Aug 1 - Music for High Holidays, Shabbat in the Pool, Looking for RJ Rep
(1) Dorot Shabbat in the Park (2) Saturday Service (3) Getting Ready for High Holidays (4) Shabbat in the Pool - For All Ages! (5) Want to Represent Havurah at the Movement Level? (6) Engaging with Israel Constructively (7) Urban Kibbutz Social Change (8) Tivnu Needs Furniture & Housewares (9) Women's Concert Tomorrow (10) Call Mr. Robeson: A Life, With Songs
(1) 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. All ages welcome! We have Picnic Area "F" reserved and will meet up at 5:30 pm. 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.
(2) Bar Mitzvah of Chaim Gerber, Saturday, Aug. 4, 10:00 am – This Saturday Chaim Gerber, son of Cindy and Eric Gerber, will be called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah. Please join us in celebrating with Chaim and his family, and welcome Chaim as a member of our community.
(3) Getting Ready for High Holidays with Music, Aug. 2, 16, 23, 30; Sept. 6, 7:00 pm (Daytime options TBD) – It may be summer, but the focus is now on High Holidays. Erev Rosh Hashanah begins on Sept. 9. Consider being a part of this year’s music! Typically, a group of singers and instrumentalists participate during Erev Rosh Hashanah and N’eilah, with more limited participation on Kol Nidre. We begin by exploring the music and themes of the holiday, so we can talk about which songs might be most meaningful to share. If you love to sing and plan to be with us over the holidays, please be in touch. If you can’t make all rehearsals or have concerns about the schedule, let me know. I'm sure we can figure something out. All ages welcome! There's nothing better than singing in the summertime. Contact Ilene Safyan.
(4) 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. This year we are collecting money to help the waterways around us. Please consider donating $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. RSVP by Aug. 2 so we can reserve enough lifeguards.
(5) Want to Represent Havurah at the Movement Level? – Havurah is affiliated with Reconstructing Judaism, a diverse organization of Reconstructionist congregations, seminary, rabbis and educators. Policy decisions are discussed at semi-annual plenum meetings. Havurah is one of the largest affiliate congregations, and Andy Gordon has been our Plenum Representative, whose primary function is to speak for Havurah at plenum meetings and report back to us. A successful rep must know Havurah’s current issues and communicate with the Associate Director of Affiliate Support, Rabbi Maurice Harris. This is a fun opportunity to see how the movement works, meet people from around the country, and learn from other Reconstructionists. We need a new rep to replace Andy as he will be moving to Seattle. Andy will be available for consult during the transition and beyond. For more information, call 503-313-6544.
(6) 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.
(7) Urban Kibbutz Social Change – Ameinu, in cooperation with Dror Israel, is launching a new program called Urban Kibbutz Social Change. The first cohort of the five-month program will begin in February 2019 and is recognized by Masa Israel Journey. Participants will live communally in Haifa, volunteer in a range of social action settings alongside their Israeli counterparts, study Hebrew, and tour around Israel. “The distancing of young American Jews from Israel is well documented, and this program addresses that issue head on," said Ameinu President Kenneth Bob. “By living and working side by side with progressive Israelis who are making a difference in their society, young liberal American Jews will experience Israel with all its challenges and complexities. This will help the participants develop their own connection to Israel and the people.” Program and registration information available at www.kibbutzprogramcenter.net.
(8) Tivnu is Growing, Needs Furniture & Housewares – Tivnu: Building Justice,the social justice gap year program that built our beautiful sukkah and that we have partnered with on low-income housing advocacy, is expanding their program to include TWO houses of participants. They need everything that you can think of to stock their new second home - furniture, a TV, metal or glass kitchenware, bicycles for 18-year-olds, etc. If you have something to donate to help make this house a home, or have questions about what their needs are, please reach out to Steve Eisenbach-Budner at 503-232-1864 or steve@tivnu.org. Thank you for supporting this organization, whose participants will contribute 15,000 hours this coming year to many of our most beloved local nonprofits.
(9) Tziona Achishena: Live in Concert, Thursday, Aug. 2, 7:30 pm, Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur – Come together for an evening of music and singing by Tziona Achishena, a musician from Tzfat. “I use my music as a form of prayer,” Tziona writes. “Music and song are heart-opening tools that bring out what is inside and help move it higher.” This concert is for women only. Learn more here. Questions? Email Sandy Ramirez at sandylou29@yahoo.com.
(10) Call Mr. Robeson: A Life, With Songs, Friday, Aug. 10, 7:30-9:00 pm, Community Music Center, 3350 SE Francis St, Portland – This one-man show on the life of Paul Robeson is performed by Tayo Aluko, one of the actors from the Ashland Shakespeare Festival. Aluko is from Nigeria, and Robeson, a strong anti-colonialist, spent much of his time in Africa. Aluko revives one of the 20th century’s most impressive but overlooked figures in a powerful and compelling performance. Learn more and purchase tickets here. Questions? Contact Sue Danielson, daniels@pdx.edu.
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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.
(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.
Prayer Flags for Our Planet Thursday, May 2nd 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) B'nei Mitzvah Event Planning 101 Thursday, May 2nd 7:00p to 8:30p We will break the event planning process into manageable steps. Led by Chari Smith. We will meet in Zoom room Gimel
