Shabbat Shalom: Two Emails. One Powerful Reminder

As we move toward Shabbat, I’ve been sitting with two emails I received over the past few weeks in response to Friday messages I had written. On the surface, they came from very different perspectives — but together, they tell a powerful story about who we are as a JCC community.

One was from a member reflecting on how proud she was of the work being done at the J: “My family and I attended [synagogue] services last night for my father’s 8th year yahrzeit and seeing additional security and listening to [the rabbi’s] words made me more resolved to continue doing what I do to make this world a better place… Thank you for your leadership and wisdom for our JCC community — I love the diversity in everything that we represent within the physical structure.”

She shared how meaningful it is to feel both the strength of Jewish identity and the reassurance of community at our J, especially in times that call for resilience, courage, and purpose. Her words were a reminder that what we hold here at the J — our traditions, our values, our responsibility to one another — truly matters.

The other message came from a member who is not Jewish, but who feels just as deeply connected to our JCC. She wrote about the joy she and her partner find in the everyday rhythms of the J — the warmth of the staff, the kindness of fellow members, the simple comfort of a space that feels welcoming and alive. And then she shared something extraordinary: that they met each other at the J, later in life, through a simple invitation for coffee that turned into something lasting and meaningful.

“My sweetheart and I met there.  He approached me and asked if I wanted to go for coffee two and a half years ago. That led to getting to know one another and establishing a wonderful relationship… We are part of your senior members who enjoy your facility and all the people who work to make it such a great place…” she wrote to me. ” Everyone is so welcoming and kind.  We love seeing such a cross section of people there,” she added. 

I keep coming back to the fact that both of these experiences are equally “the J.”

We are an undeniably Jewish place where Jewish life is not only preserved, but actively lived — with intention, with pride, and with a deep sense of continuity. And we are also a place that opens wide its doors, where people of all backgrounds can find connection, belonging, and even unexpected joy.

That duality is not accidental. It is something we nurture. It is something we protect. And it is something we should never take for granted.

In a world that can feel increasingly divided, the J stands as a quiet but powerful example of what is possible when people come together with respect, curiosity, and care. The J is what community looks like. Not perfect, not static — but real, evolving, and deeply human.

I am incredibly energized and inspired by what we are building together. Not just a facility, but a space where people can show up as they are, where stories intersect, and where meaning is created in ways both profound and unexpected.

Thank you for being part of it — for bringing your full selves into this community, and for helping shape what the J continues to become.

Wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful, meaningful, and restorative Shabbat. And Chag Pesach Sameach (Happy Passover). 

Sam Dubrinsky
Chief Executive Officer