Community celebrations, learning and service

Rabbi Fishel Zaklos

Community Chanukah celebration

Our massive 19th annual Chanukah celebration is scheduled to take place on Monday, Dec. 19, 4:30 p.m. at Cambier Park. This year’s theme is Chanukah at the Carnival, and the entire community is invited to join! It’s a joyous event for children and adults to kick off Chanukah with a bang. Mark your calendars because you won’t want to miss out! If you need any Chanukah items –– menorah, candles, etc. — we are here to help.

Adult education

We are in the middle of our current course, What’s your biggest question on G-d? We’ve been blown away by the attendance and level of engagement. We are having an amazing time asking the big questions about G-d and life as we know it, and you can, too! It’s not too late to join us for the three remaining weeks. Each lesson is relatively independent, so you’ll find them highly informative without feeling like you missed out. Pop in for the remainder of this course and get a taste of the next course.

Beginning in January, we will learn Book Smart: Course Through Judaism’s Most Important Titles and the Authors Who Inscribed Them. A panoramic overview of 3,000 years of Jewish learning, this course introduces you to the works that earned us the title “The People of The Book.” You will experience the different genres that shape Jewish life, including Tanach, Midrash, Talmud, Halachah, Philosophy, Kabbalah, Musar and Chasidism, and meet the influential personalities who drove 30 centuries of Jewish scholarship. Whether you’re meeting these texts for the first time or as a seasoned scholar, this course will inform and enrich your Jewish learning.

The Big Build has begun!

Chabad of Naples and Preschool of the Arts has launched a capital campaign to extend the campus, increasing facilities to enable much-needed additional preschool and Hebrew school classrooms, expanded summer camp, and new spaces for community events.

“The Big Build” is a $6 million community-inspired and community-funded effort. Jay and Patty Baker lead the way with a $2 million challenge grant. We need your help to unlock it: when we raise $2 million from caring members like you, the Bakers will match it! Help us make this a reality! Please visit www.NaplesBigBuild.com for more information or reach out!

Israel trip

We invite you to join us on a Chabad Naples community trip to Israel this spring, March 13-20, 2023. Come see the Holy Land in style! Enjoy a weeklong VIP experience of sights, sounds and tastes that will deepen your connection to Judaism and the land our forefathers and mothers called home. This five-star excursion won’t be the same without you!

Minyan

If you have a yahrzeit or need to say Kaddish, we are always here to help make a minyan during the week. We are so grateful to those who help us with this minyan service when called. There have been so many minyanim during the week, and it is amazing to see how the community comes together for each other.

Chabad Naples community care

Chabad of Naples has a special committee of professionals and lay volunteers who are available and trained to visit any one in need. If you know someone in the hospital or at home who would appreciate a visit, especially before the High Holidays, please call 239-261-0772.

Shabbat and Kiddush

Shabbat services at Chabad Naples are very popular. One of the weekly highlights has always been the Kiddush luncheon, sponsored every week by a family. The Torah service begins at 11 a.m. and includes the Rabbi’s insights during the Torah reading, which always have a contemporary, meaningful and relevant message.