Click here or on the photo above to see our January 2020 issue of Hakol!

Community Minyan
Saturday, Dec. 28, 10 am - 12 pm
Our Community Minyan is a welcoming and spirited service that includes davening, Torah reading and discussion. Led by Rabbi Benjamin or community members. Lunch follows. Childcare is available.

Join One of Our Hanukah Celebrations
Dec. 22-30, various times (must be logged in)
This year, we are trying something different. Instead of one large Havurah Hanukah party, we will get together in smaller groups to light candles, sing songs, play dreidel, and eat latkes. If you are already hosting a Hanukah party, why not add some Havurahniks to your guest list? Click here to log in and then fill out the form!

*** THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED *** IMIrJ Vigil at ICE
Thursday, Dec. 26, 10 am, PDX ICE Headquarters: 4310 SW Macadam Ave.
Gather in vigil as we express our support and love for families affected by ICE detentions. Join this monthly gathering to lift up the reality of what happens every day at the Portland ICE facility and participate in solidarity in various interfaith expressions and rituals.

Jewish Mindfulness and Meditation
Tuesday, Dec. 31, 12 pm - 1 pm
We gather on Tuesdays, from 12 pm to 1 pm, to find some moments of quiet and shalom. Led by Deborah Eisenbach-Budner, Rabbi Benjamin, Adela Basayne, and Nancy Becker.

Morning Minyan
Wednesday, Jan. 1, 8:30 am - 9:00 am
For all who want a regular prayer practice and for people saying Kaddish.

Urgent! Two More Volunteers Needed to Deliver Food Boxes
Wednesday, Jan. 8, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm, 1620 NW 14th Ave.
We need two more people for our four-person team to distribute food boxes. Vibrant! is a new family-centered building for our low-income and previously unhoused neighbors. Our partner organization, Lift Urban Portland, will provide the food boxes on a monthly basis. All we need to do is to deliver them to residents who are unable to go to Lift UP's food pantry. Contact Ruth Feldman for details.

InterPlay Torah Study
Tuesdays, Jan. 7, 14, 21; Feb. 4, 11, 18, 7 pm - 9 pm at Havurah
Step into the Living Torah! Beginning in text, we’ll use simple, incremental forms of “sacred play” to find and express our own meaning and connections. Using voice, movement, story, stillness, and a bissel silliness, we’ll tell and witness each other’s stories, and learn ways to encourage and cultivate personal midrash and Torah-based narrative. Through embodied Torah study, we find ways to discover and express meaning, EVEN WHEN WE CAN’T ARTICULATE IT. For cultural creatives and recovering serious people, newbies and scholars. Fun as a spiritual practice! RSVP by clicking here.

Havurah Leadership Training
Sunday, Jan. 12; March 15, 2 pm - 4:30 pm
Information on the three sessions can be found in the November Hakol or here. If you have questions about the training, contact Debbi Nadell.

Chari Smith offers two opportunities to sing our Jewish stories together.
Teens and adults welcome. Questions? Contact Chari Smith.

Music Workshop: Songs from Freedom the Untold Story of Moses
Sunday, Jan. 5, 4pm – 5pm
Do you love to sing and are looking for a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon? Come join this one-time musical workshop, exploring songs from my new musical, Freedom: The Untold Story of Moses. This special afternoon gathering will focus on exploring the songs, piloting the harmonies, and spending time hearing a brand new piece of art. The music ranges from rock‘n‘roll to blues, lots of opportunities for singers of any range! And if you love what you hear, you can join us for an extended workshop series January to March 2020. Register here.

Musical Theater New Works Workshop
Rehearsals on Mondays, January 13, 20, 27; February 3, 10, 17, 24; March 2, 16, 30; 7 - 8:30 pm; Performance date: Sunday, April 5, 2 pm and 7 pm
If you consider yourself a creative actor/singer who loves musical theater and trying new things, then please join us for this first ever musical theater workshop series. We are writing a musical—Freedom: The Untold Story of Moses—and want to work with a group of passionate performers to develop a physical, spiritual, and musical language for the piece. You can be a part of bringing the script to life and pick up a few tips and tricks to musical theater performance along the way! This will culminate in a staged reading performance of the first act at Havurah Shalom. Please register here. Led by Chari Smith and Kelly Lyons.

Havurah Writers Workshop: Sign Up Now
Thursdays, Jan. 16, 23, 30, Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27, March 5; 7 pm - 9 pm; Public reading at a Friday Oneg, March 6
The Havurah Adult Writers Workshop begins on January 16 – three weeks earlier than listed in the 2019-2020 Havurah calendar. The workshop is for anyone who wants to explore their interest in prose writing – and is not a published writer or seeking feedback on a writing project.

Havurah member David Kertzner leads the workshop which focuses on memoir writing. We generate short pieces each week. Participants develop one piece in depth to share at a culminating Friday Oneg. Sign up for the class here!

Limited to 8 participants. 8 sessions on Thursdays. Contact David to sign up, or if you have questions.

Step into Havurah
Saturday, Jan. 25, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Are you new to Havurah? Or have you been a member for awhile but don't know what's been going on in the synagogue? Have questions about how decisions are made? This is an opportunity to learn about the inner workings of Havurah! This session will offer some history, explain its organizational structure, and explore how our congregation is different from other synagogues. RSVP here.

