creating community

revitalizing judaism

Events

Upcoming & Past Events

days of awe

Sukkot grape Juice making & party

community | high holidays

Sukkot Grape Juice Canning Workshop + Party

Sunday, September 26th, 11 am-7pm | Outside with the Sukkah, in Eleyna’s Secret Garden

Learn how to make and can grape juice to drink & share on any Shabbat or Chag. It’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted. Shelf stable! Lasts for years! You’ll learn how to make Annie Rose’s Magic Grape Juice and Lazy Lassie’s Sparkling Grape. We’ll play around with the steam juicer, direct juicing, and other things to do with grape juice, too. It’s the easiest canning project and so much fun.

Oh, and shake the lulav and smell the strange citrus in the Sukkah too!

Masks required; if you have elected not to get vaccinated, please join us next year and don’t come this year. Bring the kids! Wear clothes you can get stained!

erev sukkot

native gathering garden

service | Partner

Erev Sukkot at the Native Gathering Garden

North of NE 72nd Avenue & Killingsworth St | September 18th 12pm-4pm | Jews for Indigenous Sovereignty & guests volunteer

Blessing the six directions together in a space that is sacredly held by the Indigenous community in Portland. Then we’ll be volunteering/learning about Indigenous plant care. To RSVP, email Native Gathering Garden coordinator Nichole Bruno at Nichole.Bruno@portlandoregon.gov, and include your name, age (child or adult), email address, and phone number. Please CC: Sahar on your RSVP. (This is necessary for contact tracing!)

What to bring: A mask, warm & waterproof clothes, and (if you have them) gardening tools & gloves. The garden also has tools people can use, but bringing your own is best.

Where: Cully Park, 5810 NE 72nd Ave, Portland, OR 97220. Click here for more info about the garden!

Accessibility: All ages and abilities welcome & the garden is wheelchair-accessible! It’s ok if you can’t do manual labor — the garden tenders encourage people to come just to be with the land.

days of awe

Kol Nidre Song Circle

community | high holidays

Kol Nidre Song Circle

September 15, 4:45pm-5:45pm | Piccolo City Park (SE Richmond area)

Join us for a reflective song circle as we embrace the beginning of Yom Kippur. We’ll sing a host of songs with teshuvah (returning/repentance) in mind, with silence in between, plus a little bit of ritual to open and close us out. Mellow vibes. Family friendly, if your kids are into this kind of thing.

This event is for people of any confidence level with singing—we want you to join us and can’t wait to sing with you! If you’d like to just come bask in the sound of other voices, your presence is also welcome! We chose this start and end time to give space for folks to watch streamed services/do other Kol Nidre things later in the evening if you wish.

COVID notes: you must be vaccinated to attend this event (unless you are under 12 years old). Masks will be worn at all times, and we will practice social distancing.

days of awe

Tashlich at Broughton beach

community | high holidays

Tashlich at Broughton Beach

September 12, 6pm-7:30pm | Broughton Beach: 4356 NE Marine Dr, Portland, OR 9721

We will gather in-person for this lovely holiday ritual. We will use the formidable Columbia River as a place to cast away our regrets, our omissions, our mistakes, —the guilt and shame we feel from these things and to begin again in this new year. We encourage you to bring some stone or pebbles of your own to throw as well as water and a snack for yourself so we can spend a little time connecting afterward.

days of awe

virtual workshop

reflection | high holidays

Embodied Teshuva

sunday, august 29th, 10 AM | Zoom

Join new TischPDX fellow Amanda Davidowitz!

This virtual workshop is an invitation to take a journey of introspection, self-compassion and forgiveness in the presence of community. Amanda will guide you through meditation, breath, journal exercises and yoga postures designed to create an experience of compassionate Cheshbon Hanefesh (”soul accounting”) and intention setting as we approach the Days of Awe. While the Hebrew word Teshuva is usually translated as repentance – it literally means “to return.” This auspicious time in the Jewish calendar is an opportunity to return to self, to your values, to community and to your connection with the divine.

jewish activism

justice reform

Activism | partners

Still in Prison Teach-In

thursday, august 12th, 7-9 PM | Zoom

Learn about Oregon’s history with a racist law supported by the Klu Klux Klan that was recently declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Sadly, despite the decision, the work to undo the injustice of this racist Oregon law is not finished. You can take action to seek justice for all Oregonians.

No one should remain wrongfully imprisoned by an explicitly racist, antisemitic, xenophobic discriminatory law. After nearly 90 years of injustice by an inequitable judicial system, the opportunity for justice should not be ignored.

