(1) Upcoming Shabbat (2) Welcome, Adela Basayne (3) High Holidays Schedule, New Tashlich (4) Getting Ready for High Holidays Music (5) Local Musicians Concert (6) 20th Anniversary of Bien Estar at the Ortiz Community Center (7) Havurah Takes a Stand Against Racial Profiling (8) Returning Again: Spiritual Preparation for the Days of Awe (9) High Holidays Tzedakah Project (10) Kabbalat Shabbat Evenings (11) Book Group Discussion of Shtetl by Eva Hoffman (12) Hebrew Teacher Needed (13) Want to Represent Havurah at the Movement Level? (14) Havurahnik Ted Scheinman in Oregon Jewish Life

(1) Upcoming Shabbat: Bar Mitzvah of Asher Webb, Aug. 18, 10:00 am – This Saturday Asher Webb, son of Abigail Webb and Marjorie Bennett, will be called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah. Please join us in celebrating with Asher and his family and welcome him as a member of our community. 

(2) Welcome, Adela Basayne – Last week Adela Basayne joined the Havurah staff as Program Director, bringing with her experience as an educator, trainer, mediator, organizational development consultant, and body-centered therapist. Adela earned a BA in Theater Arts, minor in Religious Studies, from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and an MA in Whole Systems Design/Organizational Systems Renewal from Antioch University, Seattle. In all her different arenas of work, the through line has been commitment to nurturing the human capacity to make and sustain desired changes, supporting growth, and diminishing suffering; Adela is passionate about group process and systems analysis. Read more here.

(3) High Holidays Schedule of Services & Gatherings – The High Holidays schedule of services and gatherings is here! Have you RSVPed for the following things yet?

• Volunteering
• Free Child Care – Deadline Aug. 24
• Lulavs and Etrogs – Deadline Aug. 27
• Erev Rosh Hashanah Member Dinner – Deadline Aug. 24

Click here for lots more information about our programming.

Tashlich, Sunday, Sept. 16, 12:00-2:30 pm, Willamette Park, SW Macadam – Havurah will celebrate Tashlich on Sunday this year! Join us on Sept. 16, from noon to 2:30 pm, at Willamette Park on SW Macadam Ave. Learn all about this special celebration, which includes a Tikkun Olam fair, here.

Live near Cedar Hills? A group of Havurahniks will host Tashlich right after services on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Join them at Commonwealth Lake Park on Monday, Sept. 10, at 4:00 pm. Learn more here.

(4) Getting Ready for High Holidays Music, Aug. 16, 23, 30; Sept. 6, 7:00 pm – Consider being a part of this year’s High Holidays 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 Ilene Safyan know. All ages welcome! There's nothing better than singing in the summertime. Contact Ilene Safyan.

(5) Summer Concert - Eric Stern, Michelle Alany and the Mystics, and 3 Leg Torso, MJCC, Sunday, Aug. 19, 11:00 am-3:00 pm – This final concert of the MJCC Summer Concert Series will include fun activities for families as well as great music. Havurah is a sponsor of the series, so we have free tickets to offer the first Havurahniks to call 503-248-4662 and claim them! Tickets are $10/person, kids 3 and under free.

(6) 20th Anniversary of Bien Estar at the Ortiz Community Center, Friday, Aug. 24, 2:30-6:00 pm, Ortiz Community Center, 6736 NE Killingsworth – Our volunteer work at the Ortiz Community Center has been the cornerstone of the community engagement branch of our Sanctuary Committee. Join us for this celebration. All are welcome. There are volunteer opportunities as well throughout the day. Contact Gloria Halper, losninos6@gmail.com, to sign up for a spot. Free food, music, games for children, and much more. Comida, música, juegos para los niños, y mucho más, todo gratis. **Please see flyer. Questions? Email Gloria Halper at losninos6@gmail.com. Please RSVP if you're interested in volunteering that day.
 

