December 7, 2023

Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),

Tonight is the first night of Chanukah -- the Festival of Lights – our Jewish celebration of the Maccabi victory over the larger Greco-Syrian army. As we light our candles this evening, I am so very proud that the Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center continues to light the way for our community to come together. During times of joy as well as during challenges, our Levis JCC is the central connecting place for our community.

This week, the Levis JCC was truly a bright light in our community. On Tuesday, nearly 100 members of our JCC leadership and executive staff, and their significant others gathered to celebrate the holiday season for “Love, Light, Laughter & Latkes” at The Farmer’s Table in Boca Raton. There was such a strong feeling of warmth, friendship, and family present throughout the evening. On Wednesday, I had the privilege of gathering with many of our dedicated staff members for a holiday celebration. It was an honor to be present for both of these events – the Levis JCC continues to be able to provide outstanding programs and services to our community because of the passionate leaders and staff, and it was wonderful to pause with both groups and celebrate the season.

In addition to the holiday festivities, I could not have been prouder to join more than 100 guests and community members for our Levis JCC Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival’s “Festival Reveal” event, during which we viewed the trailers of the films that will be screened during our three-week Festival coming up February 10 - March 4, 2024. It was a wonderful preview of what promises to be an exceptional Festival. I hope you will join us for the Festival and its many associated events! Passes, tickets, and more information is available at bocajff.org.

This week's Torah portion is Vayeshev (and he dwelt) in Genesis, the first in the Five Books of Moses. In it, we meet Joseph, the son of Jacob, who finds himself in many challenging situations but never loses faith. He always finds a way to turn challenging situations into blessed outcomes.During these difficult times in Israel and so much overt antisemitism around the world, may we too persevere. May the light of the Chanukah menorah help to lead us through these dark times.

Light candles Friday evening at 5:10 p.m.
Shabbat ends Saturday night at 6:06 p.m.

Happy Chanukah and Shabbat Shalom
Am Yisrael Chai!

Marty