It is the middle point of the summer, a bit slower, so please indulge me…

I recently celebrated my 55^th birthday, which means tomorrow, July 20, will be 55 years since we first landed on the moon. I always remember the date because that is also my daughter’s birthday.

The space program really started in earnest in 1959, a little more than 10 years after the Holocaust. Wernher von Braun, a former Nazi SS officer who engineered the first ballistic missile for Germany during World War II, had come to the United States and was in charge of NASA’s flight center in Huntsville, Alabama. Abraham Silverstein, a Jew from a poor family in Indiana, worked his way to be NASA’s flight chief. They were America’s best rocket engineers trying to get the United States into space.

Think about this collaboration – a former Nazi and a Jew working side-by-side (and there were many other Nazis and Jews at NASA). One commentator noted, “The two groups were able to work side by side suggests a level of reconciliation, or at least acceptance, that would seem a near impossibility in today’s fractious social and political climate. It was an era when moral judgments took a back seat to a deeply held commitment to the future of space travel and support of national goals.”

Apparently, the two men had a major professional disagreement on what type of fuel should be used to get the rocket to space.

Von Braun wanted the rocket to be powered by kerosene, a fuel he used in Germany. Silverstein, a lead researcher in liquid hydrogen, a much more powerful fuel that had never been used in a rocket, suggested it be used for the long flight. Despite von Braun’s resistance, when the first Saturn rocket ship powered by hydrogen was tested, he acknowledged that Silverstein was right.

A little more about Abe Silverstein. He was active in the Jewish community in Cleveland and co-founded Beth Israel-The West Temple there. He made numerous contributions to America’s space program including the conception and design of America’s first supersonic propulsion wind tunnels, which made supersonic air travel possible.

Most famously, according to Tom Wolfe’s, The Right Stuff, Silverstein might be responsible for part of President John F. Kennedy’s famous “moonshot” speech to Congress on May 25, 1961, where he boldly stated that the U.S. should commit itself to landing a person on the moon and returning them safely to Earth before the end of the decade. According to the book, “Silverstein was asked by then Administrator of NASA James Webb for a bold program to inspire the public; Silverstein told Webb we could go to the moon and Webb asked him how long it would take to achieve that goal. ‘By the end of the decade,’ Silverstein told Webb, who would later relay the information to Kennedy.”

The moon landing was a worldwide event. Approximately 600 million people watched or listened in wonder as Apollo 11 touched down on the moon and Neil Armstrong jumped down on to the lunar surface. I am sure the event garnered a special Shehecheyanu prayer. 

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, shared two wise lessons following the moon landing:

• The moon landing was a culmination of some 400,000 people working toward a common goal. Small as we are, we can achieve greatness if we all work together.

• The cockpit of the rocket contained hundreds of buttons, knobs, and switches. Each one had a function. Pressing the wrong one at the wrong time could spell disaster. Details matter.

This brings me to our follow-up efforts from last year’s Community Study. Last September, we had plans to create "impact teams" to develop recommendations based on the data. Sadly, October 7 changed the timing. So earlier this year, seven teams with a diverse group of 90 community volunteers and professionals met to determine key areas to focus on, drawn from the study’s data. We have entered the next phase where we are beginning to actualize these recommendations:

• Hire a Jewish Life and Learning educator to facilitate learning opportunities across the community

• Address teen mental health with new initiatives

• Special attention focused on the loneliness epidemic, especially with our senior population

• Help community members better navigate social service resources, government benefits, etc.

• Hire a centralized volunteer coordinator

• Facilitate focus groups to determine specific community interests and needs

• Fund neighborhood based, neighbor-led Jewish gathering programs to reach all geographic areas

• Hold a mega community event of interest to Jews and the broader community

• Enhance our Shalom Portland program

• Bring in a Community Shaliach from Israel (anticipated start summer 2025)

• Create multiple dialogue groups with people from differing perspectives to discuss Israel

• Provide financial empowerment and literacy programs for community members

To make these initiatives possible, we have a goal to raise an additional $1.5 million beyond our annaul campaign. A special "thank you" to the Zidell Family who has provided a $500,000 matching challenge grant towards the goal. For every $2 our community raises the family will contribute $1. I am pleased to share that we have already raised $1,050,000 between contributions ($700,000) and the match ($350,000) for what we call our "Catalyst Fund."

In many ways, this is an example of our Jewish “moonshot.” We are responding with bold new initiatives based on data from the community study. We are utilizing the Rebbe's wisdom that we can achieve greatness working together and that details do matter. And, most of all, we look forward to discussions and experimentation to see what is the best "fuel" to make these ideas a success. I am excited to share our progress in the months ahead.

Finally, this past week, I was saddened to learn of the passing of Shannon Doherty, Richard Simmons, Bob Newhart, and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. There is no one my age who did not watch Beverly Hills 90210. Richard Simmons was everywhere in his tank top and jogging shorts. Who didn't love Bob Newhart? More interesting, for whatever reason, when my sister and I were teenagers, my parents would encourage us all together (how awkward!) to watch Dr. Ruth's TV show, “Good Sex! With Dr. Ruth Westheimer.” Maybe my parents wanted to normalize conversations about sex although I never remember having “the talk” with either of them? May all their memories be for a blessing.

Shabbat shalom.