Artwork by Chavurat Shalom member Sue Citrenbaum
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Chavurat Shalom is a welcoming community in Southwest Florida
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Chavurat Shalom is an informal group from every Jewish religious tradition that meets to worship, learn, and socialize together. We are not affiliated with any Jewish organized movement. Our group is community-led. Each person has an equal voice in it and may participate to whatever extent desired.
Presently we worship and meet via Zoom, with occasional in-person events in Fort Myers or Sanibel Island, Florida. Whether interacting with each other face-to-face or over Zoom, we all enjoy the companionship and warm community Chavurat Shalom offers. We welcome people from all over the country. |
Photograph by Chavurat Shalom member Dr. Marge Peppercorn from her book Golfing Safari
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Chavurat Shalom holds weekly Shabbat Eve services via Zoom every Friday throughout the year at 7:30 p.m Eastern Time. The services are led by members, with readings, singing, and Torah reading and Torah commentary. They incorporate elements of all streams of Judaism. The Shabbat services are coordinated by Drs. Ellen Feingold and Kathy Zoss, with other volunteer participants.
All other Chavurat Shalom activities are held on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) via Zoom. The schedule is:
All other Chavurat Shalom activities are held on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) via Zoom. The schedule is:
- First Tuesday of the month, 7:30 p.m.: Marcia Rudin Zoom hosts our informal “Schmoozes”
- Second Tuesday of the month, 7:30 p.m.: Dr. Ellen Feingold leads our Torah Talk discussion of the current Torah portion
- Third Tuesday of the month, 7:30 p.m.: Len Minsky Current Events Discussion, organized by Dr. Don Bachman with other volunteer participants
- Fourth Tuesday of the month, 7:30 p.m: Lectures and discussions by Chavurat Shalom members and outside speakers organized by planning committee Irene Skolnick, Barry Fulmer, and Renee Minsky
For a complete listing of Chavurat Shalom’s past programs, see below.
Chavurat Shalom Board Meetings, open to all to attend, are held as needed at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time on the first Tuesday of the month before the monthly “Schmooze” sessions.
On Tuesday, April 29 Charles Sobczak from Sanibel Island will speak about “The History of Hurricanes on Sanibel and Captiva.” On Tuesday, May 13 Dr. Ellen Feingold will head the last Torah Talk of the season, discussing Parshat Emor from Leviticus. Other programs -- except for the weekly Shabbat Services and monthly informal “Schmooze” sessions continuing throughout the summer --will begin again in the fall.
Everyone is welcome to attend our events. All activities will be held via Zoom, with in-person get togethers on Sanibel Island and in Ft. Myers planned occasionally. Check this website or email [email protected] to get further information about these events and to obtain the schedules. All times are Eastern Time.
On Tuesday, April 29 Charles Sobczak from Sanibel Island will speak about “The History of Hurricanes on Sanibel and Captiva.” On Tuesday, May 13 Dr. Ellen Feingold will head the last Torah Talk of the season, discussing Parshat Emor from Leviticus. Other programs -- except for the weekly Shabbat Services and monthly informal “Schmooze” sessions continuing throughout the summer --will begin again in the fall.
Everyone is welcome to attend our events. All activities will be held via Zoom, with in-person get togethers on Sanibel Island and in Ft. Myers planned occasionally. Check this website or email [email protected] to get further information about these events and to obtain the schedules. All times are Eastern Time.
Chavurah Shalom’s Tzedakah Committee sent out a Purim/Passover appeal for funds to help children both in the Ft Myers area and in Israel affected by the ongoing wartime disruptions there.
In January of 2025, the committee used emergency funds to grant $1,500 to the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles to assist victims of the California wildfires that included the destruction of a synagogue. This donation followed the December, 2024 donations the committee issued to assist Friends of the IDF (ensures IDF soldiers have the best equipment in the field); M’ever La Yam (Across the Sea), which sends care packages directly to frontline and lone soldiers; and Friends of ERAN (24/7 hotline for mental health issues). In addition, the committee donated $1,500 to two hospitals continuing to serve IDF soldiers wounded on the battlefield -- Rambam Hospital in Haifa and Soroka Hospital in Beersheva.
