We at Shaarie Torah Hope You Have a Wonderful Summer!
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June - July 2015 www.ShaarieTorah.org 503.226.6131 Sivan/Tammuz - Av 5775 What Comes Next? e are now in the What happens if we are wide open about the Jewish book of BaMidbar, future just as our forebears were so many centuries ago? Numbers. In Hebrew If we suspended all assumptions about what synagogue Wit means "In the wilderness." prayer, membership, learning, gathering, and everything Midrash Tanchumah teaches else - if we dreamed big - what would we come up with? that "Whomever does not make If we made ourselves ownerless, what Torah would we oneself hefker [ownerless] like receive? the wilderness cannot receive wisdom and Torah." What is it This year we as a synagogue community have a very special to be hefker, ownerless? I believe opportunity to find out. Over the next year our shul Midrash Tanchumah is teaching us that to receive Torah community is going to engage in a process of envisioning we have to be open and free - and beholden to no our future. It is a program of the Conservative Movement person, situation, assumption or idea. How much this called Sulam (ladder). little midrashic passage has to teach members of shuls! At its heart it is a framework that guides us in an We stand now in the wilderness. The oft-cited Pew ongoing structured communal conversation about what study and what we can see with our own eyes already tell we want our shul to become in the future. Over the us - that synaoguges are not fulfilling the vital role that summer you will be invited to respond to an extensive they once did. Many struggle financially. Young Jews are survey about Shaarie Torah - to give your opinions on not reliably attending and joining. Many shuls seem to prayer to programs to everything in between. As the year be adrift and questioning their purpose. "Do we have a progresses, congregants, Board members and staff will be future?" many synagogue leaders ask. involved together in brainstorming sessions, reflections and discussions about where we want to go with all the The answer to that is, can we make ourselves hefker, major spheres of synagogue life. It will help us envision ownerless. Can we get free of the assumptions, practices, the synagogue future that we want and then to put habits and ideologies that brought us to this moment? concrete steps into place to help us move toward that Can we face the wilderness free of the past and fully vision. open to the possibilities contained in the Jewish future? Continue on page 6 We at Shaarie Torah hope you have a wonderful summer! Please note that many of our regular programs will not be happening in July and may have new times and dates starting in August or September. June/July 2015 • CONGREGATION SHAARIE TORAH • page 1 • www.ShaarieTorah.org Congregation Shaarie Torah Please “like” us at 920 NW 25th Avenue Office Hours www.facebook.com/ Portland, Oregon 97210 Monday-Thursday 8:30 am - 5 pm shaarietorahpdx Friday 8:30 am - 4 pm Telephone: 503/226-6131 Gift Shop Hours Fax: 503/226-0241 Monday-Thursday 8:30 am - 5 pm Cemetery: 503/774-8577 Friday 8:30 am - 4 pm Email: [email protected] Or by appointment. Website: www.ShaarieTorah.org All proceeds go to our Education Programs. Personnel Officers and Board of Directors Mission Statement Rabbi Joshua Rose 2014-15 Shaarie Torah is an inclusive, multi- [email protected] generational Conservative synagogue, Officers nestled in the heart of Northwest Portland. This warm and welcoming Cantor Aaron Vitells Rick Cohen Co-President Jewish community has been around since 1905, and looks to the future by balancing Melissa Bloom Jordan Schnitzer contemporary and traditional Judaism. Executive Director Co-President We strive to ensure that every voice is [email protected] heard and that every member is counted. Phil Cohen At Shaarie Torah, we offer extensive Sarah Dishner Vice President programming and activities that work Bookkeeper Isaac Tevet to foster Jewish values of social justice [email protected] through: Torah/Learning, Avodah/Service Vice President and Chesed/Loving Kindness. Dorice Horenstein Joel Greenblum Education Director Vice President [email protected] Deadline for Peter Lyman Aug/Sept Bulletin: Treasurer Elizabeth Fleishman July 15 Preschool Director Dori Tenner All editorial submissions must be [email protected] Secretary received via email on or before the deadline. All submissions are subject to Steve Carver Valerie Asbell editing for clarity, brevity and content. Past President Administrative Assistant Please submit articles as Microsoft [email protected] Word documents or PDF via email Members at Large attachments. Contact Melissa Bloom, Brian Rohr Marsha Strongin David Ross [email protected] with Communications Coordinator Richard