This past week offered two reminders of our JCC’s ability to create meaningful Jewish experiences that connect people across generations and strengthen our sense of community.
Last Friday, our early childhood students in the South Hills kicked off our weeklong Tu B’Av celebration in a truly memorable way as Myles and Sarah – who have been married for 47 years – renewed their wedding vows. Many of our children already know Sarah through her role as one of our AgeWell Book Buddies, where she regularly shares stories and friendships with our youngest learners. Following the ceremony, Myles offered his timeless advice for a happy marriage: “Don’t forget to laugh.” Sarah, with her characteristic warmth and humor, shared that her lifelong wish of having Sunrise, Sunset played at her wedding had finally come true.
Meanwhile, in Squirrel Hill, my wife, Dana, and I also had the privilege of renewing our vows alongside our early childhood friends. Although we don’t have the decades of wisdom that Myles and Sarah shared, we were honored to participate in the same meaningful Jewish wedding traditions. While standing under a chupah, a wedding canopy, both couples walked seven circles around one another symbolizing that each partner is at the center of the other’s life, and the children presented each couple with a ketubah, a traditional marriage contract. At the conclusion of each ceremony, we stepped on a glass, reminding us that even in our greatest moments of joy, we remember the destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem and acknowledge that life holds both celebration and sorrow. Of course, no Jewish wedding would be complete without the children eagerly joining the brides and grooms on the dance floor for a spirited Hora, a joyful dance at weddings, that filled the air with laughter and smiles.
That same sense of connection has been on full display this week as more than 40 Pittsburgh teens proudly represented our community at the JCC Maccabi Games in Kansas City and Toronto. It is hard to believe that it has already been one year since the JCC and the University of Pittsburgh welcomed more than 5,000 Jewish teen athletes, coaches, volunteers, and spectators for the inaugural JCC Maccabi Campus Games. The memories of that extraordinary week remain vivid, and it has been wonderful to see our community once again cheering on our athletes as they compete in a variety of both individual and team sports.
While Tu B’Av and the JCC Maccabi Games may appear to celebrate very different things, they are rooted in the same enduring Jewish values. Both remind us that our greatest strength comes not from individual achievement, but from the relationships we build, the communities we nurture, and the sense of belonging we create together.
Wishing you and your families a Shabbat shalom,
Jason