The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community
www.jewishlehighvalley.org
| Issue No. 488 | July/August 2025 | Av/Elul 5785 AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION EST. 1977
Here’s to our healthcare professionals, schmoozing, sipping, and smiling their way through their annual sumer happy hour! p7
Remember to pass down your wisdom, older adults, and maybe help clean up this messy world a bit, too. Our columnists weigh in. p18-22
FROM THE DESK OF JERI ZIMMERMAN p3 LVJF TRIBUTES p9 JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER p10-11 JEWISH DAY SCHOOL p12 JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE p13 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p23
Learning through legacy
Life and work of Eva z”l and Larry Levitt inspire new education center at JDS By Carl Zebrowski Editor Larry Levitt tells me he was “just an add-on.” If you know Larry, you know he’s humble and gracious and that calling himself an add-on is just the sort of thing he would do. You’d also suspect there’s more to the story. In fact, his name on the new education center at the Jewish Day School will be right where it should be—alongside that of his wife, Eva Levitt z”l. On September 12, a ribbon will be cut to open the new Eva and Larry Levitt Jewish Learning and Cultural Center. Eva and Larry both spent their adult lives volunteering and otherwise doing good in the Lehigh Valley community. “Eva never stopped helping others and empowering others to go out and help as she did,”
said JDS librarian Sean Boyle, who helped envision the project. “The center will be a testament to her impact on the community.” Eva’s Holocaust survival story and the 2024 book that tells it, “Evitchka: A True Story of Survival, Hope, and Love,” will be the focus of the center’s educational efforts. The mission is to teach younger generations through experiential learning while promoting Jewish values like tikkun olam (repairing the world), Holocaust remembrance, and support for Israel. “Evitchka,” written by Larry and former Jewish Federation marketing director Stephanie Smartschan, tells Eva’s life story from the Nazi era through recent years. Eva was one of only six out of 200 children in her town in Czechoslovakia who survived
the Holocaust. She and her mother and aunt were saved by a Christian family who risked their own lives to hide them in their home. The family’s acceptance of the threat to their well-being and the personal sacrifices they made instilled in Eva a deep commitment to following their example. “She felt it was her mission to tell the world about the miracle that her life represented and to convince other people about spending their lives helping others,” said Larry. Eva and Larry devoted significant time and energy to helping others, a fact witnessed by the Lehigh Valley Jewish community ever since their arrival in the 1970s. They filled various volunteer roles over the decades. To name just two: Eva served as president of the Jewish Federation from
2017 to 2019, and Larry, a neurologist, cofounded the Federation’s Maimonides Society of healthcare professionals 39 years ago. The learning center will put new technology to the task of its Holocaust education mission, with interactive exhibits,
on our shared accomplishments, to shine a light on our unwavering support for Israel, our continued fight against antisemitism, and our commitment to building a vibrant, inclusive, and enduring Jewish community. We educate, we advocate, and, yes, we fundraise, because our mission demands it. “But none of it would be possible without you. Your belief in this work, your generosity, and your partnership fuel everything we do.” Zimmerman called special attention to three com-
munity leaders who were leaving their volunteer roles to successors: Laurie Wax, president of the Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy for three years; Ilene Wood, a Federation board member for three terms and a 2025 winner of the PBS39 Good Neighbor Award; and Robby Wax, president of the Federation board for three years. “None of us could have imagined that the tragic events of October 7, 2023, would shape such a significant part of his presidency,” Zimmerman said. “In the face of fear, grief, and uncertainty, Robby led with strength and resolve. He became a steady voice of reassurance, helping to navigate our response as a community, while also working closely with partners to address critical security needs and support those most affected.” As the time for the presentation ceremony for the Federation’s annual leadership and volunteer awards approached, Bill Markson, who in about half an hour would
be elected to succeed Robby Wax as president, presented an award of his own: the Bait-and-Switch Award. Markson recalled Wax calling him three years ago to persuade him to be cochair of the Federation’s Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. Markson hesitated. He recalled Wax filling the silence: “Just Robert Wax, outgoing Federation president, and Bill because Gary Markson, new Federation president. (Fromer) and I were cochairs you know you have to step before our presidency doesn’t up to be president, because mean you have to follow that has been the expectation suit.” all along.’” That seemed to do the “All I can say,” Markson trick, and Markson became said, “is well played, my campaign cochair. In the friend, well played.” spring of this year, Wax had The real awards for the another serious talk with him. night followed, with the “The switch came a month Community celebration ago,” Markson recalled, continues on page 2 “when you hit me with, ‘Billy,
Larry and Eva z”l Levitt
QR codes, and touchscreens. Indeed, there will even be an area devoted to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics), featuring a 3D printer/scanner, a robotics Levitt Center continues on page 4
Packed hall celebrates community leaders and volunteers
By Carl Zebrowski Editor
A large, enthusiastic, and boisterous crowd came out to the Lehigh Valley JCC on June 12 to celebrate the Jewish community, cheer on awardwinning leaders and other volunteers, and witness the election of new officers to the Jewish Federation board of directors. Jeri Zimmerman, executive director of the Jewish Federation, welcomed the community members. “Our annual meeting is a moment to reflect
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