June 1, 2023

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

It’s June 1st and that means we are at the halfway point of 2023. With so many wonderful events and accomplishments behind us, there is still so much that we can all look forward to. As a sports fan, I couldn’t be more excited about our Miami Heat’s defeat of the venerable Boston Celtics and the upcoming final against the Denver Nuggets, and our Florida Panthers facing the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL final. It will be an exciting couple of weeks ahead!

Speaking of teams, our Levis JCC’s Marleen Forkas Camps team is second to none. Last night Camp staff officially kicked off summer with Parent Orientation. The first day of Camp is June 12th and after this information session, our wonderful Camp families will be completely prepared for their happy campers to enjoy another outstanding summer of fun, friendship, and adventures with Camp at the J!

This week I had the opportunity to represent our Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center when I addressed “Company A,” a group of more than 100 retired professional men who gather at locations around the community, including our Levis JCC, to network and socialize. It was a pleasure to speak to them about the American Jewish Dream, how my family and I have embraced that dream, and what it may look like in the years ahead for the next generation.

This week’s Torah portion is Naso (count) in the book of Numbers, the fourth of the Five Books of Moses. In it, the headcount of the children of Israel is completed in the Sinai desert. As I discussed the American Jewish Dream with the men of Company A, I recounted the words of the Jewish poet Emma Lazarus:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I am a product of that dream, and I know many of you are as well. It is my hope that our children and grandchildren will also follow that dream and that it will enable them to live their best lives.

Light Shabbat candles Friday night at 7:51 pm
Shabbat ends Saturday night at 8:48 pm

Shabbat Shalom!

Marty