Florida Jewish History month 2022

Marina Berkovich, JHSSWF President

Happy 2022 and Happy Florida Jewish History Month to my dear readers! May this year bring us all serendipitous wonderment and joy as well as health, prosperity and all the customary blessings. In a world as unpredictable as ours has become in the past two years, there are many blessings we forget to remember.

Celebrating Florida Jewish History Month has become a very essential event to our Southwest Florida Jewish community, and to our organization especially. It is within our virtual walls that many builders and pioneers have first found recognition, acknowledgement and appreciation for the experience they’ve had in the establishment and development of this now populous community.

Welcoming Jewish residents has not always been among the goals of this region, but since the end of WWII, and more so after Hurricane Donna decimated the region in 1960, the gradual Jewish migration has brought thousands to these shores.

In the month of January, as established in 2003 by then-Governor Jeb Bush, Jewish Floridians celebrate the relatively new and, in places, not so easy to digest, Jewish history of Florida. We are joined in these celebrations by our non-Jewish neighbors and members who are very devoted to helping us to jointly fulfill our mission of historic preservation.

Our Society usually holds a celebratory event and its annual major fundraiser, but due to circumstances beyond control of this year’s honoree, our own steel magnolia, Ms. Rosalee Bogo, we are postponing the January fundraiser event to a later date.

We will kick off the Annual Florida Jewish History Month by bringing to you the much-in-demand presentation we recorded just before COVID interfered — “Jews of Florida” by Marcia Jo Zerivitz, a renowned expert on this subject and founding director of The Jewish Museum in Miami.

Whether you were there in person two years ago or not, do not miss this phenomenally educational presentation that we will air on Jan. 1, 2022 at 7 p.m. Ms. Zerivitz’s presentation is loaded with fascinating facts, Jewish statistics, extraordinary surprises and memorable stories you may have missed last time or would love to learn.

We will bring this event to you via the Internet. A nominal donation will be collected. Please join our email list, if you have not yet done so, to be included in that email distribution and more.

We are partnering with the Holocaust Museum and Cohen Education Center to honor Mr. Jack Nortman during a very special fundraiser, featuring the premiere of The Society’s original production, next documentary in the SWFL Jewish Pioneers series, “Boxcar Education Giant,” on Feb. 6 at 11:30 a.m.

Purchase tickets at https://hmcec. org/calendar/category/event/list/. For sponsorship, donor and volunteer opportunities, call 833-JHS-SWFL 833-5477935 or email office@jhsswf.org.

Throughout 2022, we will bring you many more programs and events. Please join, and follow and like us on YouTube and Facebook. We are working very hard to preserve this very important history for the future Jews of Southwest Florida, whomever they will be, wherever they will come from.

BECOME A JHSSWF MEMBER TODAY

Family Membership $54; Individual Membership $36, Student Membership $18.

Please join us online by entering the appropriate amount or mail checks to: The Jewish Historical Society of Southwest Florida 8805 Tamiami Trail North, Suite # 255, Naples, FL 34108

833-547-7935 (833-JHS-SWFL) www.jhsswf.org • email: offi ce@jhsswf.org

Virtual Museum of SWFL Jewish History http://jewishhistorysouthwestfl orida.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.