Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This Shabbat message comes to you at the end of a wonderfully exciting week. On Tuesday, our Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center’s Board Chair, Mark Gotlieb, eight former Levis JCC Presidents, and I gathered for our annual dinner. Each year, as our agency’s past and present leadership dine together and discuss the success of our Levis JCC with such passion and engagement is truly heartening. We all care deeply about our community and look forward to watching it continue to thrive and grow.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This Shabbat message comes to you following a burst of inspiration after watching the Las Vegas Golden Knights defeat the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night. As exciting as it was to cheer on our Florida Panthers during their championship runs these past two seasons, I think it’s time to let you in on a little secret: I now find myself rooting for the Golden Knights. Eight years ago, I had the privilege of watching the Golden Knights compete in the Stanley Cup Final during their inaugural season. It was an extraordinary moment in sports history, and—while they lost that year—the memory has stayed with me. They’ve since won two Stanley Cups, and I remain hopeful that the third is soon on its way!
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This week, Lori and I are in St. Louis with our daughter, Danielle, and our son-in-law, Colin, for a very special visit. We are meeting Fiona Leigh, our newest granddaughter, for the first time! She and her sister, Emi Lou, and cousins Otto Henry, Ollie, and Gaby bring our family so much joy! With two new grandchildren born just a few short months apart, Lori and I are filled with gratitude and feel so incredibly blessed.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Tonight, we begin our celebration of Shavuot, commemorating the Jewish people’s receipt of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Curiously, despite marking one of the most defining moments in Jewish history, Shavuot remains something of a “forgotten holiday.” With few distinct rituals and only two days of celebration, unlike Passover and Chanukkah, Shavuot arrives in the late spring, just as school ends and summer plans begin. Even though life is busy, I hope those of you who aren’t familiar with Shavuot will reacquaint yourself with this meaningful holiday that celebrates the Torah as our guide for living a meaningful life.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This week I had the privilege of speaking to the proud families gathered for our Levis JCC Zale Early Childhood Learning Center’s graduation ceremony. This was my fifth time doing so, and I can hardly believe how quickly the time has flown. Each year, it’s a wonderful experience. As I mentioned in my message last week, Lori and I were blessed with our fifth grandchild last Wednesday, and being with our Zale grads and their very proud families really hit home for me. I am truly honored to be at the helm of this JCC, investing in the future, and working hard to ensure Jewish continuity in a community that has become home for me. I’m no longer “the new guy” here – and I am grateful to bring my more than 40 years of experience as a Jewish communal professional to help grow our J for the next generation.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This Shabbat Message comes to you at the end of a particularly busy and festive week. We had Lag BaOmer, Cinco de Mayo, and Taco Tuesday – but best of all, Lori and I are overjoyed to welcome the arrival of our fifth grandchild. Our beautiful granddaughter was born on Wednesday to our daughter and son-in-law. It is a wonderfully exciting time for our growing family.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This week, we commemorated Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut—two of the most significant days on the Israeli calendar. Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Day of Remembrance, honors the soldiers who gave their lives defending the State of Israel, as well as victims of terror. In this trying time of war and global criticism, honoring those we’ve lost—and the sacrifices they made to protect Israel—feels especially profound. As Yom HaZikaron comes to a close, it gives way to Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, marking 78 years of Israeli resilience, strength, and spirit.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I'm writing this Shabbat message to you following the Levis JCC’s Casino & Game Night at Addison Reserve Country Club, where players of all levels came together for an action-packed evening of poker, blackjack, mah jongg, canasta, and rummikub. While I managed to finish fourth in poker—narrowly missing the cutoff for prizes—everyone left a winner, having enjoyed a wonderful night of camaraderie and fun.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This Tuesday marked Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), a day for us to honor the memory of all six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Like many in our community, I am reminded of my own ancestors’ stories and continue to find deep meaning in my personal history. With both sides of my family originating in Germany, many relatives were lost during the Holocaust. This week, their memories have been ever present and powerful.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
With Passover now over, while I’m excited to return to enjoying my daily dose of bread, I’m sad to leave behind all the holiday festivities and quality time I’ve spent with my loved ones. This year, Lori and I were blessed to be surrounded by close friends and visiting relatives. I am looking forward to repeating these visits again next April.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
