Annual Community Wide
CHANUKAH CELEBRATION
Monday, December 11 at 5 PM on the Lawn at Mercato Please register at:
www.jewishnaples.org
OF GREATER NAPLES
CELEBRATING JEWISH LIFE IN GREATER NAPLES, ISRAEL AND THE WORLD
FEDERATI N STAR
Published by Jewish Federation of Greater Naples
SERVING NAPLES, MARCO ISLAND AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
www.JewishNaples.org Y December 2023 – Kislev/Tevet 5784 Y Vol. 33 #4
12 Men’s Cultural Alliance
Southwest Florida must stand with Israel, reject intolerance and antisemitism
15 Arts & Entertainment
By Jeffrey Feld, president and CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Naples
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: 11 Women’s Cultural Alliance
20 Community Focus 26 Tributes
Jeffrey Feld
31 Jewish Interest 37 Israel & The Jewish World 39 Organizations 40 Rabbinical Reflections 41 Synagogue News 45 Focus on Youth 47 Community Directory History Uncompromised This series with Elliott Katz that challenges the conventional view of many 2oth-century events continues Dec. 1 and Dec. 15.
14
15 Jewish Book Festival Kicks Off Join us Dec. 3 when bestselling author Mitch Albom discusses his powerful novel “A Little Liar.” Move to Temple Shalom. Page 15
We Stand with Israel
Federation President/ CEO
34 Commentary
T
he unprecedented Hamas terror attack on Israel — the deadliest day of violence against Jews since the Holocaust, with captors targeting unarmed civilians, the elderly, women, children and babies — has shaken the world like few recent events. In a particularly gruesome nod to 21st-century technology, gleeful captors livestreamed their victim’s executions on social media, where friends, family and the world watched in horror. With more than 1,400 Israeli deaths, thousands more severely injured and hundreds of hostages still in captivity, it’s no exaggeration to compare this horrific violence to the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on this country. Consider: with a population 35 times smaller than the U.S., Israel’s death count was the equivalent of 50,000 American casualties in a single day. From the White House to the heartland, church pulpits to NFL stadiums, the outpouring of support for the Jewish state and its people has been swift, decisive and emphatic – including here at home. Just days after the Oct. 7 attacks, an overflow interfaith crowd of more than 500
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OF GREATER NAPLES
Donate to the Israel Emergency Relief fund at www.jewishnaples.org/donate.
packed the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center for a community solidarity gathering. Hundreds more attended online, and many more have stepped up and donated to an Israel Emergency Relief Fund established by Jewish Federation of Greater Naples. This widespread community support, both at home and beyond, has been particularly welcome, but there are troubling signs of cracks in the foundation, as a growing number of political pundits, skeptics and critics question Israel’s military response.
In the context of geopolitical strategy, the global domino effect and other such considerations, such dialogue is absolutely necessary. But as we have seen all too often in the past, those who lurk in the dark corners of hate, peddling antisemitic rhetoric – and often acting out on those hateful beliefs – will inevitably emerge in the daylight, exploiting this tragedy for their own benefit. Our local Jewish community has endured a rash of hate speech, even before the recent terror attacks. continued on page 2
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