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.
(HYB) Shabbat Morning Shabbat, May 3rd 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.
(IP) Shabbat School Shabbat, May 3rd 3:00p to 5:15p This program gives children a foundation for lifelong Jewish learning and engagement while integrating parents and children in a caring Jewish community.
(ZM) Progressive Israel Network Sessions Sunday, May 4th 11:00a to 12:00p Havurah Shalom is hosting a four-session series from the Progressive Israel Network. Come learn in collaboration with representatives from five to six of the participating Progressive Israel Network organizations, including T’ruah, New Jewish Narrative, Partners for Progressive Israel, New Israel Fund, J Street, and Reconstructing Judaism.
All perspectives on Israel-Palestine, as well as all curious people, are welcomed and encouraged. Our guests will give presentations and take questions. You can register for all sessions, below, but it's okay if you can't attend all three sessions.
(Reconstructing Judaism, the central organization of the Reconstructionist movement, of which Havurah Shalom is a part, is a member of the Progressive Israel Network.)
(IP) Writing for Peace and Reconciliation, Within and Between Us Sunday, May 4th 6:30p to 8:30p Commemorate the last day of Pesach and Yitzkor in community Passover not only invites us to retell our ancient story but to look at our current reality and ask: what is our mitzrayim today? The obstacle in our personal and communal life? Where can we break through in an act of courage and compassion? April 20th & May 4th, 6:30 PM at Havurah, join Harriet Cooke for a writing/drawing group to explore this theme along with Yitzkor, the Sephirot and Counting the Omer. (It is recommended to attend either just the first session or both sessions.)
(IP) Jewish Ethical Responses to the Problem of Racism Monday, May 5th 6:30p to 7:45p We will address topics such as countering white nationalism and antisemitism, Jewish perspectives on reparations, repairing Jewish pioneer memory, and responding to racial microaggressions. Facilitated by Karen Sherman and Adela Basayne.
(CANCELED) Collage Art with Jewish Symbols Wednesday, May 7th 6:30p to 7:45p This class has been canceled by the instructor. If you are interested in doing art at Havurah, please reach out to Adela Basayne (info@havurahshalom.org). Bring your crafts and creativity out for making collage art with Jewish symbols. We will create hamzas, stars of David, trees of life, and images for blessing the home. All ages are invited! Led by Carolina Martinez.
(IP) Hebrew as a Tool: Prayer and Torah (registration closed) Wednesday, May 7th 7:00p to 8:15p (This class will now be starting on January 8.) Using an in-depth, word-by-word approach, we discover literal meaning(s), ancient layers of understanding, and our own personal interpretations that stem from the nuances of the Hebrew text. Basic Hebrew decoding skills necessary.
