Let me begin by wishing each of you and your families a happy Passover. Also known as the Festival of Freedom, Passover is all about being together for Seder and retelling the story of how our ancestors, freed from slavery in Egypt, made the Exodus to Israel. Lori and I were delighted to join Levis JCC Immediate Past Chair Emily Grabelsky and her wonderful family for a beautiful Seder, while across the country in Arizona, our son Noah, Patricia and their girls enjoyed the first Seder at their local Chabad. They had a wonderful time, met new friends and are now enthusiastic about participating in more events and activities in their community. At the Seder, Noah recognized a second cousin who he had no idea had moved within 4 minutes of his home. He and his family, and Noah and his family celebrated a wonderful holiday all together. Even amid our joyful celebrations, at Seder tables around the world, our hearts ached for the 133 hostages that remain captive in Gaza. The place for the prophet Elijah felt especially lonely and poignant to me this year. We continue to pray for their safe return, and for peace in Israel and everywhere.
I cannot write this week’s Shabbat message without expressing the deep emotion I felt as I became aware of and anticipated the strike of 300 missiles from Iran into Israel. Thankfully and seemingly miraculously, almost all of them were shot down, although seven did land in Israel, and a young Bedouin child was harmed. I am keeping her and her family in my thoughts. Even more miraculous was the coordinated defense lead by the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom, France, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. We all wonder what comes next and pray for the safety of our beloved Israel.
Lori and I arrived back in town from Phoenix on Tuesday morning, and we both hit the ground running. My whirlwind day back at our Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center included several meetings, while our Center buzzed with the usual full day of wonderful programs, including a full house for the final presentation in our “A Literary Afternoon” featuring author Aaron Hamburger presenting his novel Hotel Cuba. That evening I attended our Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s Annual Meeting, which celebrated a healthy and growing annual campaign as well as an additional $4.1 million raised for the Israel Emergency fund. Kol Hakavod!
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends), I'm writing to you while on vacation in Phoenix visiting with my son and his family. We are having so much fun spending time together enjoying favorite restaurants, working on our son’s house and even catching a Yankees vs Diamondbacks baseball game. It has been a wonderful time with family.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends), This week Lori and I will be traveling to Phoenix to visit with our son Noah, his fiancée Patricia and our granddaughters Gabby and Ollie. We have an unspoken rule in our family to try really hard not to go more than 90 days without getting together somewhere in person. Phoenix is where Lori and I made our home for 7 years prior to moving to Boca Raton, and it is always great to return to the desert, which we love especially this time of year, and to see good friends in addition to our wonderful family.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This Friday Lori and I will be heading to St. Petersburg to visit my brother to celebrate his 58th birthday. I’m too young to have a 58 year old older brother! It has ben quite a while since we have been back on the West Coast of Florida, where we lived (in Sarasota) from 2002-2013. It is wonderful to be able to easily return, especially to spend time with family and some of our dear friends.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I just returned from Cuba as part of a group of 30 participants from the Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center’s “Travel With The J” program. This was the third and final trip of the season (the second of two cultural missions to Cuba) which began in the fall with a spectacular trip to Argentina led by our Levis JCC and an Argentinian cantor.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I am writing this to you as I leave for Cuba in the morning with my wife Lori and another 28 fellow Adolph & Rose Levis JCC travelers, including our Board Chair, Steve Clarfield and his wife Dana.
