Federation Star - November 2012 by Jewish Federation of Collier County

Celebrating Jewish Life in Collier County

Federation Star Published by the Jewish Federation of Collier County serving Naples, Marco Island and the surrounding communities

www.JewishNaples.org INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

6A Community Relations Comm. 7A Community Focus 11A Jewish Interest 13A Israel & the Jewish World 16A Tributes 18A Focus on Youth 22A Rabbinical Reflections 23A Synagogues 25A Organizations 27A Business Directory 30A Community Calendar 31A Community Directory 1B Arts & Culture 6B Women’s Cultural Alliance

4A Nine-day mission to Ukraine and Israel - Pt. 3

19A Professor Einstein’s Exploratorium opens

1B Arts & Culture section

2B Project Mah Jongg exhibit at Jewish Museum of FL

November 2012 - Heshvan/Kislev 5773

Vol. 22 #3

Kasha varnishkes David Willens JFCC Executive Director

was reading the October issue of SAVEUR magazine. Vu den? Because I’m a fresser – I like to cook and eat. And low and behold, on page 26 was a full-page article about kasha varnishkes – including a recipe, complete with the schmaltz. Now you tell me, has our Jewish culture made its way into everyday life? I think so. Besides the matzo ball soup and chopped liver seen on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, we’ve also added many Yiddish words into our vernacular, with words like schlep, chutzpah and schlemiel, for which spellcheck doesn’t even give me a red squiggly underline. And many cable TV networks now carry JLTV (Jewish Life Television). Considering that today there are only about 14 million Jews on the planet, we certainly have made our mark on every civilization over the centuries. There are probably more Jewish Nobel Prize winners in ratio to all others, which frequently reminds me of the following treatise by Mark Twain, first published in Harper’s Magazine in 1897 entitled Concerning the Jews: “If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are

Jewish Federation of Collier County Inc. 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd., Ste. 2201 Naples, FL 34109

Prsrt Std US Postage Paid Permit #419 Ft Myers FL

also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”

Maybe the secret to our immortality is the kasha varnishkes! We at the Jewish Federation of Collier County believe in Jewish community and continuity of Jewish life, and do all that we can to help promote and preserve it – for ourselves and for future generations. We are doing this through our support of youth programs and cultural programs, support for humanitarian needs of Jews in Israel and in 70 countries, grant support for many other programs and organizations, and so much more. If you think that this is important to you, then – give a knish – make a gift to the Federation’s 2012 Campaign today – one that unites our heritage and our hopes. Be sure to see my “Play on Words” column on page 31A. This month’s column, “Corned Beef on Wry,” builds on the food theme of this article.

THE COMMUNITY IS INVITED TO ATTEND THE TENTH ANNUAL

Kristallnacht Memorial Convocation SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2012 3:00 pm 3:00 PM St.St. Agnes Church AgnesCatholic Parish Center

7775 Road, Naples Naples 7775Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Beach Beach Road,

GUEST SPEAKER

Rabbi A. James Rudin,

Senior Interreligious Advisor, American Jewish Committee Distinguished Visiting Professor of Religion and Judaica, Saint Leo University Join us for a special exhibit and reception following the convocation This important community event is Co-Sponsored by the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue of Collier County Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Collier County Diocese of Venice in Florida Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida St. Agnes Catholic Church

The Jewish Federation of Collier County’s policies allow for the inclusion of paid political ads in the Federation Star. These ads do not reflect the views of, or serve as endorsement by, the staff or leadership of the Jewish Federation of Collier County.

Federation Star November 2012

Yochi Melnick

JEWISH FEDERATION

The changing seasons

Sales Associate

Judge Norman Krivosha

Languages: Hebrew/ English

Direct: (239) 269-6527 Office: (239) 262-7131 Email: yochi.melnick@comcast.net Coldwell Banker Previews International 550 Fifth Avenue S Naples, FL 34102

Opening doors For you

jewish Happenings in November November 1: November 4: November 4: November 5: November 6: November 9: November 11: November 13: November 14: November 15: November 15: November 15: November 18: November 19: November 20: November 26:

Against the Tide screening, GenShoah, page 10A Kristallnacht Memorial Convocation, page 6A Dinner & Show, Naples Jewish Social Club, page 25A Rabbi James Rudin Book Talk, page 9B Naples Botanical Gardens tour, Temple Shalom Sisterhood, page 10A Veteran’s Shabbat Service, Temple Shalom, page 10A Welcome Back Community Dance, Temple Shalom, page 15A Jewish Women’s Circle, Chabad, page 24A Jewish Business Connection, page 5A American Technion Society “Lunch and Lecture,” page 9A ORT Luncheon and Art Talk, page 26A Zionist Organization of America meeting, page 9A GenShoah meeting, page 10A “The Dead Sea Scrolls” presentation, Beth Tikvah, page 4B NCJW luncheon meeting, page 25A Book Discussion Group, Beth Tikvah, page 23A

This month’s advertisers This publication is brought to you each month thanks to the support of our advertisers. Please be sure to use their products and services, and mention that you found them in the Federation Star. Abbie Joan.............................5B Beth Adelman, Realtor®......29A Kevin Aizenshtat, Realtor®..29A Applebee’s........................insert Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.28A BR Consulting Group............3B Brookdale Senior Living.......9B City of Hope..........................4B Classic Transportation.........29A Coni Mar Designs................28A Dr. William Ertag, FAAN.....28A FGCU.................................11A Fuller Funeral Home.....28A,6B Dr. David Greene...................4A Gulf Coast Foot & Ankle......7B Gulfshore Playhouse.............3B Hodges Funeral Home...........5B Israel Bonds.........................13A Jewish Museum of Florida.....6A Jewish National Fund..........17A Rickie Klein, Realtor®.........29A Melanie Bacal Korn, M.D....28A Tyler B. Korn, Attorney........28A

A. Stephen Kotler,Attorney..28A LTCi Marketplace...............28A Gary Layton, DDS...............16A Dr. Morris Lipnik...................3A Yochi Melnick, Realtor®.......2A N. Benjamin Interiors.............6B Naples Diamond Service......28A Naples Envelope & Printing.28A Naples Luxury Travel Adv...29A Naples Players.....................12A Naples Rug Gallery................6A Obama for America.............12B ORT America........................1B Palm Royale Cemetery..28A,2B Piano Lessons with Jo Ann...28A Preferred Travel..........14A,15A Patricia Rodinsky, Realtor®.29A Sheldon Starman, CPA........28A Subway.................................2A Dr. Robert Teitelbaum.........28A Temple Shalom.....................7B Yamron..............................32A Debbie Zvibleman, Realtor®..9A

President

s we often say around our house, “TEMPUS FUGIT.” It seems to me that I just assumed the Presidency of the Federation, and here I am writing the November President’s article for the Federation Star. When Helene and I lived up north fulltime, we looked forward to the change of seasons, particularly in the fall with the cooler temperatures, the falling of the leaves, and the gray skies. Here in Naples we observe the changing of the seasons in an entirely different way – with the coming and going of the “snowbirds.” I can tell the season is changing as more and more of our friends and neighbors start the return exodus to Naples, and we warmly welcome them back. Not only is it pleasant to have them back, but to have them back to join us once again in the many Federation activities that take place during the ”season.” In particular we draw your attention to the annual Kristallnacht Memorial Convocation sponsored by the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue, which this year will take place on Sunday, November 4 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Agnes Parish Center. The keynote speaker is Rabbi James Rudin, who played a critical role in establishing the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue here in Collier County. Kristallnacht is one of those events which we must not ever forget nor permit anyone else to forget, and I urge you all to join us for this event. I also invite you to read through this issue for all of the many other Federation activities planned during the coming season. November, whether up north or here in Naples, also means Thanksgiving and all that it brings. The Thanksgiving holiday we celebrate

in America is believed to have had it origin in a 1621 celebration in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The holiday was prompted by reason of a good harvest by the inhabitants of the colony as compared to the first year in Plymouth when the Pilgrims did not have sufficient food to feed themselves and survived only because the Wampanoag Native Americans helped the Pilgrims by providing seeds and teaching them to fish. The Wampanoag may be thought of as an early food bank in America. It therefore seems to me that we need to give some thought to matters other than food as we approach Thanksgiving . We should not forget what it is we have to be thankful about or to ignore whatever we may possess and what others may not have. It is for that reason that I urge all of you who can, to participate in the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue’s Community Service Day program to be held on Sunday, December 2 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Beth Tikvah, 1459 Pine Ridge Road. At that time, groups from across the area will gather to package 60,000 meals for Meals of Hope, to be distributed by the Harry Chapin Food Bank. This project was suggested by Rabbi Sylvin Wolf of the Naples Jewish Congregation and a member of the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue. We are told that many people in Collier County are “food insecure,” including 25,000 school children during the holiday season when the school lunch program is discontinued. This is a wonderful way to truly give thanks and share with the less fortunate. If you cannot personally attend, I hope you will at least contribute to help pay for the cost of the food. There are more details about the program on page 5A. Helene joins me in welcoming back all of our “snowbirds” and wishing all of you our warmest, best wishes for a healthy and happy Thanksgiving. We look forward to seeing you all in the very near future.

Let us custom cater your next event! Specializing in Subway fare – sh. dairy & vegetarian platters too! eat fre Please mention this ad for 10% off all catering orders at the locations listed below*.

Call Matthew Freeman, owner/operator 773.230.5755 Naples Walk CVS Plaza 5555 Golden Gate Parkway 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Road (Golden Gate & Santa Barbara) (Vanderbilt & Airport-Pulling) 239.353.1114 239.653.9165 * Free Delivery, $25 minimum, 5 mile radius of store locations

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS THEY HELP MAKE THE FEDERATION STAR POSSIBLE.

3A Federation Star November 2012 JEWISH FEDERATION

November 2012 Federation Star

“Evy Lipp People of the Book” event holds great promise By Carole J Greene

hen we do the math, we realize that in 2013, Israel turns sixty-five. Throughout this milestone year, much will be written and discussed about the promise inherent in the founding of Israel and the way forward to realize that promise in the face of non-stop assaults on its very existence. No one is better equipped to explore these weighty questions than Rabbi Daniel Gordis, our speaker for the “Evy Lipp People of the Book” event. Although he has not given the Jewish Federation of Collier County the final topic for his presentation on Wednesday, February 20, 2013, it would be reasonable to expect him to speak from his depth of knowledge about today’s Israel and the myriad issues it must confront daily. We can also expect him to be upbeat and hopeful, based on his latest book: The Promise of Israel: Why Its Seemingly Greatest Weakness Is Actually Its Greatest Strength. Some promotional comments about this book impressed me:

“Passionate and persuasive, Daniel Gordis’ The Promise of Israel is a timely reminder that the idea of a nation-state committed to the flourishing of one particular people is more important today than ever before – and one that offers a valuable model for other freedom-seeking nations as well.” Professor Ari L. Goldman, Columbia University; Author, The Search for God at Harvard. From Natan Sharansky, former Soviet prisoner of conscience and human rights activist; current Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency: “Many of us assume that to be truly free, we must abandon the groups into which we were born and the identities we have inherited. But as Daniel Gordis demonstrates in his book The Promise of Israel, the State of Israel’s remarkable history is proof that identity and freedom can coexist, that it is identity that makes genuine freedom possible. A powerful and sure to be controversial work, The Promise of Israel presents a dramatic new way of thinking about the very purpose of

Israel as well as its contributions to human beings everywhere.” Finally, pulling it all together, this analysis by Yehuda Avner, author of The Prime Ministers, and former Israeli Ambassador to Australia and the United Kingdom: “This beautifully composed saga magnificently illustrates the historic truth that wherever Jews have gone in history – whether in agony, in prayer, in hope, in tragedy or in triumph – we have always followed our own way, deeply involved in the paths of history but never swallowed up by them; forever belonging to and contributing mightily to world civilization and yet remaining distinct from it; and, throughout, inspired by the knowledge that Israel is the eternal nation-state of the Jewish people.” Each year’s “Evy Lipp People of the Book” event is presented as a membership perk available to all who belong to the Jewish Federation of Collier County. To join for the first time or to renew your membership, call 239.263.4205.

2013 Community Celebration – Hold the date

ans of pro football probably know already, three months in advance, the date of the next Super Bowl (February 3, 2013). I’m going to tell you another important date to put on your calendar – so you can schedule it the night BEFORE the Super Bowl. Yes, we have our priorities straight. We will all want to support our Jewish Federation of Collier County’s Annual Community Celebration on Saturday, February 2. Then we can attend or host a Super Bowl party with a clear conscience, knowing we’ve participated in a rousing kickoff of our annual fundraising campaign. Our event co-chairs are planning a “Casino Night,” a casual evening of fun and fellowship at Grey Oaks Country Club. Stay tuned for more information as that vital date approaches: February 2 “Casino Night” for the Federation’s campaign kickoff. THEN, the next day, you can relish a slightly less important kickoff. Only slightly. – Carole J Greene

See section B for 12 pages covering local 2012-13 arts & cultural events.

• Remove Brown Spots • Removal of Blood Vessels • Remove Unwanted Hair Dr. M.J. Lipnik

Plus Full Service Dermatology, Evaluation and Treatment Offices: Naples Bonita Springs Estero

239-594-9075

Federation Star November 2012

JEWISH FEDERATION

My Odessa files – chapter three Phyllis Seaman Federation VP & Campaign Chair

n my last two articles, I related stories about what I experienced on my Campaign Chair/Executive Directors Mission to Odessa and Israel. Today I will fill you in on the rest of my experiences in Odessa. We started our day having a Yizkor service at the Holocaust Memorial in Odessa. The memorial is an exceptionally poignant sculpture in a small park square. Birch trees line the entry path to honor the Righteous Gentiles. As we arrived, music from the movie Schindler’s List was playing and we were given stones from Israel to place at the base of the memorial. As we chanted Yizkor, a violent thunderstorm rolled in. It was so apropos for the time, place and mood. It was as if G-d was screaming “Never Again.” Two million Jews were killed in the Ukraine during WWII. Our next stop, after a quick stop at the hotel for a change of clothes since we were drenched, was lunch at a restaurant with at-risk families. These families are being helped through the Joint Distribution Committee, our partner agency. Again we were split up into small groups to have lunch with the parents – most were single

parents – to hear their stories. While the adults talked, the children went downstairs for games, dancing and face painting. They laughed, played and made friends. In our group’s family was the father Michael, his 7-year-old son Ilya, and 3-year-old daughter Sophia. Michael was very grateful for all the services provided by JDC. Ilya gets psychological assistance and medication. He is appreciative of all that The Jewish Federations of North America provides the people of the Ukraine and hopes to someday be able to give back. We then had the opportunity of visiting Beit Grand, Odessa’s JCC. At Beit Grand we heard the stories of two Holocaust survivors. There were a few senior citizens programs, including a crafts program and a folk dancing group – we participated in both. They were thrilled to have us join them. Our time at Beit Grand ended on a beautiful note, with a stage production of music and dance by the children of the community in their lovely theater. Also during our time in Odessa we visited the ORT school. The Jewish Federation of Collier County has been allocating $5,000 a year for transportation for students to be able to attend the ORT school. Robert Singer, the President & CEO, personally thanked the communities that were represented in our group for specifically allocating gifts to make everything possible. ORT schools were

established in Russia in 1880 for technical and mechanical training of Jewish men. This school opened in 1996 as a Jewish National school with 170 students. In 2002, it became an ORT school with 367 students; it Phyllis with Tatiana and Valeria at the crafts program at Beit Grand now has 1,200. In 1947, ORT became My thoughts at the end of each a part of Federation/JDC system. ORT day in Odessa were…I laughed, I is the largest educational institution cried, I kvelled. I am so proud of my in the world, with 200,000 students Jewish heritage and what our people benefiting from their programs. One are made of. We are resilient, hopeful hundred percent of ORT students go and strong. Seeing, experiencing and on to college. feeling what I knew we helped make The Ukraine school won the All possible made me more determined Europe 2012 Robotics Contest. We than ever to get the word out and have got to see a demonstration of their all of you know where your campaign robotics and computer programming dollars go and what they accomplish classes. These children are getting an in so many lives. education to live and succeed in the Again, if you have pledged or modern world. In addition to the usual made your donation for 2012…Thank subjects, they also learn Jewish hisYou! If you haven’t, I hope my stories tory, Hebrew, and Jewish tradition. have touched you enough to consider What Jewish Federation accomhelping us achieve our goal of over plishes through our partners – the one-million dollars. Joint Distribution Committee, the Remember…we make small Jewish Agency for Israel and ORT – is miracles for those in need! so necessary to maintain our Jewish Next month, Israel. Please stay identity around the world. tuned.

Announcing the launch of... Phyllis with students at the ORT school in Odessa

ISRAEL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE PRESENTS

David Greene, MD, FACS Proudly serving Naples for the past 12 years • Ear, Nose & Throat Care • Nasal & Sinus Surgery • Sleep Apnea & Snoring • Rhinoplasty & Minimally Invasive Nasal Procedures • Facial Skin Cancer Surgery • Botox, Restylane & Fillers Yale University School of Medicine, MD Harvard College, BA Residency & Fellowship at UCSF & Stanford

(239) 263-8444 1112 Goodlette Road N., Suite 203, Naples, FL 34102 In Colonial Square, just south of the Post Office

ISRAEL TODAY “THE U.S. AND ISRAEL RELATIONSHIP – THE VIEW FROM WASHINGTON” GUEST SPEAKER:

DR. RALPH NURNBERGER PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY PARTNER – NURNBERGER & ASSOCIATES, WASHINGTON, DC A GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FIRM

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2012

7:00 – 9:00PM HODGES UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY ROOM

2655 NORTHBROOKE DRIVE, NAPLES

DESSERT RECEPTION

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED CONTACT MELISSA AT 263‐4205 OR MELISSA@JEWISHNAPLES.ORG

SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 2013 ISRAEL@65 EVENT

5A JEWISH FEDERATION Federation Star November 2012 Jewish Federation of Collier County 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 2201 Naples, Florida 34109-0613 Phone: (239) 263-4205 Fax: (239) 263-3813 www.jewishnaples.org Email: info@jewishnaples.org Officers President: Judge Norman Krivosha Vice President: Dr. Karen Ezrine Vice President: Dr. Morton Friedman Vice President: Phyllis Seaman Recording Secretary: Kevin Aizenshtat Treasurer: Jerry Sobelman Assistant Treasurer: Jerry Bogo Immed. Past President: Rosalee Bogo

Board of Trustees Alvin Becker Stephen Coleman Ted Epstein Beth Grossman Neil Heuer Linda Hyde Wallie Lenchner Dr. Ronald Roth Sandra Roth Dr. Tracey Roth Arlene Sobol Michael Sobol Berton Thompson Dr. Joel Waltzer Dr. Daniel Wasserman Beth Wolff Barry Zvibleman

Past Presidents Gerald Flagel, Dr. William Ettinger, Ann Jacobson, Sheldon Starman, Bobbie Katz

Board Members Emeritus Ann Jacobson Hans Levy Shirley Levy

Synagogue Representatives Cantor Donna Azu Rabbi Ammos Chorny Yale T. Freeman Stephen Goldenberg Stuart Kaye Rabbi Edward Maline Rabbi Adam Miller Rabbi James Perman Dr. Donald Pomerantz Dr. Arthur Seigel Rabbi Sylvin Wolf Rabbi Fishel Zaklos

Executive Director David Willens

Staff Melissa Keel, Community Prog. Dir. Iris Doenias, Administrative Assistant Deborah Vacca, Bookkeeper

Federation is the central Jewish community-building organization for Collier County, providing a social service network that helps Jewish people in Collier County, in Israel and around the world. As the central fundraising organization for Jewish communal life in our area, strength is drawn from organized committees of dedicated volunteers. Programs include: • Annual Campaign & Endowment fund • Community Relations Committee • Educational & cultural programs • Long Range Planning for expected community growth • Publication of the Federation Star, our monthly newspaper; Connections, our annual resource guide; and Community Directory • Women’s Cultural Alliance • Women’s Division • YAD – Young Adult Division • Youth Activities Committee – sponsoring youth education and scholarships for Jewish Summer Camp and the Israel Experience

November 2012 Federation Star

What’s in Your Genes?

n Tuesday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m.at Beth Tikvah of Naples (1459 Pine Ridge Road), there will be a communitywide educational program to create awareness about screening for potential carriers of 19 Jewish genetic diseases. The Jewish Federation of Collier County, Jewish Family and Community Services of Southwest Florida, Hadassah Chapter of Collier/Lee Counties, and the Victor Center for the Prevention of Jewish Genetics Diseases/Miller School of Medicine University of Miami will host this program. The Victor Center for the Prevention of Jewish Genetic Diseases works in partnership with healthcare professionals, clergy and the community to create awareness about the need for screening and how to access

individuals – including interfaith couples and couples getting pregnant through donor egg/sperm – should be screened with the Jewish partner being screened first. Individuals with one or more Jewish grandparents are considered at risk. Couples should be screened prior to each pregnancy for any new diseases. Since there have been new advances in testing, the list of known genetic diseases is constantly being expanded. “The importance of being screened goes far beyond just finding out if you are a carrier,” said Caren Seligman, coordinator of a similar program for the Jewish Federation in Birmingham, Alabama. “This affects the life of an entire family.” For more information and to RSVP, contact Dr. Karen M. Ezrine at kezrine@hadassah.org. Suggested donation: $10 at the door.

services. There are currently Victor Centers in Philadelphia, Boston and Miami, and community programs in partnership with the National Victor Center in Atlanta, Dallas, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Birmingham. Now prospective parents may determine whether they are carriers of a genetic disease that could threaten the health and life of their children. For Jewish individuals of Central and Eastern European descent, the potential danger is particularly great, since 1 in 4 of these Jews is a carrier for at least one of 19 preventable genetic diseases. Unfortunately, many of these diseases strike in childhood, have no cure, and can lead to an early death. A simple blood test is all that is necessary to screen for the Jewish genetic disease panel of 19. The Victor Center recommends that all at-risk

INVITES YOU TO BE A PART OF THE

JEWISH BUSINESS CONNECTION “IT’S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, IT’S WHO YOU KNOW”

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 5:30-7:30PM THE CLUB AT NAPLES BAY RESORT 1800 Tamiami Trail East

CASH BAR AND HORS D’OEUVRES

PRE-REGISTRATION – $10 PER PERSON IS REQUESTED

Please make your check payable to: Jewish Federation of Collier County 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd., Suite 2201, Naples, FL 34109

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED BY NOVEMBER 12 TO MELISSA@JEWISHNAPLES.ORG CATHOLIC/JEWISH DIALOGUE OF COLLIER COUNTY Invites the entire community to participate in the first annual

2012 COMMUNITY SERVICE DAY A day of community service to benefit individuals and families who are food insecure in Collier County Our Partner agency for this event is Meals of Hope. Our Project is a food-packaging event. Meals of Hope packages food throughout the year – more than 3,500,000 meals annually. It’s an inclusive hands-on approach to feeding people in need.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2 1:30 - 3:30PM BETH TIKVAH 1459 PINE RIDGE ROAD, NAPLES (East of 41 on Pine Ridge Road next to Fire Station) Today in Collier County, more than 62% of children in Collier Schools participate in the free and reduced breakfast and lunch program. This program is not in effect during the winter school vacation. This means that more than 25,000 children may not be getting three meals a day. In order to make the holiday season brighter for the children and families in our community, we ask you to join us for an afternoon of fellowship and service, assembling food packages for distribution to Jewish Family & Community Services of SWFL, Catholic Charities and Collier Schools.

If you would like to participate and are not affiliated with an organization, church or synagogue, contact Melissa Keel at the Jewish Federation to sign up. Call 239.263.4205 or email Melissa@jewishnaples.org. For more information about Meals of Hope, visit www.meals-of-hope.org. We hope that individuals and families will join the Catholic/ Jewish Dialogue for this special Community Service Day.

Federation Star November 2012

Community Relations Committee update Ann Jacobson Community Relations Committee Chair Israel Affairs Committee The Community Relations Committee is pleased to announce that Steve Brazina and Betty Schwartz have been appointed the new co-chairs of the Israel Affairs Committee of the CRC. Much appreciation goes to Richard Nemerson for his leadership and his guidance of this program since its beginning to the present. The Israel Affairs Committee will partner with the Women’s Cultural Alliance to present a three-session series on the history of Israel – its early days to today. This series will be held in February and March. Kristallnacht Memorial Convocation The tenth annual Kristallnacht Convocation will be held Sunday, November 4 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Agnes Parish Center, 7775 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples. Rabbi James Rudin will be the guest speaker. He is the Senior Interreligious Advisor, American Jewish Committee, and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Religion and Judaica, Saint Leo University. Rabbi Rudin’s topic will be “Kristallnacht Remembrance - Nec-

Your dollars make a difference in Israel

essary But Not Sufficient.” The community is invited to the convocation and the reception. A special feature of the afternoon will be an exhibit of school children’s artwork relating to the Holocaust. Rabbi Rudin will review his new book, Cushing, Spellman, O’Connor: The Surprising Story of How Three American Cardinals Transformed Catholic/Jewish Relations, on Monday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Beth Tikvah, 1459 Pine Ridge Road. On Tuesday, December 4 at 6:30 p.m., the Readers & Thinkers group will host a book discussion on the book at Temple Shalom, 4630 Pine Ridge Road. Community Service Day The Catholic/Jewish Dialogue invites the community to participate in the first annual Community Service Day. This food-packaging event is a partnership with Meals of Hope, which provides 3,500,000 packages of food annually to people in need. The event will take place Sunday, December 2 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Beth Tikvah, 1459 Pine Ridge Road. If you would like to participate, sign up by contacting Melissa Keel at the Jewish Federation at 239.263.4205 or melissa @jewishnaples.org. Interested in joining a committee of the Community Relations Committee? Contact Ann Jacobson, CRC Chair, at 239.262.4880 or annrj5@aol.com.

its y b i xh spla E i w Ne on D w No

aphs Division. s, Prints and Phootgr

Library of Congres

JEWISH FEDERATION

Thru March 17, 2013

Editor’s note: The Jewish Federation of Collier County, through your generous donations, provided the Sapir Community Center in Kfar-Saba a grant of $10,000 at the end of 2011 in support of their efforts in this immigrant community. Below is a letter recently received by Federation Executive Director David Willens from Revital Lubinsky at the Community Center.

ear David, We have just started a new school year, and I would like to share with you and with your community some of the important activities performed in Kfar-Saba for the benefit of the deserving Ethiopian population residing in town. Since the new Ethiopian Community Center was erected in Kfar-Saba, we have a wonderful place where most of the programs take place. Wishing to connect the children of this community to their roots, we have decided to conduct Amharic teaching courses, to enable an inter-generation link, since many of the older people do not speak Hebrew. This course deals with teaching the language, as well as providing information on the origins of the Ethiopian culture, thus creating a connection among the children and the adults using the language. The Amharic language is considered to be very difficult. It consists of 34 letters, and each one can be pronounced in seven declensions. Since the response to the course was very high, we have divided the course into two levels, based also on age, since the younger children found it difficult to concentrate. Currently, 28 children, from first to sixth grade, study the language once a week in two groups. To demonstrate some of the complexity, the community has three different traditional blessings before slicing the bread – the Dabo – each for The Women’s Cultural Alliance article and membership form can be found in the Arts & Culture section on page 6B.

Come learn the history and meaning of this popular icon in Jewish-American culture. Project Mah Jongg was curated and is circulated by the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York.The exhibition is made possible through the generosity of the National Mah Jongg League. Additional support is provided by Sylvia Hassenfeld and 2wice Arts Foundation. Local funders for Project Mah Jongg include Robert Arthur Segall Foundation, Funding Arts Network, Charles & Sandra Simon, Joni & Stanley Tate.

Hands-on children’s exhibit with activities exploring immigration themes:

Th Jan. 2 ru 7, 20

Why Move What to Take Where to Go New Beginnings

n migratio Im Sponsors include Publix Super Market Charities, h is Jew RBC Wealth Management, Isabel Bernfeld Anderson, rica Kenneth Bloom in memory of Dr. Harold & Mrs. Ilse Posner, to Ame

SALE

30-50% OFF UP TO 60% OFF Fine Hand-Knotted

Our Reduced Prices

Modern & Traditional New & Antique Rugs Fine Silks

Best Quality at Lowest Price

Elliot & Bonnie Sockel Stone, Judy Gilbert-Gould & Gerald Gould, and Norman & Sylvia Levine.

Jewish Museum of Florida Also see the Museum’s core exhibit, MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida, 1763 to Present with over 500 artifacts and photographs of unique history. Visit the Orovitz Museum Store and have a nosh at Bessie’s Bistro!

