contact Sarah Rosenberg. Games will be followed by a vegetarian potluck lunch at 12:30 pm. Please come and join us. And if you have any games or activities to bring, please do. The more the merrier! RSVP here. Questions? Email Sarah Rosenberg. Above photo is from Wikimedia. IN THE COMMUNITY ... Summer of Hope Concerts On July 31 and August 28, you will have two opportunities to spend Sunday afternoons listening to some inspirational music AND support two important agencies in our community. Beth Hamon will perform in concerts featuring her original music, and a portion of the proceeds from each concert will support the Oregon Food Bank and the Portland Food Projects. If your summer plans have you in Portland on either of these dates, I encourage you to please add these events to your calendar and to reserve your tickets now! - Ilene Safyan Award-winning songwriter and Havurah member Beth Hamon leads at many of Havurah's services. Your ticket purchase to one of two private house concerts will raise funds to fight hunger in Oregon and Beth's new album (which is ready to be recorded!). The Oregon Food Bank concert is Sunday, July 31, 4:00 to 6:00 pm, in SW Portland. Tickets: http://bethhamonjuly31.bpt.me The Portland Food Project concert is Sunday, Aug. 28, 4:00 to 6:00 pm, in NE Portland. Tickets: http://bethhamonaug28.bpt.me Birthright Israel: Israel Experts – Reconstructionist Adventure Camp JRF, the Jewish Reconstructionist Communities, and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College invite you and your friends (ages 21 to 26) to explore Israel over ten days this December. Hike, learn, sing and connect with the land, people, history and culture. Whether you’ve visited before or this will be your first time, you’ll have an incredible experience. Learn more here. ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR RABBI THROUGH SEPTEMBER 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. The Rabbi Search Committee will begin reviewing applications on July 17, 2016, and applications will be accepted through Sept. 30, 2016. 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! |