Speakers include Dr. Aliza Kaplan, Professor of Lawyering and Director, Criminal Justice Reform Clinic, and Terrence Hayes. In 2013, Terrence was released from prison after serving 9 years. He was convicted by a non-unanimous jury. AG Ellen Rosenblum was the judge on his case in 2004.

every new moon

well circle pdx

wellness | recurring | Alumni

Well Circle PDX

Monthly around Rosh Chodesh

Every month we gather around the new moon and the beginning of the new month in the Hebrew calendar. With a rotating leadership model, we bring in journaling, mediation, discussion, and other rituals/activities to celebrate and discover the themes and meaning of the month in our own lives. We focus on introspection, wellness, community, and Jewish feminist spiritual learning.

past events

ritual and nigunim

queer nigun project

music | partners

Queer Nigunim with Rena Branson

tuesday, july 27th| 7 pm pst

Join us at Laurelhurst Park for an evening of ritual and traditional Hasidic nigunim (wordless Jewish melodies) with Rena Branson, founder of the Queer Nigun Project. Along with teaching traditional melodies, Rena also writes new liturgical music, expanding marginalized Jews access to their own power, healing, connection, and growth.

workshop

tisch b'av and grief

Holidays | alumni | partners

Preparing for Tisch B'Av at Alberta Shul

thursday, july 15th, 7-9 PM| Eastside jewish commons 2420 NE Sandy Blvd, 97232

Join Sara Figueroa, Alberta Shul Board Member and TischPDX alum, for a workshop on preparing for Tisha B’Av. Explore through writing and discussion questions to help process our personal and collective grief about the symbolic loss of the temple and to look at our personal and collective grief from this last year and the loss of our spiritual touchstones. As we enter the heat of mid-summer and head into the high holidays, how does this deep work prepare us for Elul and the high holiday season?

Action Hour

social justice havdalah

activism | recurring | Fellows | Alumni

Havdalah Action Hour

every Saturday in May, 7 pm | on ZoOM

Come hang out, light a fancy candle, and work on any social justice-y action item you have– and/or we will always have action items to share as well! Right now we are continuing to write letters to incarcerated people in support of Critical Resistance’s near-completion #WriteThemAll campaign This is about celebrating liberation

Fundraiser

lag b'omer haircutting

fundraising | holiday | staff | Alumni

Lag B'Omer Covid Cuts

Friday, April 30th, 9 am-1 pm

We’re planning an amazing Lag B’Omer Haircut Kick-Off event to launch our TischPDX May fundraising drive!! Here are all the details and if you’ve been looking to get an awesome haircut, now is your chance! (We want participants, so read below for details and pricing).

Next Friday from 9am to 1pm, TischPDX will be offering up an opportunity to get a Covid-cut, donation-based haircuts in a COVID-safe and inclusive environment (Prince – @princehairpdx).

Before and after your cut, we will be going live to promote the fundraising campaign, promote Prince Hair PDX, teach about the holiday, and UtopiaPDX, who we will be donating part of the proceeds from. Cuts are all different times, but we estimate we will have the opportunity for 4-5 people to get a cut. I would love to get a variety of different cuts, so please let me know which you’re thinking of getting and your schedule/availability during that window. At this time, color is likely not an option for this event, but if you’re interested in that, let us know.

Accessibility: The studio has stairs. Studio is COVID-safe, with full PPP (the hair professional has been vaccinated), max 4 people in the room at any one time. Salon chair will be cleaned/disinfected between people. Participants will be featured on @tischpdx and @princehairpdx social media, but consent will be confirmed prior.

Different Cut options and suggested donation amounts for those cuts:

Short Haircut	$35
Long Haircut	$45
Bald/Skin Fade	$35
Bang Trim	$15
Buzzcut	$23
Straight Razor Head Shave	$35
Faded Buzzcut	$27

pesach-themed music

dance-a-thon

Holidays | Fellows

Passover in the Park

Saturday, April 3rd, 1 pm | SE corner of Irving park

The Purim dance-a-thon was such a success there were requests for another. Come to Irving Park (SE corner) April 3rd to dance ourselves towards liberation. We will loosely follow the exodus story, feel free to suggest songs. We’ll set up at 1 pm. Come when you can. All are welcome.

covid-safe passover

liberation seder

Holidays | Fellows

Seder in the Park

Saturday, march 27th, 3 pm | wilshire park NE 33rd ave Porland, OR 97212

This is about celebrating liberation! Bring your whole self. We’re excited to have you.
COVID is still real. Everyone is expected to distance from anyone not in their COVID bubble and take any other appropriate precautions. Masks required at various points.
This is a potluck! Bring food to share if you can. (If you’re more comfortable, you can bring a personal meal instead.) The meal will be kosher-style.
BYO: Seder plate, seating, plate/utensils/etc. We’ll try to have extras, but can’t guarantee.
BYO Haggadah if you have one.

