March 27, 2025

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

This week, Lori and I wrapped up a wonderful stretch of family visits. Our home has been filled with so much love…and some friendly competition over foosball and cornhole. We shared meals, celebrated milestones (including our son Noah’s 29th birthday and my brother Stefan’s 59th), and enjoyed each other’s company. We feel so blessed to have enjoyed such quality family time with our children, grandchildren, siblings, parents, and extended family.

Our community is equally blessed with the opportunities offered year-round at the Adolph & Rose Levis JCC. Last Friday, we welcomed nearly 240 participants for our 3rd Annual Community Pride Shabbat. The service was a beautiful, uplifting celebration of inclusivity and Jewish values, and we feel extremely grateful to all the clergy, volunteers, and staff who make this program possible. At the Betty & Marvin Zale Early Childhood Learning Center, our preschoolers wrapped up Field Day Fun Week, filled with fun challenges, dress-up days, and their Field Day Fundraiser, which raised nearly $6,000. Families then gathered on the Ryan F. Zackon Family Playground to sing, dance, and celebrate "Shabbat Under the Stars.” Meanwhile, our Dale & Ed Filhaber Mini Camp at the J has been in full swing as students from Palm Beach and Broward County enjoy their Spring Break playing gaga, basketball, soccer, and kickball, as well as crafting, swimming, and more. And the fun continues soon! Both Mini Camp and our new Family Gym Time return in April. Yesterday, the Phyllis & Harvey Sandler Center’s Literary Afternoon Series featured On Being Jewish Now: Essays and Reflections from Authors and Advocates. Nearly 250 attendees joined a thought-provoking panel discussion, moderated by Debbie Reed Fischer, exploring what it means to be Jewish today and how things have changed since October 7th.

This week’s Torah portion is Pekudai (Amounts), the final portion in the book of Exodus, the second in the five books of Moses. In it, the Mishkan is completed and all its components are brought to Moses, who erects it and anoints it with the holy anointing oil, initiating Aaron and his sons into the priesthood. A cloud then appears over the Mishkan, signifying the Divine Presence. Thousands of years later, our Levis JCC continues to build and enhance our own sacred spaces. As part of our Capital Campaign, we have already begun to make improvements at our Zale Preschool and are preparing to upgrade and beautify the rest of amazing JCC soon.

Light candles Friday night at 7:18 pm
Shabbat ends on Saturday night at 8:11 pm

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

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Marty