New year brings big, new start!

As Jews, we luckily get to say “Happy New Year” twice each year! How fortunate that twice a year we feel like we are starting anew.

When we said “Happy New Year” in our September issue of the Federation Star, we had hoped that by now we would be starting on the new building. A mere four months later, we are in progress on the site. Land is cleared. Fill is coming in. Road work is underway. There is action at 4720 Pine Ridge Road. Go see for yourself!

When we next say “Happy New Year” in September 2022, the building will not quite be finished. And by January 1, 2023, we will have a date for the ribbon cutting ceremony — if we haven’t already had it! It is very exciting, overwhelming and a new beginning for the Jewish community in Greater Naples. This truly is a happy new year for all of us.

The Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center will be where you come to hear authors and lectures; see movies; take classes; have meetings; participate in games, arts and crafts and cooking classes; and oh so much more.

This will be your Jewish home. But how do we best utilize the space and engage the community? We have lots of ideas, but to figure out how we will transition into our exciting new home, we have engaged Sallie Williams to conduct a strategic plan for the next five years. Five years ago, in 2017, Sallie led us through a strategic planning exercise that, combined with the Demographic and Needs Assessment survey done by Brandeis University, led us to realize the need for a larger facility which, of course, led directly to the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center.

This time, the strategic plan will help us direct our energies into full utilization of the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center. New ideas and new ways of doing the things we currently do well will hopefully lead to increased involvement by some area Jews who are not currently engaged, in addition to increased engagement for those Jews in the area already involved.

We want the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center to feel like your home. We want it to become your Jewish home.

So, welcome to 2022. A new year and a big, new start for your Jewish community!