FROM OUR CALENDAR 1 Upcoming Shabbat 2 Tisha b'Av Service on July 31 3 Tuesday Jewish Mindfulness Meditation 4 Wednesday Morning Minyan 5 Book Discussion Group 6 Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Benjamin on Aug. 11 7 Havdalah Pot
Weekly Community Email, July 19
FROM OUR CALENDAR (1) Upcoming Shabbat (2) Tisha b'Av Service on July 31 (3) Tuesday Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation (4) Wednesday Morning Minyan (5) Book Discussion Group (6) Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Benjamin on Aug. 11 (7) Havdalah & Potluck Picnic to Welcome Rabbi Benjamin & Family on Aug. 19
ANNOUNCEMENTS (1) Photos of Last Friday's Dorot in the Park (2) Photos of Shabbat School Third Grade Camping Trip (3) Dafna Hershenberg Brewer (4) "Last Thursday Witness" IMIrJ Monthy Vigil, Portland I.C.E. (5) Summer Concerts at the MJCC (6) Stefanie Hausman's Article in Hakol (7) If I Had a Hammer(er)
1) Upcoming Shabbat - This Saturday, July 22, Miles Smith, son of Chari and Thomas Smith, will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah. Please join us as we celebrate with the family and welcome Miles as a member of our community. Mazel tov!
2) Tisha b'Av Service, Monday, July 31, 8:30 - 9:30 pm, Havurah - In these times of political turmoil and tragedy, Tisha b’Av, one of the most important days of fasting and contemplation in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem on two separate occasions, takes on added significance. Join us on July 31 for a short Ma’ariv and Tisha b’Av service. We will then listen together to to Leonard Bernstein's Jeremiah Symphony (24 minutes), the third movement of which includes excerpts from the Book of Lamentations (Eicha), traditionally read on Tisha b’Av. Please bring a pillow and flashlight. The service will be led by Steve Goldberg and Susan Brenner.
3) Tuesday Meditation, 12:00 pm - Havurah's Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation group will continue to meet at noon on Tuesdays during the summer whenever at least two people can attend. Deborah will be at Havurah most Tuesdays. Please add your name to this doodle poll to indicate when you can come.
4) Wednesday Minyan, 8:30 - 9:00 am - This weekly service is for those who wish to incorporate daily practice in their lives and those saying Kaddish, or both. Please join us.
5) Book Discussion, Tuesday, July 25, 7:00 - 8:30 pm - Barry Kast will lead a discussion of Call it Sleep, written by Henry Roth in 1934. The novel tells the story of an eight-year-old boy growing up on the East Side of Manhattan as an immigrant from Eastern Europe. As a sensitive and imaginative child, he experienced the security of his mother’s coddling but is now terrified by the world that lies beyond sight and sound of her. The pageantry of the East Side is displayed in all "its polyglot, polychrome crowds" (NY Times, 1935). This book is now regarded as a classic of Jewish literature. RSVP here.
Join us Friday, Aug. 11 for a Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Rabbi Benjamin, and Saturday, Aug. 19 for a Havdalah & Potluck Picnic to welcome him & his family!
6) Kabbalat Shabbat Service, Friday, Aug. 11, 7:00 - 8:30 pm, Havurah - Watch Havurah's online calendar for details. Meanwhile, save this date so you can join us for the first Shabbat service Rabbi Benjamin will lead at Havurah as our new rabbi.
7) Havdalah Picnic to Welcome Rabbi Benjamin & His Family, Saturday, Aug. 19, 5:30 - 8:00 pm at Laurelhurst Park in SE Portland - At this potluck picnic and Havdalah celebration, we will welcome Rabbi Benjamin and his family. We will have games for children, potluck dinner, music and Havdalah. Come at 5:30 pm to start the games, and dinner will begin around 6'ish. Please RSVP here if you can come!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1) Photos From Dorot Kabbalat Shabbat & Potluck in the Park
Havurah musicians Tanja Lux, Sarah Shine, Gabe Adoff and Jacob Mandelsberg led about 50 Havurahniks at a family-friendly, musical Dorot service at Laurelhurst Park on Friday, July 14. Thank you to the awesome musicians and organizers and to Monica Moriarty, who took these photos.
2) Third Grade Families Camping Trip- In June, the coming year's Shabbat School third grade class had a camping adventure together. The families included Moss, Marble, Lowenthal, Rose, Korin, Strom, Wise, Endress, Handelsman and Granek. Thank you to Elise Granek for taking these photos!
3) Mazel Tov, Dafna Hershenberg Brewer - Ben Brewer and Rachel Hershenberg's new daughter is Dafna Hershenberg Brewer. She is named for Rachel's grandfather. Dafna is an Israeli name and is Hebrew for the laurel plant. Mazel tov to Ben and Rachel, and to the new grandparents, Miryam and Roger Brewer!
