Ma'avar (End of Life)
The Ma'avar Committee provides educational support for members and their families to help them prepare for the end of life. The committee also works with the Bikkur Holim Committee to provide grief support for members who have lost loved ones. Committee leaders are Karen Erde, Annie Goldberg, Ericka Kimball, and Candi Wuhrman.
In the Event of a Death
If you are a member of Havurah Shalom and experience a death in the family, you can reach Rabbi Benjamin at 503-248-4662 ext. 3. If you need to make funeral, burial or shiva minyan arrangements, and Rabbi Benjamin is out of town and can't be reached, his voicemail message will direct you to the pastoral support person who can assist you.
Yahrzeits
If you would like Havurah to notify you when the yahrzeit dates of your loved ones are approaching, you can log into your Havurah membership account and add the names and dates there.
If you haven't logged in as a member yet, click on the "login" link in upper right corner of our website, enter the email address where you receive Havurah correspondence, and create a password for yourself. You'll receive an email from Havurah confirming that your password has been received, and then you'll be able to log into your account any time. If you have questions, call 503-248-4662.
Chevra Kadisha
A chevra kadisha is a group of men and a group of women who perform the traditional Jewish ritual of preparing individuals for burial. This service is one of chesed shel emet (ultimate kindness). In order to maintain the dignity of the one who has died, the ritual is performed by chevra members who are the same gender as the deceased.
Havurah member Tivona Reith co-chairs Chevra Kavod haMet, a chevra kadisha for several Jewish communities in the Portland area. The following resources explain Jewish traditions concerning death and mourning and how you can arrange traditional Jewish burial rituals in the Portland area.
- Jewish Traditions Concerning Death & Mourning
- Arranging a Traditional Jewish Burial in the Portland Area
Burial, Shiva Minyan & Our Cemetery
Havurah Shalom’s cemetery is located off the Sylvan Hill, just west of downtown Portland, at 5656 SW Humphrey Blvd. You can find directions to the cemetery here.
Havurah works closely with Holman’s Funeral Service to coordinate funerals at our cemetery. Holman's is located at 2610 SE Hawthorne Blvd. You can call 503-232-5131 to make arrangements or to learn about preplanning to make the end of life less stressful.
If you are a member of Havurah and need to make funeral, burial or shiva minyan arrangements, please contact Rabbi Benjamin at 503-248-4662 ext. 3. If he is out of town and can't be reached, his voicemail message will direct you to the pastoral support person who can assist you.
These are some helpful resources for making burial arrangements:
- Cemetery Information and Costs
- Burial Plot Agreement
- Cemetery Debit Payment Authorization Form
- Havurah Cemetery Policies
- Metro Regional Cemetery Policies
Resources
- Articles on COVID-19
- Commentary and research by Diane Chaplin about Jewish mourning traditions
- Books for Children and Families about terminal illness, aging and death, in a Jewish context
- Books for Adults About Death in a Jewish Context, which can be checked out from Havurah's library
- Reference Information from end-of-life workshops at Havurah by former Havurah member Rabbi Me'irah Iliinsky
- Video of Rabbi Iliinsky's Interactive Play at Havurah on Tahara