In December of 2024, Chavurat Shalom’s Tzedakah Committee distributed funds donated by its members from its latest appeal. The current focus is assistance to those affected by the ongoing wartime disruptions in Israel. The committee granted $1,500 to the following: Friends of the IDF (ensures IDF soldiers have the best equipment in the field); M’ever Le Yam (Across the Sea), which sends care packages directly to frontline and lone soldiers; Israel Children’s Fund (supports children who have lost one or both parents or whose parents are still hostages); and Friends of ERAN (24/7 hotline for mental health issues). In addition, the committee donated $1,500 to two hospitals continuing to serve IDF soldiers wounded on the battlefield -- Rambam Hospital in Haifa and Soroka Hospital in Beersheva.
In March and April of 2024, Chavurat Shalom’s Tzedakah Committee sent out Purim/Passover appeals to members for donations to continue aiding Israelis caught up in the continuing war with Hamas. In May, the Committee contributed funds to American Friends of Rambam Hospital, American Friends of Saroka Medical Center, American Friends of Leket Israel, American Friends of the IDF, and Sar-El. In the past, the committee granted funds to AID Coalition and Brothers and Sisters for Israel, both organizations dedicated to helping displaced Israelis. At the start of the war, funds were donated to American Friends of Magen David Adom, American Friends of Soroka Medical Center, and Friends of Israel Defense Forces (IDF). As additional funds are collected from its recent High Holidays appeal, the Tzedakah Committee will continue to direct them to organizations helping Israel in its current crisis.
In March 2023, the committee also made a special Purim-Passover appeal and a large donation was made in honor of the first Yahrzeit of past Chavurat Shalom president Leonard Minsky. In order to provide emergency aid to local victims of Hurricane Ian, the committee several times donated funds to FISH on Sanibel and Gladiolus Food Pantry and Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties in Fort Myers, St. Matthews House in Naples and Ft. Myers, and Harry Chapin Food Bank. In 2022, following the theme of health and welfare of women and children, the Tzedakah Committee donated funds to Planned Parenthood of Southwest Florida, Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, The Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples, FL, Cycle Forward in Lee County, and Quality of Life Center (Ft. Myers). The committee also granted funds to the JOINT Distribution Committee, designated for Ukraine.
We thank Tzedekah Committee Chair Dr. Ellen Feingold and her committee members.
In March 2023, the committee also made a special Purim-Passover appeal and a large donation was made in honor of the first Yahrzeit of past Chavurat Shalom president Leonard Minsky. In order to provide emergency aid to local victims of Hurricane Ian, the committee several times donated funds to FISH on Sanibel and Gladiolus Food Pantry and Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties in Fort Myers, St. Matthews House in Naples and Ft. Myers, and Harry Chapin Food Bank. In 2022, following the theme of health and welfare of women and children, the Tzedakah Committee donated funds to Planned Parenthood of Southwest Florida, Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel, The Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples, FL, Cycle Forward in Lee County, and Quality of Life Center (Ft. Myers). The committee also granted funds to the JOINT Distribution Committee, designated for Ukraine.
We thank Tzedekah Committee Chair Dr. Ellen Feingold and her committee members.
If you wish to donate to the Tzedakah Fund, send your check made out to Chavurat Shalom with Tzedakah Fund in the memo line to PO Box 722, Sanibel, FL 33957.
Past Lecture and Discussion Topics Led by Chavurat Shalom Members and Prominent Outside Speakers:
Lesser Women in the Bible
History of the Cochin Synagogue in India from 1568-1968
How French and Italian Jews Survived the Holocaust
Treatment of Animals in the Bible and Healthy Diets
Kabbalah
Spinoza
Tisha B’Av
Destructive Cults
Miriam
Religion and the American Election
Jews in Agriculture
Maimonides
Abraham
Ethnogenesis of the Jewish People
The History and Development of the Hebrew Alphabet
A Northern Jew Becomes a Southern Police Officer and Private Investigator
High Holydays Without Synagogue
Twenty-Eight Years of an Academic Career Working in Russia and with Russian Students in the U.S.
