Annual Community-wide
CHANUKAH CELEBRATION Monday, Nov. 29 | 5:00 pm at Mercato on the Lawn For sponsorship and/or table reservations, please contact Renee at rbialek@jewishnaples.org
CELEBRATING JEWISH LIFE IN GREATER NAPLES, ISRAEL AND THE WORLD
FEDERATI N STAR
Published by Jewish Federation of Greater Naples
SERVING NAPLES, MARCO ISLAND AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
www.JewishNaples.org November 2021 – Cheshvan/Kislev 5782 Vol. 31 #3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
We are underway!
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Men’s Cultural Alliance
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Women’s Cultural Alliance
Construction on the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center begins
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Community Focus
By Marcy Friedland, Capital Campaign & Planned Giving Director
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Tributes
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Organizations
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Focus on Youth
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1A Arts & Entertainment 8A Jewish Interest 10A Israel & the Jewish World 11A Commentary 12A Synagogue News 15A Community Directory Kristallnacht community commemoration Commemorate the 83rd Anniversary of Kristallnacht Sunday, Nov. 7, 3 p.m. on Zoom. 5
PAID
Jewish Federation of Greater Naples 2500 Vanderbilt Beach Rd., Ste. 2201 Naples, FL 34109
Fort Myers, FL Permit No 1101
Non Profit Org U.S. Postage
Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Chanukah!
onstruction on the Nina Iser Jewish Cultural Center has begun, and we can begin to see an end in sight. Appreciating how far we have come, we realize we still have a ways to go. “The growth of the Federation since incorporation in 1992 has brought us here,” says Jeffrey D. Feld, JFGN president and CEO. “We are seeing the culmination of 5 years of planning and dreaming, and are moving to the exciting moment when the Jewish community and the rest of Southwest Florida will be able to experience and see our impact. We would not be here without the support of our donors and community.” Construction will start with road improvements and site preparation. While that may not seem particularly exciting, it does mark the beginning of the timeline, which, barring material delivery and other potential construction delays, is expected to take about a year. G-d willing, we hope to have a grand opening in January 2023! In addition, we are excited to announce that we have met the $1 Million Challenge Matching Grant generously contributed by: • Shelley and Steve Einhorn • Steve Iser • Debbie Laites and Ben Post • Bebe and Stephen Saks • Joan and Marc Saperstein • Jane Schiff • Phyllis Seaman • Arlene and Michael Sobol Jewish Book Festival Begins Three books are featured this month: “The New Chardonnay” by Heather Cabot; “Can Robots be Jewish?” by Amy Schwartz; and Jennifer Rosner’s “The Yellow Bird Sings.”
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Our deepest gratitude goes to these generous challenge matching grant donors, as well as the 475 families who have contributed to the center’s Capital Campaign fundraising commitment, which currently totals $12.5 million of our $15 million goal. While it is exciting to get started, the current environment has resulted in pandemic-related inflation of costs and shortages of many building supplies. Our building committee remains committed to monitoring these trends.
Recently, we earned Charity Navigator’s 4-star rating, which ensures donors that JFGN operates with financial health, accountability and transparency. As we celebrate this auspicious beginning, it is worth reflecting on the impact this project will have on our donors, the Greater Naples community and our programming. Our new 19,000-square-foot building has been thoughtfully designed, with flexible spaces to accommodate the wishes and needs of our donors and the community now and into the future.
Are you ready to build or remodel the home of your dreams?
LEARN MORE ON PAGE 5
