Why you should become a Patron of the Jewish Book Festival!

By Susan Pittelman and Robin Mintz, Jewish Book Festival Co-Chairs

Being a Patron of the Greater Naples Jewish Book Festival is certainly a win-win situation! The financial contributions from Patrons ensure that both community support and funding are available, so that we can continue to bring you an outstanding array of authors. (We sponsored appearances by 108 authors through the first five festivals!) At the same time, Patrons gain the personal satisfaction of knowing that their dollars and attendance at JBF programs are instrumental in our ability to offer these quality cultural events.

Last year, 232 community members were Patrons of the Jewish Book Festival—a strong affirmation that our community considers the festival a highly valued component of our Federation’s cultural programming.

Planning the 2020-21 Book Festival has been a challenge. But rather than view challenges as problems, we, instead, view them as opportunities! Holding our events through Zoom means we can’t offer Patrons the chance to meet authors in person. However, it gives everyone a frontrow seat and enables us to invite authors from across the continent, and even from other continents. Although it means we can’t greet you at each event, we hope to offer Patrons a chance to chat with each other following a few of the events.

At a time when the members of our Jewish community need it most, your support of the Jewish Book Festival enables our Federation to bring our community together and keep us all engaged, with exemplary literary programming that celebrates authors and their significant contributions to cultural and Jewish life.

This year, in response to this unprecedented pandemic, we are modifying our Patron levels. While we are continuing the Platinum Level at $500 and the Silver Patron Level at $225, we decided not to offer a Gold Patron level and, instead, offer a less expensive Bronze Patron level at $118. (The Bronze level offers a significant discount on ticket prices; if purchased separately, the tickets would cost a total of $212.)

Benefits of being a Bronze Patron of the Jewish Book Festival

• Knowing that you support the Book Festival

• Patrons will be preregistered for each event; you simply sign up once and you will be registered for ALL Festival events. (You won’t have to individually register for each event, as non-Patrons will.)

• Patrons will have an opportunity to greet each other in an informal chat following the conclusion of one or two of the presentations.

• Patrons will be acknowledged in the Federation Star as well as on the Jewish Book Festival web page.

• Patrons receive advance notification (prior to the announcement in the Federation Star) of the authors who will participate in the upcoming Festival.

Additional benefits for Platinum and Silver Patrons

• The heartwarming feeling that you are helping to financially support the Jewish Book Festival above and beyond the cost of your tickets to the events.

• Invitations to two exclusive (virtual) Patron gatherings with Book Festival authors following their presentations.

• A copy of author Lori Gottlieb’s bestselling book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. If you have been a Festival Patron in the past, we thank you! Please become a Patron again this year. If you have not yet been a Patron, we hope you will join this wonderful and generous group of JBF supporters.

How do you become a Patron?

Simply check the appropriate box on the JBF Registration form on the Jewish Book Festival page of the Federation website at www.jewishbookfestival.org.

A link to the JBF registration form will also be in the Federation’s Monday e-blast.

Looking forward to a Zoom-tastic season!