HAVURAH HAPPENINGS - (1) Upcoming Shabbat (2) Jewish Parenting Workshop: Mindfulness In Parenting (3) IMIrJ Last Thursday Vigil at ICE (4) Community Havdalah at Rose Schnitzer Manor (5) Havurah Leadership Retreat (6) Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth (7) Kabbalat Shabbat RSVP Deadline (8) Tu B'Shevat Tot Shabbat (9) B'nai Mitzvah Planning Basics (10) B'nai Mitzvah: Why, When, How? (11) Portland Homeless Family Solutions (12) Calling All Purim Writers, Actors & Musicians

ANNOUNCEMENTS - (1) Photos, Thanks & Welcome - Rabbi Benjamin's Installation (2) Lotsa Helping Hands Leads Needed (3) Tikkun Adelante Volunteers (4) Awaken Your Inner Keyboard (5) Never Again: A Jewish Response to the Rohingya Crisis (6) Weekend In Quest

In Gmail, click on "view entire message" at bottom left to see entire email.

(2) Jewish Parenting Workshop: Mindfulness In Parenting, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 7:00 pm - The journey of parenting is both highly demanding and profoundly rewarding. Through contemplative spiritual practice, Jewish and otherwise, we are given tools to help us more capably meet its challenges and appreciate its blessings. In this session, Rabbi Benjamin will lead us through some basic techniques of mindfulness practice, and we will reflect together about how we might utilize them in our parenting.

(3) IMIrJ Last Thursday Vigil at ICE, 4310 SW Macadam Ave, Portland, Thursday, Jan. 25, 10:00-11:00 am - All are welcome to gather in vigil as we express our welcome, support and love for families affected by I.C.E. detentions. Join this monthly gathering to lift up the reality of what happens every day at the Portland I.C.E. facility. This vigil will be the beginning of a week of action recognizing the one-year anniversary of the Muslim Ban. The next event is Saturday, Jan. 27: Protest at the Portland International Airport, 1:00 pm. Questions? Contact Robert Brown, rebrown47@gmail.com. No RSVP needed. Just show up!

(4) Community Havdalah at Rose Schnitzer Manor, Zidell Hall, Saturday, Jan. 27, 6:30 pm – Flip Frisch, Music Leader from Congregation Kol Ami in Vancouver, WA, will lead the service. Refreshments and socializing will follow. Free and open to all, with no RSVP required. Sponsored by Jewish Women’s Round Table and its member organizations, including Havurah Shalom. Questions? Contact Adele Thompson at adeledt@live.com.

(5) Havurah Leadership Retreat, Sunday, Jan. 28, 12 noon - Steering Committee, staff, and committee chairs will meet at Havurah for a day of planning.

(6) Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth - Screening and Panel Discussion, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 6:30-8:30 pm - Join Havurah's middle and high school students for a special screening of an important and timely documentary.  "Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth" highlights the challenges faced by young people without legal status. A panel discussion will follow the film, led by producer Rebecca Shine of Graham Street Productions and joined by two youths deeply affected by these issues. Every day 122 Dreamers may lose their DACA status, making them undocumented in the only country they have known. Come be part of this vital discussion, hosted by the Havurah Sanctuary Committee. Questions? Contact shari.raider@gmail.com.  No RSVP necessary.

(7) Kabbalat Shabbat Dinner RSVPs Due Friday, Feb. 2: NEW EARLIER RSVP DATE - Our next Kabbalat Shabbat Dinner & Service will be Friday, Feb. 9, 6:30 pm (dinner) and 7:30 pm (service). Join us for an evening of music and celebration with Rabbi Benjamin and Havurah musicians. The catered vegetarian dinner begins at 6:30 pm, with nut-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free options, followed by the service at 7:30 pm. Registration is required for the dinner and  needs to be received in the Havurah office no later than Friday, Feb 2. Please note that the RSVP DEADLINE IS EARLIER than it has been in the past. If you plan to mail a check, please email rachel@havurahshalom.org before Feb 2 to ensure your seats. Late registrations will be added to a wait list. Please register here. Questions? Contact Rachel Pollak at rachel@havurahshalom.org.

(8) Tot Shabbat, Saturday, Feb. 3, 10:30-11:30 am - Join us for a Tu B'Shevat Tot Shabbat! Young children and their parents celebrate Shabbat with singing, movement, blessings, and storytelling. We touch on the main highlights of the Shabbat morning service: wonder, fun, song, listening to the world, dancing, and Torah. Tot Shabbat is fashioned for the under-six crowd, but older kids are welcome (and can help tell a story, etc.). Afterwards, we enjoy an informal potluck oneg nosh and the chance to play and schmooze. Led by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner. Please RSVP here.

(9) B'nai Mitzvah Planning Basics, Saturday, Feb. 3, 3:15 pm - The logistics of B’nai Mitzvah planning and set up at Havurah is the focus of this workshop. Parents will learn about reserving and using Havurah’s spaces and the items in them (like tables, plates, etc) from Havurah Office & Facilities Manager Rachel Pollak. A new addition to this workshop is a deeper dive into “event planning,” led by Havurah member, Chari Smith. RSVP here.

(10) The B'nai Mitzvah: Why, When, How?, Sunday, Feb. 4, 10:00 am-12:15 pm - This workshop was formerly known as Date Selection Meeting, and it is specifically for families in the 2019-2020 cohort and families who do not yet have a B'nai Mitzvah date. This workshop intends to launch families on the B’nai Mitzvah journey. Rabbi Benjamin will begin with a focus on the rite of passage itself, and then families will learn about the date selection process. Rabbi Benjamin, David Newman, and Michael Evans will lead this workshop. RSVP here.

