Connections 2017 GUIDE TO JEWISH LIFE IN LEE & CHARLOTTE COUNTIES 2014 GUIDE TO JEWISH LIFE IN LEE & CHARLOTTE COUNTIES Published by the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties www.JewishFederationLCC.org Published by the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties www.JewishFederationLCC.org CONNECT with Jewish families through PJ Library. ENCOURAGE Jewish families with young children to explore Jewish literature. SHARE the experience of reading with your children as they grow with PJ Library books. SIGN UP TODAY! Enrollment is open to Jewish families with children between the ages of six months to eight years living in Lee & Charlotte Counties. Sponsored by : Judith Roth for the Roth Family Foundation Kenneth & Gwenda Asher for the Asher Family Foundation Families can sign up for PJ Library at www.pjlibrary.org Connections 2017 GUIDE TO JEWISH LIFE IN LEE & CHARLOTTE COUNTIES 2014 GUIDE TO JEWISH LIFE IN LEE & CHARLOTTE COUNTIES From the Editor Connections Welcome to the sixth edition of Connections. This is THE publication to turn to 20172015 GUIDE GUIDE TO TO JEWISHJEWISH LIFE IN LEE & CHARLOTTE COUNTIES 2014 GUIDE TO JEWISH LIFE IN LEE & CHARLOTTE COUNTIES for the local Jewish community’s activities, programs, services and organizations. Volume 6, No. 1 Just as L’CHAYIM serves to keep you up-to-date on all things “Jewish” each 2017 Edition month, Connections serves as your annual resource guide. 56 pages When you go through these pages, you will learn a lot about the wealth of USPS Permit No. 175 opportunities – cultural, educational and spiritual – available to the Jewish community in Lee and Charlotte counties. Publisher Without our valued advertisers, neither L’CHAYIM nor Connections would be possible. When you visit an entity that advertises with us, please be sure to say, Jewish Federation “Thank you for advertising with the publications of the Jewish Federation of Lee of Lee and Charlotte Counties and Charlotte Counties.” 9701 Commerce Center Court Everyone involved with Connections hopes you will save it and use it as a Fort Myers, FL 33908 guide for the coming year. And please share it with others or have them contact Phone: (239) 481-4449 the Federation for their own copy. Fax:Published (239) by 481-0139the Jewish Federation Email: [email protected] Lee and Charlotte Counties www.JewishFederationLCC.org Ted Epstein Publishedwww.JewishFederationLCC.org by the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties www.JewishFederationLCC.org Ted Epstein, Editor, Connections and L’CHAYIM Jewish Federation Staff Alan Isaacs, Executive Director Cover art by Carolyn Gora Leni Sack, Program Director Carolyn Gora is a local artist and retired art Lori Ramos, Executive Assistant teacher. She is a Jewish Federation of Lee and Paula Zlatkin, Bookkeeper Charlotte Counties board member and chair of Micaela Solomon, the Jewish Family Services committee, as well as Jewish Family Services a super volunteer for numerous organizations in the community. Editor Ted Epstein [email protected] Like us on Facebook! Advertising Sales James Lewin [email protected] CONNECT (239) 634-6923 with your Jewish Community Graphic Design www.facebook.com/ & Production facebook.com/jfedsrq Federation Media Group, Inc. (239) 249-0699 JewishFederationLCC Published2 CONNECTIONS by the Jewish2017 Federation A Guide to Jewish of Living Lee in Lee and and Charlotte Charlotte Counties Counties www.JewishFederationLCC.org Connections 2017 GUIDE TO JEWISH LIFE IN LEE & CHARLOTTE COUNTIES 2014 GUIDE TO JEWISH LIFE IN LEE & CHARLOTTE COUNTIES Table of Contents FEDERATION................................................4-7 CALENDAR.....................................................51 Candle Lighting Times...........................................................51 ARTS & CULTURE.........................................8-17 Jewish Holidays........................................................................51 ADULT EDUCATION..................................18-20 DIRECTORY OF ADVERTISERS.......................52 COMMUNITY SERVICES............................22-23 INDEX.........................................................53 ORGANIZATIONS......................................24-32 Special Interest Groups...................................................24-28 Israel Connection..............................................................29-31 Advocacy Groups....................................................................32 The Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties RELIGIOUS LIFE.........................................33-41 thanks all of our advertisers for their continued support! Without them we would be unable to FOCUS ON YOUTH....................................42-48 provide you with Connections. Please support