Federation Star - June 2019

JEWISH FEDERATION
June 2019 Federation Star
Jewish Community Relations Council update
By Betty Schwartz, JCRC Chair
Last month’s column reviewed
some of the notable activities of
the Jewish Community Relations
Council of the past season. However,
the JCRC does more than sponsor
events. On behalf of the Jewish Federation
of Greater Naples, the JCRC
monitors legislation that deals with
matters that are of particular interest
to the Jewish community and relate to
Jewish values.
Preserving the separation of church
and state is an ongoing area of concern,
and every year, legislation is introduced
in the Florida Legislature that threatens
the integrity of this separation, such
as requiring creationism to be taught
in public schools as an alternative to
evolution.
This year, a bill (HB195) was introduced
that would require that classes in
Bible (the Christian Bible) be offered
as an elective because of the Bible’s
importance as history. Luckily, this bill
Unto every person
there is a name
By Jeff Margolis
This year marks the 74 th anniversary
of the liberation of the
camps. Each year, the Greater
Naples community gathers together to
pay tribute to the survivors of the Holocaust
and to remember the six million
brothers and sisters who were needlessly
slaughtered by the Nazis.
On Sunday, April 28, the community
gathered together for its annual
Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration
held at Temple Shalom.
Rabbis Adam Miller and Ammos
Holocaust survivor Judit Price
with students Sophia Baer and Leo Dorn
Chorny invited their blessings for the
deceased and reminded the audience to
never forget those who perished. Their
words were even more poignant as the
event took place one day after a horrific
shooting at a synagogue in California.
Students from the Temple Shalom
Religious School interviewed local
Holocaust survivors Rob Nossen, Judit
Price and Michael Eisenstadt, and
shared their stories and photos with the
attendees.
The survivors, second and third
generation descendants, and Jewish
stalled in the Appropriations Committee
and will not pass this year. We will probably
see this bill, or something similar,
next year.
Diverting public funds to be used
for school vouchers benefiting charter
schools is another continuing threat to
public schools. Good public schools
are vital for giving all children an equal
opportunity to reach their potential. It
is everyone’s responsibility to ensure
that our future generations are given
the very best education in a climate that
respects diversity.
On April 29, lawmakers passed a
bill (HB 741) prohibiting anti-Semitism
in Florida public schools. This bill adds
“religion” as an area of discrimination
forbidden by law. This bill also defines
anti-Semitism as “a certain perception
of the Jewish people, which may be expressed
as hatred toward Jewish people,
rhetorical and physical manifestations
of anti-Semitism directed toward a
War Veterans Post 202 members lit six
candles, representing the six million
murdered.
Cantor Donna Azu of Temple Shalom
and Cantorial Soloist Jane Galler of
Naples Jewish Congregation performed
musical selections and prayers. Jewish
War Veterans Post 202 members provided
the honor guard for the program.
Ida Margolis, chair of GenShoah of
Southwest Florida, was the emcee and
coordinator of the event.
The following students participated
in this year’s event: Gabriela Sissman,
Dylan Baer, Sophia Baer, Leo Dorn,
Hannah Carcamo, Addison Corbellini,
Camden Karen, Sidney Kamerman,
Noah Kohn, Adam Dorio, Julia Reilly,
Hanna Corbellini, Nathan Goebel, Karl
Grossman, David Heuer and Jason Saks.
The Yom HaShoah program was
brought to you by: Jewish Federation
of Greater Naples, The Holocaust Museum
& Education Center of Southwest
Florida, Temple Shalom, Beth Tikvah,
GenShoah, Naples Jewish Congregation,
Jewish War Veterans Post 202,
Chabad of Naples, and Jewish Congregation
of Marco Island.
We thank our additional co-sponsors:
Avow and GoldenCare.
Join us for the annual Kristallnacht
Commemoration on Sunday, November
17, 2019, and future events commemorating
the 75 th anniversary of the liberation
of the Nazi concentration camps
and the end of WWII. For more information,
contact Reneé at the Jewish Federation
of Greater Naples at rbialek@
jewishnaples.org or 239.263.4205.
Center for Judaic, Holocaust,
and Genocide Studies
Dedicated to educating all sectors of society about
Jewish civilization, the Holocaust, and genocide through:
• scholarship
• outreach
• inquiry
• sharing knowledge
• preserving the record
• helping teachers
• encouraging students
person, his or her property, or toward
Jewish community institutions or religious
facilities.” This definition is the
same one used by the American Jewish
Committee and other groups.
Recently, the JCRC joined the Florida
Hate Crime Coalition formed by the
Anti-Defamation League to advocate for
an expanded hate crimes law in Florida.
This coalition has grown to almost 200
participants, including nearly all of the
JCRCs throughout Florida, members of
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law enforcement and public officials.
Please save the date of Sunday,
January 19, 2020, to attend the Jewish
Community Day of Learning, which
will be held at Temple Shalom. You
will have the opportunity to learn about
laws and policies that help counteract
anti-Semitism. Experts will help us
explore aspects of anti-Semitism in
depth and learn methods to respond to
the growing threat Jews everywhere
are experiencing.
KOTLER LAW FIRM P.L.
999 Vanderbilt Beach Road
Suite 200
Naples, Florida 34108
Jewish Families with Children Group
The Jewish Families with Children Group is looking for
parents and their children to join us in making new friends
and enjoying social activities together.
Activities planned will include Beach Outings, Play at the Park,
Movies, Bowling, Mini-Golf and a lot more!
Join us on Tuesday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m. at Temple Shalom
for the Israel Scouts Friendship Caravan. The Israeli teens
will perform for our community through song and dance.
This is a FREE event and all ages are welcome!
We would love to hear from you. If there are children in your home
and you’d like to be added to our roster so we can keep you informed
of our upcoming events, contact Renee’ at rbialek@jewishnaples.org or
239.263.4205.
Save these summer dates for our upcoming events:
Sunday, July 14 and Sunday, August 18
Sponsored by
Phone 239.325.2333
skotler@kotlerpl.com
Visit www.fgcu.edu/hc/
Dr. Paul Bartrop, Director