HAVURAH HAPPENINGS
** Update on Rabbi Joey ** (1) Upcoming Shabbat (2) ICE Vigil Led by Havurah (3) PHFS Goose Hollow Shelter (4) Chanukah Parenting Classes for Parents & Grandparents (5) Climate: Do We Need to Change? Can We Change? (6) It Takes a Village (7) Energy Efficiency In Dark Times (8) A Night of Joy & Light Chanukah Celebration & Kabbalat Shabbat (9) Begin With Aleph: Learn to Read Hebrew (10) Rabbi Benjamin's Installation on Jan. 20

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(1) Havurahniks Who Need Help - Our Pastoral Care Team (2) Awakening the Divine Spirituality Retreat Jan. 2-7 (3) Weekend in Quest in March (4) Want to Be a Havurah Tutor? (5) October Steering Committee Minutes (6) Fair Trade Judaica Gelt (7) 'Digging Torah' with Gail Sherman

UPDATE ON RABBI JOEY - We have good news to share: Rabbi Joey has been moved to Robison Health & Rehabilitation Center. His progress is slow, but he seems to be well on the road to recovery. All of our prayers and support are profoundly appreciated. - Rabbi Benjamin

HAVURAH HAPPENINGS

(1) Upcoming Shabbat - Community Minyan, Saturday, Dec. 2, 10:00 am - Join Rabbi Benjamin, Roger Brewer, Sam Sirkin, Michele Goldschmidt, Marty Brown, and other Havurah leaders and leyners as we daven and discuss Torah. In this week's parsha, Vayishlach, Jacob meets Esau after 20 years of living apart. Jacob fears retaliation from Esau, but the brothers greet each other and part ways in peace. Jacob wrestles with a non-human being and is named Israel. Join us for an engaging discussion about this pivotal parsha.

(3) Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS), Goose Hollow Shelter Direct Service Project - Come to an hour-long orientation to learn how Goose Hollow offers families temporary housing and helps them become stable and no longer homeless. Orientations: Nov. 30 at 4:00 pm, Dec. 6 at 5:00 pm, at 1838 SW Yamhill. RSVP to Bethany Rocci. From a PHFS volunteer: “Being a Kid Time Host is more than just playing a game with the kiddos. You have the opportunity to offer emotional support, peer contact, confidentiality, and skill-building in self-assertion and conflict resolution. Kids need to know that the trauma is not their fault and that adults are working to fix it.” For more info re: PHFS please contact Gloria Halper.

(4) Parenting & Grandparenting Classes for Chanukah Dec. 2 & 9: Climate Change Activism with Our Children, Saturday, Dec. 2, 3:10-4:30 pm -
How can we engage ourselves, our families, our youth and our Havurah community in learning about, finding solutions and taking action on the Climate Crises? For those who are new to thinking about climate change to folks already taking action, this workshop is for you. An interactive workshop where we will get inspired, feel empowered and leave with a plan of action. RSVP here. December Dilemmas, Saturday, Dec. 9, 3:10-4:30 pm - Join Rabbi Benjamin for a frank conversation about what it means to parent in Jewish families at this time of year, be a Jew in Portland, be a non-Jew in a Jewish family. RSVP here.

(5) Climate - Do We Need to Change? Can We Change?, Thursday, Dec. 7, 7:00-8:30 pm - Please join Deb Lev for a presentation titled 'Climate – Do we need to change? Can we change?' Deb is from the Climate Reality Project, and is an active member of 350PDX, and a Havurah member. The presentation is sponsored by the Havurah Climate Action Team, part of Tikkun Olam. There will be a Q&A session and discussion following the presentation. Questions? Please contact Steve Birkel at sjbirkel@gmail.com.

