(1) Upcoming Shabbat (2) Tisha B'Av Saturday Night at ICE (3) Tisha B'Av at Havurah on Sunday (4) Announcing Our New Program Director (5) Engaging with Israel Constructively (6) Summer Concert Tickets Available (7) Discussion of A Tale of Love and Darkness (8) Dorot Shabbat in the Park (9) Shabbat in the Pool (10) We Found Someone Else Who Likes Puzzles

(1) Bat Mitzvah of Mariela Rose Neiberg, Saturday, July 21, 10:00 am – This Saturday, Mariela Rose Neiberg, daughter of Leonard Neiberg and Rebecca Reichard, will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah. Please join us in celebrating with Mariela and her family, and welcome Mariela as a member of our community!
 

(2) Tisha B’Av Ritual: A Lament for Immigrant Detention and Family Separation, Saturday, July 21, 8:30 pm, ICE Building, 4310 SW Macadam Ave – Led by Rabbi Ariel Stone, Rabbi Debra Kolodny, Rabbinic Intern Davina Bookbinder, and Rabbi Benjamin Barnett. As Jewish tradition tells it, on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av (Tisha B’Av) our People suffered the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, as well as several other catastrophes. Jews gather each year on this day to commemorate these tragedies, chanting the book of Lamentations and singing mournful yet beautiful melodies. In response to the catastrophes being perpetrated right now upon thousands of individuals and families entering our country, we will gather in front of ICE headquarters for prayer, reflection, and ritual, opening our hearts to this current destruction, and turning our spirits toward insuring safety and dignity for all who enter this land. Please note: SW Bancroft is closed by DHS at Macadam, so the easiest way to the site is to enter the south waterfront from the north end, off Naito.

(3) Tisha B’Av: Drawing Strength Amidst Tragedy and Suffering, Sunday, July 22, 10:00-11:30 am, Havurah Shalom – As tradition tells it, on the ninth day of Av the Jewish People suffered the destruction of both the First and Second Temples, as well as several other catastrophes. Jews gather each year to commemorate those tragedies. In response to our troubled times, in addition to the traditional rituals this year we will make room to voice concern and even despair, drawing strength from each other and our tradition. Through ritual, reflection, and listening, we will open our hearts to today’s destructions, and turn ourselves toward working for healing and security for all beings. 

(4) Announcing Our New Program Director! – The Staffing Disappearing Task Force (Julia Lager-Mesulam, Chris Coughlin, Lisa Cordova, and Janet Byrd) are happy to announce that longtime member and former Co-President Adela Basayne will be Havurah's new Program Director. She will begin on Monday, Aug. 6. Adela will be reaching out to many of you to understand Havurah today and her new role as part of her onboarding process. Thank you to the staff for being part of the interview and decision-making process! Any questions about the role of the Program Director can be directed to lagermes@gmail.com.

(5) Engaging with Israel Constructively – Havurah is developing programming to engage with Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict intentionally and respectfully. Through education, dialogue, and encounter, we will explore our personal relationships with Israel as well as Havurah’s and the Jewish community’s. All Havurah voices are welcome! To begin, we need a small planning group to work with Rabbi Benjamin, Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, and Chris Coughlin. If you don’t have a strong view about Israel but would like to learn about different views, please consider volunteering. We also welcome folks who feel more supportive of the Israeli government than is often expressed at Havurah, who might, for example, feel closer to the Federation or AIPAC’s views than to J-Street or Jewish Voice for Peace. Please contact Benjamin, Deborah, or Chris if you’re interested.

(6) Interested in Tickets to the MJCC Summer Concert on Thursday, July 26, at 7:00 pm? – Internationally acclaimed American-Israeli rock group Moshav began when childhood friends Yehuda and Duvid made music together on Moshav Mevo Modlin, a cooperative community of farmers in Israel. As a sponsor of the MJCC Summer Concert Series, Havurah Shalom has been offered four tickets for each concert in the summer concert series. If you’re interested in the July 26 concert, please email teri@havurahshalom.org. Cost: $10. Kids 3 and under free. Learn more here.

(7) Book Group Discussion of A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz, Tuesday, July 31, 7:00-8:30 pm – This is a powerful saga of a man, a family, and a nation forged in the crucible of a difficult, painful history. The tale is epic in scope, set mostly during the author's childhood in Jerusalem of the 1940s and '50s, while also following his ancestors back to 19th-century Ukraine, and describing the anti-Semitism and Zionist passions that drove them to Palestine in the early 1930s, where they settled in a rough, dusty, lower-middle-class suburb of Jerusalem. Oz's parents found mainly disappointment there: his father, a scholar, failed to attain the academic distinction and Oz's beautiful, tender mother, after a long depression, committed suicide when Oz was 12. This memoir brims over with riches: metaphors and poetry, drama and comedy, failure and success, unhappy marriages and a wealth of idiosyncratic characters, all painted lovingly and with humor. Questions? Contact Marjorie Walters at marjoriewalters@gmail.com.

(8) Dorot Shabbat in the Park, Friday, Aug. 3, 5:30-7:00 pm – Please join Dorot musicians Tanja Lux, Gabe Adoff, Jacob Mandelsberg, and Larry Reichman as we bring our family-friendly, musical Dorot service from the sanctuary to the beautiful grounds of Laurelhurst Park. We have Picnic Area "F" reserved and will meet up at 5:30 pm. Please bring a veggie dish to share and your blankets to spread as we welcome Shabbat in true summer style. Kiddos and parents are welcome to bring a music-making instrument and/or spirit! RSVP here. For questions, contact  karen_pomerantz@yahoo.com.

(9) Shabbat in the Pool - For All Ages!, Saturday, Aug. 11, 5:15-7:30 pm, Sellwood Park Pool, 7951 SE 7th Ave, Portland – We have the pool to ourselves from 5:15 to 6:15 pm, then gather for Havdalah singing, a story, and BYO picnic under the trees.  RSVP here by Monday, July 30, so we can reserve enough lifeguards. This year we are collecting money to help the waterways around us. Please consider making a donation of $5, $10 (or more). All donations exceeding the cost of lifeguards and pool rental will help fund Havurah’s Tikkun Olam work, in honor of the Climate Action Team’s efforts to protect 485 Oregon rivers and streams by stopping the construction of the Jordan Cove fracked-gas export terminal and Pacific Connector gas pipeline.

(10) We Found Someone Else Who Likes Puzzles! – Thank you to Nancy Becker for volunteering to be part of the Gesher Committee. The committee now consists of Shelley Sobel, Chris Coughlin, Julia Lager-Mesulam, and Nancy Becker. We are still interested in having one or two more people to join this committee. What is Gesher? Gesher (bridge) emphasizes shared leadership, places responsibility for and ownership of programming at the committee level, and emphasizes collaboration and communication among Steering, staff, and all clusters and committees. The Gesher team will only be needed until the Gesher model becomes the way we do things at Havurah. If you’re interested in helping, please email lagermes@gmail.com.
 

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Havurah Shalom is an engaged, 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