Havurah Shalom bills Tu B’shvat stories

By Jewish Review

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Havurah Shalom invites the community to join its Tu B’shvat (Celebration of the Trees) featuring storyteller Will Hornyak of local and national fame.

The program will be 4-5:15 p.m., Jan. 12, at Havurah Shalom, 825 NW 18th Ave., Portland. The event is free and open to the public but RSVP is requested by Jan. 9 to info@havurahshalom.org or 503-248-4662.

Hornyak will treat participants to an inspiring collage of stories about trees, nature and how people can honor and protect the world.

Named 2005 Artist of the Year by Young Audiences of Oregon, Hornyak has been described by The Oregonian as a “Storyteller par excellence! Boundless imagination, endless wit.”

He teaches storytelling at Portland State University and Marylhurst University and performs throughout the United States. The program will conclude with a short Havdallah ritual.

Hornyak shares his thoughts about the role of storytelling and storytellers in our society on his Web site, www.willhornyak.com.

According to his Web site, the Bal Shem Tov (Rabbi of the Good Name) from the Hassidic tradition used storytelling to break the stranglehold of intellectualism on Judaism.

Hornyak writes on the site: “I think the Bal Shem Tov said it best: ‘Sometimes the bonds between heaven and earth are stretched to the point of breaking. Not even prayer can help. Only a story can mend it.’”