Jan. 18 Email
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Solidarity March, Rabbi Evaluation Deadline, Dorot & Kabbalat Shabbat
UPCOMING SHABBAT Praying With Our Feet - Solidarity March
As Abraham Joshua Heschel said after the Selma Civil Rights March in 1965, led by Martin Luther King, Jr., which demanded voting rights for African Americans at the Alabama state capitol: I felt my legs were praying. Everybody who supports women's rights and civil justice is invited to the march in downtown Portland on Saturday, Jan. 21, as “a show of love and support in a time of uncertainty and vulnerability for many people in our country." We will gather at Havurah for a special community minyan at 10:00 am. Emily Simon personally assures everyone that we will leave in time to join other Havurahniks at the solidarity march after the service. Our mantra for the minyan, where we will discuss the first chapter in Exodus, will be: Resistance is always easier at the beginning than at the end. What does it mean to resist, and how does the Torah portion suggest that we go about it? So, come to the march and the minyan, just the minyan or just the march. But please, follow your feet where you think that they should go. If you can give one or two Havurahniks a ride from Havurah to the Morrison Bridge, where the march will begin, please RSVP here on Havurah's website. An email will be sent to all who RSVP so carpools can be arranged. You can find more updated information here about general parking, purpose of event, principles, new leadership striving for more inclusivity and diversity. Learn more here about the community minyan and how to march with Havurah. PLEASE WATCH HAVURAH'S WEBSITE FOR ANY LAST-MINUTE UPDATES.
RABBI CANDIDATE EVALUATIONS DUE TOMORROW Last Friday you received an email from the Rabbi Search Committee with links to all of the videos from Rabbi Benjamin's and Rabbi Micah's visits as well as a rabbi candidate evaluation. Please complete the evaluation by tomorrow Thursday, Jan. 19. Your input is very important! This blog post answers questions that Havurah members have asked about the process of our rabbi selection. PARKING FOR HAVURAH HAPPENINGS Please don't park in the Rodgers Law parking lot south of Havurah without specific permission. Our neighbors have allowed us to use their parking spaces on a few occasions, but we cannot park there unless it has been previously arranged through the Havurah office. The Steering Committee and Havurah staff are looking at other parking options in the neighborhood and will keep everyone informed when we find a solution. Thanks for your understanding! NEXT WEEK Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation We gather on Tuesdays, from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm, to find some moments of quiet and shalom. Come when you can. Click here and scroll down to learn more, or contact Deborah for more information. Morning Minyan Join us for this weekly focused minyan for people who are saying Kaddish and/or want to incorporate a regular prayer practice in their life. Hakol Mailing Join this lively gathering of volunteers to prepare our February Hakol for mailing. RSVP at debbihavurah@gmail.com if you can come.
DOROT - SHORT & SWEET SHABBAT Friday, Jan. 27 Our Dorot Service is specifically welcoming to families with children, and also strives to create a space for all the generations of Havurah to connect and enjoy Shabbat together. Outside of Shabbat School, Dorot Shabbat is a chance to spend time together in a different context. It is a relaxed, meaningful and sweet way to end a busy week and start Shabbat. Please join us from 6:00-7:30 pm at Havurah. Our very own fabulous Shabbat School parents Jacob Mandlesberg, Sarah Shine and Gabe Adoff will lead us in bringing in Shabbat together with music and prayer. After the short and sweet service, we'll enjoy a vegetarian potluck dinner. Please bring a kid-friendly main dish. RSVP here if you think you might make it. Feel free to invite friends and family to join in as well - the more the merrier! If you plan to come, please also send a quick email to the other families in your Shabbat School class letting them know; the kids especially like knowing there will be familiar faces there. SPIRIT IN PRACTICE - A New Podcast from the Reconstructionist Movement Do you wonder how you can show up for challenging times with compassion, courage, equanimity and joy? Spirit in Practice, a podcast miniseries, answers these and other questions through lively discussion among emerging leaders and religious teachers of many faiths who are exploring social activism and spiritual practices. Amidst uncertainty, one thing is clear: How we do our work on the outside depends upon the work we do on the inside. We launched our first of four episodes today! New episodes will arrive in January and February. Learn more here. KABBALAT SHABBAT Friday, Feb. 10 Our vegetarian Kabbalat Shabbat Dinner begins at 6:30 pm, followed by a Kabbalat Shabbat Service at 7:30 pm. We offer dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free choices. You’re invited to bring wine or juice to celebrate Shabbat. RSVPs are required for the dinner. Please RSVP here by Feb. 6. Cost adjustments are available; call 503-248-4662 to learn more.