4) "Last Thursday Witness" IMIrJ (Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice) Monthy Vigil, Portland I.C.E. - On the last Thursday of every month, beginning July 27, 10:00 - 11:00 am, at Portland I.C.E. Building/Headquarters, 4310 SW Macadam Ave - All are welcome to gather in vigil as we express our support and love for families affected by I.C.E. detentions in Oregon. Join this monthly gathering to lift up the reality of what happens every day at this I.C.E. facility - and participate in different interfaith expressions and rituals in solidarity with our immigrant sisters and brothers. We encourage carpooling, as parking is very limited.
5) Mittleman Jewish Community Center Summer Concert Series
Havurah supports the MJCC's Summer Concert Series. The next concert features Nefesh Mountain on Thursday, Aug. 10, at 6:30 pm, on the grounds of the MJCC. The group Nefesh Mountain pioneers a new sound in which Jewish Spirit and Soul meet with Bluegrass and Old-time musical traditions. Founders, husband and wife team Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff, blend their love for both of these rich traditions and have created a new genre that marries these two seemingly disparate worlds. They are winning the hearts of audiences nationwide. Learn more and buy tickets here.(Above photo is from the Bnai Keshet website.)
6) Stefanie Hausman - A clarification about our July-August Hakol: The article "Tips for Helping Children Heal Through Play" was written by Stefanie Hausman. Thank you, Stefanie, for your thoughtful and helpful tips!
7) If I Had a Hammer(er)- Are you good with tools, small repairs, and solving problems? Havurah is seeking a handy-person who can be on call for odd jobs related to the building and grounds. This can be either a paid or volunteer position, depending on your preference. For more information, please email Rachel.(Photo below is from Wikimedia, taken by Bamminick.)
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Havurah Shalom is a vibrant, egalitarian, and diverse Jewish Reconstructionist community. Steeped in Jewish values, Havurah promotes spirituality, learning, and acts of social responsibility.
Find our calendar and learn more at www.havurahshalom.org.
[B'nei Mitzvah Run Through] Friday, Aug 15th 12:00p to 2:00p (This is a closed event and is included in our calendar for space reservation reasons and attendee reference.)
Shabbat Morning with Bat Mitzvah of Natasha Raish Shabbat, Aug 16th 10:00a to 12:00p Please join us for Shabbat morning services, including welcoming Natasha Raish as a Bat Mitzvah and member of our community.
(IP) Elul Gallery Art Drop-Off Sunday, Aug 17th 12:00p to 3:00p As part of our annual holiday cycle, Havurah members are invited to share our own reflections on the themes and stories of the High Holiday season. In addition to prose or poetry that may be shared on the bima at High Holiday services, we are putting out a call for artistic expressions in any visual medium, including paintings, drawings and photography. We welcome your reflections 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 process of looking inward during the time leading into the holiday season. The Elul and High Holiday Gallery is a project of the High Holidays Committee and the Design Committee, led by Joan Peck and Marcia Suttenberg.
(ZM) Climate Change Book Group Slow Reading of "Not Too Late" Monday, Aug 18th 5:30p to 6:30p All are welcome! Havurah members and non-members alike are invited to join us in this slow, section-by-section reading of "Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility." Click and RSVP. Attend any or all of these HCAT (Havurah's Climate Action Team) Book Group discussions about "Not Too Late."
(ZM) Healing the Heart, Soothing the Soul: A Grief Process Support Group Tuesday, Aug 19th 5:30p to 7:00p During the month of Elul, we are guided to examine our souls, explore our relationships, reflect on our actions with God and others, and prepare ourselves spiritually to begin a new year. With the Spirit of Elul, we will journey into exploring the aspects of grief. For Havurah members only. Limited to 8 people. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend all sessions.
(IP) Israeli Dancing Wednesday, Aug 20th 7:30p to 8:30p Join us to learn Israeli dancing! We’ll teach the steps and tell the stories behind Israeli dances while you enjoy the catchy rhythms, creative body movements, and spending time with friends.
Led by Havurah members Cindy Merrill and Gail Schwartz with dance instructor Rhona Feldman.
Hakol Deadline is Thursday, August 21 Thursday, Aug 21st (All day) Havurah members, click to learn how to submit your contributions to our monthly newsletter, Hakol.
(HYB) Solidarity Kabbalat Shabbat Friday, Aug 22nd 5:45p to 8:00p Join Havurah members and friends for a Solidarity Shabbat service and potluck nosh. This is a spiritual space for community members working in solidarity with Palestinians - and for the liberation of all peoples - to come together to pray, build connections, and renew ourselves on Shabbat to continue our justice work. Please review Havurah's Brit Kavod for our community guidelines. Masks strongly encouraged and provided.
