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Artwork by Chavurat Shalom member Sue Citrenbaum

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

[email protected]

We are grateful that most Chavurat Shalom members living in Southwest Florida were spared serious damage to their homes from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. However, along with thousands of others, many in our Chavurah were seriously affected by Hurricane Ian over two years ago. Some lost homes, automobiles, and belongings. Some relocated to other parts of the country. It has been very difficult, but thankfully we are all safe.
 
It is a 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.
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Chavurat Shalom (Fellowship of Peace) 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.  Whether interracting with each other face-to-face or over Zoom, we all enjoy the companionship and warm community Chavurat Shalom offers. We welcome people of all faiths from Sanibel, Fort Myers, other Southwest Florida locations, and 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 are coordinated by Drs. Ellen Feingold and Kathy Zoss, with other volunteer participants.

We have changed our schedule for our other activities. Now all are held on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 (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.: 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 paticipants
• 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.

​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.
 
Everyone is welcome to attend our events.  All activities will be held via Zoom, with in-person get togethers on Sanibel and in Ft. Myers planned occasionally. Check the website or email [email protected] to get further information about these events and to obtain the schedules. All times are Eastern Time.
 
Our schedule for November, 2024 is as follows:

• Tuesday, November 12, 7:30 p.m. – “Torah Tallk” led by Dr. Ellen Feingold
• Tuesday, November 19, 7:30 p.m. –Current Events led by Dr. Don Bachman
• Tuesday, November 26, 7:30 p.m. – lecture by Rabbi James Rudin: “Emma Goldman – A Woman Ahead of her Time” 

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.

We thank Tzedakah Fund Committee Chair Ellen Feingold and her committee members Evelyn Clark, Shirley Frank, Cheryl Fulmer, Myra Klahr, and Becky Kon​
 
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.

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.

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Outstanding past 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
Aging and Stress
Magdala, Crossroads of Jewish and Christian History: A Story of Discovery, Creativity, and Encounter
The Work of SCCF on Water Quality Issues Including the Effect of Hurricane Ian on Sanibel’s Marine Environment and the Caloosahatchee River Watershed
 Why Hate Speech Cannot be Defined
 An In-country Perspective: Personal Observations Directly from Israel on the Ongoing Israeli/Palestinian Crisis
 ​The Real Fight for Academic Freedom
Choosing Life vs. Choosing Death: Judaism’s Vital Message for Civilization​

For a complete listing of all past Chavurat Shalom 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 [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

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In Remembrance of Being Jewish

A 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

Bylaws

OFFICERS

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

NON-OFFICER BOARD MEMBERS

Don Bachman
Evelyn Clark
Myra Klahr
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
​Membership Engagement

To join a committee please email us below