Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I write this Shabbat message to you feeling a profound sense of relief at the return of the last remaining Israeli hostage, Master Sergeant Ran Gvili. After 843 days in Gaza, Ran was laid to rest yesterday in a touching ceremony attended by family, friends, members of his unit, Israeli officials, and mourners from all across the country. For the first time since 2014, there aren’t any Israeli hostages in Gaza. The clock in Hostages Square, which has been recording the seconds, minutes, hours, and days since October 7, has finally stopped. Now the work begins on the road to finding a peaceful coexistence.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This Shabbat message is coming to you just after the Indiana Hoosiers beat our very own Miami Hurricanes, securing their first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship after playing a perfect season. The victory comes after years of struggle and a remarkable turnaround that the champions should be very proud of.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This weekend marks the 49th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah–a milestone that reminds me of the many gifts I have in life, from the love of family and friends to all my simple, daily joys. With the long weekend ahead marking the birthday of iconic American civil rights leader Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr., it’s important to remember and honor the contributions of all those who helped shape and expand our local and global communities, as well as those who continue to be changemakers today.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This weekend, I will be celebrating my 62nd birthday. With the passing years come many blessings, and I feel especially grateful to be a member of the “sandwich generation” – a stage of life that allows me to watch my children become loving spouses and parents while also caring for my mother as she ages. Im Yirtzeh Hashem (G-d willing), this year will bring two additional grandchildren, and continued joy from every member of my family, including our fifteen-and-a-half-year-old dachshund, Marley.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
As we collectively turn the calendar and begin a new year together, I hope you all have many good memories from 2025. Each of us experiences many ups and downs over the course of a twelve-month period – it’s part of life. My wish for all of us is that 2026 is full of far more ups than downs, many meaningful connections, good health and happiness. I hope it’s the best year yet for all of us!
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
With shops and restaurants full, the roads jam-packed, and the beaches and local attractions full of visitors and residents alike, the peak of the holiday season has reached our South Palm Beach County community. This evening, I’ll join in as countless Jews in America engage in the long-standing tradition of Chinese food for dinner on Christmas Day! I will be missing my wife Lori, who is in New York, assisting her mom as she recovers from a stress fracture. Lori really is a great daughter, wife, mom, and Nanna. I'm grateful for her every day. Even on my own at this holiday time, I never feel lonely in our community. There are so many ways to enjoy being together, and so many wonderful things to do.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This week was one of immense sadness. The combination of the deadly attack at Brown University, followed by the heartbreaking terrorist attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, and the tragic deaths of Hollywood icons Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner left many of us feeling overwhelmed, distressed, and truly sorrowful. These have been dark days indeed. Collectively we grieve for the victims and their families. Chanukah – a holiday festival of light -- is meant to be a celebration of heritage and perseverance. Against all odds, the Maccabees prevailed against the Seleucid army, protecting their Jewish ideals and identities with faith, courage, and determination. May the remainder of this Chanukah celebration remind us of the power of resilience, even in difficult times, and may it bring us comfort and light.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
On Sunday, Jews all over the world will celebrate Chanukah, our eight-day “Festival of Lights,” which commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. As the story goes, after their victory, the Jews found only a single day's worth of oil in the Temple. They lit the menorah, and, miraculously, it burned for eight days. At a moment when global news can feel dark and heavy, I feel especially happy to take part in this ancient tradition of celebrating light, perseverance and triumph. As Lori and I light our chanukiah, we pray for peace, and wish family, friends, and our community joy as we all celebrate this holiday season.
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.