Humanistic Approach to Judaism
A Rabbi’s Work with the Vatican
The Challenge of Assimilation to Future Jewish Continuity
Israel Update: Dialogue with a Prominent Israeli-American
The Unsung Jewish Resistance Heroes During the Holocaust
Cancel Culture
A Taste of Talmud
A Trilogy: Samuel, Saul, and David
Medical Assistance in Dying
Golda Meir
Music as Resistance in the Holocaust
President Biden and the Middle East: Continuity or New directions?
Coming to a Theater Near You
Evangelicals and Jews
Memories of a Kindertransport Survivor
Being a Kidney Donor
Food Insecurity in Israel During the Pandemic and Beyond
Women in Politics: Where We Are and Where We’re Headed
Illegal Immigrants in Israel from Sudan and Eritrea
Bella Abzug, the Congresswoman from New York City
What Tisha B’Av Means to Us Today
The Meaning of the Unah Taneh Tokef
The Etrog: Rare and Revered Fruit
IsraAID: Israeli Humanitarian Aid Around the World
Evolution of Ritual, Belief and Practice
The Other Peace Process: Interreligious Dialogue in Israel and Palestine in the Service of Peace
The Seven Species and More: Biblical Plants and your Health
Why Kristallnacht was the "End of the Beginning" of German Nazi terror and
"The Beginning of the End” for Jews in Europe
Joshua
The Journey to Preserve the History of Small-Town Jewish Communities
The Jews of China: Keifung, Harbin and Shanghai
Memories of Marcel Marceau and the Rising Tide of Anti-Semitism in Europe and How Our Jewish Community is Combating It
Kindertransport Survivor
The Untold Story of how the Stories were Told (Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation)
Surviving the Americans – Treatment of Jewish Survivors of the Holocaust
Challenges to Living Non-violently with Peace and Justice
How to Educate our Youth to Deal with the Challenges of Life Jewishly
King Solomon and Why He Was Israel’s Best King
Israel: A State of the Nation Report
Historical Perspective on the War in Ukraine
Purim Explained
Vashti: Purim's Other Woman
Water Quality in South Florida: Challenges and Opportunities
Anti-Asian Discrimination and Attitudes in the United States
The Passover Seder: The Basics and the Subversive
Across the Square: A Grandchild’s Quest to Find his Grandmother’s Holocaust Survival Story
Tracking the Elusive Box Turtles of Sanibel
The Great Florida Invasion: From Pepper to Pythons
The Challenge and Promise of Catholic-Jewish Relations Today
Why the Maccabees Would be Horrified by Chanukkah
My Journey As a Convert to Judaism
Aging and Stress
Magdala, Crossroads of Jewish and Christian History: A Story of Discovery, Creativity, and Encounter
Fate, Family, Fasting: Three Eternal Pillars of the High Holidays
Trends in Antisemitism and Extremism in Florida and the US
Is the Golden Age of American Jewry Over?
