Sept 12 - Contemplative Shabbat, Tashlich for All, Be Creative In Our Sukkah
(1) Contemplative Shabbat this Saturday (2) Spiritual Preparation for the Days of Awe (3) High Holidays Cemetery Gathering (4) Tashlich for All Generations (5) Kol Nidre & Yom Kippur (6) Early Deadlines for Upcoming Community Emails (7) The Poetry of the Soul (8) Be Creative In Our Sukkah (9) Folk Singing in the Sukkah (10) Alter Rockers Sukkot Gathering (11) Shemini Atzeret (12) Simchat Torah (13) Asylum-Seeking Families in Israel (14) Book Discussion of Union Square (15) Looking for a Hebrew Teacher (16) Rafiki Village Project Benefit
Above photo is from the Times of Israel.
(1) Upcoming Shabbat: Contemplative Shabbat, Saturday, Sept. 15, 10:00 am– Rabbi Benjamin will lead us in contemplative practice. Covering less of the liturgy than we normally do, we will take our time chanting particular verses as well as leave plenty of room for silent prayer and/or meditation. We will then connect through some reflective Torah discussion and share blessings through chanting a few aliyot.
(2) Returning Again: Spiritual Preparation for the Days of Awe, Wednesday, Sept. 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. We still need several15-minute greeter shifts filled tonight, so please sign up here if you can help!
(3) High Holidays Cemetery Gathering, Sunday, Sept. 16, 10:00-11:00 am, 5656 SW Humphrey Blvd– During the High Holidays season, we gather as a community to remember our loved ones who are no longer with us. Havurah's cemetery is located off the Sylvan Hill, just west of downtown Portland. You can find directions to it here.
(4) Tashlich for All Generations with Tikkun Olam Fair, Sunday, Sept. 16, 12:00 noon, Willamette Park, 6805 SW Macadam– This year Havurah will host a new kind of Tashlich gathering on the Sunday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Whatever your age and stage in this journey of life, Tashlich is for YOU: younger and older adults, parents of younger and older children, teens, tweens, single people, non-single people, empty nesters, alter rockers, and more. Join us for a potluck lunch, followed by music and a Tashlich service. Enjoy the music, singing, engaging service, casting off ritual at the river, and Tikkun Olam fair. Learn more and RSVP here.
(5) Kol Nidre & Yom Kippur, Tuesday, Sept. 18, 7:00 pm & Wednesday, Sept. 19, 9:30 am, Tiffany Center, 1410 SW Morrison– This year Kol Nidre will start earlier than it has in the past, at 7:00 pm. Click here for our High Holidays schedule. You can find information about Yom Kippur services, including the family service in the morning, middle and high school discussion groups, and the afternoon Tikkun Olam discussion. Please note that due to a Timbers game the night of Yom Kippur, you may want to arrive early for evening services to be sure you find a place to park. We still need several food items for our Break Fast. Please sign up here to bring a tray of food to help. Thank you!
(6) Early Deadlines for Upcoming Community Emails – Havurah's office will be closed on Wednesday, Sept. 19, for Yom Kippur, so next week's community email will go out on Thursday, Sept. 20, instead of Wednesday. Also, because the staff member who composes the weekly emails will be out of town from Sept. 30 through Oct. 10, please submit your posts for the Oct. 3 and 10 emails by Friday, Sept. 28. Thank you for your understanding.
(7) The Poetry of the Soul, Thursdays beginning Sept. 20, 12:00-1:15 pm – We will read the Psalms closely, one by one. How they lend voice to our oscillating emotions, engagement with a sublime Other, and a longing for refuge will help us honor our own truths. We will use English translations and commentaries and refer to the Hebrew. Taught by Rabbi Joey. RSVP here.
Above photo was taken by Michael Heumann at last year's Folk Singing in the Sukkah.
(8) Be Creative In Our Sukkah! – We expect our sukkah to be completed by Friday, Sept. 21. Your decorations, greenery, and creative energy are needed to decorate it. Please gather a few of your friends and come by Havurah on Friday, Sept. 21, or Sunday morning, Sept. 23, to add fabric, lights, ornaments, and greenery to our sukkah. Havurah will provide greenery from our Yom Kippur flower arrangements, colorful lights, and decorations. If you have greenery, cornstalks or ornaments to contribute, please do! We have a big sukkah, so there's room for many branches and decorations. Perhaps you could add a decoration or two on your way to or from Text & Torah, at 10:00 am on Saturday, Sept. 22, which will focus on Sukkot, or before Folk Singing in the Sukkah on Sunday afternoon. (See below.)
