July 4, 2024

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

Wishing all of you and those you love a happy and safe Independence Day and 4th of July weekend. Independence Day is a federal holiday commemorating the Declaration of Independence and establishing the United States of America, yet somewhere along the way, much like Memorial Day and Labor Day, the true significance of the holiday got lost. It’s important to remember the meaning of this day as Americans, as we celebrate by watching the fireworks and enjoying our barbeques.

In celebration of the coming holiday, this week Marleen Forkas Summer Camps continued our exciting annual tradition of Carnival. The day featured watermelon eating contests, water balloon tosses, carnival games and snacks, and the always memorable and favorite, waterslides! I was spotted racing down “The Hulk,” our biggest waterslide, and I will leave it to your imagination as to whether I partook of any of the copious amounts of cotton candy available to our campers. On Wednesday, members of our Board joined our Upper Camp team for a tour and visited the variety of activities campers enjoy each day. Plus, to wrap up the week, our Solomon Family Theater Camp hit the stage for their first performance of the summer, Beauty and the Beast Jr. Some of our younger campers enjoyed a performance during the day and parents and friends came for the evening show. It was a fabulous performance and we congratulate the entire cast! Day camp is simply one of the great pillars of what life at a JCC is all about and that certainly is the case at our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC.

This week’s Torah portion is Korach (who was head of the rebellion against Moses and Aaron), in the Book of Numbers, the 4th in the Five Books of Moses. In it, Korach is accompanied by Moses’ foes, Dathan and Abiram. Joining them are 250 members of the community, who offer the ketoret (incense) to prove their worthiness for the priesthood. The earth opens up and swallows the rebels, and a fire consumes them. Independence Day and defeating false priests share one common idea - that sanity usually does prevail. In a world filled with uncertainty, we must acknowledge and embrace the times of celebration and joy that enable us to live a life of freedom.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 7:59 pm
Shabbat ends Saturday night at 8:56 pm

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

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Marty