June 8, 2023

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

With Broward County schools coming to a close, summer is “officially” here! While South Florida sports fans remain in it to win it for the NBA & NHL championships, my mind is on St. Louis! This weekend, Lori and I will join 12 other family members there, where we will all enjoy spending time with our granddaughter, Emi Lou, who is now 13 months old…a toddler already. Where does the time fly?

Speaking of time flying, it seems like yesterday that our Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center hosted the first ever Community Pride Shabbat back on March 31st. In collaboration with 13 other Jewish organizations, it was a very special and successful event. In the spirit of “JCC Pride,” a group of us will be proudly representing the Levis JCC at our community’s next collaborative program, a Shabbat service at Temple Beth El in Boca Raton tomorrow, June 9th, at 7:30 pm. Tropical Wave, a vocal ensemble from the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, will join the Temple Beth El clergy in leading a service that celebrates love and inclusion. If you’d like to join our group in person at the Schaefer Family Campus, please contact Lisa Hamroff Pincus at lisap@levisjcc.org, or attend on your own. If you’d like to enjoy the service online, access the temple’s Livestream, YouTube channel, or Facebook live. Links are found here.

This week’s Torah Portion is Behaalotecha (When You Ascend) in the Book of Numbers, the fourth in the Five books of Moses. In it, the tribe of Levi is initiated into the service in the sanctuary. A “second Passover” is also initiated to include Jews who could not bring the Passover offering the first time because they had been ritually impure. In our current times, “ascending” may be about much more than performing rituals or service. It very well may be about embodying characteristics of love, understanding, acceptance, and, yes, pride. We can all engage in being good role models for our youth, giving back to our community, and offering a helping hand to those in need.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 7:54 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday night at 8:52 pm.

Shabbat Shalom!

Marty