We look forward to a Sweet New Year with Rabbi Benjamin and our fellow community members, families friends, both old and new. Thank you to all who are making our High Holidays services meaningful. Here is our schedule of those services. L'Shana To
Weekly Community Email, Sept. 20, 2017 - L'Shana Tova!
We look forward to a Sweet New Year with Rabbi Benjamin
and our fellow community members, families & friends, both old and new. Thank you to all who are making our High Holidays services meaningful. Here is ourschedule of those services.
L'Shana Tova!
At Rosh Hashanah, as we turn to new beginnings, we seek to repent—to do teshuvah—for what we have done wrong. And we can also affirmatively foster ourselves toward resilience—toward a thriving, loving outlook in spite of whatever challenges we encounter in life. In this video, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., President of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College & Jewish Reconstructionist Communities, explores themes of resilience embedded into Jewish practice.
Shana tova umetukah. A sweet and a happy and a healthy new year.
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.
Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) Goose Hollow Direct Service Project - Started in July 2015 with 10 Havurah families volunteering, now we have more than 40 signed up! Been thinking about involving yourself in something new at Havurah? Join our Portland Homeless Family Solutions project by attending an hour-long orientation. There are several volunteer positions that we fill once a month, so not only will you be helping homeless families, you will also be working along side other Havurahniks! Next Orientations: Sept. 27 at 5:00 pm, Oct. 17 at 4:00 pm. Orientations are at the shelter, 1838 SW Jefferson Ave. Parking is behind the church.** Please RSVP to Goose Hollow's volunteer coordinator: Bethany Rocci at bethany@pdxhfs.org. Any other questions: Havurah member Gloria Halper: losninos6@gmail.com.
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.
A Celebratory Sukkot is Being Planned at Havurah - Havurah's sukkah building has already begun. In addition to the photo above, check outthese photos of Tivnu gap year participants who have been busy constructing the components of our new big sukkah during the past two weeks. Many thanks to Tivnu executive director Steven Eisenbach-Budner, for setting up this partnership and donating countless hours of Tivnu time to Havurah's new sukkah project, to Erik Brakstad, Tivnu Construction Trainer, who designed the new sukkah to fill and complement our courtyard, despite it's irregular slopes, and to all of the Tivnu gap year participants who have worked so hard at Havurah for many days now.
Please join Havurah member Michael Alter, Tivnu's Erik Brakstad, and Tivnu gap year participants in constructing our new sukkah on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 11:00 am. Learn about all ofour Sukkot opportunities and activities 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.
Ambiguity & the Multiple Narratives of Torah, Taught by Rabbi Benjamin, Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30 pm, Oct. 18, 25; Nov. 1, 8, 15, 29 - The Hebrew Bible is rich with ambiguity. While we carry many assumptions about its points of view, the Torah is in fact multilayered and nuanced. Through close readings of particular Biblical narratives, including those of Abraham, Hagar, Jacob, and David, and with the aid of ancient and contemporary responses, we will re-read the literature that is Torah, exploring its artistry and reflecting on the ways in which it expresses and comments upon the nature of humanity. Please RSVP here.
Passport to Empowerment, Green Empowerment 20-year Anniversary Celebration, Saturday, Oct. 14, 5:00-midnight, North Warehouse, 723 N Tillamook St, Portland - Havurah Shalom's Tikkun Olam Committee is a sponsor for Green Empowerment's "Passport to Empowerment," its celebration of 20 years of social justice through partnering with local NGOs to bring clean water and sustainable electricity to remote villages in Latin American and Asia. Over the past 10 years Havurah members raised funds for a solar water system, latrines, and clean cookstoves in El Jocote, Nicaragua, and during service trips assisted villagers in setting up patio gardens and grey water systems. Join the celebration at the VIP event from 5:00-8:00 pm (tickets are $100; the first ten requesters will be given a free ticket) and/or the party from 7:30 pm-midnight ($40). Christine Ervin, the first President and CEO of U.S. Green Building Council and Assistant Secretary of Energy under President Clinton, will speak at 7:30 pm. Go to www.greenempowerment.org/passport for details on the event. Questions? Contact Linda Boise at boiselinda48@gmail.com.
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 directoryby 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.
[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.
