Hineinu, December 20, 2023

OJMCHE Portland Jewish Film Festival Sponsorship Opportunity for Havurah Shalom: Will You Take the Lead?
Havurah Shalom has the opportunity to become a sponsor for the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education (OJMCHE) Portland Jewish Film Festival, which will take place January 9 - 14 at Portland State University. We need a Havurah-member volunteer to be the point person for the distribution of tickets that come with sponsorship. Is that person you? If yes, please be in touch with Adela Basayne (adela@havurahshalom.org) right away—by no later than 10 am on Friday, December 22! Otherwise, we'll pass this year, and sponsor next year. Learn more about the OJMCHE PJFF.

Panim el Panim: Another Havdalah Gathering to Listen and Share Our Thoughts and Feelings about the Current Situation in Israel/Palestine
7 pm, Saturday, January 6 – In-person at Havurah and online in Zoom Room Gimel
As the heartbreak and precariousness of this moment continues, we are convening another opportunity to gather with each other to share and listen. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate, whether or not you attended the gathering in November. Once again, the intention will be for us each to name what we are experiencing, to be heard and hear one another without confrontation or pressure to identify any particular positions. We will again provide clear guidelines, so that each person will have equal opportunities to speak and equal responsibility to listen.

Please join in person if you’re comfortable and able, and for this gathering we will also provide a Zoom option. The opening and closing of the program will be hybrid, while the sharing itself in pairs and small groups will be separate, with in-person and Zoom programs running simultaneously.

Hopefully we are each continuing to tend to our needs in this trying moment. For some, encountering different perspectives may not be what you need. But if you are moved to join, we look forward to being together as we continue to build trust with one another.

This gathering is intended for members of Havurah Shalom. RSVP

Gate Proposal for Courtyard and Kearney Street
There will be three Havurah community-wide meetings (one-hour long): 5 pm on Thursday, December 21; 6 pm on Thursday, December 28; and 7 pm on Thursday, January 4 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Gimel
At the December Steering meeting, the Gate Resolution Work Group (GRWG) proposed that Steering approve installation of a gate in the courtyard entrance walkway and one at the Kearney Street alcove. Proposal details will be shared in a stand-alone email to the community on Thursday, December 14. A Steering vote on the proposal will take place on January 9, 2024. Havurah members can attend three community-wide meetings at Havurah and on Zoom-—December 21 at 5 pm, December 28 at 6 pm, and January 4 at 7 pm—to offer input and ask questions before the vote. The GRWG will reach out starting this week to committees and groups who use the building regularly for input. Contact David Kertzner, Co-President with questions. Havurah members, click on the links to RSVP for the hybrid, Havurah community-wide meetings on Dec. 21 at 5 pm;  Dec. 28 at 6 pm; and/or Jan. 4 at 7 pm.

Have You Explored the "More Tikkun Olam" and "Out in the Community" Sections of Hineinu?
Want to learn (more) about Tikkun Olam happenings connected to Havurah, including Havurah Shalom Tikkun Olam committee-led undertakings and events and publications from Havurah Shalom partners? Scroll down in every issue of Hineinu to "More Tikkun Olam."

Want to learn about some of the many opportunities and happenings in the broader Jewish community in our area, including events led by Havurahniks and opportunities of special interest to Havurah members? Scroll down in every issue of Hineinu to "Out in the Community."

General Info

Thank you for following our COVID safety guidelines for in-person gatherings, which were updated on June 15, 2023. Contacting your fellow Havurah members: 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. Or search in the online Havurah member directory (log into the website and go to the Contact tab). Zoom/YouTube stream links can be found near the end of this email.

Regular Havurah Happenings

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 mitzvah are listed below and in the website calendar. (On Saturday, January 6, there will be a Contemplative Shabbat service.)

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, please RSVP on the calendar. To receive Mahjong Group updates, ask Leah to add you to the email list.

Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation
12 pm, 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 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
For all who want a regular prayer practice and those saying Kaddish. All are welcome.

Upcoming Havurah Events

Hakol Submission Deadline: Thursday, December 21
Havurahniks, click here to learn more on submitting short articles for the next issue of our monthly synagogue newsletter, Hakol. The deadline for the January 2024 Hakol is Thursday, December 21.

Havurah Community-wide Meetings on Gate Proposal for Courtyard and Kearney Street
There will be three Havurah community-wide meetings (one-hour long): 5 pm on Thursday, December 21; 6 pm on Thursday, December 28; and 7 pm on Thursday, January 4 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Gimel
At the December Steering meeting, the Gate Resolution Work Group (GRWG) proposed that Steering approve installation of a gate in the courtyard entrance walkway and one at the Kearney Street alcove. Proposal details will be shared in a stand-alone email to the community on Thursday, December 14. A Steering vote on the proposal will take place on January 9, 2024. Members can attend three community-wide meetings at Havurah and on Zoom-—December 21 at 5 pm, December 28 at 6 pm, and January 4 at 7 pm—to offer input and ask questions before the vote. The GRWG will reach out starting this week to committees and groups who use the building regularly for input. Contact David Kertzner, Co-President with questions. Havurah members, click on the links to RSVP for the hybrid, Havurah community-wide meetings on Dec. 21 at 5 pm;  Dec. 28 at 6 pm; and/or Jan. 4 at 7 pm.