301 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach Open Tuesday - Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. www.jewishmuseum.com 305-672-5044

NAPLES RUG

GALLERY 239-793-8787 3285 TAMIAMI TRAIL EAST

(Corner Airport & US41, former County Property Appraiser Bldg) OPEN : MON-FRI 10:00AM-5:30PM • SAT 10:00AM-4:00PM or BY APPOINTMENT

Receive 2 for 1 admission with this ad The Museum is supported by individual contributions, foundations, memberships and grants from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners and the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council.

a separate occasion. Last year’s group studied the most important blessing, said by the head of the family at home on holidays and on Shabbat, and by the Kes – the spiritual leader in traditional events. Some of the children even say the blessing at home. At the end of the year, a parents conference was held, updating them on their children’s studies. They have received information on the content and the improvement. Following the event, one of the younger fathers approached the center’s manager, told her that he himself doesn’t know how to read or write Amharic, nor the bread blessings, and that the whole family was astonished that on one Shabbat their son stood up and blessed the bread, as he has learned in the course. The boy currently knows more about the tradition than his father! In addition to the language and culture lessons, we intend to organize two events during this school year, reflecting the Ethiopian culture. The children, their parents, as well as other adults from the Ethiopian community will be invited. Three longer study meetings will be organized. The content is currently drafted by the teachers and the Community Center Manager. We feel it is so important to assist this wonderful community, preserving its language and tradition. We thank you and your community for your continuous support and wish you all a Happy New Year. Revital Lubinsky, External Relations and Resource Development The Shoshana and Pinhas Sapir Kfar-Saba Community Center

FedStar

5% of the purchase price will be donated to a Jewish organization of your choice

7A November 2012 Federation Star COMMUNITY FOCUS

November 2012 Federation Star

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM & ED CTR OF SWFL www.holocaustmuseumswfl.org / 239-263-9200

Giving thanks to the people in our lives Amy Snyder Executive Director

e are entering the season of holidays and festivities. This is the time of year that we reflect on the blessings we’ve received. Always at the top of my list is family. One of the hardest aspects in teaching and learning about the Holocaust is the effect it had on families. As we’ve seen in the Letters Home

exhibit and in hearing from our own survivors here in Southwest Florida, we know the devastation wrought on families during this time. But we also have the opportunity to witness recovery and resilience. Many of those who survived these events went on to create new lines of their family, and their legacy is firmly established in this world. We’ve also seen that close bonds aren’t always about blood ties. In my nine years at the Holocaust Museum & Education Center, in learning not only the stories of our survivors’ past but participating in their present, they have become part of my family. Many are like parents to me – telling

me when to color my hair or when I look tired; asking about my nephews and sending greetings home to my husband. They have touched my heart in many ways and they are the heart of the Museum. I am thankful for all of these relationships, but for two in particular: Ann Jacobson and Lorie Mayer. These two women are synonymous with the Museum and have been its core for the past ten years. It was their dedication

Ann Jacobson

to teaching about the past to current and future generations that helped to establish the original footprint of the Museum. They have remained passionate and committed to the mission and growth of the Museum through its first decade, and have assisted in making sure there is a foundation for the next. It has been my pleasure and privilege to learn at the feet of these women, whose lives reflect quiet grace and dignity. As we head into the busy season of parties and celebrations, may we remember each day to give thanks for those in our lives who shine brightly.

Amy Snyder & Lorie Mayer

JFCS update Dr. Jaclynn Faffer JFCS Executive Director

am often asked the question, “How does Jewish Family and Community Services of Southwest Florida (JFCS) do all that it does?” The answer is really a simple one. JFCS is able to provide all of our services because of YOU! Without your support we would not exist, and we certainly would not be able to provide our life sustaining and life supporting services to our community. You make it happen! How do you do it? By supporting us in many different ways. By now, many of you have responded to our annual Friends Campaign by sending in your donations to JFCS. The JFCS Friends Campaign supports our core services of mental health counseling, senior outreach and support, and financial assistance. Without the Friends Campaign there would not be a “Just Lunch” program for our seniors, mental health counseling to help an adolescent boy deal with his feelings about the loss of his mother, or financial assistance to enable a family to keep the power on until they get back on their feet. The synagogues in our community have always partnered with us in support of our Food Pantry. This year Beth Tikvah, the Naples Jewish Congregation and the Jewish Congregation of Marco Island held food drives for our JFCS Food Pantry over the High Holidays. Over 100 bags of food were collected to help us feed the hungry. And of course, let’s not forget our award-winning partner-

ship for our Seder-in-a-Box program in partnership with Beth Tikvah, the Naples Jewish Congregation, the Jewish Congregation of Marco Island, and Temple Shalom. The PJ Library is entering its second year in our community with 129 children receiving books and media through our partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. On October 24, we are having a special luncheon at the home of Debby and Jeff Waranch to thank our donors from year 1 and to launch year 2 of our PJ Library program. Diane Freedland from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation will speak to those gathered about The PJ Library’s plans for the future. We will also hear firsthand from one of our PJ Library families about how the program enhances the lives of the children every month when the books arrive. Look for more about The PJ Library in my next column. On Tuesday, January 15, 2013, JFCS will have its first fundraising event, “Planting Seeds for Better Tomorrows.” Generously sponsored by BMO-Harris Bank, the event will take place at the Naples Botanical Garden at 5:30 p.m. and will include a garden tour, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Internationally recognized author and non-profit expert, Carol Weisman, will discuss her most recent book, Raising Charitable Children. The event is co-chaired by Carol & Marv Lader and Myra & Mort Friedman. “Planting Seeds for Better Tomorrows” is another way the community can partner with JFCS to support our work. In this month of Thanksgiving we want to express our thanks to all of you for helping JFCS help so many. And of course, a very special “Thank You” to our major supporter, The Jewish Federation of Collier County.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS. THEY HELP MAKE THE FEDERATION STAR POSSIBLE.

The PJ Library, a partnership between Jewish Family and Community Services of Southwest Florida (JFCS) and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, has just completed its first year! Every month, 129 children between the ages of 6 months and 8 years are receiving books and media with Jewish content. JFCS thanks our PJ Library Donors and Community Partners for helping us make this exciting dream a reality! Our PJ Library Community Partners: Our PJ Library Donors: Beth Tikvah of Naples Coleman Foundation Chabad Jewish Center of Naples Federation Media Group Temple Shalom Dr. Mort & Myra Friedman Estelle & Stuart Price Janet & Howard Solot Temple Shalom Linda & Jerry Wainick Ellen & Ed Wollman

! u o Y k n Tha

COMMUNITY FOCUS

Federation Star November 2012

“Our Torah – Scribing Our Future” Temple Shalom invites you to take part in this sacred task By Debra Antzis, “Our Torah” Committee Chair “Write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the children of Israel.” – Deuteronomy 31:19 / The 613th Commandment n Rosh Hashanah, Temple Shalom announced an extraordinary new project: “Our Torah – Scribing Our Future.” We will come together as a community to fulfill the 613th Commandment – the mitzvah of writing a new Torah Scroll. Unique in all the world, the Torah possesses an extraordinary history, immense power, and an awesome beauty. Having survived almost un-

changed through three millennia, it is responsible for holding the Jewish people together through unspeakable hardship and a Diaspora to the four corners of the earth. We invite you to join us and hear the amazing story of the Torah, feel your connection to its power, and experience the beauty of its verse. As the “Our Torah” project evolves, we will encounter Torah in a new light and discover its relevance to our lives today – as individuals, as families, as a Jewish community. Over the course of the next fifteen months, we will have several letter

scribing sessions, in which individuals and families will have the opportunity, guided by our “sofer,” or scribe, to write a letter in a new Torah scroll. There will also be ongoing Torah education for adults and children: songs, plays, lectures, art projects, cantillation classes, a Torah fair and much more. All are welcome to attend these events, learn more about our unique heritage, and scribe a letter in our new Torah scroll. Save the Date! The Opening Ceremony for “Our Torah” will take place on Sunday, December 9 at 11:00 a.m. in the Temple Sanctu-

Update Your Passport Update Your Passport Only 7 seats left! Sign up today! Update Your Passport WCA is planning a trip to ISRAEL

WCA is is planning planning a a trip trip to to ISRAEL ISRAEL WCA April 4-12, 2013 April 4-12, 4-12, 2013 2013 April for WCA and for WCA and for WCA and Update Your Passport…We’re going to Israel adult Federation Update Your Passport…We’re Passport…We’re going going to to Israel Israel adult Federation Update Your adult Federation Update Your Passport…We’re going to Israel WCA is planning a trip to ISRAEL members WCA is is planning planning a a trip trip to to ISRAEL ISRAEL members WCA April 4-12, 2013 WCA is planning a trip to ISRAEL members Optional ExtensionApril to Eilat & Petra, Jordan, April 13-15 4-12, 2013 Optional to Eilat & Petra, April 13-15 April 4-12, 2013Jordan, forExtension WCA and adult Federation members

April 4-12, 2013Jordan, Optional Extension to Eilat & Petra, April Optional Extension to Eilat & April 13-15 13-15 for WCA and adult Federation members Petra, Jordan, What’s for included: April 4-12 WCA and adult Federation members for WCA and4-12 adult Federation members What’s included: April 4-12 4 nights –April Inbal Jerusalem We will also offer an Extension to Eilat & Petra, Jordan, April 13‐15 What’s included:

What’s included: 4-12 4 nights ––April Inbal Jerusalem We will also offer an Extension to Eilat & Petra, Jordan, April 13‐15 2 nights Kfar Blum Pastoral Hotel – located in the 4 nights – Inbal Jerusalem We will also offer an Extension to Eilat & Petra, Jordan, April 13‐15 What’s included: April 4‐12 4 Inbal Jerusalem We will also offer an Extension to Eilat & Petra, Jordan, April 13‐15 2 nights – Kfar Blum Pastoral Hotel – located in the Upper Galilee on thePastoral banks ofHotel the Jordan River What’s included: April 4‐12 2 nights – Kfar Blum – located in 4 nights – Inbal Jerusalem 2 nights nightsGalilee – David Kfaron Blum – Aviv located in the the Upper thePastoral banks ofHotel theTel Jordan River What’s included: April 4‐12 2 – Intercontinental 4 nights – Inbal Jerusalem What’s included: April 4‐12 2 nights – Kfar Blum Pastoral Hotel – located in the Upper Galilee on the banks of the Jordan River Upper Galilee on the banks of the Jordan River Upper Galilee onand thefrom banks of theTel 4 nights – Inbal Jerusalem 2 nights – David Intercontinental Aviv River 2 nights – Kfar Blum Pastoral Hotel – located in the Upper Galilee on the banks of the Jordan River • Transfers to airport /Jordan hotel 4 nights – Inbal Jerusalem 2 nights – David Intercontinental Tel Aviv 2 nights – David Intercontinental Tel Aviv 2 nights – Kfar Blum Pastoral Hotel – located in the Upper Galilee on the banks of the Jordan River 2 nights – David Intercontinental Aviv 2 nights – David Intercontinental Tel Aviv • Transfers to and from airport Tel / hotel 2 nights – Kfar Blum Pastoral Hotel – located in the Upper Galilee on the banks of the Jordan River • Guides • Transfers to and from airport / hotel 2 nights – David Intercontinental Tel Aviv • Transfers to and from airport / hotel • Guides Transfers tobreakfast and fromeach airport /with hotela lunch or dinner 2 nights – David Intercontinental Tel Aviv • Full Israeli day •• Transfers to and from airport / hotel • Guides Guides Guides • Full Israelifees breakfast each day with a lunch or dinner • Transfers to and from airport / hotel • Full Entrance Guides Transfers to and from airport / hotel •• Full Israeli breakfast each day with a lunch or dinner • Israeli breakfast each day with aa lunch or dinner Full Israeli breakfast each day with lunch or dinner • Guides • Entrance fees • Tips to guides, driver, hotel staff Full Israeli breakfast each day with a lunch or dinner Guides •• Entrance fees • Entrance fees • Full Israeli breakfast each day with a lunch or dinner • Tips Entrance feesfordriver, to guides, hotel staff on days 3, 4, 5 & 6 Entrance fees Full Israeli breakfast each day with a lunch or dinner • Two options tours hotel (included) •• Tips to guides, driver, hotel staff • Tips to guides, driver, staff • Entrance fees Tips to guides, staff on days 3, 4, 5 & 6 • Two options fordriver, tours hotel (included) •• Tips to guides, driver, hotel staff Entrance fees Two options for tours (included) on days 3, 4, 5 & 6 • Two options for tours (included) on • Tips to guides, driver, hotel staff Not Airfare, insurance, not mentioned • Two options for toursmeals (included) on days days 3, 3, 4, 4, 55 & & 66 • included: Two options for tours (included) on days 3, 4, 5 & 6 Tips to guides, driver, hotel staff • included: Two options for tours (included) on days 3, 4, 5 & 6 Not Airfare, insurance, meals not mentioned Not included: • Two options for tours (included) on days 3, 4, 5 & 6 Not included: Airfare, insurance, meals not mentioned Not included: Not Airfare, meals not mentioned • included: Airfare, insurance, meals not mentioned EXTENSION: Aprilinsurance, 13-15 to Eilat and Petra, Jordan Not included: • EXTENSION: Airfare, insurance, meals not mentioned Not included: April 13-15 to Eilat and Petra, Jordan • EXTENSION: Airfare, insurance, meals not mentioned April and Included: • What’s Airfare, insurance, meals not mentioned EXTENSION: April 13-15 13-15 to to Eilat Eilat and Petra, Petra, Jordan Jordan What’s Included: Eilat EXTENSION: April 13‐15 to Eilat and Petra, Jordan 3 nights – Isrotel Royal Beach What’s Included: EXTENSION: April 13‐15 to Eilat and Petra, Jordan Included: Eilat 3What’s nights – Isrotel Royal Beach • Flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat and back to Tel Aviv EXTENSION: April 13‐15 to Eilat and Petra, Jordan 33 nights – Isrotel Royal Beach Eilat EXTENSION: April 13‐15 to Eilat and Petra, Jordan What’s Included: nights – Isrotel Royal Beach Eilat •• Flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat and back to Tel Aviv What’s Included: 1-day PetraTel tour with guide •• Flight from Aviv to Eilat and back to Tel Aviv 3 nights – Isrotel Royal Beach Eilat Flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat and back to Tel 1-day Petra tour with guide What’s Included: Full Israeli breakfast and Friday night dinnerAviv What’s Included: •3 nights – Isrotel Royal Beach Eilat Flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat and back to Tel Aviv ••• 1-day Petra tour with guide 1-day Petra tour withand guide 3 nights – Isrotel Royal Beach Eilat Full Israeli breakfast Friday night dinner ••3 nights – Isrotel Royal Beach Eilat Flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat and back to Tel Aviv 1‐day Petra tour with guide •• Full Israeli breakfast and Friday night dinner • Flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat and back to Tel Aviv Full Israeli breakfast and Friday night (2) dinner •• 1‐day Petra tour with guide Flight from Tel Aviv to Eilat and back to Tel Aviv Full Israeli breakfast and Friday night dinner PARTICIPATION LIMITED TO TWO BUSES –

• 1‐day Petra tour with guide • Full Israeli breakfast and Friday night dinner 1‐day Petra tour with guide PARTICIPATION LIMITED TO TWO (2) BUSES BUSES –– Approximately 80 Members PARTICIPATION LIMITED TO 40 MEMBERS • Full Israeli breakfast and Friday night dinner PARTICIPATION LIMITED TO TWO (2) • Full Israeli breakfast and Friday night dinner PARTICIPATION LIMITED80TO TWO (2) BUSES – Approximately Members WE WILL LIMIT PARTICIPATION TO ONLY TWO (2) BUSES – Approximately 80 Members

What if there was one place…

COSTWE WILL LIMIT PARTICIPATION TO ONLY TWO (2) BUSES – Approximately 80 Members OF TRIP – estimate of $2,500/person AIRFARE (COACH) – est. of $2,000/person COST OFSupplement TRIP – estimate of $2,500/person AIRFARE (COACH) – est. of $2,000/person AIRFARE (COACH) – estimate of $2,000 per person WE WILL LIMIT PARTICIPATION TO ONLY TWO (2) BUSES – Approximately 80 Members COST OF TRIP – estimate of $2,500 per person Single – estimate of $1,000 Business Class upgrade available WE WILL LIMIT PARTICIPATION TO ONLY TWO (2) BUSES – Approximately 80 Members COST OF TRIP – estimate of $2,500/person AIRFARE (COACH) – est. of $2,000/person Single Supplement – estimate of $1,000 COST OF TRIP – estimate of $2,500 per person AIRFARE (COACH) – estimate of $2,000 per person Business Class upgrade available COST OFSupplement TRIP – estimate of $2,500/person AIRFARE (COACH) – est. of $2,000/person Single – estimate of $1,000 Business Class upgrade available COST OF TRIP – estimate of $2,500 per person AIRFARE (COACH) – estimate of $2,000 per person Single Supplement – estimate of $1,000 Single Supplement – estimate of $1,000 Business Class upgrade available Business Class upgrade available COST OF TRIP – estimate of $2,500 per person AIRFARE (COACH) – estimate of $2,000 per person Single Supplement – estimate $1,000 Class upgrade available EXTENSION TO EILATofAND PETRA –Business estimate of $1,200/person EXTENSION TO EILAT AND PETRA – estimate of $1,200 per person Single Supplement – estimate of $1,000 Business Class upgrade available Single Supplement – estimate of $1,000 Business Class upgrade available EXTENSION TO EILAT–AND PETRAof – estimate of $1,200/person Single Supplement estimate $400 of EXTENSION TO EILAT AND PETRA – estimate of $1,200 per person Single Supplement – estimate of $400 EXTENSION TO EILAT AND PETRA – estimate EXTENSION TO EILAT AND PETRA – estimate of $1,200 per person EXTENSION TO EILAT AND PETRA – estimate of $1,200/person $1,200/person Single Supplement – estimate of $400 Single Supplement – estimate of $400 EXTENSION TO EILAT AND PETRA – estimate of $1,200 per person Single Supplement – estimate of $400 Single Supplement – estimate of $400 RESERVATIONS FOR LAND PACKAGE WILL BE ACCEPTED WITH $500 DEPOSIT PER PERSON PAYABLE TO THE Single Supplement – estimate of $400 Single Supplement – estimate of $400 RESERVATIONS FOR LAND PACKAGE WILL BE ACCEPTED WITH $500 DEPOSIT PER PERSON PAYABLE TO THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF COLLIER COUNTY. ITINERARY AND APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE RESERVATIONS FOR LAND PACKAGE WILL BE ACCEPTED WITH $500 DEPOSIT PER PERSON PAYABLE TO THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF COLLIER COUNTY. ITINERARY AND APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE FEDERATION OFFICE OR EMAIL IRIS@JEWISHNAPLES.ORG FOR AN ELECTRONIC COPY. RESERVATIONS FOR LAND PACKAGE WILL BE ACCEPTED WITH $500 DEPOSIT PER PERSON PAYABLE TO THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF COLLIER COUNTY. ITINERARY AND APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE

Approximately Approximately 80 80 Members Members

ary. At the ceremony, we will honor the history of the Jewish community in Naples, and celebrate our joint future, by helping our Torah scribe write the first letter of the first word in the Torah – B’reishit – “In the beginning.” I invite you all to join with us on this joyous occasion and be a part of this new beginning. I got involved in this project because I believe writing a letter in a Torah scroll would, in a unique and special way, give my two daughters – ages eleven and six – a sense of connection and belonging to our Temple and to the Jewish community in Naples. My hope is that once my daughters have had a hand in writing in the “Our Torah” Scroll, they will be linked to our temple and the greater Jewish Community of Naples in a way that can never be broken. As I got more involved in “Our Torah,” I realized that the same is true for all of us – if we all join together to accomplish this task, we will be linked to each other in a way we never have been before. We will affirm our Jewish identity and our commitment to our heritage and our future together. Please join us. For information about “Our Torah” programming or to RSVP for the Opening Ceremony, contact me at dantzis.ourtorah@gmail.com, or call the temple office at 239.455.3030 x202.

ÎÎ to meet the needs of Jews and non-Jews, young and old, wherever they live? ÎÎ inspired by bold, often daring pursuits of social justice and human rights? ÎÎ you could make stronger by rich traditions of advocacy, education, responsibility and tzedakah?

There is! Federation. It starts with you! To learn more, call 239.263.4205.

COMMUNITY FOCUS 9A November 2012 Federation Star

November 2012 Federation Star

2012 Associates “Centennial Man” – Jack Wiadro

he National Committee of Hadassah Associates (NCHA) is proud to announce its selection of Jack Wiadro as the 2012 National Associate of the Year “Centennial Man” recipient. Mr. Wiadro, an active Associate of the Collier County Chapter, Florida Central Region, exemplifies the slogan of the Hadassah Associates – Men with a Mission who make a difference in the world and their local community. Jack was nominated as a candidate for this award by Shelley Skelton, President of the Collier County Chapter. Shelley submitted his recent activities and accomplishments in response to the announcement and guidelines of this award, distributed to all presidents around the country earlier in the year. When Jack was informed that he had been chosen to receive this honor by the NCHA President and National Associates Team Chair, he humbly replied, “I haven’t done anything special. There are many other men who do

more. Frankly, I am more than a Jack has helped to plan and little embarrassed to be singled out lead many interesting events for for this honor when it could not and the men and women in his community. One such event was an intelwould not have happened without Gil lectually stimulating debate about the Rashbaum, Rob Nossen and Ed constitutionality of the Ezrine, who have spent “Patient Protection and many years building Affordable Care Act.” the foundations of the All chapter Associates Collier County Chapter events raise good spirit of Associates.” and funds for HadasThis very desah while educating the serving recipient was community. selected from many To g e t h e r w i t h worthy Associates who his co-chairs, Jack is are similarly dedicated to the mission of Hacredited with helping Jack Wiadro to increase his chapdassah. ter’s Associate enrollment by 35%. Jack Wiadro is part of a FourJack’s current goal is to mentor new Generation Hadassah Family. Jack has Associate leadership for the chapter. traveled to Israel to see the Hadassah In recognition of Jack’s significant projects firsthand. He has supported contribution to the core values of the Hadassah as a Major donor and is Jewish people, and due in large part currently the Collier County Hadassah to his support of Hadassah’s vital Associates Co-Chair. He is a former Trustee of Temple Shalom, a member work in Israel and the United States, Collier County Chapter was able to of the Jewish Federation of Collier honor their Associates with a brick County, and a Jewish War Veteran.

Zionist Organization of America update By Gene Sipe, VP, Southwest Florida Chapter ZOA

sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his message to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 27. The essence of his message could easily be distilled to two lines: “Ladies and gentlemen, the relevant question is not when Iran will get the bomb. The relevant question is at what stage can we no longer stop Iran from getting the bomb.” The ZOA applauded this message and urged President Obama to adopt a policy to impose clear red lines on Iran. We have tried appeasement. We have tried sending money. We have tried sanctions. We have tried negotiations. We tried enlisting the support of world bodies. What will it take? The best analogy I can use to explain Mr. Netanyahu’s approach is to say children must learn restraint. They don’t naturally impose boundaries on themselves. They require supervision of adults to teach them how to coexist. They must be told NO. They must be told that there are consequences to their actions. Iran has blatantly said they are unwilling to coexist with Israel. Both Hamas and Fatah have stated in their charters that Israel has no right to exist. Hezbollah is chafing at the bit to unleash its arsenal of rockets on Israel. The increasingly pervasive world option espouses that, after all, Israel is responsible for all of this turmoil. Israel, whose major purpose is to provide a safe haven for the Jewish people, is not the cause, but the sacrificial lamb of the nations. Were Israel not there, would Syria not be dropping bombs on Turkey, would Sunni not be blowing up Shia and vice versa, would Christians not be persecuted in Egypt, would Salafists not be destabilizing the newly democratic government of Algiers, would the Taliban not

be slaughtering Afghan civilians, would al-Harakat al-Islamiyya not be terrorizing the Philippines, would Jaish-e-Mohammed not be ruthlessly murdering Indians? Do I need to continue? There is little if any uncertainty that a nuclear Iran will be devastating to the balance of power in the region and ultimately the world. At this point in history, Israel’s very existence is in dire jeopardy. The ZOA takes a firm position in favor of backing Mr. Netanyahu and encourages your support as well. The next chapter meeting of the Zionist Organization of America will be at Beth Tikvah (1459 Pine Ridge Road, Naples) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 15. Our programs are open to the public and refreshments will be served. Couvert is $5 per person and we ask that you RSVP to chapter president Jerry Sobel at jerrysobel@aol.com or me at mrnsrvr@gmail.com no later than November 12. Mark your calendar for the January meeting. Dr. Stephen Steinlight has accepted ZOA’s invitation to speak to our community. Dr. Steinlight is Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) in Washington, D.C. He focuses on ascending trends in immigration and immigration policy, America’s changing demography and culture, the politics of immigration, the impact of immigration on the nation’s social cohesion, the consequences of mass low-skill immigration on America’s most vulnerable groups, and reviews immigration legislation. This will be a fascinating program you will certainly want to hear. It’s being hosted at Beth Tikvah at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9, 2013.

on the Centennial Path at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem. Jack has succeeded in several careers before and after “retirement.” He has a passion for automobiles and is an avid doubles tennis player. He relishes the time he can spend with his grandchildren and enjoys travel. He looks forward to experiencing Israel’s electric car system during Hadassah’s Centennial Convention in Jerusalem. Jack Wiadro was honored at the Hadassah Associates Annual Meeting and Special Program on October 18, at which Better Place and Hadasit, two of Israel’s most innovative hightech companies, were featured. Jack Wiadro exemplifies the ideals of Hadassah and its accomplishments. We salute Jack and all Associates who are so vital to Hadassah’s current and future successes. Kol Hakavod! For more information about Hadassah Associates, call 800.928.0685 or email associates@hadassah.org. Source: www.hadassah.org

American Technion Soc. “Lunch & Lecture” series

he American Technion Society - Naples Chapter is proud to announce its “Lunch and Lecture” event dates for 2012-2013. While speakers and topics will be announced shortly, supporters of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology can look forward to fascinating presentations from Israel’s premiere science and technology university. All “Lunch and Lecture” events will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Vineyards Country Club, 400 Vineyards Blvd., Naples. The cost to attend is $20 per person, and guests must RSVP at least two business days in advance to Lou Goldman at 239.592.5884

and send their check to Mr. Goldman at 6830 San Marino Drive, Unit #709, Naples, FL 34108. (Guests are strongly encouraged to send checks in advance.) Save these dates: • Thursday, November 15, 2012 • Friday, December 14, 2012 • Friday, January 25, 2013 • February 2013 (date TBD) • Thursday, March 14, 2013 • Wednesday, April 17, 2013 For more information, please contact Jennifer Singer, director of the ATS-Naples Chapter, at 941.378.1500 or Jennifer@ats.org.

SIGN UP FOR THE FEDERATION’S WEEKLY COMMUNITY eNEWSLETTER! Get the latest information on upcoming community events and cultural activities, news from Israel, important news updates and lots more.

Send an email to info@jewishnaples.org or visit www.jewishnaples.org.

BUYING ~ SELLING RELOCATING

Call Debbie Z for all your Real Estate needs (239) 272-8878 DZvibleman@JohnRWood.com

www.debbiesellsyourhome4you.com Search for Southwest Florida Properties at: http://dzvibleman.listingbook.com 10% of my net commission will be donated to the charity of your choice

COMMUNITY FOCUS

10A Federation Star November 2012

GenShoah sponsors AIPAC briefing about Israel Against the Tide screening and its neighbors By Ida Margolis

he 2012-2013 season for GenShoah (Generations of the Shoah of SWFL) is underway with meetings and activities. GenShoah is sponsoring a public showing of the film Against the Tide: The Story of America and the Holocaust at the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida on Thursday, November 1 at 6:30 p.m. The moderator for the film is our own “movie maven,” Steve Brazina, who is also taking reservations for the film at sbrazina@aol.com. Space is limited in the Museum, so make your reservation soon. The film is a compelling story that documents how a young activist, Peter Bergson, challenged Washington and the establishment Jewish organizations during the Holocaust to demand that the rescue of Europe’s Jews become a top priority. There will be group discussions after the film. Another important date for GenShoah is Sunday, November 4. That is the date of the 10th annual Kristallnacht Memorial Convocation, which will be held this year at St. Agnes Parish Center at 3:00 p.m. The Catholic/Jewish Dialogue has extended a

By Jeff Margolis, Israel Affairs Committee member special invitation to all members of GenShoah to participate in this program. Reservations are not needed for this important program, but those who wish to participate should e-mail me at ida.margolis2@gmail.com. The monthly GenShoah meeting for November will be held at the Museum on the usual third Sunday of the month, November 18 at 4:30 p.m. In addition to agenda items and planning for future guests and events, the featured speakers for this meeting will be GenShoah members Marina Berkovich and Hadassah Schulman, who will be updating members on the survivors’ video project. Any individuals who are children or grandchildren of Holocaust survivors are always invited to all GenShoah meetings and activities. You are also welcome to attend if you support our mission of “Promotion of Holocaust education, preservation of memories of the Holocaust, connection of Second Generation members to one another, and support of the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida.” For more information about GenShoah, contact me at ida.margolis2@ gmail.com or 239.963.9347.

“

srael is a good country in a bad neighborhood.” That is how Dr. Stephen Berk sized up the Middle East situation when he addressed members of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) at an October 3 meeting at Temple Beth El in Fort Myers. Dr. Berk, a History and Holocaust Studies professor at Union College in Schenectady, New York, analyzed the implications of various scenarios involving the players in the Middle East. He discussed the current situation in Syria as well as the recent regime change in Egypt that was brought about by the “Arab Spring.” He also gave his assessment of the Muslim Brotherhood. Professor Berk emphasized the issue of the current ongoing crisis in Iran and its march toward develop-

ing nuclear weapons. Dr. Berk noted that many of the observer nations were taking the attitude that either the United States or Israel (or both nations) would take some action against the Iranian government as it drew clearer that economic sanctions have not worked. Professor Berk also offered his opinion of the “Two-State Solution,” which he believes is a critical step in creating a lasting “peace” with the Palestinians. Among those who attended the lecture were members of the Collier County Israel Affairs Committee: Betty Schwartz, Steven Brazina, Melissa Keel and Jeff Margolis. David Willens, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Collier County (JFCC), was also in attendance. David Willens, Executive Director, JFCC; Melissa Keel, Community Program Director, JFCC; Professor Stephen Berk, guest speaker; Jacki Waksman, North & Central Florida Area Director, AIPAC; Betty Schwartz, co-Chair Israel Affairs Committee, JFCC; Steve Brazina, co-Chair Israel Affairs Committee, JFCC; and Jeff Margolis, Israel Affairs Committee, JFCC.

