Summer is meant to be a season of laughter, friendship, and joy—especially at camp. For generations, across our country JCCs have been synonymous with summer camp. It is woven into the fabric of the JCC movement. And so, as we enter Shabbat this week, our hearts are especially heavy. Our hearts are with the people of Texas following last weekend’s devastating floods. At Camp Mystic, 27 campers and counselors were among the 120 lives lost, with 170 people still missing. May the memories of those lost be a blessing, and may their families find strength in the difficult weeks ahead.
This holiday week has been a busy one! Lori is back from Arizona, where she has been helping our son Noah and his family settle into their new home. We wish them many happy years there! It’s wonderful that for what feels like the first time in a long time, there are no urgent updates or new wars to report, and I hope that we all can enjoy a restful and peaceful holiday weekend. Of course, we continue to pray for the return of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza and for the safety of our brave chayalim (soldiers) who are defending Israel.
It’s been quite a week, with United States entering what is now being called the 12-Day War, targeting multiple Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, and ultimately brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Amid this global tension, after a wonderful vacation, I am back in Boca while Lori headed to Arizona with our son Noah and his family to help them settle into their brand-new home in Gilbert. In between two closings and reviewing documents, she’s helping them furnish their new space and make it feel like home.
This week, I am writing to you from San Diego, where Lori and I are celebrating the birthdays of our granddaughters, Ollie, who just turned 8, and Gabby, now 11. Being there to celebrate their milestones was already special, but it was made even more meaningful by spending Father’s Day together, with my son, Noah, and our amazing daughter-in-law, Patricia. Tuesday night was another of this week’s terrific highlights: our Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-1, winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup title. Go Cats! Even during these personal moments of joy, my heart remains with Israel, who is bravely embarking on a mission to dismantle Iran’s nuclear threat. And still, 20 months later, we continue to pray for the 53 hostages held in Gaza, 23 of whom we hope are alive. Israel and our Israeli brothers and sisters will not be far from my thoughts.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I am writing this week's message from LaGuardia Airport as I head back to South Palm Beach after spending a few days in Forest Hills, Queens with my mom and brother. My mom is about to turn 83, and my brother and I try to visit whenever we can to help with small repairs, sort through paperwork, and, most importantly, spend quality time together. I am grateful for these moments and hope to share many more in the years ahead. Waiting for me back home is tonight’s Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. Our Florida Panthers have been clawing their way toward their second consecutive victory and currently lead the series 2-1 over the Edmonton Oilers. Tonight, like so many of you, I’ll be watching and cheering them on!
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This has been a difficult week. On Sunday, while many in our community were preparing for Shavuot, a holiday that honors the giving of the Torah and celebrates our religious foundation, we were confronted by a terrible act of hate. In Boulder, Colorado, a group of peaceful protestors marching in solidarity with the Israeli hostages were violently attacked by a man shouting, “Free Palestine.” Eight victims were hospitalized, among them an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. It’s heartbreaking that on the very holiday that provides us with guidelines for living with peace and compassion, we witness an atrocity that directly opposes all that the Torah teaches.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I'm writing this Shabbat message to you from the "show me" state of Missouri where Lori and I spent the Memorial Day weekend with our daughter Dani, son in law Colin, and our precious granddaughter, Emi Lou, who recently turned 3. We had so much fun being together, visiting the Botanical Garden, enjoying the park and doing some shopping at the mall. It has been wonderful spending time with them all—connecting with family is always a joy.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I write this week’s message with a heavy heart. We mourn the senseless death of two beautiful young people – Israeli embassy staff members killed in Washington, D.C. as they were leaving an American Jewish Committee event at the Capital Jewish Museum. This horrible act of violence and antisemitism casts a shadow of sadness felt by so many. I am reminded that it is more important than ever to be together in community, something I am proud to foster every day at our Adolph & Rose Levis Jewish Community Center.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This week brought the uplifting news of the last living American hostage’s release from Gaza, as 21-year-old New Jersey native Edan Alexander was reunited with his family after 19 months in Hamas captivity. His release renews our hope and prayers that the remaining 58 hostages, 23 of whom are believed to be alive, return home swiftly and safely.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Let me begin by wishing all the incredible mothers in our community a wonderful and love-filled Mother’s Day! This is an exciting week, not just for families, but for hockey lovers as well, as we enter the second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs. While our Florida Panthers have lost their first two games to the Toronto Maple Leafs, I have faith they’ll rally, regain momentum, and bring home the Cup for the second year in a row.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Each year, I am struck by the remarkable juxtaposition of the sorrow of Yom HaZikaron, the Israeli Day of Remembrance, to the joy of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Day of Independence. Yom HaZikaron is perhaps the single most difficult day of the year for Israelis, as the lives of her fallen soldiers and victims of terror are honored. This year, it feels especially heavy as we continue to pray for the 59 hostages who remain captive in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. And still, just as Israel does each year, we find the strength to move from mourning to celebration as we welcome Yom Ha’atzmaut, the anniversary of the reestablishment of a Jewish state nearly 2,000 years after we lost sovereignty of our native land. Remarkable indeed.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
