[yshavurah] Interesting Info on Havurot

From: Clevineys@xxxxxxx
To: yshavurah@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 19:39:30 -0500
In a message dated 11/16/2003 3:40:14 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
mail-havurah@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:

> From: Eashtov@xxxxxxx
> To: National Havurah Committee Mailing List <mail-havurah@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [MAIL-HAVURAH:5104] Re: MAIL-HAVURAH digest 1053
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> Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2003 03:40:12 EST
> 
>     Shalom Laurie and all the rest of us,
> 
>     For a history of havurot and their countercultural origins, check out 
> the
> article in The Jewish Catalogue (first volume), by Siegel, Strassfield and
> Strassfield, which begins on page 278.
>     Try to make the distinction that a havurah is not synonymous with a
> social group,
> though that can be a component. In other words a group of Jews gathering 
> does
> not necessarily a havurah make. Folks gathering to "do Jewish" more
> accurately describes a havurah's essence. To elaborate, a havurah is a small 
> group of
> 8-15 like-minded individuals or households who gather together to "do 
> Jewish"
> e.g., worship, study, celebrate, support, grow, ... in a Jewish context.  
> This
> includes the concepts of mentoring, vulnerability, and accountability. I 
> know
> that there are larger groups that self identify as havurot but I question 
> the
> semantic appropriateness of the use of the term for these larger groups.
> Ideally a havurah is about knowing and being known, serving and being 
> served,
> celebrating and being celebrated, loving and being loved. Quite simply, 
> havurot
> have the potential to become mini communities within a larger synagogue
> community.  Becoming a synagogue of havurot would be an intentional and 
> purpose driven
> strategy for effective growth where all members would have the opportunity 
> to
> "do life Jewishly" and would potentially be cared for not only by their own
> "bio" families but also by their respective havurah families. This is a way 
> to
> maintain intimacy without sacrificing the resources (people; their time 
> and/or
> their money) that a larger synagogue community can offer. The possibilities
> for transformational growth as individuals and as a larger community are 
> indeed
> limitless.
>                                                                 
> Harmoniously,
>                                                             
> Jordan Goodman
[yshavurah] Interesting Info on Havurot

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