September 15, 2022

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

We are now just 10 days away from celebrating Rosh Hashanah and the year 5783. On the home front, Lori and I are now in our beautiful home here in South Palm Beach County for 5 months, and our current project is a backyard renovation that includes chipping out our swimming pool. This project is both terrifying and exciting, as at the moment, the yard looks like something from the surface of the moon.

As Jews all over the world prepare to welcome a New Year, I am reminded of just how powerful our community is when we all work together. Our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC was well represented this week at the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s pilot program AmOne (one nation). With more than 300 people in attendance at the event, which was held in Zinman Hall, dozens of Jewish organizations from our community were represented. There were people from every synagogue and Jewish organization and initiative in our community. Each of us was paired with a Chevrutah (a study partner) and we all had the opportunity to make a new friend while studying some Torah together and planning ways to work together to strengthen our Jewish community. What a wonderful experience; I look forward to more exciting opportunities like this one. It was truly inspiring.

This week’s Torah portion is Ki Tavo (when you come) in the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book in the five books of Moses. In it, Moses tells the people that only after their 40 year journey as a people have the Israelites attained “a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear.” Maybe, just maybe, as we in our community renew our commitment to learn together, collaborate together, and come together in the spirit of community with a variety of Jewish people and organizations, we too will finally have the heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear.

Light Shabbat candles Friday night at 7:05 pm
Shabbat ends Saturday night at 7:57 pm

Shabbat Shalom,

Marty