Sanctuary Committee
Sanctuary Committee
The Sanctuary Committee works to defend the rights and improve the lives of immigrants and refugees throughout Portland and the state of Oregon. We are members of the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice (IMIrJ), working alongside other interfaith congregations to advocate for inclusivity on immigration and refugee policy issues.
Tikkun Olam Adelante
Tikkun Olam Adelante is a community engagement arm of the Sanctuary Committee. We partner with Bienestar de la Familia, a Multnomah County agency serving immigrants and refugees. Through that partnership, we established an English Language Learning class, after school tutoring, and a Spanish/English language exchange staffed by volunteers from the Havurah congregation.
Activism/Political Action
These have included the following:
- Annual Refugee Shabbat
- Annual Passover Service and Vigil at ICE Headquarters
- Educate Havurah members about immigrant and refugee issues
- Salem Legislative Lobby Day
- Advocate for legislative and regulatory changes
- Vigils at ICE headquarters and detention sites
- ACLU Legal Observers
- IMIRJ Accompaniment
Co-chairs: Kathy Gordon, Shari Raider, Robert Trachtenberg
Contact information for members is available in the online directory through the Havurah website. If you are not sure how to access the directory, please contact the office staff for directions.
Wed, January 27 2021
14 Shevat 5781
Upcoming Events
All Events
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Wednesday ,
JanJanuary 27 , 2021Joint Tu B'svhat: Reconstructionist Communities of the PNW
Wednesday, Jan 27th 6:30p to 8:00p
Join Reconstructionist Communities of the PNW for an evening of learning, eating and meditations as we celebrate the New Year of Trees through an in-depth exploration of the seven species of the land of Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olive (oil) and dates. We invite you to bring your own samples of each of these items (or their respective derivatives), and journey through the mystical and the mundane as each rabbi explores the significance of one of these items in Jewish tradition, and leads us in mindful tasting. Pre-registration at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ldOqsqjwiHt3Twts4_enWSOCxtrs3qcR7. -
Wednesday ,
JanJanuary 27 , 2021Middle School
Wednesday, Jan 27th 6:30p to 8:30p
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Wednesday ,
JanJanuary 27 , 2021High School
Wednesday, Jan 27th 6:30p to 8:30p
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Thursday ,
JanJanuary 28 , 2021Beginning Conversational Hebrew
Thursday, Jan 28th 7:00p to 8:00p
Would you like to improve your ability to speak conversational Hebrew? Can you already read Hebrew but don't always know what you're reading? Did you take Hebrew lessons ages ago or did you participate in an Ulpan experience in Israel but have forgotten all you learned? Would you like to laugh and learn with fellow Havurahniks? Come join Racheli Ross as she continues a beginning Hebrew class in which the focus is on functional Hebrew conversations and vocabulary development. Thursdays, 7-8:00 pm, with an optional 8-8:30 practice session, starting on January 14, and continuing until March 18. This will be in Zoom Room Heh. -
Thursday ,
JanJanuary 28 , 2021Writer’s Workshop (for Non-Writers!)
Thursday, Jan 28th 7:00p to 9:00p
Have you thought about trying to write prose? Do you want to try with others? This year’s Havurah Adult Writers Workshop (for Non-Writers!) begins January 14 and continues for the next 7 Thursdays, through March 4. The workshop is for anyone who wants to explore prose writing – and is NOT a published writer or working on a big writing project. The focus is memoir writing generated through reflection, engaging prompts, discussion and feedback. While the Jewish experience often comes up in memoir writing in a Jewish community, our focus is the writer’s personal exploration from any perspective. Participants develop one piece from the workshop and may choose to read at a culminating Friday Oneg Reading for the Havurah community. Led by David Kertzner. Group size limited to 8. -
Friday ,
JanJanuary 29 , 2021Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Friday, Jan 29th 7:30p to 8:30p
Please join us for our spirited and joy-filled Kabbalat Shabbat Service, led by Elizabeth Schwartz. Music will be provided by our talented Havurah musicians. This service will take place in Zoom Room Aleph. Please email info@havurahshalom.org if you need Zoom join info. -
Saturday ,
JanJanuary 30 , 2021Bar Mitzvah of Logan Mafchir-Werth
Shabbat, Jan 30th 10:00a to 12:00p
Please join us in welcoming Logan Mafchir-Werth as a Bar Mitzvah and member of our community. -
Saturday ,
JanJanuary 30 , 2021Dancing In God’s Earthquake: Book Talk & Discussion with Rabbi Arthur Ocean Waskow
Shabbat, Jan 30th 3:00p to 5:00p
Between Climate Change, Covid, great economic and social injustice, and a reckoning after centuries of oppression for Black and Ingdigenous peoples, we are living in a powerfully transformative Earthquake trembling time. Rabbi Arthur Ocean Waskow has recently completed his latest book for just such a time, Dancing In God’s Earthquake, and he will be joining Havurah & P’nai Or, Jan. 30th, 3-5 p.m. for a book talk and discussion, followed by Havdalah led by Rabbi Benjamin. At 87, having been arrested more than 60 times, Rabbi Arthur has lived a deeply spiritual life devoted to teaching and activism. His latest book succinctly distills his lifelong Torah wisdom into pearls for these times. He invites us to take a hard look at ourselves, Judaism, and the way humanity is living with each other and our world. With great love and wisdom, he takes us on a journey to help transform it all. From chapter 1, Healing the Perennial Sin of Eden, through the final chapter 11, Two Biblical Genocides: Were Both Sins? Rabbi Waskow guides us through Renaming God as an Ecological Worldview. Purchase the book through Havurah for $15 using the form below. -
Sunday ,
JanJanuary 31 , 2021Havurah Leadership Retreat
Sunday, Jan 31st 10:00a to 5:00p
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Monday ,
FebFebruary 1 , 2021Jews of the Middle East and North Africa
Monday, Feb 1st 7:00p to 8:30p
This class will focus on the modern history of the Jewish communities of the Middle East and North Africa, roughly from 1860 to the present. To orient ourselves, we will begin with a brief discussion of Spanish Jewry (Sephardim) and the Jewish communities of Iraq, Iran, Yemen and Ethiopia. We will devote particular attention to the communities of Morocco, Algeria, Iraq and Egypt. We will examine the complex relationship between these Jewish communities, the local cultures and European colonialism. We will also discuss the sociology, politics and culture of these communities in Israel today. Taught by Joel Beinin. This class takes place in Zoom Room Bet. Please see the weekly Hineinu newsletter for the link.
Wed, January 27 2021 14 Shevat 5781