(9) Folk Singing in the Sukkah, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2:30-4:30 pm – Bring your voices, your instruments, and your spirit. We will have some copies of “Rise Up Singing” to guide us. Questions? Contact Susan Rosenthall at sarosenthall@msn.com or Judy Heumann at mjheumann@gmail.com.
(10) Alter Rockers Sukkot Get-Together, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 4:00-7:00 pm – Come any time between 4:00 and 7:00 pm. Bring a nosh and whatever you are drinking, and spend some time shmoozing with friends, old and new. Please RSVP to sarah.r.rosenberg@gmail.com so we have an idea about setting up.
(11) Shemini Atzeret Service, with Yizkor, Monday, Oct. 1, 8:00 am – Our Shemini Atzeret Service begins at 8:00 am on Monday, Oct. 1. Please note that this will be our weekday service for the week, and we will not have a Wednesday morning minyan on Oct. 3.
(12) Simchat Torah Celebration, Monday, Oct. 1, 6:30-8:30 pm – Join us for a family-friendly, joyous evening! Potluck desserts from 6:30-6:50 pm, followed by music, dancing, and celebrating Torah. Please RSVP here.
(13) Join the NW Effort to Help Sudanese and Eritrean Asylum-Seeking Families in Israel Find Safe Homes on a Kibbutz– There are currently 35,000 African asylum seekers living in Israel after fleeing violence and genocide in Sudan and Eritrea. Life in Israel has been very difficult for asylum seekers. In response, kibbutz communities around Israel recently stepped forward to help families currently living in dire conditions in South Tel Aviv. The Consortium for Israel and the Asylum Seeker wants to resettle 100 families before Sukkot, when we celebrate temporary shelter, and the kibbutzim need help to cover initial costs of moving, job training, apartment repairs, counseling, school supplies, and other expenses. Washington and Oregon have a goal of collectively raising $5,000 to cover one family’s resettlement by Sukkot. If you would like to help, please visit the Never Again Coalition's website for more information on where to send a check.
(14) Book Group Discussion: Union Square by Meredith Tax, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 7:00 pm – Union Square paints a complex, believable picture of the life of socialist workers and confirmed Marxists within a Russian-born immigrant family in Manhattan during the tumultuous years between World War I and World War II. This book brims over with the passions and struggles of five indomitable women: Hannah Levy, the Russian immigrant matriarch; Sarah, a communist organizer who sides with the union - and against her Bolshevik husband - in opposing the Hitler-Stalin pact; Ruby, who covertly undercuts her department store magnate husband's business with her own clothing designs; Rachel, a wealthy widow dedicated to bohemian life and the pleasures of the Jazz Age; and Rachel's sister-in-law, Tish, a lesbian expatriate who seeks sexual and artistic fulfillment in the salons of Paris and Weimar Germany. Discussion will be led by Sharon Reyes. Questions? Contact Marjorie Walters at marjoriewalters@gmail.com.
(15) Hebrew Teacher for Youth Needed, 16 Saturdays, Sept. 22, 2018, to May 11, 2019, 1:30-2:40 pm – Are you interested in working with youth, 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 Sept. 22 and May 11, 1:30-2:40 pm. 7-14 children per class. Competitive compensation. Please contact Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Education Director, at deborah@havurahshalom.org . Describe your experience and expertise.
(16) Benifit Concert for the Rafiki Village Project, Sunday, Sept. 23, 5:00-8:00 pm, Subud House, 3185 NE Regents Dr, Portland - Please join the Rafiki Village Project for a fun-packed evening benefiting the work of the Rafiki Village Project. Dance to the fiery rhythms of Portland's own Pa"lante! Latin Jazz Quintet, eat delicious African food, drink rum punch, socialize with friends, bid on auction items, win raffle tickets, and learn about the Rafiki Village Project; all while supporting a good cause. Cost: sliding scale starting at $20. Children are free. Click here to purchase tickets. To learn more about the Rafiki Village Project visit www.rafikivp.org . Questions? Email David Newman at davnew2@earthlink.net.
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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