Federation Star - July-August 2018

JEWISH FEDERATION
The Pomegranate Society is creating
exciting plans for the coming season
By Susan Pittelman, Pomegranate Society Vice Chair
The pomegranate, an ancient and beloved
symbol, was chosen for this level
of women’s philanthropy as it is said to
have 613 seeds, corresponding with the
613 mitzvot in the Torah.
Several members of the Pomegranate
Society (POMS) of the Jewish
Federation of Greater Naples
(JFGN) met at the home of Robin Mintz
in early June to begin planning for the
coming season. An exciting
outcome of the meeting
is that the members of
the Pomegranate Society
are going to be spearheading
the creation of a Welcoming
Committee for
the Jewish Federation of
Greater Naples. Jewish tradition teaches
us to welcome the stranger, and our
Federation wants to create a program to
welcome newcomers to our community.
We are excited that the POMS have
been entrusted with the responsibility
of initiating this program. Stay tuned
for more information.
The POMS started to plan a Pomegranate
event for mid-April that will
include visits to several of the agencies
in Greater Naples that receive funding
from our Federation’s Campaign. As
part of the tour, POMS will have an opportunity
to talk with staff members and
see the impact of their campaign dollars.
The group also discussed the possibility
of having a “Hands On” day of
service during which POMS would perform
some kind of service or participate
in a project to benefit an agency. Several
women offered to look into what form
this special activity might take.
The June gathering, while originally
intended to primarily focus on programming
for the Pomegranate Society for
this coming year, turned out to be far
more than simply a planning meeting!
When women joined the Pomegranate
Society, many had expressed a
strong interest in spending more time
with each other. At the gathering, the
women greatly enjoyed the opportunity
to talk informally and get to know each
other better. Debby Waranch said, “It is
so nice to have a chance to talk to each
other in a small group and
hear about each other’s
interests and passions. I am
glad to be part of this group
of committed women.”
Members of the Pomegranate
Society had also
said that they want to better
understand how their campaign dollars
are spent and to learn more about the
power of women’s philanthropy. Campaign
Chair Karen Deutsch explained
the reasoning behind the Federation’s
change in the fiscal year and shared the
Campaign Chair Karen Deutsch
told the Pomegranates about the impact
our Campaign dollars are having
July/August 2018 Federation Star
impact that the campaign
is having on
funding services and
projects in the area
served by the Jewish
Federation of Greater
Naples.
Another highlight
of the morning
was Pomegranate
Society Chair Betty Schwartz sharing
her experiences at some of the agencies
she visited during the Federation’s
recent trip to Israel. The women were
deeply moved by her heartwarming
descriptions of Neve Michael, Special
in Uniform and Yad LaKashish. Betty
said that it was very meaningful to see
firsthand the impact that our contributions
are having on people’s lives.
Nancy Kahn commented, “I wish
that all of the Pomegranates, in fact,
everyone in our community could hear
about these programs. If more people
knew about these amazing programs
that our Federation supports, I know
they’d want to increase their contributions.
What we are accomplishing in
Israel is so impressive.”
The Pomegranate Society of JFGN,
which was formed
only a year ago,
represents a new
level of giving for
women’s philanthropy.
A minimum
gift of $1,800 in
your own name to
the Annual Campaign
earns your
place as a member
of the Pomegranate
Society. To date,
33 women in our
Robin Mintz and Judi Palay listen intently as Betty Schwartz
shares a story about her recent visit to Neve Michael in Israel
7
community have joined the Pomegranate
Society.
Becoming a member of the Pomegranate
Society is an attainable and
meaningful way for you to help to
strengthen our Jewish community.
We hope you will consider becoming
a part of our growing community of
Pomegranates and discover the fruits
of joining with other women around a
common cause.
If you would like to become part
of this remarkable group of women,
please contact Campaign Associate Julie
Hartline at the Federation office (jhart
line@jewishnaples.org, 239.263.4205),
Pomegranate Chair Betty Schwartz (bet
tyofnaples@gmail.com, 239.354.8556)
or me, Susan Pittelman (spittelman@
icloud.com, 414.305.4334).
Susan Pittelman, Mae Riefberg, Robin Mintz and Debby Waranch
at the Pomegranate Get-Together and Planning Meeting
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