About the havurah
PAGE CONTENTS
COMMUNITY AND FAMILIES
SOCIAL ACTION AND TZEDAKAH
CLASSES AT THE HAVURAH
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
This page offers some details about the workings of the Havurah and a Frequently Asked Questions List.
Community and Families
Havurat Shalom was among the pioneers of feminist liturgy (click here to see more about our prayerbook). We created egalitarian baby-naming ceremonies and, before same-sex marriage was legal, commitment ceremonies. At the same time, we've lived up to our founders' vision of a funky, modern shtibl (tiny, traditional Jewish community). We visit each other in the hospital, meet for memorial services when people are in mourning, and dance like no one is watching at each other's weddings, bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies, and other happy occasions. The combination of progressive egalitarianism and traditional community makes us different, and you should check us out!
The Havurah is a welcoming place for families of all kinds. We welcome singles, families of all configurations and interfaith families. For families with children, we sometimes offer Shabbat childcare and always have free childcare on the High Holidays (when services happen in person). There are children's play rooms on the second floor and a play structure in the back yard. Please see our services and events page for more information about children's programming.
The Havurah is a welcoming place for families of all kinds. We welcome singles, families of all configurations and interfaith families. For families with children, we sometimes offer Shabbat childcare and always have free childcare on the High Holidays (when services happen in person). There are children's play rooms on the second floor and a play structure in the back yard. Please see our services and events page for more information about children's programming.
Havurat Shalom and its members have been involved with many kinds of social action over the years, including the sanctuary movement, helping homeless people, and the disability rights movement. Our Tzedakah Fund helps further the cause of tikkun olam (repairing the world) by making annual donations to various organizations. See recent projects by clicking here.
Havurat Shalom occasionally offers public classes on a wide variety of topics of interest to the community. Please see our calendar of events for a listing of our upcoming classes.
Here are some questions often asked about the Havurah:
Do people live at the Havurah? Do you have to be a member
to live at the Havurah?
No, no one lives in the Havurah at this time. Both members and non-members have lived at the Havurah.
Who runs the Havurah?
The members do! Havurat Shalom members run the community through monthly business meetings, where we use consensus decision-making. We use consensus decision-making to help us have a non-hierarchical power structure: every person's opinion is as important as everyone else's. We have a rotating co-ordinatorship to insure that multiple members lead the group during the course of the calendar year.
Are Havurah retreats open to the public?
Sorry, but we use retreats for community building among the members and associate members.
What should I wear to services?
We don't have a dress code at the Havurah. You should wear what feels comfortable and respectful to you. At the Havurah you will see people in jeans and you will see people in suits.
Why do the prayers sound different from what I am used to?
At the Havurah we want our prayers to reflect our values of egalitarianism. Therefore, we use both feminine and masculine language to refer G-d and to people. We also use a wider variety of names for G-d than are found in traditional texts. These are some of the changes found in the egalitarian siddur we've been working on for quite some time. Changes like this can be exciting and often disconcerting at first, but many of us have found that in time they feel natural.
How do I buy High Holiday tickets?
No need! Our High Holiday services are free and open to all. Please see our High Holiday information for more details.
If I want to send a donation to the Hav, where can I send it?
We gratefully accept donations sent to our mailing address. Havurat Shalom is an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable organization, so your donations may be tax-deductible. You are also welcome to use Paypal or a credit card to send a donation through our DONATE page.
Do people live at the Havurah? Do you have to be a member
to live at the Havurah?
No, no one lives in the Havurah at this time. Both members and non-members have lived at the Havurah.
Who runs the Havurah?
The members do! Havurat Shalom members run the community through monthly business meetings, where we use consensus decision-making. We use consensus decision-making to help us have a non-hierarchical power structure: every person's opinion is as important as everyone else's. We have a rotating co-ordinatorship to insure that multiple members lead the group during the course of the calendar year.
Are Havurah retreats open to the public?
Sorry, but we use retreats for community building among the members and associate members.
What should I wear to services?
We don't have a dress code at the Havurah. You should wear what feels comfortable and respectful to you. At the Havurah you will see people in jeans and you will see people in suits.
Why do the prayers sound different from what I am used to?
At the Havurah we want our prayers to reflect our values of egalitarianism. Therefore, we use both feminine and masculine language to refer G-d and to people. We also use a wider variety of names for G-d than are found in traditional texts. These are some of the changes found in the egalitarian siddur we've been working on for quite some time. Changes like this can be exciting and often disconcerting at first, but many of us have found that in time they feel natural.
How do I buy High Holiday tickets?
No need! Our High Holiday services are free and open to all. Please see our High Holiday information for more details.
If I want to send a donation to the Hav, where can I send it?
We gratefully accept donations sent to our mailing address. Havurat Shalom is an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable organization, so your donations may be tax-deductible. You are also welcome to use Paypal or a credit card to send a donation through our DONATE page.
last modified: 2017-08-15