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
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November 2012 - Heshvan/Kislev 5773
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Vol. 22 #3
Kasha varnishkes David Willens JFCC Executive Director
I
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
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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.