Support the Jewish Book Festival by becoming a patron

By Robin Mintz, Greater Naples Jewish Book Festival Chairperson

We are only one month away from the start of our 9th Jewish Book Festival and the anticipation is growing! The Festival will showcase an outstanding collection of books and authors, as we expose our community to a wide variety of genres.

The season will kick off next month on Sunday evening, Dec. 3 with noted author Mitch Albom. But don’t worry, there is still time to become a patron of the Jewish Book Festival and reap all the benefits. Being a patron of the Greater Naples Jewish Book Festival is certainly a win-win! The financial contributions from patrons enable Federation to bring an outstanding array of authors to all of us and help to build a stronger Jewish community overall. (Including this year’s Festival, 171 authors have presented at 119 events during our nine festivals.)

I am proud to share with you that as of Sept. 30, 2023, 185 community members have become patrons of the Jewish Book Festival. This is a strong affirmation that our community considers the Festival a highly valued component of Federation’s cultural programming. Jewish Book Festival events bring our community together and keep us engaged with exemplary literary programming that celebrates authors and their significant contributions to Jewish life and culture.

There are three levels of patron sponsorship: Platinum at $500, Silver at $250 and Bronze at $136. The generosity of our patrons underwrites our Jewish Book Festival expenses. In addition, money raised helps our Federation fulfill its mission of building a vibrant Jewish community in Greater Naples and supporting the social service needs of the Jewish people in our community, in North America, in Israel and around the world.

Why should I become a Patron?

In addition to knowing that your financial support is integral to the success of the Jewish Book Festival, patrons receive several other benefits. You will be preregistered for each event; you simply sign up once. Unlike “everyone else,” you won’t have to individually register for each event. All patrons will be acknowledged in the Federation Star as well as on the Jewish Book Festival webpage.

Platinum patrons will be given preferred reserved seating at all events. In addition, they will receive an invitation to attend an intimate Meet & Greet with Mitch Albom and a signed copy of his book, “The Little Liar.”

Silver patrons will enjoy reserved seating at all events and will receive a signed copy of Mitch Albom’s book, “The Little Liar.”

Bronze patrons are given a significant savings for entry to all the events in the Festival. They will also receive a copy of Mitch Albom’s book, “The Little Liar.”

How do I become a patron?

Simply check the appropriate box on the Jewish Book Festival registration form at www.JewishBookFestival.org. A link to the registration form is also in the Federation’s Monday e-blasts. It’s that easy!

If you are not already a patron, I hope that you will consider becoming one for the 2023-24 Jewish Book Festival.

What others are saying about this years outstanding lineup:

“A moving parable that explores honesty, survival, revenge and devotion, ‘The Little Liar’ is Mitch Albom at his very best.”

“Both epic and heartfelt, ‘Kantika’ belongs in the company of the great twentieth-century immigrant Jewish writers, such as Saul Bellow, Cynthia Ozick, Grace Paley, and Henry Roth.”

“‘ Madam,’ Debby Applegate’s tour de force about Jazz Age icon Polly Adler, will seize you by the lapels, buy you a drink, and keep you reading until the very last page.”

“With empathy and wit, in sharply observed prose, Saginaw gives insight into families, mothers, and daughters. ‘Because the World Is Round’ is a book full of wisdom and delight.”

“‘The Einstein Effect’ is a fascinating and funny guide to history's favorite genius — and why he still matters.”

“‘The Jewish Deli’ is a magnificent way to discover, through illustrations, the culinary history of Jews and the role that food plays in delicatessens in preserving Ashkenazi Jewish culinary heritage.”

“Raw and gripping....‘The Escape Artist.’ This compelling portrait of a neglected hero of Holocaust resistance leaves an inescapable imprint of a past now in danger of being minimized or forgotten.”

“Compelling … Readers will be equally captivated and educated by this original and thought-provoking book, ‘The Golden Doves.’”

“‘The Lioness of Boston’ is a treasure trove of art, sensuality, Boston history, and more. Emily Franklin has captured Isabella Stewart Gardner’s blazing life and the light it sheds on the lives of women then and now.”