Temple Shalom events open to the community

The Naples Jewish Caring Support Group

he Sisterhood of Temple Shalom invites you to join them for a magical visit to the beautiful Naples Botanical Gardens, including lunch and a special tour! The group will meet at the temple on Tuesday, November 6 at 11:00 a.m., and then carpool to the Botanical Gardens for a wonderful experience. Tickets are $22 for Sisterhood members and $25 for nonmembers. To make your reservation, please contact Judi Spintman at 239.348.8713. ~~~ Join Temple Shalom on Friday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m. for the annual Veteran’s Shabbat Service as we honor the men and women who have so proudly served in the Armed

Forces. No reservations are required. All are welcome. ~~~ Temple Shalom’s Sisterhood Book Bag meets on Thursday, November 15 at 1:00 p.m. to discuss The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, the fictional story of Ernest Hemingway’s marriage to his first wife Hadley. The New York Times says “Hadley was, by all accounts including this one, a very fine and decent person, but she was the starter wife of a man who wound up treating her terribly,” and calls The Paris Wife “a work of literary tourism that expertly flatters its reader.” All are welcome and there is no fee. For more information, please contact the temple office at 239.455.3030.

House sitting/pet sitting services available Non-smoker / non-drinker available for house sitting and/or pet sitting (long or short term). Excellent references. Reasonable rates. For more information, call 239.285.4722.

Hanukkah Dinner Dance Naples Jewish Congregation invites the community to join us at our annual Hanukkah Dinner Dance on Sunday, December 9. We’ll be dining and dancing at Naples Heritage Golf & Country Club from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m. to the music of our DJ Don Rutz. The full dinner includes the traditional foods and lots of latkes. Cost: $40 for members; $50 for nonmembers. For more information and reservations, please call Iris Weissman at 239.431.7944.

hen engulfed with stress, have you ever craved the closeness you once had with family and friends? For the last four years the Naples Jewish Caring Support Group has provided us with a safe and friendly environment. Talking through our pent-up emotions is possible because we know confidentiality is paramount with our group. We have become a cohesive, understanding and sensitive group of men and women who give each other the gift of experiential wisdom. We are led by a retired psychotherapist, Florette Kahn. Florette practiced with her husband for over twenty-five years in New Jersey, doing individual and

group therapy. She is in the discipline of Clinical Social Work, holds an MSW degree and is licensed (LCSW). Phyllis Lazear assists her and is a retired educator from Ohio. We welcome new members. We meet in the Temple Shalom Chapel the second and fourth Mondays of each month, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. This is a free service to the entire Jewish community. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information, please call Phyllis at 239.352.2907.

Next meetings: November 12 & 26 BROWNSTEIN JUDAICA GIFT SHOP AT JCMI Looking for the perfect gift? Choose from our many items: Mezuzahs Menorahs Travel bags Jewelry Gifts for pets Novelty aprons Designer Hand Bags Silk and Handmade Kippot Mah Jongg Jewelry, Cards & Supplies

991 Winterberry Drive Marco Island (239) 642-0800

Hours: Monday - Friday: 9:30 - 1:30 Friday Evening: Before & After Shabbat Service

11A JEWISH INTEREST Federation Star November 2012

November 2012 Federation Star

Kristallnacht viewed from a distant land By Paul R. Bartrop, PhD, Director, Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Human Rights Studies, FGCU

he 74th anniversary of the event known as the Kristallnacht, the most extensive act of Nazi persecution against the Jews prior to the outbreak of World War II, will take place on November 9. Having arrived only just a short while ago from Australia to take up my new position as Director of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Dr. Paul Bartrop Human Rights Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University, my thoughts have recently landed on how the November pogrom in 1938 was received back in the country of my birth. Given that my dissertation topic many years ago focused on the Australian response to Jewish refugees in the 1930s, I am somewhat familiar with the archival record surrounding events of the Nazi years, but few documents are more poignant than a letter I encountered several years ago in the Australian National Archives. The letter was dated November 24, 1938, and was therefore written soon after the Kristallnacht. In my research over many years, I have seen a lot of letters written by persecuted people seeking refuge to other countries, but this one, for me, is one of the saddest – even, most pathetic – that I have ever encountered. It was written by a Jewish widow then living in Danzig, and addressed to the then Prime Minister of Australia, Joseph Lyons. Frau Henriette Tzarlinsky had earlier seen the name of Mr. Lyons in Danzig’s Jewish newspaper, on the occasion of the High Holy Days. He, along with many other world leaders, had been reported as sending his good wishes for Rosh Hashanah to Jewish communities in Europe. Reading this, Frau Tzarlinsky wrote that “the mention of your honourable name attracted my attention.” Her letter proceeded thus: I myself was born a ‘Lyon.’ My dead father was named David Lyon and came from Zulpich on the Rhine. Moreover, we had a relative in our family whose name was Joseph Lyon who is said to have gone abroad

many years ago. Is it perhaps possible that we are related? If this should be the case, I have an important request to make. Could you perhaps claim my son? I am a widow and have an only son who is aged 33 and who is married but is without children. He runs a wholesale business dealing in glass, pottery and porcelain goods. Unfortunately, circumstances compel him to go abroad and he would like to settle in Australia. We are all subjects of the State of Danzig. It should be noted that my son would not involve you in any pecuniary burden because he intends to carry on the same sort of business there. In the hope that I have not made a vain request, I am, with respect. Frau HENRIETTE TZARLINSKY (née LYON) For me, the saddest aspect of this letter lies in the desperation that would lead this woman to “offer” her only son to the Australian Prime Minister in the pitiable hope that he might claim some sort of family connection that could save the young man’s life. It is a clear indication of how desperate this woman was for her son to be safe in the aftermath of the events in nearby Germany. The pogroms of Kristallnacht took place in Danzig two days after those in Germany. Besides mass arrests and destruction of Jewish property, storm troopers razed suburban synagogues, and only timely intervention by community leaders saved Danzig’s Great Synagogue from a similar fate, as a group of Jewish war veterans mounted a guard around the synagogue and negotiations took place with the police. In the course of two nights of terror, and over the next few days, some fifteen hundred Danzig Jews fled over the Polish border. Further pressure came with the introduction of the Nuremberg Laws into Danzig later in November 1938, making Nazi race theories the law of the land. From then on, the Jews of Danzig regarded emigration as a matter of highest priority, prompting Frau Tzarlinsky’s tragic letter to Prime Minister Lyons in Canberra. And her story was far from unique.

Letter after letter was received in Canberra – as, indeed, throughout the rest of the world – seeking refuge of some sort from the dangers of Nazism. How was the event viewed in faraway Australia? The question is far from simply a quaint addition to the bigger picture. Owing to the pressure placed on applications from German and Austrian Jews to come to Australia after the Kristallnacht, 90 percent of all applications from Jews were being rejected. Also, despite the government announcing on December 1, 1938 that it would increase the refugee allotment to 15,000 over the next three years, it did not allow specifically for Jews among those refugees and, in fact, sought ways to reduce the number of Jews permitted under the refugee allotment in the months that followed. he events of November 9-10 in Germany acted as a watershed for Australian opinion. Henceforth, it became polarized between those who said refugees should be admitted and those opposed to such admission. There were some sectors of Australian opinion that did certainly not welcome Jews. Some held that “it’s not our problem,” preferring to leave it to the rest of the world to do something. Thus one Sydney wrote to the Prime Minister in late November to ask “Why should the troubles of the Old World be allowed to grow here, as grow they naturally will and become our troubles?” Her opinion was that “our poor Australia is expected to take on what other lands cannot straighten out;” as it was “Europe’s mess” Australia should “let Europe handle it.” The editor of Melbourne’s Argus agreed. The problem, he asserted, was in reality “not a problem for Australia, but for Europe;” unfortunately, “Europe as a whole is unresponsive and individual European countries which might be sympathetic are helpless.” The radical Bulletin held a similar opinion, though its suggestion was that the problem of the refugees should be taken over by the United States. The rationale was simple: That country is rich enough and strong enough and sufficiently benevolent and energetic and vocal to become Jewry’s patron and protector. Australia cannot be expected to imperil its existence or receive vast masses of alien refugees for the gratification of German Jews or New York politicians and editors, and it is not going to do so either. Despite these comments, there was an undercurrent of support for the refugee cause from some people, as people demonstrated a genuine shock at the Nazis’ actions. It was an opportunity for many to come out into the open and clearly state what they thought of the government’s stance.

continued on next page

11A

About Dr. Paul Bartrop

r. Paul Bartrop is recognized as one of the world’s leading scholars of the Holocaust and genocide. He is Professor of History and Director of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Human Rights Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida. In 2011-2012 he was the Ida E. King Distinguished Visiting Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Richard Stockton College, New Jersey. Between 1997 and 2011, he taught, and was then Head of the Department of History, at Bialik College, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. At Bialik he taught a range of subjects in History, Jewish Studies, International Studies, and Comparative Genocide Studies. Concurrently, he was for many years an Honorary Fellow in the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University, Melbourne. He has previously been a Scholar-in-Residence at the Martin-Springer Institute for Teaching the Holocaust, Tolerance and Humanitarian Values at Northern Arizona University, and a Visiting Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. In Australia, he taught at the University of South Australia, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, and Monash University. His latest work is entitled An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Genocide Biography: Portraits of Evil and Good (2012). His major current project is Experiencing Genocide: Personal Accounts from Victims, Perpetrators, and Witnesses, and an ongoing project, The Holocaust and Genocide through Movies: Armenia and the Holocaust to Rwanda and Darfur. His published works include Fifty Key Thinkers on the Holocaust and Genocide (2010), The Genocide Studies Reader (2009), A Dictionary of Genocide (2 vols) (2008), Teaching about the Holocaust: Essays by University and College Educators (2004), Bolt from the Blue: Australia, Britain and the Chanak Crisis (2002), Surviving the Camps: Unity in Adversity During the Holocaust (2000), False Havens: The British Empire and the Holocaust (1995), Australia and the Holocaust, 1933-1945 (1994), and The Dunera Affair: A Documentary Resource Book (1990). In addition, he has published numerous scholarly articles in journals and books. He is a member of the International Association of Genocide Scholars; the Australian representative on the International Committee of the Annual Scholars’ Conference on the Holocaust; a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the international journal Genocide Studies and Prevention; a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal Holocaust and Genocide Studies; and a member of the Advisory Board of the Genocide Education Project, California. Paul R. Bartrop is a Past President of the Australian Association of Jewish Studies.

stay connected at www.jewishnaples.org

12A Federation Star November 2012

JEWISH INTEREST

The Balabusta Diaries By Linda Blackman

ver since I can remember, my mom, grandmother and others would talk about how a particular woman was a real Balabusta. And now you, too, can contribute your Balabusta stories. Further details in a moment. At a young age I learned that being called a Balabusta was an honor. A Balabusta is a woman who is not only a great homemaker, mom, wife, grandLinda Blackman mother, bubbie, cook, baker or seamstress – she is also a woman of valor and a motivator. My Grandma Ida was a Balabusta like so many other Jewish women. She knew how to cook and how to make every grandchild feel special (we all knew we were her favorite). She knew amazing ways of making everything perfect, and easy and ingenious ways of keeping a home clean. A Balabusta can be the family glue, the one who helps to hold everything together. A Balabusta may be all or some of the above, plus have additional admirable talents and important insights to share. It’s time for us to tell those special stories about Balabustas everywhere. By sharing these memories, the

world can understand the importance of these very special women. The stories might be about your mom, grandmother, great grandmother, great great grandmother, mother-inlaw, sister, daughter, aunt, friend or someone else you have in mind. And, if you are married to a Balabusta, please tell us about her too! Please help me tell these stories, for without you, this project will never fully take hold. With your help, I am simply the conduit to collect these magnificent stories and then have the honor and privilege to be able to share them with others. What types of Balabusta stories am I looking for? Some ideas for categories include: • family traditions • historical tidbits • unforgettable recipes • family legends • Jewish legacies • amazing chronicles • letters written during war time

Grandma Ida, a Balabusta

• incredible experiences of strength and determination • not-to-be forgotten anecdotes • dealing with adversity • favorite quotes • sisterhood stories and the Balabusta(s) behind them • handling delicate situations – family and otherwise • humor that saved the day • undeniable wisdom You may have many stories to tell about one Balabusta, or stories to tell about many Balabustas. You may submit as many stories, recipes, anecdotes, quotes and other interesting items as you like. And, you can give a title to each submission, such as “Grandma Sallie’s Best Brisket,” “Aunt Bea and the Day We’ll Never Forget,” “Sophie’s Secret for Cleaner Floors.” Everyone will be

given credit for what they write or submit. Some of you may want to submit pictures of yourself or your Balabusta for inclusion in the Balabusta project. A special panel will review what is submitted and selected for inclusion. Who should submit Balabusta stories? You or anyone who knows a Balabusta can now have the chance to share the rich legacy of the Balabustas in this exciting book which will be treasured for generations to come, L’dor V’dor. Email your story to linda@ lindablackman.com or fax it to 239.260.5277. Please include your name and phone number. If you have a question, email me or call me at 239.777.1776. Submit your stories by December 31, 2012.

Are you looking for delicious kosher food? Chabad of Naples has partnered with the well-known Aroma Kosher Market and Catering of Cooper City, Florida, to bring kosher food to you. Please call the Chabad office at 239.262.4474 for an order form and instructions. Aroma Market delivers orders to the Chabad of Naples, 1789 Mandarin Road, once a week. Kristallnacht...continued from previous page

Celebrate the New Season Seduction. Power. Politics.

Some things never change. “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” (Dangerous Liaisons) Christopher Hampton’s Drama for mature audiences OCT. 24 - NOV. 17 in THE TOBYE STUDIO

a wickedly sexy reflection on the costs of passion

“Highly combustible ...continuously hilarious.” -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Leading Ladies” Ken Ludwig Farce NOV. 21 - DEC. 15 in BLACKBURN HALL

Down on their luck Shakespearean actors don dresses and pose as the long-lost nieces of a rich old woman.

10 times

“Best Live Theatre”

Call The Naples Players’ Box Office:

239-263-7990 or online

Performances: Weds.-Sat. 8 pm • Sundays 2 pm THE NAPLES PLAYERS at Sugden Community theatre 701 5th Ave. South, Naples, FL 34102 • www.napleSplayerS.org

One woman wrote to the Minister for the Interior, John McEwen, demanding to know why the Jews could not be allowed “a refuge in our great empty spaces in the North where they would be a great asset, and in sheer gratitude would help to fight our battles if occasion arose.” Her main point was that “All the world is horrified at the German treatment of [the Jews] but deeds are wanted more than sympathy and pity.” What did any of this mean for Frau Tzarlinsky, desperately seeking a refuge for her son through offering him to Prime Minister Lyons in the hope that there might be a family

relationship? Sadly, there was to be no happy ending in Australia. The last item in the file, after her letter, was marked simply “No action to be taken.” And that was that. As we reflect on the meaning of Kristallnacht, it is worth considering that the Jewish refugee issue was one for the world, not just for the United States or Europe. Every country was affected, rendering the Jewish tragedy as a world crisis. In that sense, “the day the Holocaust began” was part of my country’s history, as it was of all countries – a fact that must never be forgotten.

November 2012 ISRAEL & THE WORLD 13A Federation StarJEWISH

November 2012 Federation Star

This article is included as part of the Jewish Federation’s year-long Israel@65 celebration. During this time, in a series of articles, the Federation Star will spotlight Israeli innovation.

Israel to build model farm in South Sudan

By Abigail Klein Leichman, ISRAEL21c, October 3, 2012

srael is planning to build a model agricultural village in the new nation of South Sudan, aimed at teaching local farmers how Israel’s breakthrough agricultural methods and technologies can help the fledgling African nation survive and thrive. The idea took shape when Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon got to talking with South Sudan’s Minister of Agriculture, Betty Ogwaro, at the Agritech 2012 expo in Tel Aviv last May. “Betty met not only people from our ministry but also our minister of agriculture, and the discussion became very productive,” Israeli Ambassador to South Sudan Haim Koren tells ISRAEL21c. “We suggested to her that we have plenty of experts in agriculture and irrigation who can give a hand, but since she knows better than we do what the needs are, we asked her to prioritize the issues.” Ogwaro recently told Koren, who travels to the year-old country frequently, that she wants the demonstration farm set up in Eastern Equatoria, one of the 10 states comprising South Sudan. “The idea is first to help supply vegetables, a very basic food of which there is a shortage, so they have to import everything,” says Koren. “They simply need it for their survival.” Building a new agricultural industry The problem is not a lack of arable soil or of water – South Sudan is blessed with an abundance of both thanks to the nearby Nile River and a relatively long rainy season – but a lack of expertise. “Basically it’s a society of shepherds and cowherds, not farmers,” Koren explains. “They are not qualified to deal with farming.” As it happens, many Sudanese refugees who sought better lives in Israel over the past few years were placed on kibbutzim where they learned advanced Israeli methods of farming and drip irrigation. Now that many of these refugees are being repatriated to South Sudan, the Foreign Ministry is hoping to integrate them directly into running the new agricultural project. “We can contribute the technology and enable some [South Sudanese] people to get jobs working on the farm,” says Koren. “It needs a training staff, and we’ll work to prepare the basic program for the project, pres-

ent it to Betty and let her take it from there. I’m back and forth all the time, following up with relevant ministries and bureaucrats.” Koren was planning to escort the first group of Israeli experts in September to assess the scope of the project and draw up a budget proposal to present to the Israeli government.” The ambassador has assigned as project manager Dr. Yossi Baratz from MASHAV, Israel’s international development agency. Baratz, a physician, formerly served as the agency’s representative in Kenya, and in 2010 oversaw the inauguration of an Israelibuilt emergency room at Kisumu East District Hospital in that African country. “I would like Israel to translate its skills in small-scale agriculture to Sudan,” Ogwaro told Israel National News at Agritech. “I see them improving agriculture through irrigation… this is very important.” Contributing to nation-building Koren is hopeful that the farm can be started at the beginning of 2013, and will eventually involve Israeli agricultural experts from the private sector. “The idea is approved and now we need to make it come true,” he says. The project budget will come entirely from the Israeli government, and is intended as the first of several agricultural projects in South Sudan. The country’s population is about 8.5 million, similar to Israel’s, but spread out over a very large territory. “We have strong bilateral relations,” says Koren. “It is the youngest country on earth, only one year old, and still coming out of a very difficult situation. We have abilities to help them, so it’s a great opportunity.” He explains that aid to developing countries “is a very important tool in foreign policy, and part of being a developed country.” “When Israel was accepted into the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), we committed to international projects, not just aid and assistance but also money,” Koren says. “We are also members of the United Nations and contribute money for all kinds of projects to benefit the international community through the UN. We happen to be experts in some fields and it’s wonderful to be able to contribute to the process of nationbuilding.” Abigail Klein Leichman is a writer and associate editor at ISRAEL21c.

Reva Pearlstein– (727) 282-1126 Assistant Director

Monica DiGiovanni– (727) 282-1124 Registered Representative

13A

14A Federation Star November 2012

ISRAEL & THE JEWISH WORLD

BRIEFS JEWISH NEW YEAR: ISRAEL’S POPULATION NEARS 8 MILLION On the eve of the Jewish New Year 5773 (2012), data published by the Central Bureau of Statistics revealed the population of Israel numbers 7,933,200 – with 5,978,600 Jews, 1,636,600 Arabs, and 318,000 others. (Ynet News)

AN INFOGRAPHIC: THE STATUS OF THE TRIBE One out of 514 people in the world is Jewish – less than 0.2% of mankind. The global Jewish population has reached 13.75 million, with a growth of 88,000 in the past year. Israel’s life expectancy is among the highest in the world. Life expectancy for men is ranked second (after Sweden). (Times of Israel)

CANADA’S MORAL LEADERSHIP Canada has become arguably the most pro-Israel country in the world. From being the first world leader to cut off funds to the Palestinian Authority in 2006 when it was taken over by Hamas, to speaking out against growing global anti-Semitism, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has embraced Israel as no Canadian leader did before him. He blamed Hizbullah for the war and civilian deaths in Lebanon during the summer war of 2006, and rejected widespread calls for an immediate ceasefire. He led the boycott of the Durban II conference. He blocked a G-8 statement that would have called for a return to Israel’s 1967 borders. Over the three years that it sat on the UN Human Rights Council in

Like us on Facebook!

ConneCt with your Jewish Community

www.facebook.com/ facebook.com/jfedsrq JewishFederationofCollierCounty

Geneva, Canada stood alone in defense of Israel – eight times casting the only “no” vote against unfair condemnations of Israel. After Canada lost its bid for a seat on the UN Security Council, Harper suggested that the country’s stalwart defense of Israel was a contributing factor. Canada’s bold words and actions give Israelis hope that there are indeed many decent people, some of them in positions of power, who will not bow to demonization or to the Orwellian twisting of history and language that often pertains to Israel these days. (Israel Hayom)

THE DEAD SEA IS SINKING FAST Over the last year, the level of the Dead Sea has gone down by 1.5 meters (over 4.5 feet), the sharpest decline in its recorded history. Dams built by Israel, Jordan and Syria have cut off all the sea’s main water sources. The sea today is almost 30 meters lower than it was 30 years ago. Israel and Jordan, with the cooperation of the World Bank, are working on a plan to save the Dead Sea by replenishing it with water from the Red Sea. But even if the project comes to fruition, its effects won’t be felt for many years. (Ha’aretz)

WOMEN WARRIORS OF THE MOSSAD - THE ISRAELI SECRET SERVICE One of the State of Israel’s most important assets are the women serving as senior operatives in Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad. They disappear from their homes, emerge under various identities, and rub shoulders with the enemy. A spy who is captured in an enemy country can expect tough interrogation, torture and execution. There are cells in the field in which women make up half the force. There are operational units that have a woman as their commander. The Mossad seeks to frustrate by whatever means possible any plotted evil, including terrorist attacks and forbidden deals, the Iranian and other nuclear weapons programs, and the arming of Hizbullah and hostile countries with long-range missiles. The women agents live chameleon lives. One day they walk around in sharply tailored clothes like senior businesspeople, and the next they are ragged street sellers. On the streets all the time, always changing identities, and all this in enemy countries. For the first time, five senior Mossad women agents, with ranks

continued on next page

PREFERRED TRAVEL HOSTED SAILINGS 7-Day Mexican Riviera from $549* Jan 19 - 26, 2013 • Round trip San Diego, California

early

Hosted by Liz Hillman, Preferred Travel of Naples Includes Exclusive Salsa & Rita Culinary Event

ADVANTAGE

12-Day Fjords, Highlands and Ireland from $2,299* Jul. 20 - Aug. 1, 2013 • Copenhagen - Amsterdam



Hosted by Debby Denham, Preferred Travel of Naples $50 Shipboard Credit per couple • Pinnacle Grill lunch • Plus, Exclusive Savor & Swirl Private Culinary Event!



11-Day Southern Caribbean Wayfarer from $1,299*



Free upgrades on select sailings* Free or reduced cruise fares for 3rd & 4th guests** Up to 50% savings on select Europe Collectors’ Voyages*

Nov. 25 - Dec. 6, 2013 • Round trip Ft. Lauderdale Hosted by Karen Berger, Preferred Travel of Naples Pinnacle Grill lunch • Exclusive Savor & Swirl Private Culinary Event!

Book Today - offers change frequently Additional Itineraries & Departures available *Fares are cruise only per person, based on double occupancy. Government fees and taxes are not included. Upgrade offers are valid on select sailings and in select categories only. **Third/fourth offer based on sharing a stateroom with 1st and 2nd guests, are valid on select sailings, and are based on Promo 23. Government Fees & Taxes apply to all 3rd/4th offers. Subject to change and availability. Other restrictions apply. Contact us for complete details. Ships’ Registry: The Netherlands

(239) 261-1177 ● (800) 523-3716 www.preferrednaples.com SunTrust Building at Pelican Bay  801 Laurel Oak Drive  Suite 300  Hablamos Espanol

Wilma Boyd - CEO

November 2012 ISRAEL & THE WORLD 15A Federation StarJEWISH equivalent to colonel and brigadiergeneral, have been given permission to speak. All of them are mothers, and at the same time command teams of agents. (Globes)

ISRAEL, PALESTINIANS COOPERATE ON GAZA HIGH-SPEED INTERNET For two days hostilities ceased along a half kilometer stretch of the Gaza fence as workers wearing bullet-proof vests and helmets lay 15 km. of new optical cables in an area that faces an almost daily barrage of mortars and rockets from Gaza. The new infrastructure will support high-speed Internet service for Gaza. “This is Israel’s answer to the hundreds of mortars, to connect the people in Gaza to the world,” said IDF Maj. Adam Avidan. He added that Israel was fighting terrorists in Gaza, not its civilians. (Jerusalem Post)

THOUSANDS OF CHRISTIANS MARCH IN JERUSALEM IN SHOW OF SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL

Waving blue and white Israeli flags, thousands of evangelical Christians from around the world filled streets of downtown Jerusalem on October 4 in a show of support for the Jewish state during the weeklong Jewish Sukkot holiday. The event was organized by the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem, which also sponsored a conference that week that drew more than 5,000 people from nearly 90

countries, including 25 parliamentarians from various nations. (APWashington Post)

ISRAELI-OWNED RADAR DEFENSE FIRM BRINGING 100 JOBS TO MARYLAND Radar defense manufacturer ELTA North America, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, plans to create 100 jobs over the next four years in Fulton in Howard County, U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said. ELTA Systems Ltd. is the world’s fourth-largest radar company. (APWashington Post)

OECD: ISRAEL IS SECOND-MOST EDUCATED COUNTRY Israel is the second-most educated country after Canada among the 34 OECD member countries, a recent report published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said. Some 46% of Israelis have a higher education compared with the OECD average of 30%. (Ynet News)

SAMSUNG’S ISRAELI R&D CENTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR NEW SMARTPHONE CAMERA TECHNOLOGY Korean tech giant Samsung has two major R&D facilities in Israel, whose engineering staff was largely

November 2012 Federation Star responsible for a number of Samsung technologies, including a sensor used in the upcoming Galaxy S3 smart camera and cell phone. “All of the camera’s processing technology, the wiping and other special effects, were done in Israel,” said Dr. Yiwan Wong of Samsung’s System LSI Business. Israeli technology is used in products from other Korean giants, such as LG and Hyundai, as well. (Times of Israel)

UNDERSTANDING CHRISTIAN ZIONISM Pastor John Hagee For years, I had spoken at churches all over the country about the Biblical basis for Christian support of Israel. Through their own Biblical studies, millions of Christians had come to understand that we have a religious and ethical obligation to stand with the Jewish people.

15A

On Feb. 6, 2006, I invited 400 evangelical leaders to Cornerstone Church in San Antonio to create a national grassroots Christian Zionist organization that would unite millions of evangelicals to stand up and speak up for Israel. To my surprise (try getting 400 pastors to agree on anything), all agreed to join the effort, and Christians United For Israel was born. Today, we have more than 1.1 million members; we hold an average of 40 pro-Israel events in cities and towns across America every month; we meet in Washington every year to remind our elected officials that there are Christians who stand with Israel. Christian Zionists do not believe that God’s covenant with the Jewish people has been replaced by Christianity. Quite the contrary. We recognize that our faith would not exist were it not for Judaism. Christianity

continued on page 28A

Welcome Back Community Dance SAVE THE DATE! On Sunday, November 11, the entire Jewish community is invited to join together and celebrate everyone’s return to Naples with our 3rd annual Welcome Back Community Dance. This is a great way to see your friends who have been away and see some new faces as well. Let’s kick off the season together with friends, fun, light refreshments and dancing! The festivities will begin at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Shalom, featuring the band Night Train. Their music is guaranteed to get you on the dance floor! Tickets are just $18 per person. Please call the temple office at 239.455.3030 for ticket information.

Leave Cares Behind This Holiday Season! Holland America Line Signature of Excellence Sophisticated Five-Star Dining · Spacious, Elegant Ships Award-Winning Service · Enriching Activities

enrich your life, one cruise at a time

Now is the time to book your Holiday Cruise! From sumptuous meals & festive lights to onboard activities for every age, enjoy a stress free celebration.

