Our New Home

By Federation President/CEO Jeffrey Feld and Federation Board Chair Jane Schiff

Jane Schiff and Jeffrey Feld

The dictionary defines home as “a house, apartment or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family or household.”

There will be art, sculptures, paintings and stained-glass windows. There will be meeting rooms, card rooms, a BBYO lounge and a lounge for the rest of us. There will be fabulous light fixtures and ceilings in the abstract shape of a Magen David. Twelve royal palms will grace the outer courtyard, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. A covered drop-off/pickup loggia will have benches for sitting, meditating, reading or just waiting for a ride or friend. It is a place for you to call home—a shelter that is the usual residence of the Jewish Community of Greater Naples.

But this building will not be our home unless and until we all participate in making it happen, by supporting its financial needs and its existence. We all have a collective responsibility to make this building a home away from home. A place where newcomers get the feeling that they belong here, too. A place that is welcoming, warm, inviting and complete.

We are the generation coming to this community in the second wave. The synagogues have been founded and are growing. The Naples Senior Center is taking responsibility for Jews in need. Two of our synagogues, Temple Shalom and Chabad, have preschools and religious schools meeting the needs of our children. We have a Holocaust Museum that is educating the entire community about hate and discrimination. This building will meet our needs. This building will be our home. This building is not just for us to enjoy for the rest of our years here, but for those who come after us.

We are building for the future. The future after COVID-19. The future when we get back together and meet and greet each other. Maybe we will hug less, not shake hands, even still wear masks, but we will get together. We will have meetings. We will have games, lectures, films, cooking demonstrations and many, many meetings. If we don’t move forward with this building now, we will remain homeless. We will continue to wander on the sands of the Gulf of Mexico. We need a home; we deserve a home, and we will all feel settled and comfortable in our new home.

Join in making our new home a reality. Please call Marcy Friedland at 239-263- 4205 and make a pledge or give a gift. There are naming opportunities available. There are payment plans available. We know that when you walk into our new home, you will want to see your name on the donor plaques and know that you helped build it. You don’t want to be left out of this community effort. You do want to help build our new home.