October 23, 2025

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

I'm writing this Shabbat message after returning from St. Louis, where Lori and I were visiting our daughter and son-in-law and their wonderful daughter. We are thrilled to share that Danielle and Colin are expecting their second child – our fifth grandchild – in May. We couldn’t feel more excited and are grateful for the time we had to celebrate with our family. Moments like these remind me of how vital family and community are in bringing joy and meaning to our lives.

Here at home, our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC is bringing our community together with a myriad of programs! Last Sunday, our community’s art lovers gathered in the Judi & Allan Schuman Museum Gallery for the opening reception of the Palm Beach Watercolor Society Exhibition, showcasing artists’ works in watercolor, acrylics and water-based inks. On Tuesday afternoon, former Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Yaakov Katz was our featured guest speaker, presented by our Phyllis & Harvey Sandler Center in partnership with B’nai Torah Congregation. He spoke about While Israel Slept, his gripping book about the failures that allowed Hamas to successfully attack Israel on October 7, taking one of the world’s most powerful militaries by surprise. That evening, our Marlene & Herb Levin Adult University brought the brilliance of the 92nd Street Y straight to our Levis JCC with John Waters’s discussion of his remarkable career in “The John Waters Screenplays: A Conversation with The New Yorker’s Michael Schulman.”

Yesterday, our professional staff dressed in pink to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We were proud to partner with Sharsheret for “Pink Day,” offering educational materials and giveaways leading up to author Judith Pearson’s presentation of “Radical Sisters: Shirley Temple Black, Rose Kushner, Evelyn Lauder and the Dawn of the Breast Cancer Movement,” a moving exploration of the courageous women who transformed the landscape for breast cancer awareness, treatment and support. And finally, this morning, we presented our annual Gutmann Family Golf Classic, honoring the memory of longtime Levis JCC supporter and Board member Mel Gutmann. Held at Addison Reserve Country Club on the newly redesigned Premier Rees Jones Golf Course, the event offered a trio of unique 9-hole courses that promise an unparalleled experience for golfers of all skill levels. It was a wonderful day of camaraderie, golf, and giving back, with proceeds benefitting our Levis JCC programs and services.

This week's Torah portion is Noach (Noah), the second portion in the book of Genesis, the first in the Five Books of Moses. In it, G-d scours the earth with a 40-day flood, commanding Noah to construct an ark on which he should save his family and all animal species. After the waters subside, G-d swears to never again destroy all of mankind and creates a rainbow as a symbol of this new covenant. Last week, on the very day that the 20 hostages were released from Gaza, I saw a double rainbow arched over Boca Raton. I haven’t seen one in quite some time, and I'd like to believe that its presence was a message from G-d to remember the sacredness of life as we pray for continued peace.

Light Shabbat candles Friday evening at 6:26 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday evening at 7:13 pm.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

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Marty