Feb. 7 Email - Live the Chai Life!, Kabbalat Shabbat, Lev Tahor
HAVURAH HAPPENINGS - (1) Upcoming Shabbat (2) Live the Chai Life!: A Purim Celebration (3) Call for Actors, Writers, Chanters & Musicians! (4) Fundraiser Planning Meeting (5) Lev Tahor (Pure Heart) Chanting (6) Portland Homeless Family Solutions (7) February Book Discussion
ANNOUNCEMENTS - (1) Shabbat Morning Service-Maker Volunteers (2) After School Tutoring (3) English Conversation Hour (4) Rising Voices Fellowship (5) Community Concert-Neshama Carlebach
(1) Upcoming Shabbat, Kabbalat Shabbat Service, Friday, Feb. 9, 7:30 pm - Join us for an evening of music and celebration with Rabbi Benjamin, Havurah Music Coordinator Ilene Safyan, and Havurah musicians Scott Snyder, Andrew Ehrlich, Chaim Wolin, Chava Wolin, Steven Sandberg-Lewis, John Duke, and Tanja Lux. All are welcome!Above photo of Kabbalat Shabbat Service was taken by Barbara Gundle.
Shabbat Family Service, Saturday, Feb. 10, 10:30 am-12:00 noon - Especially for families with children in grades K-6. Our community will gather together for an uplifting morning of family activities including Torah exploration, singing, and celebration - and a little nosh, too! This service will have a bare bones liturgy with a 30-minute teaching in which families will be in small groups by grade. We'll have only one aliyah at this service. Everybody is absolutely welcome. There will, of course, be mourner’s Kaddish. RSVP here.
(2) 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!
Tzedakah - Please consider making a cash donation for Portland Homeless Family Solutions to support family homeless shelters, or 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.
(3) Calling All Actors, Writers, Chanters & Musicians for PURIM!
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.
If you are interested in learning to chant a few verses of the Megillah, please contact Rabbi Benjamin at benjamin.barnett@havurahshalom.org.
(4) Planning Meeting for Havurah Fundraiser, Thursday, Feb. 8, 7:00-8:30 pm - Join us to help plan for our fundraising event on May 6. We have the basic framework set up and need your ideas to flesh out the picture. Fran Berg and Nancy Becker are coordinating. We love to plan parties and raise money and want to share the joy! Questions? Contact Nancy at nancyjbecker@gmail.com or Fran at bergfr@gmail.com. RSVP here if you can come to the meeting. And Save the Date! May 6, 4:00-8:00 pm - Let's celebrate! and raise some money! We've come a long way and have lots more to do. Come enjoy the company of your fellow Havurahniks, eat, drink and be merry, and help raise a bunch of money so we can continue to be the great community that we all love so much.
(5) Lev Tahor (Pure Heart) Chanting, Monday, Feb. 12, 7:00 pm - We will gather to lift sacred phrases through melody, harmony, and rhythm in order to open our hearts, clarify our minds, and cultivate qualities such as gratefulness and compassion. Interspersed with periods of silent meditation, the chanting will be guided by teachings and intentions from Rabbi Benjamin. Each of these gatherings on the second Monday of the month is open to anyone – no experience, musical ability, or commitment necessary. Lev Tahor chanting is free for members; non-members are asked to make a small donation to Havurah.
(6) 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 Feb. 7 & 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 & 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.
(7) Havurah Book Discussion Group, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 7:00-8:30 pm - Please join us for a discussion of The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon. After 60 years of prosperity for Jewish refugees and their descendants in the "temporary" safe haven of Sitka, created in the wake of the Holocaust, their home is set to revert to Alaskan control. Homicide detective Meyer Landsman has enough problems in his life, his marriage, and his career. But as he investigates a murder that is committed in the hotel where he lives, Landsman contends with all the powerful forces of faith, obsession, evil, and salvation that are his heritage. The discussion will be led by Maud Naroll, who says “One of my favorites, this is an alternative reality, detective, love story, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny page turner.” RSVP here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
(1) Shabbat Morning Service-Maker Volunteers – Our community Shabbat services are lay-led and rely on a core of volunteers with Rabbi Benjamin. We want to make sure everyone is aware of the opportunity to contribute and learn. We want to expand and diversify the cohort who make Shabbat morning community services happen. If you are interested in learning more about how to plug-in click here.
