FROM OUR CALENDAR 1 Upcoming Shabbat - Please RSVP if You Can Come This Friday 2 Jewish Mindfulness Meditation 3 Hakol Deadline 4 Havurah Sanctuary Committee Meeting 5 Wednesday Morning Minyan 6 Tikkun Olam Committee Meeting 7 Portlan
Weekly Community Email, August 9
FROM OUR CALENDAR (1) Upcoming Shabbat - Please RSVP if You Can Come This Friday (2) Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation (3) Hakol Deadline (4) Havurah Sanctuary Committee Meeting (5) Wednesday Morning Minyan (6) Tikkun Olam Committee Meeting (7) Portland Homeless Family Solutions (8) Havdalah & Potluck Picnic to Welcome Rabbi Benjamin & His Family(9) Book Discussion of The Plot Against America (10) Courtyard Mosaic Project (11) Music Group Gatherings to Prepare for the Yamim Noraim
ANNOUNCEMENTS (1) Please Sign Up for High Holidays Volunteering! (2) Summer Concerts at MJCC (3) Thawing ICE: Mindful Walk for Immigrant Justice (4) How to Use the Havurah Online Directory(5) Jewish Pride PDX Happy Hour (6) If I Had a Hammer(er) (7) Shabbat Shira
FROM OUR CALENDAR
(1) Upcoming Shabbat - Kabbalat Shabbat Service on Friday, Aug. 11, 7:00 pm - Please join us this Friday, for our first Shabbat service with Rabbi Benjamin. The service will be led by Rabbi Benjamin and Ilene Safyan, and will start earlier than our traditional Kabbalat Shabbat services. Though we won't have a dinner in advance of the service, we will have a dessert oneg following the service. To help us plan the oneg, please RSVP here ASAP. Thank you!
Community Minyan, Saturday, Aug. 12, 10:00 am - Havurahniks Maria Lisa Johnson, Teri Ruch, Roger Brewer, Susan Brenner, and Michele Goldschmidt will lead, leyn and drash this Saturday as we explore Ekev. In this parsha, Moses tells the people that the land they are about to enter will overflow with milk and honey if they obey God's commandments and teach them to their children. Join us!
(2) Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation, Tuesdays at Noon - Our 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.
(3) Hakol Deadline, Tuesday, Aug. 15, at Noon - The deadline for the September Hakol is noon on Tuesday, Aug. 15. Please submit all articles and photos via email. If you have any photos of Havurah events over the last few weeks please send them to me. Many thanks, Rachel.
(4) Havurah Sanctuary Committee Meeting, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 7:00 pm, Havurah Shalom Social Hall - The mission of the Havurah Sanctuary Committee is to explore and plan actions of accompaniment and political actions that demonstrate our commitment as a Sanctuary Congregation.
At this meeting we will review our plans for relationship building and action with the community in the Cully neighborhood and hear about how we can accompany individuals to their ICE check-ins. We will also hear an update on the support we are providing to the Gorge ICE Resistance in opposition to the collaboration happening between ICE and the NORCOR county jail in The Dalles. In addition, we will discuss our actions at the upcoming High Holiday Services. All are welcome, and we hope you will join us. If you have questions, please contact Bob Brown, rebrown47@gmail.com, Kathy Gordon, farvergordon@gmail.com, or Shari Raider, shari.raider@gmail.com.
(5) Wednesday Morning Minyan, Aug. 16, 8:30 am - Our weekly Wednesday morning service from 8:30 to 9:00 am is for those who wish to incorporate daily practice in their lives and those saying Kaddish, or both. All are welcome. (Please note that our Wednesday Morning Minyan on Aug. 23 will begin at 8:15 am for Rosh Chodesh Elul.)
(6) Tikkun Olam Committee, Thursday, Aug. 17, 7:00 pm - Havurah's Tikkun Olam Committee will meet at Havurah the evening of Aug. 17.
