August 21, 2025

I would like to begin this week’s message with a heartfelt Mazal Tov to my friends Jeffrey and Ellyn Kleinberg on the recent bris of their grandson, Judah. May their entire family be blessed with health, happiness, and many more simchas in the years ahead. For Lori and I, this was a glimpse, G-d willing, into what we can look forward to with the arrival of our first grandson in February.

As the High Holidays approach, I am feeling both proud of the wonderful year we have shared here at our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC and excited about all that lies ahead. Last night, we held the final Board of Directors meeting of our fiscal year, where we approved a strategic plan that will guide our organization over the next 3-5 years. This is a very exciting time as we reimagine all that our Levis JCC can be in the coming years.

As our fiscal year comes to a close, we are looking forward to a new year and new season full of premier programs and community connection. At our Betty & Marvin Zale Early Childhood Learning Center, the school year is already off to a lively start, with students’ smiles once again brightening our beautiful campus. On Friday, they celebrated their first Shabbat of the year, welcoming Shabbat together through song. At the Phyllis & Harvey Sandler Center, participants have been enjoying the final summer sessions of pottery and Mah Jongg. On Monday, August 18, we welcomed Sal St. George via Zoom for “The I Love Lucy Story: Birth of the Modern Day Sitcom.” And on Wednesday, August 20, our Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival screened The Commandant’s Shadow, a powerful documentary that follows the son of Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, as he confronts his father’s role in the Holocaust.

This week's Torah portion is Re'eh (See) in Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Five Books of Moses. In it, we are introduced to the mitzvah of charity, which commands us to help those in need through gifts or loans. After forty years of Jewish communal service, raising and donating money, I can personally attest that this mitzvah is not only an obligation, but a blessing. Truly, the more we give, the more we receive. I encourage you to find ways, big or small, to give and watch how our community grows stronger.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 7:32 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday evening at 8:24 pm.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

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Marty