(7) Havurah Takes a Stand Against Racial Profiling – Measure 105 on the November ballot would throw out Oregon’s Sanctuary law, which passed more than 30 years ago with overwhelming bipartisan support. The law provides clear guidance to local police on how to handle immigration issues. It was introduced to combat racial profiling while keeping the local police focused on protecting communities. If Measure 105 passes, Oregon will be left without this guidance and these important protections. Havurah Shalom has made a formal decision to oppose Measure 105, and Rabbi Benjamin is an endorser of the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (IMIrJ) voters pamphlet argument in opposition. (Look for it when you get your voters pamphlet.) Havurah Shalom is an endorser of the Oregonians United Against Profiling Campaign. Learn more here.

(8) Returning Again: Spiritual Preparation for the Days of Awe, Wednesdays, Sept. 5 & 12, 7:00-8:30 pm – During the month preceding the High Holidays, our tradition instructs us to look closely at our lives. We devote ourselves to teshuvah, literally “returning”— to the path of our most wholesome selves and sincerest intentions. In these sessions, we will come together in support of this sacred work. Through close readings of texts on teshuvah, as well as contemplation and deep listening — to one another and to our own hearts and minds — we will aim to nurture the seeds of teshuvah within and amidst us. Taught by Rabbi Benjamin. RSVP here.

(9) High Holidays Tzedakah Project – High Holidays tzedakah project items can be brought to the Tiffany Center on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur. We will have containers at Havurah for the second day of Rosh Hashanah. In our endeavor to support the homeless in Portland, we volunteer with Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS). PHFS’s recent purchase of a building will expand its ability to help more parents, guardians, and their children. From serving eight families at the '13 Salmon' and Goose Hollow shelters, PHFS will soon be serving 26 families in just one location in the Lents neighborhood. Our High Holidays tzedakah project this year is to help supply PHFS with needed items for this transition. Please note that all items on this list must be new. Questions? Email losninos6@gmail.com or john.t.devlin@gmail.com. Thank you!

(10) Kabbalat Shabbat Evenings – Our monthly Kabbalat Shabbat dinners followed by a short service have become quite popular. For the past several years a committee of three has been responsible for the logistics of these evenings. We are looking for a few more people to join us. Currently we need 2-3 people willing to take on tasks during the evening with a minimal amount of outside prep time. Meetings are not required! Want more info? Please contact Gloria Halper.
 

(11) Havurah Book Group Discusses Shtetl by Eva Hoffman, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 7:00-8:30 pm – This book explodes the common image of the shtetl, a lá Fiddler on the Roof, into something much more interesting and compelling. It traces the history of Jews in Poland over many centuries, the emergence of the shtetl and its characteristics, and the changes in the relations between Jewish and non-Jewish Poles from the 18th and 19th centuries and through the Shoah. The author does not ignore the continuing struggle over anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe and elsewhere. A mid-90s Frontline account of a young man who discovered in a cemetery in Bransk (a shtetl south of Bialystok) grave markers used as paving stones, who then reconstructed the cemetery in his cornfield, led Hoffman to employ a specific focus on Bransk in her review of this history. Discussion will be led by Marjorie Walters.

(12) Hebrew Teacher for Youth Needed, Saturdays, Sept. 22-May 11, 1:30-2:40 pm – Are you interested in working with youth and devoting some time to your own Hebrew learning? We need somebody who can teach beginning Hebrew reading with a very clear curriculum to children. Hours of instruction are 16 Saturdays before Shabbat School (already scheduled) between September 22 – May 11, 1:30-2:40 pm. 7-14 children per class. Competitive compensation. Please contact Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Education Director. Describe your experience and expertise.

(13) 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 representative 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 representative to replace Andy as he will be moving to Seattle. Andy will be available for consultation during the transition and beyond. For more information, call 503-313-6544.

(14) Havurahnik Ted Scheinman in Oregon Jewish Life – Read about longtime Havurah member Ted Scheinman and his Tikkun Olam adventures here in Oregon Jewish Life.
 

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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