(11) Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS), Volunteers Needed at Three Sites - A New Temporary Family Winter Shelter (FWS) at Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) is open nightly, 6:00-9:00 pm, through April. Orientations required before volunteering are Jan. 24, Feb. 7, and Feb. 15, 4:30-5:30 pm. The 75-space capacity shelter is for families with children, and is starting with only adult volunteers (18 years and older). Daily 25 people from the FWS are invited to the 13 Salmon Day Shelter, 1010 SW 13th Ave, so more volunteers are needed there, too. Next orientation at 13 Salmon is Feb. 8, 6:15 pm. Havurah also is continuing our Adopt-a-Night volunteering at Goose Hollow Shelter, 1838 SW Jefferson. Orientations are required, and will be held at 1838 SW Jefferson on Feb. 12 and Feb. 15, at 5:00 pm. RSVP to Bethany@pdxhfs.org with name of shelter and date of orientation. For general information about PHFS, contact Gloria Halper, losninos6@gmail.com, or John Devlin, john.t.devlin@gmail.com.

(12) Purim 2018: Live the Chai Life!, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 6:00-8:30 pm - Come one, come all, for a night of joy, masquerade, and retelling the story of some courageous individuals from long ago whose valor saved the Jewish People. We will interweave some chanting of the Megillah with dramatic narration and off-the-wall spieling. Get ready to make some noise as we recount the fateful events that led to the spoiling of the wicked plot of you-know-who! Followed by dancing, revelry, pomp, circumstance and l'chaiims. Havurah will provide pizza, and people with last names starting with A-L are asked to bring a salad or side dish to share. People with last names starting with M-Z are asked to bring a dessert. All food should be on plates or in bowls ready to be served. RSVP here!

If you are interested in learning to chant a few verse of the Megillah, please contact Rabbi Benjamin at benjamin.barnett@havurahshalom.org.

Calling All Actors, Writers, and Musicians for PURIM SPIEL!

This year we will do a few short skits and musical numbers. Be a part of a group that rehearses in advance or one that just meets earlier on Feb. 28 for an improv performance. Screenwriter? Great! Write a script! Rehearsal dates TBD. Everyone welcome! Questions? Contact Ellen Regal, ellenregal@yahoo.com, 503-288-5042.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(1) Installation of Rabbi Benjamin - Thank you to everyone who made Rabbi Benjamin's installation ceremony on Jan. 20 so inspiring: Rabbi Joshua from Ashland, Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Ken Lerner, Bill Kwitman, Ilene Safyan, Alicia Jo Rabins, Andrew Erhlich, Tanja Lux, Chaim Wolin, Scott Snyder, Beth Hamon, Fran Berg, Susan Lazareck, Amanda Coffey, Loree Devery, Miryam Brewer, Adela Basayne, Karen Westerman, and all who represented the waves and generations of Havurah. And thank you, Barbara Gundle, for these photos of the evening. Most of all, thank you and welcome to Rabbi Benjamin and his family! The above photo is of the passing of theTorah through the generations and waves of Havurahniks.

(2) Pastoral Care/Lotsa Helping Hands - The Pastoral Care Team is taking Lotsa Helping Hands under our wing, and we're looking for a couple of people to manage and expand the helping network. Time commitment is less than an hour per community need, and the technology is fairly easy. We'd love at least two people representing more than one age cohort. This is a perfect opportunity for someone skilled in social outreach who can assess needs and communicate them to our helping community. If you're interested and/or have questions, please contact Sandy Ramirez at sandylou29@yahoo.com.

(3) Tikkun Olam Adelante, Tues./Thurs., 2:00-4:00 pm - Tikkun Olam Adelante, a project developed from our Sanctuary work, helps specifically, yet not limited to a Latino Women's Group at the Ortiz Community Center in the Cully neighborhood. We are seeking at this time just speakers of Spanish, and conversational level is sufficient. For more info, contact Gloria Halper at losninos6@gmail.com.  To RSVP, please choose a date you can come to observe a Tikkun Olam session.

(4) Writing Group - Awaken Your Inner Keyboard - Do you like to write? David Kertzner and Sharon Reyes are organizing a Havurah adult writers workshop for anyone who wants to explore writing from any level. They want to bring people together for eight sessions culminating in a Friday night reading and oneg in June. Dates TBD, but they expect to meet every other week for two-hour sessions, starting mid-late February or March, at Havurah and/or willing participants’ homes. David has offered to lead the sessions which will include a warm-up activity, followed by sharing of writing and supportive feedback. Writers may continue meeting after the reading. They’d like to cap the group at eight. Questions? Email (or RSVP to) David, dkertzner@proactive-english.com, or email Sharon, adelmanreyes12@yahoo.com.

(5) Never Again: A Jewish Response to the Rohingya Crisis, Monday, Jan. 29, 6:30-8:30 pm, Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, 724 NW Davis St, Portland - The Royingya are a majority Muslim ethnic minority who have been ruthlessly oppressed by the Myanmar military, suffering indiscriminate killings, forced evacuations, rape and other forms of violence. Approximately 700,000 Royingya have been forced to flee their homes since August and only about 400,000 Rohingya remain in Myanmar. 120,000 of those are kept in concentration camps. Learn more about the evening here.

(6) Weekend in Quest - This year's Weekend In Quest has reached maximum registration. Learn more at www.weekendinquest.org. To add your name to the wait list, email mimiepstein42@comcast.net.

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