January 12, 2023

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

This has been a week of celebrations, coincidences, and connections. I celebrated my 59th birthday this week and also reunited with Albert & Marcia Schmier, who are longtime family friends. The Schmiers are friends with longtime Levis JCC supporters Helene & Roy Schwedelson, who kindly invited us to join them for dinner. That’s when I found out that it was also Marcia’s birthday this week. I thank the Schwedelsons and Schmiers for generously hosting us, and again wish Marcia a very happy birthday!

Earlier this week, I addressed the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s Dorothy P. Seaman Department of Women’s Philanthropy. It included some women I have known for many years in my various roles at Jewish Federations around the country, as well as women I have met during my first 9 months here in our community. I connected with friends who are actively involved with the Adolph & Rose Levis JCC and some new faces I had not yet had the opportunity to become acquainted with. It was my joy and privilege to provide an update on the work of the Levis JCC. Doing so reminded me of how formative JCCs have been to me throughout different stages of my life and how essential a JCC is as a community connector. So many individual “Jewish journeys” feature a strong JCC component. I am so very proud to be a part of our Levis JCC – a strong, vibrant and growing JCC with an incredibly bright future, a JCC that will continue to be that connector for generations to come.

This week’s Torah portion is Shemot (Names), the first chapter in the Book of Exodus, the second in the Five Books of Moses. In it, we are introduced to Moses, who is possibly the greatest figure in Jewish history. He had a very complicated life: he was removed from his home for his safety and raised as an Egyptian by Pharaoh’s daughter. He resisted against the hardships the Israelites suffered as slaves and became a Shepard who saw a vision from G-d to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free.

All these thousands of years later, the Schmeirs, the Schwedelsons, the Haberers and all of you are connected to the shared heritage of Moses and the Israelites. We look for ways to keep existing connections strong even as we build new ones. I invite you to keep connected with your community and each other, and of course with our Levis JCC. Please make one of your New Year’s resolutions to step through our welcoming doors on 95th Avenue S.

Light Shabbat candles Friday night at 5:30 pm
Shabbat ends Saturday night at 6:26 pm

Shabbat Shalom,

Marty