Sacred Action: Contemplative Practice for Engaging in the World
Wednesdays, Jan. 29 - March 4, 12 pm - 1 pm
Facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin
In what ways can Jewish spiritual practice guide our work for healing and justice in the world? In this group we will explore this question together through learning, discussion, and practice. At each meeting we will engage in various modalities, including meditation, chanting, contemplative study, and self-reflection. Guidance will be given for continued practice and engagement between sessions. Our intention will be to form a trusting and supportive group as a foundation for this sacred work. No experience necessary, but participants should be able to commit to all or nearly all of the meetings. Please RSVP here! Limited to 12 participants. 

Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, Jan. 10, 6:30 pm dinner & 7:30 pm service
Our catered vegetarian Kabbalat Shabbat Dinner begins at 6:30 pm, followed by a Kabbalat Shabbat Service at 7:30 pm. Sign up to attend by clicking here!

This event happens with the help of many volunteers. Please sign up by clicking here if you're able to help.

Hakol Corrections
The print version of the January 2020 issue has the December 2019 calendar on page 11, and a misprint on the cover, stating "January 2019" instead of "January 2020." The online version of Hakol has been released with these issues corrected. You can read it here.

Give Your Input on the Machzor Selection Process
The Machzor Task Force would like to get your feedback on our short list of 3 books, which are all easily readable, egalitarian, and transliterated. Please fill out this short survey to share your opinions of these 3 solid options. You can familiarize yourself with the books virtually by clicking on the links inside the survey, and physically by handling them at Havurah. The books will be out on a table in the entrance from Dec. 11- Jan. 10. Please do not remove them from the building! Questions? Contact Susan Brenner, Sacha Reich, Cindy Merrill and Sarah Wetherson.

New Havurah Photo Submission Policy
If you submit photos to our staff, we have new rules about what we can do with them and how we will credit you! Check out the policy here.

Dues & Donations for 2019 Tax Deduction
In late January, we will send out the 2019 tax letter showing your donations (including dues) for the year. If you wish to make a donation or pay off your dues, please make sure the funds reach the Havurah office by Dec. 31. If you are paying with stock, allow for a three-day settlement period. If you wish to pay online, use this link. If you are mailing in a check, please drop it off at the office or mail it with enough time for a Dec. 31 arrival. Contact Karen Westerman at with questions.

Click here or on our logo below to watch our video celebrating the 40th anniversary of Havurah Shalom Shabbat School!

Thank you to everyone who was involved!

Sanctuary

Are You Interested In Going On a Border Delegation Trip?
Monday, December 30th, 7 pm - 8:30 pm at Havurah
The Havurah Sanctuary Committee is exploring organizing a border delegation for Havurah adult members (over 18 years old) to the southern border. This would be an educational and spiritual opportunity to experience first hand the situation at our border from an immigrant and asylum seeker's perspective. This is not a service focused trip but there will be some service component. We hope that this will be an intentional experience to galvanize people to action and advocacy, although we understand that each person attending will get different benefits for participating.

We are thinking of a trip of between six and ten days with a total cost of about $1000 for both airfare and ground expenses. We hope to arrange some scholarship money to reduce the financial barrier. We are thinking about a trip to El Paso, Texas, USA/Ciudad Juárez, México. And we hope we can arrange a connection with the Jewish community at our destination location.

This first meeting will be to explore what a delegation could look like an to answer questions. We will have people attending who have been on similar delegations. Please RSVP here.

Poverty & Homelessness

Interfaith Alliance on Poverty's Monthly Meeting
Thursday, Jan. 9, 12 pm - 2 pm
Fremont United Methodist Church, 2620 NE Fremont
Come to a monthly Alliance meeting to hear from those affected by poverty, and those working on reducing to ending it. Attached here is the presentation by John Mulvey. John, formerly houseless, is the Co-Chair of the East Portland Action Plan Housing Committee, He covered a range of issues related to population and poverty, displacement of people in the Portland area and initiatives to increase the strength and financial health of those living in East Portland.

The Sephardic Winter Film Series Returns!
Jan. 14; Feb. 11; March 2 at 7 pm, 6686 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland
Sponsored by Ahavath Achim, the series will feature a film monthly on Tuesday evenings from December to March. Click here for the schedule.

Weekend In Quest: The Dreyfus Affair
Friday, March 6, 3 pm through Sunday, March 8 at 12 pm

Holiday Inn Express, Astoria, Oregon
The Institute for Judaic Studies Presents the 14th Annual Weekend in Quest — Friends, Foes, Fanatics and Proto-Fascists: The Dreyfus Affair in Fin-de-Siècle* France (1894-1906). Professor Evlyn Gould of the University of Oregon will present 4 lectures. Shabbat Services & Saturday evening program will be led by Havurah’s own Beth Hamon & Liz Schwartz. (*Fin-de-siècle = End of the century) Register here.

Reconstructing Judaism Newsletter
Interested in what’s happening in the national Reconstructing Judaism movement? Looking for some new ideas? Check out Reconstructing Judaism news here, or listen to the latest  podcast.

The Transparency and Inclusivity Committee welcomes your questions! We will find the answer and publish the question (but not the questioner) and answer in an upcoming Hakol. It is our intention at Havurah that what you know and understand about our congregation should not be a function of who you know. If you find yourself wondering about something related to Havurah, or if someone shares their question with you, we hope you contact us.

Send your questions to transparency@havurahshalom.org.

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.

Find our calendar and learn more at havurahshalom.org or call 503-248-4662.