our Schools.....................................................................42-46 advertisers and let them know you saw their ad in Camps..............................................................................47 Connections. Teens..........................................................................................48 M AKING H ISTORY P ERSO NA L EVERY FACE TELLS A STORY. Every story, a personal journey. The Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida makes history personal every day. Since 2001, our Education programs have reached over 150,000 students in Southwest Florida. We have hosted thousands of visitors from across the U.S. and more than 35 countries. Open year round, closed Mondays & major Jewish and U.S. y ph holidays. Call or visit our website for more information on ogra t o h exhibits, events and programs: HolocaustMuseumSWFL.org lar P l e K rik E Steen Metz, Holocaust Survivor and Sanibel resident May - December Tuesday to Sunday, 1:00-4:00 pm 4760 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 7 January -April Naples, Florida 34103 Tuesday to Friday, 12:30 pm - 5:00 www.HolocaustMuseumSWFL.org Saturday and Sunday 1:00 - 4:00 pm 239.263.9200 PublishedCONNECTIONS by the Jewish2017 Federation A Guide to Jewish of Living Lee in Lee and and Charlotte Charlotte Counties Counties3 www.JewishFederationLCC.org Jewish Federation The Jewish Federation in Lee and Charlotte counties here is no record of the arrival of the first Jew in Lee camp. It was named Camp Genesis and opened in 1985. Un- County. Strangely enough, in 1850, Fort Myers was der Sheila’s steady hand and with the involvement of new named for a Jew – Col. Abraham Myers – who had leaders, the Federation was incorporated and became rec- Tnothing to do with its establishment and (according to most ognized as a member of the Council of Jewish Federations historians) never lived in nor visited the area. in 1986. The Federation hired its first executive During World War II, a Jewish chaplain was director in 1988 and a program director in 1990. assigned to the U.S. Army Base in Buckingham, This was followed by the creation of many and for the first time, the handful of Jews liv- educational and arts projects, cultural activi- ing here could attend services arranged for ser- ties, social services and Holocaust education vicemen on the base. In 1947, a local merchant, programs. Sam Posner, placed an ad in the newspaper stat- As the Lee County Jewish community con- ing that his variety store would be closed for the tinued to expand its programming, the Jews in High Holidays. Suddenly, unknown Jews in the Charlotte County expressed their desire to join area began to contact him. In 1948, ten families this Federation, which in 1995 officially became gathered for High Holiday services. ALAN ISAACS the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte In January 1975, Leo Cooper provided an Executive Director Counties. important link for the Jewish families of Lee Jewish Federation of In 2009, the Federation purchased and County when he set up, edited, published and Lee and Charlotte moved into its Jewish Community Building Counties distributed the monthly newspaper L’CHAYIM. with a dedicated Jewish Family Services wing. The newspaper was the impetus for the com- In recent years the Federation has dramatically munity to come together to establish a local Jewish Fed- increased its range of education, arts and culture program- eration (but not part of the Council of Jewish Federations) ming, and has created a comprehensive Jewish Family Ser- in 1976, whose primary purpose was to raise funds for the vices division. United Jewish Appeal. Today, the Jewish community, like the rest of the popula- The Jewish community began to need services locally tion in Lee and Charlotte counties, is still growing. Our data- and, in 1984, a group of mothers worked tirelessly with then- base comprises over 2,500 households and we estimate there president Sheila Laboda to begin planning a Federation day are 6,000 - 7,000 Jews in our service area. Our Mission To strengthen and enrich the Jewish community by providing and supporting philanthropic, educational and social service programs locally, in Israel and throughout the world. Our Vision A Jewish community that is based on Jewish values such as tzedakah (benevolence), tikkun olam (repairing the world) and k’lal Yisrael (taking responsibility for one another). 4 CONNECTIONS2017 A Guide to Jewish Living in Lee and Charlotte Counties Federation Who is “Federation” and what do we do? he answer is simple: It’s you – and every member of part of the world enable us to provide humanitarian assis- the Jewish community of Lee and Charlotte counties. tance. Thousands of people receive help. The Federation is the thread that runs through