Dear Shluchim and Shluchos, selfless leaders serving the Jewish communities of Russia and Ukraine, Let me begin by taking a moment to wish you a Gmar Chatima Tova, may each of you be signed and sealed in the Book of Life for an awesome 5784. May you have an easy and meaningful Yom Kippur and may you experience G-d’s infinite grace in every facet of this year. It’s a time of annual introspection, between the high holy days Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, and I am reflecting on the people who shined brightly in 5783 and to whom G-d will undoubtedly look to when blessing Am Yisroel with a super 5784, and it’s you who comes to mind.

I know many of you have been waiting for a more detailed recap of our trip to the Cabo San Lucas area. If you’ve read my travel posts, you know that it’s never only about the travel 🙂 I always include life lessons and epiphanies that we experience along the way and trust me there is never a shortage. When we looked at the calendar and realized that winter break of 2022 fell over Chanukah, we panicked just a little. We really look forward to getting away with the family and getting a break from winter. When you have nine months of winter and you live very busy lives in service of the community,,,