New and exciting at JYP Naples

By Cayla Schreier, JYP Coordinator

As May progressed, we saw it become a month of Jewish strength, happiness and sorrow. We celebrated the joyous holiday of Lag B’Omer with Chabad of Naples on Thursday, May 15 at a fun family barbecue! Three of our members were able to attend and had a wonderful time celebrating with the community. We also celebrated with a Havdalah picnic at Estero Park on Saturday, May 17. We had to improvise due to the ban on bonfires resulting from a lack of rainfall. We enjoyed cheese and fruit platters, pizza and delicious cookies to celebrate the holiday. We also lit a Havdalah candle, smelled the warm spices and sang the Havdalah prayers together to end the week and begin a new one.

The week ended on a sad note as we all learned of the loss of two vibrant Jewish beloved community members and Israeli Embassy Associates, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. We later learned that one of our JYP members, Carly, grew up with Milgrim. Everything that was reported about Milgrim was true; she was a young, bright and passionate Jewish leader with a whole life ahead of her. Through her work at the Israeli Embassy, Milgrim collaborated with Moishe House, Mem Global to create meaningful Jewish programs to bring young Jewish professionals together, whether it be holiday celebrations or cross-cultural exchanges.

Needless to say, all of us, including Carly, were devastated by this news. Milgrim and Lischinsky will always be remembered. These tragic and senseless acts of hatred and violence should only propel us to be more passionate about showing our Jewish pride within our local community, whether it be with JYP Naples or the Greater Jewish community.

Sixteen JYP members and their friends celebrated the holiday of Shavuot together with a Shabbat/Shavuot lunch on Saturday, May 31 at Edison Mall. We shared information about the meaning of Shavuot while snacking on cheese and fruit platters, eating delicious Publix subs and competing against one another in a cheesecake slice decorating contest. It was a fun event to celebrate a wonderful holiday!

We are excited to celebrate more holidays, create more social events and host more Shabbat dinners this summer!

Future events

Details about upcoming events will be distributed via email and the Facebook group chat. Please reach out to Renee (rbialek@jewishnaples.org) if you would like to be added to those group communications. We also have a Google form for members to provide feedback and ideas on the type of JYP events they would like to see in the future.

We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

On a personal note

As you may know, I have been an active member of the local Southwest Florida Jewish community since graduating from Florida Gulf Coast University in December 2020. You may know me as the Naples BBYO Southwest Coordinator or the JYP Naples Coordinator. I have always wanted to be involved in as many Jewish community activities as possible from high school to college — and post-college. I participated and held positions in BBYO and NCSY in high school. I held positions and was an active member in Chabad of FGCU, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi Jewish Sorority, and the Jewish Student Association of FGCU.

I found my next Jewish organization to get involved in once I graduated from FGCU in 2020, moving to Southwest Florida permanently in 2021 — that was JYP Naples. I met Maya Williams, the previous JYP coordinator, and found a happy and safe place to be Jewish here. I made friends and participated in many Jewish activities with JYP. A few months later, I accepted the role of southwest coordinator of Naples BBYO. To become more involved in the local Jewish community, I accepted the role of JYP Naples coordinator in 2024. With this new role, I was able to increase JYP’s visibility in the local Jewish community and continue to advocate for the need for Jewish programming for the post-college Jewish demographic.

I have a bittersweet announcement. Because you all provided me with the opportunity to become involved in our local community to oversee JYP Naples, I have decided to transition into a full-time career in Jewish communal work. With this, I have been hired to be the director of community and student engagement for Hillel of Utah.

I want to thank everyone for their participation in our local JYP Naples program. I found my true passion because of you. My resignation date is June 1, 2025. I am proud to announce that an enthusiastic and dedicated JYP Naples member, Mak Kahn, will take over my role starting on June 2, 2025.

While this may be the end of my career with JYP Naples, I will always hold a special place in my heart for this community. Please keep in touch.