Poverty & Homelessness Committee
Poverty & Homelessness Committee
Poverty and homelessness continue to be major issues in Portland. We believe it is vital that Havurah continue to educate our community and be an active advocate in the ongoing goal to reduce the hardships, isolation, loneliness, and violence experienced by those who face unaffordable housing, wage inequity, racial/sexual discrimination, and mental and physical disabilities.
The Poverty & Homelessness Committee supports the work of various nonprofit agencies that we believe reflect these values held by the Havurah community. We support organizations through volunteer time, financial donations, and advocacy work.
Current co-chairs of this committee are Gloria Halper and Steve Rudman.
Currently we are working with the following groups:
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Havurah has been a longtime supporter of Path Home to empower homeless families with children for their long-term housing needs.
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Havurah is a partner congregation of the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty, a volunteer-driven, advocacy group of 14 Portland faith-based institutions. It offers an opportunity to become informed and involved with systems-change efforts to reduce poverty in our community. Their website offers educational resources and information. Join them for their first Thursday meetings at noon to listen to speakers addressing issues of homelessness and poverty. You must sign up for these virtual meetings through their homepage.
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Havurah supports The Common Good Project (TCGP), a program working under the nonprofit Trash for Peace (TFP). What does this mean? It means that TCGP can get public funding and grants for its projects and have assistance running its programs so that the focus can be on our work on the streets and have the support of TFP when it comes to administrative duties. The Common Good Project is a year-round service organization whose mission is to stabilize, enrich, and transform the lives of Portland’s homeless residents through meaningful city waste removal work that builds self-esteem, personal agency, and community, ultimately creating pathways toward more stable lives. Learn more here. For more on TCGP, please check out the Trash for Peace website in January, 2023, when their website updates should be completed.
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Havurah supports Lift Urban Portland, which provides food and supports low-income residents in northwest and downtown Portland.
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In 2021-22, Havurah added the RoseHaven Day Shelter for women, children, and marginalized genders experiencing homelessness and poverty. RoseHaven is the only day shelter and community center in Multnomah County supporting these vulnerable populations. Of interest to our Havurah community, RoseHaven is physically located in our NW neighborhood, only blocks from our synagogue, and it provides opportunities for our Education Committee for Youth volunteer projects.
Tue, March 19 2024
9 Adar II 5784
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Havurah Updates
Hineinu: Purim is coming!! and lots more.
Havurah Purim Celebration
6 pm to 8 pm on Saturday, March 23 at Havurah Shalom
Come as you aren't! All are welcome! Fun f
Upcoming Events
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Tuesday ,
MarMarch 19 , 2024
Tuesday, Mar 19th 6:30p to 8:00p
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Wednesday ,
MarMarch 20 , 2024
Wednesday, Mar 20th 6:30p to 8:30p
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Wednesday ,
MarMarch 20 , 2024
Wednesday, Mar 20th 7:00p to 8:30p
Facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin. In this class, we’ll be exploring various ways in which the Divine is represented and imagined in Jewish tradition. Beyond simply the intellectual, our lens will be more one of spiritual reflection and practice. In other words: As we encounter and interact with the metaphors that the tradition offers for experiencing and connecting with God/Spirit/Life, what do we notice within our hearts and minds? How do particular images shape our consciousness and perception? As a guide for this exploration we will read Rabbi Toba Spitzer’s book, God is Here, which should be purchased for the class (contact Rabbi Benjamin for a free copy if needed). RSVP here by March 1. -
Thursday ,
MarMarch 21 , 2024
Thursday, Mar 21st (All day)
Click to learn how to submit your contributions to our monthly newsletter. The deadline for the April 2024 Hakol is Thursday, March 21. -
Thursday ,
MarMarch 21 , 2024
Thursday, Mar 21st 7:00p to 8:30p
Join the monthly meeting of the Racial Justice Committee to learn what we are up to and how you can be involved. Join us even if you haven't joined in the past. New members always welcome! Please note: While Racial Justice Committee Monthly Meetings normally meet on second Thursdays, this meeting will take place on March 21st. -
Saturday ,
MarMarch 23 , 2024
Shabbat, Mar 23rd 10:00a to 12:00p
Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. For Zoom link (Zoom Room Aleph), email info@havurahshalom.org. -
Saturday ,
MarMarch 23 , 2024
Shabbat, Mar 23rd 6:00p to 8:00p
All are invited to celebrate Purim at Havurah Shalom! Havurahniks: Check out our open volunteer roles for the Purim party (from decorating to teen helpers to bringing potluck snack items) and consider making Purim delicious by making hamantashen for the bake-off! -
Monday ,
MarMarch 25 , 2024
Monday, Mar 25th 6:00p to 7:30p
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Tuesday ,
MarMarch 26 , 2024
Tuesday, Mar 26th 6:30p to 8:30p
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Tuesday ,
MarMarch 26 , 2024
Tuesday, Mar 26th 7:00p to 8:30p
Bassam is a Palestinian Muslim who was imprisoned by Israeli officials for seven years. Rami is a Jewish man who was born in Israel and married into a well-heeled family that has some social capital in Israeli politics. But their lives, however circumscribed, are upended one after the other: first, Rami’s thirteen-year-old daughter, Smadar, becomes the victim of suicide bombers; a decade later, Bassam’s ten-year-old daughter, Abir, is killed by a rubber bullet from an Israeli soldier. Rami and Bassam had been raised to hate one another. And yet, when they learn of each other’s stories, they recognize the loss that connects them. The two men come together, across the animosity and violence of their respective home nations, over a shared desire to spread a message of education, understanding, and the end of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Discussion led by Marjorie Walters. Nonmembers welcome. RSVP for Zoom info.