CARIBBEAN 7-Day Cruises from $599* 10-Day Cruises from $799* 14 to 21-Day Cruises from $1,199* MEXICO 7-Day Cruises from $699* PANAMA CANAL & SOUTH AMERICA 14 to 31-Day Cruises from $1,499* ASIA, AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND 14 to 21-Day Cruises from $1,599* Additional Itineraries & Departures Available! *Fares are cruise only per person, based on double occupancy. Government fees and taxes are not included. Offers valid on select sailings and in select categories and are capacity controlled, subject to change and availability. Other restrictions apply. Contact us for complete details. Ships’ Registry: The Netherlands

(239) 261-1177 ● (800) 523-3716 www.preferrednaples.com SunTrust Building at Pelican Bay  801 Laurel Oak Drive  Suite 300 Hablamos Espanol

Wilma Boyd - CEO

16A Federation Star November 2012

Tributes to the UJA Federation Campaign To: Rosalee Bogo In memory of your beloved sister From: Debbie & Bob Mandell To: From:

Florence Rosenthal In memory of beloved husband, Frank Rosenthal Sandra & Irving Epstein

To: Nancy Gold Wishes for a full and speedy recovery From: Sandra & Irving Epstein To: Cissy Dezen In honor of your special birthday From: Delores & Sheldon Levin To: From:

Barbara Meltz In memory of beloved husband, Larry Meltz Stan Lipp

To: Estelle Fishbein Wishing you a speedy recovery From: Bunny Levere To: From:

Phyllis & Stephen Strome In honor of granddaughter Melissa’s Bat Mitzvah Lea & Michael Bendes

To: From:

Stuart Goldblatt In memory of your beloved father, Allan Goldblatt Ronda Lande & Sanford Sirkus

To: Merrill Kuller Wishing you a speedy recovery From: Phyllis & Michael Seaman

TRIBUTES

Tributes

Tributes in Memory of Shereen Willens To: David Willens & Family In memory of your beloved wife, Shereen Willens From: Myra & Peter Cristall Judi & Harvey Jaffe Beth S. Adler Christine M Novicky Debbie & Bob Mandell Jason Katz Joanne & Stuart Zager Janet & A. Martin Herring Aileen & Harold Bershow Charlene & Jeff Gubitz Godfrey H Levy Ronda & Larry Dix Dorothy Magen Bobbie & Dr. Bernard Lublin Deedee Remenick Marika & Aaron Thiessen Nancy & Harold Kaplan Mae & Judge Mort Riefberg Ann Marie & Scott Karabin JoEllen & Leonard Rubenstein Barbara & Gene Goldenziel Cissy & Harvey Dezen Miriam Silver Stephen Goldenberg Carol & Bill Goldman Michele Sadler Goldie Heller Susan & Bob Garelick Susan & Joseph Hammerman Edythe Winters Cecile Rivel Harriet & Myron Hirsch Marciadee & Herb Newman

Norma & Allan Wilson Rosalee & Jerry Bogo Joan & Berton Thompson Gayle & Marty Dorio Mardelle & Bennett Berman Barbara & Ronald Balser Susan & Ronald Goldsmith The Pharmacy Staff at St. Elizabeth Heath Center, Youngstown, Ohio Hildegarde & Lawrence Goodstein Marc J. & Joan W. Saperstein Rena & David Rutstein Delores & Sheldon Levin Sandra Stone Arlene & Michael Sobol Dr. Paula Brody & Merrill Hassenfeld Stan Lipp Belle & Ronald Agronin Sheila & Alvin Becker Rosalie & Ralph Segall Penny Marlin Wendy & Brian Brady Shirley Coplan Jerrold Sobel Dorothy & Irving Litt Beth Grossman & Rick Bobrow Humanistic Jewish Havurah Joanne & Roger Blau Florence Linden Gale Lazarus Linda & Larry Hyde Marilyn & Joel Wechsler Pearl & Gerald Sugarman Cathy & Tony Rozzi Maxine & Harvey Brenner Cathy & Dr. Scott Silver Elaine & Lee Soffer

Marlene & Dr. Samuel Oshry Toby & Michael Schleider Lea D. Mendel Bonnie D. Rushing Beth & Jonathan Fishbane Jane & Rabbi James Perman Linda & Jerry Wainick Mr. & Mrs. Gary Kabetso Jr. Myra & William Benedikt Arlene & Sander Levin Heather Lerner Marcia & Louis Kamentsky Rita Fleischmajer Renae & Dr. Steven Scharf Leslie & Richard Lilien Julie Zelman Maryellen Grounds Barbara E. Willens Barbara Bertman Lourene Rapport Myrna & Judge Stephen Levin Ellen & Dr. Gary Gersh Muriel & Irving Berzon Karen Sloane Carol & Marvin Lader Arlene Rutstein Maxine Newman J. Walter Cahn Sheila & Dr. Steven Turbiner Freya & Robert Greenspahn Freyda & Jeffrey Albin Margaret Passeri Mr. & Mrs. David D’Alessandro Bobbi Bassewitz & The Laubers Loretta & Dr. Robert Stein Dr. Sherry & Lee Spielman

To: From:

Kathy & Eric Feinstein In memory of your beloved father, Edward Phyllis & Michael Seaman

Jewish Federation of Collier County extends:

To: From:

Jennifer & Brian Feinstein In memory of your beloved father, Edward Phyllis & Michael Seaman

• Condolences to Mr. & Mrs. Eric Feinstein on the passing of his beloved father, Edward Feinstein

• A full and speedy recovery to Judge Mort Riefberg • Condolences to Mr. & Mrs. Lee Rubenstein on the passing of his beloved mother, Blanche Rubenstein • Condolences to Phyllis Barolsky & Family on the passing of her beloved husband, Dr. Stephen Barolsky

GENTLE ENDODONTICS

GARY A. LAYTON, D.D.S.

Jewish War Veterans meeting

(ROOT CANAL THERAPY)

Since 1976

Phone 262-2677

www.garyalaytondds.com

Please join us at our next meeting, Sunday, November 18 at 9:30 a.m. at the Federation offices, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd., Ste. 2201, Naples.

November 2012 COMMUNITY FOCUS 17A Federation Star

November 2012 Federation Star

JEWISH NATIONAL FUND

NAPLES TREE of LIFE

AWARD DINNER Honoring Myra Janco Daniels January 17, 2013 • 6:00 pm TwinEagles Country Club 11330 TwinEagles Blvd. Naples, FL 34120 Myra Janco Daniels,1st Lady of the Arts in Naples, is a shining example of one person making a profound difference. She is the Founder, Former Chairman, President and CEO of the Philharmonic Center for the Arts and Naples Museum of Art. Recently retired, she is credited for creating “The Phil,” which stands as a unique model, combining the performing and visual arts with an orchestra, museum, and educational programs for children and adults. Proceeds from the 2013 Naples Tree of Life™ Award Dinner will be donated to the Amphitheater at the Be’er Sheva River Park, which will dramatically change the culture in the Negev.

To RSVP, please email RSVPNorthFL@jnf.org or tear off the form below and mail to the JNF Administrative office. For more information, please contact Uri Smajovits at usmajovits@jnf.org or Beth Glickman Morris at bmorris@jnf.org or 800.211.1502. In accordance with IRS regulations, your contribution exclusive of the $100 per person dinner cost is tax-deductible. Israel bonds are accepted as payment.

Sponsorship Levels

Return to Florida Administrative Center 1951 NW 19th Street Suite A100 Boca Raton, FL 33410

Jewish National Fund invites you to consider becoming a sponsor of the Naples Tree of Life™ Award Dinner. ___ Builder of the Negev: $25,000 One table of ten, two full gold pages in the journal, and recognition in Israel.

Please make checks payable to JNF. Amount enclosed: ________________

___ Gold: $10,000 One table of ten, full gold page in the journal and plaque at American Independence park in Israel.

__Visa __Mastercard __American Express __Discover

Or charge my

Account #________________________________________

___ Silver: $5,000

Exp._____________ Signature _______________________

One table of ten and a full silver page in the journal.

Name____________________________________________

___ Bronze: $3,600 One table of ten ___ Patron: $1,200 Two tickets to the award dinner. All sponsors will be listed in the Scroll of Honor ___ Individual Tickets: $250 per person: __________

Address _________________________________________ City__________________ State______________________ Zip code _______________ Phone ____________________ Email ___________________

Congratulatory ads are available in a special tribute journal.

17A

18A Federation Star November 2012

FOCUS ON YOUTH

Preschool of the Arts update By Ettie Zaklos, Preschool Director

t was fantastic to see so many of our Preschool of the Arts children at our High Holiday children’s programs. The core philosophy at Preschool of the Arts is our hands-on approach to learning. For Rosh Hashana, we welcomed beekeeper Keith Councell, who brought his bees and honey extrac-

tor for the children to explore. The children learned all about the bees and tasted the fresh honey. For Sukkot, we welcomed handyman Seth Mizrachi, who brought tools for the children to experience. The children also celebrated Shabbat in the Sukkah for Sukkot. Our community event, Sushi in the Sukkah, was another big hit among the Preschool of the Arts families. Preschool of the Arts offers a fresh, innovative approach to early childhood education, therefore it is no surprise that our Preschool attracts children of diverse backgrounds and faiths. Preschool of the Arts believes that when it comes to children’s education, you should The Maxwell-Hendry family at the Preschool of the Arts family BBQ expect nothing less than

excellence, and that is what you will find here. We pride ourselves on continuously striving to improve and enhance our superb program, whether it is enhancing our amazing curMax and Sam enjoy creating beautiful decorations for the sukkah riculum, improving CPR training session for our teachers, our beautiful environment, or training so now every single Preschool of the our professional and loving teachers Arts staff member has an up-to-date in the most state-of-the-art teaching First Aid and CPR certification. methods. Preschool of the Arts offers a A sun shade over our entire high-quality program for children tricycle track will be completed by ages 18 months to 5 years. We offer the end of this month. A sun shade two, three and five-day options as well is already in place over the beautias half and full-day options. Extended ful play structure. Our children’s care is available. Please visit us at safety is very important to us, and we www.NaplesPreschoolOfTheArts. want to protect them from the strong com or call 239.263.2620 to schedule Florida sunshine, so we customized your personal tour. a sun shade to cover the very popular tricycle track. For the safety of our children, we also hosted a First Aid/

New children’s exhibit at Jewish Museum of Florida

he Jewish Museum of Florida is excited to present its first ever, fully interactive exhibit especially for children, From Home to Home: Jewish Immigration to America. The exhibit is specially designed for ages 6 to 12 and allows children and their families to experience the process of moving to a new home. From Home to Home explores issues related to relocating to a new land, such as leaving behind the familiarity of neighborhoods, schools, friends, food and language. The exhibit uses the Jewish immigration experience as an example of the acculturation process of people from all backgrounds and cultures, exploring the similarities and challenges people faced. Examples of interactive activities include: ¡¡ Using a real scale to weigh tangible arguments for staying or leaving their home ¡¡ Participating in a family conversation in Germany in the wake of the Nuremberg Laws of the 1930s ¡¡ Deciding which items are truly important to take and packing

them into a small trunk ¡¡ Shopping in a supermarket where everything is in a foreign language ¡¡ Trying to fit a family of 10 into a small apartment ¡¡ Finding their way to school ¡¡ Building a neighborhood and deciding on the character of a community through a democratic process ¡¡ “ A m e r i c a n i z i n g ” p r o d u c t s brought from their countries of origin

Why Move: Children listen to a radio of a taped family discussion set in Germany after the Nuremberg laws with a game deciding whether to stay or leave the country

Sign up for The PJ Library and you’ll receive a FREE, high-quality children’s book or CD each month. The PJ Library will enrich your family’s life with Jewish stories and songs – and it’s absolutely FREE for families with children from six months up to eight years of age in Collier County.

The PJ Library is brought to the Collier County community by Jewish Family and Community Services of Southwest Florida, Inc. For more information, call 239.325.4444.

From Home to Home has 28 colorful modules with hands-on activities that help children discover themes, including: ¡¡ Why Move? ¡¡ Where to Go? ¡¡ What to Take? ¡¡ New Beginnings ¡¡ Helping Each Other ¡¡ Change and Influence Since Florida is a state of immigrants, with more than 155 ethnic groups represented in local schools, nearly everyone’s family, in some generation, has experienced moving to a new country. The exhibit compliments the Museum’s core exhibit, MOSAIC: Jewish Life in Florida. From Home to Home will inspire visitors of all ages and backgrounds to learn more about their own family origins. It also serves as a valuable tool for encouraging discussion around kitchen tables and in classrooms of how we are all more alike than different, to help dispel stereotyping and bigotry. Complementary programs on the exhibit themes include a statewide

Where to Go: Children use a map and calculator to determine how long different journey’s will take

creative writing contest for grades 2 through 12, panel discussions, cultural performances, multi-cultural food demonstrations, family days and more.

Dressing in New Clothes: Children pick clothes to wear that will help them fit in in their new country

The exhibit is on display from October 30, 2012 through January 27, 2013, and is primarily sponsored by the Publix Super Market Charities and RBC Wealth Managements. Contributors include: Isabel Bernfeld Anderson, Kenneth Bloom in memory of Dr. Harold & Mrs. Ilse Posner, Elliot and Bonnie Sockel Stone, Judy Gilbert-Gould and Gerald Gould, and Norman and Sylvia Levine (as of 9/30/12). The Jewish Museum of Florida is located at 301 Washington Avenue, South Beach. Open daily, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except Mondays, Jewish and Civil holidays. Admission: Adults/$6; Seniors/$5; Families/$12; Children Under 6/Free; Saturdays/ Free. For more information, call 305.672.5044 or visit www.jewish museum.com.

Community Chanukah Celebration Thursday, December 13 at 5:45pm The Strada at Mercato

Photo courtesy of The PJ Library

US41 & Vanderbilt Beach Road

FOCUS ON YOUTH 19A Federation Star November 2012

November 2012 Federation Star

19A

Professor Einstein’s Exploratorium at Temple Shalom Preschool By Seyla Cohen, Temple Shalom, Preschool Director

n October 22, Temple Shalom Preschool proudly and officially opened the doors to its new state-of-the-art children’s science laboratory, Professor Einstein’s Exploratorium. This innovative learning environment was designed to fill young minds with wonder as we provide new and challenging educational opportunities. Professor Einstein’s Exploratorium provides an extraordinary opportunity for young children to experience unique hands-on activities promoting exploration and discovery, and has enabled the science curriculum to be significantly expanded. Science teacher Sharon Norgart has designed an age-appropriate curriculum for each grade level involving

experimentation and science-oriented learning. Special events have been planned throughout the school year to bring this one-of-a-kind learning space to the community. As soon as the enthusiastic preschoolers enter its doors, they are presented with opportunities to explore the world of nature firsthand! Children can travel through the solar system in a planetarium-like setting, literally walking among the stars, examine and grow plants, research and interact with animals, learn about the human body and anatomy, investigate various ecosystems, discover the world of paleontology and gemology, and perform a vast array of experiments. A six-foot-long salt water aquarium filled with a variety of denizens of

the deep provides the opportunity for children to learn about the underwater world. Special equipment such as microscopes, magnifiers, touch tables, magnet walls, ant farms, terrariums, models of the human body, books and videos provide educational opportunities for all. At the grand opening ceremonies and celebrations on October 22, children and adults cheered the ribbon cutting, performed experiments, participated in a fish toss contest, planted flowers, made slime, and enjoyed various other scientifically focused

activities. They even enjoyed snacks only a mad scientist could create! We thank the Naples community for joining us to experience this wonderful and memorable event. We’ll see you in the laboratory!

HEY KIDS! What are your plans for the summer of 2013?

Would you like to go to a Jewish Summer Camp or visit Israel?

The Jewish Federation of Collier County, Temple Shalom Sisterhood and Temple Shalom Men’s Club, together offer PARTIAL scholarships for Jewish Summer Camps and the Israel Experience for teens. There are scholarship opportunities for all Jewish children in the community regardless of congregation affiliation. For information and a scholarship application, contact your local synagogue or call the Jewish Federation at 239.263.4205.

Scholarship request deadline is November 30, 2012.

20A Federation Star November 2012

FOCUS ON YOUTH

The Jewish Agency expands presence BBYO Update By Dara Baer, BBYO Naples on college campuses Program Associate Israel Fellows to Hillel to help students on 70 North American campuses connect to Israel and speak out for the Jewish state

he Jewish Agency for Israel has bolstered the ranks of its campus emissaries for the 2012-2013 academic year. There are now 56 Israel Fellows on 70 North American campuses (including five in Canada), up from 50 Fellows last year. Trained and recruited by The Jewish Agency, these fellows help students connect to the Jewish state and respond to anti-Israel activity. On campus, Jewish Agency Israel Fellows to Hillel function as Hillel staffers. They inspire individual students to connect to Israel and recruit them to participate in Israel experiences, including Birthright Israel and many longer-term programs affiliated with The Jewish Agency’s Masa initiative. Once students return from Israel, fellows keeps them engaged. And they empower the students to organize and lead Israel-based programming on campus. Launched in 2003, during the aftermath of the second intifada, this strategic partnership between The Jewish Agency and Hillel’s national organization has created a multifaceted Israel engagement campaign through the entire Hillel system. The environment for Jewish students on campus is becoming increasingly difficult. The anti-Israel sentiment has gone mainstream, which deters many Jewish students from indentifying with Judaism in a proud and public way. As a result, many motivated and informed students – including those who do travel to Israel – quickly lose their resolve to speak up when Israel comes under attack. “These students and their connection to Israel are essential to our vibrant Jewish future,” said Ronen Weiss, The Jewish Agency’s national Hillel emissary. As anti-Israel groups have built momentum on campus and hostile faculty members have found greater acceptance campus-wide, the number of Israel fellows has grown steadily from six emissaries in 2003 to more than 50 today. Typically, Israel Fellows are charismatic young professionals in their late 20s, and they are highly-skilled at presenting modern Israel through the lens of its socially progressive values and its accomplishments in technology, life sciences and the arts. The Jewish Agency has trained the Fellows to work with students in a supportive fashion and to help them grapple with complex issues and realities that are often emotional and may seem contradictory. “Jewish students need to be engaged with Israel through the vitality and appeal of their young Israeli peers,” Weiss said. “By focusing on social engagement, we can foster in these students a sense of pride and passion in their connection to the Jewish people.” In the past year, Israel Fellows

have empowered students to organize against calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel (BDS); they have mobilized student-led responses to campus visits by hostile speakers; and they have successfully advocated for the reinstatement of Israeli universities on rosters of approved study abroad options. The Fellows also led volunteer delegations to the developing world and played a key leadership role in Talk Israel, a nationwide initiative where centrallylocated tents popped up on dozens of campuses. Inside these tents, Jewish students – as well as non-Jews – hosted programs that showcased Israel’s contemporary culture. Campuses where students are working with Jewish Agency Israel Fellows to Hillel for the first time include Univ. of Michigan, Univ. of Virginia, Univ. of Connecticut, Univ. of Pittsburgh, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Washington Univ., and Virginia Tech.

About The Jewish Agency for Israel Investing in a vibrant Jewish future, The Jewish Agency for Israel continues to address the greatest challenges of our People in every generation. We connect the global Jewish family, bringing Jews to Israel, and Israel to Jews. We build a better society in Israel and beyond, energizing young Israelis and their worldwide peers to rediscover a collective sense of Jewish purpose. At the same time, The Jewish Agency continues to be the Jewish world’s first responder, prepared to rescue and bring Jews home to Israel from countries where they live at-risk. Visit www.jewishagency.org. About Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life seeks to enrich the lives of Jewish students so that they may enrich the Jewish people and the world. Visit www.hillel.org.

he new AZA & BBG Naples BBYO chapter had their first chapter meetings on Sunday, October 7. It was a great turnout of twenty teens with a focus on preparing the teens for their chapter board elections, which (as of press time) will take place on October 21. The Naples teens that attended BBYO’s Chapter Leadership Training Conference this past summer led the meeting proficiently and created a large list of wonderful ideas for their chapter’s future. We look forward to an active and fun year ahead, making our new chapter a great success. If you would like to learn more or get involved, please contact me at dbaer@bbyo.org.

AZA Boys discuss board positions

Collier County AZA & BBG North Florida Region

For more information contact North Florida Region Program Associate Leah Wapnitsky at nfr@bbyo.org For more information contact North Florida Region For more Associate information contact North Florida Region Program Leah Wapnitsky at nfr@bbyo.org Program Associate Leah Wapnitsky at nfr@bbyo.org

21A FOCUS ON YOUTH Federation Star November 2012

November 2012 Federation Star

21A

Campus to Career: graduates seek work in Israel By Jaime Sloane, Israel Campus Beat Reporter

hen Joanna Lieberman was preparing for graduation from Cornell University five years ago, her career options were unsettling. Dreaming of a job in the hospitality industry but lacking a degree in the field, she realized she needed hands-on work experience before pursuing a full-time position. Lieberman, along with thousands of other American college graduates, turned to Israel’s growing employment market for an answer. “People are realizing the opportunities in Israel to get hands-on career experience in industries that are doing cutting-edge work,” she said. “Israel is known for its booming tourism industry and it seemed like the perfect place for me to test out working in the field.” Lieberman’s hands-on work experience came from working with Career Israel, Masa Israel Journey’s five-month professional internship program that allows college graduates to explore their fields of interest. In addition to a life spent embracing her Jewish heritage, she points to her involvement with Israel-on-campus activities as a driving factor behind moving to Israel after she graduated. Participating in her Hillel’s Israel activities, she said, kept her feeling connected to the country. Lieberman’s story is far from uncommon; since 2007, more than 1,200 graduates have taken internship positions in Israel with Masa Israel’s rapidly growing program. It’s no surprise that students are looking to Israel for career opportunities, in light of the ongoing weak domestic job market in the U.S. A recent Associated Press report found that more than half of America’s recent college graduates are unemployed or working in jobs

that do not use their skills. “As students and recent graduates continue to face a difficult job market, they are looking for ways to continue developing their career and also to stand out,” Masa Israel Director of Communications Miranda Bogen said. “Coming to Israel on internship and even volunteer programs offers them international professional experiences that are usually much more substantial than entry-level positions in the U.S.” Between the underwhelming number of job opportunities at home and a love for Israel, the decision to work in Israel has been easy for some recent college graduates, including University of Florida graduate Robert Yanks. Yanks was bitten by the Israel bug after he went on a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip organized by his school’s Hillel. Being surrounded by his classmates in Israel not only solidified his love for the country, but also landed him a job offer in Israel. A friend Yanks met on Birthright put him in contact with internet-startup company Moolta, and soon after he was hired as its regional marketing director. “I wanted to choose a job in Israel to experience a different way of living and to travel before life became too hectic,” he said. “I think it’s amazing what the country has accomplished; it’s almost a miracle in the middle of a desert. Just being able to support the country by living here may have made my decision to come a little easier.” Yanks is three months deep into his Israel stay and will return to the U.S. in November to launch domestic marketing initiatives for the company. He says his work in Israel has broadened his professional knowledge while simultaneously allowing him a

Advertising means business! Reach 5,500 local Jewish residents each month for as little as $51 in the Federation Star, or 14,000 Jewish residents, snowbirds and visitors annually for as little as $295 in Connections. Just $51 gets you this business card sized ad in the Federation Star’s Business Directory (see pages 28A-29A).

[ Piano Lessons

PIANO LESSONS

with Jo Ann Kravitz

239-293-6819 In your home Ages 6 to 106 Affordable Rates BS in Music Education

For ad rates and more information, contact Jacqui Aizenshtat at 239.777.2889 or jacqui1818@gmail.com.

living experience unlike any other. “There’s a different feeling here unlike any other country I’ve been to and that’s what makes Israel so appealing to the American student,” Yanks said. “I think the main reason why students take jobs in Israel after college is because it’s so easy to fall in love with the country and its people. Life moves at a different pace here. People of Israel know how to truly appreciate everything around them, and they all realize that nothing is simply given.” Unlike Yanks, who realized his interest in Israel toward the end of college, Illinois State University graduate Tess Sevelow-Lee made her Israel decision early on during her extensive Israel-on-campus involvement. An active StandWithUs campus leader, Sevelow-Lee spent her college career creating and distributing an ‘Israel 101’ presentation which teachers and faculty used to introduce Israel to Jewish and non-Jewish students.

“My involvement in college was the catalyst for my move,” she said. “I realized that while I was in the States, just talking about my love for this country wasn’t enough. I needed to be here.” She moved to Israel with the Masa Israel Journey program, spending five months working at coexistence organization Sulha. Three years later, she’s still encouraging students to learn about Israel while working in Tel Aviv as a recruitment coordinator for Israel Experience. “I think students are coming to Israel post-university because it offers them the opportunity to be a part of something that’s foreign but entirely familiar,” she said. “It’s that feeling of knowing you belong, you’re not entirely sure why, but you simply know you do.” Visit www.israelcampusbeat.org for the latest Israel trends and events on campus.

Intern at top companies in Israel with Career Israel

areer Israel (www.careerisrael. com) is a five-month professional internship program in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem open to international college graduates. Over 700 internships are available at leading Israeli companies and organizations in fields ranging from law, medicine, media, economics, politics, public relations, education, social work, engineering and more. A professional internship in Israel is an impressive and prestigious addition to your resume and will make you an attractive candidate in the job

market. To receive more information, please fill out the program finder at www.theisraelexperience.org/youngadult/program-finder/. Career Israel is made possible in part by the Jewish Federations of North America through its grants and scholarships to participants. Since 2007, Career Israel has placed 1,200 Jewish college graduates from all over the world in over 700 internships in leading companies in Israel, including Hewlett Packard, McCann Erickson and Ruder Finn.

What do you think? The Federation Star wants to know! Send your letters and comments to fedstar18@gmail.com

Letters Policy

Include your name, full address and daytime phone. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. We reserve the right to edit for length and/or accuracy. Letters do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the Jewish Federation of Collier County, the Federation Star or its advertisers. We cannot acknowledge or publish every letter received.

Is there a Treasure in your Attic? Yiddish Books are a Cultural Treasure of the Jewish People The National Yiddish Book Center is a non-profit organization working to save Yiddish culture. Please check around your home for old Yiddish books and records, and inquire among friends and relatives. Gifts of these books are tax deductible. Please drop off your Yiddish books and records at the Jewish Federation, for further delivery to the National Yiddish Book Center, or call Louis Rusitzky at 455-6447 to schedule a pick-up. Visit the National Yiddish Book Center at www.yiddishbookcenter.org.

RABBINICAL REFLECTIONS

22A Federation Star November 2012

Leftover Turkey Rabbi Adam F. Miller

ach year, Temple Shalom joins with Christian, Muslim and Baha’i houses of worship for an interfaith Thanksgiving service. This powerful community experience unites us together around the truly American holiday of Thanksgiving. This year’s service is scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Universalist Unitarian Church. Last year I reflected on the reasons individuals travel on overcrowded highways, through packed airports, and brave cold weather just to celebrate Thanksgiving. Do we travel for family? While we are grateful to see loved ones, it only takes five minutes before we start to kvetch about each other. Was it for the message of offering thanks or the history of the day? Neither

seems likely. We give thanks often as individuals without the need to travel. And the historical significance of Thanksgiving pales next to other more significant days. No, I think that if we are to be honest with one another, the real appeal behind Thanksgiving is gastronomic – it’s all about the food. Now, within the Jewish community it is a long understood principle that the real purpose of holidays is to have a gathering and eat. As the joke goes, every Jewish holiday can be summed up as – someone oppressed us, we won our freedom, let’s eat. Even for Yom Kippur, a day of fasting, we spend hours preparing lavish break-the-fast celebrations. Our mouths begin to water as we contemplate Thanksgiving food. Turkey brined and oven baked, or deep fried with a crispy skin. Sweet potatoes and cranberry dishes in an array of orange and red hues. Cornbread with honey. Pumpkin or pecan pie to finish our meal. And yet, I believe the most important Thanksgiving food is the one food we don’t eat that day… Leftover Turkey.

