Updated Email - "Total Eclipse" by Rabbi Joey & Mosaic Project is Postponed until October

Also, please note that the Book Discussion Group originally planned for Sept. 26 has been canceled. The next meeting of the Book Group will be Oct. 24.
 

FROM OUR CALENDAR
(1) Upcoming Shabbat (2) Volunteer: High Holidays Are Nearly Here! (3) Music Group to Prepare for the Yamim Noraim (4) Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation (5) Wednesday Morning Minyan (6) PHFS Backpack Project & Goose Hollow Shelter Direct Service Project (7) Last Thursday Witness (8) Kabbalat Shabbat Service & Oneg (9) MACG Housing Community Meeting (10) Interested in Work Around Privilege & Equity? (11) Selichot Service with Rabbi Benjamin (12) Having the Conversation: Workshops to Discuss What Quality Means at the End of Life

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(1) Total Eclipse by Rabbi Joey (2) #JewsStandUptoHate - Sign the Petition (3) Clergy & People of Faith March for Justice This Monday (4) Eclipse at Havurah (5) Preparing for High Holidays During Elul (6) High Holidays Tzedakah Project (7) Moishe House Meditation Retreat (8) Jewish Pride PDX Happy Hour (9) It Takes a Village: A Benefit Concert for Tanzania (10) Shabbat Shira

At our Havdalah Potluck Picnic on Aug. 19 more than 100 Havurahniks came out to welcome Rabbi Benjamin and his family. Click here to see more photos and thank yous to those who made the picnic possible.

FROM OUR CALENDAR

(1) Upcoming Shabbat - Community Minyan, Saturday, Aug. 26, 10:00 am - Rabbi Benjamin, Susan Brenner, Maria Lisa Johnson, Chris Coughlin, Debbi Nadell, Marty Brown, Shelley Sobel, and Roger Brewer will lead and read Torah at our Community Minyan this Saturday. In this week’s parsha, Shoftim (Hebrew for “judges”), we learn all about justice - a very timely topic. Join us!

(2) Please Volunteer: High Holidays Are Nearly Here! - Don't wait! It takes volunteer support from everyone so we can open our doors to the community for our High Holidays services. Please sign up now to volunteer. The deadline register for Erev Rosh Hashanah Dinner is Sept. 6. RSVP here as soon as possible.  You can also click here to find RSVP forms for High Holidays childcare and our Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur family services. (Please note that the SignUp website can be slow to load. Please be patient after you click on the link below.)

(3) 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. 23, 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 but is unable to make those times. Please contact Ilene Safyan  if you can make it or if you are interested but can't make those dates.

POSTPONED UNTIL OCTOBER - 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 on this doodle poll when you'd like to join us by selecting the time(s) and day(s) that work for you! (Above photo of one of the Havurah-made tiles was taken by Barbara Gundle.)

(4) 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.

(5) Wednesday Morning Minyan at 8:30 am - Our weekly Wednesday morning service is for those who wish to incorporate daily practice in their lives and those saying Kaddish, or both. All are welcome. During the month of Elul, we will blow the shofar at each service.

(6) Backpacks and School Supplies for Children Experiencing Homelessness (Portland Homeless Family Solutions) - A Havurah group volunteers once a month at Portland Homeless Family Solutions, a local organization that helps families experiencing homelessness. John and Rachel Devlin are raising money to purchase backpacks and school supplies for the 86 children currently being helped by PHFS. These children are currently experiencing homelessness or recently have moved from homelessness into stable housing. School is the lifeline to a better future, and it is important to start the school year with confidence. If you would like to contribute, please contact John at john.t.devlin@gmail.com.

Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) Goose Hollow Shelter Direct Service Project - Elayne Shapiro, Goose Hollow volunteer: "So how is it going here?"  Guest (as Goose Hollow calls those spending time at their homeless shelter): "I am just so grateful to have a place to put my head down at night. People at work say, 'Well, I'm heading home.' I could not say that. What I could say was, 'Well, I'm heading to my car ... with my child ... and my husband. We will find a place to park tonight.' It is very difficult to get back on your feet when you have nowhere to put your head down at night. Here we get to be together. We have a nourishing meal. Our children can play. We can access resources for permanent housing. To answer your question, It is going well."

