(1) Upcoming Shabbat: Bar Mitzvah of Nathan Merrill (2) Mini-Retreat for Coming Year's Event Planning (3) Big Legislative Win: Thanks, MACG (4) Hebrew Teacher for Youth Needed (5) Renew Your Membership for 2019-20 (6) Portland Homeless Family Solutions Orientation (7) Play Reading of "God of Vengeance" in Preparation for "Indecent" Shabbaton (8) Shabbat in the Pool (9) Please Take Your Copy of Havurah's Old Siddurim (10) Protecting Members' Contact Information (11) Thanks to Our Security Committee
COMMUNITY NEWS
"Priced Out" Documentary to Air on OPB Tuesday, July 2
In this week's Torah portion, Shelach,12 spies sent by Moses return from Canaan with giant grapes, a pomegranate, and a fig – and stories of a powerful people.
(1) Upcoming Shabbat: Bar Mitzvah of Nathan Merrill, Saturday, June 29, 10:00 am-12:00 pm – This Saturday Nathan Merrill, son of Cindy and Andrew Merrill, will be called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah. Please come celebrate with Nathan and his family, and welcome Nathan as a member of our community.
(2) Mid-Year Planning Retreat for Everyone Planning Events & Programs for the Coming Year, Sunday, June 30, 9:30 am-12:00 pm – Come collaborate across clusters and gain insight and tools to make your program a success! If you can come, please contact Shelley Sobel with your name and the name of your cluster or committee. Shelley's email address is in the online membership directory. (See below post about how to access the directory.)
(3) Big Legislative Win: Thanks, MACG! – Gov Brown signed HB 2801, legislation that requires pharmacists to label prescription drugs in a language other than English if the patient to whom a prescription drug is dispensed is a person of limited English proficiency. This is a huge win for immigrant communities. This success is in no small way a result of the organizing prowess of MACG, Metropolitan Alliance for the Common Good. MACG found legislative champions, bipartisan sponsors, and a wide range of endorsers. This spring, MACG organizers testified in support of the bill before both House and Senate committees. Today the solution they identified is law. Havurah is a member organization of MACG, and our support helped make this happen. Congratulations, Havurahniks!
(4) Hebrew Teacher for Youth Needed – Havurah Shalom seeks a part-time teacher for youth ages 8-10, who can teach beginning Hebrew reading with a very clear Tora Aura curriculum. Hours of instruction are 16 Saturdays (already scheduled) between Sept. 21 and May 9, 1:30-2:40 pm, at Havurah. 7-14 children per class. Competitive compensation. Please contact Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Education Director, deborah@havurahshalom.org; describe your experience and expertise.
(5) Renew Your Membership for 2019-20! – As our new fiscal year begins, we want to take the time to acknowledge the many ways in which Havurah provides opportunities for us to engage and thrive within a supportive Jewish community. Havurah continues to grow in membership and in programming. We are joined by families of all ages and sizes, excited to find their Jewish home at Havurah Shalom. Read the complete message with form links here.
(6) Portland Homeless Family Solutions (PHFS) Orientation, Thursday, July 18, 5:00-6:00 pm, PHFS Lent Location (address given when you sign up to attend) – The building in the Lents neighborhood purchased by PHFS is just a few months away from opening its doors to approximately 26 homeless families. These families will not have to move between two buildings for day and night shelter as in the past. Join our very dedicated, active group of Havurah volunteers at the Lents shelter by attending a PHFS orientation. Next one will be held at the Lents building on July 18, from 5:00-6:00 pm. RSVP at TC@pdxhfs.org. PHFS questions? Email John Devlin (Havurah member and PHFS board member) or Gloria Halper (Havurah member and PHFS coordinator). Their email addresses are listed in Havurah's online directory.
(7) Play Reading of "God of Vengeance" In Preparation for "Indecent" Shabbaton, Wednesdays, Aug. 7 and Aug. 14, 7:00 pm, Havurah Shalom – To support the joint Shabbaton over Labor Day weekend with Temple Emek Shalom, Emily Simon will lead an informal, participatory play reading of "God of Vengeance," the play on which "Indecent" is based. Act I will be read on Aug. 7, and Act II will be read on Aug. 14. The evenings will begin with a short show introduction by Emily, who will then assign the parts based upon who shows up and what part they want to read. Hopefully there will be enough time after the reading to then discuss the play. Everyone is welcome to participate in either evening event (no need to attend both), whether they are attending the Shabbaton, seeing "Indecent" at another time, have already seen it, or are not seeing it at all. Please RSVP here for Aug. 7 and RSVP here for Aug. 14.You can read a pdf file of the play here.
