Our Staff
Rabbi Benjamin Barnett
Prior to joining Havurah Shalom in August 2017, Benjamin Barnett served as the Rabbi of Beit Am, a pluralistic Jewish Community in Corvallis. Originally from the Chicago area, he received his BA in English from the University of Michigan and his rabbinic ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia.
In leading a diverse congregation, Rabbi Barnett draws from years of living and learning in Jewish communities across the religious spectrum. Prior to entering rabbinical school, he worked with mentally ill adults, led wilderness expeditions for teenagers, and lived, worked and studied in Israel. He is a devoted practitioner and teacher of Jewish contemplative prayer and meditation, practices through which he strives to cultivate wisdom and compassion, and to respond maturely to the challenges of life and community. He works to build relationships across religious and cultural lines in the name of creating a less violent world. He and his wife Rachel live in Portland with their children: Lev, Arava, and Judah.
Hear or read some of his drashot: Erev Rosh Hashanah 5782 // Erev Yom Kippur 5782
benjamin.barnett@havurahshalom.org
Adela Basayne
Adela Basayne, Program Director, joined the Havurah staff in 2018, bringing with her experience as an educator, trainer, mediator, organizational development consultant, and body-centered therapist. Adela earned a BA in Theater Arts, minor in Religious Studies, from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and an MA in Whole Systems Design/Organizational Systems Renewal from Antioch University, Seattle. In all her different arenas of work, the through line has been commitment to nurturing the human capacity to make and sustain desired changes, supporting growth, and diminishing suffering; Adela is passionate about group process and systems analysis.
Adela moved from New York to Portland in 1987 and has been a participatory member of Havurah Shalom ever since, celebrating life cycle events, teaching in Shabbat School, serving on countless committees, including a stint as co-president. Adela brings excitement and joy to her role with Havurah. She and her husband, Nick Iliinsky, have three adult children, Noah, Alexis and Megan.
adela@havurahshalom.org
Deborah Eisenbach-Budner
Deborah Eisenbach-Budner became Havurah Shalom’s first Education Director in 2001. Since then, she has worked with hundreds of Havurahniks of all ages, enabling them to connect more deeply with Judaism. She has created and nurtured a wide variety of educational programs, generated innovative holiday and Shabbat experiences, and contributed to the vibrant growth of the community.
Deborah is passionate about making Judaism and Jewish life accessible and enriching. She has experienced and witnessed the transformative power of Jewish narratives, practices, values, and community. But, more importantly, she employs Judaism as a tool to cultivate our humanity and to provoke us to become the most whole people we can be. Read more here.
deborah@havurahshalom.org
Rachel Pollak
Rachel Pollak, Havurah Shalom’s Office and Facilities Manager, moved to Portland in 2007 from Los Angeles and got to know the Portland Jewish community through the Melton School, where she was operations manager and then director. She earned her BA in English and political science at American Jewish University in Los Angeles (back when it was the University of Judaism), and her MA in English in 2012, right here at Portland State, where she has also earned a project management certificate. She started at Havurah in January 2017.
rachel@havurahshalom.org
Carrie Kirschner
Carrie Kirschner, Youth Education and B'nei Mitzvah Program Coordinator, or Madricha (guide), is known to Shabbat School, Middle School and High School families as the go-to person for administrative and curriculum support. In August 2022, she added b’nei mitzvah process coordination to her portfolio. She works closely with families to ensure they have the resources and logistical guidance they need.
carrie@havurahshalom.org
Joey Wolf, Rabbi Emeritus
Rabbi Joey built a career based on mediating Torah – imaginative teaching, cogent ideas, responsibility for the earth and its people – over 30 years at Havurah Shalom. Involvements and leadership roles in T’ruah - The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, American Jewish World Service, Institute for Jewish Spirituality, Americans for Peace Now, Black Parent Initiative, and as a co-founder of the local Muslim-Jewish Dialogue attest to his priorities towards building bridges.