Prospective volunteers only need to attend an hour orientation. Please RSVP to the PHFS volunteer coordinator: Bethany Rocci, bethany@pdxhfs.org. Next Orientations: Aug. 24 at 4:00 pm, Sept. 11 at 5:00 pm, Sept. 27 at 5:00 pm. Gloria Halper-Havurah's PHFS Goose Hollow coordinator: losninos6@gmail.com.

(7) "Last Thursday Witness," IMIrJ (Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice) I.C.E. Vigil, Thursday, Aug. 31, 10:00 - 11:00 am - Portland I.C.E. Building/Headquarters, 4310 Southwest Macadam Ave, Portland - 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 the Portland I.C.E. facility - and participate in various, interfaith expressions and ritual in solidarity. Carpooling is encouraged as parking is very limited. Havurah Shalom will lead the "Last Thursday Witness" in November.

(8) Kabbalat Shabbat Service & Dessert Oneg (no dinner before the service), Friday, Sept. 8, 7:00 pm - Join Rabbi Benjamin and Havurah musicians as we welcome Shabbat together on Friday, Sept. 8.

(9) MACG Housing Community Meeting, Sept. 10, 1:30 – 3:00 pm, Havurah Shalom, and Monday Sept. 11, 7:00 - 8:30 pm, St. Charles Catholic Church, 5310 NE 42nd Ave. - The housing action team of MACG (Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good) has had many successes and has built a positive reputation with the City of Portland's Housing Bureau. One of these successes is our work to pass the historic $258M Affordable Bond Measure last November. The promise was for 1300 affordable units focused on the lowest income people that other housing efforts do not address. Promises need actions to make them real. MACG has been asked to gather community feedback about the draft framework for how the bond money should be spent from MACG institutions in Portland. Learn more and RSVP here.

(10) Interested in Work Around Privilege and Equity at Havurah and/or with Havurah Folk? Wednesday, Sept. 13, 7:00 to 8:30 pm, at Havurah - Those of us who were part of the class last winter on Privilege & Equity would love you to join us September 13 (Wednesday night). We will be using a process to narrow our many options for next steps into those that most 'resonate' with folks. Click here to learn some of the options that have come up from our meetings so far, and who to contact if you are interested in this work or have questions.

(11) Selichot Service, Saturday, Sept. 16, 8:00 pm - Rabbi Benjamin will lead our Selichot Service at Havurah. Selichot are Jewish penitential poems and prayers said in the period leading up to the High Holidays.

(12) Having the Conversation: Workshops to Discuss What Quality Means at the End of Life, Sundays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 12, 10:00 - 11:30 am - It’s not easy to talk about how you want the end of your life to be, but it’s one of the most important conversations you can have with your loved ones; it can make decision-making at the end of life less painful and overwhelming. With the help and guidance of your fellow congregants who have been trained in end-of-life care, we will work together in two supportive workshops to help people talk about their values around quality of life. Please contact Teri if you are interested in registering.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The above photo is from last Thursday's interfaith service following the events in Charlottesville. Rabbi Benjamin is in the front row, far right. You can read the full story here.

(1) "Total Eclipse" by Rabbi Joey -  "Like you I watched the eclipse. I saw the sun recede and felt the temperature drop. As it hid behind the moon, I covered my eyes. I remembered the first time, decades ago in Maine, when I shivered during a summer day.  I was just twelve and quite a bit uneasy. Four months later, John Kennedy would be assassinated, but that awful day was not yet a part of my consciousness, and I could not yet have known fear. Not the swoon of fear, at least." Read all of Rabbi Joey's post on his blog, Gal Aynai.

(2) Clergy & People of Faith March for Justice in Portland - Monday, Aug. 28, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, Jerry D. Schrunk Plaza, 364 SW Madison St - Havurah Shalom supports an event in Portland that will bring together clergy and people of faith of all traditions to recommit to being at the forefront of justice and civil rights, to call into accountability President Trump, Attorney General Sessions and all public officials, and to return to its rightful place the words of Dr. King as the "headlight" in the struggle for justice. This will occur on the same day as 1000 ministers convene in Washington, D.C. to reaffirm their commitment to the social justice movement and stand in solidarity with the spirit and legacy of Dr. King on the anniversary of the March for Jobs & Justice.

(3) Please Sign the Petition to Stand Up to Hate - The Reconstructionist movement and other Jewish organizations have signed onto a petition to the elected leadership of our country to take steps to stop the spread of fascism, and they are now asking all of us to sign it as well, to amplify our voice through our signatures. Click here to sign.

