Marching forward

By Marina Berkovich JHSSWF President

Time flies too fast and so many things are happening, it’s difficult to be everywhere and do everything, albeit, mostly by Zoom, for now.

In January, we celebrated Florida’s Jewish History Month and The Jewish Historical Society’s 10th Anniversary Celebration with Naples Mayor Bill Barnett at our first-ever virtual Zoom fundraiser. I am happy to report that it was a successfully wonderful event. We premiered the Southwest Florida Jewish Pioneers documentary film, “The Mayor with a Heart,” about Bill Barnett, four-time mayor of the City of Naples.

We are proudly humbled to bring our organization’s mission of promoting awareness of contributions by Jews to new audiences interested in the history of the region. It was great to celebrate Florida Jewish History month together.

Southwest Florida Jewish Pioneers

Major events happen all the time. We may not realize we have been in them until time marches forward, forcing us to take a different, more detached look at what we have been eyewitnesses to.

“The Song Meister,” a Southwest Florida Jewish Pioneers film about Naples’ notable centenarian, Songwriters’ Hall of Famer Gene Goodman, concluded Florida Jewish History Month at a presentation hosted by Naples Depot Museum. During the Q&A, I pointed out that Gene started in the music business in the late 1930s, working for his older brother, Benny.

Imagine that! Or better yet, would you like to hear him tell you about it in his own words? There is so much information, music and memories in the film that it’s worth seeing twice. We will repeat the film’s showing on March 21, during the spring 2021 Southwest Florida Jewish Pioneers series via Zoom. Register at the events page on our website, www.jhsswf.org.

Virtual museum

These educational, broadcast-quality documentaries created from eyewitness testimonies are only part of the work we do. We are in the process of expanding the Virtual Museum of Southwest Florida Jewish History, including materials about local Jewish successes and connection to teach history from a positive perspective.

Ruth R. Wisse, the Martin Peretz Professor of Yiddish Literature, Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard University emeritus, and noted scholar of Yiddish literature and of Jewish history and culture, writes in her fall 2020 essay, “…30 years ago, in a Commentary Magazine article titled, ‘How They Teach the Holocaust,’ noted historian and intellectual Lucy Dawidowicz raised serious concerns about the distorted curricula and questionable outcomes. … Consulted as an authority on what she called the ‘war against the Jews,’ Dawidowicz undertook a thorough study of (Holocaust) materials, leading her to question the wisdom of encouraging ‘oppression studies’ in the absence of any robust teaching of history.

“Dawidowicz concluded… by citing the sixth commandment, ‘Thou shalt not murder.’ This, she wrote, was ‘the primary lesson of the Holocaust,’ and if invoking a biblical commandment would violate the doctrine of the separation of church and state, ‘something is clearly wrong with both our system of education and our standards of morality.’”

Our Southwest Florida Jewish Pioneers come from various beginnings and fairly represent the diversity of the Jewish people in our area.

If you have a story to share, contact us at office@jhsswf.org.

Southwest Florida Jewish Pioneer Gene Goodman in “The Song Meister”

BECOME A JHSSWF MEMBER TODAY

Family Membership $54; Individual Membership $36, Student Membership $18.

Please join us online by entering the appropriate amount or mail checks to: The Jewish Historical Society of Southwest Florida 8805 Tamiami Trail North, Suite # 255, Naples, FL 34108

833-547-7935 (833-JHS-SWFL) www.jhsswf.org • email: office@jhsswf.org

Virtual Museum of SWFL Jewish History http://jewishhistorysouthwestflorida.org

The Jewish Historical Society of Southwest Florida is a section 501(c) 3 charitable organization. Contributions are deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.