(2) After School Tutoring, Wednesday & Thursdays, 3:00-4:15 pm, Baltazar Ortiz Community Center, 6736 NE Killingsworth - Can you devote an hour or two once a week to tutor some of the city’s most disadvantaged children? You'll enjoy every minute with these great kids. As a Sanctuary congregation, Havurah partners with the Ortiz Center, a Multnomah County health facility working with Latino and East African refugees and immigrants. No teaching experience is needed, just a knowledge of basic math and reading. We know you can't be there every week. We will work with you on scheduling. RSVP to rosenthalpdx@comcast.net or moskovitzj@gmail.com with your name and dates you are available. The county asks people to complete a background check form and provide a copy of their driver's license.
(3) English Conversation Hour, Tuesdays, Noon-1:00 pm - Our Sanctuary work is growing at the Ortiz Community Center. When we began with this diverse immigrant group, we stepped in to keep their ELL program going. During class the issue of practicing English arose, which has led to another volunteer opportunity! Come join a group of animated, enthused people as they work their way through our complicated language during an hour of conversational activities. Tuesdays, Noon-1:00 pm, 6736 NE Killingsworth. Please RSVP to Julie Hastings at julie.hastings64@gmail.com to let her know which Tuesday you are coming.
(4) Rising Voices Fellowship for Female-Identified 10th-12th Graders - Calling all female-identified teens in grades 10-12 who are passionate about feminism, Judaism, social justice, and writing! Jewish Women's Archives is now accepting applications for the 2018-19 Rising Voices Fellowship. Applications, FAQ and more information about the fellowship can be found at jwa.org/risingvoices. Applications are due by March 28.
(5) PDX Community Concert with Neshama, Sunday, Feb. 11, 4:30 pm, Congregation Neveh Shalom - Join Neshama Carlebach and her full band at Congregation Neveh Shalom for a soulful concert that will raise the spirits of Portlanders of all ages. Neshama Carlebach, a leading superstar in Jewish entertainment, is continuing the legacy established by her father, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Questions? Contact Saul Korin at skorin@oregonjcc.org. Buy tickets online 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.
(HYB) Solidarity Shabbat Friday, Jun 27th 5:45p to 8:30p 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.
(HYB) Climate Change Shabbat Morning Shabbat, Jun 28th 10:00a to 12:00p Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin (who is on sabbatical until July 1, 2025), this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. Join us afterward for a light community brunch provided by the Lunches and Noshes Committee! Free childcare is provided. For Zoom information, please email info@havurhshalom.org.
(HYB) Rosh Ḥodesh Tov! Gender-Inclusive New Moon Ritual Sunday, Jun 29th 7:00p to 8:15p A gender-inclusive New Moon group, learning and celebrating each Rosh Ḥodesh with ancient and contemporary ritual. Open to any and all genders, inviting each to connect with our closest heavenly body, the Moon. An introductory meeting will happen on the full moon of Elul on Wednesday, Aug. 30 outdoors—weather permitting—in North Portland. Subsequent meetings will be on or near the new moon of each month either in person in North Portland or on Zoom, depending on seasonal shifts in the weather. Attend any or all sessions. RSVP to be updated on location and other details throughout the year.
(ZM) Palestinian Justice Letter Writing Group Monday, Jun 30th 6:00p to 7:30p We hold monthly letter writing group Zoom gatherings to write letters to our lawmakers for Israel/Palestine justice. Questions? Email Dale Oller (member log-in required to access directory). Feel free to drop in any time! There’s no need to RSVP, but please do RSVP if you need the Zoom login. Non-Havurah-members very welcome as well.
(IP) Pride Kabbalat Shabbat in the Park Friday, Jul 11th 6:30p to 8:30p Celebrate queer and Jewish joy with a special Kabbalat Shabbat service at Columbia Park! We’ll enjoy a potluck dinner together afterward. Beverages will be provided. BYOB. All are welcome.
(HYB) Shabbat Morning Shabbat, Jul 12th 10:00a to 12:00p Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin (who is on sabbatical until July 1, 2025), this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. Join us afterward for a light community brunch provided by the Lunches and Noshes Committee! Free childcare is provided. For Zoom information, please email info@havurahshalom.org.