As I mentioned last week, a major renovation of our Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center has begun! While staff settles into temporary office space and remote work, our “J Family” is already counting the days until we reunite in our beautifully renovated space, and open the doors to the building this coming fall. In the meantime, our Levis JCC Zale, Marleen Forkas Camps and Schwedelson Special Needs programming continues uninterrupted on the south side of the 100-acre campus. We began celebrating Passover this week, a holiday rooted in the idea of liberation. For so many reasons, this particular Passover feels particularly poignant to me. By reflecting on or adding representation of the people of Iran to our Seder plate, we acknowledge those still living without freedom and affirm that none of us are truly free until everyone is.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
When I first arrived in the South Palm Beach County community, our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC was undergoing major changes as our administrative offices, Marleen Forkas Camps, and Helene & Roy Schwedelson Special Needs Department moved across campus to the building that housed our Levis JCC Phyllis & Harvey Sandler Center. Now, four years later, our Levis JCC building is being packed up once again, this time to begin renovations that will help us create a beautiful, modern, Levis JCC. The generous supporters of our Elevating Our Future Capital Campaign have fueled this exciting moment in our JCC’s history and we are filled with gratitude to them. While the JCC building will close to the public on April 1, programming will continue with minimal disruption:
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Lori and I can hardly believe that our youngest is turning 30 this weekend! I am looking forward to celebrating with Noah in person and spending the weekend with him and his beautiful family before catching a red-eye flight to be back at my desk first thing Monday morning. With each passing year, I look at my children and marvel at the wonderful people they have become. It is a true blessing to watch as our family grows.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
As we near the end of the second week of this war in Iran, I am reminded of the importance of community in times of hardship. It’s critical that our global and local Jewish communities continue to support one another and remember that—despite our differing personal or political opinions—we remain one united people. As our tradition teaches, Kol Yisrael aravim zeh la zeh, "All of Israel are responsible for one another." Together, we pray for the safety of our soldiers and loved ones, for all those in harm's way, and for a swift resolution.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Purim is defined by its theme of v'nahafoch hu ("and it was turned upside down"), small but surprising reversals that shape the Megillah’s story. Set in the fifth century B.C.E. in the Persian capital of Shushan (modern-day Shush, Iran), the Purim narrative celebrates the courage of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai, who exposed Haman’s genocidal plot, preventing the destruction of the Jewish people. Amazingly, nearly 2,500 years later, that story continues to resonate in our world; this year, mere days before Purim, Israel and the United States joined forces to fight Iran, eliminating its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and stepping even closer to diminishing Iran’s nuclear threat. May it be so!
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This past Sunday, more than 400 filmgoers filled up 3 theaters at the Movies of Delray for “We Met at the Catskills," the final film of our Adolph & Rose Levis JCC’s Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival. What a wonderful way to close this outstanding program! That same day was the Olympic Closing Ceremony of the Winter Games in Milano Cortina. Over the past two weeks, I’ve enjoyed catching several events and matches from the international spectacle of the world’s best athletes.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
No matter how long a visit with family is, when it comes time to return home, it is never easy for Lori and me to board that plane! This past week, it was tough to leave after meeting and falling in love with our newest grandchild, Otto Henry Haberer. Even so, it is always wonderful to return to my dedicated Levis JCC colleagues and our caring community.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This week’s message comes to you from Gilbert, Arizona, where my grandson Otto Henry Haberer just celebrated his Brit Milah. His Hebrew name is Ori Chayim, which translates to “my light/life.” In Jewish tradition, names carry meaning, and little Ori has already brought so much meaning and light into our family while carrying my father’s name and legacy into the next generation. We feel so blessed to have him.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This Shabbat message comes just days after the birth of my first grandson, Otto Henry Haberer. Born on February 1, baby Otto already holds a very special place in my heart. His name carries the legacy of my father, Otto, who passed away 27 years ago, making this moment especially meaningful for our family. Otto, his big sisters Gabby and Ollie, and cousin Emi Lou (who has a little sister expected in May), bring Lori and me indescribable joy and gratitude. We truly feel blessed.
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.
