Community Gathering
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Thursday, November 7 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
We’ll gather for support and solace, as we sing, share, and draw strength from coming together in this time. For more, see the email ("Post-Election Gathering, Thursday at 7 pm") sent out to Havurah members this evening.
Kabbalat Shabbat Celebration (w/ Guest Molly Bajgot)
5:45 pm, Hearty Nosh; 6:30 pm, Service; 7:30 pm, Continued Hearty Nosh (Plus Dessert), Friday, November 8 – Havurah Shalom (Service is also in Zoom Room Aleph)
A musical, all-ages Friday night service with hearty nosh before the service and continued hearty nosh plus dessert after. All are welcome! No need to register. More event details here.
- Everyone, please consider supporting our Kabbalat Shabbat Celebrations through a donation to our Spiritual Life Fund. Go to the event page and scroll to the bottom to learn now.
- Havurahniks, please sign up to help out if you can; volunteer shifts are about 15 minutes each.
Shabbat Morning with Bar Mitzvah of Dylan Schatz
10 am to 12 pm, Saturday, November 9 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
Please join us for Shabbat morning services, including welcoming Dylan Schatz as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community. All are welcome.
Queer Torah Study
11 am to 12:15 pm, Sundays, November 3 and November 10 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Bet
Emma Lugo of Shir Tikvah will visit to lead us in Queer Torah study, an intensive exploration of and wide-ranging conversation on the weekly parsha, or Torah portion, using material sourced in Queer identity from sources such as Svara, Torah Queeries, and the amazing online world of Queer Jewish content. Join us to study LGBTQ commentators with Emma and explore the Torah and learn together. All are welcome. RSVP
Molly Bajgot Concert, Music from New Album, Revelry
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Sunday, November 10 – Havurah Shalom
Join for an inspiring evening of new Jewish music and powerful song with Molly Bajgot. Molly will share music from her first full-length album Revelry, new tunes for Jewish liturgy and original songs of hope. Molly’s soulful voice and alluring melodies bridge the realms of Jewish, folk, and devotional music. Her orientation to community building and prayer shines through in her musical leadership. Together, we’ll create a sacred and songful space to revel in our aliveness, our grief, our healing, and our work for collective liberation. All are welcome. RSVP
Monthly Music Jam
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Monday, November 11 – Havurah Shalom
Monthly music jams are back! Tune your instrument, warm up your voice and head down to Havurah to jam with us. Join your fellow Havurah musicians for an evening of playing and singing together—for the joy of it! Jams are led by fellow Havurah members and are completely democratic—everyone chooses songs! Our songbook includes both Jewish and secular songs from a wide range of artists and eras. Can't waitt to sing and play with you! RSVP
Teen Engagement Committee Meeting
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Monday, November 11 – Zoom Room Bet
Monthly meeting for the Teen Engagement Committee leadership. Havurah teens and their parents are welcome.
Steering Meeting
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, Tuesday, November 12 – 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. Learn more.
History of HIAS
7:30 pm to 8:30 pm, Tuesdays, November 12 and 19 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Bet
Havurah member Michael Rice will present the storied history of HIAS from documentary sources, with personal insight as the son of James Rice, HIAS executive director 1956-1966. From predecessor organizations dating to 1870 in New York assisting Jews immigrating to the US or fleeing pogroms, HIAS has sheltered and supported refugees for over 150 years. Along with other Jewish organizations, HIAS took on the rescue and resettlement of Holocaust survivors during World War II and the post-war era. In 1965, thanks to the strong advocacy of HIAS and others, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 ended decades of discriminatory nationality quotas. Now HIAS operates with 1,800 employees in 20 countries in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Israel, with a large team at our Southern border and in Mexico. Asylum protection, resettlement of Afghan, Ukrainian, Venezuelan and other refugees through Jewish communities, and political advocacy for legal and budget support are ongoing work. All are welcome. RSVP
Wings of the Dove Campaign Community Conversations (Choose an Upcoming Session)
7 pm, Wednesday, November 13 – Havurah Shalom (During Havurah Middle School/Havurah High) or
3:15 pm, Saturday, November 23 – Havurah Shalom (During Shabbat School)
The Wings of the Dove Campaign is on track to lift the Havurah community to new heights, expanding the potential of our congregation in new spaces where we will gather, learn, sing, and celebrate! Your voice is needed. Havurahniks and those interested in supporting the future of our community, please choose one of the Wings of the Dove Community Sessions listed above and share in building the vision to address Havurah's future facility and staffing needs. RSVP for your preferred session. Questions? Email Aaron Pearlman, Campaign Manager, at aaron.pearlman@havurahshalom.org.
