Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
It’s been a wonderfully busy few weeks between an incredible Travel with the J adventure, and Thanksgiving celebrations in Arizona surrounded by my family. I am happy to return home to Boca Raton feeling joyful, grateful, and refreshed. This week also brought the news that Hamas has returned the body of one of the last two deceased Israeli hostages. I find solace in knowing that almost all our hostages are home and pray for the return of the final hostage so our families can begin to feel closure.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
What a week! Lori and I have just returned from an unforgettable trip through the Iberian Peninsula, part of our Levis JCC’s Travel With the J program. Now, we are heading to Arizona, where we will spend Thanksgiving surrounded by our wonderful family, including our son Noah, our daughter-in-law Patricia, granddaughters Gaby and Ollie, and our grandson-to-be. I am grateful for this special time together and look forward to the many simchot coming in the year ahead.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This Shabbat message comes to you from Portugal, where Lori and I have spent a powerful week full of insight and connection with our Travel with the J group of nearly thirty. We have been learning about the long, complicated history of the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula. Prior to the expulsions and forced conversions of the Inquisition, there were just over 200,000 Portuguese Jews. Today, the Jewish community persists, small but resilient, with an estimated 5,000–6,000 Jews in a country of nearly 11 million people. I’ve found it deeply inspiring to meet members of the growing communities in Lisbon, Tomar and Porto, and it gives me joy to see that Jewish life continues to grow in every corner of the world.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This week marked both Veterans Day and the 87th anniversary of Kristallnacht and it has me thinking a lot about my Uncle Martin. Martin and my father were born in Germany and, after Kristallnacht, immigrated to New York with their parents, Max and Laura Haberer. The moment Martin turned 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served for two and a half years as a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division, known as the Screaming Eagles, before being killed in action on January 14th, 1945. He is my namesake and will always be my hero.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Over these past two years, I’ve made a ritual of checking the news from Israel as soon as I sit down at my desk. This week, I came in to discover that another of the deceased hostages was returned to Israel, leaving only six to be found. For many, including myself, each homecoming carries a bittersweet mix of sorrow and hope. I am inspired by the resilience of those who survived, and grateful for the immense strength and compassion our extended Jewish family has shown in helping each other through the trials of these past two years. We will not rest until every last hostage is returned.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I'm writing this Shabbat message while feeling a bit woozy. I was up late watching the Dodgers take a 2–1 lead over the Blue Jays in Game 3 of the World Series…after nearly seven hours and 609 pitches! It was a truly riveting game, the second longest in World Series history. It was a long night, but well worth staying up late to watch! Even as we enjoy things such as baseball games, Jews all over the world continue to wait for the return of 13 deceased hostages who are still held by Hamas. Tensions remain high, and patience is wearing thin. We pray for their speedy return.
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.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This week has been one of gratitude and celebration. Under the ceasefire deal, all 20 of the surviving Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been released and reunited with their families. While we await the return of the remains of those we have lost, we are thankful for the safety of those who have come home and hopeful for lasting peace. As we concluded Sukkot with the celebration of Hashanah Rabah, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah, we honored the completion of the Torah cycle and the joy of new beginnings.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I hope the New Year is off to a great beginning for each of you. After Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Jews all over the world are now celebrating Sukkot (known as the “Festival of the Booths”). My wife Lori and I are also celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary. I am so proud of the life we have built and the family we have raised together. As we move through this season of celebration, the Sukkot holiday serves as a wonderful reminder of the strength of togetherness, the power of community. The Torah says, “in the Sukkah you shall sit for seven days,” and the reason we do this is to reenact what it was like as the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years on their way to the Promised Land. The holiday also marks the end of the harvest season and is a time of thanksgiving. Today, as a possible ceasefire deal seems imminent, together our global community of Jews prays for peace and for the return of the 48 hostages still in captivity in Gaza. I cannot think of anything to be more thankful for at this time.
