October 26, 2023

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

This is now the third week that my Shabbat message comes to you while Israel is at war, and sadly, it seems that it will be some time before the situation is resolved. One thing that provides me comfort is the cooperative and collaborative spirit of our local Jewish agencies and organizations. This week I attended a meeting along with colleagues from our Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services, and our Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center to discuss how we can come together to assist Israelis coming to our community to seek safety for their families. We discussed plans to work collaboratively to assist with housing and social services as well as educational and programmatic needs while they stay here with their Jewish family. I hope you find comfort in that as well.

As we follow the news about Israel, here at home, the idea of “Community” has taken on a new aspect. We know that sustaining and growing strong communities is essential. One of the ways our Levis JCC continues to help support our community is by creating numerous ways for people to come together. This is the core function of a JCC. At the Levis JCC Sandler Center, we continue to bring people together to experience a variety of programs. Some are thought-provoking, some are uplifting, some are educational, and some are purely fun, but all are enriching and a beautiful way to be connected to one another. Please visit our Sandler Center online here for a full list of all of our programs.

This week’s Torah portion is Lech-Lecha (Go Forth), the third portion in Genesis, the first in the Five Books of Moses. In it, G-d speaks to Abram, commanding him to “go to the land which I will show you.” He journeys to Canaan, (which eventually becomes the land of Israel) where he builds an altar and spreads the message of one G-d. Here we are 4,000 years later and dealing with another war, another existential threat. Still, we cling to the promise made to Abram and the children of Israel all those millennia ago. We will continue to protect Israel and our Jewish people.

Light Shabbat candles Friday night at 6:24 pm.
Shabbat ends Saturday evening at 7:17 pm.
Am Yisrael Chai!

Shabbat Shalom

Marty