Havurat Shalom
@havuratshalom.bsky.social
Havurat Shalom is a small, pioneering, egalitarian Jewish community founded in 1968 in Somerville, MA. We are a lay-led congregation where people come to pray, celebrate, and grapple with Jewish texts and traditions and work for social justice.
See Larry Rosenwald's review of LIDER MIT PALESTINE לידער מיט פּאַלעסטינע: New Yiddish Songs of Grief, Fury, and Love ingeveb.org/blog/lider-m...
They're Here: Protest Songs for Palestine | In geveb
It would be pleasant for me, as a singer, literary critic, and Yiddishist, to review LIDER MIT PALESTINE apolitically. But that is not possible.
ingeveb.org
January 12, 2026 at 8:07 PM
See Larry Rosenwald's review of LIDER MIT PALESTINE לידער מיט פּאַלעסטינע: New Yiddish Songs of Grief, Fury, and Love ingeveb.org/blog/lider-m...
Last year Havurat Shalom supported these organizations with tzedakah, and we hope you will too: LUCE, www.lucemass.org
LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of MA
www.lucemass.org
January 12, 2026 at 7:51 PM
Last year Havurat Shalom supported these organizations with tzedakah, and we hope you will too: LUCE, www.lucemass.org
Join us for Shabbat davening, tonight online, tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
January 9, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Join us for Shabbat davening, tonight online, tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
The word for this week begins with the letter “Shin” (שׁ): שְׁכִינָה. It's a name for God and usually translated "indwelling presence". It comes from a biblical word that means "to dwell", and in modern Hebrew, with slightly different vowels, it means "neighborhood": שְׁכוּנָה.
January 9, 2026 at 6:27 PM
The word for this week begins with the letter “Shin” (שׁ): שְׁכִינָה. It's a name for God and usually translated "indwelling presence". It comes from a biblical word that means "to dwell", and in modern Hebrew, with slightly different vowels, it means "neighborhood": שְׁכוּנָה.
Join us for Shabbat davening, tonight online, tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
January 2, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Join us for Shabbat davening, tonight online, tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
See this month's newsletter: mailchi.mp/86f63e91f18b...
B'Shalom - Havurat Shalom's January 2026 newsletter
mailchi.mp
January 1, 2026 at 6:02 PM
See this month's newsletter: mailchi.mp/86f63e91f18b...
See this month's blog post: Ruth's thoughts on rest, insomnia, stress and Shabbat: www.thehav.org/blog/rest
rest
by Ruth Abrams
www.thehav.org
January 1, 2026 at 5:59 PM
See this month's blog post: Ruth's thoughts on rest, insomnia, stress and Shabbat: www.thehav.org/blog/rest
The word for this week begins with the letter “Resh” (ר): רָעָב. It means "famine". With different vowels, it means "hungry": רָעֵב. Famine figures largely in the Joseph story and also moves things along in the Abraham and Isaac stories.
January 1, 2026 at 5:56 PM
The word for this week begins with the letter “Resh” (ר): רָעָב. It means "famine". With different vowels, it means "hungry": רָעֵב. Famine figures largely in the Joseph story and also moves things along in the Abraham and Isaac stories.
Due to the uptick in respiratory illnesses, masks are required at the Havurah at this time.
December 30, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Due to the uptick in respiratory illnesses, masks are required at the Havurah at this time.
Join us for Shabbat davening, tonight online, tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
December 26, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Join us for Shabbat davening, tonight online, tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
The word for this week begins with the letter “Kuf” (ק): קוֹל. It means "voice". We use this word frequently in Psalm 29 that we daven on Friday nights, when we talk about the big things in nature that God does with God's voice.
December 26, 2025 at 8:55 PM
The word for this week begins with the letter “Kuf” (ק): קוֹל. It means "voice". We use this word frequently in Psalm 29 that we daven on Friday nights, when we talk about the big things in nature that God does with God's voice.
Join us for Shabbat davening tomorrow at 10:00 am. Good Shabbos!