Accessibility:

The park is accessible by public transit and ADA compliant.
We’ll have a speaker system set up to help with audio.
Food will be ingredient labeled.

The seder will be participatory! We’re hoping you might be moved to lead us in a section, in whatever way speaks to you: traditional liturgy, interpretive liturgy, poetry, storytelling, game, music, anything,anything, ANYTHING. If you’d like to lead any section, please let us know in the RSVP.

Action Hour

social justice havdalah

activism | recurring | Fellows | Alumni

Havdalah Action Hour

every Saturday in march, 7 pm | on Zoom

songs and niguns

singing group

music | Fellows

Shabbat Song Circle

Saturday march 6th, 7 pm

Come sing with us! Join Sahar, Caryn, Ellie, and Rae on Saturday, March 6 at 2 pm. The songs and niguns are short + repetitive, great for singing through many times while playing with harmonies, and you don’t need to know any of the words. (Some don’t even have any!) You’re more than welcome to come with a favorite tune to share. Dress for the weather and wear a mask as usual. If it rains, we’ll move under the covered area nearby.

learn and gather

police accountability shabbat

learning | Alumni | Partner

PPA Contract Learning Shabbat

Friday, March 5th, 7 pm | on Zoo

The Alberta Shul Racial Justice and Bend the Arc PDX present the Portland Police Association Contract learning Shabbat. Come learn and catch up with local rad Jewish organizing around the Portland Police Association’s contract negotiations.

tend to the land

native gathering garden

service | Partner

Volunteer at the Native Gathering Garden

sunday, february 21, 1-4 pm

We have been kindly invited to observe Tu B’Shevat (and now Purim) for a second year by volunteering at the Portland Native Gathering Garden at Cully Park! Because the garden is closed until the end of January our observance will be slightly belated, but worth the wait. We’ll meet at the garden to briefly discuss the relationship between Tu B’Shevat, Purim and decolonization-focused racial justice work, and volunteer to tend the garden with members of Portland’s Indigenous community.

How to sign up: RSVP by Thursday, February 19th to attend! To RSVP, email Native Gathering Garden coordinator Nichole Bruno at Nichole.Bruno@portlandoregon.gov, and include your name, age (child or adult), email address, and phone number. Please CC: Sahar on your RSVP at lemonbalm1990@gmail.com.

What to bring: A mask, warm & waterproof clothes, and (if you have them) gardening tools & gloves. The garden also has tools people can use, but bringing your own is best.

Where: Cully Park, 5810 NE 72nd Ave, Portland, OR 97220. Click here for more info about the garden!

song circle

Adar & Song

singing | Fellows

Singing Circle for Rosh Chodesh Adar

Saturday, february 13, 2 pm

Join Sahar, Caryn, Ellie, and Rae for group singing! We have been running this circle (outdoors with masks and social distancing) for the last three months and it’s been feeling so great — please come join us!! Location TBD closer to the date depending on the weather; contact Sahar at lemonbalm1990@gmail.com for location updates and to RSVP so we can have a headcount.

rosh chodesh adar

shabbat, journaling, & discussion

self reflection | Partner

Bring in the month of Adar with Shabbat, Journaling, and Discussion

friday, february 12, 6:30 pm

The month of Adar is nearly upon us! Adar is characterized by the sign of Pisces, or the fish: dagim in Hebrew. Representing spiritual fluidity, transcendence, and protection (among many other things), fish and water are highly sacred symbols in Judaism and I can’t wait to explore their significance with you! We’ll also learn more about Shabbat Shekalim, Purim, and the holiday’s heroine Esther. If you’d like to see a preview of the prompts, please email us!

Join by Computer | Join by Phone | Zoom Passcode: adar

creating a giving plan

interactive workshop

tzedekah | Alumni

Tzedekah Giving Plan Workshop

sunday, february 7, 4 pm | on Zoom

Join Yasha & Colleen for an interactive workshop and discussion on building plans for moving resources rooted in the foundational Jewish value of tzedakah. We will utilize Jewish stories and texts to help define intentional goals to create and implement your own personal giving plan. From a police and prison abolitionist perspective we will focus on mutual aid giving strategies centering Black and Indigenous led organizing.

All are welcome, whether you are creating your first giving plan or interested in updating and refining what you already have. The majority of time will be dedicated to working on your plan with the support of resources and peers.

