October 10, 2024
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I write this Shabbat message to you as communities across our state brace for Hurricane Milton, a powerful and dangerous storm. My thoughts are with everyone on the west coast of Florida, and especially with family, friends and colleagues in Sarasota, a community I was proud to call home for 13 years. Here in Boca Raton, preparing for the effects of this storm coincides with the somber, heartbreaking one year anniversary of the October 7th attack in Israel. Our Jewish community has presented several programs to commemorate the brutal start of what has become an ongoing war. As we remember and reflect on this past year and the challenges and sorrow it brought for our global Jewish family, we also look to the new year ahead. This weekend, Yom Kippur completes the period of the year known as the Days of Awe, and it is my deepest hope and wish that this new year brings with it peace in Israel and for Jews everywhere.
Fortunately, during times of challenge, the Adolph & Rose Levis JCC is always a place for our community to come together. On Monday, October 7th, our Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival presented “Even The Walls Cry,” a film sharing the accounts of four Israelis who lived through the horrific and brutal attacks. While this powerful film really was hard to watch, it was also comforting to be together on such a dark day. For more than four decades our Levis JCC has been here for our community, in good times, in troubling times, in times of challenge and in times of joy. For anyone interested in seeing “Even The Walls Cry,” it will be screened again on October 30th at 1:00 pm. Learn more about this and all of our films here.
This week’s Torah portion is V’zot HaBerachah (And This is The Blessing) in the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book in the Five Books of Moses. In it, the Torah concludes "There arose not a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom G-d knew face to face... and in all the mighty hand and the great awesome things which Moses did before the eyes of all Israel." Moses was the humblest of leaders and “no man knows his burial place to this day.” It is an honor and a privilege to lead the Levis JCC. I could not be prouder of the work we do each day to make our corner of the world a place where everyone feels welcome and a treasured part of our community. It is a remarkably frightening time for our people and for our world. In keeping with our Jewish custom of asking forgiveness before the conclusion of the high holy days, I ask for your forgiveness if I have wronged you in any way this past year. If I have, I’m sincerely sorry.
Wishing all of you a G’mar Chatima Tova. May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life for a good year!
Yom Kippur begins Friday night at 6:37 pm
Light Shabbat candles on Friday night at 6:38 pm
Yom Kippur ends Saturday night at 7:30 pm
Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!
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Marty