(1) Upcoming Shabbat (2) Orientations for PHFS Shelters (3) Adelante Volunteering (4) Office Closures (5) Meditation & Morning Minyan (6) No Community Email Next Week (7) Havurah Dues & Donations (8) Learn to Read Hebrew (9) Exploring Our Assumptions (10) Measure 101 Telathon (11) Installation of Rabbi Benjamin (12) Parents, Let's Talk Race (13) Creative Energy Abounding! (14) Moishe House Opening for Resident Age 22-30

(1) Upcoming Shabbat - Community Minyan, Saturday, Dec. 23, 10:00 am - Join Maria Lisa Johnson, Beth Hamon, Diane Chaplin, Harriet Cooke, Karen St. Clair, Marty Brown, and Roger Brewer at this Saturday's Community Minyan, where they will lead and read Torah. This week's parsha is Vayegash, in which Judah offers to take his captured brother Benjamin’s place, an act that leads Joseph to reveal his identity to his brothers. (Above Wikimedia photo is of a painting by Jacopo  Pontormo.)

(2) Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) New Temporary Winter Shelter at Beth Israel: Orientation, Thursday, Dec. 21, 4:00-5:30 pm - A new temporary winter shelter operated by PHFS at Congregation Beth Israel offers overnight shelter to our homeless neighbors until April 30. The shelter will start with only adult volunteers (18 years and older). Volunteers are needed! If you can attend the orientation on Dec. 21, RSVP to Bethany Rocci.

Adopt-a-Night at PHFS Goose Hollow Shelter - Havurah is continuing our Adopt-a-Night volunteering at Goose Hollow Shelter. To volunteer, an hour-long orientation is required. On Jan. 8, 6:15-7:15 pm, an orientation will be offered at 13 Salmon (the PHFS day shelter that will be receiving 25 more people each day from the new winter shelter at Beth Israel). On Jan. 18, 5:00-6:00 pm, an orientation is offered at Goose Hollow, 1838 SW Jefferson. Please RSVP to Bethany@pdxhfs.org with your name and the date and location of the orientation you're interested in attending. For more info about PHFS, contact Gloria Halper or John Devlin.

The above photo is of Havurah second graders serving dinner at Bud Clark Commons earlier this month.

(3) Volunteering with Tikkun Olam Adelante, Tuesdays & Thursdays, 2:00-4:00 pm (volunteering with a group of Latino women and men once or twice a month) - The group Tikkun Olam Adelante grew out of Havurah's Sanctuary work. We wanted to work with Latinos who were and continue to be targeted. We meet our clients on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00-4:00 pm, who come in with a variety of issues: U visa help, job seeking, desire to start a small business, etc.One can sign up for once a month or more. If you are interested please note that there is also the expectation of some time spent outside of a Tues./Thurs. shift. Please contact Gloria Halper.

(4) Office Closures - Havurah's office will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 for the holidays.

(5) Meditation & Morning Minyan - We will gather for Jewish Mindfulness & Meditation on Dec. 26 from noon to 1:00 pm, and we will have Morning Minyan at 8:30 am on Wednesday, Dec. 27.

(6) No Community Email - Due to the winter holiday, we will have no community email next week. The next issue will be sent on Jan. 3.

(7) Havurah Dues and Donations for 2017 - The end of 2017 is rapidly approaching.  If you wish to have any dues payments or other donations to Havurah included in your year-end tax letter, be sure to make your payment well before the end of December. Checks should reach the Havurah office by Dec 29.  Credit card payments can be made (on line) up until Dec 31. Stock donations need to arrive in Havurah's Ameritrade account by Dec 26 to allow time for the sale and settlement of the transaction. Contact Karen Westerman at 503-421-4533 with questions or if you need stock donation instructions. Thank you!

Thank you to all who made our Dec. 15 celebrations possible, including (but not limited to) Rabbi Benjamin, Ilene Safyan, Sacha Reich, Aaron Pearlman, Sarah Shine, Tanja Lux, Jacob Mandelsberg, Scott Snyder, Steven Sandberg-Lewis, Chaim Wolin, Larry Reichman, Mimi Epstein, Gloria Halper, and Nancy Weintraub.

(8) 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.

(9) Exploring Our Assumptions: How Do We Live in a Diverse World?, Tuesdays, Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30 and Feb. 6, 13, 7:00-9:00 pm - The first step in embracing diversity is acknowledging that we all carry assumptions and experiences that influence the way we interpret and interact with people we perceive as “not like us” or “the other." We will explore our personal and collective perspectives about diversity within an accepting and open format, using the book Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race, by Debby Irving, to provide an initial structure for discussion. Participants will read sections of the book prior to each class. We will use the ideas to prompt participants to explore their own assumptions and biases and discuss how our collective biases impact our interactions in a diverse world. Please RSVP here. Questions? Contact Susan Lazareck or Judy Steinberger.

(10) Yes on Measure 101 Telethon, Sunday, Jan. 7, 12:00-3:00 pm - YOUR HELP IS NEEDED. On Jan. 23, Oregon voters will decide whether to ensure that the state’s most vulnerable citizens continue to have access to health care. Voting YES on Measure 101 will enable Oregon to continue insuring low-income Oregonians. Measure 101 protects health care coverage for one in four Oregonians, including 400,000 kids. Havurah has joined over 100 groups in endorsing Measure 101. Your help is needed to ensure it passes. Please come and help call your fellow Havurah members to ask them to vote for Measure 101. A good time is guaranteed. Pizza and snacks provided. If you are able to volunteer please contact David Newman at davnew2@earthlink.net to be put on the list.

(11) Save This Date!

(12) Parents - Let's Talk About Race, Sunday, Jan. 21, 1:00-4:00 pm - This is an anti-racism workshop for parents and caregivers of young children, facilitated by and for parents who benefit from white privilege. It is organized by the Portland Chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), Family Action. SURJ is a national group of individuals and groups organizing white people for racial justice. Learn more about  the objectives and expectations of the workshop, and how to RSVP HERE.

(13) Creative Energy Abounding! - Let’s meet for two hours (come late/leave early) to work on individual art or arts & crafts projects. Time/ frequency to be determined. If interested, contact Eileen Deerdock by email or text: Deerdock@aol.com or 503-928-1910 (I'm a new member, but my photo is in the directory.)

(14) Moishe House Portland Seeking New Resident, Aged 22-30 - Moishe House Portland is seeking a new resident and accepting applications through the end of December at www.moishehouse.org/apply. After being part of Havurah High School and graduating from Colorado College, I have moved into Moishe House Portland. My four housemates and I host Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations, Jewish learning and social events for the young professional Jewish community in Portland seven times a month, supported by the national Moishe House non-profit organization. One of our housemates is moving on so we are looking for a new community builder aged 22-30 to live with us and create events starting in March. Benefits include Jewish learning scholarships and retreats, programming budget, and a rent subsidy. Please get in touch with any questions and/or recommend someone that you think would be a good fit. Thanks! - Jake Sullivan, jake.moishepdx@gmail.com.

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