Affordable Housing and Homelessness in Portland
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Thursday, November 14 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Heh
Homelessness remains one of the most important issues in Portland. To help our community better understand this issue, the Poverty and Homelessness Committee is offering this forum. Havurahnik, Steve Rudman, former director of Home Forward, will convene the forum with Havurah members, Rachael Duke with Community Partners for Affordable Housing, and Andrea Sanchez with Housing Development Center. Looking forward to a lively and informative evening. RSVP
Monthly Racial Justice Committee Meeting
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Thursday (2nd Thursdays), November 14 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Bet
Havurah members, join the Racial Justice Committee for our monthly (second Thursdays) meeting. We will make plans to create learning opportunities for our community and engage in learning together during the meeting. Questions? Contact Julia Lager Mesulam. Learn more on the Havurah calendar.
Multi-Synagogue Torah Study, Led by Emily Simon
9 am to 10 am, Saturday, November 16 (3rd Saturdays) – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Bet
All viewpoints are welcome as we try to draw lessons from our holy books. No prior knowledge or study is necessary. Multi-synagogue Torah Study includes engagement from members of congregations in Oregon and New York and beyond. All are welcome. Learn more on the Havurah calendar.
Discovering Shabbat Morning: Learner's Minyan
10 am to 12 pm, Saturday, November 16 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
This upbeat, interactive service focuses on the structure, key themes, and prayers of the morning service. Open to all, and especially for those seeking to better understand Shabbat Morning service. (Free childcare is provided.) RSVP
Learn to Bake Babke
3 pm to 4:30 pm, Sunday, November 17 – Havurah Shalom
Impress your friends and family by baking babke for your next social gathering! We’ll provide the ingredients, and you’ll leave with a tasty recipe for future baking. Led by Elyse Hill. All are welcome. RSVP
Lives Lived, Lessons Learned: An Evening of Stories in Words and Music
7 pm to 9 pm, Sunday, November 17 – Havurah Shalom
Alte Rockers, Havurah’s aptly named group of active seniors, has a gift for you — “Lives Lived, Lessons Learned” an evening of stories in words and music. Four storytellers — Edward Hershey, Cassandra Sagan, Sarah Stein and Yuvi Zalkow — will join musician Steven Mesulam in a program designed to demonstrate the many ways our lives are enriched and informed by the experiences we have. And feel free to share an experience of your own. All are welcome. Questions? Contact Ed Hershey (member login required to access the directory). RSVP
How Precious the Ground on Which We Stand: Jewish Values that Could Save the Earth - A Slow Read w/ Havurah's Climate Action Team Book Group
5 pm to 6 pm, Monday, November 18 – Zoom Room Gimel
Join Havurah’s Climate Action Team (HCAT) for a slow read of How Precious the Ground on Which We Stand: Jewish Values that Could Save the Earth by Rabbi Sheldon (Shelly) Lewis. Dr. Adriane Leveen, Bible Scholar and Climate Activist writes, “Lewis conveys the many ways in which the Hebrew Bible celebrates the natural world as a sacred creation that we must cherish and work to preserve. His words are glorious, his vision illuminating. Reading his book fills me with joy.” Discussion focus: Chapters 1 and 2. RSVP.
Shabbat Morning with Bar Mitzvah of Leo Friedman
10 am to 12 pm, Saturday, November 23 – Havurah Shalom and Zoom Room Aleph
Please join us for Shabbat morning services, including welcoming Leo Friedman as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community. All are welcome.
Havurah’s Climate Action Team (HCAT) Monthly Meeting
5 pm to 6:30 pm, Monday, November 25 (last Mondays) – Zoom Room Gimel Havurahniks, join us at the Climate Action Team's monthly meeting. With the new normal of extreme hot summer days and wildfire smoke, we are all affected by the climate crisis. Havurah Climate Action Team (HCAT) meets monthly and online as needed, to educate and support one another in tangible actions and political advocacy to address solutions. Questions? Contact the HCAT Co-chairs, Elianne Lieberman or Harriet Cooke.
Palestinian Justice Letter Writing Group
6 pm to 7:30 pm, Monday, November 25 (last Mondays) – Zoom Room Heh
We will resume our monthly letter writing on the last Monday of each month to write letters to our lawmakers for Israel/Palestine justice. Non-Havurah-members very welcome as well. RSVP if you need the Zoom info. Otherwise, feel free to drop in anytime! Questions? Contact Dale Oller (member log-in required to access directory).
Havurah Book Group: There Was an Old Woman (216 pages, nonfiction) by Andrea Carlisle—Author to Join Discussion!
7 pm to 8:30 pm, Tuesday, November 26 (last Tuesdays) – Zoom Room Bet
Join the Havurah Book Group in discussing There Was an Old Womanl: . We are also pleased to be joined by the author, Andrea Carlisle! (From the publisher’s description) “In these personal essays, Carlisle looks for new ways to bring herself more fully into this time of life. Those curious about approaching or living in old age will find wisdom and insight in her unique perspective. In a voice that rings with clarity, humor, and humility, Carlisle shows us that old age is not another country where we can expect to find the Old Woman grimly waiting, but instead is an expansion of the borders in the country we are most familiar with: ourselves.” Discussion led by Beth Kaye. All are welcome to any and all meetings, members of Havurah and non-members alike. RSVP for Zoom info.
