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
Shari Raider
Shari Raider and her family have been members of Havurah since 2007. In July 2023, Shari joined Havurah staff as the new Finance Manager. Working collaboratively across the organization, Shari tends to the finance and accounting side of Havurah.
shari@havurahshalom.org
Tara Anderson
A Havurah Shalom member since 2019, Tara Anderson joined Havurah’s staff in the spring of 2023. In her role as Participation and Publications Coordinator, Tara’s work within Havurah centers on coordinating and facilitating meaningful access, inclusion, and involvement among prospective, new, and long-standing members and producing Havurah Shalom’s print and online communications.
tara@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.
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.