It is impossible to begin this week’s message without noting that today is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Together we honor the lives and the memory of all of those who were lost, all who were victims of the Nazis and their persecution. More important than ever is the simple notion that we will never forget. NEVER. It is also important to acknowledge the sad news of Pope Francis’s passing on April 21. May his memory and deeds always be a blessing. In the coming weeks, the College of Cardinals will establish the next papacy, deciding between a “traditionalist” or a “progressive,” which would continue Pope Francis’s legacy. Seventeen percent of the world’s population identifies as Catholic, so the loss of such a pivotal religious figure is bound to produce significant changes in the world for all of us.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Passover 2025 concludes this weekend. This year, Lori and I were incredibly fortunate to attend two beautiful Seders surrounded by friends who have welcomed us so warmly into their homes and lives. As we begin our fourth year in South Palm Beach County, we are feeling especially grateful and blessed. And yet, as we celebrate our ancestors’ liberation from Egypt, we are reminded that our freedom is still incomplete. After a year and a half in captivity, there are still hostages, both living and deceased, who remain in Gaza. May they return home safely and soon.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This weekend, we begin Passover and retell the story of our ancestors’ journey to freedom. And yet, I am writing this message while still celebrating a different kind of redemption: the Florida Gators’ long-awaited NCAA men’s basketball victory. After a long plague of losses, the win felt like a miracle. The last time the Gators won was back in 2007, when my family and I were living in Sarasota. Though it’s not exactly akin to wandering the desert for 40 years, we have spent 18 years in the Sunshine State faithfully cheering and waiting for victory. That’s almost a third of my life, and this week, it paid off.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
As we begin a new month, I find myself one week into a two-week stint as a bachelor while my wife Lori visits family in Arizona. April brings with it Tax Day, Passover, and baseball. Our community’s snowbirds are preparing to journey back up north, while year-round residents navigate construction everywhere, part of the continued growth and development of our burgeoning community.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This week, Lori and I wrapped up a wonderful stretch of family visits. Our home has been filled with so much love…and some friendly competition over foosball and cornhole. We shared meals, celebrated milestones (including our son Noah’s 29th birthday and my brother Stefan’s 59th), and enjoyed each other’s company. We feel so blessed to have enjoyed such quality family time with our children, grandchildren, siblings, parents, and extended family.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
This week our community lost Betty Zale, a special leader who, along with her husband Marvin turned their passion for early childhood education into a commitment to ensuring generations of our community’s youngest members will have a warm, welcoming, and nurturing place to begin their educational and Jewish journeys. Betty, beloved mother of Margie Plough and mother-in-law of past Levis JCC President Maurice Plough Jr., made an indelible impact on our community.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Can somebody please slow down the clock? It’s hard to believe we are already finishing the first week of March. The Oscars have come and gone, Major League Baseball’s 2025 season is under a month away, and Purim is just around the corner, all of which means that Passover preparations have already begun in many Jewish homes! Lori and I are counting down the days until our son Noah, our daughter-in-law Patricia, and our granddaughters Gabby and Ollie come to visit. Meanwhile, my brother is preparing for a trip to Offenburg, Germany, where our family lived for centuries before being forced to leave during the Holocaust. He’ll be the first Haberer to return, and I can’t wait to see it all when he FaceTimes me from our ancestral home.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
I am thrilled to share that I will be taking Adam Nimoy, son of beloved actor Leonard Nimoy, out to dinner when he visits our Levis JCC Beifield Auditorium on March 6th to promote his new book, The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father Leonard Nimoy. This is a dream come true for me. Growing up in Inwood, Manhattan, I spent countless hours in front of the TV watching Star Trek. Even then, I felt immense pride when I learned that Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, the two stars of my favorite show, were both Jewish. Now, decades later, I am incredibly fortunate to meet prominent figures like Adam through my lifelong work in Jewish communities. Moments like these remind me of the deep impact of Jewish storytelling.
Shalom Chaverim (Dear Friends),
Today Hamas released the bodies of four hostages, including three members of the Bibas family – baby Kfir, his older brother Ariel, and their mother Shiri -- as well as Oded Lifshitz, one of the oldest hostages abducted on October 7, 2023. This news is simultaneously heartbreaking and gut-wrenching. This news comes as a reminder that we must continue to come together as a community in strength and in support for our Israeli brothers and sisters, always. I continue to pray for all the remaining hostages and their families. Bring them home now!