The Work of SCCF on Water Quality Issues Including the Effect of Hurricane Ian on Sanibel’s Marine Environment and the Caloosahatchee River Watershed
How Israel is Leading in Water Renewal
When Criticism Turns to Hatred: Antizionism and AntiSemitism
Why Hate Speech Cannot be Defined
Reflections from Campus: What Jewish Student Life on Campus Today Might Teach Us about Jewish Life Tomorrow
The Importance of Israel’s Yom Ha’Atsmaut Celebrating Seventy-five Years of Independence
Israel’s 9/11: The Short and Long-term Implications
Jerusalem: The Divided/United City
From Tikkun Olam to Ticking Bomb: The Effect on Jewish Students on the Universities’ War Against the Jewish State
An In-country Perspective: Personal Observations Directly from Israel on the Ongoing Israeli/Palestinian Crisis
Addressing Hate Speech and Anti-Semitism in Condo and Homeowners Associations
Ask the Rabbi
The Israel-Hamas War: Global and Regional Implications
The Life and Times of Commodore Uriah P. Levy, First American Jewish Naval Hero and
Savior of Monticello
Ask the Doctors
What You Might Want to Know About Unitarian-Universalism
The Real Fight for Academic Freedom
Israel at War as Seen Through the Eyes of a Volunteer Doctor
Ask the Doctors Part II
Reflections from My Trip to Israel as a Volunteer in February, 2004
Choosing Life vs. Choosing Death: Judaism’s Vital Message for Civilization
Emma Goldman: A Woman Ahead of Her Time
Intimations of a Dark Period: The Renewal of Anti-Semitism in the US and Abroad
My Life with Shells
Challenges I Faced as an Eighteen-Year-Old Immigrant in America
History of Hurricanes on Sanibel and Captiva
Lesser Women in the Bible
History of the Cochin Synagogue in India from 1568-1968
How French and Italian Jews Survived the Holocaust
Treatment of Animals in the Bible and Healthy Diets
Kabbalah
Spinoza
Tisha B’Av
Destructive Cults
Miriam
Religion and the American Election
Jews in Agriculture
Maimonides
Abraham
Ethnogenesis of the Jewish People
The History and Development of the Hebrew Alphabet
A Northern Jew Becomes a Southern Police Officer and Private Investigator
High Holydays Without Synagogue
Twenty-Eight Years of an Academic Career Working in Russia and with Russian Students in the U.S.
Humanistic Approach to Judaism
A Rabbi’s Work with the Vatican
The Challenge of Assimilation to Future Jewish Continuity
Israel Update: Dialogue with a Prominent Israeli-American
The Unsung Jewish Resistance Heroes During the Holocaust
Cancel Culture
A Taste of Talmud
A Trilogy: Samuel, Saul, and David
Medical Assistance in Dying
Golda Meir
Music as Resistance in the Holocaust
President Biden and the Middle East: Continuity or New directions?
Coming to a Theater Near You
Evangelicals and Jews
Memories of a Kindertransport Survivor
Being a Kidney Donor
Food Insecurity in Israel During the Pandemic and Beyond
Women in Politics: Where We Are and Where We’re Headed
Illegal Immigrants in Israel from Sudan and Eritrea
Bella Abzug, the Congresswoman from New York City
What Tisha B’Av Means to Us Today
The Meaning of the Unah Taneh Tokef
The Etrog: Rare and Revered Fruit
IsraAID: Israeli Humanitarian Aid Around the World
Evolution of Ritual, Belief and Practice
The Other Peace Process: Interreligious Dialogue in Israel and Palestine in the Service of Peace
The Seven Species and More: Biblical Plants and your Health
Why Kristallnacht was the "End of the Beginning" of German Nazi terror and
"The Beginning of the End” for Jews in Europe
Joshua
The Journey to Preserve the History of Small-Town Jewish Communities
The Jews of China: Keifung, Harbin and Shanghai
Memories of Marcel Marceau and the Rising Tide of Anti-Semitism in Europe and How Our Jewish Community is Combating It
Kindertransport Survivor
The Untold Story of how the Stories were Told (Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation)
Surviving the Americans – Treatment of Jewish Survivors of the Holocaust
Challenges to Living Non-violently with Peace and Justice
How to Educate our Youth to Deal with the Challenges of Life Jewishly
King Solomon and Why He Was Israel’s Best King
Israel: A State of the Nation Report
Historical Perspective on the War in Ukraine
Purim Explained
Vashti: Purim's Other Woman
Water Quality in South Florida: Challenges and Opportunities
Anti-Asian Discrimination and Attitudes in the United States
The Passover Seder: The Basics and the Subversive
Across the Square: A Grandchild’s Quest to Find his Grandmother’s Holocaust Survival Story
Tracking the Elusive Box Turtles of Sanibel
The Great Florida Invasion: From Pepper to Pythons
The Challenge and Promise of Catholic-Jewish Relations Today
Why the Maccabees Would be Horrified by Chanukkah
My Journey As a Convert to Judaism
Aging and Stress
Magdala, Crossroads of Jewish and Christian History: A Story of Discovery, Creativity, and Encounter
Fate, Family, Fasting: Three Eternal Pillars of the High Holidays
Trends in Antisemitism and Extremism in Florida and the US
Is the Golden Age of American Jewry Over?
