August 7, 2025

Lori and I are thrilled to share that our son, Noah, and his wife, Patricia, are blessing us with our fourth grandchild in February. We are filled with so much gratitude, and we couldn't be more excited! As you read this, we are on our way to Arizona for a long weekend and a quick gender reveal party. Stay tuned for the big news!

It’s also been non-stop excitement at the JCC Maccabi Games® in Pittsburgh, where our Levis Krug boys’ basketball team led by Coach Ed Cohen, a longtime Levis JCC Board member and Past Board Chair, proudly represented our community. Our team gave their all in spirited competition, and though they did not medal, they built connections with athletes from all over the world, forged friendships with one another, participated in a meaningful community service project, and enjoyed many fun activities. The JCC Maccabi Games® program is a hallmark of the JCC movement, and we are very grateful to Judy Levis Krug and Dr. Stewart Krug for their continued support of our Boca Delegation.

Back at home, our Phyllis & Harvey Sandler Center’s phenomenal “Summer of Culture” continues. On Sunday, August 3, the Boca Ballet Theatre presented Summer Breezes, a mixed repertory concert premiering new works by Nick Mullikin and James Sofranko. On Tuesday, August 5, our That’s Entertainment programming featured “With a Song in My Heart; a History of the Movie Musical,” exploring the fascinating transformation of the music of movies from the 1970s to today. On Wednesday, August 6, film-lovers gathered for our Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival Summer Film Series screening of Menashe, a poignant drama about an ultra-orthodox widower’s fight for custody of his son. This morning, our Gail Shapiro-Scott Summer Book Club discussed Yael Van Der Wouden’s award-winning novel, The Safekeep, exploring the story of a recluse who is living alone and tending to the family home in 1960s Netherlands.

This week's Torah portion is Va'etchanan (I Asked), in the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth in the Five Books of Moses. In it, Moses implores G-d to let him enter the Land of Israel, but G-d refuses, instructing him instead to ascend a mountain and view the land from afar. Like Moses, I encourage you all to pause and reflect on how far we’ve come. True growth is not found at a singular destination, but along the journey. I am immensely proud of all the progress our community has made, and I am so excited for everything that lies ahead.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 7:38 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday evening at 8:31 pm.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

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Marty