Hurwitz Faye Samuels corrections, concerns or questions. [email protected] Marje Jacobson Miriam Straus Michael Millender Mylen Shenker Jaclyn Beck The Bulletin is published by Shira Newman Mitch Cohen Congregation Shaarie Torah, Membership/Outreach Brad Pearlman Bruce Winthrop 920 NW 25th Avenue Portland, OR and Program Coordinator Sue Perkel [email protected] 97210. All members in good standing receive the periodical free. Aleksey Burlay Synagogue Custodian Past Presidents This month’s issue is: Volume 89 Issue 9 [email protected] Linda Singer Steph Kotkins Issue Date: June 1, 2015 Milt Carl Mitch Cohen Bill Schaffler Barry Benson Ivan Gold Cemetery Supervising Caretaker Leo Lopez Cemetery Caretaker June/July 2015 • CONGREGATION SHAARIE TORAH• page 2 • www.ShaarieTorah.org ANNOUNCEMENTS Welcome to our newest members! Eli Wall Donna & Ira Erbs Sheldon Gloger Warren Levinson & Camille Calderwood Ziva & James Robinson Michael Sasnow & Wendy Russell Mary Elizabeth Stanley & Marinel Miklja Shaarie Torah can use your help and support with various projects. We offer sincere condolences to the If interested, please call the office families of: or contact Melissa at: [email protected] Michael Mendelson, z"l Dorothy Hytowitz, z"l Estelle Kaufman, z"l Caring Community Edith Kamin, z"l When a Death Occurs May their memories be a source of blessing. Please call the synagogue office when a death occurs at 503.226.6131 so that we may inform Rabbi ---------------------------------- Rose and be of assistance. After business hours, on weekends or holidays, contact Melissa Bloom Misheberach at 503.567.8306. Bless those in need of healing with Clergy Visits refu'ah sh'layma To assure that Rabbi Rose makes visits to The renewal of body, the renewal of spirit congregants in the hospital, extended care facilities and hospices, please contact the synagogue office at, 503.226.6131. In an effort to comply with the Harav Ronnie David Zishe ben Aliza, Lauren patient privacy laws, healthcare facilities may not Selden, Ted Zidell, Diane Gibson, Diana Bockman, release the names of their patients; it is imperative Jake Carwile, Anthony Wright, Bob Leveton, that you provide the name of the member, the Barbara Bilmeyer, Robert Bloom, Rose Nye, facility name, patient’s room number, length of Lydia Hubbard, Nancy Fruchtengarten, Manny anticipated stay, your relationship to the patient Taiblum, Barbara Leveton, Walter Kotkins, Sue and a number where you can be reached if further Carl, Miriam bat Sara Leah, Carol Danish, Rav information is needed. Pinchos Yehoshua ben Chaya Shtaima Baila, Jane Schindler, Shmuel ben Naomi, Gitel Yanta bat Sasha, Brinah Dina bat Shachma Moishe If you are not on our Caring Community e-mailing list, please contact the office to make sure you receive announcements about minyans, If you know someone in need of healing please call the shivas, funerals & more. office so we can put them on the Refuah Sh’leimah list. June/July 2015 • CONGREGATION SHAARIE TORAH • page 3 • www.ShaarieTorah.org Melissa's Musings! Melissa Bloom, Executive Director Can you believe July will mark met and hanging up saying “I would love to work with one year that Rabbi and I have him, and help this community.” I know I have not settled. come to Congregation Shaarie I cannot speak for the others on our team, but I do feel Torah. It is amazing to me that we have created a team that also loves what they do that it has been a full year. So and what our community is doing. much has happened in this time and maybe it is with I ask you to look back on this past fiscal year and share with David Letterman retiring, but me what your “Top 10 Things” are that have happened at I thought I would give us some of the “Top 10 Things” Congregation Shaarie Torah. we have done accomplished this past year. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your 1. We had a FUNraiser building our community life, and the only way to truly be satisfied is to by giving each other Challah Bags for the High do what you believe is great work. And the only Holidays. way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking, and don’t 2. We hired Brian Rohr, Communication Coordinator settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” ~ Steve Jobs 3. We had Sushi in the Sukkah 4. We had a wonderful Crazy 3rd Night of Chanukkah Shaarie Torah Chesed You can help send a message of love and 5. We hired Sarah Dishner, Bookkeeper support to those in our community on our Misheberach list. Each Shabbat morning, look 6. We had another FUNraiser building community for a table outside the sanctuary with cards by giving Mishloach Manot to each other for addressed to those in need of healing. Purim Take one home, add your own handwritten 7. We started Musical Shabbat message of support, then mail it out on Monday morning.