The Work of SCCF on Water Quality Issues Including the Effect of Hurricane Ian on Sanibel’s Marine Environment and the Caloosahatchee River Watershed
How Israel is Leading in Water Renewal
When Criticism Turns to Hatred: Antizionism and AntiSemitism
Why Hate Speech Cannot be Defined
Reflections from Campus: What Jewish Student Life on Campus Today Might Teach Us about Jewish Life Tomorrow
The Importance of Israel’s Yom Ha’Atsmaut Celebrating Seventy-five Years of Independence
Israel’s 9/11: The Short and Long-term Implications
Jerusalem: The Divided/United City
From Tikkun Olam to Ticking Bomb: The Effect on Jewish Students on the Universities’ War Against the Jewish State
An In-country Perspective: Personal Observations Directly from Israel on the Ongoing Israeli/Palestinian Crisis
Addressing Hate Speech and Anti-Semitism in Condo and Homeowners Associations
Ask the Rabbi
The Israel-Hamas War: Global and Regional Implications
The Life and Times of Commodore Uriah P. Levy, First American Jewish Naval Hero and
Savior of Monticello
Ask the Doctors
What You Might Want to Know About Unitarian-Universalism
The Real Fight for Academic Freedom
Israel at War as Seen Through the Eyes of a Volunteer Doctor
Ask the Doctors Part II
Reflections from My Trip to Israel as a Volunteer in February, 2004
Choosing Life vs. Choosing Death: Judaism’s Vital Message for Civilization
Emma Goldman: A Woman Ahead of Her Time
Intimations of a Dark Period: The Renewal of Anti-Semitism in the US and Abroad
My Life with Shells
Challenges I Faced as an Eighteen-Year-Old Immigrant in America
History of Hurricanes on Sanibel and Captiva
For more details about our group or upcoming events, or to join us for any or all of these events,
contact us at [email protected] or write to
Chavurat Shalom of Southwest Florida
PO Box 722
Sanibel, FL 33957
Your tax-deductible contributions to Chavurat Shalom may be directed to the Tzedakah Fund, Speaker’s Fund, or General Fund. Please make your contributions payable to Chavurat Shalom of Southwest Florida and mail to:
Chavurat Shalom of Southwest Florida
PO Box 722
Sanibel, FL 33957
contact us at [email protected] or write to
Chavurat Shalom of Southwest Florida
PO Box 722
Sanibel, FL 33957
Your tax-deductible contributions to Chavurat Shalom may be directed to the Tzedakah Fund, Speaker’s Fund, or General Fund. Please make your contributions payable to Chavurat Shalom of Southwest Florida and mail to:
Chavurat Shalom of Southwest Florida
PO Box 722
Sanibel, FL 33957
In Remembrance of Being JewishA poem by Chavurat Shalom member Myra Klahr
Remember the joys of our Jewish heritage
That through the millennia We overcame and While we remain The unwanted guest At the dinner table Of the world We celebrate mitzvot With each other Remember that We welcome the stranger Even at our own peril Remember that The world envies Our covenant with Hashem Never forget Who we are That in a world Without Jews There would be No theory of relativity No understanding of psychology Fewer Nobel laureates Whose discoveries Impacted people’s lives And so We unwanted guests Celebrate Who we are And the exceptional qualities We bring To mankind |
Photograph by Chavurat Shalom member Dr. Marge Peppercorn from her book Golfing Safari
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OFFICERSPresident: Cheryl Fulmer
First Vice - President: Ellen Feingold Second Vice - President: Kathy Zoss Secretary: Irene Skolnick Treasurer: Barry Alan Roth NON-OFFICER BOARD MEMBERSDon Bachman Evelyn Clark Myra Klahr Marcia Rudin Contact our officers or non-officer board members using the email link below.
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COMMITTEESPublic Relations & Website
Shabbat Service Coordination Speaker Series Special Events Fundraising Tzedakah Membership Membership Engagement To join a committee please email us below
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