Hineinu, July 31, 2024

Havurah Member Comment Period Open for Policy on Enhanced Security at Havurah
Havurah Shalom members are invited to review the following policy proposal draft that will guide leadership’s decision-making in times of heightened security concerns. Please read the draft carefully and email Joel Bettridge (makom@havurahshalom.org) to discuss any response, feedback, or suggestions. You may also send your response to the Transparency and Inclusivity Committee (transparency@havurahshalom.org) if you are more comfortable doing so and your response will be passed along anonymously.
 
Your feedback is highly desired and will be considered seriously as the policy is prepared to be submitted to Steering. Deadline to comment is August 14.
 
Due to sensitive contents, Havurah members must be logged in to view the link below. Thank you!

Tisha B'av: Beginning to Turn (Learning & Ritual)
8 pm to 9:30 pm, Monday, August 12 – Havurah Shalom
Tisha B’Av is a powerful holy day in our cycle of Jewish time. Yet, it is often overlooked, considered as just a day of mourning for the destruction of the temples. We will look at how Tisha B’Av came to be the collecting point of Jewish loss, grief, and displacement as well as what Alan Lew calls “the moment of turning, the moment when we turn away from denial and begin to face exile and alienation as they manifest themselves in our own lives...Teshuvah – turning is the essential gesture of the entire High Holiday season.” We will also commemorate Tisha B’av with a short ritual that helps us begin the process of Teshuvah. All are welcome. RSVP

Havurahniks, please contact Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, deborah@havurahshalom.org if you would like to help plan this ritual.

2 Ways to Share Your High Holidays Reflections
 
Write a 3- to 4-minute reflection to share during a High Holiday service. This year we do not have a congregational theme. We invite you to share your insights on any aspect of the High Holidays experience, whether they arise from our tradition’s core concepts of teshuvah (return) or seliḥah (forgiveness), or from any other aspect of your own looking inward during the time leading into the holiday season. (The more personal the reflection, the more powerful. Share a story or experience that shaped you to help us connect more powerfully to what you’re saying.)

Create and share artwork, photography, and other physical media that reflect on any aspect of the High Holidays experience. Your work will help transform Havurah's social hall into a visual art gallery that lets us celebrate and contemplate the themes of the High Holidays and the month of Elul. The gallery will be in place from September to to the end of the holidays. More information here.
 
Rosh Hashanah begins on the evening of October 2 and Yom Kippur begins on the evening of October 11. Please send your reflections via email to rachel@havurahshalom.org by August 26.

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, 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 Room 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. All viewpoints are welcome as we try to draw lessons from our holy books. (On the third Shabbat of each month, there will be a multi-synagogue Torah Study led by Emily Simon.)

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 (Sebastian Mellman, August 10; Eyal Casama Gerber, August 24) are listed below and 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. Prospective members of Havurah Shalom interested in our mahjong group are invited to attend a game to become better acquainted with our group, but we ask that you already know how to play before coming. Please contact the Havurah office to schedule your visit. Havurah members, reach out to Leah Hershey if you want to be added to the group email list and receive notices of meeting changes.

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, Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Nancy Becker, or Ria de Neeve.

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

Rosh Ḥodesh Tov! Gender-Inclusive New Moon Ritual
7 pm to 8:15 pm, Monday, August 5 – In Person or Zoom Room Heh (to be announced)
Our gender-inclusive New Moon group celebrates each Rosh Ḥodesh with learning and ancient and contemporary ritual. Everyone is invited to connect with our closest heavenly body, the Moon. Gatherings take place on or near the new moon of each Hebrew month. Attend any or all sessions. RSVP to be updated on the location and other details throughout the year.

Shabbat Morning with Bar Mitzvah of Sebastian Mellman
10 am to 12 pm, Saturday, August 10 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
Please join us for Shabbat morning services, including welcoming Sebastian Mellman as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community.

Teen Engagement Committee Meeting
7 pm, Monday, August 12  – Zoom Room Bet
Monthly meeting for the Teen Engagement Committee leadership. Havurah teens and their parents are welcome.

Tisha B'av – Beginning to Turn (Learning and Ritual)
8 pm to 9:30 pm, Monday, August 12 – Havurah Shalom
Tisha B’Av is a powerful holy day in our cycle of Jewish time. Yet, it is often overlooked, considered as just a day of mourning for the destruction of the temples. We will look at how Tisha B’Av came to be the collecting point of Jewish loss, grief, and displacement as well as what Alan Lew calls “the moment of turning, the moment when we turn away from denial and begin to face exile and alienation as they manifest themselves in our own lives...Teshuvah – turning is the essential gesture of the entire High Holiday season.” We will also commemorate Tisha B’av with a short ritual that helps us begin the process of Teshuvah. All are welcome. RSVP
Havurahniks, please contact Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, deborah@havurahshalom.org if you would like to help plan this ritual.
 

