May 15 - Shabbat Picnic, 40th Anniversary This Sunday, Shanghai Diary
HAVURAH HAPPENINGS: (1) Upcoming Shabbat: Shabbat Family Picnic, Community Minyan (2) 40th Anniversary Celebration this Sunday (3) Lev Tahor (Pure Heart) Chanting is Moved from May 20 to June 2 (4) Book Group Discusses Shanghai Diary (5) Help Needed Filling Out Summer Camp Applications (6) IMIrJ Call-In Day (7) Interfaith Alliance on Poverty Monthly Meetings (8) Song of Miriam Awards Brunch (9) Annual Congregational Meeting (10) Shavuot Celebration & Service (11) Poverty & Homelessness Workgroup Update (12) ORA's 13th Annual Celebration of Art
(1) Upcoming Shabbat
Shabbat Family Picnic, Friday, May 17, 6:00 pm, Grant Park in NE Portland– In lieu of our the regular May Dorot service and potluck, we will gather for an informal Shabbat Family Picnic on May 17 at 6:00 pm at Grant Park in NE Portland. Bring a picnic blanket and dinner for your family and together we'll welcome Shabbat with blessings, songs and treats. Challah and popsicles will be provided. Please RSVP to Karen Pomerantz at karen_pomerantz@yahoo.com so we know how many folks to expect.
Community Minyan, Saturday, May 18, 10:00 am – Join us for our Shabbat morning minyan, with Barbara Slader, Susan Brenner, Solomon Barnett, Emily Simon, Tivona Reith, and others leading and reading Torah. We will read and discuss Parsha Emor, in which we learn about laws pertaining to priests and high priests, and the festivals of the Jewish calendar, including Shabbat, Passover, the Counting of the Omer, and more. The minyan will be followed by a light lunch.
(2) Havurah 40th Anniversary Celebration, Sunday, May 19, 5:00-8:00 pm – Havurah Shalom is 40 years old! Join us THIS SUNDAY to celebrate and support your favorite community. We're having a tasty menu along with beer, wine, and a signature cocktail, and non-alcoholic drinks, too. We're excited to feature two Havurah music groups, including some of your favorite musicians. They will accompany our celebration with jazz, klezmer, and dancing to your favorites from 40 years ago!
Whether you've been a member for one year or for 40, our party will be a great time to reflect on our history and look forward to the next 40 years! The party is for members ages 21 and over. If you aren't available on May 19, you can donate to our Mitzvah Moment at the RSVP link below. Questions? Contact Debbi Nadell, debbinadell@gmail.com. RSVP here.
(3) Lev Tahor (Pure Heart) Chanting, Sunday, June 2, 7:00 am, Lower Macleay Park– Lev Tahor Chanting scheduled for next Monday, May 20, has been replaced with a contemplative hike on Sunday, June 2.Facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin. We will gather in Lower Macleay Park in the early morning, beginning with some chanting then walking mindfully along the trail. With teachings and intentions from Jewish tradition to guide us, we will intersperse chanting, silence, and reflective sharing as a means to connect within and without, and to wake up more fully in our lives. This will be a short hike at a gentle pace. We will conclude by 8:30 or 9:00 am. Contact Rabbi Benjamin with questions. RSVP here.
(4) IMIrJ Call-In Day, Tuesday May 21 – Your legislators need to hear from you. On Tuesday, May 21, IMIrJ is encouraging people of faith from throughout the state to call our Oregon state legislators to urge them to support the Equal Access to Roads Act (driver's licenses for all) and Equity Corps of Oregon (expanding funding for legal representation). Click here to get the phone number of your Oregon state Senator and Representative. Additional resources, including sample call scripts, can be found on the IMIrJ website at IMIrJ.org. Take a minute, make a call to advance state policies in support of immigrant & refugee justice. Questions? Contact shari.raider@gmail.com.
(5) Book Group Discusses Shanghai Diary by Ursula Bacon, Tuesday, May 28, 7:00- 8:30 pm – Shanghai Diary is an autobiography by a woman who now lives in the Portland area. By the late 1930s, as the Holocaust approached, many Jewish families in Germany fled to one of the only open ports available: Shanghai. Eleven-year-old Ursula Bacon and her family made the difficult 8,000-mile voyage to Shanghai. But instead of a storybook China, they found streets teeming with peddlers, beggars, opium dens and prostitutes. Amid these abysmal conditions, Ursula learned of her own resourcefulness and found within herself the fierce determination to survive. She taught English to Chinese concubines and they became very good friends. She learned about spirituality and herself from a Buddhist monk. She also met the man she eventually married. There are many stories rolled into this one book. Discussion led by Stacey Hankin.
