November 14, 2024

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

It has been a hectic few weeks full of exciting and wonderful events both personally and professionally. Between Jewish Holidays, weddings and family events, and a full roster of Levis JCC programs, I can hardly believe that it is almost Thanksgiving. After we celebrate that, we all know the end of the year comes up fast. As we approach our beautiful winter season, there is so much to look forward to, including our champion Florida Panthers season defending South Florida’s first Stanley Cup!

At our Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center, things are busier than ever! This Tuesday, it was my true pleasure to attend our Levis JCC Sandler Center’s 33rd Annual Alicia & Jeff Spero Book & Author Luncheon. We proudly welcomed more than 375 booklovers to Boca West Country Club to hear from four outstanding young authors. It was a wonderful “unofficial” kick-off to our full season of excellent literary programs. You can learn more here.

It’s also a busy time for our Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival, which proudly presents excellent, thought-provoking and entertaining Israeli and/or Jewish-themed films throughout the year. Our team has been hard at work securing dozens of wonderful films in preparation for our two-week in-theater Festival coming up in February. In the meantime, I hope you will join us for one of our Festival’s upcoming Emily & Neil Kishter Year Round Film Programs. Next Tuesday, November 19, “Tragic Awakening: A New Look at the Oldest Hatred” explores the roots of antisemitism, Jewish identity and its meaning for society today. We will warmly welcome the film’s Director, Raphael Shore, to join us for a live Q&A session following the film. On Wednesday, November 20, we will screen “Bang: The Bert Berns Story” at our Levis JCC. This film, which boasts an impressive 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, chronicles songwriter/producer Bert Bern’s induction into the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For information about these and our many other wonderful film programs, as well as to purchase tickets, click here.

This week’s Torah portion is Vayera (And He Appeared) in the Book of Genesis, the first book in the Five Books of Moses. In it, G-d tests Abraham’s devotion by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah (the Temple Mount) in Jerusalem. Isaac is bound and placed on the altar, and Abraham raises the knife to slaughter his son. A voice from heaven calls to stop him; a ram, caught in the undergrowth by its horns, is offered in Isaac’s place.

This well-known portion illustrates the power of Abraham’s devotion to G-d, and the idea that in an instant everything can change. At a hectic time of year, in a complicated world, and during challenging moments, I think about the blessing of being a part of a connected, caring, and engaging community. I am so proud to be at the helm of our Levis JCC, a place that offers respite from the complexities of life through our many wonderful programs. I hope to see you here at our Levis JCC – join us for a film, a program or an event. There’s so much here for you!

Light candles Friday night at 5:12 pm.
Shabbat ends on Saturday night at 6:06 pm.

Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

If you would like to support the Levis JCC and its programs and services, click below.

Marty