June 19, 2025

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

This week, I am writing to you from San Diego, where Lori and I are celebrating the birthdays of our granddaughters, Ollie, who just turned 8, and Gabby, now 11. Being there to celebrate their milestones was already special, but it was made even more meaningful by spending Father’s Day together, with my son, Noah, and our amazing daughter-in-law, Patricia. Tuesday night was another of this week’s terrific highlights: our Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1, winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup title. Go Cats! Even during these personal moments of joy, my heart remains with Israel, who is bravely embarking on a mission to dismantle Iran’s nuclear threat. And still, 20 months later, we continue to pray for the 53 hostages held in Gaza, 23 of whom we hope are alive. Israel and our Israeli brothers and sisters will not be far from my thoughts.

Here at your Adolph & Rose Levis JCC, summer is in full swing. This week, we officially opened our new and improved Ryan F. Zackon Family Playground, where our Early Childhood campers are already enjoying our new slides, balance beams, swings, rock climbing wall, and more! All across campus, our community is staying active. On Monday, June 16, our virtual programming welcomed Sal St. George for “The Betty White Story.” Then, on Wednesday, June 18, our Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival's Movie Club: Documentaries Directed by Women screened 93Queen, a powerful documentary about a Hasidic mother of six who broke barriers by founding Ezras Nashim, the first all-female ambulance corps in NYC.

This week's Torah portion is Shelach (Send) in the book of Numbers, the fourth in the Five Books of Moses. In it, Moses sends twelve spies to scout the land of Canaan. After forty days, ten return with warnings about giants and undefeatable warriors, while only two spies remain confident in the Israelites’ ability to conquer the land. And here we are, thousands of years later, as Israel’s intelligence agency confronts the looming threat in Iran. I pray we carry our ancestors’ legacy forward as we face our own giants.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 7:58 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday evening at 8:55 pm.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

If you would like to support the Levis JCC and its programs and services, click below.

Marty