Hineinu, August 15, 2024

Check out the many classes and other activities scheduled for the month of Elul in September! RSVP for something today.

Musicians of ALL ages invited to help lead Rosh Hashanah Family Service!
We are trying something new this year for the family (ages 5+) Rosh Hashanah service! Alicia, Hannah and Ethan (Shabbat School parents who have co-led the service for the past few years) would like to experiment with adding more music to the service (10 am, Thursday Oct. 3). Our dream is to assemble a kid-centric, adults-welcome band to play 5 classic Rosh Hashanah songs as part of the service. All instruments and singers welcome. We will teach you the songs! We ask that kids be comfortable on their instruments, able to be respectful as prayer leaders, and available for at least one rehearsal on a Saturday afternoon in September. More details TBD!

Please email Alicia Jo Rabins to sign up or if you have any questions. 

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 (Eyal Casama Gerber, August 24; Abraham Bendsneyder-Koven and Molly Faccinetti, September 7) 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

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 hold 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.

Hakol Deadline for September Hakol
Tuesday, August 20
The deadline for submissions to the September 2024 issue of our monthly newsletter, Hakol, has been extended to Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
Havurah members: To read the submission guidelines and submit your short articles, go to HavurahShalom.org > News > Submit News & Requests > Click on the Hakol Submission Form. Or click on this link to go directly to the Hakol submission form. Reach out to Tara Anderson (tara@havurahshalom.org), Havurah Participation and Publications Coordinator, if you have questions.

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.

Annual Havurah Teen Picnic: Pizza, Potluck, Music, Fun, Games
4 pm to 6 pm, Sunday, August 25 – Sellwood Park
All Havurah teens entering grades 7+ and their parents/guardians are welcome to join us at Sellwood Park for food and kehillah! Pizza and drinks will be provided by the Teen Engagement Committee. Please round out our offerings by bringing your favorite salad or dessert to share. We will have cornhole, badminton, ladderball, volleyball, football, soccer ball and frisbee. Any other equipment you'd like to contribute is enthusiastically welcome! Contact Michelle Bobowick and Andy Waxman for more info. RSVP

Climate Action Team Meeting
5 pm to 6:30 pm, Monday, August 26 – Zoom Room Gimel
Join the Climate Action Team's monthly meeting.

Palestinian Justice Letter Writing Group

6 pm to 7:30 pm, Monday, August 26 – Zoom Room Heh
We hold our monthly letter writing group on the last Monday of each month to write letters to our lawmakers for Israel/Palestine justice. Questions? Contact Dale Oller (member log-in required to access directory). Non-Havurah-members very welcome as well. RSVP for Zoom info.

Office Closed for Labor Day
Monday, September 2
The Havurah Shalom office will be closed for Labor Day.

Daily Shofar
All day, every day (except on Shabbat) from September 4 to October 1 –  Havurah's Facebook and YouTube pages

Hear the Sound of the Shofar each day of Elul (except Shabbat): Andrine, Diane & Howard (& sometimes Dominic) help prepare us for Rosh Hashanah with shofar, deep thoughts & a touch of kavannah. Videos will be posted daily on Havurah's YouTube and Facebook pages to watch as you are able.

The Torah in the High Holydays
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Thursdays, September 5 to 26 – Havurah Shalom
There are four Torah readings during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We will take four 90-minute sessions and look at each of the Torah readings. We will look at the readings through the four ways of studying Torah: P'shat (literal, simple, plain, intended meaning), Remez (alluded meaning, “reading between the lines”), D’rash (drawn-out meaning; Midrash – “concept”); and Sod (hidden meaning). This will be a participatory class where we use the combined knowledge of the group to increase the knowledge of each of us. Please come prepared to delve into the text and share your thoughts. Fluency in Hebrew is not required. Led by David Dropkin. RSVP

Shabbat Morning with B'nei Mitzvah of Abraham Bendsneyder-Koven and Molly Faccinetti
10 am to 12 pm, Saturday, September 7 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph

Please join us for Shabbat morning services, including welcoming as members of our community Abraham Bendsneyder-Koven as a Bar Mitzvah and Molly Faccinetti as a Bat Mitzvah.

More Tikkun Olam 

 

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

Documentary: Living While Dying
10 am to 12 pm, Sunday, August 18 — Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Ballroom A
The Jewish Association for Death Education (JADE) & the Mittleman Jewish Community Center is hosting a screening of the film Living While Dying: a documentary that features Portland residents navigating their own death processes and the life-affirming messages contained in their stories. The film will be followed by commentary and a Q & A session with local director & producer Cathy Zheutlin. RSVP

2024 Rabbi Stampfer Community Enrichment Award Dinner
5 pm, Sunday, September 22 — Congregation Neveh Shalom
Join us to celebrate Brian Suher's dedication to our community, the legacy of previous honorees, and the evening’s featured organization, the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. RSVP required. Tickets: $72/person or $576/table (8 people). RSVP required 

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.