(7) Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) Goose Hollow Direct Service Voluntary Project News - Havurah began the PHFS Adopt-A-Night volunteering direct service project a few years ago as a way to do this kind of work locally. We fill all of the needed volunteer positions once month. Our list of volunteers continues to grow, as well as the need for shelter. Come be a part of this experience. The only requirement other than your willingness to put yourself in what may be a new, sometimes uncomfortable situation, is a one-hour orientation.
Next orientations: Aug. 14 at 5:00 pm, Aug. 24 at 4:00 pm. All orientations are at the shelter, 1838 SW Jefferson. Please let Gloria Halper know if you are planning on attending on one of these two dates: losninos6@gmail.com.
(8) 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!
(9) Book Group Discussion on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 7:00 pm - Join us as Arleen Slive leads a discussion of The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. This book presents the 1930s and 1940s in the U.S. The twist occurs when Roosevelt is not re-elected in 1940 but rather the election is won by Charles Lindbergh, who makes a better hero and lightning rod than a leader. It goes downhill from there. Charles Lindbergh negotiates a cordial "understanding" with Adolf Hitler, and the new government embarks on a program of folksy anti-Semitism. It is horrifying to realize that this book, published in 2004, so perfectly describes our current political climate. Some commentators describe Roth's book as "eerily prescient." RSVP here if you can come.
(10) Courtyard Mosaic Project, Aug. 27, 28 & 29; 10:00-12:30 pm, 1:00 - 4:00 pm, 6:30 - 8:30 pm - We will meet at the same three times on each date. Come help with our mosaic art project! We will apply the tiles and glass that we made to the backing board in preparation for the installation of our new murals. We will work at all the times listed above. Let us know onthis doodle poll when you'd like to join us by selecting the time(s) and day(s) that work for you!
(11) Music Group Gatherings to Prepare for the Yamim Noraim, Wednesdays, Aug. 23 & Aug. 30, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, Havurah Shalom - Havurah will begin musical preparation for the Yamim Noraim in earnest the week of Aug. 21, when the new month of Elul begins, and we will spend the next weeks singing and feeling the rhythms of the upcoming holidays. The first couple of sessions will occur on Wednesday nights, and we will expand to accommodate anyone interested who is unable to make those times. Please contact Ilene Safyanif you can make it or if you are interested but can't make those dates.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
(1) High Holidays Volunteering - Your High Holidays packet should have arrived in your mailbox by now. As always, it takes a village to make our services happen. Please look through the many types of volunteer positions openat our SignUp website and see what fits you best. Thank you to all our volunteers! Click here to find RSVP forms for Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner, High Holidays childcare, and our Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur family services. (Photo above is from My Jewish Learning.)
(2) 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.
(3) Thawing ICE: Mindful Walk for Immigrant Justice, Organized by IMIrJ-member Buddhist Peace Fellowship - Thursday, Aug. 10, 12:00 - 1:15 pm, 4310 SW Macadam - Participants need not be Buddhists or members of any faith. Instruction in the practice of moving meditation will be given at the time of each walk. We invite ALL to join us in being present, offering witness, and making more visible the reality of the injustice happening every day in the South Waterfront district of Portland, Oregon. Havurah is longtime member of IMIrJ, and with IMIrJ, we are committed to an interfaith presence and witness at the Portland I.C.E. Office.
(4) How to Use the Havurah Online Directory -Havurah is fortunate to work with a website management and membership support system provided by a company called ShulCloud. It's relatively young as companies go, and it offers services to Jewish groups like ours that track yahrzeits and have other Jewish-focused needs.
It would be hard to calculate how much time our online directory has saved Havurah office staff during the past two years. We no longer have to dedicate several days in a row to creating a directory that is often outdated by the time it's completed, and we rarely have to look up contact information for members. Most of you are very independent and empowered!