His relationships within the community have encouraged honest reflection and a commitment to justice and are reflected in the kindness, truthfulness and good humor of the people around him. He stands at a crossroads where traditional elements of prayer and study stimulate a new celebration of human spirituality. Mining Jewish ideas and minding Jewish practice are for him ongoing sources of enthusiasm, and he honors this wonderful community for its pursuit of what it means to be Jewish in the world. Taking care of that world and the people who remain on the fringes are an abiding concern for him, as are the ancestral queries and adventures that have led him on the path of learning over a lifetime. You can read more about Rabbi Joey, who retired in April 2017, here in The Oregonian. You can hear his drash on Rosh Hashanah 5282.
Sun, March 26 2023
4 Nisan 5783
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Havurah Updates
Hineinu: Welcome Our New Staff Member, Plus Seder Hosting!
Havurah Shalom Welcomes Participation and Publications Coordinator!
Tara Anderson started in her new position yesterday,
Hineinu: Learn About Our New Parking Option!
New Parking Now Available!
Legacy has generously given us permission to park in its lot at 1919 NW Lovejoy on weekdays afte
Upcoming Events
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Sunday ,
MarMarch 26 , 2023
Sunday, Mar 26th 1:00p to 3:00p
Memorial service for Olivia Nisenfeld -
Tuesday ,
MarMarch 28 , 2023
Tuesday, Mar 28th 7:00p to 8:30p
Fiction: 545 pages Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi sets her blazing new novel, “A Girl Is a Body of Water,” in the conflicted nation of her adolescence: 1970s Uganda, under the brutal rule of dictator Idi Amin. In her twelfth year, Kirabo, a young Ugandan girl, confronts a piercing question that has haunted her childhood: who is my mother? Discussion led by David Newman. Nonmembers welcome. RSVP for Zoom info, or come in person. -
Saturday ,
AprApril 1 , 2023
Shabbat, Apr 1st 10:00a to 12:00p
Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. We meet in person and in Zoom Room Aleph. Please email Rachel for Zoom info: rachel@havurahshalom.org. -
Sunday ,
AprApril 2 , 2023
Sunday, Apr 2nd 11:00a to 12:30p
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Sunday ,
AprApril 2 , 2023
Sunday, Apr 2nd 7:00p to 8:30p
Joined by Rabbi Benjamin, we will discuss the background for the event and the impact of the current Israeli government on the organizers, followed by poetry readings, small group discussions, final words and song by Rabbi Benjamin. Refreshments will be provided after the meeting. -
Monday ,
AprApril 3 , 2023
Monday, Apr 3rd 1:00p to 4:00p
We are excited to bring mahjong back to Havurah. It is a fun, social activity that builds community, encouraging new friendships and cementing old ones. And while some of us may play elsewhere as well, we all agreed that restoring its place as an ongoing congregational activity will be a good fit for Havurah and those of us who play or want to learn the game. So please don't hesitate to join us! -
Monday ,
AprApril 3 , 2023
Monday, Apr 3rd 6:00p to 8:00p
A course for transforming our antiracism efforts through Jewish spiritual practice. Facilitated by Rabbi Benjamin and María Lisa Johnson Learn concrete Jewish spiritual tools alongside other Havurah members to confront, subvert, and heal implicit and internalized racism within ourselves and others. This course explores the inner work necessary to change our habits of mind, body, and spirit to dismantle racism, in support of whatever organizing, advocacy, and service-work we’re each engaged in. Our core spiritual practice will be Mussar, the Jewish spiritual discipline designed to integrate what the head understands with what the heart feels through daily practice. Participants will be expected to attend every session (as much as possible) and commit to consistent practice in between sessions, including meeting with a learning partner once every other week. This is not an antiracism 101 course, but rather is intended to build on an existing antiracism foundation, so participants need to have an understanding of systemic racism in the United States. Please contact Rabbi Benjamin if you are interested in participating. -
Tuesday ,
AprApril 4 , 2023
Tuesday, Apr 4th 7:00p to 8:15p
This meeting will take place in Zoom Room Heh. -
Saturday ,
AprApril 8 , 2023
Shabbat, Apr 8th 10:00a to 12:00p
Led by community members and Rabbi Benjamin, this service includes davening, Torah reading, and discussion. We meet in person and in Zoom Room Aleph. Please email Rachel for Zoom info: rachel@havurahshalom.org. -
Saturday ,
AprApril 8 , 2023
Shabbat, Apr 8th 3:00p to 5:15p