This petition emerges out of the disturbing events in Charlottesville, as well as the response to them. Rabbi Jake Rubin (RRC '09) has been a steadfast leader in Charlottesville throughout this difficult summer as the executive director of the University of Virginia Hillel. Rabbis Mordechai Liebling (RRC '85) and Malkah Binah Klein (RRC '04) represented the Reconstructionist movement as part of a rabbinic contingent organized by T’ruah: The Rabbinic for Human Rights, which joined with the interfaith clergy caucus. You can read their reflections here:

• http://forward.com/scribe/379853/fighting-what-the-nazis-fear/
• https://www.thrivingspirit.org/blog-1/2017/8/14/witness-from-charlottesville

Both the RRC/JRC and the RRA have issued statements condemning the events of last weekend and calling for a rejection of these abhorrent ideologies at the highest levels of our political system. They can be found here:

• The RRA’s statement: http://therra.org/
• RRC/JRC Statement: https://jewishrecon.org/news/charlottesville-response

Questions? Contact Chris Coughlin at chriscoughlin60@gmail.com.

(4) Preparing for High Holidays During Elul - From the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Jewish Reconstructionist Communities, in partnership with the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and Ritualwell: During the Jewish month of Elul, we begin the spiritual journey toward the Yamim Noraim (the Days of Awe). Elul is a time for personal and communal introspection, as we reflect on the ways we have lived into our values and the places where we have missed the mark. We look for deeper understanding in our relationships, examine the pattern of our lives, and rededicate ourselves to healing and repair. The RRC, JRC, RRA and Ritualwell have provided these High Holiday teachings to help us "Embrace the Stranger” – the stranger we encounter inside as we grow in self-awareness, the strangers we meet in the world around us, and the intersection between the two.

(5) High Holiday Tikkun Olam Tzedakah Project Donations - High Holiday Tikkun Tzedakah Project Donations can be dropped off in containers on the fourth floor of the Tiffany Center during High Holidays. Over this past year, Havurahniks have volunteered countless hours of direct service with two local organizations helping families get settled in new homes. Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) supports homeless families at the Goose Hollow Family Shelter transition to new homes, and Catholic Charities supports new refugees arriving in Portland. To further support this work, this year's Havurah High Holiday Tikkun Olam Tzedakah Project will be, as it was last year, to collect household items that will be used by PHFS and Catholic Charities in creating Welcome Baskets for the families each organization helps. Read more here about donation needs.

(6) Solar Eclipse at Havurah - What was your experience of the solar eclipse? At Havurah, our friends from Ferguson Lighting across the street (who kindly let Havurah members use their facilities during a plumbing crisis a few weeks ago) joined us to watch the eclipse, as did our Fed-Ex delivery man and a group of children from a nearby daycare center. You can see more photos here.

(7) Moishe House Mindfulness Retreat - Do you know anyone between the ages of 22 and 32 who wants to combine their loves of mindfulness and Judaism? Tell them to join Moishe House this November for our Jewish Mindfulness Intensive Retreat! Spend four days and three nights in forested Oregon, practicing meditation, mindfulness, and yoga. Dr. Zvi Bellin will guide us through periods of silence and reflection, weaving Judaism throughout. Apply at  moishehouse.org/intensive. The retreat itself is free and a stipend is offered for those who need to travel to Portland. A shuttle will be offered to the retreat center from Portland.

(8) 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!

(9) It Takes a Village: A Benefit Concert for Tanzania, Saturday, Sept. 16, 6:00 - 10:00 pm - A fun-packed evening at 1711 SE 40th Ave, Portland, benefiting the work of the Rafiki Village Project (RVP). The RVP is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation founded by Havurah member David Newman, working on small-scale, collaborative development projects in rural Tanzania. The Sept. 16 concert features the danceable rhythms of Pa’lante! and The AfroFolk Project, led by Havurah member Jan DeWeese. The evening will include African food, beverages, a silent auction, a raffle and a slideshow about the Rafiki Village Project. Tickets ($30) are on sale at Brownpapertickets/com/event/3056351 Questions? Contact David at davnew2@earthlink.net.

The photo above was taken by David Newman.

(10) 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.

Find our calendar and learn more at www.havurahshalom.org.

825 NW 18th Ave, Portland, OR 97209
503-248-4662

Havurah Shalom
825 NW 18th Ave
Portland, OR 97209

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