Shabbat Shalom ~ Vayikra 2026

Shalom WJC Family,

I hope you’ve seen the exciting announcement that we have our first Assistant Rabbi Candidate visit coming up from Wednesday March 25th through Sunday March 29th. There are a wide range of events over that period for you to see and get to know the candidate, Rabbi Sara Birnbaum. I hope you saw the schedule in the recent email from the synagogue. In case you missed it you can view the schedule here.

Of course, Passover comes just after that with the first seder on Wednesday evening April 1st. We have our usual schedule of events leading up to that, including a chametzdik (with leavened products) Shabbat dinner on Friday the 27th, on Wednesday morning April 1st our annual Siyyum Bechorot that cancels the Fast of the Firstborn which Rabbi Dalton will teach this year and the ever popular Chametz Roast and Marshmallow Toast for kids of all ages to burn their chametz and get a sweet treat to bring in the holiday.

You’ll find all this information and more here, as well as a Power of Attorney Form so I can “sell” your chametz and instructions for making a mitzvah donation to our friends at Project Ezra so that they will have kosher food for seder.

Then, after Passover, we are excited to announce Sondra Levy, longtime chair of our SOJAC Committee, will be honored by WJC at the Annual Julian Y. Bernstein Distinguished Awards Ceremony. Sondra is a most deserving honoree, working tirelessly to create opportunities for WJC members to do mitzvot and help others. I hope you will be able to join us at the ceremony on Tuesday evening April 28th and that you will consider placing an ad in her honor by clicking here.

And before any of that, we will be celebrating a beautiful Shabbat here at WJC, including celebrating the bat mitzvah of Shoshana Rivel at the Simple & Soulful Service. Mazal tov to Shoshana and her parents Jill and Josh!

See you in shul,

RJA