Please RSVP by emailing us (colleenpdixon@gmail.com and yasha.annah@gmail.com) by Friday February 5th. We will send out a confirmation email with the workshop link the morning of the workshop.

human connection through song

song circle

Singing | Fellows

Shabbat Shira Sing

Saturday, January 30th

Join Sahar, Caryn, Ellie, and Rae for group singing! A small, masked, and distanced outdoors gathering of Jews singing in celebration of Shabbat Shira.

jews for black lives

mlk day march

activism | fellows

Jewish Bloc at MLK March

monday, January 18th

Let’s get a strong Jewish presence at Don’t Shoot PDX’s 7th Annual MLK Day event. Join Caryn, Lyra, and Taylor in marching and plugging into Jewish activism.

discussion and food

hummus-making workshop

cooking | Alumni

Hummus with Herschel

sunday, January 3rd, 7:30 pm | on Zoom

Join us for a friendly discussion of the recent graffiti and vandalism of the PDX Israeli-inspired restaurants. While we talk, improve your cooking skills by making tahini, hummus, and/or pita in your own oven. Themes of antisemitism, Zionism, cultural appropriation, and activism on the left will all be brought up.

critical resistance pdx collab

#write them all campaign

action | Fellows | Alumni

Prison Letter Writing Night

Sundays in january @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm | on Zoom

Let’s gather to help Critical Resistance PDX finish their #WriteThemAll campaign, with TischPDX & Bend the Arc. (more info at instagram.com/criticalresistancepdx). Join us for our *7th Sunday in a row of Jewish letter writing*. As of the most recent count we have mailed **85 letters** from these Jewish write nights! We are meeting every Sunday in January, and who knows how many letters we can write!

Before the event, make sure you have (we can help you acquire and/or fund these things!)
-Envelopes
-Stamps
-Non-smudged, non-wrinkled paper & non-smudging pens
-Printout of resource sheet (either 2 sided or 2 pages) linked below

We will provide the addresses to write to during the event.

Liberation Literacy and alberta shul fundraiser

hanukah variety show

Fundraising | Alumni | Partner

Alberta Shul Virtual Hanukah Variety Show

Saturday, December 12th, 2020 | on Zoom

Inter-community, inter-generational, inter-idealogical virtual, COVID-safe Hanukah gathering and performance showcase to fundraise for Liberation Literacy and the Alberta Shul. Come and attend to meet new people, watch some fun acts, and learn more about Bend The Arc, Liberation Literacy, and Alberta Shul if you didn’t know about them before.

first night of hanukkah

cooking party

Cooking | Fellows

Latke Fry-Along

Thursday, December 10th, 2020 | on Zoom

Spend time with friends, and virtually cook together for the first night of Hanukkah! Connection is hard during the pandemic so let’s do our best to make social connections while still supporting the public health.

jew bloc

defend democracy rally

Activism | Fellows

Jew Bloc - Election Edition

Wednesday, November 4th, 2020

Our democracy hangs in a fragile balance, so let’s show up as Jews for the BLM movement in the streets. Come build comfort and connection with a Jewish activist community and fight against fascism and white supremacy in this pivotal moment in American history.

ballot happy hour

Learn. Socialize. Vote.

Politics | Alumni

Ciders and Change II: A Virtual Ballot Party

sunday, october 25th, 6 pm | on Zoom

I’m not going to sugarcoat this: Democracy is important. Probably more important than when we gathered 2 years ago.

But I get it, if you’re overwhelmed by doom scrolling and feel like you’re not getting exposed to all the issues, ballots can be daunting. So to make sure more people vote, I’m hosting a virtual ballot happy hour with enough time to still early vote. All you gotta do is this:

1. Register for the event, especially noting your favorite cider flavor profiles. Non-alcoholic is always an option!

2. If you feel comfortable, I will personally deliver a mystery cider to your house day-of. Your cider will be dropped off by someone masked, gloved, and extra sanitized between deliveries.

3. Join us on Zoom to learn and fill out our ballots together, discuss down-ballot candidates, local initiatives. Even if you’ve already voted, you are welcome to join and drink a cider with us to celebrate the democratic process. This is by no means an exclusive event, so invite whoever you want to virtually bring to the polls! EVENT is FREE but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!

challah making

fancy braiding

cooking | Fellows

Challah Braiding Workshop

THursday, october 22nd | on Zoom

Ever feel inept in your challah braiding abilities? No need to fear, because Lyra is teaching a workshop in some more complex braids. Learn a new skill and connect with other Jews before Shabbat!

Book Group

Israeli/Palestinian Speculative Fiction

learning | Fellow

Imagining the Future

THursday, september 24th | on Zoom

Join this book group to explore speculative fiction by Israeli and Palestinian authors, and explore how writing reflects life situations and what we can dream.