(8) Shabbat in the Pool, Saturday, Aug. 10, 5:15-7:30 pm– We've got the Sellwood Pool to ourselves for Shabbat games followed by a potluck picnic and Havdalah. Music? Yes! Fun for everyone? You bet! RSVP here to save your spot and help us know how many lifeguards to request.
(9) Please Take Your Copy of Havurah's Old Siddurim – Before switching to our current Kol Haneshama prayer books, Havurahniks put together their own booklet with prayers for Shabbat, including Mincha, Ma'ariv and Havdalah. These are in excellent condition and still quite functional. We are looking to save a few copies for posterity but also to find people who can use them, so they are not sitting in storage anymore. If you would like copies for yourself, your family, or your community, please email Rachel Pollak at rachel@havurahshalom.org to arrange a pick-up time.
(10) Protecting Members' Contact Information– Due to recent phishing using Havurah members' emails, Havurah will no longer include members' email addresses or phone numbers on our website pages and blog, including the weekly community emails, which are posted to our blog. People will be directed to the online membership directory for members' contact information. Any member who is logged in to our website can find the membership directory at the bottom of the drop-down menu under "Community."
Please be aware that any official communication from Havurah Shalom will come from a havurahshalom.org address, so if you receive an email claiming to be from staff which does not come from havurahshalom.org, don’t answer it. Mark it as spam. If you have any questions about whether an email comes from a staff member, please ask by phone or email info@havurahshalom.org.
Logging in For the First Time
To log in to our website for the first time, click on "login" in the upper right corner of our home page, enter your email address as your ID, and create a password at least eight characters long. After you receive an email confirming that your password has been received, you can log in any time. This both gives you access to the membership directory and allows you to update your personal membership account with current information. Office staff can help if you have questions
(11) Thank You to Our Security Committee– Havurah has many generous members, whose time and other contributions are greatly valued. This week we thank our Security Committee, led by John Devlin, with special thanks to Curtis and Rachel Shipley for their in-depth research and advice about online security at Havurah.
COMMUNITY NEWS
"Priced Out" Documentary to Air on OPB, Tuesday, July 2, 9:00 pm– Exploring the complexities and contradictions of gentrification, "Priced Out" (2017) is a heartbreaking vision of the history of housing discrimination in Portland and the personal impact it has had on residents. "Priced Out" was edited and co-produced by Havurah member Eric Maxen. For more information go to https://www.pricedoutmovie.com/
Please use this form to submit stories for this weekly community email. Submissions are due by noon on Tuesday each week.
Havurah Shalom is a vibrant, diverse, participatory Jewish community steeped in Jewish values promoting spirituality, learning, and acts of social responsibility.
Daily Shofar Blast Sunday, Sep 14th (All day) Hear the Sound of the Shofar each day of Elul (except Shabbat): Andrine, Diane & Howard (& sometimes Dominic & Wesley) help prepare us for Rosh Hashanah with shofar, deep thoughts, and a touch of kavanah (intention). Videos will be posted daily on Havurah's YouTube and Facebook pages.
(IP) My Soul Thirsts for You: Elul Watercolor Workshop Wednesday, Sep 17th 7:00p to 8:15p Elul opens the gates of return. It’s a time when we are invited to soften, reflect, and seek out closeness with the Divine. In this workshop we'll explore watercolor, which is an especially effective medium for holding and expressing emotion. Our learning will center on the 13 Attributes, a sacred text recited throughout the High Holiday season, as we invite in qualities of compassion, honesty, and patience. No art experience needed, just a willingness to experiment and be present. All materials provided. Led by Noah Lind, Rabbinic Intern.
Hakol Deadline is Thursday, September 18 Thursday, Sep 18th (All day) Havurah members, click to learn how to submit your contributions to our monthly newsletter, Hakol.
(HYB) Torah Study for the High Holy Days Thursday, Sep 18th 7:00p to 8:30p During the High Holy Days we read four sections of the Torah. This series of study sessions will give us an opportunity to read the texts and explore their meanings. We will look at what our teachers before us thought of the readings, as well as investigate modern commentators. We also will come up with our own thoughts and see how we can understand the texts for our lives today.
Led by David Dropkin. No experience necessary. Please join us.
(HYB) Shabbat Morning Shabbat, Sep 20th 10:00a to 12:00p Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. Join us afterward for a light community brunch provided by the Lunches and Noshes Committee! Free childcare is provided. For Zoom information, please email info@havurahshalom.org.
Daily Shofar Blast Sunday, Sep 21st (All day) Hear the Sound of the Shofar each day of Elul (except Shabbat): Andrine, Diane & Howard (& sometimes Dominic & Wesley) help prepare us for Rosh Hashanah with shofar, deep thoughts, and a touch of kavanah (intention). Videos will be posted daily on Havurah's YouTube and Facebook pages.