Whether or not you attend the dinner, we hope you'll join us for our spirited and joy-filled Kabbalat Shabbat Service, which starts at 7:30 pm. The service will be led by Rabbi Joey, with music by Scott Snyder, John Duke, Steven Sandberg-Lewis and more of our talented Havurah musicians. Childcare is available for kids age 2 to 8. HAVING THE CONVERSATION: WHAT QUALITY MEANS AT THE END OF LIFE Option 1: Sundays, Feb. 12, 10:00 – 11:30 am & Feb. 26, 10:00 - 11:30 am
Many of us spend a great deal of time thinking about how we want to live our lives, but many of us avoid thinking about how we would like our end of life care to go. Havurah will be facilitating a two-part workshop in February to help community members begin to think about what quality means at the end of life. Working from The Conversation Project model, we will support each other as we explore this challenging topic. Prior to the workshops, on Saturday, Feb. 4, Diane Chaplin will lead a Text & Torah study and discussion of "Jewish Traditions of Mourning and the Afterlife." If you would like to join us, we ask that you commit to both workshops. The deadline to register is Jan. 30. Learn more and register here. The workshops are free for Havurah members, $40 for non-members. Above photo is from www.theconversationproject.org. CAMP HAVURAH Saturday, Feb. 18 Sport your summer camp T shirt and let’s see how many camps are represented. Have a rockin’ good time at "Camp Havurah" Shabbat morning service, a musical, fun, upbeat Shabbat service great for all generations of Havuraniks. This service features sing-a-long style prayers in a mixture of Hebrew and English. Easy to follow, with lots of kavanot (intentional statements), you will enjoy lifting your voices, clapping hands and stomping your feet at this warm Shabbat morning service. It’s an ideal service for families, minyan “regulars”, singles and empty nesters alike. We’ll cap the morning’s prayer with a shortened Torah service featuring fun group aliyot. The morning will be led by Havurah musicians and prayer leaders, Susan Brenner, Jacob Mandelsberg, Tanja Lux and Sarah Shine along with other Havurah participants. A coordinated kiddush lunch will follow with the Spiritual Life Committee providing main dishes and cookies. Members please bring sides and salads for lunch. Shabbat Shalom! TIKKUN OLAM Screening of “The Lost Boys of Portlandia”
Join us for a screening of Outside the Frame's documentary "The Lost Boys of Portlandia" and a panel discussion with youth who have experienced homelessness. Homeless youth in Portland debate if and how to return to mainstream society while creating their own film version of the iconic story of Peter Pan. The nonprofit Outside the Frame was founded and is directed by Havurah High teacher Nili Yossi. The evening is sponsored by the Tikkun Olam Committee of Havurah Shalom, Oregon Film, KBOO Community Radio. Watch the trailer here. For more information visit Outside the Frame's website or the Facebook event page. Portland Homeless Family Solutions Havurah members started volunteering at the Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS)/Goose Hollow night shelter in July, 2015. Sometimes I am asked why we chose this organization. Part of the answer is in Tiffany's story. She and her children are just one of the hundreds of homeless families helped by PHFS to get into a stable housing situation. The next Goose Hollow orientation for those interested in joining our once a month Havurah-Adopt-A-Night direct service project is tentatively set for Monday, Feb. 13, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm at the Goose Hollow shelter. If you are interested in attending or want any more information regarding this project, please contact Gloria Halper, losninos6@gmail.com. The director and author of a play about homelessness called DISPLACED are offering our Goose Hollow Havurah volunteers a chance to table at the six performances of the play. (See description of DISPLACED below.) We will share our experiences as volunteers at a homeless shelter for families as well as share information about PHFS's services. Please consider supporting this effort to give homelessness a face and a voice. Ticket purchase info: fertilegroundpdx.org. Forging a Pro-Israel Agenda in the Trump Era Please join J Street and Havurah folks for an informative and thoughtful evening. Alan Elsner, J Street Special Advisor, will offer a program that will examine the American Jewish community’s response to the election of Donald Trump and how to respond to the new administration's appointments, especially his nominee for U.S. Ambassador to Israel. The discussion will focus on what a Trump presidency may mean for Israel, the region, and the two-state solution. Mr. Elsner will lead this informative program and subsequently open the session to discussion. For more information, contact Nancy Becker at 503-422-2482. Raising Diverse Voices of Faith to Strengthen Oregon Communities Please consider joining a group from Havurah Shalom and other members of the Portland interfaith community in a lobbying activity in Salem to advocate with legislators and their staff for compassionate legislation regarding various areas of our common concern. The keynote speaker will be Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. You can read more here about the issues to be addressed, the schedule for the day, and event sponsors and endorsers. Register and buy tickets-$20, at emoregon.org. Tikkun Olam will reimburse registration cost: please contact Chris Coughlin - chriscoughlin60@gmail.com to submit for reimbursement. For carpooling, and to RSVP for the event so we know who is coming from Havurah, and to get information on where the carpools will meet, the Havurah contact person is Marjorie Walters – marjoriewalters@gmail.com. IN THE COMMUNITY Not Our President: Women Writers Against Trump Havurah member and poet, composer and Torah scholar Alicia Jo Rabins will be the first of many writers to read at Portland's "Women Writers Against Trump" at Ford Food & Drink on Jan. 20. The event is one of many "Not Our President: Women Writers Against Trump" gatherings in cities across the country on the eve of the inauguration.
