Pomegranate Society luncheon

Hope to see you!

By Debra Antzis, 2024 Pomegranate Society Chair

I’ve so enjoyed meeting and getting to know Pomegranate Society members at our gatherings these past few months, and I’m looking forward to seeing you at our Pomegranate luncheon on Feb. 26. Taking inspiration from the Jewish calendar, the luncheon will celebrate Tu B’shvat, the ‘Holiday for the Trees.’

Growing up in the Northeast, it seemed incongruous to me that Tu B’shvat falls in February, when winter seems to have been with us forever. The skies are gray and trees at their barest. But of course, even in deepest winter, nature is at work preparing for the future. Tu B’shvat is a forerunner, reminding us that if we cultivate it, abundance will come. I love that one of the fruits we celebrate on Tu B’shvat is our own pomegranate, since we as Pomegranates have shown our commitment to provide and secure abundance in our Jewish community and for those who are less fortunate.

In the spirit of cultivating abundance for all, we have invited Ellen Burnett to speak at our Tu B’shvat Luncheon. Burnett is executive director and co-founder at Cultivate Abundance, an outstanding organization helping to address food insecurity in Immokalee, Florida. Ironically, despite being a town that produces millions of pounds of fresh produce daily, the USDA recognizes Immokalee as a food desert as it is challenging and costly for the people who actually live there to access quality fresh food.

Burnett will tell us about the many ways that Cultivate Abundance is helping. Through donations and the purchase of tickets to this event, we hope to raise $1,500. These funds will enable the Pomegranate Society of Jewish Federation of Greater Naples to sponsor a New Partner Garden/Orchard. Our donation will allow Cultivate Abundance to purchase topsoil, compost, mulch, fruit trees and a basic irrigation system. This tropical garden on 1/10 of an acre will establish a productive tropical garden and/or fruit orchard that benefits the neighbors and farmworkers in Immokalee.

Please mark your calendar and join us Feb. 26, 11:30 a.m. at the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center.

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Pomegranate Luncheon

When: Feb. 26, 11:30 a.m. Where: The Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center

Mission Statement

The Pomegranate Society is a sisterhood of women who care deeply about our local Jewish community and Jews in North America, Israel, and around the world. We share a commitment to playing a vital role to support those in need and to building and sustaining a vibrant Jewish community in Greater Naples.