I feel fortunate that we can all bring important items such as band aids, Bacitracin, toothbrushes, toothpaste, guitar strings and bubblegum to make life more pleasant for the 800 or so Jews still residing in Cuba. I look forward to telling you all about the trip in next week’s missive.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
As I write this message, my wife Lori and I are one week away from heading to Cuba on a Levis JCC cultural mission. We are both excited for this trip, which is something we have been hoping to be able to do for a long time as part of our Jewish journey. Cuba still has approximately 800 Jewish people and each of us traveling will be bringing a variety of items such as toiletries and first-aid supplies to clothing and coloring books and small toys for children to donate to the Jewish community there. I look forward to telling you more about this adventure next week.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This past week, I have been very privileged to view some amazing films presented by our Levis JCC’s Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival. Each was so different from the other, each a compelling story that brought to life some aspect of Jewish life, or a Jewish story and experience. Watching these films has helped me finally articulate the best word I can think of for what being Jewish means to me. For me, Judaism is a lens. All humans experience a multitude of life experiences—ups and downs, triumphs and disasters. Living life through a Jewish lens colors everything for me and creates purpose and meaning. This is what makes being Jewish so precious to me is. I hope I will see you all at some of the films that will be screened during the remaining week of our Festival and certainly for our spectacular closing event on March 4 featuring the film I Was Not Born a Mistake with Guest Speaker Yiscah Smith. Click here to learn more and to purchase tickets.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
For all of you football fans, oh boy, Sunday night’s game really was one of the best Super Bowl games I have ever seen. Lori and I were fortunate to enjoy the evening with my friend Rebeca Suenderman and her husband, Phil. I have known Rebeca for almost 55 years – since elementary school! Rebeca’s family fled Germany for Uruguay during the time of the Nazis. They then came to the US when Rebeca was a young girl. She enrolled in Yeshiva speaking only Spanish, and had to catch up to all of her friends. She did just fine! It was so nice to see her and Phil again.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I'm writing this Shabbat message to you from my second JCCA "Mifgash," which means "Encounter." It is the annual gathering of JCC CEOs and senior JCC professional leadership from across the country, which was held in Denver, Colorado.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This past week, Lori and I received a visit from our son, Noah, and his fiancée Patricia. I was so proud to have them join us on Saturday night for the Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center's Jeans Jewels & the J – Sparkles & Spurs event. This year we are thrilled to report a record turnout of 387 participants at this very special annual celebration of our Levis JCC. They also joined us on Monday night at the Levis JCC Sandler Center to enjoy great music by Bernstein, Gershwin and Sondheim presented by Aaron Kula and his great group of musicians.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
It is impossible to begin this week’s message without acknowledging that today is 111 days since the remaining 132 hostages (including about 2 dozen who have died) were brutally abducted by Hamas. We continue to pray for their immediate and safe return, and we mourn the hundreds of Israeli soldiers who have lost their lives during this war. Even as world events weigh heavily on my heart, I am able to focus on welcoming my son and his fiancée Patricia to Boca Raton. Lori and I are looking forward to an amazing visit with them.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Looking back on this past week, I had many wonderful experiences celebrating my 60th birthday with family and friends. Sadly, my childhood friend’s mother passed away a few hours after my birthday. I sincerely believe she wouldn’t allow herself to pass on my birthday. That is the kind of incredible person she was. My brother and I flew to New York for the funeral and were honored to be pallbearers. Rest in peace dear Esther, Z”L.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
You are receiving this Shabbat message on my 60th birthday, which of course, is putting me in a very reflective mood. I am so grateful for my wife of 35 years, my two children and their families, my mother, and my brother and his family. Family truly is everything, and I very much count my amazing colleagues at our fabulous Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center as family! I feel so blessed to lead this incredible organization and be a part of this wonderful community.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Lori and I just returned from St. Louis where celebrating the New Year was everything we hoped it would be. Our granddaughter, now 20 months old, is running around, speaking beautifully—it was magic spending time with her and her parents, our children. There’s so much to look forward to as this new year begins: my 60th birthday is coming up on January 11th, our son and his fiancée will be visiting us later this month, and Lori and I are very excited to travel on one of the Levis JCC’s “Jewish Geography” trips to Cuba in March.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This is my very last Shabbat message of 2023. It has been an honor and privilege to communicate with you throughout this past year. It is very important to me that the Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center touches you in some way every single week, and I will continue to reach out to our community with a weekly message in the new year. This week, my wife Lori and I will be landing in St. Louis for a quick visit with our daughter and son-in-law, and our precious granddaughter Emi Lou. It will be truly a joy to ring in 2024 with them -- we miss them so very much.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
With the holiday season in full swing and a new secular year upon us, Lori and I are really looking forward to visiting our family in St. Louis to celebrate and ring in 2024 with them.
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.
