Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
It’s hard to believe that this is the first Shabbat message of June, my first June in Florida in 7 years (I spent 13 years in Sarasota before moving to Arizona). After 7 years of extremely dry conditions, I have become quite grateful for the daily deluges we can almost count on here this time of year.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”
- Forrest Gump’s momma
Well, as so many of you now know, my wife Lori and I were so hoping to see our first grandchild for the first time this weekend in St. Louis. Then life got in the way. I tested positive for Covid, so this trip will be delayed several more weeks.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Next week at this time, my wife Lori and I will be on a plane to St. Louis to meet our new granddaughter, Emi Lou. It really is so exciting for us. A longtime friend and colleague of mine recently told me that when one becomes a grandparent, they go from being a descendent to becoming an ancestor. I actually thought that was a pretty interesting concept.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
We often refer to “2 degrees of separation” that might seem to separate us from our fellow Jews. In reality, these “2 degrees” are such strong connections! This proves true for me in my first 5 weeks here in South Palm Beach County. My first Shabbat dinner was sent to Lori and me from Ben’s by a former Jewish communal colleague I have known for decades. The second visit to our new home was from a woman and her family -- I hired her for her first Jewish communal job in Cincinnati also decades ago. I had Shabbat dinner at the home of someone I dated in our teen years, when we met at NCSY in New Jersey more than 40 years ago. Lastly, I just found out that one of our wonderful Levis JCC donors recently had dinner with my very first boss from when I was 15 years old, and who is also a close personal family friend, essentially my entire life. WOW!
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
It has now been one week since my wife Lori and I became grandparents to our first grandchild, sweet Emilia Louise Pajda, and are so excited to see her in person at the end of this month. Everyone has been such good sports as I have inundated Facebook with pictures of our delicious Emi Lou. I promise to ease up on the photos now!
It’s hard to believe that I am already writing my third Shabbat message to you. The days fly by; these first few weeks in town are moving at warp speed for me. I have already had so many wonderful experiences, meetings, and have attended such wonderful events. My wife Lori and I are overjoyed that just yesterday, our daughter Danielle gave birth to our first grandchild. We are thrilled to welcome Emilia Louise Pajda (Eliana Liora) into the world! I know she will bring so much joy to Danielle, our son-in-law, Colin, and to us! This week, I also experienced my first Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County Annual Meeting, and all I can say is WOW. I feel so fortunate to be an agency partner with such a strong and vibrant Federation.
As I complete my second week here in South Palm Beach County, my wife Lori and I have so much to be grateful for. To begin our new lives here by being invited to not one but two beautiful Seders was incredibly comforting for us.
Also, thankfully, our things were delivered to our home via our moving company. Yes, some things were broken, and other things were lost, but the important thing is that we are here, together, and ready for this next chapter. We are happy to have this phase of this adventure behind us. Now we are focused on unpacking and getting rid of all those boxes!
After beginning the recruitment process in January, being offered the position of CEO of the Adolph & Rose Levis JCC, accepting the position, resigning from my position in Phoenix, selling my house there and buying a house here, then driving with my wife Lori and our dachshund Marley in two separate cars over four days, we finally arrived in South Palm Beach County in time for our closing on April 7th. I finally began my new job here this past Monday. The welcome I received from staff and volunteers alike was simply sublime. I’ll never forget the warmth that has been sent our way. It’s simply unprecedented to me.