Why is Leftover Turkey so important? Because it is a symbol for our holiday experiences, and as such offers us a profound lesson to consider this Thanksgiving Day. On Thanksgiving, we eat beyond our normal capacity from a range of wonderful foods. Once the dishes are cleared, pots cleaned and guests departed, all that remains is the Leftover Turkey. Some say the true test of a cook is not how the turkey is prepared on Thanksgiving Day, but rather what is done with the Leftover Turkey. In some homes the Leftover Turkey will stretch like the miracle of the Chanukah oil for days and days on end until finally it runs out, or is tossed out for fear of age and food contamination. In addition to eating, we also gather Thanksgiving Day to share in a day of thanks and blessing. We spend time with friends and family, while also reaching out and connecting with loved ones who are far away. We experience the blessing of bounty, enjoying a large meal even in a time of economic challenge. Breaking bread, watching football and engag-

ing in conversation, we feel a sense of camaraderie and human interaction that is often lost in our increasingly digital world. Once the day is over, we return to our homes and our lives, but not empty-handed. Just as Thanksgiving inevitably ends with more food prepared than eaten, so too is the day overflowing with blessings. We can draw sustenance from Leftover Turkey, as well as from the Leftover Blessings we experience during our Thanksgiving. Capture that sense of gratitude cultivated on Thanksgiving by taking the time to appreciate one blessing in your life each day. Remain aware of the bounty we have been given by finding the opportunity to share with those who have less. Build up the bonds of friendship and fellowship by reaching out to those you care about. Like Leftover Turkey, our Leftover Blessings may not last forever, but they can sustain us and fulfill us for longer than we may think possible. Have a Happy, Healthy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

Lessons from the elections Rabbi Fishel Zaklos

s the presidential elections are first and foremost on most people’s minds, I would like to add my opinion to the discussion. I will even tell you whom to vote for. I guarantee you will all agree with my candidate. I find it a great tribute to democracy that every four years, each presidential candidate needs to convince us that he or she is worthy to lead the free world. Now, we all appreciate that this is the way it must work with our elected leaders. After all, a person with so much power and influence needs to prove himself worthy of his position. Yet you and I have our own part of the world over which we rule, and in our personal domain we have our own presidential election to worry about. In this most important election, the key candidate is YOU. The best election process of any size must include an accountability factor. In order to get elected or reelected, we must prove that we are worthy of retaining our sovereignty. Here are some examples: 1. We need to reclaim and reignite the love and trust of our loved ones. Are you still deserving of the love of those to whom you made years of promises? You know, like: I will quit smoking; I will reduce my temper; I will be flexible and reasonable. I will be relaxed and respectful. Have you kept those promises? Do we take

our loved ones for granted? Election time is here. Time to “run” again and prove to your spouse and other loved ones that you are the best candidate for the job. Never take your relationships for granted. Like flowers in a pot, they need to be watered every day. Like a flame, new oil must be added often to fuel the flames. 2. We need to reclaim the admiration of our children. If our children had a chance to “vote” us in, what type of vote would we receive? How would our children judge us today as a parent? Do we just manage them and throw toys their way so they don’t distract us, or do we re-create space in our soul every day to nurture them? Do we let them know in very real ways that they matter? 3. Finally, we need to reclaim our gift of being a Jew. Do we actively embrace our Judaism to make us better leaders over ourselves, our households, and our places of business? Do we just take our Jewishness for granted, or do we work to internalize it? Have we spent some time discovering the basics of Judaism, the basics of our history, heritage and faith? Yes, to make ourselves worthy of these blessings and gifts, we have to run for our own election. But how? To teach us how to run for our personal elections in the most effective manner, here are a few pointers for the campaign trail: 1. Choose a dynamic running mate. To truly succeed in life, we need a spiritual friend who challenges us and helps us grow to make sure we are “the real thing” and not faking it. 2. Focus on positive campaigning. Negative campaigning may work

in the short term, yet never does us well in the long term. We can’t be our best when our focus is putting others down rather than trying to be the best we can be. 3. Take responsibility for our own lives. We can’t blame our wives, mothers-in-law, rabbis, partners, friends, communities or even G-d for our past failures (or successes) while

“in office.” We must have the courage to say, “This is where I failed. This is where I succeeded. I will work on myself to do better this time.” We hope you agree that we chose the very best candidate for this election. We wish you happy campaigning and look forward to celebrating your re-elections.

23A SYNAGOGUES Federation Star November 2012 TEMPLE SHALOM

November 2012 Federation Star

23A

www.naplestemple.org / 239-455-3030

President’s message By Yale Freeman, President

s I did from the bimah on Rosh Hashanah morning, I want to extend L’Shana Tovah to the members, clergy and staff of Beth Tikvah and Chabad, as well as my own congregation of Temple Shalom, and all members of the Jewish community who are unaffiliated. I believe it is important in our day-to-day lives to think of ourselves as one interconnected Jewish community. May this New Year be a healthy, happy and prosperous year for us all. Temple Shalom has been hopping all summer and now, with Season upon us, has a schedule of activities and events that offers all of us at Temple Shalom and our entire community many incredible opportunities. In October, we enjoyed a PJ Havdalah on the beach geared to the young and young at heart, and a special “Blessing of the Animals” service coinciding with Parashat Noach, the

story of Noah and the ark. It was just announced during High Holy Days that our temple community will be scribing a Torah. “Our Torah – Scribing Our Future” is a project in which every family of Temple Shalom will write a letter, guided by a “sofer” or scribe, in a beautiful new Torah scroll to mark the start of our second half-century. The Naples Jewish community and friends are invited to a “Welcome Back Community Dance” featuring the band, Night Train, at Temple Shalom, on Sunday, November 11. RSVP to the temple office at 239.455.3030. Also coming up are countless Sisterhood and Men’s Club events, and many educational opportunities, including Brown Bag Lunches, WIJL (Wednesday Institute of Jewish Learning), Sunday School for Adults, Tuesday With Torah, Torah Talk, and Rosh Chodesh. Our annual Scholar-

BETH TIKVAH

in-Residence Weekend will take place in January. We will, of course, continue to have our Friday night services complemented by our more conservative style Saturday morning services. Our Preschool got off to a great start with the opening of “Professor Einstein’s Exploratorium,” an amazing and unique science laboratory especially created for the curious minds of preschool children. It includes a 120-gallon saltwater fish tank and numerous hands-on stations for exploration and discovery. Coming up are preschool events of every description centered around Art, Computer, Movement, Music and Storyland activities. Both the Preschool and Religious School will be participating extensively in the “Our Torah” project, engaging students in classes and activities not only about the teachings of Torah but how it’s scribed, the tools

of a sofer and much more. Our Religious School currently has 185 children enrolled. This year they will present Sam Glaser, a Jewish singer/songwriter, who will be performing, with our students, a musical journey through the Five Books of Torah. Operation Nachas and a variety of other programs including much-loved established activities as well as exciting new pursuits are on the schedule. The list goes on – from Men’s Club baseball nights to Sisterhood luncheons to Prayerbook Hebrew for Adults. Most importantly, as we embark on 5773, we offer a place for our Temple Shalom community and our Naples Jewish community to participate and feel welcomed. For dates and times, please visit us at www. naplestemple.org. I look forward to seeing you soon.

www.bethtikvahnaples.org / 239-434-1818

Beth Tikvah update Stuart Kaye Beth Tikvah President

t was inspiring and gratifying to see a full house for our High Holy Day services in our refurbished and redecorated facility. So many people have worked so long and so hard to make the space we stepped into some twenty months ago fully suitable for our needs. Thanks to David Sivakoff for his diligent work with the detailed renovation plans, to David and to Toby Schleider for the range of design issues resolved, to Rosalee Bogo for invaluable assistance with interior decoration, to Harvey Rosenthal for always being the man on hand for whatever needed doing and, most of all, to Jay Kaye for supervising the construction personnel and moving us all the way through revisions of permits to the final certificate of occupancy. There are many others to thank, and we will do that in other ways. Original artwork presented to us by Nancy Cheser back in our Airport Road days is once again on display. Thanks as well to Dr. Elliot and Joyce Zaleznik for allowing us to exhibit items from their fascinating Judaica collection. Beth Tikvah continues its Youth Education Program spearheaded by Rabbi Chorny, directed by Aviva Chorny, and staffed by the Chornys along with teachers Julie Levine and

Mallie Duboff. Although religious school is already underway, we can accommodate additional students. Speaking of Rabbi Chorny, what a magnificent job he did handling all of the roles of High Holy Leadership. We were more than pleased; we were astonished. Come see what we’ve done to enhance our synagogue and our pleasure of worshipping, learning and socializing together. May this be a year of inspiration and action for you and your family. Book events On Monday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m., Beth Tikvah will host Rabbi James Rudin for a Book Talk and book signing. The topic is his newest book, Cushing, Spellman, O’Connor: The Surprising Story of How Three American Cardinals Transformed Catholic-Jewish Relations. This event is co-sponsored by the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue’s “Readers and Thinkers” group. Call Ida or Jeff Margolis at 239.963.9347 for more information. On Monday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m., the book group will explore an excellent teaching text, Judaism’s Great Debates by Rabbi Barry J. Schwartz. Rabbi Schwartz encourages the exercise of “Holy Chutzpah,” by which he means arguing “for the sake of Heaven.” Finally, on Monday, December 17, we will have a “Meet the Author” evening when Ellen Brazer visits Beth Tikvah to discuss her new novel about the Bar Kokhba rebellion, And So It Was Written. Mrs. Brazer’s last book, CloudsAacross the Sun (partially set

in Naples), remains an Amazon.com bestseller. $5 for Beth Tikvah members; $10 for nonmembers. Refreshments will be served. Upcoming community events at Beth Tikvah XX Thursday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m. – ZOA meeting XX Sunday, December 2 from 1:30 3:30 p.m. – “Meals of Hope” with the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue XX Tuesday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m. – Jewish Genetics Program XX Thursday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m. – BT hosts Israel Affairs Committee event Coming in March Beth Tikvah has reserved 50 seats to the Sunday, March 17, 3:00 p.m. performance of The Whipping Man at the Gulfshore Playhouse (in Norris Center, Cambier Park). The charge is $40

per seat, with check payable to Beth Tikvah. Call Phil at 239.598.2880 regarding availability. Religious services schedule Friday services begin at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday services begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude with a Kiddush Luncheon. Our Sunday morning minyan runs from December through March at 9:00 a.m. We regularly convene Yahrzeit minyanim upon request. Please join us at any service. Our participatory worship services and most other events are held at 1459 Pine Ridge Road just west of Mission Square Plaza. For more information, call 239.434.1818, email bethtikvahnaples@aol.com or visit www.bethtikvahnaples.org. You can reach Rabbi Chorny directly at 239.537.5257.

Jewish Heritage Video Collection The Jewish Heritage Video Collection (JHVC) is now housed and maintained at the Federation’s offices. The JHVC video library contains nearly 200 films and television programs carefully chosen to stimulate learning, thinking and discussion about Jewish history and culture. The Collection also provides courses that address vital issues of Jewish history, identity and culture. These courses will be available to schools, organizations and congregations in the area. For a list of available titles organized by category (Children, Comedy, Holocaust, International Jewry, Israel, Jewish Experience in America, Religion and Identity), visit www.jewishnaples.org. For more information, call us at 239.263.4205.

SYNAGOGUES

24A Federation Star November 2012 Chabad Jewish Center OF NAPLES

www.chabadnaples.com / 239-262-4474

Chabad Jewish Center of Naples update Jewish Women’s Circle We are excited to be presenting our seventh “Jewish Women’s Circle” season on two themes: “drama” and “food.” Please join us for our first event on Tuesday, November 13 at 11:00 a.m. for a movie and lunch. If you have attended our Women’s Circle in the past, welcome back! If you are new to our Women’s Circle, please join our family. Call Ettie at 239.263.2620 if you wish to sponsor this first event of the season. Introducing Junior Shabbat Minyan Welcome to our Youth Shul! We are pleased to announce that Jen Feinstein and Rachel Kassof will alternate in leading our Junior Shabbat Minyan beginning at 11:00 a.m. each Saturday morning. One of the main attractions of Chabad’s Shabbat services is the Youth Shul – a full program of supervised activities for children ages 3-11. The Youth Shul is held throughout the duration of services. The children are divided into age-appropriate groups and led by energetic counselors. They get to experience the joy of

Shabbat in their own special way, in their own designated space. Program highlights include songs, stories, drama skits, discussion groups, refreshments, games and prizes. Kids love this program and learn a lot in the process, ensuring that Chabad Shabbat services will be a meaningful and enjoyable experience for the entire family. We look forward to a wonderful year with these two incredible teachers. Chabad Naples Annual Partner Project A special evening of appreciation will soon be announced for our “Chabad Partners.” We thank all of our partners who touch the lives of so many people each day and have made it possible for us to have our beautiful new building. If you haven’t become a partner yet, we ask that you consider partnering with us to bring the joy of Judaism – including successful social and humanitarian programs – to many more people throughout Collier County. We will gratefully acknowledge all our Partners and Premier Partners for their dedication to the Naples Jewish community. For more information or

naples jewiSh cONGREGATION

to receive your partnership package, call 239.262.4474, email Rabbi@ chabadnaples.com or visit www. chabadnaples.com. Chabad’s annual Chanukah Festival & Menorah Lighting Our annual grand Chanukah celebration will again take place at Venetian Village in Naples, on Sunday, December 9 at 5:00 p.m. Regular Shabbat services Our warm and welcoming Shabbat services are held every Saturday morning beginning at 10:00 a.m. The Torah service begins at 11:00 a.m. and includes the rabbi’s insights during the Torah reading, which always has a contemporary, meaningful and relevant message. Services are followed by a delicious Kiddush buffet lunch. Weekly email & mailing list If you would like to be added to our weekly updates or mailing list, contact the Center at 239.262.4474 or info@ chabadnaples.com. Flying Challah Each week, the Chabad Jewish Center of Naples randomly and lovingly distributes freshly baked challah to

individuals, couples and families in our community. If you would like to suggest someone to receive a “Flying Challah,” please call Ettie at 239.263.2620 or email chabad naples@gmail.com. Chabad Naples Community Care Chabad of Naples has formed a special committee of professionals and lay volunteers who are available and trained to visit people in need. If you know someone in the hospital or at home who would enjoy a visit, please let us know at 239.262.4474. The programs offered at the Chabad of Naples Jewish Community Center are Preschool of the Arts, Hebrew School, teen groups, youth programs, synagogue services, Flying Challah, holiday outreach projects, Women’s Circle, and adult education classes. On the social services front, the center offers crisis counseling and hospital visitations, and operates the nonsectarian Friendship Circle, providing special assistance and programming for children with special needs. For more information, please call Chabad at 239.262.4474.

www.naplesjewishcongregation.org / 239-234-6366

President’s message By Don Pomerantz, President

he solemnity and spirituality which exemplifies the High Holy Day services were brought to life at Naples Jewish Congregation by Rabbi Sylvin Wolf, Cantorial Soloist Jane Galler, Music Director Alla Gorelik and our dedicated choir. The power of these ritual experiences was made vividly moving as many congregants came to the bimah to read, to open and close the ark, to hold and to carry the Torah in the processional, and to accept proudly individual aliyot. Once again, as a united congregation, we succeeded in transforming a universal ritual into a personal declaration of our faith. No celebration of the High Holy Days would be complete without the talent and “breathtaking” skill of Art Blatt. As he blows the shofar, we are assured that this profound section of the services will be beautifully performed. This year we were fortunate to have John Marcy, Assistant Principal Cellist of the Naples Philharmonic, give a poignant rendition of Max Bruch’s Kol Nidre. His musicality provided a meditative experience which superseded speech. The work done by Harvey Sandberg and the Ritual Committee in creating the entire roster of participants, as well as Pat Levy and Carolyn Greenberg in arranging every aspect

of the Break the Fast, was essential to the overall success of our services. Special thanks to Les Schwartz, our web maven, advertising and ticket creator; and Peter Weismann, membership chair and choral soloist, for taking care of ticket inquiries and prospective members. Last but not least, “kudos” to NJC’s ladies of “The View” – Helene Gradolph, Betty Schwartz, Helen Blatt and Carolyn Greenberg – for their dedicated work of greeting, checking and distributing tickets. The principle of charity, so essential at this time, was brought to life by the generous donations of food supplied by our congregation to be distributed by Jewish Family and Community Services to Jewish families in need. The generosity of our congregation was demonstrated by the 500 pounds of food that were donated by our members. According to Dr. Jaclynn Faffer, Director of Jewish Family and Community Services, our contribution was the largest ever received. The High Holy Days food drive is one aspect of our plan to tend to the needs of our congregation and community, be they spiritual, physical or social. With the leadership of Rabbi Wolf, NJC continues to play a role in the activities of the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue. Partnering with Meals of

Hope, we will sponsor a food packaging event for the benefit of those in need. The event will be held on Sunday, December 2 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Beth Tikvah. Closer to home, Rabbi Wolf’s congregational announcement, which outlined plans for his Chesed Project, was met with great enthusiasm. More than two dozen congregants signed

up to be members of the planning committee. To be sure, those NJC members have intellectual enrichment. Rabbi Wolf’s discussion group will meet the second and fourth Sundays of the month at the Jewish Federation offices from 10:30 to noon, beginning on November 11. He will start by reading and discussing the Book of Job.

Choir practice By Arlene Rutstein

ver think you might have a show biz future? Well, we all don’t start out on Broadway. Some of us may start out in the Naples Jewish Congregation, with our homegrown choir. Besides, didn’t our Rabbi Sylvin Wolf encourage us to get involved? “But I can’t sing,” you’ll say. Have a little faith, and NJC’s the place for faith. Our talented, dedicated and determined choir director, Alla Gorelik, will have you warbling in no time, by show time. And Jane Galler, our Cantorial Soloist, sensing misgivings, comes alongside singing gloriously. Your voice tries to follow. “Look ma, I’m singing.” We’re not hired. We’re inspired. This year I made my choir ‘debut’ in time for our High Holy Day services. Sure I was nervous, but sitting

up front around the piano gave me a unique view of the congregation. I could see some of you singing along. Those familiar melodies are irresistible. I would say, “Come up and take your place with us.” We Jews have moved around a lot. Sometimes we’ve had little to pack and carry but our voices. Let’s use them in songs of joy, faith and, when appropriate, in sorrow and lamentation, all in our tradition. Familiar melodies tug at our memories. New ones will excite. Alla and Jane take pride in the melding of new and old to create a varied program. Alone, we have but a single voice. Together we become a choir, blending all our voices. Let us hear from you. Better yet, let us hear you, in song.

25A November 2012 SYNAGOGUES Federation Star/ ORGANIZATIONS

November 2012 Federation Star

JEWISH CONGREGATION OF MARCO ISLAND

25A

marcojcmi.tripod.com / 239-642-0800

President’s message Stephen Goldenberg JCMI President

nce again we have made it through the High Holy Days and immediately commenced the holiday of Sukkot. An interesting and immediate transition from the serious and introspective Days of Awe to the joyous and fun holiday of the Feast of Tabernacles. We certainly make a quick change in our outlook and the way we celebrate our holidays! Sukkot is always special for me.

I grew up next door to the rabbi of our temple. Each year, we watched and helped his family erect their sukkah and had the fun of eating in the sukkah. As soon as that holiday was over, we had Simchat Torah, where we all got to hold a Torah and dance around the temple and then out to the street and around the block. I’m not sure the Periellos, who lived next door to the temple, knew what we were doing, but they knew they were outnumbered, so they never objected! These holidays always marked the coming of autumn. The sights of the trees, the smells that permeated the air, these were truly some of the most wonderful memories and thoughts of our youth. What a pity that we don’t have those glorious colors of the fall

leaves and that smell down here. It really is the one season I miss. But this time of year in Southwest Florida does herald a transition that we all know is coming. The “snowbirds” start to make their pilgrimage from up north or out west to South Florida. We know that the stores will be busier, reservations harder to get, and OY, that traffic! But it is also the season we all look forward to. We get to see our old friends and make new ones. We find our temples having more people at our services. And we start to fill our days with programs and events. We at JCMI are no different. We have made a concerted effort to have lots of activities – some fun, some serious, some inspiring. We have al-

ready started our Marco Island Bingo every Monday night, and the excitement and the winnings are growing. We have our Cultural Series and our Jewish Film Festival all set. Our rabbi will once again have his Adult Education lectures, and our Men’s Club and Sisterhood each have programs throughout what we all call “the season.” And starting in January we hold not only Friday night services, which we do all year, but also an hour of Torah Study on Saturday mornings followed by our Shabbat Services at 10:30 a.m. All in all, it will be a busy time of year here at JCMI and we hope you will take advantage of all, or at least some of what we have to offer.

imtwirl@sbcglobal.net / 440-221-6468

naples jewiSh Social Club

Naples Jewish Social Club update By Illeen Mittleman, President

he Naples Jewish Social Club links members across Southwest Florida from Marco Island, Naples and Fort Myers. We provide a full program of social and entertainment events including: • Dinner Dances • Ice Cream Socials • Gaming Cruises on the Gulf • Run for the Roses • Theater Parties Upcoming events Sunday, November 4 - Dinner and Show: The Club has planned a dinner

and comedy show featuring Compton and Bennett with their new hit, “Flea Bitten,” at 6:00 p.m. at the Southern Pines Community Clubhouse in Bonita Springs. The dinner will consist of salad, roasted herbed chicken, parslied potatoes, peas with pearled onions, and many different desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth. The cost for the evening is $32 for members and $37 for nonmembers. Reservation deadline is October 29. Your participation and attendance will make this another successful event. Forward

your reservation with a check, made payable to NJSC, to Sondra Greer, 935 Tropical Bay Court, Naples, FL 34120. If you have any questions or special dietary requests, call Sondra at 239.353.4468. Sunday, January 20, 2013 Annual Dinner Dance: The dinner dance committee, chaired by Sondra Greer with Arleen Sivakoff and Pauline Taxman, has outdone itself this year planning the event at Longshore Lake Clubhouse in Naples. Entertainment will be provided by

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN

Cahlua & Cream. A wonderful dinner is in the works. More details and an invitation will follow soon. Contact information Our co-chairs can be reached as follows: Arnold Bresnick at 239.566.1126 or bhbnaples@gmail.com; Harvey Chodock at 239.949.4927 or harvey chodock@earthlink.net. Club president Illeen Mittleman can be reached at 440.221.6468 or imtwirl@sbcglobal.net.

239-353-5963 / 239-354-9117

National Council of Jewish Women update By Linda Wainick, co-President

lease join us at our Tuesday, November 20 luncheon meeting at 11:30 a.m. at the Vineyards Country Club. Our guest is Dr. Kamela Patton, Superintendent of Schools for Collier County. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about our school system and have your questions answered. For reservations, please send your check ($22 for members, $25 for nonmembers) to Muriel Hurwich, 11030 Gulfshore Drive, Naples, FL 34108. Courtwatch Program for domestic violence October was Domestic Violence Awareness month. The Naples-Marco section of NCJW fights domestic violence with our Courtwatch Program, where we observe cases of domestic violence, and work with the Shelter for Abused Women and Children. More than 10 years ago, a small group of our members saw a need for this project. We modeled it after the

Courtwatch Programs MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) groups that had formed. The goal was to increase the Courts’ awareness of the serious nature of domestic violence, and alcohol related crimes. The only group with a Domestic Violence Courtwatch Program at that time (that we were aware of) was the Louisville, Kentucky section of NCJW. We saw a definite need for this in Collier County. At that time, the Court was hearing injunctions for orders of protection in a closed court without advising the petitioners of their rights to have a hearing before a judge. After we started documenting the cases, in conjunction with the Shelter’s assistance in training in the dynamics of this type of violence, there were meetings with Collier County officials. Dramatic changes were made to the system. It is now a much more effective and equitable process. We continue to attend the Court.

Hearings are held each week (usually Wednesday or Thursday mornings) and we continue to document the process to determine if any other changes need to be made to enhance the process. Our chair, Carol Klein, has been instrumental in developing and maintaining the program all these years. Thank you Carol and all those who continue to make fighting domestic violence a priority. NCJW tours the Shelter for Abused Women and Children Last season, a large group of NCJW women were given a tour of the Shelter in Naples. Director Linda Oberhaus thanked us for our interest and gave us a brief history. We had brought donations of food, household

items, paper goods, and children’s toys to re-stock their supply. Several of the staff guided us around the facility and answered questions. All of us were impressed with the large, modern, state-of-the-art building as well as the staff. The Shelter opened in May 1986 and receives no county funding. Its operating revenue is about $4 million. Roughly one third of that is derived from the Options Thrift Shoppe, the rest from donations and state and federal grants. The Shelter provides residential shelter and counseling services, and outreach in Immokalee and Bonita Springs. A large number of volunteers assist the staff. Thanks to Carol Klein for this information.

For a continuously updated community calendar, visit www.jewishnaples.org.

ORGANIZATIONS

26A Federation Star November 2012 ORT AMERICA – GULF BEACHES CHAPTER

www.ort.org / 239-649-4000

“Pop Art with Andy Warhol” will be topic at Gulf Beaches ORT luncheon By Helene Dorfman Fuchs

all it au courant, or even avant garde: Gulf Beaches’ fall event on Thursday, November 15 is ahead of the pack once again. The organization that brought you an intimate evening with Naples Philharmonic concertmaster Glenn Basham and lunch with Olga Hershheimer of the Hershheimer Sculpture Garden and Museum in Washington, D.C., opens this season with a cutting-edge program on Andy Warhol, whose perspective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art runs through December 31. And if you’re concerned about pesticides, herbicides and artificial ingredients in your food, the luncheon venue is Shangri-La Springs, a new therapeutic spa that serves only organic – but epicurean – food. Post-lunch, guests will shift to the neighboring Center for the Arts of Bonita Springs for a talk by Susan

Bridges, center president, and a tour of the campus. Both locations are landmarks on Old 41 Road in Bonita Springs – Shangri-La at 27750 and the Arts Center at 26100. Bridges’ talk on “Pop Art with Andy Warhol” will be followed by a demonstration of the techniques used by pop artists, including silkscreen printing, stamping and creating three-dimensional objects. Afterwards, participants can try creating their own artworks using these processes. The cost for both the lunch and program is $45. Please send a check, made out to ORT America, to Hella Amelkin, 3200 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., Apt. #307, Naples, FL 34103. Guests are welcome at all ORT events. But if you’re not already a member, include $36 for an annual membership. It will be money well spent for a season of culture, fun and friendship.

HUMANISTIC JEWISH HAVURAH

A board member shares why she joined ORT Both friendship and the enticement of stimulating programs propelled Marebe Crouse, the only non-Jewish board member, to join ORT. Her neighbors, Hella Amelkin and Jill Goode, invited her to attend a few programs. “I heard a young ORT graduate from South America speak, and his success story was fascinating,” Crouse said. Programs that featured Olga Hirshhorn and concertmaster Glenn Basham further convinced her

that Gulf Beaches ORT offered topnotch cultural entertainment while supporting “a good cause.” She added, “I learned you didn’t have to be Jewish to join ORT, and I like the fact that minorities are represented in the ORT schools.” ORT is an international organization that teaches people skills to last a lifetime. For more information on ORT, visit www.ORTAmerica. org. Then plan to enjoy an inspiring season with the women and men of Gulf Beaches.

RESERVE THESE DATES FOR THE GULF BEACHES SEASON • November 15, 2012, 11:30 a.m.: ORT Opening Luncheon Event • December 12, 2012, 5:00 p.m.: ORT Cocktails Event • January 9, 2013, 11:30 a.m.: ORT Luncheon Event • January 25, 2013, 7:00 p.m.: ORT Sabbath • February 6, 2013, 11:30 a.m.: ORT Annual Fundraiser Event • March 15, 2013, noon: ORT Special Luncheon

www.humanisticjewishhavurahswfl.org / 239-495-8197

“Religion” – an unsatisfactory definition of Judaism Paula Creed President

o common set of theological beliefs unites all Jews. There are a significant number of Jews who do not attend services except maybe once or twice a year, yet they identify themselves as Jewish. The truth of the matter is that while many Jews do religion, many do not. No set of theological beliefs unites all Jews as many have no theological beliefs. Many even openly denounce religion. Some espouse atheism although their Jewish identity remains intact. There are those who refer to themselves as cultural Jews. By that description, they mean to suggest that while they no longer have any attachment to rabbinic theology, they do have a sentimental attachment to the

Jewish holidays, Jewish music, Jewish food and Jewish symbols. They may even enjoy Jewish literature, dance Jewish dances and even dabble in Jewish languages. Yet there are also Jews who do not choose to indulge in any of the Jewish cultural options, but will still find some value in their Jewish identity. This disillusionment has been especially prevalent since the Holocaust. The Holocaust is dramatic testimony to the sublime indifference of the universe to undeserved human suffering and, for that matter, to undeserved human pleasure. The Jewish people, whose official establishment proclaimed for over two thousand years that Jewish history is a testimony to the presence of God, is, indeed, the strongest testimony of the absence of God. In the secular age, Jews, above all people, discovered that the old theology was a harmful illusion. It encouraged Jews to be passive and grateful when they should be active and angry. The people who supposedly discov-

ered “God” were painful witnesses to the fact that divine justice did not exist. In no other nation were experience and ideology so far apart. The 20th and 21st centuries have clearly shown what modern humanism stands for. If a people will not assume responsibility for its “fate” and its “destiny,” no one else will. Recent Jewish history and Jewish experience are vivid witnesses to the absurdity of the universe, to the absence of any moral order in the “running” of the world. Our history and experience testify to the futility of expecting inorganic energy to conform to the ethical standards of an ambitious species on a hostile planet, and sobering reminders that if “God” is uncaring or non-existent, people too can be uncaring and “inhumane.” Only painful discipline and realistic expectations will enable us to manage our disappointment and to use it constructively. Jewish identity has humanistic value because Jewish experience testifies to the need for reason and dignity. To be Jewish is to

feel the indifference of the universe and the terror of self-reliance. There is no alternative to self-reliance given the gifts of destiny. Humanistic Judaism demands a new view of Jewish religion and history. It needs to focus less on theological ideas and worship practices and more on the actual skills that Jews developed for their own survival. Consequently, Humanistic Jews have created liturgy that is meaningful. We do not bow our heads and bend our knees in worship of a supreme being, but rather the liturgy in a Humanistic Jewish service speaks to the power within each of us to face the situations of our own lives. At the same time, Humanistic Jews know that each of us does not stand alone, but that it is within community that we find strength, solace, compassion and love. It is human love that is the force of life, not an otherworldly authority. For more information, visit our website at www.humanisticjewish havurahswfl.org.

Stay in touch throughout the month. SIGN UP FOR THE FEDERATION’S WEEKLY eNEWSLETTER! Get the latest information on upcoming community events and cultural activities, news from Israel, and lots more.

Send an email to info@jewishnaples.org or sign up at www.jewishnaples.org.

