May 8, 2025

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

Let me begin by wishing all the incredible mothers in our community a wonderful and love-filled Mother’s Day! This is an exciting week, not just for families, but for hockey lovers as well, as we enter the second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs. While our Florida Panthers have lost their first two games to the Toronto Maple Leafs, I have faith they’ll rally, regain momentum, and bring home the Cup for the second year in a row.

Meanwhile at your Adolph & Rose Levis JCC, tonight promises to be a meaningful evening for us, as we host our 41st Annual Meeting. We will gather to celebrate another year of growth, financial success, and community impact. We proudly remain the largest and most welcoming doorway for our Jewish community—a hub in our vibrant South Palm Beach County, and we are excited to continue growing. Looking back to last week, on Thursday, May 1, we hosted a sold-out Ladies’ Night Out and enjoyed a beautiful evening of socializing, wine tasting, and delicious light bites. That same day, the Gail Shapiro-Scott Summer Book Club kicked off with a lively discussion on Lauren Groff’s novel, The Vaster Wilds. The group meets on the first Thursday of each month and is open to all. Yesterday, our Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival Summer Film Series kicked off with a screening of Summer of Soul (2021), an award-winning documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.

Looking ahead, this summer, our Phyllis & Harvey Sandler Center announced its “Summer of Culture” – a variety of in-person and virtual programs. View our brochure here. From Monday, May 5, through Tuesday, September 30, our Judi & Allan Schuman Museum Gallery is displaying the summer exhibition Through Don’s Lens: The Nature Photography of Don Schwartz, featuring stunning photographs of Florida’s natural beauty and wildlife. I urge you to stop by and see it. Lastly, I am thrilled to share that tomorrow evening we are hosting our very first Family Shabbat @ the J, with more than 100 people expected to attend. Young families will gather to celebrate Shabbat together, sing along with Dr. Emily, and enjoy delicious snacks, all while participating in a fulfilling mitzvah project. I hope to see you there.

This week's double Torah Portion is Achrei Mot-Kedoshim (After the Death/Holy Ones) in the book of Leviticus, the 3rd in the Five Books of Moses. In it, G-d warns against unauthorized entry “into the holy.” Access to the innermost sanctuary is restricted to the High Priest, and only on Yom Kippur. Here at your Levis JCC, we have a different vision. All are welcome to enter our beautiful campus, walk our halls, and experience the joy, learning, and community we offer every day.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 7:39 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday evening at 8:35 pm.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!
Happy Mother’s Day!!

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Marty