Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
So far this Chanukah, my wife Lori and I haven’t had to light candles without at least one of our children and their families Face-timing with us. It really has made this particular Chanukah extra special. Both of our children are part of interfaith households, and we love seeing how much their non-Jewish partners and children are enjoying lighting the candles with us. Chanukah has a wonderful way of bringing families together and invigorating Jewish pride. At this pivotal moment in Jewish history, that is particularly welcome.
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.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I am writing this Shabbat message to you from Scottsdale, Arizona, the community I lived in for 7 years before Lori and I relocated to Boca Raton. We are enjoying our time here visiting our son Noah, his fiancée Patricia and our sweet bonus granddaughters, Gabby and Ollie. Though I am on vacation, I never want to miss a Shabbat message. Today is the 7th day of the temporary ceasefire, and thankfully, hostages are still being released. I pray, as I know we all do, that they ALL will return home soon.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This is the second Thanksgiving my wife Lori and I are celebrating here in South Palm Beach County, and I can’t recall 2 years flying by so quickly! We are both so grateful for the beautiful home we have made here, for our new friends, and for all that has been achieved at the Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center in such a short time. We are also aware though, that at this time of gathering together to celebrate and give thanks, it is also a time of anxiety and stress for our global Jewish community. It feels important to acknowledge this, as we pause to enjoy our holiday. I am thankful for this community and the great privilege it is to be among its many dedicated leaders.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
On Tuesday, like many of you, I watched the live stream of the March for Israel rally, where nearly 300,000 people gathered on Washington, DC’s National Mall in the largest pro-Israel gathering in history. The crowd heard from politicians, celebrities, and family members of hostages, and together lifted their voices to chant “Bring them home!” While I wish I could have attended this historic event, I am so proud of the many friends, colleagues, and South Palm Beach County community members who were there, including Adolph & Rose Levis JCC Board Chair Steve Clarfield and Board Member April Leavy.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
More than one month since the worst attack on Israel since the founding of the state in 1948, Israel continues to defend herself. As war rages on, hostages remain captive. There has been a dramatic rise in antisemitism here in the United States and abroad. Our South Palm Beach Country Jewish community continues to find comfort in coming together for meaningful programming presented by our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC, synagogues, and many other wonderful organizations. Being together in community continues to be a source of comfort and of solidarity with Israel and Jewish people everywhere.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
These are difficult times. Four agonizing weeks ago, Hamas militants invaded Israel, brutally murdered 1,400 Israelis and took more than 240 hostages. Israel declared war. Antisemitism has reared its ugliness all over the world, including on many college campuses here in the US. So many of us are deeply upset and concerned. Our hearts are heavy, and yet, I am heartened to note that many of us are finding comfort in community, in being together, in standing strong with Israel.
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.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
A friend of mine posted “what a year this week has been” on Facebook today. That really resonated with me. Like many of you, I have watched and listened to news reports with great concern about the events unfolding in our beloved Israel. I have spent my entire career working on behalf of the Jewish community and I can say with certainty that I have never been more concerned for Israel’s safety and the safety of Jewish people everywhere, than I am right now. The way that our community has come together in support of our extended Jewish family is a comfort, but there is so much sadness in our collective heart right now. It is at times like these when I reflect on the power of community as a source of light in dark and troubling times.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This Shabbat message is like no other I have ever written. As the reality of what happened in Israel this past weekend unravels on news broadcasts and social media each day, I know so many of us are grappling with many emotions. We are worried for our dear families and friends in Israel. The shock is giving way to deep sadness for many of us. Our entire community joins Jews everywhere in unwavering solidarity and support for our brothers and sisters in Israel. We pray for a swift end to this war.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I’m writing this week’s Shabbat message to you from Aruba, where Lori and I are enjoying the celebrations of Sukkot and our 35th wedding anniversary. Having not visited in over 3 decades, it is really lovely to be back here together.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
The holiday of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or booths, is coming up this weekend. Sukkot is rooted in the harvest and is one of the three Jewish Pilgrimage holidays. This year, my wife Lori and I will be making a sort of pilgrimage of our own. To celebrate our upcoming 35th wedding anniversary, we will be returning to the beautiful spot where we honeymooned all those years ago. I am ever so grateful to Lori for her endless love and support as we raised our family and built our lives together in five different communities over the past 35 years.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
With the conclusion of Rosh Hashanah, we are now in the midst of the Asseret Yemai Teshuva, the ten days of awe. I find it so interesting that according to Jewish tradition, we can make our peace with our creator relatively easily through prayer and sincere introspection and acknowledgement of our sins. The more difficult task before Yom Kippur is seeking out the humans who we believe we have wronged. We need ask them to forgive us and, according to tradition, are required to do so up to 3 times if necessary before we are absolved of our sins. Following this tradition, I take this moment to ask each of you, if I have wronged you in any way, knowingly or unknowingly, for forgiveness. I am sincerely sorry.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
We are at the end of the Jewish Year 5783. As we join Jews around the world in observance of Rosh Hashanah this weekend, it is really quite incredible that this is the second year of High Holidays that my wife Lori and I will celebrate in South Palm Beach County. We have made new friends, turned our house into our home, created roots in our community, and enjoyed our rewarding careers. We are grateful for the many joys our children and grandchildren bring, and remain grateful for the blessings of continued good health. It is a wonderful way to begin a new year.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
With a beautiful Labor Day weekend behind us, many of us are beginning to prepare for the Jewish High Holidays. Before we joyously celebrate the Jewish New Year, though, we will collectively mark the somber anniversary of September 11th. In so many ways, we lost our innocence on that day, and our lives have really never been the same since. On a personal note, my daughter turns 30 this September 11th and each year, this date reminds me that even during the most difficult moments, rays of beautiful sunshine can be found.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
As I write this week’s Shabbat message, Hurricane Idalia is rapidly intensifying as Floridians on the west coast brace for the storm’s landfall. Here in our community, we are fortunate that we will have minimal impact from this storm, and life moves on without the anxiety of last-minute storm preparations and long lines for gasoline and supplies. I’ll be keeping everyone in the storm’s path in my thoughts.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Remarkably, this Shabbat message comes to you before the last Shabbat of August. September brings images of Labor Day, the Jewish High Holidays, school and a back to work mentality. For my wife Lori and me, it’s hard to comprehend that we are completing our second full summer here in South Palm Beach County and 15th year in Florida, having lived in Sarasota for 13 years. With that experience, we know all too well the countdown to early November when the weather breaks and Florida becomes the paradise everyone wants to be a part of.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
My wife Lori and I just returned home after a wonderful few days in Colorado where we enjoyed catching up with my brother and sister-in-law. Sometimes we all just need to get away, recharge our batteries and celebrate and acknowledge our blessings.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
By the time you receive this Shabbat Message, Lori and I will have arrived in Granby, Colorado to visit with my brother and sister in law at their beautiful home for the very first time. They have lived there for several years but with the great joy of visiting our adult children in their home cities, Lori and I have been unable to travel anywhere else. So this is really the first chance we will have had to really get away for a few days to truly unwind, certainly since we have arrived in Boca 16 months ago.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
As an avid Boston Red Sox fan and a lifelong fan of Major League Baseball generally, I am really excited to see all the wheeling and dealing that I anticipate occurring over the next few days. It’s a fun time for baseball fans! It’s also been a fun summer weekend of movie-going for many, and Lori and I joined opening weekend crowds to see Oppenheimer. What an impressive cast and important movie.