(6) Help Needed Filling Out Camp Scholarships Applications, By Appointment at the Bienestar de la Familia Ortiz Center, 6736 NE Killingsworth St – The families at the Ortiz Center, our Sanctuary community engagement partner, are in need of help filling out summer camp scholarship applications for their children. The families have difficulty reading and writing in English and cannot fill these forms out on their own. Volunteers must have conversational proficiency in Spanish. The Ortiz staff can set up a time to meet with a client that fits into the volunteer's schedule. Contact Deb Kallen at debkall2010@gmail.com.
(7) Interfaith Alliance on Poverty Monthly Meetings, First Thursdays, 12:00 noon-2:00 pm, Member Congregation Locations – Havurah is the latest partner member of the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty (IAP), with approval of the Steering Committee. We had a good showing at their May 13 meeting hosting Portland's Mayor. The Mayor shared stats and more about what Portland has done and continues to do, and future plans to address poverty, specifically the issue of homelessness in our city. Interested in IAP monthly meeting info or joining a sub group of the IAP, please contact Steve Rudman at sdrpdx@gmail.com or Gloria Halper at losninos6@gmail.com. IAP's website: www.allianceonpoverty.org. Also, watch for more from the Poverty and Homelessness Tikkun Olam workgroup in Havurah's community emails and Hakol. Questions? Contact Steve Rudman at sdrpdx@gmail.com or Gloria Halper at losninos6@gmail.com.
(8) Song of Miriam Brunch Honoring Nancy Becker, Sunday, June 2, 10:00 am-12:15 pm, MJCC – Havurah is honoring Nancy Becker at this year's Song of Miriam Brunch. Nancy has been involved in many different areas of Havurah and is known for her Tikkun Olam efforts and for representing us at the Jewish Community Relations Council. Nancy is also our current Fundraising Committee Chair. Register for the brunch using the form linked here. We will be saving a table for Havurahniks. Let Debbi Nadell know (debbinadell@gmail.com) if you want a seat at the Havurah table.
(9) Annual Congregational Meeting, Sunday, June 2, 1:00-3:00 pm – Please join us for music, study, and community building. This will be an excellent opportunity to greet old friends, welcome new ones, and consider what Havurah Shalom means to each of us. We will share the proposed nominations for Steering positions starting July 1 as well as review and approve our annual budget. The budget will be sent out to the congregation the week of May 20, so you will have time to review before the meeting. Please join us, and if you have questions that you would like to have answered at the meeting, email them to transparency@havurahshalom.org by May 30. Questions? Email Julia Lager-Mesulam (lagermes@gmail.com) or Ken Lerner (ken@klerner.com).
(10) Shavuot Celebration, Saturday, June 8, 4:30 pm until late, at Havurah – For Families: We’ll begin at 4:30 pm with paper crafts and a First Harvest Procession to beautify the Sanctuary. At 5:45 pm, we’ll have blintzes and cheesecake for our potluck dinner, followed by Havdalah. For Adults: You are welcome for dinner and Havdalah. From 6:30-8:00 pm, Alicia Jo Rabins and Rebecca Clarren will read from their new books, rescheduled from January. Childcare will be available. For those who want to do Tikkun Leil Shavuot and study into the night: From 8 pm on, Deborah Eisenbach-Budner and Rabbi Benjamin will guide us in text and hevruta. RSVP here.
Shavuot Service with Yizkor, Sunday, June 9, 9:00 am-12:00 pm – Join us for a morning Shavuot service with Yizkor.
(11) Poverty and Homelessness Workgroup Update – On April 30, the Family Winter Shelter (FWS) coordinated by Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) closed, having met its goal to house throughout our winter whatever number of families comprise the 75-person limit. In the spirit of Tikkun Olam, Havurah played a formidable role in volunteer hours at the shelter as well as meal preparation at home and at Havurah. We will continue to support PHFS at its new site in the Lents neighborhood throughout the year. To volunteer an orientation is required. For info about PHFS orientations please contact Havurah member Gloria Halper at losninos6@gmail.com.
(12) 13th Annual Celebration of Art, Sunday, June 2, Congregation Neveh Shalom – Calling all Jewish artists! Jury for Northwest Jewish Artsists 13th Annual Celebration of Art on Sunday, June 2, at Congregation Neveh Shalom. There is a $25 jury fee that can be applied to the membership of $50. For detailed information and jury application, go to the ORA website: northwestjewishartists.org.
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Havurah Shalom is a vibrant, diverse, participatory Jewish community steeped in Jewish values promoting spirituality, learning, and acts of social responsibility.
Prayer Flags for Our Planet Thursday, Apr 25th 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) Racial Justice Committee Meeting Thursday, Apr 25th 7:00p to 8:30p Please join us for our monthly Racial Justice Committee Meeting. We will learn of upcoming events and plan new ones.
(IP) Havurah & 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.