Photos copyright Michal Fattal
Dare I Call You Cousin New Opening (rescheduled due to weather) is Friday, Feb. 3 8470 SW Oleson Rd, Portland
The “Dare I Call You Cousin” exhibition opening is 6:00 to 8:30 pm on Friday, Feb. 3, at West Hills Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 8470 SW Oleson Rd. At 7:30 pm, Havurah member and poet Frances Payne Adler will give a brief poetry reading, followed by an artist talk. The exhibition includes poems, photographs and videos compassionate to the struggle of Israelis and Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line.
On Sunday, Jan. 22, Fran will give a presentation during the service, which is from 10:30 am to noon. The exhibition can be viewed before and after the service that day, from 9:30 to 10:30 am, and noon to 1:00 pm. It can also be viewed at these same times on Sundays throughout January and February. "Dare I Call You Cousin" is a collaboration by three artists: Portland poet Frances Payne Adler, Jerusalem photographer Michal Fattal, and Tel Aviv videographer Yossi Yacov.
Part of Fertile Ground Festival, Theatre/Music/Multimedia Presented by CompassWorks Displaced is an innovative documentary theater experience that gives us a new and powerful way to connect with the phenomenon of homelessness and the extraordinary value of those who see us, even though we have forgotten that they exist. Through live-looped music (performed on a 7-string violin) and character impersonations by an actress described by Bruce Weber of the New York Times as “capable of astonishing transformations,” Displaced brings the world’s untouchables to life. RITES: A One Woman Show Havurah member Marjorie Rosenthal Hutsell’s sister, Rachel Rosenthal, will perform during Bad Reputation Production’s “Lone Wolves: A Night of Solo Sketch Comedy,” at The Siren Theater on Jan. 27 and 28. Visiting from NYC, Rachel is bringing her bat mitzvah-inspired solo comedy show, RITES: A One Woman Show, to Portland. Learn more about the show here or purchase tickets here. How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who's Sick Join Portland Hadassah for an evening with the author Letty Cottin Pogrebin. A founding editor and writer for Ms. Magazine, Ms. Pogrebin is also the author of eleven books, including How To Be A Friend to a Friends Who's Sick. Pogrebin's advice about friendship and illness - infused with sensitivity, warmth, and (believe it or not) humor - is interwoven with boldly candid stories from her own journey through the land of the sick and her sometimes imperfect interactions with friends who are sick or suffering. Register here. Weekend In Quest The 11th annual Weekend in Quest, a Shabbaton (study weekend), will be held March 3-5 in Astoria, Oregon. It is sponsored by The Institute for Judaic Studies of the Pacific Northwest in Portland and co-sponsored by Havurah Shalom. The scholar-in-residence is Professor Roger Porter, Emeritus Professor of English and Humanities at Reed College. Professor Porter’s program is entitled “Who is the Jew?” Anti-Semitism in Shakespeare and Philip Roth. For more information, to download a brochure and to register, go to http://weekendinquest.org and/or contact Havurah member Mimi Epstein at mimiepstein42@comcast.net. Photo below is of Astoria, Oregon, where Weekend in Quest is held.
Pacific NW Reconstructionist Shabbaton Register online here for the Pacific NW Reconstructionist Shabbaton Weekend, May 5-7. Celebrate Shabbat at Camp Solomon Schechter with members of the five Pacific Northwest Reconstructionist congregations!
See the attached flier for more details. Drawing below is of Camp Solomon Schechter, where the Shabbaton will be held.
Calling Young Jewish Artists ORA Northwest Jewish Artists is proud to sponsor the first Young Artists Show, Sunday, Feb. 26 – Friday, March 3. The show will be held in the Mittleman Jewish Community Center’s lobby. It will be the first event to kick off the monthlong Jewish Arts Month which runs through the end of March and features art by ORA members. Children in grades 5-8 are invited to submit up to five pieces of art, of any medium, for jury review and consideration for the show. Prizes will be awarded in each grade level. Young artists must submit their artwork for jury consideration on Sunday, Feb. 12, between 10:30 am and 12:00 pm at Neveh Shalom, Room 105. Application and details can be found here. For more information, email youngartistsshow@gmail.com. |
