“Sarge” returns to Naples (virtually)

By Jeff Margolis

Last year, comedian “Sarge” played to a sell-out house of MCA members and spouses at Off the Hook Comedy Club as part of our Hanukkah celebration.

On December 20, “Sarge” makes an encore performance in a slightly different format. Due to COVID-19, an evening of comedy and celebration with “Sarge” will be presented live on YouTube. Enjoy “Sarge” from your own couch or patio. Cost of this event will be $30 per device. Reservations for this special event can be made via the WildApricot portal, found at the MCA website. Celebrate Hanukkah and laugh a little.

December will be a month full of virtual MCA events. Here is a sample of our upcoming programs.

Jim Sernovitz’ popular travelogue series continues via Zoom with a visit to Peru. This program is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 2:30 p.m.

MCA’s “Conversations With…” series has several interviews sure to be of interest to members. On Thursday, Dec. 3, at 9 a.m., join in a conversation with Teresa Heitmann, mayor of the City of Naples. Learn about her first months in office and her plans for the future of the city.

On Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 10 a.m., tune into a conversation with former Naples Mayor Bill Barnett. Find out what this prominent local figure has been up to since leaving office.

Theater goers will enjoy the Dec. 14 conversation with Kristen Coury, founder and CEO of the Gulfshore Playhouse. Coury will discuss how the theater has learned to cope with COVID-19 and hear about the exciting plans for the new theater to be built in downtown Naples. This program will be at 10 a.m.

Attention space buffs! Join MCA member Joel Banow when he shares stories titled “Landing on the Moon with Walter Cronkite.” Banow spent half a century in broadcasting as a producer and director and was actively involved with CBS during the great Space Age. This program is scheduled for Dec. 3 from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

The ever-popular documentary film and discussion program continues Dec. 1, with the film “My Dear Children,” which chronicles the untold story of a family during the deadly pogroms in Russia after the 1917 Revolution. Members can sign up to view the film and participate in the discussion.

The MCA virtual luncheon series continues Thursday, Dec. 17, at 11:30 a.m., with a presentation by MCA member Lew Paper. This program is being held in conjunction with the Greater Naples Jewish Book Festival. Mr. Paper will discuss his most recent and controversial book about Pearl Harbor, titled “In the Cauldron: Terror, Tension and the American Ambassador’s Struggle to Avoid Pearl Harbor.”

Just in case you haven’t found enough to do, here are some other December events.

On Dec. 8 at 1 p.m., the MCA Science Group will present a program titled “Vaccines, Peach Pits and Creation.” The speaker will be Ron Yasbin.

The Medical lecture series continues Thursday, Dec. 10, with a presentation by MCA member Dr. Don Belmont. In the program, titled “Understanding Cardiac Evaluations,” Dr. Vivian Wong will also discuss “Skin Health and the Adult Male.”

The monthly book discussion group will get together via Zoom on Dec. 10 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. As of press time, the book has not yet been selected. Check with chair Stan Farb for details (stan4miMCAnon@earthlink.net).

The MCA Speaker Series has interesting offerings as well. On Tuesday, Dec. 15, Dr. Andrew Dahl will discuss gene therapy. Dr. Dahl is the chief medical editor for WebMD.

On Dec. 22, historian William Thomas Howell will present a program, “Adolf Hitler: A Rising Road to Power.”

Be sure to check the MCA website (www.MCAnaples.org) for updated times for all events as well as registration directions.

If you have not yet paid your membership dues or are new to the area and would like to join MCA, visit the website, www. MCAnaples.org, and click on the MCA membership form. A portion of your membership dues include membership in the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples.

Best wishes to all MCA members and families for a Happy Hanukkah.