4
Federation Star
March 2022
JEWISH FEDERATION
What do members of the Jewish Federation Star Book Festival committee do? Published by Celebrating Jewish Life in Collier County, Israel and the World
Published by the Jewish Federation of Collier County serving Naples, Marco Island and the surrounding communities
By Gayle Dorio, 2021-22 Jewish Book Festival chair 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 2201 Naples, Florida 34109-0613 Phone: 239.263.4205 Fax: 239.263.3813 www.jewishnaples.org Email: info@jewishnaples.org Officers Board Chair: Jane Schiff Vice Chairs: Karen Deutsch (Chair Elect), Marc Saperstein, Beth Wolff Secretary: Rosalee Bogo Treasurer: Elliot Lerner Immediate Past Chair: Alvin Becker
Board of Directors
Frank Baum, Patti Boochever, Harvey Cohen, Marcia Cohodes, Amanda Dorio, Paula Filler, Merlin Lickhalter, Robin Mintz, Les Nizin, William Petasnick, Joel Pittelman, Stuart Price, Nat Ritter, Michael Rubenstein, Jamie Satz, Betty Schwartz, Arlene Sobol, Steve Strome, Jay Weiss, Jeff Zalasky, Board Member Emeritus: Phyllis Seaman
Past Board Chairs
Gerald Flagel, Dr. William Ettinger, Ann Jacobson (z”l), Sheldon Starman, Bobbie Katz, Rosalee Bogo, Judge Norman Krivosha (z”l)
Synagogue Representatives
Cantor Donna Azu, Sue Baum, Rabbi Ariel Boxman, Steve Chizzik, Rabbi Ammos Chorny, Rabbi Mendel Gordon, Rabbi Mendy Greenberg, Rabbi Mark Gross, Rabbi Howard Herman, Rabbi Adam Miller, Charles Flum, Rabbi James Perman, Dr. Arthur Seigel, Daryl Sissman, Rabbi Fishel Zaklos
Staff
Jeffrey Feld: Federation CEO/President Reneé Bialek: Program Director Alicia Feldman: PJ Library Coordinator Marcy Friedland: Capital Campaign & Planned Giving Director Janine Hudak: Admin. Coordinator Nathan Ricklefs: Database Manager Kirk Wisemayer: Annual Community Campaign Director Teresa Zimmerman: Finance & Operations Manager
Federation is the central Jewish community-building organization for Greater Naples, providing a social service network that helps Jewish people locally, in Israel and around the world. As the central fundraising organization for Jewish communal life in our area, strength is drawn from organized committees of dedicated volunteers. Programs include: • Annual Campaign & Endowment Fund • Celebrate Israel • Educational & Cultural Programs • Israel Advocacy Committee • Israel Scouts • Jewish Book Festival • Jewish Community Relations Council • Jewish Young Professionals • Jewish Russian Cultural Alliance • Men’s Cultural Alliance • PJ Library • Publication of the Federation Star, Connections and Community Directory • Women’s Cultural Alliance • Women’s Division • Youth Activities Committee – sponsoring youth education and scholarships for Jewish Summer Camp and Israel Experience
S
omeone recently asked me about members need only get the “ball rolling” the responsibilities of a Jewish Book and Reneé takes it from there. Festival committee member. What We have several committee meetings exactly does one do? where possible author choices and festival In April and May, boxes of books arrive details are discussed. Tentative dates for at Federation’s office. Inside, are hundreds events need to be scheduled; how many of books that need to be sorted, arranged on Zoom, how many in person? Venues in the bookcases and cataloged. Then, need to be planed for the in-person sign-out sheets are prepared. events. What music should The committee members and accompany the openings friends who love to read, stop and closings? by to select lots of books to Each author needs a comread and review. Each committee member to act as mittee member knows to look “author champion.” This is for interesting, entertaining, a term that encompasses a informative material that great deal. Ideally, for authors they feel our members would coming to Naples, the author appreciate. Some love to read champion acts as the liaison, fiction, some nonfiction — making sure everything goes Gayle Dorio we look for a little of everything except smoothly. This is a special treat, in my self-help books or children’s books. opinion, because it involves spending Some read the entire book because it time with the author, when necessary is so captivating; some, in the interest of — picking the author up at the airport, time, read approximately 30 pages in the driving them and checking them into the beginning, 30 pages in the middle and Naples Hilton (they love staying there!), 30 pages at the end to get a general flavor driving them to the event venue, taking of the book and determine if it is appropriate. They then send in a review that answers several important questions and provides a brief summary, rating and recommendation. In some cases, more than one committee member will read the same book, so we get more opinions. It is absolutely critical to have as many books as possible read in advance of the 3-day all-day intense Jewish Book Council marathon, which takes place in late May. A small number of members are chosen to be on the Author Review Team. Federation pays to belong to the Jewish Book Council and additionally incurs a fee for each member of this team to receive appropriate materials, including the spiral notebook that lists all authors (over 250 last year). In May, for 3 days, the Author Review Team spends all day each day watching the authors give 2-minute pitches (approximately 10 hours each day). They quickly evaluate and rank the authors, referring back to the book reviews committee members submitted. For the next Jewish Book Festival, the review team members will, once again, listen to authors them out for a meal, if desired, introducvia Zoom, then meet with one another ing them at the event and facilitating the throughout the days via Zoom to discuss Q&A, then driving them back to the and review the authors they think should airport and saying goodbye. be invited to our book festival. When the author is signing books, it It is important to have as many Jewish is the author champion who makes sure Book Festival sponsors as possible. So, we everyone spends just a few minutes with ask committee members to talk with busithe author without anyone monopolizing ness leaders and organizations and invite the author’s time. In essence, the author them to participate. It’s easy, since there champion has the opportunity to become are handouts that detail all the advantages friends with the author! At in-person and the different cost levels. Renee Bialek, events, our committee members are the as superwoman extraordinaire, handles first ones who volunteer to usher, be signing up the sponsors as well as any welcoming greeters, provide registration questions they might have. The committee check-in, set up and clean up, as necessary,
and help sell books! They also jump in with questions, so there is never a lull resulting in uncomfortable “dead air.” For those authors appearing via Zoom, the author champion’s responsibilities are naturally a bit streamlined. The author champion introduces the author and moderates the questions at the end. A preliminary meeting is set up with the Zoom authors the week before their event to go over logistics, run of show, etc., which is a great opportunity for the author champion to spend some time getting to know the author. Committee members also are essential in the Preview Event. This year, Iris Shur was in charge of the event. Because Iris is so organized and outgoing, and because she read and reviewed so many books, I knew she was the perfect person to present the Preview Event. She asked a number of committee members to introduce the different authors and events. It was a very successful and informative start to our 7th Jewish Book Festival. The hard work and involvement of Iris and the commit-
tee members who participated in this is greatly appreciated. The help of committee members is essential. It is appreciated when committee members also become patrons. This shows a commitment to the Jewish Book Festival, illustrating that our members lead by example. We hope that each year, committee members will examine their hearts and stay on the committee if they wish to continue helping us in these important ways. For those whose time is limited, we expect them to tell us they are unable to continue. I hope I’ve answered the question. It is a big responsibility to be a committee member and is a great feeling when done right! We need active committees, whose members stay involved, offer fresh ideas, and devote time and energy. I’ve been told that the Jewish Book Festival of Greater Naples is a well-regarded asset to our community. It’s due to the support of everyone! Thank you all!
