541.488.7716 185 N. Mountain Ave Ashland, OR 97520

Become a Member

WHY JOIN?

CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR PLEDGE OF SUPPORT.

  • As a member, you are saying “I’m with you – I’m part of this community. I stand with you in good times and bad times.”
  • Your support, both financially and in all the ways we each give to our community, is an investment in each other and a Jewish future.
  • Becoming a member supports our rabbi and staff and ensures that we can continue to provide the rich services and classes which we now provide.
  • Members in good standing pay nothing to attend High Holy Day services.

Dear Friends,

As we enter the new 2023/24 fiscal year, we look back upon the year that is behind us. We had a great year! Here’s what happened in the Havurah community…

Shavuot Shabbaton 2023- Revelation & Ordination
  • Shabbat Services almost every weekend – led by Reb David, Maggidah Cyrise and the Asiyah Band, and Maggidah Ayala
  • Rabbi David’s Tuesday Jewish Spirituality class each week
  • Ayala’s Hebrew classes offered at three levels
  • Wisdom Garden school for our kids and their families
  • Holiday Celebrations throughout the year – from Tish’a B’Av and High Holy Days to our Hanukkah Fest, Tu’B’Shvat Celebration, Passover Seder and our Shavuot Shabbaton (soon to happen)
  • We hosted memorial services on Zoom as well as shiva Services for loved ones
  • Yom HaShoah Memorial Observance
  • Israel’s 75th Celebration of Independence

CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR PLEDGE OF SUPPORT.

All this in our little congregation! Our commitment to you was to continue providing live streaming for our distance members so that we leave no one behind! Yet, as we look at the year ahead, we are facing a deficit that will be covered by a large gift that was bequeathed to us two years ago, so that we’ll be able to continue to provide all of the above for at least two more years. What we are hoping to avoid is pulling back on our services and classes in order to balance the budget in the future.

Our biggest expense is staff, without whom none of this could happen! The challenge is that we need new members, donors, and revenue streams. Our main sources of revenue are membership dues, high holiday donations, special events (concerts, Shabbaton, etc.), and our annual Autumn Match Campaign.

That’s where you come in. If you have been participating and loving what we offer, we need you now to join us as a member, or make a special donation. Whether you are here in Southern Oregon, or you join us from afar in our Zoom room, if you are not currently a member, we ask you to consider joining us this year.

CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR PLEDGE OF SUPPORT.

Members

We have two levels of membership. One is for Local Members who have the option of joining us in person for our many wonderful offerings, and the other is for Distance Members, those who don’t live in the Rogue Valley or Northern California and live too far away to join us in person, but join us in the Zoom room. We have installed equipment that allows us to do hybrid services whenever we meet in person, so no one is left behind.

We have two levels of membership: Local Members and Distance Members (those who don’t live in the Rogue Valley and join us via Zoom) CLICK HERE TO MAKE YOUR PLEDGE OF SUPPORT.

Local members:  $750 for individuals, $1,300 for families, $650 for single parent families,

    $300 for students. No one is ever turned down for membership based on your pledge.

Pledge what you can!

Distance members: sliding scale $390 – $785
Non-Member Donations: whatever you are called to donate.

That is how a congregation sustains itself, and is there for anyone in their time of need or celebration. With your support the Havurah will grow and thrive, and won’t have to pull back next year! Can we count on your membership or support today? Invite your friend to join us too!

B’Todah, with gratitude,
Rabbi David Zaslow                            
Ayala Zonnenschein, Executive Director

REB ZALMAN SHABBATON

The Havurah was founded in 1985 as the Jewish Renewal Community Havurah of Southern Oregon. The Jewish Renewal movement is dedicated to nurturing spiritual life and revealing Judaism’s inner spirit for our modern world, bringing it to life through both traditional and contemporary practices. Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, zt”l, the founder of Jewish Renewal, often referred to it as the Research and Development of Judaism. We are always innovating, such as incorporating Embodied Prayer, while remaining true to our roots.

Rabbi David Zaslow began serving our Havurah in July 1996, after our founding Rabbi Aryeh Hirschfield z”l moved to Portland. Rabbi David leads Shabbat evening and morning services, joined on Friday nights by his wife, Devorah Zaslow, who is a storyteller. We gather for High Holiday services and holiday festivals throughout the year. Rabbinical student, Cantorial Soloist and Maggidah Cyrise Beatty Schachter, who brings the gift of her voice and deep teachings, is also on staff and leads services and teaches classes. Rabbinical student, Maggidah Ayala Zonnenschein, leads services each month and teaches Hebrew classes, and Rachael Resch, offers Embodied Prayer at some of our services, for those who enjoy prayer expressed in movement. Rabbi David plays an active role in the education of our children, as well as adults. His Torah teachings, music and wisdom inspire us to carry on the traditions of our people and to pursue a deeper relationship with G-d.

Our Wisdom Garden School meets monthly – Reb David leads a family service filled with music, joyful prayer and dance, followed by class time with Maggidah Cyrise and Jeanne Robin.

Wisdom Garden School

Because of the great desire for spirituality and community, our congregation has grown from just a small number of families to over 100 family units. We welcome members from diverse spiritual paths and faith traditions and we are proud to be a LGBTQ safe zone. Our membership is composed of families from throughout Southern Oregon and Northern California and across the USA, with highly diverse backgrounds and practices, providing a depth that enriches the Havurah community.

We welcome the participation of all who desire to take part in our thriving community. Our continued success depends upon three types of commitments from our members:

  • Participation: The knowledge, experience and creativity of our members help make our services, classes and events vibrant and unique.
  • Volunteerism: To strengthen our community and to foster a sense of individual connection to the Havurah, we invite each adult to consider volunteering in an area of interest.
  • Financial Support: It takes an average of $1,800 per family member unit to meet our financial obligations and expenses. Our desire is for members to determine what they can truly afford and pledge their fair share.

Many synagogues that operate with this ability-to-pay structure use 3% of income as their guideline. Our dues are figured at 2% of gross income, to accommodate those who cannot meet the 3% standard. We hope you will consider 3% if it is within your ability. No one is turned away for inability to pay in full. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have about finances.

As a Havurah member, you will be welcome to participate at no extra cost.

Our Havurah is an inclusive and dynamic community, weaving Jewish tradition with song and prayer, striving to make Judaism truly meaningful in our lives. We hope you will consider joining us and pledging to become a member today. There is not better time to make the commitment to stand with our tribe!

Please contact me or Rabbi David with any questions you may have or if more information is needed. We look forward to speaking with you soon and hopefully welcoming you as a new member of our community.

B’Shalom,

Ayala Zonnenschein

Please contact  Ayala Zonnenschein, Havurah Executive Director, at ayala@ashlandhavurah.org or 541-292-0805, with any questions you may have or if more information is needed. We look forward to welcoming you to our community!

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