As I write this message to you, we are approaching Erev Yom Kippur -- you will receive it after Yom Kippur concludes and we welcome the arrival of Shabbat. It is our Jewish tradition to ask forgiveness from those we have wronged. Asking forgiveness from G-d always feels easier to me than asking forgiveness from family, friends, colleagues and peers. G-d has yet to respond to me! Apologizing to those we live among and interact with daily somehow seems to require more courage. Today, I ask each of you for forgiveness if I have harmed you or offended you in any way. I am sincerely sorry and I promise to do better in the New Year. I wish for all who observed this holy day that it was meaningful and if you fasted, that it was an easy one.
With the Jewish New Year now behind us, we find ourselves in the Ten Days of Awe, the sacred period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These Yamim Noraim invite us to pause, reflect on the past year, and consider new opportunities for growth. Here at our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC, we strive toward improvement by offering our community the very best through our programs, services, and the meaningful connections that bring people together each day.
Somehow, Rosh Hashanah is next week. Tomorrow, my wife Lori and I will be traveling to Arizona, where we will joyfully welcome the Jewish New Year surrounded by our family – our son Noah, our daughter-in-law Patricia and our granddaughters Gabby and Ollie. The High Holidays invite us to reflect on our actions over the past year, and I believe that it is never too early to begin the contemplative process. I am excited to see the ways we will challenge ourselves and continue to grow in the year ahead.
This week has been a profoundly sad one. Today marks the 24th anniversary of the September 11th attacks—a day etched into our collective memory. Most of us remember exactly where we were in 2001, when four coordinated attacks by al-Qaeda claimed the lives of 2,977 innocent people. We honor their memory and pause to reflect on the impact that day continues to have on all of us.
With Labor Day now behind us, my thoughts turn to the fall season and to the Yomim Noraim, the ten Days of Awe beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur. These days of introspection call on us to look inward and take stock of our actions. Spiritually, it is a deeply personal time, but it is also a time for us to enjoy being with family and friends as we celebrate the sweetness of a New Year and all of the possibilities it brings with it.
I write to you this Shabbat following the tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis yesterday, a community that has experienced several recent acts of violence. Two children were killed and 17 others injured. Our hearts go out to the families, the students, and the entire Minneapolis community as they grieve.
I would like to begin this week’s message with a heartfelt Mazal Tov to my friends Jeffrey and Ellyn Kleinberg on the recent bris of their grandson, Judah. May their entire family be blessed with health, happiness, and many more simchas in the years ahead. For Lori and I, this was a glimpse, G-d willing, into what we can look forward to with the arrival of our first grandson in February.
Lori and I are home after a quick visit with our son Noah, daughter-in-law Patricia, and our granddaughters Gabby and Ollie. It was a joy to attend a gender reveal party for their baby who is expected to arrive in February 2026. It’s a boy, and we can’t wait to meet him! We are so excited and truly grateful for all our blessings. With his arrival, we will have 4 grandchildren – three in Arizona and our Emi Lou in St. Louis. As this next generation grows, I am filled with nachas. It is an exciting time for the extended Haberer family.
Lori and I are thrilled to share that our son, Noah, and his wife, Patricia, are blessing us with our fourth grandchild in February. We are filled with so much gratitude, and we couldn't be more excited! As you read this, we are on our way to Arizona for a long weekend and a quick gender reveal party. Stay tuned for the big news!
I am currently on the edge of my seat as Major League Baseball’s trade deadline approaches, hoping my Red Sox make the moves they need to finally return to the playoffs. But even the excitement at Fenway Park can’t compare to the incredible energy I’ve felt this week at our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC’s Marleen Forkas Camps. Color War broke out last Friday, and our “White Disco Fever” and “Blue Neon Vibes” teams have been competing nonstop in cheers, tug-of-war, and friendly challenges. The events concluded yesterday with our song, plaque and skit competitions where “Blue Neon Vibes” claimed victory. Beyond the competition, I see every single one of our 700 campers as a winner. Each summer, I find it deeply rewarding to connect with our campers and witness our staff’s extraordinary love for camp put to practice. I started my own Jewish journey at a JCC day camp and now, after a nearly 40-year career in Jewish communal service, I get to help new campers create those same formative memories. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.
We are quickly approaching Major League Baseball’s July 31st trade deadline. It’s always an exciting time for baseball fans, as team rosters are finalized for the final push towards the playoffs. As an avid Red Sox supporter, I’m hoping we can pick up a decent pitcher and first baseman to stay in the race.