Unfortunately, the online directory doesn't provide a way for households with different last names to be listed in multiple locations in its alphabetical lists. A simple solution is to look for people using the search feature at the top of the directory. At our request, ShulCloud recently highlighted this feature to make it easier to notice. Once you enter the name - first or last - of the person you're looking for, hit "return," and the listing for the person should appear. Please let our office know if you have trouble using the search feature or if you need assistance signing in as a member (which you need to do if you want to access the directory). We'd be happy to help.
(5) Jewish Pride PDX Happy Hour at Hobo's on Aug. 24, 6:30 pm - The first round of drinks will be on Jewish Pride PDX!
(6) 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.
(7) Shabbat Shira, Nov. 2-5 - OSRUI (URJ Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute) announces that registration will open soon for Shabbat Shira, OSRUI's music experience for adults - a great opportunity for spiritual renewal and making community through music. This flier provides more information.
Please use this form to submit stories for this weekly community email. Submissions are due by noon on Tuesday each week.
Havurah Shalom is a vibrant, egalitarian, and diverse Jewish Reconstructionist community. Steeped in Jewish values, Havurah promotes spirituality, learning, and acts of social responsibility.
Rose Haven Walk (register at their 2025 Reigning Roses Walk site) Sunday, May 11th 10:00a to 1:00p Rose Haven supporters and guests will unite to stride a beautiful route through NW Portland on Mother’s Day at the 12th Annual Reigning Roses Walk. Walk with, or in honor of, a special woman in your life – a mother, grandmother, daughter, partner, or friend. 10 am check-in, 11 am begin walking. (We've cancelled the Havurah Teen Engagement plan for this event; just go to the Rose Haven 2025 Reigning Roses Walk website to register!)
(IP) Jewish Ethical Responses to the Problem of Racism Monday, May 12th 6:30p to 7:45p We will address topics such as countering white nationalism and antisemitism, Jewish perspectives on reparations, repairing Jewish pioneer memory, and responding to racial microaggressions. Facilitated by Karen Sherman and Adela Basayne.
(HYB) Steering Meeting Tuesday, May 13th 6:30p to 8:30p 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).
(IP) Hebrew as a Tool: Prayer and Torah (registration closed) Wednesday, May 14th 7:00p to 8:15p (This class will now be starting on January 8.) Using an in-depth, word-by-word approach, we discover literal meaning(s), ancient layers of understanding, and our own personal interpretations that stem from the nuances of the Hebrew text. Basic Hebrew decoding skills necessary.
(IP) B’nei Mitzvah Drash and Service Workshop Thursday, May 15th 7:00p to 8:00p Students and parents are guided through responding to Torah in a drash. You will also take a walk through the Shabbat Morning service. Led by Sarah Shine.
(HYB) Text and Torah Shabbat: "Forgotten" Jewish Rituals Shabbat, May 17th 10:00a to 12:00p One hour of text study with Diane Chaplin on special topics, followed by a brief service. Join us afterward for a light community brunch provided by the Lunches and Noshes Committee! Free childcare is provided. For Zoom information, please email info@havurhshalom.org.
(IP) Shabbat School Summit Shabbat, May 17th 3:00p to 5:15p Summit for all Shabbat School Families. At least one parent/adult from each familiy needs to attend. If you have two adults and children in more than one grade, it is best to have one adult attend per grade.
(IP) New(ish) Member Brunch Sunday, May 18th 10:00a to 12:00p A schmear & schmooze brunch at Havurah Shalom from the Havurah Welcoming Committee for new members, newish members, and any Havurahniks who would appreciate being welcomed in again and learning about new ways to become more connected within the community. Questions? Email Wendy Castineira. Please RSVP!
You can also reach out to Tara Anderson, Havurah's Participation and Publications Coordinator (phone: 503-248-4662, ext. 4; email: tara@havurahshalom.org).
When you register, please let us know in the Notes section about any relevant dietary needs (vegan, gluten-free, etc.)
