May 23 - Contemplative Shabbat, Annual Meeting, Kabbalat Shabbat
HAVURAH HAPPENINGS (1) Upcoming Shabbat (2) Office Closure (3) A Night of Reading (4) Contemplative Shabbat (5) Annual Congregational Meeting (6) Kabbalat Shabbat (7) Early Morning Contemplative Hike (8) Searching for Mappers (9) Generation to Generation, Silo Busting Intergenerational (10) Havurah Child Care Provider Wanted (11) Steering Committee Minutes & Reports (12) Second Annual Jews of Color Convening
Presence, Light, Manna: What We Need is Here - A Contemplative Shabbat
(1) Upcoming Shabbat - Bat Mitzvah of Sylvie McCord, Saturday, May 26, 10:00 am - This Saturday Sylvie McCord, daughter of Keren and Craig McCord, will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah. Please join us in celebrating with Sylvie and her family, and welcome Sylvie as a member of our community!
(2) Office Closure, Monday, May 28 - Havurah's office will be closed on Monday, May 28, in honor of Memorial Day.
(3) A Night of Reading, Thursday, May 31, 7:30 pm – The current Havurah Writing Group will share short, reflective works they have been developing over the past three months in their Tuesday evening gatherings. Join us for a fast-moving, lyrically-compelling, and plain old-fashioned evening of creative expression. Snacks and coffee with these possibly soon-to-be-really-famous authors to follow. Questions? Contact David Kertzner, dkertzner@proactive-english.com.
(4) Presence, Light, Manna: What We Need is Here - A Contemplative Shabbat, June 1-2 – Led by Rabbi Benjamin and Rabbi Joshua Boettiger of Emek Shalom in Ashland. Beginning Friday evening, then continuing all day Saturday from morning through Havdalah, we will immerse ourselves in contemplative Jewish practice. Through meditation, chanting, and prayer, supported by instruction and teaching, we will aim to open hearts and refine our awareness. Our time will be spent in silence, aside from prayer and chanting, as well as brief opportunities to check in about the practice. The retreat is open to everyone, regardless of experience. Registration to cover expenses is $40 for members of Havurah or Emek Shalom, $50 otherwise. You can register here. The Shabbat morning service and lunch following are open, with no registration needed. Contact Rabbi Benjamin at benjamin.barnett@havurahshalom.org with questions.
(5) Annual Congregational Meeting, Sunday, June 3, 1:00-3:00 pm - As we prepare for the Congregational Meeting, our goal is to make the information shared meaningful. With that in mind, please let us know what questions you may have about Havurah's operations, programming, membership, etc. We may not have time to answer all the questions at the Congregational Meeting. If not, we will get an answer to you either via email or in Hakol. Questions can be sent to info@havurahshalom.org. Thank you in advance for helping us make this meeting a good use of everyone's time. We look forward to the conversation.
(6) Kabbalat Shabbat, Friday, June 8, 6:30 pm Dinner, 7:30 pm Service - This is our last Kabbalat Shabbat celebration before summer break! Join Rabbi Benjamin and our talented Havurah musicians for a joyful, musical service to welcome Shabbat. Our catered vegetarian dinner begins at 6:30 pm.Registration for thedinner closes at noon on Wednesday, June 6, or sooner if the maximum number of seats are filled first. RSVP here. We especially need volunteers who are willing to greet people as they arrive for the service. These shifts are from 7:20-7:40 pm, 7:40-8:00 pm, 8:00-8:20 pm, and 8:20-8:40 pm. Often greeters can watch the door from the social hall and participate in the service, too. Please click here to sign up to be a greeter by Monday, June 4!
(7) Early Morning Contemplative Hike, Thursday, June 21, 6:30-8:30 am, Holman Lane Trailhead in Forest Park - Rabbi Benjamin will lead us in walking together mindfully in nature on this early morning of the summer solstice. Utilizing walking meditation, stops along the way for chanting, and intentions to guide us from Jewish tradition, we will aim to heighten our awareness and wake up more fully in our lives. This will be a moderate hike at a gentle pace. Wear clothing and shoes for hiking, and bring water. Please register online here. Contact Rabbi Benjamin with questions.
(8) Searching for Mappers - As Havurah continues to grow, we want to offer more opportunities to increase our time together. One of the many projects we are working on includes looking at members who live in the same geographic location. If we are able to provide members with information about who lives close to them, we will have more opportunities to support each other, spend time together, and overall it will enhance our community. There are many GIS programs, Google maps, and so on, and if you are not savvy in this area, it is hard to navigate. Therefore, to really start looking at this data we need help from someone who understands mapping. If you, or someone you know, would like to assist us, please email Alana Silverman at ajsilvermanscott@gmail.com.
(9) Generation to Generation ~ Silo Busting Intergenerational ~ Let’s Become Friends! - Havurah Shalom has been growing. Often we hear that making new connections has become a challenge. Folks who have been around the shul for a long time feel comfortable with old friends. New families and new members are looking for a smiling face and the opportunity to make friendships beyond “hello.” A few Havurahniks have been talking, and taking an online class about building and supporting an intentional intergenerational community. Yes, this idea has come up before, but we want to do more intentional programming now. Would you like to know more? Do you want to talk with other Havurahniks to see what is possible? Let’s talk. Send a text, an email, or carrier pigeon to: Andy Gordon, 503-313-6544, AndyGordon107@gmail.com; Susan Lazareck, 503-880-5711, susanlazareck@gmail.com; or Aaron Pearlman, 503-810-1208, aaron@pearlmanoffice.com.
(10) Havurah Child Care Provider Wanted - Havurah has a new opening for a dedicated child care provider. The child care provider supervises children during weekly Saturday morning minyan. The provider also assists with Tot Shabbat. When no children are present, the provider serves as door greeter during services. The time commitment is 2.25 hours every Saturday morning starting at 9:45 am, with opportunities for additional shifts during some Friday night services and other events. Pays $50 per session. Anyone who loves children and is comfortable in positions of responsibility is invited to apply. To learn more about this position or to apply, please email Rachel Pollak, rachel@havurahshalom.org.
(11) Steering Committee Minutes - You can find our April Steering Committee Minutes and Reports here on our website.
(12) Second National Jews of Color Convening, Building a Jews of Color Leadership Corps, Berkshire Hills Eisenberg Camp, Copake, NY - Learn more here about how to participate.
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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 **Note: Registration for this group is now closed.** 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.
