Pomegranate Society’s new season officially underway

By Betty Schwartz, Pomegranate Society Chair

Jewish Federation of Greater Naples’ (JFGN) Pomegranate Society is kicking off its fifth season with great enthusiasm, with a brunch event on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at Ridgway Bar & Grill. The brunch will be held in the beautiful garden setting, with tables well-spaced and a varied menu offering gluten-free and vegan selections. It will be wonderful to have this chance to see one another again.

Part of our celebration will be to acknowledge the 50 women who officially identify themselves as Pomegranates. Women who turned in their pin to Jewish Federation before Nov. 10 will receive their pins back at the brunch, upgraded with an additional ruby, added at no charge.

We are delighted with the response of women in our community who have moved our Pomegranate Society so far forward in just fouryears. Their generosity is a testament to their commitment to our Jewish community and to Jews in need, wherever they live. There are many more women who give at the Pomegranate level ($1,800+) and we invite them to join the Pomegranate Society.

We will be joined at our brunch by Sybil Baiman, a Naples resident who helped establish the Pomegranate Society in 1981 at Jewish Federation of Lehigh Valley (Allentown, PA) where she served as president. As a member of National Women’s Philanthropy, Baiman helped make the Pomegranate Society a national phenomenon that, today, boasts more than 7,000 members.

Sybil Baiman, of Naples, a founder of the national Pomegranate Society will speak at our December brunch.

Baiman, who believes “women have the power to impact Jewish life, not only in their home communities but across the country and around the globe,” was also instrumental in the creation of the beautiful sterling silver and ruby Pomegranate pin proudly worn today by women in communities throughout North America. When her fellow board member, Barbara Sussman, suggested the pomegranate as a motif for the pin because of its significant symbolic meaning in Jewish tradition, Baiman commissioned her friend and jewelry designer, Kenneth L. Moyer, to design the pin.

The 93 women in Greater Naples who contribute at the Pomegranate level to Jewish Federation’s Annual Community Campaign, contributed almost $225,000 of the $1.5 million campaign last year. Their gifts to

the 2022 campaign are expected to exceed last year’s record giving.

More than just about giving, Pomegranate women care deeply for the Jewish people and about working to improve our community and our world. In addition to social and networking events, such as the December brunch, they are also active in social service projects — examples of philanthropy in action.

For more information on becoming a Pomegranate or on the Dec. 8 brunch event, please contact Kirk Wisemayer at 239-263-4205 (ext. 305) or kwisemayer@ jewishnaples.org.