27A BUSINESS DIRECTORY Federation Star November 2012

November 2012 Federation Star

27A

www.hadassah.org / 239-676-3052

COLLIER/LEE CHAPTER OF HADASSAH

Hadassah update Shelley Skelton President

he year 1966 was a time of big dreams and high ideals: the civil rights movement, the Peace Corps, the race to the moon. It was also the year the Hadassah Associates were born, a partnership to further the ideals and mission of Hadassah: building a better world through medicine. Going back a little, in the year 1912, one Jewish woman, Henrietta Szold, had the ability and determination to take action and create change at a time when women were not even permitted to vote, and Hadassah was born. Hadassah is committed to strengthening the unity of the Jewish people. In Israel, we accomplish this through progressive healthcare, education, youth institutions, volunteerism and land reclamation. In the United States, we reach our goals through Jewish and Zionist education

programs, Zionist Youth programs and health awareness programs, as well as by advocating for issues of importance to women and to the American Jewish community. We are celebrating our centennial in this magical year of 2012. We are 100 years old! By becoming a Hadassah Associate, men can participate in Hadassah’s mission of peace and healing. The Associates, born in 1966, are 46 years old. That makes us 54 years older than them – funny, we don’t look older, do we? Working alongside Hadassah women or spearheading initiatives on their own, Associates make a significant contribution to the basic values of the Jewish people: tikkun olam (repairing the world) and tzedakah. Associates support Hadassah’s vital work in the United States and Israel, working to change people’s lives. We are so happy to be taking this journey together. The Associates embody the ideals and values that have exemplified Hadassah for 100 years! On April 15, 2012, the Collier/ Lee Chapter of Hadassah honored our Associates with a certificate representing a brick that was placed in the Centennial Path at Hadassah He-

brew University Medical Center, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem. This was in special recognition of our male counterparts, who embody the ideals and values that have exemplified Hadassah for 100 years. And during this very special Centennial year, don’t miss this very special opportunity: Associates affiliation is $212 until December 31, 2012. Now’s the time to affiliate all your family and friends before the rate goes back up to $300. Spread the word! This is in conjunction with the special rate of $212 for Life Membership in Hadassah; the rate will increase back to the original after December 31. I would also like to share with you some groundbreaking Hadassah health news. On June 6, 2012, Hadassah physician Chamutal Gur received the Kay Innovation Award from the Hebrew University for her research on a groundbreaking new diabetes treatment, which is now undergoing commercial development. Hadassah University Medical Center’s technology transfer company is currently working on the development of technology for the oral delivery of insulin. This is the outgrowth of 30 years of research conducted at Hadassah, in

the Diabetes Unit. This oral insulin capsule, currently in Phase 2 clinical trials, has the potential to revolutionize treatment for the 285 million people worldwide suffering with diabetes. And finally, it is my pleasure to announce that Thin Threads, Hadassah’s Centennial Commemorative anthology of 101 funny, sad, happy, touching, surprising, memorable and very personal stories, is finally here! Thin Threads is about turning point events, encounters and moments of connection. The $180 Collector’s Edition is leather-bound and personally signed by Marcie Natan, National President. The Commemorative Edition, at a cost of $29.95, can be personally signed by our own Iris Shur, who has an article included in the book, along with Jane Strom and Nancy Wiadro. Both editions are equal in size and content, illustrated with archival and contemporary photographs, forming a complete chronology portraying Hadassah’s important role in the State of Israel and its impact on the lives of the Jewish people. Books can be ordered online. You may contact me at the above number for more information.

BUSINESS DIRECTORY ACCOUNTANT

ATTORNEY

A. STEPHEN KOTLER

TYLER B. KORN, ESQ.

Sheldon W. Starman, CPA Rogers Wood Hill Starman & Gustason Certified Public Accountants 2375 Tamiami Trail North, Suite 110 Naples, FL 34103 Tel: 239-262-1040  Fax: 239-262-8403 Email: sstarman@rwhsgcpa  www.rwhsgcpa.com

THE KORN LAW FIRM, P.L. TAX AND CORPORATE LAW NEW YORK, NY

NAPLES, FL

WWW.KORNTAX.COM NEWGATE TOWER, SuiTE 302 5150 TAMiAMi TRAil N. NAPlES, FlORidA 34103

PHONE (239) 354-4300 FAX (239) 354-4310 TKORN@KORNTAX.COM

6780 Vanderbilt Beach Rd. • Naples, FL 34119 Telephone: (239) 354-5330 www.palmroyale.net

Want to see your business in this spot? For more information or to place an ad, call Jacqui at (239) 777-2889.

FUNERAL SERVICES

INSURANCE

CEMETeRY

PALM ROYALE

C E M E T E R Y

•

M A U S O L E U M

Advanced Cemetery Arrangement Planning

Teresa Shepp Family Service Counselor

ATTORNEY - ESTATE PLANNING Board Certified Wills, Trusts and Estate Lawyer

Comprehensive Wealth Transfer Planning Asset Preservation • Federal Transfer Tax Probate and Trust Administration Elder Law and Special Needs

KOTLER LAW FIRM P.L. 999 Vanderbilt Beach Road Suite 200 Naples, Florida 34108

Phone 239.325.2333

skotler@kotlerpl.com

DIAMONDS & JEWELRY FRANK WEINBERG

NAPLES DIAMOND SERVICE Diamonds, Watches and Jewelry Bought/Sold, Repaired and Appraised Coins – Bullion 660 9th St. N., Ste. 31-B Naples, Florida 34102

Phone 239-403-1055 Fax 239-403-0946

E-mail mrfrank3@centurylink.net

Interior DECORATOR

Long Term Care Insurance • Life Insurance Income Protection • Critical Illness Coverage North Naples 1625 Pine Ridge Rd. 592-1611

East Naples 4735 Tamiami Trail E. 417-5000

Advanced Funeral Planning Specialists Call about our Pre-Planning Discounts

Mitchell Dannenberg, cltc

(239) 461-5511 http://ltcimarketplace.com

more business directory listings on next page

28A Federation Star November 2012

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

OPHTHALMOLOGY

NEUROLOGY

PIANO LESSONS

Piano Lessons with Jo Ann Kravitz

Stephen G. Schwartz, M.D., M.B.A.

Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology Medical Director, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at Naples 311 9th Street North, Suite 100 Naples, Florida 34102 www.bascompalmer.org

In your home Ages 6 to 106 Affordable Rates BS in Music Education

Phone: (239) 659-3937 Fax: (239) 659-3984 sschwartz2@med.miami.edu

PRINTING

P O D I A T RIST DIPLOMATE, AMERICAN BOARD OF PODIATRIC SURGERY

239-293-6819

PSYCHIATRY Melanie Bacal Korn, M.D.

FELLOW, AMERICAN PROF. WOUND CARE ASSN.

FACFE, DABFM, DABPN, BCETS

DR. ROBERT D. TEITELBAUM

Board Certified in Psychiatry

PODIATRIST

No desire for self-fulfillment should ever be dismissed as insignificant. 239-263-4595 FAX 239-263-8851

Newgate Tower, Ste 302 5150 Tamiami Trail N. Naples, Florida 34103

4763 TAMIAMI TRAIL, N. NAPLES, FL34103

DrBob@NaplesPodiatry.com

REAL ESTATE

Rickie Klein

Beth Shaw Adelman, GRI, Realtor® Naples Fine Home Specialist

Your trusted, credible, expert advisor for Naples luxury real estate

239.571.4791 Beth@Bocaexecutive.com

mobile 239.404.2618 RickieKlein@comcast.net www.RickieNaples.com

www.Bocaexecutiverealty.com/Naples Newest location at Naples Bay Resort! 1490 5th Avenue South, #A1-104 Naples, Florida 34102

REAL ESTATE

T 239.354.4311 F 239.354.4310

TRANSPORTATION

TRAVEL

Israel briefs...continued from page 15A owes a debt of gratitude to the Jewish faith, and we have been commanded to stand with our Jewish brethren. Pastor John Hagee is founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel. (Washington Post)

HOW THE UNITED STATES BENEFITS FROM ITS ALLIANCE WITH ISRAEL

• Many of the considerations that provided the rationale for the U.S.Israel security relationship during the Cold War remain valid today. Israel is a bulwark against radical Islamism as embodied by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and a quiet but effective ally of Jordan. • U.S. military equipment pre-positioned in Israel, valued at nearly $1.2 billion, is available to support U.S. contingencies in the eastern Mediterranean and Persian Gulf. Israel continues to serve as a testing ground for advanced weapons

and war-fighting concepts, many of which are eventually employed by the U.S. • Today, Israeli intelligence remains a major source of information regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Hizbullah’s global activities, and the activities of al-Qaeda affiliates; and Israeli intelligence operations have helped delay Iran’s nuclear program. Israel’s comparative advantages include a sustained focus on key hard targets, the cultivation of unique sources and innovative methods, and a willingness to incur risk. • There needs to be greater recognition that Israel not only benefits immensely from U.S. support, but also contributes significantly to U.S. interests. Israel’s own strength and stability, along with its military, technological and scientific achievements, enhance the U.S. ability to meet the secu-

rity, economic and development requirements (at home and abroad) that are increasingly essential to preserving American prosperity and leadership. (Michael Eisenstadt and David Pollock, Washington Institute for Near East Policy)

WHERE JEWELRY AND CHARITY MEET Isaac and Orna Levy, owners of Yvel, an award-winning Israeli jewelry company near Jerusalem, are running an innovative school that is teaching the jewelry trade to an eager group of motivated Ethiopian immigrants. The Megemeria training program (“Genesis” in Amharic) trains some 21 Ethiopian immigrants at a time, chosen for their artistic sense and propensity for precision work. Isaac Levy said the first year graduates “are now employed in full-time jobs and...are supporting the Israeli jewelry industry abroad.” Before they were accepted

to Megemeria, several of the students were working as house cleaners and security guards. (Algemeiner)

CUTOFF OF U.S. MONEY LEADS UNESCO TO SLASH PROGRAMS

A year after the U.S. cut off its financing to UNESCO, following a vote to make Palestine a full member, the organization has cut back programs to reduce costs. UNESCO’s director general, Irina Bokova, has secured pledges of about $70 million since December to try to make up for the $144 million in dues that the U.S. has withheld, she said in an interview in Paris. “But there is still an enormous shortfall.” Congress had passed two laws in the early 1990s requiring an immediate cutoff of money to any UN agency that accepted Palestine as a member. (New York Times)

IF WE DON’T TEACH OUR CHILDREN WHO THEY ARE,

OTHERS WILL. As they grow up, young Jews will face challenges to their beliefs and identity. We believe the best way to protect our children against ignorance and hate is to educate them. From the pride of a preschooler learning his first H.ebrew words to the confidence of a college student prepared to grapple with anti-Israel sentiment on campus, we’re strengthening Jewish identity and inspiring a lifelong connection to Jewish values. But we need your help.

FS1112 Everything Federation does is made possible JewishFederations.org THE STRENGTH OF A PEOPLE. through the generous donations from members of THE POWER OF COMMUNITY. jfederations @jfederations the community. Please consider making a gift today!

YOU MAKE IT POSSIBLE!

 I hereby pledge and promise to pay my Federation for the 2012 JFCC/UJA Annual Campaign a contribution of:  $36  $72  $180  $540  other $_________  Contribution enclosed (Check #__________)  Please charge my:

 MasterCard

 Visa

 Please bill me  American Express

Jewish Federation may add a 3% donation to my payment to offset credit card service fee _____ (initials or √ denote authorization)

Account #______________________________________________ Exp. Date____________ ccv#_________ Name: ________________________________________________ Signature:_________________________________________ Billing Address:____________________________________________________________________________________ City: ___________________________________ ST: _______ Zip: _______________ Phone: ______________________________ Please send to: Jewish Federation of Collier County, 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd., Suite 2201, Naples, FL 34109-0613 JFCC/UJA CAMPAIGN OF JEWISH FEDERATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA

30A Federation Star November 2012

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Get the Service you Deserve November 2012 – Heshvan/Kislev 5773 SUNDAY lighting MONDAY Candle times:

November 2: November 9: November 16: November 23: November 30:

WEDNESDAY

TUESDAY

6:26 5:22 5:19 5:17 5:17

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

11:30am JCMI Mah Jongg 1:00pm NJC Board Meeting

11:30am ORT Board Mtg 5:30pm HJH Shabbat Dinner 6:00pm TS Shir Joy Shabbat 6:30pm CHA Comm. Dinner 6:30pm JCMI All Amer. Dnr. 7:30pm BT Services 7:30pm NJC Services 7:30pm TS Services 8:00pm JCMI Services

8:30am TS Torah Talk 9:30am BT Services 10:00am CHA Services 10:00am TS Services

9:00am BT Religious School 3:00pm Kristallnacht Memorial Convocation 5:30pm HDH Evening Group Welcome Back Pot Luck 6:00pm NJSC Dinner & Show

10:00am NCJW Board Mtg 2:00pm HDH Board Mtg 5:30pm JCMI Bingo 7:30 BT & CJD RT Book Talk

10:00am TS-S Board Mtg 10:30am JCMI-S Board Mtg 12:00pm TS Brown Bag Ln 12:15pm BT Torah Study 1:30pm CJD Steering Cmte

11:30am CHA-M Lunch 1:00pm JCMI Bridge 2:30pm CRC Meeting 4:30pm BT Religious School 4:30pm CHA Hebrew School 4:30pm TS Relgious School

11:30am JCMI Mah Jongg 2:30pm Israel Affairs Comm 3:00pm HM Exec Cmte 6:00pm HM Lecture 6:30pm HDH Eve Group

9:30am WCA Board Mtg 7:30pm BT Services 7:30pm NJC Services 7:30pm TS Services 8:00pm JCMI Services

9:30am BT Services 10:00am CHA Services 10:00am TS Services

11:30am CHA-M Lunch 1:00pm JCMI Bridge 4:30pm BT Religious School 4:30pm CHA Hebrew School 4:30pm TS Religious School 5:30pm Jewish Bus. Conn. 7:00pm TS WIJL

11:30am ATS Lunch/Lecture 11:30am JCMI Mah Jongg 11:30am ORT Luncheon 1:30pm TS-S Book Bag 3:00pm HM Board Mtg 3:00pm Men’s Cultural Allnc. 4:00pm BT Board Mtg 5:30pm TS Rosh Chodesh

11:00am CHA Preschool Performance 11:00am WCA Welcome Back Luncheon 7:30pm BT Services 7:30pm NJC Services 7:30pm TS Services 8:00pm JCMI Services

9:30am BT Services 10:00am CHA Services 10:00am TS Services

11:30am NCJW Gen Mtg 12:15pm BT Torah Study 7:00pm TS Exec Cmte 7:30pm ZOA Program

11:30am CHA-M Lunch 12:00pm NJC Men’s Club 1:00pm JCMI Bridge 4:30pm BT Religious School 4:30pm CHA Hebrew School 4:30pm TS Religious School

22 THANKSGIVING

23 24 OFFICE CLOSED 9:30am BT Services

9:00am BT Religious School 10:30am TS Naples Jewish 10:00am NJC Educ. Prog. Caring Support Group 7:00pm TS Welcome Back 5:30pm JCMI Bingo Dance

11:30am TS-S Luncheon 12:00pm JCMI-S Gen Mtg 12:15pm BT Torah Study 6:30pm CHA Women’s Cir 7:30pm JFCC Board Mtg

9:00am BT Religious School 12:00pm NJC-S Book Club 9:00am JCMI Men’s Club 5:30pm JCMI Bingo 9:30am JWV Meeting 7:30 BT Dead Sea Scrolls 11:00am HDH New/Pros. Members Brunch 11:30am HM Literature Conf. 4:30pm GenShoah meeting

9:00am BT Religious School 10:30am TS Naples Jewish 10:00am NJC Educ. Prog. Caring Support Group 5:30pm JCMI Bingo 7:30pm BT Book Group

7:30pm BT Services 7:30pm NJC Services 7:30pm TS Services 8:00pm JCMI Services

12:15pm BT Torah Study 7:00pm TS Board Mtg

9:30am HJH Board Mtg 11:30am JCMI Mah Jongg 11:30am CHA-M Lunch 6:30pm CHA Movie Night 1:00pm JCMI Bridge 7:00pm JCMI Board Mtg 4:30pm BT Religious School 4:30pm CHA Hebrew School 4:30pm TS Religious School

10:00am CHA Services 10:00am TS Services

30 7:30pm BT Services 7:30pm NJC Services 7:30pm TS Services 8:00pm JCMI Services

Throughout the year, some holidays fall within the normal work week. The Federation office will be closed in observance of those holidays which are listed in all CAPITAL LETTERS.

Key: • AJC: American Jewish Committee • ATS: American Technion Society • BT: Beth Tikvah • CHA: Chabad Jewish Center of Naples • CHA: Chabad Men’s Club • CJD: Catholic/Jewish Dialogue • CRC: Community Relations Committee • HDH: Hadassah • HJH: Humanistic Jewish Havurah • HM: Holocaust Museum of Southwest Florida

Federation Star Publication Policy The Federation Star is a subsidized arm of the Jewish Federation of Collier County (JFCC). Its purpose and function is to publicize the activities and programs of the “Federation,” and to publicize the ongoing activities of the established and recognized Jewish organizations within Collier County. The mission of the JFCC is to reach out and unite all Jews of the greater Collier County area. While offering opinions and points of view do, and will continue to, exist about many issues of importance to Jews, the Federation Star will confine itself to publishing ONLY items that report the facts of actual events of concern to Jews and will only offer commentary that clearly intends to unite all Jews in a common purpose or purposes. Critical or derogatory comments directed at individuals or organizations will NOT be published in the Federation Star.

• ISRB: Israel Bonds • JCMI: Jewish Congregation of Marco Island • JCMI-M: JCMI Men’s Club • JCMI-S: JCMI Sisterhood • JFCC: Jewish Federation of Collier County • JFCS: Jewish Family and Community Services • JNF: Jewish National Fund • JWV: Jewish War Veterans • MDA: Magen David Adom • NCJW: National Council of Jewish Women (Adopted by the Officers and Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federation of Collier County 1/98) To avoid misunderstandings, controversies and destructive divisions among our people, the Officers and Board of Trustees of the “Federation” have adopted the following publication policy: Advertisements: All advertisements, regardless of their sponsor, shall be paid for in full, at the established rates, prior to publication. The contents of all advertisements shall be subject to review and approval of the Federation Board or its designee. Commercial advertisers may make credit arrangements with the advertising manager, subject to the approval of the Federation Board. Regular Columns: Regular columns shall be accepted only from leaders (Rabbis, Presidents, Chairpersons) of established and recognized Jewish organizations within Collier County and the designated Chairpersons of the regular committees of the Jewish Federation of Collier County.

• NJC: Naples Jewish Congregation • NJC-M: Naples Jewish Congregation Men’s Club • NJC-S: Naples Jewish Congregation Sisterhood • NJSC: Naples Jewish Social Club • ORT: Organization for Rehabilitation/Training • TS: Temple Shalom • TS-M: Temple Shalom Men’s Club • TS-S: Temple Shalom Sisterhood • WCA: Women’s Cultural Alliance • ZOA: Zionist Organization of America

Special Announcements: Special announcements shall be accepted from established Jewish organizations within Collier County and may, at the discretion of the Federation Board, be subject to the conditions applicable to paid advertisements, as set forth above. News Items: Only those news items pertaining to matters of general interest to the broadest cross-section of the Jewish Community will be accepted for publication. Note: Items of controversial opinions and points of view, about political issues, will not be accepted for publication without prior approval of a majority of the Federation Officers and Trustees. All persons and organizations objecting to the actions and rulings of the Editor or Publications Committee Chairman shall have the right to appeal those rulings to the Officers and Board of Trustees of the JFCC.

Federation membership

According to the By-Laws of the Jewish Federation of Collier County, members are those individuals who make an annual gift of $36 or more to the UJA Federation Campaign in our community. For more information, please contact the Federation at 239.263.4205.

November 2012 COMMUNITY DIRECTORY 31A Federation Star TEMPLE SHALOM OF NAPLES (Reform) 4630 Pine Ridge Road, Naples, FL 34119 Phone: 455-3030  Fax: 455-4361 Email: info@naplestemple.org www.naplestemple.org Rabbi Adam Miller Cantor Donna Azu James H. Perman, D.D., Rabbi Emeritus Yale T. Freeman, President Susan Shechter Daugherty, Exec. Dir. Caren Plotkin, Religious School Dir. Seyla Cohen, Preschool Director Peter Lewis, Organist/Choir Director Shabbat Services: Shabbat Eve - Friday 7:30 p.m. Shabbat - Saturday 10:00 a.m. • Sisterhood • Men’s Club • Adult Education • Havurot • Youth Groups • Religious School • Judaic Library • Hebrew School • Pre-School • Adult Choir • Social Action • Outreach

Naples’ only Judaica Shop

CHABAD NAPLES JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER serving Naples and Marco Island 1789 Mandarin Road, Naples, FL 34102 Phone: 262-4474 Email: info@chabadnaples.com Website: www.chabadnaples.com Rabbi Fishel Zaklos Dr. Arthur Seigel, President Ettie Zaklos, Education Director Shabbat Services Shabbat - Saturday 10am • Camp Gan Israel • Hebrew School • Preschool of the Arts • Jewish Women’s Circle • Adult Education • Bat Mitzvah Club • Friendship Circle • Smile on Seniors • Flying Challah • Kosher food delivery The Federation Star is published monthly, September through July, by the Jewish Federation of Collier County. 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Road Suite 2201 Naples, FL 34109-0613 Phone: 239-263-4205 Fax: 239-263-3813 E-mail: info@jewishnaples.org Website: www.jewishnaples.org Volume 22, No. 3 November 2012 44 pages USPS Permit No. 419

November 2012 Federation Star

JEWISH CONGREGATION OF MARCO ISLAND

NAPLES JEWISH CONGREGATION

BETH TIKVAH

(Reform)

(Conservative)

991 Winterberry Drive Marco Island, FL 34145 Phone: 642-0800  Fax: 642-1031 Email: mgr.jcmioffice@embarqmail.com Website: MarcoJCMI.tripod.com

Services are held at: The Unitarian Congregation 6340 Napa Woods Way Rabbi Sylvin Wolf Ph.D, DD 234-6366 Email: sylvinwolf@comcast.net www.naplesjewishcongregation.org

1459 Pine Ridge Road Naples, FL 34109

Rabbi Edward M. Maline, DD Hari Jacobsen, Cantorial Soloist Stephen Goldenberg, President

Don Pomerantz, President Jane Galler, Cantorial Soloist

Shabbat Services Friday 8:00 p.m.

Shabbat Services

Torah Study and Saturday Services

Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. May - August: services once a month

• Sisterhood • Men’s Club • Brownstein Judaica Gift Shop

Sisterhood • Men’s Club

Corned Beef on Wry What’s nova? Can we appetizer you? We’d like to deli-cately suggest that you look into several estate-planning techniques or a blintzkreig of real kugel ideas…herring it from our tongue to your ears. Whether you’re a high liver or chopped liver, no need to be in a pickle getting your affairs in order. Time now to lox up a muenster lifetime gift or bequest to the Federation’s Endowment Fund while you’re sable. The wurst thing would be to pass on without leaving a knish for the community. Tuna in to the suggestions we can provide. Mustard up the energy to contact us and then pump your nickels and dimes into the vehicle that’s right for you. Oh, and by the way… Thanks a latke! For more information on gift planning, contact David Willens, Executive Director, at 239.263.4205.

Rabbi Ammos Chorny Stuart Kaye, President Phil Jason, Vice President Sue Hammerman, Secretary Shabbat Services Friday evenings at 7:30pm Saturday mornings at 9:30am Youth Education - Adult Education Community Events

Jewish Organizations to Serve You in Collier County (All area codes are 239 unless otherwise noted.)

Jewish Federation of Collier County Phone: 263-4205  Fax: 263-3813 Website: www.jewishnaples.org Email: info@jewishnaples.org • Federation President: Norman Krivosha • Executive Director: David Willens

American Technion Society • Chapter Dir: Jennifer Singer, 941-378-1500 • Naples Chairman: L.C. Goldman, 592-5884

Collier/Lee Chapter of Hadassah • President: Shelley Skelton, 676-3052

Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida • President: Joshua Bialek, 263-9200

Humanistic Jewish Havurah of Southwest Florida • Paula Creed, 495-8484

Israel Bonds • Reva Pearlstein, 800-622-8017 • Tyler Korn, 254-0400

Jewish Family and Community Services of Southwest Florida Phone: 325-4444 • Chairperson: Millie Sernovitz • Executive Director: Dr. Jaclynn Faffer

Jewish National Fund • West/Central FL Office, 800-211-1502 Uri ext 8910, Beth ext 8911

David Willens, Executive Director – david@jewishnaples.org

• Commander, Gil Block, 304-5953 • Senior Vice Commander, M/Gen. Bernard L. Weiss, USAF Ret. 594-7772

Melissa Keel, Community Prog. Dir. – melissa@jewishnaples.org

Editor: Ted Epstein, 239-249-0699 fedstar18@gmail.com

General information requests – info@jewishnaples.org

Design: Federation Media Group, Inc.

Ted Epstein, Editor, Federation Star – fedstar18@gmail.com

Send news stories to: fedstar18@gmail.com

Phone: (239) 434-1818 Email: bethtikvahnaples@aol.com Website: www.bethtikvahnaples.org

Jewish War Veterans Post 202,Collier Co. Chapter

Iris Doenias, Administrative Assistant – iris@jewishnaples.org

December Issue Deadlines: Editorial: November 1 Advertising: November 6

(just west of Mission Square Plaza)

Please note our email addresses:

Publisher: Jewish Federation of Collier County

Advertising: Jacqui Aizenshtat 239-777-2889

31A

Deborah Vacca, Bookkeeper – deborah@jewishnaples.org Federation Star advertising – jacqui1818@gmail.com

Naples Friends of American Magen David Adom (MDA) • Exec Dir: Robert Schwartz, 954-457-9766

Naples Jewish Social Club • President: Illeen Mittleman, 440-221-6468

National Council of Jewish Women • Co-President: Bobbie Katz, 353-5963 • Co-President: Linda Wainick, 354-9117

ORT - Gulf Beaches Chapter

Read the current and previous editions of the Federation Star in a unique online format at

www.jewishnaples.org

• President: Marina Berkovich, 566-1771

Women’s Cultural Alliance • President: Jane Hersch, 948-0003

Zionist Organization of America • President Southwest Florida Chapter: Jerry Sobel, 597-0855

LIVE THE MOMENT ™

Celebrating Jewish Life in Collier County

Federation Star Arts & Culture Published by the Jewish Federation of Collier County serving Naples, Marco Island and the surrounding communities

www.JewishNaples.org

November 2012 - Heshvan/Kislev 5773

Vol. 22 #3

Your guide to upcoming cultural events

By Ted Epstein, Editor

elcome to the third annual Arts & Culture section in the Federation Star. When we surveyed our readers and asked what their main interests and hobbies were, theater, film, reading and concerts (arts and culture) were the top four replies. Museums and galleries also placed near the top. And over the years, some of the most consistent supporters of the Federation Star, through their advertising dollars, have been the local cultural centers. So we decided to combine our readers’ interests and give our arts and culture advertisers a little bit of space to tell you about their upcoming offerings. As you browse this 12-page section, you’ll find so much to keep you busy in November and the coming months. Here’s an overview:

¡¡ Theater offerings from Gulfshore Playhouse, The Naples Players, and TheatreZone ¡¡ The Women’s Cultural Alliance Culture Bus ¡¡ Exhibits at the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida ¡¡ Project Mah Jongg at the Jewish Museum of Florida on Miami Beach ¡¡ The Jewish Film Festival on Marco Island ¡¡ The Saul Stern Cultural Series ¡¡ “The Dead Sea Scrolls” presentation at Beth Tikvah ¡¡ Rabbi James Rudin’s Book Talk and book signing ¡¡ The “Readers & Thinkers” schedule of events ¡¡ Jewish Book Festivals in Fort Myers and Sarasota

¡¡ Israeli Folk Dancing In addition, there is information on the “What’s in Your Genes?” presentation and a men’s version of the Women’s Cultural Alliance. I compile eleven issues of the Federation Star each year, and you can see why the November issue has

become my favorite. This Arts & Culture section would not be possible without our advertisers. The staff at the Jewish Federation and I thank each of them. I hope you will patronize our advertisers through the end of 2012 and into 2013.

L LEET T’’S SC CEEL LE EB BR RA AT TE E

Community Chanukah Community Chanukah Celebration Celebration

Jewish Federation of Collier County huFneid ioan og f uCeoslla ienrdCO orugnatn y izations and our JCeow mism tyerSaytn go and our Commuinniv ty Syyn ite oaugtoogjuoeis na un sd Organizations invite you to join us

Thursday, December 13, 2012 Thursday,5D:4 e5 cePm be .M . r 13, 2012 5:45 P.M.

The Strada at Mercato TSh4e1 &StVraa dea U nd rbia lttBM eace hrRcoa at do US 41 & Vanderbilt Beach Road

Greetings from Community Leaders Greetings Candle from Community Lighting Leaders Lighting Songs from SimchaCandle Musical Duo Jean & Ron Amodea Songs Featuring from Simcha Musical Duo Jean & Ron Amodea Naples Klezmer Revival Band Naples Klezmer Revival andFeaturing lots of holiday spirit for the wholeBand family! and lots of holiday spirit for the whole family!

