Artwork by Chavurah Shalom member Leon Skolnick

Chavurat Shalom is a welcoming community in Southwest Florida
committed to the study and celebration of our Jewish cultural heritage and religious traditions in order to enlighten and enrich our lives.

chavuratshalom@gmail.com

Many Chavurat Shalom members living in Southwest Florida - along with thousands of others - were seriously affected by Hurricane Ian. Some lost homes, automobiles, and belongings. Some are relocating to other parts of the country, perhaps to build new lives there. It has been very difficult, but thankfully we are all safe.
 
It is an added blessing that no matter where we are, we can keep in touch with each other via Zoom to rejoice in our precious fellowship. A R’fuah Sh’layma to all.

Chavurat Shalom (Fellowship of Peace) is an informal group from every Jewish religious tradition that meets to worship and learn together. We welcome people of all faiths from Sanibel, Fort Myers, other Southwest Florida locations, and from all over the country. 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. When health and hurricane recovery conditions permit, we will plan in-person events.

Photograph by Chavurat Shalom member Dr. Marge Peppecorn from her book Golfing Safari

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Our current activities include (please note: all listed times are Eastern [Florida] time):

• Weekly Shabbat Eve services on Fridays throughout the year at 7:30 p.m. led by members, with readings, singing, and Torah reading and commentary - coordinated by Drs. Ellen Feingold and Kathy Zoss, with other volunteer participants
• Weekly Len Minsky Current Events discussions on Saturday mornings at 11:00 a.m. -  coordinated by Dr. Donald Bachman with other volunteer discussion leaders
• Classes and discussions led by Chavurat Shalom participants and outside experts on Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. - coordinated by Irene Skolnick
• Torah Talk, on the third Thursday of each month – coordinated by Drs. Ellen Feingold and Kathy Zoss, with open discussion led by volunteer participants
• A monthly “schmooze” session via Zoom on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m.

 
The Thursday class and discussion schedule for January and February 2023 includes:

• Thursday, January 5: Lonny Wilk, Senior Associate Regional Director of the Florida chapter of the Anti-Defamation League - "Trends in Anti-Semitism and Extremism in Florida and the US"
• Thursday, January 12: Via youtube recording of The American Jewish Committee’s Global Forum Annual 2022 Meeting - The Great Debate featuring journalist Bret Stephens and historian Dr. Pamela Nadell – “Is the Golden Age of American Jewry Over?”
• Thursday, January 19:  “Torah Talk”  - led by Dr. Ellen Feingold
• Thursday, January 26: Dr. Eric Milbrandt, Marine Laboratory Director, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation – “The Work of SCCF on Water Quality Issues Including the Effect of Hurricane Ian on Sanibel’s Marine Environment and the Caloosahatchee River Watershed”
• Thursday, February 2: Father Eamon Kelly, Vice-Director, Magdala Center, Archeological Park on the Sea of Galilee -  “Magdala, Crossroads of Jewish and Christian History: A Story of Discovery, Creativity, and Encounter”
• Thursday, February 9: Professor Edo Bar Zeev, Ben Gurion University - “How Israel Is Leading the Way in Water Renewal”
• Thursday, February 16: Torah Talk, Parshat Yitro - led by Dr. Ellen Feingold 
• Thursday, February 23: Professor Derek Penslar, William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History, Harvard University - “When Criticism Turns to Hatred: AntiZionism and AntiSemitism.”

 
For further information about these Thursday events, visit the Programs and Events page of this website.
 
​We will also plan special events for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Chanukah, Purim, and Passover.
 
Chavurat Shalom has embarked on a new project, Community Partnerships. Our first partner is the Florida Gulf Coast University Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. An additional special project is the collection of donations from members by our Tzedakah committee. In order to provide emergency aid to local victims of Hurricane Ian, the committee twice donated funds to FISH on Sanibel and Gladiolus Food Pantry and Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties in Fort Myers. Last year, 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. 

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 20031 Sanibel View Circle, Unit 202, Fort Myers, Florida 33908.

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Outstanding past Thursday lecture and discussion topics led by both Chavurat Shalom participants and prominent outside speakers include:
 
Kabbalah 
Spinoza
The Jews of China: Keifung, Harbin and Shanghai
The Other Peace Process: Interreligious Dialogue in Israel and Palestine in the Service of Peace
What Tisha B’Av Means to Us Today
A Rabbi’s Work with the Vatican
 IsraAID: Israeli Humanitarian Aid Around the World
 Kristallnacht was the "End of the Beginning" of German Nazi terror
​and "The Beginning of the End” for Jews in Europe
 The Journey to Preserve the History of Small-Town Jewish Communities
King Solomon and Why He Was Israel's Best King
Israel: A State of the Nation Report
Purim Explained
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
​Water Quality in South Florida: Challenges and Opportunities
​Anti-Asian Discrimination and Attitudes in the United States
My Journey As a Convert to Judaism
​The Challenge and Promise of Catholic-Jewish Relations Today

For a complete listing of all past Chavurat Shalom Thursday programs, CLICK HERE
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For more details about our group or upcoming events, or to join us for any or all of these events,
contact us at chavuratshalom@gmail.com or write to
 20031 Sanibel View Circle, Unit 202, Ft. Myers, FL 33908.
(Temporary address due to Hurricane Ian)

Chavurat Shalom is a 501(c) 3 non-profit tax-exempt organization. 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
20031 Sanibel View Circle
Unit 202
Fort Myers, FL 33908
​(Temporary address due to Hurricane Ian)
or check this website

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Always Searching

A poem by Chavurat Shalom member Myra Klahr

Searching for happiness
We forget to
Search within
 
Searching for peace
We forget to
Search our hearts
 
Searching for light
To illuminate the darkness
We forget our own
Brilliant light
 
Let’s celebrate
The light of renewal
This Shabbat
 
As our love
For ourselves
And for each other
Lights the world

Bylaws

OFFICERS

President: Cheryl Fulmer
First Vice - President: Ellen Feingold
Second Vice - President: Kathy Zoss
Secretary: Irene Skolnick
Treasurer: Barry Roth

NON-OFFICER BOARD MEMBERS

Don Bachman
Esta Berger
Evelyn Clark
Marcia Rudin

Contact our officers or non-officer board members using the email link below.

COMMITTEES

Public Relations & Website
Shabbat Service Coordination
Speaker Series
Special Events
Fundraising
​Tzedakah
Membership

To join a committee please email us below