September 4, 2025

With Labor Day now behind us, my thoughts turn to the fall season and to the Yomim Noraim, the ten Days of Awe beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur. These days of introspection call on us to look inward and take stock of our actions. Spiritually, it is a deeply personal time, but it is also a time for us to enjoy being with family and friends as we celebrate the sweetness of a New Year and all of the possibilities it brings with it.

Our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC hummed with activity all summer long, and now we are also looking forward to another wonderful season of outstanding programming from all our departments. Our Phyllis & Harvey Sandler Center’s 2025-2026 season of Arts, Culture & Learning is here, and it’s not to be missed! The variety of offerings includes literary and film programming, lectures, performances, travel opportunities, classes, games, and so much more. I invite you to enjoy our new catalog, available online here.

Our Betty & Marvin Zale Early Childhood Learning Center is alive with little ones who are busy making friends, exploring and playing on our newly renovated Ryan F. Zackon Family playground. We are delighted to welcome Sharon, a Shinshinit – a young Israeli working in our community during her gap year before joining the Israel Defense Forces. She will be working with our Pre-K students each week, sharing Israeli culture, Hebrew language, and more.

I am also very excited that our Helene & Roy Schwedelson Special Needs Department launched Project L.I.F.E. (Learning. Independence. Friendship. Experiences.) this week. This new program for adults (18 - 30+) with special needs provides opportunities to build independence through life skills, social interaction, physical activity, creativity, and volunteer experiences. It’s been a joy to watch our participants enjoy group sessions, venture off-campus for field trips and lunch outings, express themselves through art, and volunteer in other organizations on our campus as well as at our Levis JCC Resale Boutique. This wonderful program will enrich their lives and strengthen our community.

This week's Torah portion is Ki Teitzei (When You Go Out) in the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book in the Five Books of Moses. In it, we are provided with 74 of the Torah’s 613 commandments, including laws on treating workers with dignity, such as allowing them to eat while they work and paying wages on time. As we begin our fiscal year, this reminder feels especially fitting. I am deeply grateful for our dedicated staff and volunteers who make all our wonderful programs and events possible and bring our mission to life. Thank you.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 7:17 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday evening at 8:09 pm.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

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Marty