At ORT schools in the United States, 80% of the Class of 2011 are employed in their field of study, WE CELEBRATE OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY Federation of Collier County WE Jewish CELEBRATE OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY BethJewish Tikvah, Chabad Jewish Center Naples, Federation of Collier County Jewish Congregation of Marco Island, Beth Tikvah, Chabad Jewish Center Naples, Naples Jewish Congregation, Temple Shalom, Jewish Congregation of Marco Island, Jewish Community Services SWFL, Naples Family Jewish&Congregation, Temple of Shalom, Hadassah, Jewish Havurah, Jewish Family Humanistic & Community Services of SWFL, Israel Bonds, JNF, Humanistic Jewish WarJewish Veterans Post 202, NCJW, Hadassah, Havurah, NaplesIsrael Friends of Magen David Adom, Naples Jewish Social Club, ORT Bonds, JNF, Jewish War Veterans Post 202, NCJW, Naples Friends of Magen David Adom, Naples Jewish Social Club, ORT

and Rachel Cohen is one of them. Rachel Cohen, Graphic Designer

Are you ready to join the education revolution? ORT bridges the gap between good intentions and great results every day by educating over 300,000 students around the world every year. For more details on becoming involved with ORT America in the Florida Region, contact Leah Siskin, Director, Florida Region at 888-802-6088 or at lsiskin@ORTamerica.org. ORTamerica.org | twitter.com/ORTamerica | facebook.com/ORTamerica | info@ORTamerica.org

Federation Star November 2012

ARTS & CULTURE

Mah jongg comes to Miami Beach!

Project Mah Jongg on display October 16, 2012 - March 17, 2013 at the Jewish Museum of Florida

nter a room where mah jongg is being played and the first thing you’ll hear are sounds of happiness – laughter and chatter, tiles clacking, and “Mah jongg!” cried out by a triumphant winner. People play anywhere four can fit around a table – or in the case of Miami Beach, in a swimming pool! Project Mah Jongg is an innovative cultural exhibition that opened in the Jewish Museum of Florida (JMOF) in October, and sheds light on the little-known historical dimensions of the game, provoking memories and meanings of the intergenerational tradition of this still popular icon in Jewish-American culture. The exhibit includes early game sets made of bone, Bakelite and bamboo; vintage photographs and advertisements; household items; Chinoiserie; and instructional materials. The exhibit also illuminates mah jongg’s influence on contemporary design, art, literature, theater, fashion and cuisine, with works by designer Isaac Mizrahi, writer/artist Bruce McCall and illustrators Christoph Niemann and Maira Kalman. JMOF has added a Florida connection to the show, with mah jongg sets and memorabilia from Jewish families throughout the state. There is also a mah jongg table in the exhibit

neighborhoods to resorts and retirement villages, and it has enjoyed popularity from Hollywood, California, to Hollywood, Florida. Mah Jongg was – more than anything – a community builder. The game was a staple that followed many from their summers in the Catskills Stella Prebler, Pearl Abrams, Pearl Feinstein, to their winter homes on Shirley Friedman, Dottie Cohen and Ruth Feinberg Miami Beach. As Maira playing mah jongg at Gold-Dan’s Cottages in the Catskills, c. 1960. Courtesy of Harvey Abrams. Kalman said about the game, “When I heard that women Miami Beach’s first Jewish congregawould get together and play mah tion. The Museum’s focal point is its jongg and talk about their problems, core exhibit MOSAIC: Jewish Life I realized there was a lot of therapy in Florida - 1763 to the Present, and going on that could not be done in an temporary history and art exhibits that official way. Many worries and wishes change periodically. A Collections & were voiced.” Research Center, several films, TimeToday, hundreds of thousands of line Wall of Jewish history, Museum people enjoy the game, as it continStore filled with unique items, and ues to be a vital part of communal, Bessie’s Bistro for snacks complete personal and cultural life. Some the experience for visitors of all ages play to gather with friends, some and backgrounds. have inherited the mah jongg sets of Currently on display: PROJECT their mothers and grandmothers and MAH JONGG – October 16, 2012 they seek to connect to past generaMarch 17, 2013 and FROM HOME tions, while others are TO HOME: Jewish Immigration to drawn to the retro America – October 30, 2012 - Januappeal of the game ary 27, 2013 – a hands-on exhibit for and a bygone way of children and families. life in our high-tech Accredited by the American society. The clackAssociation of Museums, the Muing mah jongg tiles seum is located at 301 Washington echo the memories, Avenue, South Beach. Open daily fantasies, identities from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except and intersections of Mondays, Civil and Jewish holidays. our cultures – past and Admission: Adults/$6; Seniors/$5; present. Families/$12; Members and children “I think the most fascinating thing about mah jongg is the juxtaposiP r o j e c t M a h under 6/Always Free; Saturdays/Free. tion of ancient Chinese and modern-day American Jewish cultures. Jongg was curated For information, call 305.672.5044 or What a mix! For this painting, I simply traced on paper the detailed Jane Eynon, Betty Carey, Helen Plummer image my imagination had generated. I’ve learned to trust first and is circulated by visit www.jewishmuseum.com. and Ruth Nebeker playing a floating game instincts, especially when they’re this vivid. Painting this picture the Museum of Jewof mah jongg, 1924. Courtesy of Library of was the most pleasurable creative experience I’ve had in years.” Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Bruce McCall, 2010, used with permission. ish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York. This exhibition was made possible through the generosity of the National Mah Jongg League. Additional support was provided by Sylvia Hassenfeld and the 2wice Arts Foundation. Local funders include Robert Arthur Segall Foundation, Funding Arts Network, Charles & Sandra Simon, Joni & Stanley Tate and Kenneth & Barbara Bloom in recognition and appreciation of the continuing support of the Robert Arthur Segall Foundation to the Museum and its mission (as of 9/4/12). About the Museum Palm Royale Cemetery is committed to serving The Jewish Museum of Florida is housed in two adjacent lovingly the Jewish community. Through the knowledge of your restored historic buildings on South Mah jongg score card, c.1923. Courtesy of most sacred beliefs, your memorialization will be Marjorie Meyerson Troum. Beach that were once synagogues for where visitors can sit and play, in addition to a variety of programs and events where people can learn to play and host their own games. How did the ancient Chinese table game mah jongg, the invention of which is attributed to Confucius in 500 BCE, become a favorite pastime – often, a social lifeline – for generations of Jewish women in America? Mah jongg was introduced in the United States around 1920 by American businessman Joseph P. Babcock, a representative for the Standard Oil Company in China, who was fascinated with the exotic world that mah jongg represented. He started importing sets around 1922, at which time he simplified the game for an American audience through his book “Rules for Playing the Genuine Chinese Game Mah-Jongg.” Since then, the game has ignited the popular imagination with its beautiful tiles, mythical origins and communal spirit. Throughout its history in the U.S., mah jongg has played a role in everything from family gatherings to charitable events, from immigrant

Shalom Gardens

at Palm Royale Cemetery

You’ve spent the best years of your life in Naples, why seal your memories anywhere else? Don’t overlook this pristine gem so close to home. Make Naples your final truly representative of the life it represents. destination. Make Palm Royale your final resting place. Ask about our beautiful Shalom Gardens.

Open 7 days a week Sunday business hours

Teresa Shepp Family Service Counselor

6780 Vanderbilt Beach Road • Naples

239.354.5330

www.palmroyale.net



Mah Jongg at the Jewish 

 Congregation Marco Island   for advanced beginners,   intermediates and advanced  players on Thursdays from   11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.   Reservations are a MUST.   Call Shirley Posner at  (239) 389-7872. 

ARTS & CULTURE Federation Star November 2012 3B

November 2012 Federation Star

Gulfshore Playhouse announces its Spectacular Seventh Season

ulfshore Playhouse is preparing its Spectacular Seventh Season with a variety of diverse productions, presentation formats and venues. Naples’ first and finest professional theatre company is growing to six mainstage productions this year, running from October through April. Opening the Gulfshore Playhouse mainstage season is “Reza in Rep,”

two Tony Award-winning productions in repertory: Art and God of Carnage, both by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, playing October 20 - November 18. Have you ever argued with a friend who had a different worldview? Was the dispute enough to stake your friendship on? Don’t miss Art, a hilarious comedy that examines the meaning of art, friendship, peer pressure and the ultimate value of those you love. God of Carnage brings together two sets of Brooklyn parents after

a playground altercation between their sons. The meeting begins with polite pleasantries and then descends into primal madness. Don’t miss this comedy of manners that both strikes a chord and hits a funny bone all in one fell swoop! I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright will play January 18 - February 3. Based on a true story, I Am My Own Wife tells the fascinating tale of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a German man who managed to survive both the Nazi onslaught and the repressive East German Communist regime, as a cross-dressing museum owner. One of the funniest comedies in the English language, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, will play February 14 - March 3. This classic play revolves around Ernest Worthing, who has come to propose to Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen. Algernon, however, refuses his consent until Ernest explains a mysterious cigarette case inscription. The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez, will be playing March 14 - 30. In 1865, the Civil War is over, slaves are being freed, soldiers are returning home, and Passover is being celebrated. A Jewish Confederate soldier and his two former slaves reunite to celebrate Passover. The Whipping Man is an intense play about redemption and forgiveness, the scars of slavery, and the responsibility that comes with freedom. The final show of the season is Master Class by Terrance McNally, playing April 4 - 21, in partnership

with the Philharmonic Center for the Arts at the Daniels Pavilion. Enter an empty Juilliard opera hall. Focus center stage on a piano and opera diva Maria Callas. Join her as she coaxes and inspires her students into giving the performances of their lives. This beautiful Tony Award-winning musical play is not to be missed! Gulfshore Playhouse offers a variety of stimulating, thought-provoking and entertaining productions from important classics to Broadway hits and innovative new works. Our shows are conceived and created in-house using a team of professional designers

and technicians as well as Equity actors with credits ranging from Broadway shows to film and television. All shows (with the exception of Master Class) are presented at the Norris Center, 755 8th Avenue South, Naples. Single tickets start at $33. Half-price tickets are available onehalf hour before all matinee performances. Subscriptions and tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 866.811.4111 or visiting www. gulfshoreplayhouse.org. For more information, please call 239.261. PLAY (7529).

YOUR RETIREMENT & ASSISTED LIVING ADVISOR

CONSULTING GROUP

Gain valuable advice on choosing the right community Over 20 years experience in senior housing Unbiased and objective personal representation Assistance with negotiating pricing and service plans Access to comprehensive senior-related referral network

Bruce Rosenblatt Senior Housing Expert

Call today for a FREE

Guide to Understanding Retirement Communities (239) 595-0207 ~ www.brconsultgroup.com

KRISTEN COURY, PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Enjoy Two Tony Award-Winning Plays Running at the Same Time!

‘

What’s in Your Genes? AN IMPORTANT PROGRAM TO SPREAD AWARENESS ABOUT SCREENING FOR THE 19 GENETIC DISEASES FOR WHICH 1 IN 4 ASHKENAZI JEWS IS A CARRIER

’

REZA IN REP

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012 7:00 PM

BETH TIKVAH OF NAPLES - 1459 Pine Ridge Road Suggested donation: $10 at the door

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THESE DISEASES, WHO SHOULD BE TESTED, AND UPDATING YOUR SCREENING FOR ALL 19 For further information contact Dr. Karen M. Ezrine kezrine@hadassah.org Collier / Lee County Chapter

YASMINA REZA

translated by

CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON

OCT 20 - NOV 18, 2012 www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org •

For a continuously updated community calendar, visit www.jewishnaples.org.

Call for Tickets: 1-866-811-4111

Single Tickets Start at $40 • Subscriptions Available The Norris Center • 755 8th Ave. Naples, FL

CORPORATE PARTNER

CORPORATE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS BOB & LINDA HARDEN CHRISTINE PADDOCK

SHOW SPONSORS JAY & PATTY BAKER

Federation Star November 2012

ARTS & CULTURE

JCMI Jewish Film Festival celebrates 12th anniversary

By Isabel B. Price Ph.D

the U.S. and are in English. Another exception is that for the first time, our season does not include a Holocaust film although filmmakers continue to feel compelled to present Holocaust stories. In searching for unique and untold stories, filmmakers are up against time about how to remember the Holocaust once the generation of survivors and witnesses are gone. On Opening Day, Sunday, December 16, the last day of Hanukkah, we present Hava Nagila, a joyous musical experience of a Jewish melody that has become universal. Harry Belafonte, Connie Stevens and my favorite, Chubby Checker, have sung it to cheering audiences. Our hearts

SOMETHING NEW FOR MEN ONLY!

We have heard from many women through our Women’s Cultural Alliance (WCA), that their husbands/significant others are looking for ways to meet other men for golf, tennis, fishing, cards, lunch, discussion groups and a host of other activities…For Men Only! The Jewish Federation of Collier County invites you to an Exploratory Meeting to discuss your interests in starting a new social group just for the guys.

Please join us on Thursday, November 15 at 3 p.m. in the Federation Community Room to share your interest, thoughts and ideas, and explore this opportunity.

For more information or to RSVP, email Steve Brazina at sbrazina@aol.com.

then ... now...

thrilled this summer when Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman presented her program to this music and won a gold medal. It may be an old melody but the story of how it began, how it brings people together, and why it has such new appeal is what this film is all about. Pair that with hot potato latkes, sour cream and apple sauce and you have a great afternoon. In January we will screen David, also a U.S. film and a very beautiful story of two Brooklyn boys, one the son of Muslim immigrants and the other an Orthodox Jew with American-born parents. Their unique friendship crosses interfaith barriers, suggesting that children and maybe

adults, no matter their religious or ethnic differences, can share friendship, especially in America. In March we present the acclaimed film – in Hebrew, Arabic, French and English – A Bottle in the Gaza Sea. This is a unique story about a boy and a girl, one in Israel and one in Gaza, and how their lives become intertwined by a note put in a bottle and tossed into the sea. Could love be possible between an Israeli and a Palestinian? JCMI’S Jewish Film Festival is a celebration of Jewish life. Come join us for this terrific season. See the flyer and ticket order form on page 11B.

“The Dead Sea Scrolls” presentation at Beth Tikvah

n Monday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m., Roz Davidson and Howard Hoffer of Talka-Tale Productions will present “The Dead Sea Scrolls.” This fascinating multimedia program discusses the use of carbon dating, DNA analysis, archaeology and forensic science. A 35-minute video will take the audience from Africa’s East Rift Valley through Qumran to the Shrine of the Book in Jerusalem. View and hear how modern science and technology are unlocking the secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Find out how

City of Hope was built on the same values you grew up with. We began 100 years ago as the Jewish Consumptive Relief Association — a place of healing and compassion for people of all races and religions who faced tuberculosis. City of Hope is one of only 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. We are committed to preventing and curing life-threatening diseases that may have affected you or your loved ones, such as cancer and diabetes.

the scrolls ended up hidden in caves for 2,000 years. Enjoy this amazing history of the sacred scrolls and the people behind their discovery and interpretation. This presentation, including the lecture, slide show and video, has been enjoyed at Florida Atlantic University, the JCC of the Palm Beaches, the Boynton Beach JCC, the JCC of Greater Vancouver, and many other venues. There is a $10 charge for this event. Advance payment requested. Call Harvey at 239.530.8322.

impact the world one life at a time When you give to City of Hope you support research with global reach. u

Millions with diabetes manage their disease using synthetic human insulin, a medicine developed at City of Hope.

City of Hope scientists team up with expert researchers across the globe. We are working with Technion-Israel Institute of Technology on a new way to deliver cancer-fighting drugs.

PraCtiCe tzedakaH. Make a differenCe. Help save lives worldwide. Contact Shari Meehan, Southeast Regional Philanthropy Team, 800-584-6709 or smeehan@coh.org. DEV 19221.ap.0812

or a dozen years the JCMI Jewish Film Festival has been screening first-run, award-winning films about Jewish life, history and experience to a growing audience eager to connect with stories of other Jews. We have screened over 45 films from around the world – films from France, England, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Argentina, China, Kenya, Ethiopia, the United States and Israel. What diversity! This season’s films follow our tradition and celebrate a dozen years of presenting the best of the best of films about Jewish life. But, in something of an exception, this season, two of our three feature films were made in

ARTSFederation & CULTURE Star November 2012 5B

November 2012 Federation Star

The Naples Players’ 2012-2013 Diamond Jubilee Season

oving into its 60th year of award-winning theatre, The Naples Players presents a rousing season of musicals, comedy and drama. Opening on the main Blackburn stage October 3 and running through the 27th, it’s Shout, the Mod Musical. Created by Phillip George & David Lowenstein, the musical celebrates the fun, the fashions and the freedom that helped England swing in the ’60s. It brings back cherished memories of such originals as “Son of a Preacher Man, Downtown, Goldfinger and These Boots Are Made For Walkin’. Leading Ladies, a comedy by Ken Ludwig, takes the stage November 21 - December 15. From the author of audience pleasers Lend Me A Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo comes the exploits of two down on their luck English Shakespearean actors. Desperate, they pose as long-lost nephews to inherit the estate of a rich, old woman. They’re forced to don dresses after discovering the long-lost nephews are actually nieces and the old woman isn’t as dead as they thought. The Neil Simon comedy Barefoot in the Park comes to Blackburn Hall January 9 - February 2. It’s a sweet comedy of young love and commitment that follows newlyweds Corie and Paul as they negotiate their first apartment with eccentric neighbors and a meddling mother. Corie is a free

spirit who wants to run barefoot in the park, while buttoned-down Paul just can’t understand that sort of thing.

The Producers, a musical comedy by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan, will be performed February 27 March 30. It’s a show about scheming, down on his luck producer Max Bialystock, and his nebbish accountant, Leo Bloom, who figure they can make

a lot of money by producing the ultimate box office bomb on Broadway. For mature audiences.

Finishing the season on the Blackburn stage is classic a who-dun-it mystery by Agatha Christie, called The Mousetrap. Eight people, each with eccentric characteristics, are trapped in a blizzard at an isolated guesthouse. It’s not long before a murder takes place and suspicion falls on each. Performed April 17 May 11. The Players’ Tobye Studio season begins with Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a drama by Christopher Hampton, October 24 - November 17. It’s a wickedly sexy reflection on jealousy, the breakdown of opulence, and the costs of passion in 18th century Paris. Les Liaisons Dangereuses is a savagely witty look at games of love and lust, performed October 24 - November 17. For mature audiences. Ghost-Writer, by Michael Hollinger, follows in the Tobye January 30 - February 23. A tale of inspiration, expiration and vicarious love, it’s 1919 and novelist Franklin Woolsey

SAVE THE DATE

has died while dictating his latest novel to his devoted secretary, Myra. Myra continues to type the unpublished work, claiming she receives dictation from the dead Woolsey. Finishing the season in the Tobye Studio is The Clean House, performed March 27 - April 20. It’s a quirky and

poignant comedy about clean houses and messy lives, love and dust balls, and the power of a good joke. Set in the house of two doctors, Lane and her husband, Charles, with Lane’s Brazilian housekeeper who wants to be a standup comic, and Lane’s sister, who loves to clean. Tickets to Blackburn Hall shows are $35 for adults; Tobye shows are $25. They can be purchased at the box office, by calling 239.263.7900 or at naplesplayers.org/tickets.

Federation’s Community Gala Event: February 2, 2013

Comfort... To Temple Shalom on their

Golden Anniversary, Mazel Tov !

Hodges Funeral Home at Naples Memorial Gardens

525 111th Avenue North Naples, FL 34108 www.hodgesfhatnaplesmg.com 239-597-3101

Hodges-Josberger Funeral Home

577 Elkcam Circle Marco Island, FL 34145 www.hodgesjosberger.com 239-394-7573 289 9th Street South • Naples, Florida 34102

Federation Star November 2012 WOMEN’S CULTURAL ALLIANCE

ARTS & CULTURE

www.WomensCulturalAlliance.com / 239-948-0003

Hop on the WCA Culture Bus! By Jamie Ross, WCA Events Coordinator

he Women’s Cultural Alliance is known for a membership that is curious, well-traveled, and thoroughly engaged in culture. The 2012-13 season brings four lively day-trips on luxury coaches that offer opportunities to explore the arts and to find unique expressions of humanity in Miami, Pompano Beach, Sarasota and Miami Beach. The Culture Bus leaves Wednesday, December 5 for Miami – Destination: Art Basel. For one weekend a year, the behemoth, contemporary art fair that is Art Basel brings together hundreds of international artists with hundreds of venues throughout Dadeland. WCA takes an insider’s look at Art Basel by visiting the streets of Miami’s Wynwood Art District, where commissioned street artists complete new works in public spaces. WCA begins at The Armory Studios, stopping in front of the lens of high-end fashion photographer Beth Studenberg, along with seeing firsthand where popular music is created and produced. Lunch is enriching

at Wynwood Kitchen. A stroll through the adjacent Wynwood Walls and Doors highlights the universal effect of world events on artistic styles. The city visit rounds out inside the Rubell Family Collection, as docents explain the significance of selections made over three decades by two generations of private collectors. The Rubell gallery takes a year to curate its exhibit expressly for Art Basel. The Culture Bus is on the road again on Thursday, January 17, 2013 for Pompano Beach – Destination: Costume World. Once again, a passionate individual and her family share the fruits of their passion for collecting. Full wardrobes from Broadway shows and important cinema are housed at Costume World. A guided tour directs WCA to the most interesting of more than a million pieces held in the collection. The most recent acquisition will pique the sentimentality of any visitor. Costume World successfully bid $11,000 at auction to gain the suit worn by Donald O’Connor in the 1957 classic film,



Women’s Cultural Alliance Membership Form Please check one: r New r Renewal

WCA has over 800 members!

Singin’ in the Rain. Lunch is catered at Costume World, under the original chandelier that once graced New York City’s Tavern on the Green. By owner’s invitation, WCA dons white gloves to try on hats and accessories in a special gallery. The Culture Bus travels on Sunday, March 10, 2013 to Sarasota – Destination: “Cirque des Voix.” A matinee at Sailor Circus promises delights. For the third annual collaboration, Circus Sarasota offers its acrobatic excellence, along with a live performance by the hundredvoice Key Chorale and members of Sarasota Symphony. Dress is casual for the old-fashioned fun with a sophisticated flair. Lunch is enjoyed at a popular Sarasota restaurant with a stellar view of the water. The Culture Bus is ready on Thursday, March 14, 2013 for Miami Beach – Destination: Jewish Museums and Art Deco District. The Jewish Museum of Florida presents two riveting exhibits, “Project Mah Jongg” and “Miami Mosaic

Portraits.” A brief ride then brings WCA to the Holocaust Memorial, where a docent, who is also a survivor, provides a private tour, and a film is screened. Lunch is at Bessie’s Bistro, a café that is in the cleverly converted space between Miami Beach’s two oldest synagogues. Before the trip home, the bus carries WCA through the Art Deco District. A professional guide explains the architectural elements of the iconic and now pastel, early 20th century buildings. Despite so much to do in the greater Naples area, WCA programs do not hesitate to spread their reach. WCA’s Culture Bus Day Trips are just the ticket to share a day in a nearby city with WCA. Fill out the membership form on this page today so that you can become a WCA member and enjoy these special outings. (Visit WCA’s new website at www. WomensCulturalAlliance.com for additional membership benefits and details about these and other programs available to WCA members.) Join WCA today and don’t miss out!

Membership: $60 for the year includes all programs. r My information below contains new items.

In Southwest Florida: r full-time r part-time (from ________ to ________)

Name: ________________________________________________________ Spouse or Partner Name, if applicable: _____________________________ Local Address: ________________________________________________ Community: __________________________________________________

For more information: Linda Simon, lgsimon2947@yahoo.com

City: ____________________________ State: _____ Zip Code ____________

Please make your check payable to: Jewish Federation of Collier County and mail with this form to: WCA Jewish Federation of Collier County 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, Ste. 2201 Naples, FL 34109

Florida home phone:___________________________________________

Email: ________________________________________________________ Cell phone: __________________________________________________ Northern Address: _____________________________________________ City: ____________________________ State: _____ Zip Code ____________ Northern home phone: _________________________________________

N. Benjamin Interiors Nancy Benjamin ASID American Society of Interior Designers

A complete source of interior design for your home and office. (216)346-6232

Naples, FL and Cleveland, OH

One Hour

“Serving the Jewish Community for Over 14 Years” Traditional Jewish Services

www.nbenjamininteriors.com

FREE Consultation



 

ARTSFederation & CULTURE Star November 2012 7B

TheatreZone Season 8 Hot Seats

ot Seats. Four hot musicals in one season. That’s what TheatreZone Artistic Director Mark Danni promises for the non-profit Equity theatre’s selections for its eighth season performing at the G& L Theatre. The hottest news is that Danni scored coups in signing Tony Awardnominated stage and comedic actor Eddie Mekka (known to TV audiences as Carmen Ragusa from Laverne & Shirley) as Pseudolus in the season opener, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and beloved New York soap opera veterans James and Kassie DePaiva in its season finale, 110 in the Shade. A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum is Broadway’s greatest farce and one of the funniest musicals ever written. With book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, music and lyrics by the legendary Stephen Sondheim, Forum takes comedy

(Pseudolus) struggles to win the hand of a beautiful but slow-witted courtesan (Philia) for his young master (Hero), in exchange for freedom. Forum plays November 29, 30, December 1, 6, 7 and 8 at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays, December 2 and 9 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Up next, ring in the New Year at Grand Hotel, the Tommy Tune Award-winning musical, set in the world’s most opulent, extravagant hotel. It is 1928. The world is between wars, the stock market is booming, Berlin is the center of high life, and optimism rules the day. Inspired by Viki Baum’s period novel, Luther Davis (Kismet, Timbuktu!) collaborated with the prolific, distinguished composer-lyricist team of George Forrest and Robert Wright with additional music and lyrics by Maury Yeston. Together, they created a seamless musical that boasts an engaging, non-stop book and a powerful score that sweeps you away with all of the lavishness of the 1920s. Grand Hotel performs January 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays, January 13 and 20 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. In the spring, TheatreZone will stage Next to Normal. This Tony Award-winning rock musical and winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in drama, is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. According to Rolling Stone Eddie Mekka – A Funny Thing Happened magazine, “Next to Normal is the on the Way to the Forum (Carmen from Laverne & Shirley TV show) ground-breaking musical that pushed back to its roots, combining situations Broadway in new directions.” MuEvery Sunday pm from time-tested 2,000-year-old com- at sic4:00 by Tom Kitt, book and lyrics by edies of Roman playwright Plautusof Briand Yorkey, to Normal at the Jewish Federation Lee & Charlotte Counties Classes begin Thursday, February 11 atNext 7:30 p.m. runs with the infectious energy of classic March 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 9701 Center Court, Fort Myersat 8:00 p.m. at theCommerce new Jewish Federation building Have you everThe watched folkis dancing or line dancing and thought:March “I could10 doand that!” vaudeville. result a non-stop and Sundays, 17 at 2:00 9701 Commerce Center Court, Fort Myers Îyearn Have you ever watched folk dancing or white, line dancing anddancing thought, Do you for those camp days, dressed in blue and when Israeli was a laugh-fest in which a crafty slave p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Have you ever watched folk dancing or line dancing and thought: “I could do that!”

Israeli Dancing: Israeli Dancing: The Jewish Aerobics The Jewish Aerobics

“I could do that!” regular part of Kabbalat Shabbat – or any evening after dinner? Do yearn those camp days, dressed in blue and white, when Israeli dancing a Do you youÎ watch those hora lines at hora weddings and bar mitzvahs and say to yourself: “Iwas know Do for you watch those lines at weddings and bar mitzvahs and regular part of Kabbalat Shabbat – or any evening dinner?dancing than this!” there’s more to Israeli dancing than this!” say to yourself, “I know there’s moreafter to Israeli  Do you watch those hora lines at weddings and bar mitzvahs and say to yourself: “I know Î Do you yearn for those camp days, dressed in blue and white, when there’s more Israeli to dancing than this!” Well, now’s yourtochance experience the fun, camaraderie, and exercise Israeli style here Israeli dancing was a regular part of Kabbalat Shabbat – or any Well, is your chance to experience the fun, camaraderie, andevening, exerciseJanuary Israeli style here in Leenow County at our old Federation building. Beginning Thursday 7 from evening after dinner? Well, your chance toThursday experience the fun, we camaraderie, exercise Israeli here n Lee County at our new Federation building. Starting upand again on Thursday evening, 7:30 -now’s 9:00 P.M. and every in January, will be teaching, learning, andstyle doing Isin Lee County at our old Federation building. Beginning Thursday evening, 7experifrom February 11 from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.to and every Thursday through March, weJanuary will be teaching, raeli folk dances. levels of experience – from never danced before to very Well, now isAll your chance experience thehaving fun, camaraderie, and exercise 7:30 - 9:00 P.M. and every Thursday in January, we will be teaching, learning, andnever doing Isearning, and doing Israeli folk dances. All levels of experience – from enced are welcomed and encouraged to come. Please let us know of your interest and Israeli-style. We will be teaching, learning, and doing Israeli folk dances.having All raeli dances.toAllby levels of experience from never having beforeto tocome. very experidanced before very experienced – –are welcome and danced encouraged Please levelfolk of experience emailing Marsha Kistler, mkiss417@aol.com or calling Federation at levels of experience – from never having danced before to very experienced – enced are welcomed and encouraged to come. Please let us know of your interest and let us know of your interest level of experience. Email Marsha Kistler at 481.4449 and leaving a message forand Marsha. are welcome and encouraged to come. level of experience byoremailing Kistler, oracalling Federation at mkiss417@aol.com call theMarsha Federation at mkiss417@aol.com 481.4449 and leave message for Marsha. 481.4449 and leaving a message for Marsha.

