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.
Prayer Flags for Our Planet Thursday, Apr 25th 11:00a to 3:00p This exhibit is about science and art.
It is meant to be a learning experience, about the top 60 solutions to climate change, as researched by over 5,000 scientists.
And most importantly it is about hope.
It is about learning about these solutions to climate change and
changing the hearts and minds of those around us,
so that we can all work together.
Anne Nesse, 2024
(ZM) Racial Justice Committee Meeting Thursday, Apr 25th 7:00p to 8:30p Please join us for our monthly Racial Justice Committee Meeting. We will learn of upcoming events and plan new ones.
(IP) HCAT & Partners' Climate Action Fair at MJCC Sunday, Apr 28th 12:00p to 4:00p HCAT invites you to continue with our climate action month by attending a community wide Climate Action Fair at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Cosponsored by the MJCC and the Jewish Federation’s Climate team, meet dozens of environmental organizations and discover resources for actions you can take. A series of speakers will talk about forestry, electrification, native plants and climate friendly foods. (And let Elianne Lieberman know if you can give someone a ride or are seeking a ride!)
Passover Minyan (Yizkor) Tuesday, Apr 30th 8:00a to 9:15a For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish. We will observe Yizkor today as well. We meet both in person and streaming online in Zoom Room Aleph. All are welcome. Please email info@havurahshalom.org for join info.
Experience the Omer: Making it Count! Tuesday, Apr 30th 7:00p to 7:30p [RSVP to be emailed a recording of the April 9 intro session.] The Omer is an ancient tradition marking time between the Exodus from the Narrow Place to the Expanse at Sinai. Explore tools and practices to facilitate your own learning and experience from Liberation to Revelation. We will have an intro class followed by half-hour check-ins, one for each Sephira. Led by Andrine de la Rocha. 7 pm, Tuesdays, Apr. 9 (Intro), 23 (Chesed), 30 (Gevurah); May 7 (Tiferet), 14 (Netzach), 21 (Hod), 28 (Yesod); Jun. 4 (Malchut) Led by Andrine de la Rocha.
(ZM) Book Group: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders Tuesday, Apr 30th 7:00p to 8:30p February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies upstairs in the White House, gravely ill. In a matter of days, despite predictions of a recovery, Willie dies and is laid to rest in a Georgetown cemetery. “My poor boy, he was too good for this earth,” the president says at the time. “God has called him home.” Newspapers report that a grief-stricken Lincoln returns, alone, to the crypt several times to hold his boy’s body.
From that seed of historical truth, George Saunders spins an unforgettable story of familial love and loss that breaks free of its realistic, historical framework into a supernatural realm both hilarious and terrifying.
