With Rosh Hashanah Just One Week Away ... We Thank All Who Signed Up to Help and ...

All Who Will Sign Up Today - We Need You!

Many thanks to Rachel Pollak for managing our High Holidays organizing so beautifully this year. And thank you to all who have signed up to volunteer to help for Rosh Hashanah. Thanks also to those of you who will SIGN UP TODAY!

The only way we can open our doors to the community for High Holidays is if all Havurah members help in some way.

We especially need volunteers for the following:

- Tuesday, Sept. 19, 6:30 - 7:30 pm - We need 15 more volunteers to help unload boxes of service books, toys for the childcare area, the ark we use for High Holidays, and vases for flower arrangements at the Tiffany Center.

- Wednesday, Sept. 20, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm - We need 11 more volunteers to arrange the service books and other items for Rosh Hashanah services.

- Thursday, Sept. 21, 8:15 - 8:45 am - We need one wonderful food shlepper so the children in our childcare area don't go hungry.

- Thursday, Sept. 21, 12:45 - 1:30 pm - We could use a few more ushers for this shift on the first day of Rosh Hashanah.

- Friday, Sept. 22, 12:15 - 1:00 pm - We could use a few more ushers for this shift on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.

- Friday, Sept. 22, 1:00 - 1:30 pm - We need at least five people to collect flowers from the bima and make little bouquets to give people as they leave Rosh Hashanah Services. You'll see how happy people are when you offer them bouquets!

- Friday, Sept. 22, 1:00 - 2:00 pm - We need 14 Havurahniks to help move Havurah's belongings to a storage room inside the Tiffany Center.

Just click on the SignUp button below to add your name to one of these positions.

High Holidays Music Gathering, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 7:00 - 8:30 pm - We have a wonderful group of singers that have met the past couple of weeks. We have one more Wednesday night gathering scheduled, and an additional gathering whose day and time will be determined at tomorrow night's meeting. If you are considering playing an instrument on Erev Rosh Hashanah, please be in touch with Ilene Safyan (privately) so we can try our best to set up a date when you are able to attend practice.

Interested in Work Around Privilege and Equity at Havurah and/or with Havurah Folk? Wednesday, Sept. 13, 7:00 - 8:30 pm - 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.

Climate Action Team Meeting, Thursday, Sept. 14, 7:00 pm, at Havurah - This is a change of date. All interested Havurah members are invited to join us as we discuss and plan future activities. Contact Elianne Lieberman at elianne97202@yahoo.com for questions.

Community Minyan, Saturday, Sept. 16, 10:00 am - Please join us this Saturday for our Community Minyan!

Seliḥot Service, Saturday, Sept. 16, 8:00 - 9:30 pm, Havurah Shalom - Traditionally, Jews gather on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah to initiate the process of Seliḥot, “Forgiveness,” in preparation for the Ten Days of Teshuvah (“Returning/Repentance”). We will use some traditional Seliḥot prayers, as well as contemplative music and prayer, in order to access forgiveness and compassion as we move further into this sacred time.

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 below was taken by David Newman.

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.

Shabbat Service on Saturday, Sept. 23 - On this Shabbat morning following the two days of Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Benjamin will guide us in contemplative practice. We will cover less of the liturgy than we normally do, instead taking our time to chant particular sections as well as leaving plenty of room for silent prayer and meditation. We will then take time for some reflective Torah discussion in connection to this season of renewal.

Sukkah Building, Sunday, Oct. 1, 11:00 am - Tivnu, a local nonprofit run by our Education Director's husband, Steven Eisenbach-Budner, is creating a new sukkah for us this year. It will be bigger than our previous sukkah and easier to build and decorate. Havurah member Michael Alter is one of the Havurah members working with Tivnu to build the sukkah. Michael and Tivnu will lead Havurah volunteers in building the new sukkah on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 11:00 am. If you are interested in joining the project, please RSVP here.

Sukkah Decorating, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 6:30 pm, Havurah member Carolina Martinez will lead Havurah members in decorating the sukkah with greenery and artwork. If you can join in the decorating, please RSVP here.

Simchat Torah, Thursday, Oct. 12, 6:30-8:30 pm - Join us for a family-friendly, joyous celebration! We'll have a dessert buffet from 6:00 - 6:50 pm, followed by music, dancing and celebrating Torah. Please RSVP here.

Do You Want a Beautiful Sukkah? - Havurah has the framework for a small sukkah that is easy to put together and sturdy. If you would like a sukkah for your home and are interested in this one, please email teri@havurahshalom.org. Below is a photo of the structure.

Accessing Havurah's Membership Directory - Members of Havurah can access our membership directory by logging in as a member on our home page using the “login” link in the upper right corner and entering their email address as their ID and the password they created for themselves in the password field. Once logged in, members will find a link to the directory at the bottom of the drop-down menu under “Community.” The most effective way to search for another member’s listing is to enter the person’s name in the search box at the top of the page. Using the alphabetical listings can be problematic since many Havurah spouses have different last names from each other. If you are already logged in, you should be able to access the directory by clicking here.

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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.

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