New year, new developments

Marina Berkovich, JHSSWF President

There are so many things to look forward to in 5782. Our Southwest Florida Jewish Pioneers films were chosen for inclusion to the ANU Museum of The Jewish People in Tel Aviv, Israel. It is a great honor, and we are proud to have our work in that important place, where they will contribute Southwest Florida Jewish history to the worldwide Jewish story. From this point forward, all the films in this series can be included, providing they carry the same quality of information and production. With your gracious help and generosity, we hope to steadily continue on this path.

We are also looking forward to inperson events resuming, Baruch Hashem, in 2022.

On Jan. 16, we will mark Florida Jewish History Month with our annual fundraiser honoring Ms. Rosalee Bogo for decades of dedicated service to the Jewish community of Greater Naples. Bogo’s southern grace and humble gentility usually keep her in the shadows, yet she is a formidable force without whom many of Collier County’s Jewish organizations would not have garnered the support they enjoy in the 21st century.

“Never Again” on Feb. 6, is the second of our celebratory events. It will be conducted in partnership with the Holocaust Museum of SWFL, honoring exceptional work of Jack Nortman aimed at preserving the lessons of the Holocaust and educating new generations.

“No more genocides” is how Nortman summarizes his ongoing efforts to maintain the boxcar as part of the Museum’s exhibits, where hundreds of local students can receive a surreally hands-on experience of the unfortunate treatment to which Jews and other victims of the Nazis and Soviets were subjected throughout World War II, and after it.

Please save both dates, we’d love to see you for these unique events at Hilton Naples. Come to toast our local Jewish honorees, watch the entertaining documentaries detailing their stories and meet local dignitaries and celebrities, who will pop in to take part in festivities. Champaign brunch details will follow.

There will be at least two new films added to the Southwest Florida Jewish Pioneers film series during the next Hebrew year, the JHSSWF Virtual Museum will undergo a revamp and our education Zoom sessions will continue.

Having taken on a task that is important and necessary, we are constantly rewarded and humbled by the excellent support of our community and beyond as we try to move fast and faster with our historical preservation mission.

Regrettably, many of our Southwest Floridians belong to the most vulnerable generation and will not be with us forever. Over the summer, we lost one of our Southwest Florida Pioneers, Richard Segalman. A lovely man, Segalman spread sunshine wherever he went and encapsulated it in his many paintings. You too can experience some of his loveliness by watching “Richard Segalman, A Man and His Art” on The Jewish Historical Society of Southwest Florida (JHSSWF) YouTube channel and at the Anu Museum of The Jewish People. We are so lucky to live in the digital age — although we say goodbye to Richard Segalman, we will have him with us forever on film.

Join The Jewish Historical Society of SWFL

Help us fulfill our mission of historical preservation and education: family membership is $54; individual membership is $36; and student membership is $18.

Please join us online or mail checks to The Jewish Historical Society of Southwest Florida, 8805 Tamiami Trail North, Suite # 255, Naples FL 34108.

Contact us at 833-547-7935 (833-JHS-SWFL) or office@jhsswf.org. www.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.