(6) It Takes a Village: A Tikkun Olam Committee Sponsored Event, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2:00-4:00 pm, Havurah Shalom - Do the problems of the developing world seem overwhelming? What can we realistically do to help? When there is so much that needs to be done in our own community, why should we help people who live far away? The Rafiki Village Project (RVP)  is a Portland-based non-profit that is working to help Gijega Village, a community of about 2000 people in Tanzania. Rooted in the idea that the problems associated with poverty in the developing world are less overwhelming when broken down to the village level, the RVP is partnering with the villagers to address their problems one project at a time. Please join us for a presentation and discussion about the RVP, economic justice, the problems facing Gijega and the meaning of Tikkun Olam. Learn more . Questions: David@rafikivp.org. Above photo taken by David Newman.

(7) Energy Efficiency in Dark Times, Wednesday, Dec. 13, 7:00-8:30 pm - This session, facilitated by the Lifelong Learning Committee, will offer reflection, encouragement, and renewal as we celebrate the second night of Chanukah. Please join us in community as we acknowledge challenges, tap into cultural sources that offer perspective, and find ways to mend, rededicate, and move forward. Tikkun olam comes in a variety of sizes, from the very personal to the global. Bring on the light! RSVP here.

(8) Joy & Light, 4th Night of Chanukah, Friday, Dec. 15 - Chanukah Celebration for All Ages, 6:00-6:45 pm: Candle lighting, singing, storytelling, led by Rabbi Benjamin, Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, and Ilene Safyan. RSVP by Dec. 4.
- Kabbalat Shabbat Dinner, 6:45-7:45 pm - Bring a chanukiah if you wish! RSVP by Dec. 4. This RSVP deadline is earlier than usual.
- Kabbalat Shabbat Service, 7:45-8:30 pm (No RSVP required)

Tzedakah for Chanukah Celebration: Bring a book for children ages 1-10 to read at a local community center. Spanish or bilingual English/Spanish books are preferred. These books do not have to be new; well loved books will also be treasured.

(9) Begin with Aleph: Learn to Read Hebrew, Wednesdays, Jan. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and Feb. 7, 7:00-8:30 pm - This course is for beginners, even those who have “begun” before. Focusing on basic reading competency, we will uncover bits of Judaism that are only accessible through its original language. Our text has online home practice. Taught by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner. RSVP here.
 

(10) Save the Date! Installation of Rabbi Benjamin on Saturday, Jan. 20, 5:00 pm

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(1) Havurahniks Who Need Help - Pastoral Care Team - Earlier this year, Havurah members with pastoral care training and experience formed a Pastoral Care Team (PCT) to support members during the months when we had no rabbi. Rabbi Benjamin and the PCT have now begun a conversation about continuing their work to support him in providing pastoral care to our community. PCT Co-chairs Allan Cordova and Sandy Ramirez will meet with Rabbi Benjamin soon to lay the groundwork for this support system. Click here to learn about current developments and how to help Havurah members facing challenges right now, including Nick Fish and Patricia Schechter.

(3) Weekend in Quest, March 2-4 - Read about Weekend in Quest here.

(4) Want to Be a Havurah Tutor? - Can you devote an hour or two once a week to tutor some of the neediest children in our city? As part of Havurah’s commitment to being a sanctuary congregation, we are partnering with the Baltazar Ortiz Community Center (6736 NE Killingsworth St), a Multnomah County health facility that works with refugees and immigrants and is a safe gathering place for the Latino and East African communities that surround it. Havurah has been asked to create an after school tutoring program for some of the neighborhood elementary school age children. Learn more here.

(5) Steering Committee Meeting Minutes - You can read the minutes from Havurah's October Steering Committee Meeting here.

(6) Fair Trade Judaica Chanukah Gelt - This year support Kuapa Kokoo, a Fair Trade cooperative in Ghana who are co-owners of Divine Chocolate. Fair Trade standards prohibit the use of child labor. Learn more and order gelt here.

(7) 'Digging Torah' Series, Gail Sherman, 'Joseph the Dreamer: Literary, Chasidic, & Psychological Approaches,' Dec. 4, at PJA's Beit Midrash - Learn about this Dec. 4 event and an upcoming 'Digging Torah' event in February here on this flier. 

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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