Havurah Office Closure: Administrative Holiday
The Havurah Shalom office will be closed on Monday, December 25

Alte-Rockers and Christmas Chinese Dinner Get Together
4 pm to 6 pm, Monday, December 25 – Street Wok Chinese Restaurant, 6050 SW Macadam Avenue, Portland (RSVP in advance with Ted Scheinman, as space is limited)
A Jewish (and Alte-Rockers) tradition is to go out to eat Chinese food for Christmas day, as these restaurants are usually open. This year, we will go to Street Wok to socialize and have our our dinner. Please contact Ted Scheinman (via Havurah Directory) to RSVP, as we have a limited number of spaces available.

Havurah Book Group Discussion: The Promise by Damon Galgut
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Tuesday, December 26, 2023 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Bet
2021 Booker Prize winner The Promise, by Damon Galgut, charts the crash and burn of a white South African family, living on a farm outside Pretoria. The Swarts are gathering for Ma's funeral. The younger generation, Anton and Amor, detest everything the family stands for—not least the failed promise to the Black woman who has worked for them her whole life. After years of service, Salome was promised her own house, her own land...yet somehow, as each decade passes, that promise remains unfulfilled. The narrator's eye shifts and blinks: moving fluidly between characters, flying into their dreams; deliciously lethal in its observation. And as the country moves from old deep divisions to its new so-called fairer society, the lost promise of more than just one family hovers behind the novel's title. In this story of a diminished family, sharp and tender emotional truths hit home. Confident, deft and quietly powerful, The Promise is literary fiction at its finest. Fiction: 293 pages Discussion led by David Newman. Nonmembers welcome. RSVP for Zoom info for this hybrid meeting on December 26.

Panim el Panim: Another Havdalah Gathering to Listen and Share Our Thoughts and Feelings about the Current Situation in Israel/Palestine
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Saturday, January 6 – Havurah and Zoom Room Gimel
As the heartbreak and precariousness of this moment continues, we are convening another opportunity to gather with each other to share and listen. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate, whether or not you attended the gathering in November. Once again, the intention will be for us each to name what we are experiencing, to be heard and hear one another without confrontation or pressure to identify any particular positions. We will again provide clear guidelines, so that each person will have equal opportunities to speak and equal responsibility to listen. Hopefully we are each continuing to tend to our needs in this trying moment. For some, encountering different perspectives may not be what you need. But if you are moved to join, we look forward to being together as we continue to build trust with one another. This hybrid gathering is intended for members of Havurah Shalom. Learn more and RSVP.

Good Grief?!? Welcoming the Complexity of Grief with an Open Heart
11 am to 12:30 pm, Sunday, January 7 – Havurah Shalom
The intention of this educational conversation is to help keep our hearts open in times when it's easier to be hardened. We are all carrying grief that has been exacerbated by the current event. Grief impacts people in different ways and different times. We discuss the many layers of grief and facilitate a conversation about the nature of grief as a process including the fear that prevents people from grieving. RSVP

Havurah Office Closure: Administrative Holiday
The Havurah Shalom office will be closed on Monday, January 1

Havurah Music Jams Rock On!
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Monday, January 8 (second Monday of each month) – Havurah Shalom (in the Pardes classroom)
Come sing and play in community! Songsheets will be provided and the jam will include a mix of country, folk, Jewish folk, liturgical and popular songs. Bring your instrument, your voice and your enthusiasm! Check the Havurah calendar for info on future second-Monday jams. RSVP for the January 8 Havurah Music Jam.

Making Loss Matter
7 pm to 8 pm, Mondays, January 8 to February 12 – Zoom Room Bet
This six-week class is inspired by Rabbi David Wolpe’s book Making Loss Matter: Creating Meaning in Difficult Times, which explores six kinds of loss — home, dreams, self, love, faith, and life. In his book, Rabbi Wolpe examines how we can use loss as a source of strength rather than despair, and as a generator of purpose and hope. Woven throughout each class session are teachings from a variety of traditional and contemporary Jewish sources, teachings from other traditions (particularly Buddhism), experiential practices, storytelling, and opportunities for self-reflection and chevruta/small-group discussion. Led by Tivona Reith, a retired hospice chaplain. Learn more and RSVP.

Steering Committee Meeting
6:30 pm, Tuesday, January 9 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Gimel
All Havurah members are invited to attend the monthly meetings of the Havurah Steering Committee.

