April 24, 2025

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

It is impossible to begin this week’s message without noting that today is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Together we honor the lives and the memory of all of those who were lost, all who were victims of the Nazis and their persecution. More important than ever is the simple notion that we will never forget. NEVER. It is also important to acknowledge the sad news of Pope Francis’s passing on April 21. May his memory and deeds always be a blessing. In the coming weeks, the College of Cardinals will establish the next papacy, deciding between a “traditionalist” or a “progressive,” which would continue Pope Francis’s legacy. Seventeen percent of the world’s population identifies as Catholic, so the loss of such a pivotal religious figure is bound to produce significant changes in the world for all of us.

At our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC, we are also undergoing changes. With Passover behind us, we are beginning our preparations for summer. We look forward to welcoming campers to our beautiful campus in less than a month for our Dale & Ed Filhaber Pre-Summer Mini Camp. Between May 19 and June 6, Coach Luis and his amazing staff powered by Indigo Gap will usher campers into an early start on their summer fun with obstacle courses, games, crafts, yoga, swim, sports, and so much more. Contact Nancy Carroll at nancyc@levisjcc.org or visit levisjcc.org/minicamp.

Another significant change is underway. We have begun renovations to our Ryan F. Zackon Family Playground at Betty & Marvin Zale Early Childhood Learning Center; construction crews have been hard at work since the school’s Passover Break, and new structures are taking shape! While the playground is being renovated, our Levis JCC Zale students continue to enjoy time outdoors, taking beautiful walks on campus and visiting our other play spaces, in addition to spending time enjoying gross motor activities in our gym, movement, and sensory rooms.

This week’s Torah portion is Shemini (Eighth) in the book of Leviticus, the third in the Five Books of Moses. In it, the people of Israel are directed to “differentiate between the impure and the pure” as they are instructed on the laws of kashrut and ritual purity. In our modern world, we are inundated with “impurity,” from microplastics to social media addiction, global politics to hate. Every day each of us has a new opportunity to recognize the “impurities” in our own lives and find ways to replace them with empathy and caring. By embracing kindness, we help strengthen ourselves, our connections with one another, and our community.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 7:31 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday evening at 8:26 pm.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

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Marty