Steering Meeting
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, Tuesday, August 13 (second Tuesdays) – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Gimel
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).

Multi-synagogue Torah Study
9 am to 10 am, Saturday, August 17 (third Saturdays) – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Bet
On the third Saturday of the month (Shabbat morning), we have a multi-synagogue Torah Study, led by Emily Simon. Other congregations joining Havurah Shalom include Temple Sholom in Monticello New York, Emek Shalom in Ashland, Oregon, and Mayim Shalom in Coos Bay, Oregon. We may even have some folks joining us from other parts of the country and maybe the world.No prior knowledge or study is necessary. All viewpoints are welcome as we try to draw lessons from our holy books.

Shabbat Morning with Bar Mitzvah of Eyal Casama Gerber
10 am to 12 pm, Saturday, August 24 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
Please join us for Shabbat morning services, including welcoming Eyal Casama Gerber as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community.

More Tikkun Olam 

 

Poverty and Homelessness Committee
Volunteer on First Wednesdays at the Ortiz Center Free Food Market
9 am to 12 pm, first Wednesdays (next up: August 7) — Oregon Food Bank Ortiz Center Free Food Market (6736 NE Killingsworth Street, Portland, Oregon)
Havurahniks (ages 16+) are invited and encouraged to pitch in at the  Ortiz Center Free Food Market on First Wednesdays. Want to ask an experienced Havurahnik about it? Email Judi Kloper.

 

Havurah Shalom 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 |Jewish Earth Alliance | IMIrJ (Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice)

Out in the Community

Safety Through Solidarity Event at Powell's: Shane Burley & Ben Lorber in Conversation With Eric K. Ward & CJ Alicandro
7 pm, Wednesday, August 7 – Powell's City of Books (1006 W Burnside St. Portland, Oregon)
From Powell's Books: Antisemitism is on the rise today. How can we stand in solidarity with Palestinians seeking justice, while also avoiding antisemitism — and resisting those who seek to conflate the two? How do we forge the coalitions across communities that we need, in order to overcome the politics of division and fear? Using personal stories, historical deep-dives, front-line reporting, and interviews with leading change-makers, Shane Burley and Ben Lorber’s Safety Through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism helps us break the current impasse to understand how antisemitism works, what's missing in contemporary debates, and how to build true safety through solidarity, for Jews and all people. (This event is co-sponsored by Powell's Books and Jewish Voice for Peace Portland.) Learn more.

PDX Pathways Opportunity for Jewish Young Professionals: Applications Due August 7
From the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland: We are excited to announce that, for the first time since 2022, PDX Pathways applications are now open! PDX Pathways is an exciting young professionals networking, mentorship, and community involvement experience that originally launched in 2016. The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland offers this exclusive opportunity to Jewish young professionals from any occupation, ages 22-40 years old, providing the NextGen community with networking, opportunities, exposure to meaningful Jewish experiences in Portland, as well as access to and mentoring from prominent community and business leaders. For more information and the PDX Pathways application please visit this site. Applications for this opportunity are due Wednesday, August 7, 2024.

Blood Drive Hosted by the Eastside Jewish Commons
Sunday, August 11 – Eastside Jewish Commons (2420 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, Oregon) 
From the EJC: Spread the word. The Red Cross is really low on blood and EJC is hosting a blood drive. Donors will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card. Register hereand use sponsor code eastsidejewish. (You can see available August 11 appointment times on the blood drive registration page for eastsidejewish, if slots are still available.)

Responding to Instability: Viewing our Democracy Through the Lens of 9 Av
10 am (Pacific Time), Tuesday, August 13 – Pre-register for Zoom info
From Reconstructing Judaism: In this session, we will reflect on how the observance of Tisha B’Av might guide us in responding to the instability in our democracy. What might our tradition’s stories of resistance, destruction, and survival teach us about how to respond to the current crisis?  How could the practice of mourning sustain our capacity for hope as we face the challenges of the moment? Speakers include Rabbi William Plevan, Rabbi Sandra Lawson, and more. This program is co-sponsored by Reconstructing Judaism Democracy Fellowship in honor of Rabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, Ph.D., RRC ‘82, and Rabbi Mordechai Liebling RRC ’85. This is a free event. Register | Learn more

Havurah Zoom Rooms

Havurah Zoom Rooms


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

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.