February 15, 2024

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

For all of you football fans, oh boy, Sunday night’s game really was one of the best Super Bowl games I have ever seen. Lori and I were fortunate to enjoy the evening with my friend Rebeca Suenderman and her husband, Phil. I have known Rebeca for almost 55 years – since elementary school! Rebeca’s family fled Germany for Uruguay during the time of the Nazis. They then came to the US when Rebeca was a young girl. She enrolled in Yeshiva speaking only Spanish, and had to catch up to all of her friends. She did just fine! It was so nice to see her and Phil again.

This week, our Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center’s Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival opened at Cinemark Palace 20 in Boca Raton. Lori and I attended the opening night film and were mesmerized by the film Irena’s Vow, which is the powerful true story of a righteous Polish Christian who hid 11 Jews from the Nazis and kept them alive until they were able to escape into the forest. I also saw The Artist’s Daughter the next day, which was a gut-wrenching tale of what it is like to be the ignored daughter of an obsessed and self-centered artist. I hope you will join us for the more than 40 films that will be screened as part of Boca Raton’s ORIGINAL Jewish Film Festival. Click here to learn more.

This week’s Torah portion is Terumah (Offering), in the book of Exodus, the second of the Five Books of Moses. In it, while on the summit of Mount Sinai, Moses is instructed on how to construct a movable sanctuary for G-d to travel in as he accompanies the Israelites on their journey through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. This past Sunday night, I was receiving news on my phone about the heroic rescue of 2 Jewish hostages from Gaza who had been kidnapped from that very land promised to our people all those thousands of years ago. I pray that the rest of the hostages come home soon, G-d willing alive and well.

Light Shabbat candles Friday night at 5:55 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday night at 6:50 pm.

Am Yisrael Chai!
Shabbat Shalom

If you would like to support the Levis JCC and its programs and services, click below.

Marty