December 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Join us for Shabbat davening tomorrow at 10:00 am. Good Shabbos!
The word for this week begins with the letter “Tzade” (צ): צִיצִת. It refers to the four knotted cords on the tallis. It's usually translated as "fringes", but I don't think that what we see on the tallis is actually fringes. The origin of the word is unclear.
December 11, 2025 at 8:19 PM
The word for this week begins with the letter “Tzade” (צ): צִיצִת. It refers to the four knotted cords on the tallis. It's usually translated as "fringes", but I don't think that what we see on the tallis is actually fringes. The origin of the word is unclear.
Join us for tomorrow for Shabbat davening and a potluck lunch! Good Shabbos!
December 5, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Join us for tomorrow for Shabbat davening and a potluck lunch! Good Shabbos!
Join tonight for Shabbat services online at 6:00. Email [email protected] to get the Zoom link. Good Shabbos!
December 5, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Join tonight for Shabbat services online at 6:00. Email [email protected] to get the Zoom link. Good Shabbos!
The word for this week begins with the letter “Peh” (פּ). Here it is: פַּרְשָׁה. It means "section or portion". A lot of Hebrew roots that begin with the letters פּר relate to separating or dividing.
December 4, 2025 at 4:49 PM
The word for this week begins with the letter “Peh” (פּ). Here it is: פַּרְשָׁה. It means "section or portion". A lot of Hebrew roots that begin with the letters פּר relate to separating or dividing.
See this month's newsletter: mailchi.mp/015640793156...
B'Shalom - Havurat Shalom's December 2025 newsletter
mailchi.mp
December 2, 2025 at 5:33 PM
See this month's newsletter: mailchi.mp/015640793156...
See Aliza's thoughts on turning 70 in this month's blog post: www.thehav.org/blog/on-turn...
on turning 70
by Aliza Arzt
www.thehav.org
December 2, 2025 at 5:30 PM
See Aliza's thoughts on turning 70 in this month's blog post: www.thehav.org/blog/on-turn...
Join us for Shabbat services tomorrow, 10:00 am. Good Shabbos!
November 28, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Join us for Shabbat services tomorrow, 10:00 am. Good Shabbos!
Join us for Shabbat services, tonight online, tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
November 21, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Join us for Shabbat services, tonight online, tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
The word for the week begins with the “Ayin” (ע): עֲלִיָה. It means "going up". We use our word to refer to coming up to the Torah to say the blessings and also to moving to Israel. What do those 2 things have in common?
November 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM
The word for the week begins with the “Ayin” (ע): עֲלִיָה. It means "going up". We use our word to refer to coming up to the Torah to say the blessings and also to moving to Israel. What do those 2 things have in common?
Join us for Shabbat services, tonight online (email [email protected] to get the Zoom link), tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
November 14, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Join us for Shabbat services, tonight online (email [email protected] to get the Zoom link), tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
The word for this week begins with the letter “Samech” (ס): סוּס. It means "horse". In the Bible, a horse is often used as an example of something that God doesn't want: we're told in the book of Deuteronomy that a king shouldn't have too many horses. Why do you think this is?
November 13, 2025 at 8:31 PM
The word for this week begins with the letter “Samech” (ס): סוּס. It means "horse". In the Bible, a horse is often used as an example of something that God doesn't want: we're told in the book of Deuteronomy that a king shouldn't have too many horses. Why do you think this is?
Join us for Shabbat services, tonight online, tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
November 7, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Join us for Shabbat services, tonight online, tomorrow in person. Good Shabbos!
New book out by Havurah founding member Rabbi Art Green: www.benyehudapress.com/books/can-ju...
Can Judaism Be Saved? - Ben Yehuda Press
Can Judaism be saved from its most dangerous currents? That’s the question Rabbi Arthur Green poses in this urgent exploration of the spiritual and ethical challenges facing Judaism today. Green exami...
www.benyehudapress.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:27 PM
New book out by Havurah founding member Rabbi Art Green: www.benyehudapress.com/books/can-ju...