 

November 2012 Federation Star

Israeli Folk Dancing

Every Sunday at 4:00pm (Beginners at 3:40pm) at the Jewish Federation of Lee & Charlotte Counties 9701 Commerce Center Court, Fort Myers Prior to attending, Youlet , too, can be of your interest and Please us know please confirm time and date. Dancing with the Stars!!! You , too, can be by emailing Marsha level of experience Call the Federation at (239) 481-4449 or email Dancing with the Stars!!! Kistler atMarsha marshatemple2012@gmail.com. instructor Kistler at mkiss417@aol.com.

Season 8 concludes with 110 in the Shade, based on dramatist N. Richard Nash’s 1954 play The Rainmaker - an all-American love story about a con man who brings sweet relief to the parched life of a smalltown virgin. With music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones (The Fantastiks), 110 takes place in the hot and drought-stricken American Southwest, where spinster Lizzie Curry’s advances are rebuffed by File, the divorced sheriff. Charismatic, traveling con man Bill Starbuck restores Lizzie’s self-confidence, all the while promising the local farmers he can provide them some much-needed rain. Actress Kassie DePaiva was nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards as bad-girl Blair Cramer on the nowcanceled soap opera One Life To Live where she met and then married

Kassie DePaiva – 110 in the Shade (veteran soap opera star Blair Cramer on One Life to Live)

James DePaiva – 110 in the Shade (veteran soap opera star Max Holden on One Life to Live)

actor Jim DePaiva, who played heartthrob Max Holden. 110 in the Shade runs May 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 and Sundays, May 5 and 12 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. About TheatreZone Operating under the guidelines of the Actors’ Equity Association and small professional theatres contracts, TheatreZone performs in the intimate 250-seat G&L Theatre housed on the magnificent campus of The Community School of Naples, one block north of Pine Ridge Road at 13275 Livingston Road. The Season 8 subscriber series (four shows) costs $182; a mini-series (3 shows) costs $144; and individual seats costs $43 - $48 plus a $2 per ticket handling fee. Group rates (more than 10) are also available. To purchase tickets, call TheaterZone at 888.966.3352 or visit www. theatrezone-florida.com.

Federation Star November 2012

ARTS & CULTURE

Happenings at the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida By Amy Snyder, Executive Director

he Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida launches its 2012-13 season of events by getting personal. Beginning October 2 and running until the end of November, the Museum will host the exhibit, Letters Home, which highlights the correspondence of families caught up in the events of the Holocaust. The exhibit will be supplemented with letters, postcards and V-mail from the Museum’s archives. Continuing into November, the Museum presents the First Annual Marguerite Oglander Literature Symposium. The inaugural event will be on Sunday, November 18 at the

DoubleTree by Hilton in Naples. This event will bring together Dr. Paul Bartrop, the newly appointed director of FGCU’s Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Human Rights Studies, children’s book author Ruth VanderZee, and local Holocaust survivor, Rosette Gerbosi. Entitled From Testimony to the Table, the program will explore how to make Holocaust history accessible to all through personal testimony. The Museum’s 3rd Annual Student Art Show is set for December. Raoul Wallenberg: Portrait of a Hero allows middle and high school students in Collier County to explore the life of Wallenberg and create a visual image of what it means to be a hero. January brings us to International Holocaust Remembrance Day and reflections on individual, community and world response to genocide. The Museum will be hosting several internationally recognized genocide scholars in a weekend symposium, Religion & Genocide: An artifact from the “Letters Home” exhibit From Participation to

November is Jewish Book Month

ewish Book Month is an annual event on the Jewish calendar dedicated to the celebration of Jewish books. It is observed in the month preceding Hanukkah. It was started by Fanny Goldstein, a librarian at the West End Branch of the Boston Public Library, in 1925. She set up an exhibit of Judaic books and used it as a focus for what she deemed Jewish Book Week. In 1940, the event was moved to the preHanukkah time, so as to promote books of Jewish content as Hanukkah gifts. Jewish Book Week was so popular that it was expanded to a onemonth period beginning in 1943. Locally, the Jewish Book Fair presented by the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties (www.jewishfederationlcc.org) has several events in November and December. A little further north, The Jewish Book Festival presented by The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee (www.jfedsrq.org) features one author/book event each month from November 2012 through March 2013. And in Naples, in addition to the regularly scheduled book discussion groups, Beth Tikvah and the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue are featuring Rabbi James Rudin for a Book Talk and book signing. See the article on the next page.

Reconciliation. Dr. Ellen Kennedy, Executive Director of World Without Genocide, Dr. James Waller, Cohen Endowed Chair of Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Keene State College, NH, and Reverend Philbert Kalisa, Founder & Director of REACH Rwanda will share their experience and insight into how we move from destruction to community. Girl Power! How Young Women Impacted the Holocaust will highlight the courageous actions of Sophie Scholl, Irena Sendler and Hannah Senesh. Through exhibits, films and book discussion, the Museum will share the stories of amazing young women and how they spoke truth to power in one of the world’s darkest times.

April is Genocide Awareness Month and the Museum will host a series of films to engage our community in a discussion of what happens when we begin to look at our neighbors as “the other.” By learning about the actions in places such as Armenia, Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda, we begin to see beyond the differences to our shared humanity. Throughout the year, the Museum will also present three lecture series events. WWII in Perspective is a quarterly series that will begin on Thursday, November 8. Local historian, Darren Moran, kicks off his series with “Researching Your Family’s Military History.” Beginning in December, Elliott Katz returns with his popular Lunchtime Lecture Series, “Holocaust History Primer” in three sessions. For those looking for a deeper history, Elliott will be featured in a late afternoon series beginning in February, focusing on lesser know events and people of Holocaust history. We hope to see you in the These are two book covers that relate to Museum this season! the “From Testimony to the Table” exhibit

Readers & Thinkers a book and film discussion group sponsored by the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue of Collier County, FL

Catholic/Jewish Dialogue Of Collier County “Readers and Thinkers” “Readers and Thinkers”(RT) is a discussion group whose mission is: to promote the building of mutual respect and understanding among Jews, Catholics and all people of good will, by providing opportunities for interfaith dialogue within small group settings. (Based on Mission of the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at St. Leo University) This group plans to discuss books, view ﬁlms, and discuss topics relevant to interreligious understanding. If you are interested in becoming a member of this group and receiving e-mails about future events, please contact Pete McCabe at 908-763-0495 or Ida Margolis at 239-963-9347. Email: ReadThinkCollier@gmail.com

SAVE THESE DATES Catholic Jewish Dialogue Readers and Thinkers 2012-2013 Program Sunday September 23, 2012 2:00PM Book Review Monday, November 5, 2012 7:30PM Book Review by ComingRabbi Together for the Sake ofRudin God by Hanspeter Heinz and Michael Signer Author James DiscussionSpellman, facilitated by Readers and Thinkers The Surprising Story Cushing, O’Connor: Jewish Federation 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Road Suite 2201 of How Three American Cardinals Transformed Catholic-Jewish Relations Wednesday October 17, 2012 6:30PM Film Presentation Co-sponsored by Beth Tikvah and Readers and “Elusive Justice” Discussion led by Steve Brazina St. Agnes Parish Center 7775 Vanderbilt Beach Road Thinkers Beth Tikvah 1459 Pine Ridge Road Monday, November 5, 2012 7:30PM Book Review by Author Rabbi James Rudin Tuesday, December 4, 2012 6:30PM Book Discussion Cushing, Spellman, O’Connor: The Surprising Story of How Three American Cardinals by Readers and Thinkers Transformed Catholic-Jewish Relations Rabbi Rudin’s new Cushing, Co-sponsored by Beth Tikvahbook and Readers and Thinkers Spellman, O’Connor: The Story of How Three Beth Tikvah 1459 PineSurprising Ridge Road American Cardinals Transformed Catholic-Jewish Tuesday, December 4, 2012 6:30PM Book Discussion by Readers and Thinkers Relations Rabbi Rudin’s new book Cushing, Spellman, O’Connor: The Surprising Story of How Three Temple Shalom 4630 Pine Ridge Road American Cardinals Transformed Catholic-Jewish Relations Sunday, January Temple Shalom 4630 Pine13, Ridge2013 Road 2:00PM Afternoon of Poetry and Psalms TheSunday, Eve January of St.13,Agnes by Pete 2013 2:00PMled Afternoon of PoetryMcCabe and Psalms The Eve of Parish St. Agnes ledCenter by Pete McCabe St. Agnes 7775 Vanderbilt Beach Road St. Agnes Parish CenterTuesday 7775 VanderbiltJanuary Beach Road 8, 2013 & January *Two Sessions15, 2013 12:00PM *Two Sessions- Tuesday January 8, 2013 & January 15, 2013 12:00PM JackJack Conroy’s mini-classes the Dead Sea Scrolls Conroy’s mini-classes on the Dead Seaon Scrolls Jewish 2500Beach Vanderbilt JewishFederation Federation 2500 Vanderbilt Road Suite 2201Beach Road Suite 2201 Tuesday, February 5, 2013 6:30PM Film Presentation Tuesday, February 5, 2013 6:30PM Film Presentation “PaperClips” Clips” GroupGroup discussion discussion led by Marv Weisberg and by FeliciaMarv Anchor, Weisberg “Paper led Chair Tennessee Holocaust Commission and Felicia Anchor, St. Agnes Parish Center 7775 Vanderbilt Beach Road Chair Tennessee Holocaust Commission St. Agnes Parish Vanderbilt Beach Road Sunday, March 17, 2013Center 5:15PM Book7775 Discussion Sophie Scholl and the17, White2013 Rose by Annette DumbachBook & Jud Newborn Sunday, March 5:15PM Discussion Group discussion by George Sophie Schollledand theA. Blewitt White Rose by Annette Holocaust Museum & Education Center of SWFL 4760 Tamiami Trail N #7 Dumbach & Jud Newborn Group discussion led by George A. Blewitt Space is Museum limited for& most programs: RSVP toofPete McCabe Holocaust Education Center SWFL 4760 at 908-763-0495 or Ida Margolis at 239-963-9347. Tamiami Trail N #7

Email: ReadThinkCollier@gmail.com

Space is limited for most programs. RSVP to Pete McCabe at 908.763.0495 or Ida Margolis at 239.963.9347, or email ReadThinkCollier@gmail.com.

ARTS & CULTURE Federation Star November 2012 9B

November 2012 Federation Star

A bold proposal for Israel’s future By Philip K. Jason, Special to the Federation Star

He reminds his readers that after WWI, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon were created in pretty much the same way that Israel was created after WWII, f this is the new voice of Israeli but no one is questioning the legitipolitics and government, it is macy of those nations. He reviews, a shrewd, loud and powerful briefly, the great British Mandate voice that is sure to be controversial for Palestine’s giveaway of 80% of both inside and outside of Israel’s the land to the country now named borders. Danny Danon, chairman of Jordan, the home of over two million World Likud (a major political party) Palestinians. It’s clear that at one time and Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, the international community expected argues that the generathe entire Mandate territory (from tions of appeasement, the wreck of the Ottoman Empire) to two-state solutions, be the home of a Jewish nation. He and land-for-peace insists, with plentiful evidence, that bargaining need to be there never was a Palestinian nation put into the dustbin of – a distinct, self-governing entity – history. They haven’t to be overtaken, stolen, occupied, or Phil Jason worked, and they have otherwise compromised. rarely, if ever, been in Israel’s interest. For all of the background arguHe advocates a much tougher stance, ments that Danon provides, his main along with much greater indepenstrategy is to underscore the facts on dence from American policy. the ground. Israel is here, unapoloAs a key player in a new gengetic, and ready to take its survival eration of Israel’s leadership, Danon interests fully into its own hands. That insists that Israel needs to assert full means, with some slight adjustments, sovereignty over lands under its fully annexing territories conquered in control and stop expecting some fudefensive wars. ture giveaway to bring Danny Danon is at peace. For Danon, great pains to articulate demonstrated strength a refinement of Israel’s will be the great peacerelationship with its maker. In the Middle great ally, the United East, power talks and States. The question anything less than an of U.S. influence on aggressive stance is Israel’s policies and construed as weakness. actions is complicatWe’ve heard these posied and deeply rooted. tions before, but Danon From Danon’s perspechas put the package totive, Israel has too often Danny Danon gether with great clarity caved in to U.S. (and and force. Is his a dangerous stance? other Western) pressure and acted Perhaps, but it may be less dangerous against its own interest, postponing than the acquiescence that invites anthe reckoning to a later date. Having nihilation. gained the upper hand with its enemy Danon makes all the old cases neighbors on several occasions, Israel for Israel’s right to exist in its current folded to appease its allies. Danon place on the globe: the Biblical case, believes a stronger, more independent the continuity case, and the legalistic Israel can be of even greater value case. He makes them coherently, to the United States. Though such a economically, and with a bit of useful statement may seem counterintuitive, swagger. It’s almost as if he’s briefing the argument’s details are compelJewish college students on how to ling. answer the arguments from the left The future that Danon enviside of the political spectrum, and sions includes a three-state solution Danon provides superb ammunition to the Palestinian crisis. He writes and copious documentation. as follows: “This would entail a reIsrael: The Will to Prevail, by Danny Danon. Palgrave Macmillan. 240 pages. $26.

Rabbi James Rudin’s Book Talk and book signing

n Monday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m., Beth Tikvah, along with the Catholic/Jewish Dialogue’s Readers and Thinkers group, will host Rabbi James Rudin for a Book Talk and book signing. The topic is his newest book, Cushing, Spellman, O’Connor: The Surprising Story of How Three American Cardinals Transformed Catholic-Jewish Relations (reviewed in this issue). Copies of the book will be available, along with copies of his previous title, Christians & Jews, Faith to Faith. A former chairman of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, Rabbi

Rudin participated in 10 meetings with Pope John Paul II and was a guest of honor at the 1994 Vatican concert commemorating the Shoah. In April 2008, he was chosen by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops to respond to Pope Benedict XVI’s address to Jewish leaders in Washington, D.C. He has also participated in historic meetings with the World Council of Churches in Geneva and with Eastern Orthodox Christian leaders in Greece. Rabbi Rudin will be introduced by Ida and Jeff Margolis, who will head up the event. You can contact them at 239.963.9347.

gional agreement with Jordan (Danon claims that Palestinians are 70% of Jordan’s population), Egypt (where Palestinians already enjoy many advantages of citizenship), and Israel that would give Palestinians land and other rights across these three areas – not land to form a distinct Palestinian state but land within the borders of these states as they exist now.” All parties would agree that Israel has a right to exist, and Israel would fight to demolish those, like Hamas and Hezbollah, that work to delegitimize and destroy the Jewish state. Does Danny Danon’s proposal have a chance? Well, stranger things

have happened. It certainly is a challenge to the dead-end modes of thought that have proven their inadequacy for so many decades. For this reason, it is required reading for all who care about Israel. Philip K. Jason is Professor Emeritus of English from the United States Naval Academy. He reviews regularly for the Naples edition of Florida Weekly and for Fort Myers Magazine. For more of Phil’s insights and reviews, as well as literature/publishing links, visit his website at www. philjason.wordpress.com.

For daily news stories related to Israel & the Jewish world, visit www.jewishnaples.org.

Everything you need

is here!

From an active lifestyle to a passing fancy, everything you want or need to live well awaits you as a Brookdale Senior Living® resident. Lifestyle packages come with the promise of superior dining, outstanding events and great neighbors. As a Brookdale resident you will always have priority access to the lifestyle you choose or the care services you need – whenever you need them. And it’s all wrapped around Optimum Life®, a concept exclusive to Brookdale communities that matches your interests with a healthy lifestyle and helps you live each day at your peak level of wellness and life fulfillment.

Call or visit a Brookdale community today to learn more. www.brookdaleliving.com CLARE BRIDGE® CAPE CORAL Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care

STERLING HOUSE® CAPE CORAL Personalized Assisted Living

911 Santa Barbara Blvd., Cape Coral, FL 33991

1416 Country Club Blvd., Cape Coral, FL 33990

(239) 573-5108

(239) 573-7777

Assisted Living Facility # AL9767

Assisted Living Facility # AL9358

CLARE BRIDGE® FORT MYERS Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care

STERLING HOUSE® FORT MYERS Personalized Assisted Living

13565 American Colony Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33912

14521 Lakewood Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33919

(239) 561-2463

(239) 481-6666

Assisted Living Facility # AL8817

Assisted Living Facility # AL9183

GRAND COURT FORT MYERS Independent Living

STERLING HOUSE® LEHIGH ACRES Personalized Assisted Living

8351 College Pkwy., Fort Myers, FL 33919

1251 Business Way, LeHigh Acres, FL 33936

(239) 433-4445

(239) 368-2500

Assisted Living Facility # AL9098

HOMEWOOD RESIDENCE® NAPLES Personalized Assisted Living Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care 770 Goodlette Rd. N., Naples, FL 34102

(239) 430-3535 Assisted Living Facility # AL9584

Your story continues here... ® Reg. U.S. Patent and TM Office. FLCW-RES10-1111-VH

PARKINSON’S FRIENDLY! Vacation Stay & Short-Term Stay Available!

10B Federation Star November 2012

Stars of David

By Nate Bloom, Contributing Columnist Editor’s note: Persons in BOLD CAPS are deemed by Nate Bloom to be Jewish for the purpose of the column. Persons identified as Jewish have at least one Jewish parent and were not raised in a faith other than Judaism – and don’t identify with a faith other than Judaism as an adult. Converts to Judaism, of course, are also identified as Jewish. Pro Football Round-Up, 2012-13 Following is a list of Jewish players in the National Football League (NFL) as of October 7. Jewish Sports Review (JSR) magazine helped me and this list is far more accurate than other lists that “float” around the web. GREG CAMARILLO, 30, wide receiver, New Orleans. GABE CARIMI, 24, right tackle, Chicago; ANTONIO GARAY, 32, nose tackle, San Diego; ERIK LORIG, 26, fullback, Tampa Bay; TAYLOR MAYS, 24, strong safety, Cincinnati; ADAM PODLESH, 29, punter, Chicago; GEOFF SCHWARTZ, 26, outside linebacker, Minnesota; and Geoff’s brother, rookie MITCHELL SCHWARTZ, 23, outside tackle, Cleveland. (The brothers Schwartz, Carimi and Podlesh have two Jewish parents; Garay and Mays, who were raised Jewish, and Camarillo, who was raised secular, have Jewish mothers/non-Jewish fathers; Lorig, raised secular, has a Jewish father). Veterans released in the off or preseason: KYLE KOSIER, OG, Dallas; IGOR OLSHANSKY, DE, Miami; and SAGE ROSENFELS, QB, Minnesota. (Camarillo has been

repeatedly cut and re-signed by the Saints. On October 3, he was signed again.) Footnotes: Brian De la Puente, center, New Orleans, has been removed from the JSR list. To be listed, a player must have one “fully” Jewish parent and be raised Jewish or secular. De la Puente recently clarified his background: his father isn’t Jewish and his mother’s father wasn’t Jewish. His maternal grandma was Jewish. The player considers himself “nothing” in a religious sense. Also: Wikipedia, the online user-edited encyclopedia, has “made up” what JSR says about Adam Goldberg, tackle, MN. Goldberg’s father is Jewish, but he was raised in his mother’s Christian faith. Goldberg’s bio article now says that JSR reported that Goldberg now “considers himself Jewish.” JSR has NEVER reported this. Barrymore Joining the Tribe Last June, actress Drew Barrymore, 36, and art consultant WILL KOPELMAN, 33, wed in a Reform Jewish ceremony. Just before the wedding, Barrymore’s press agent denied tabloid reports that she was going to convert to Judaism. However, on

ARTS & CULTURE September 23, The Sunday Telegraph, a fairly reliable Australian paper, published what seems to be a totally “legit” recent interview with Barrymore. The article says: “Kopelman’s father is the former CEO of Chanel and he was brought up in a traditional Jewish family. Barrymore is in the process of converting.” Barrymore is then quoted as saying: “The religion [Judaism] as a faith is so beautiful and it’s so much about family being together, first and foremost. I subscribe to that so much in my own life,

so that’s a really wonderful and easy transition.” In the same interview, Barrymore said this about her husband: “I love art so much and it’s great to be with somebody that works in that world and appreciates art and teaches me about things when we go to museums and galleries. When you have common interests with someone, although our upbringings are very different and we’re quite different people, for us,

continued on next page

Interested in Your Family’s History? Ten years of doing a Jewish celebrities column has turned Nate Bloom (see column above) into something of an expert on finding basic family history records and articles mentioning a “searched-for” person. During these 10 years, he has put together a small team of “mavens” who aid his research. Most professional family history experts charge at least $1,000 for a full family tree. However, many people just want to get “started” by tracing one particular family branch.

So here’s the deal: Email Nate at middleoftheroad1@aol.com, tell him you saw this ad in the Federation Star, and include your phone number (area code, too). Nate will then contact you about doing a “limited” family history for you at a modest cost (no more than $100). No upfront payment.

The Jewish Congregation of Marco Island in conjunction with the Jewish Federation of Collier County presents The 2013 Saul I. Stern Cultural Series – now in its 19th year!



Saturday, January 5, 2013, 7:30 p.m.

THE NAPLES PHILHARMONIC BRASS QUINTET returns with a delightful variety of music – classical and popular. A fantasy of pastries follows the program with a sampling from Starbucks.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 7:30 p.m.

Chaim Silberstein lives in JERUSALEM and is a lifetime scholar of the history of that city. He will discuss the knowledge he has acquired from his research, tracing the existence of Jerusalem from antiquity to modern times.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013, 7:30 p.m.

Howard Hoffer will present an exciting lecture and multi-media program on the DEAD SEA SCROLLS. Hoffer is associated with the Christian/Jewish Scholars from Hebrew University, the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem, The Orion and Oxford Center for PostGraduate Studies, and the Israel Antiquities Authority. He has presented throughout the United States and recently during a two-month tour in Canada.

THE 2013 SAUL I. STERN CULTURAL SERIES

For more information, call the Synagogue Office at 239.642.0800. Please send this form and payment to the Jewish Congregation of Marco Island, 991 Winterberry Dr., Marco Island, FL 34145. Please send me tickets for the following Cultural Series programs: ____ $75 Patron, series ____ $50 Series for members ____ $60 Series for non-members ____ $20 Single tickets for members ____ $25 Single tickets for non-members _____Enclosed is my check payable to JCMI

For those wishing single event tickets: # of tickets:____ The Naples Philharmonic # of tickets:____ Jerusalem # of tickets:____ Dead Sea Scrolls _____Please charge my credit card: Credit Card #_______________________________________ exp. ____/____

Please mail my tickets to the address below: Name_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip______________________________________________________ Phone: _______________________________________

ARTS & CULTURE Federation Star November 2012 11B

November 2012 Federation Star

11B

continued from previous page art is a brilliant bridge.” (Barrymore gave birth to the couple’s first child, a daughter named OLIVE, on September 26.) Twitter Holiday Greetings Here are some celebrity Rosh Hashanah tweets I found: Gold medalist ALY RAISMAN, 18 (“Happy Jewish New Year to all”); Entourage actress EMMANUELLE CHRIQUI, 34 (“Shana Tova to all who celebrate the Jewish new year...wishing you only sweet things this year and al-

ways...have a beautiful holiday”); PAULA ABDUL, 50 (“I’m looking forward to a lovely Rosh Hashanah”); Singer LISA LOEB, 44 (“L’Shana Tova! Have a sweet new year. Time for apples and honey.”); LARRY KING, 78 (“From my Jewish heart to all of you - a very happy Jewish new year, may we be blessed with good times & peace”); JOAN RIVERS, 79 (“Today is the start of the Jewish New Year and the High Holidays. May this year bring peace, prosperity and

health for ALL.”); and actress KAT DENNINGS, 26, the co-star of TV’s 2 Broke Girls (“Let your Jewishness flag fly on these holy days, y’all”). Dennings’ tweet was re-tweeted by rap star DRAKE, 25. (Drake’s 2012 Rosh Hashanah dinner celebration, with two buddies, is featured on the MTV.com website.) Dennings, meanwhile, showed more than her Jewish flag at the Emmy awards. Her “va-va-va voom!” low-cut dress was mentioned in most articles about the

Emmys. (By the way, “Dennings” is a stage name. Her birth name is Katherine Litwack). Footnote: Chriqui’s parents are Moroccan Jews who settled in Canada and that’s where the actress was born and grew up. Abdul’s father is a Syrian Jew and her mother is a Canadianborn Ashkenazi Jew. The ’90s pop star and former American Idol judge was born and raised in Southern California.

See You At The Movies JEWISH CONGREGATION OF MARCO ISLAND

IN COOPERATION WITH THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF COLLIER COUNTY PRESENTS

THE SIDNEY R. HOFFMAN MEMORIAL

Jewish Film Festival 2012-2013

OUR 12TH YEAR SHOWCASING THE NEWEST AND BEST AWARD WINNING FILMS ON THE JEWISH CIRCUIT

Opening Day “HAVA NAGILA (The Movie)” Naples/Marco Premiere Sunday December 16, 2012 Film 2 PM Hanukkah Lig g and Hot Potato Latkes/Dessert 1:15 PM

From Gold Medal winner Aly Raisman and the 2012 London Summer Olympics to Hanukkah on Marco Island, it’s the tune that rocks the world, HAVA NAGILA. This movie presents the story of how this joyous song, ng as a ”nigun,” a Hebrew prayer melody without words, in the shtetles of Eastern Europe spread to the pioneers in Israel, to the Catskills, to Hollywood and around the world. You’ll love the toe ns and peoples as HAVA NAGILA makes joyous music in this warm and tapping music and the cross cultural conne ons to many noon at the movies. English 73 minutes wonderful ﬁlm. Join us for this happy, Hanukkah

“DAVID” Sunday

Naples/Marco Premiere January 20, 2013 Film 2 PM

Bagels and Lox 1:15 PM

Brooklyn, New York has long been a magnet for immigrants and now Muslim Arabs are one of the fastest growing ethnic and religious groups adding to the mul -ethnic mix of Italians, Asians, Norwegians and Jews. This film takes place in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, a community that includes Arab owned businesses, jewelers, law offices, and super markets and tells the story of a couple of 11 year old boys, one a Muslim ful son of a stern father who is the local Imam. When and the other an Orthodox Jew. The Muslim boy’s name is Daud and he is the in the park by a group of Jewish boys and tries to return it to their school he is mistaken for a Mizrahi Jew Daud finds a volume of Torah named David and spends his summer days with them studying in Yeshiva and becoming friends. What a wonderful film. You’ll love it! English 80 minutes

“A BOTTLE IN THE GAZA SEA” Naples/Marco Premiere Sunday March 10, 2013 Film 2 PM following the ﬁlm

Tal is a 17 year old French girl who made Aliyah to Israel with her parents and led in Jerusalem. She is disheartened by a terrorist ack at a local café but despite loss of life she refuses to succumb to hatred and blame. She writes a with a message of hope that peace and and her brother throws it into the sea near Gaza where he is doing his love will end the Israeli/Pal nian conﬂict and slips it into a military service. A few weeks later Tal receives a response from a mysterious “Gazaman,” a young Pal nian named Naim. Thus begins a turbulent but tender long distance friendship between 2 young people separated by a history they are trying both to understand and change. This engrossing and hopeful drama stars the well-known Pal nian actress, Hiam Abbas and is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by French Israeli writer Valerie . French, Hebrew, English and Arabic 90 minutes

All ﬁlms will be shown at the Jewish

on, 991 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island

Clip and Mail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Make checks payable to JCMI Jewish Film Fes val, 991 Winterberry Drive, Marco Island, FL 34145-5426

Name ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip ___________________________________________________________________ Phone __ _____________________ SERIES TICKETS: _____________ Patron @ $80

_____________ Regular @ $60

Individual Films: _____________ @ $25 each __________________________________________ (please specify ﬁlm)

ALL PROGRAMS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT THE JCMI OFFICE AT (239) 642-0800

Paid advertisement

BARACK OBAMA with

Paid advertisement

STANDING

“President Obama is doing in regard to our security more than anything that I can remember in the past.” EhUD BArAk

Standing By Israel President Obama has consistently demonstrated his commitment to Israel and is dedicated to the continued security and well-being of the Jewish state. He has provided record-high levels of security assistance, including $275 million for the first Iron Dome missile defense system, which is protecting Israeli lives from rocket attacks. The administration has cast its only UN Security Council veto to defend Israel. And President Obama has secured the harshest sanctions ever on the Iranian regime and will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.

Paid advertisement

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense

Strengthening Social Security and Medicare President Obama believes Social Security and Medicare are fundamental pillars of middle-class security in America—we work for it, we pay for it, we earn it. He’ll fight to make sure Social Security benefits aren’t gambled on Wall Street and stop Medicare from being turned into a voucher program that increases out-of-pocket expenses by as much as $6,400 a person.

Protecting Women’s Health Care President Obama believes that a woman’s health care decisions are between her and her doctor—not her employer or the government. He has expanded access to preventive care, so women can get critical services and screenings with no out-of-pocket costs, and he will fight any effort to turn back the clock on women’s health.

FL.BARACKOBAMA.COM FACEBOOK.COM/OFA.FL

TWITTER.COM/OFA_FL

yOuTuBE.COM/BARACKOBAMA

(855) 868-3214

Paid for by Obama for America

OBF12061

OBF12061.indd 1

10/16/12 2:56 PM

Paid advertisement