Fighting antisemitism

By Judith Finer Freedman, Ed.D., 2025 Women in Philanthropy chair

With the winter season approaching, there is excitement in the air for where Jewish Federation of Greater Naples will take our hearts and minds! I find that in every season with Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, our home has ruach and purpose with the dynamic Jewish community surrounding us!

My name is Judith Finer Freedman. I am very proud of my roots in Tulsa, Oklahoma where the Jewish community gave our family’s life both an anchor and a purpose. As an adult, I continued my community involvement as the chair of the Young Professional Division of Jewish Federation of Greater Houston and later as the Women’s Philanthropy chair of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

Since coming to Naples, I have enjoyed getting to know the Jewish community through the lens of the Jewish Book Festival Committee and the Federation’s amazing Women’s Cultural Alliance. However, after Oct. 7, I knew that my philanthropy and involvement needed to go further. So, this past spring, I agreed to serve on the Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy team.

Over the past year, the meaning of philanthropy in the Jewish world has changed. Overnight, it went from an annual gift to support Jewish causes and pivoted to emergency needs stemming from the atrocities and ripple effect of Oct. 7. Then, the unthinkable occurred. The rise of antisemitism was at our doorsteps, on our campuses and in our cities. All of the sudden, the victims became the aggressors, and the rising tide of hatred toward Israel did not only have a trickle-down effect but also gave rise to a downpour of antisemitism.

So, all our philanthropy goals widened to include protecting our local community by raising awareness of the hate and educating our communities — and the larger community — in which we live. Along the way, we discovered the voices of allies who helped drown out the sounds of the protesters’ misplaced hatred. But, as we know, our work is far from done.

The first event in my role on the Federation's Women’s Philanthropy Team is about fighting antisemitism. We are bringing in a dynamic speaker who founded a nonprofit called Tribe Talk (https://tribetalk.org), an organization that connects with Jewish students who are experiencing antisemitism in schools and on campuses, and offers resources on how to deal with the traumatic disruptions to their academic life. Please mark your calendars as the luncheon featuring the keynote speaker from Tribe Talk will take place on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, and is open to all women in our community.

It is my hope that many of you will come out and take advantage of all the amazing programs Jewish Federation of Greater Naples has to offer. I can guarantee you will make new friends, expand your awareness of our world, and develop new ideas for continuing our Jewish tradition of tikun olam, repairing the world. Our world needs healing and recovery now more than ever. And who better to handle it than women gathering together, letting their voices be heard and actions be felt.

I look forward to seeing many of you on Jan. 23, 2025. Please feel free to reach out to me personally at drjfinerfreedman@gmail.com with any questions you may have. In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful Naples oasis we are lucky to call home!