Letter by Letter: Using the Alef-Bet for Self-Knowledge
7 pm to 8:15 pm, Tuesdays, January 9 to February 6 – Zoom Room Heh
Explore how to use Hebrew letters as a tool to access inner wisdom, taking a careful look at their meanings, connections to Time, Space, and Body/Soul. No knowledge of Hebrew necessary. This is not a course on reading or writing, nor explicitly about mysticism, but an exploration of the symbolism of the Alef-Bet and how to use it for reflection and illumination. Bring curiosity and an open heart. Led by Andrine de la Rocha. Learn more and RSVP.

More Tikkun Olam 

Houseless Day of Remembrance
5 pm to 7:30 pm, Thursday, December 21 – Ground Score Association (624 NW Couch Street, Portland, Oregon)
From the Havurah Poverty and Homelessness Committee: The Interfaith Alliance on Poverty, a non-profit organization with whom Havurah Shalom partners, is supporting the 2023 Houseless Day of Remembrance (December 21) to recognize and honor those houseless individuals who lost their lives this year. Please click to view the event flyer and learn more. Even if you cannot attend, it is an event worthy of our knowing about. Questions? Please contact Havurah members Sue Abrams or Marcia Suttenberg. 
 

A Mitzvah for the Darmani Family: The Havurah Refugee and Immigrant Fund
Havurah’s Afghan Family Support Group is extending rental support for the Darmani family through March 2024. This support will come from the Havurah Refugee and Immigrant Fund (RIF). The AFSG had committed to paying the rent at their Division Street apartment for the last six months. Zakrullah, Horia, and Zoya continue to settle in Portland since 2022. Zakrullah now works at Catholic Community Services, Horia is in English classes at PCC, and Zoya is thriving. This month, we are seeking to raise $4,000 for the Havurah Refugee and Immigrant Fund (RIF) to assure this important help for the Darmanis. As you plan year-end donations, please go to the RIF on the Havurah website and consider this mitzvah! Questions? Contact Michael Rice.

Burned: Are Trees the New Coal? Movie Screening
7 to 9 pm, Monday, January 8 – Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton Street, Portland
Join Havurah's Climate Action Team (HCAT) as we gather to watch Burned: Are Trees the New Coal? at the Clinton Street Theater in South East Portland. Details here. This is a timely movie, as we prepare to oppose the Drax Biomass proposal in Longview, Washington. For basic info about biomass click here. Contact Harriet Cooke if you are interested in carpooling to the movie.

Blue Bags Ready for Use at Havurah Shalom
The Blue Bags are ready for can/bottle collection with proceeds coded to Trash for Peace-Common Good Project, non-profits with Havurah connections.There is a bag under the sink in the laundry area and extra bags are on the kitchen shelf. Let meeting and event organizers know about this option. It's fine to take a bag for use in your home, too.

News & Events from Our Tikkun Olam Partners

Path Home (formerly PHFS): Volunteer for our monthly Path Home dinner | Interfaith Alliance on Poverty (IAP) | Lift UP | MACG | Jewish Coalition for Immigrant Justice NW ​​​​​​ | Rose Haven

Out in the Community

2023 Cultural Shift Survey: For Jews of Color in the Pacific Northwest
Accepting survey responses until January 5, 2023 - tischpdx.org/pnwsurvey
TischPDX announces their 2023 Cultural Shift Survey, a comprehensive survey crafted to gain valuable insights into the demographics and interests of Jews of Color (JoCs) in the Pacific Northwest (PNW).The confidential data collected from this research is being stewarded, conducted, and analyzed by Jews of Color through a partnership between TischPDX, JOC Collective, JOCI and Tiyuv. Who is eligible to participate in this research? Jews who identify as a Jew of Color, however they understand that term; currently live in the Pacific Northwest United States (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, or Alaska); and must be age 18 or older. Click here to read the rest of the TischPDX announcement. To take the survey or to learn more, please go to tischpdx.org/pnwsurvey. Survey responses will be accepted until January 5.

Author Reading: Rebecca Clarren and The Cost of Free Land
7 pm, Monday, January 8 - Congregation Shir Tikvah at the Eastside Jewish Commons (2420 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, Oregon)
Rebecca Clarren, a local Jewish author (and Havurahnik), will be joining Congregation Shir Tikvah on January 8 at the Eastside Jewish Commons to read from her book The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance. The evening will include a conversation with Rebecca following the reading facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin Barnett as well as a Q and A from the audience. Open to the public. This is a free event, and registration is requested at this link. Shir Tikvah will provide wine and cheese and HIGHLY suggest copies of The Cost of Free Land be purchased ahead of time at Up Up Books in SE Portland.  

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

Havurah Zoom Rooms

To see our full Zoom room instructions, click here. Member sign-in required.