JCC Maccabi Games: Host Families Needed

The JCC Maccabi Games® Are Coming; Host Families Still Needed to Welcome Visiting Teens
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Less than one month from now Boca Raton will welcome hundreds of Jewish teen athletes from across the country and around the world to the JCC Maccabi Games® where they will compete in team and individual sports and participate in social and community service activities. Many local Jewish families have already signed up to be Host Families from August 10 -15th, but the Levis JCC, the host of the 2014 JCC Maccabi Games in our area, is urgently in need of another 75 beds. “The need is very real, right now, as we will begin the process of matching athletes and Host Families by the end of this week,” said Nancy Carroll, JCC Maccabi Games Director.
“We are very appreciative of the many families who have already committed to this. Being a Host Family is a truly special experience for the families and for the teens,” said Randy Colman, Executive Director of the Levis JCC. “We just need a few more Jewish families to step up and help us make these Games outstanding for the teens who will be visiting.”
Each year, our local teens are warmly welcomed in cities around the country when they participate in the Games as visiting athletes. As a host community, it is now our turn to extend hospitality and offer our teen guests safe, secure places to call “home” during the Games.
Local Jewish Host Families (from Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Parkland) provide:
• housing for at least two visiting athletes,
• breakfast daily and two dinners (Sunday and Tuesday),
• transportation (early morning drop-offs and evening pick-ups);
• daily access to laundry facilities
• a fun evening on Tuesday (Host Family Night).
Host families must be Jewish and must pass a thorough screening process. Full information is available at http://www.bocamaccabi.org, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/boca.maccabi.2014, or by calling the JCC Maccabi Games® Hotline at 561-852-3206
To register to be a host family, families should go to http://www.bocamaccabi.org and click on the “Register Now” link on the right menu bar.

What's Going On At …. ?

We get a lot of questions about what’s going on at various locations.

What’s happening at Glades and 441? What about the old Walmart? What are they doing in Shadowood?

We’ve covered quite a few of these, so here’s a summary:
1. The Old Walmart at Palmetto Park and 441
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Yes, they’re reopening the old Walmart on Palmetto Park Road. We’ve been in touch with them and were hoping to get some more answers but have been disappointed in their delays. The short story is it’ll reopen in a few months.
You can see our latest update on the construction progress here: West Boca Walmart Update.
2. The Shadowood Parking Lot at Glades and 441
They’re adding an outbuilding for a larger Walgreens.
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3. The southeast corner of 441 and Glades
They are doing something at Westwinds of Boca, but we’re not 100% sure what. This is the plaza with Home Depot and Publix.
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There is a plan to add a “future development” in the plaza. However it’s not clear if they’re doing that now. We also have sources telling us there were problems with homeless people, street beggars and others in this area, and that it is being cleaned out to address that.
4. Loggers Run Plaza
We don’t see anything happening on the ground yet, but it looks like a new outbuilding will be built near the Wendy’s in Loggers Run Plaza for a Dunkin’ Donuts and another store to be named later.
Others
There’s a new cell tower coming to the north end of South County Regional Park near the Boca Shores entrance.
YouFit is coming to Sandalfoot Square. The opening date is unknown.
Hobby Lobby is coming to West Boca Square, replacing the old Beall’s. It should open mid-fall.
They’re making great progress on the new Chabad at Boca Greens. We passed by the other day and it’s growing.
We’ve got nothing to report on the closed Outback Steakhouse, or if anything will fill in the old Denny’s in Westwinds of Boca.
If you know of any new business developmetns,

Holocaust Remembrance Day 2014

candleApril 27th is Holocaust Remembrance Day. There are a few events taking place locally to commemorate this day. On April 27th, Jewish and Christian communities will march together in solidarity in commemoration of the Holocaust. The March of Remembrance will begin at 3 p.m. at Boca Raton Christian School at 470 NW 4th Avenue and end at Temple Beth El at 333 SW 4th Avenue. There will be a Holocaust Remembrance program at 4 p.m. following the March. For more information about the March and program, contact Marissa Trowbridge at 561-852-6022.
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The Palm Beach County Library has some programs throughout the county including two at the Hagen Ranch Road Branch at 14350 Hagen Ranch Road in Delray Beach. Holocaust Witness, a docudrama about Halina Laster, a young Polish Jewish girl arrested by the Germans, is being shown on April 28th at 2 p.m. From Memory to History, Voices of the Holocaust, takes place on April 30th at 2 p.m.

Chabad Construction at Boca Greens

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We were in the Boca Greens Plaza today (west side of 441 south of Yamato) and noticed that Chabad of West Boca Raton is making progress with their new building. It will be 12,000 square feet with a synagogue, Hebrew school, “Mikvah” (a ritual bath), lecture hall, video lounge and more.
You can see the planned layout below:
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Here are some more pictures we took today. First a panorama shot showing the Kimberly-441 intersection on the far left:
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And here’s a view of the construction from behind. We saw ducks relaxing in the water as we were leaving:
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And here’s a close-up of the sign in front:
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We don’t see a completion date anywhere, but we’re guessing it will be at least a few more months.
For non-Jews, there’s wide variation in Judaism. Chabad is a century-old movement of Orthodox Hasidic Jews on the traditional and pious end of the spectrum. We know of one other Chabad in West Boca – a small one in Loggers Run Plaza. There are other Orthodox groups, Conservative (sort of in the middle) and Reform (less ritualistic). The Kabbalah Center on the north side of Palmetto Park Road west of the Turnpike is something different.