October 20, 2022

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

The High Holidays for 5783 have come and gone, leaving me with the feeling that these past few weeks have been a lovely and reflective time (and maybe with a few extra pounds too!). Lori and I have now passed the six-month mark here in our new community. We are very excited that our son Noah will be going on a Birthright mission to Israel in January, and that we will be visiting our daughter Danielle, son in law Colin, and granddaughter Emi Lou in St. Louis over the winter holidays.

This week at our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC, I was so excited to give a dream tour of our “bayit” -- our home here on 95th Avenue S. to about 15 professional colleagues from our Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. It was heartwarming to see how eager they were to learn about the programs, services, and activities our Levis JCC provides to our community, as well as our future plans for our beautiful Center as we continue to grow into our wonderful new space. With heartfelt gratitude, we thank Judy Levis Krug for her very generous donation of a beautiful spinning sculpture of the city of Jerusalem by Israeli artist Frank Meisler. It will serve as a beautiful and warm welcome to thousands as they enter our Levis JCC. Finally, with health and wellness as a key part of our Levis JCC’s mission, this week we were proud to participate in Pink Day; Levis JCC staff dressed in pink to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Look for photos on our Levis JCC’s Facebook page (and please follow us if you don’t already do so!).

This week’s Torah portion is Bereishit (in the beginning), the very first portion in the book of Genesis, the first book of the five books of Moses. In it, we learn of G-d’s efforts to create and bring order to our world. In that vein (and obviously in a microcosmic way), we too are building something special at our new Levis JCC, while continuing all of the great programming and activities that our community relies on us to present. We are building connections, creating partnerships, networks, experiences, and a strong sense of belonging. It is just the beginning of this next chapter in our Levis JCC’s rich story, and I am very excited to be part of it!

It is my great joy to work with such wonderful colleagues at our Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County and the many exceptional agencies who share our campus. Together, we work every day to fulfill the mandate of “Tikun Olam” -- to repair this miraculous world that was created for us by G-d.

Light Shabbat Candles Friday evening at 6:29 pm
Shabbat concludes Saturday night at 7:21 pm

Shabbat Shalom,

Marty