Naples Jewish Congregation celebrates 25 years

By Charles Flum, President

Naples Jewish Congregation (NJC) was founded 25 years ago by 13 couples who wanted something different, a Reform congregation which would serve the needs of adults without young children. Initially, the couples met in each other’s homes. When they realized that the synagogue needed a new place to meet in order to have room to grow, they decided to partner with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation and meet there. This partnership has continued to this day.

We have had four permanent rabbis since the synagogue’s inception. For the first few years, a rabbi was hired only to conduct high holiday services. As our congregation grew and we could afford a full-time rabbi, we hired Rabbi Solomovitz followed by Rabbi Schenkerman, who served until he passed away in early 2005. Rabbi Sylvan Wolf next led the congregation for 12 years. Our current rabbi, Howard Herman, was hired in 2017, bringing a new vision and ever-increasing energy to our congregation.

Through the years, we have been blessed with a wonderful cantorial soloist, Jane Galler, and our music director and pianist, Alla Gorelick. They have been with us since shortly after the synagogue was created. Together with the volunteer choir, who sing at many of the services, they provide beautiful, uplifting music.

Our services take place Friday evenings at 7 p.m. and once a month on Saturdays at 10 a.m. Go to naplesjewishcongrega tion.org for the schedule of services.

We have a very active congregation, even though we are relatively small. We socialize after Friday services at the Oneg and Saturday morning services are followed by a light lunch. The rabbi conducts fascinating adult education classes once a month, October through March. These take place prior to Friday night services. As one would expect, the topics are varied: aging, the prophets, Jewish views on the hot topics of today, etc. The classes are attended by more than half the members.

Probably the most unique feature of NJC is an activity named Flamingle. We gather about once a month in a park or a restaurant to socialize and learn about each other. For example, for our upcoming Flamingle, we are meeting in a park, bringing food to share as well as a funny story about ourselves. Flamingle has proven very popular, with close to half of our members participating. People who are considering joining our congregation are always welcome to attend.

Our sisterhood is very active. It sponsors many activities during the year: Tai chi classes, book discussions, dinners and other get-togethers.

Our congregation hosts a second seder and a break the fast after Yom Kippur. These events are always very well attended. Our annual Chanukah dinner is very special this year. We are combining it with our 25th anniversary celebration. We will have a very elaborate dinner, with memorabilia and photos from our 25 years on display. Other activities for the evening are being kept under wraps. This serves to kick off a year of celebration.

March 10, 2024 our Artist in Residence program will feature Listen

Up!, a nationally known Jewish vocal band from Chicago. The event nearly sold out the last time they were here. They were so good that we are bringing them back.

The Artist in Residence program and the 25th Anniversary/Chanukah celebration are open to the public. Go to our website, naplesjewishcongregation.org, to sign up. While there, you can see all the activities we have planned. We would love for you to come join us, become a member and worship with us.

Come join “The Congregation With a big Heart.”