March 6, 2025

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

Can somebody please slow down the clock? It’s hard to believe we are already finishing the first week of March. The Oscars have come and gone, Major League Baseball’s 2025 season is under a month away, and Purim is just around the corner, all of which means that Passover preparations have already begun in many Jewish homes! Lori and I are counting down the days until our son Noah, our daughter-in-law Patricia, and our granddaughters Gabby and Ollie come to visit. Meanwhile, my brother is preparing for a trip to Offenburg, Germany, where our family lived for centuries before being forced to leave during the Holocaust. He’ll be the first Haberer to return, and I can’t wait to see it all when he FaceTimes me from our ancestral home.

At the Adolph and Rose Levis Jewish Community Center, our Phyllis & Harvey Sandler Center season is moving just as quickly. This week, the Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival continued its 2024-25 Nina Rosenzweig Sunday Morning Israeli Film Series, with a screening of Kapo in Jerusalem, a true exploration of the moral dilemmas faced in Auschwitz. On Monday, Leah Polin led the first session of her three-part series Great Jewish Women, highlighting the thinkers and innovators who have shaped our world. On Tuesday, we welcomed Israeli author Maya Arad for A Literary Afternoon Series to discuss her novel The Hebrew Teacher, which confronts the generational and cultural challenges experienced by three Israeli heroines acclimating to life in America. Our Nina & Martin Rosenzweig West Boca Theatre Company’s fifth production, ART, opened last week to a phenomenal reception. Only four performances remain; don’t miss your chance to experience it yourself! Tickets are available at levisjcc.org/culture/theater.

On Tuesday evening, the Levis JCC proudly presented the annual Grabelsky Family Special Night for Special Needs cocktail reception. The program highlighted our Helene & Roy Schwedelson Special Needs Department while also recognizing more than 135 Dream Builders—dedicated individuals who champion special needs programming in our community through their generosity. Levis JCC leadership proudly honored Dana Egert and the Jewish Women’s Foundation of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, and teen volunteer Samantha Solodkin for their commitment to the Schwedelson Special Needs Department.

This week’s Torah portion is Tetzaveh (Command) in the book of Exodus, the second in the five books of Moses. In it, G-d instructs Moses to receive pure olive oil from the children of Israel to fuel the “everlasting flame” of the menorah, which Aaron must kindle daily. Amazingly, that flame has burned for 3,500 years, not just in the Temple, but in our traditions, in the values we pass to each generation, and in our ever-growing community.

Light candles Friday night at 6:07 pm
Shabbat ends on Saturday night at 7:00 pm

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

Don’t forget to “spring ahead” this weekend!

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

Marty