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Rabbi Fishel's Blog

The Big Build is On! Investing in Light, Love, and Community

Thursday, November 30, 2023 - 12:42 PM

Mazel Tov!

Dear Chabad of Naples & Naples Preschool of the Arts Family and the entire Naples Community,

We are thrilled to share some groundbreaking news with all of you.

After two years of relentless effort, persistence, and unwavering dedication, we are delighted to announce that the "Big Build," expansion project has received approval of the city! This is a significant milestone that marks the beginning of an exciting chapter in the history of our school and community.

"The Big Build" project is designed to provide our campus with much-needed additional classrooms, a STEM room, a library, and a rooftop terrace and assembly space for Chabad's programming for the wider community. We are very excited about the new classrooms which will also serve our Hebrew School students, our teen programming, and our summer camp. Despite facing numerous challenges throughout the approval process, including unexpected delays and adjustments due to new city ordinances, our collective determination has prevailed, and we have received the city's blessings to proceed with our ambitious project.

The weeks ahead will witness the initial stages of our project, including fencing, excavating, grading, and clearing at the site. We look forward to providing our community with progress updates on the construction throughout the project so you can know what to expect.

The construction is not expected to interfere with our regularly scheduled Chabad & Preschool calendar and events. However, parking on our campus will be limited as soon as construction begins. We are very grateful to our next-door neighbor, the Horizons building, for generously offering their parking lot for our use throughout the duration of the construction. For larger events, our community is welcome to park on the nearby Publix which is a very short walk from campus. Your continued support and involvement are crucial, and we appreciate your patience as we embark on this exciting endeavor together.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, we will be hosting a grand community-wide "Ground-Breaking Celebration" on January 19th at 9:00 AM. Please mark your calendars for this special event, where we will formally celebrate the onset of construction and share the joy of this significant achievement.

We are blessed to share that we have reached a milestone of $5 million raised for the Big Build expansion! We still need $2.5 million to reach our goal for this project, and invite our community to partner with us to reach the finish line.

We need the support of our community to help us meet our fundraising goal. Every donation counts.

In these difficult times in Israel and the world at large, the need for light and love has never been greater. That is what the Big Build is all about - investing in light, love, and building community right here in Naples.

Please consider giving today to bring more light, love, and joy as we build the community center of tomorrow.

Donate to the Big Build today at www.naplesbigbuild.com.

To learn more, and to see all of our dedication opportunities, or to schedule a personal meeting with Rabbi Fishel Zaklos or Ettie Zaklos, Email [email protected], [email protected]

We are confident that the momentum will only continue to build as we progress through each phase of the project. We have set an ambitious construction timeline of completing the building by December 2024 and we look forward to updating you as we progress.

Together, we are making history, and we look forward to celebrating this journey with all of you.

Warm regards,

Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos

Arthur M Seigel

and the Big Build Team

A Yiddishe Mame

Friday, November 10, 2023 - 7:58 AM

Dear Friends,

This Shabbat we read Parshas Chayay Sarah, and one of the main great personalities is the first mother of the Jewish people, Sarah Imeinu.

Sarah faced numerous challenges in her life including being kidnapped, suffering from infertility, and together with our father Avraham, constantly (spiritually) battling an immoral and corrupt world. Together they opened all four doors of their tent and invited people in to eat and learn about the one G-d and the ethics and values that He desires humans to uphold and transmit to the world. They quite literally transformed the fabric of the world to become a place where goodness and kindness are valued and upheld.

Yet, Sarah was much more than just a teacher, a hostess, and the voice of G-dliness. She was a Jewish mother, the first one, and the woman who personified passion, dedication, and burning love that as any Jewish mother knows is what drives our every thought and action. In the words of the famous song, “A Yiddishe Mame” – “Oh I know that I owe what I am today…To that wonderful Yiddishe Momme of mine.”

After years of infertility, at the ripe old age of 90, “G d remembered Sarah” and blessed her with a son, Yitzchok. This perhaps was Sarah’s most treasured life’s mission. She invested her heart and soul, in fact, her very essence, into her son. Sarah raised Yitzchak in a home imbued with purity and holiness. She instilled love, warmth & G-dliness into her home and ensured that negativity and bad influences be kept out.

Sarah transmitted this dedication and selflessness to all Jewish mothers that followed her.

Last week, a group of mothers started a Facebook group called: “Mothers Against College Antisemitism (MACA), and within 48 hours there were 42,000 followers. Reading the posts, it exemplified the power and strength of the Jewish mother, the single-minded dedication and resoluteness to stop the negativity and hatred resounding on college campuses. Just like our first mother Sarah, and straight out of her child-rearing playbook, these committed mothers are banding together and investing all of their energy, love, and enthusiasm to protect the hearts, souls, and minds of their precious children and to try and make this world into a more G-dly, more peaceful and more beautiful place.

In honor, of Sarah Imeinu, all the IDF soldiers fighting, the hostages, and all of our brothers and sisters in Israel, all women should light Shabbat candles. This Mitzvah transmitted to us by our mother Sarah, will bring more light into this world and brighten up the darkness with the blinding light of our Shabbat flames.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom and a week of good news ahead!

Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos

My Visit to Israel; Heroes, Sirens, and Broken Hearts

Sunday, November 5, 2023 - 1:45 PM

Israel Solidarity.JPG

Dear Friends,

“Libi bamezrach, v’anochi besof maarav,” my heart is in the East, but I am at the end of the West. These are the poetic words of Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, referencing Jerusalem from his place of residence in 10th century Spain—and these words strongly represent how I, and many of us diaspora Jews feel right now.

Two weeks after the war broke out, I, and some of my rabbinical colleagues felt a calling to bring the love and support of our communities here in Florida to our brothers and sisters in Israel.

The Naples and Marco Island community rallied together with donations, supplies, and handwritten cards. I arrived at the airport laden with 25 duffel bags of gifts, including iPads, G-shock watches, and ceramic armored vests for the IDF. I felt as if I was bringing my whole community along, if not in person, then in spirit and encouragement.

Upon arriving in Israel, our first visit was to a small-town hotel where the Israelis of Kibbutz Aza had been relocated to.

Kfar Aza was a small Israeli farming community with beautiful green grass and tidy home gardens. Just under 800 people lived there, mostly families and young children. The residents tell me that in good times, Kfar Aza was a slice of heaven on earth.

On Simchat Torah, October 7th, they woke up to hell. 70 Hamas militants stormed the small community, starting from the side where the youngest families lived, and went on a 48-hour murderous rampage.

By the time we arrived, the community had held funerals and were sitting shiva for 52 friends and family, from babies and children to Holocaust survivors. They were praying for another 13 who are either kidnapped to Gaza, or still missing.

My heart hurt. The people of Kfar Aza were sitting outside in many circles. In each circle another family sat mourning their loved ones, as friends struggled to pull them through. I sat with them. There were no words to say that would heal such a wound, but at least I could sit shoulder-to-shoulder and bring the love of our community from miles away.

Then we went to visit the headquarters of families of the kidnapped victims. I spoke with mothers whose children were taken by Hamas terrorists. It was soul-crushing. Each family hugged photos of their loved ones and begged us to do everything we could to bring their children and parents home. I promised we would lobby our senator and congressmen, and hand signs everywhere. I knew our community would. On Shabbat we have a poster of kidnapped victims on every chair, and our congregation prays for each and every one.

We visited the city of Sderot, where dozens of residents were killed by terrorists, and the locals still live under constant rocket fire, with less than 15 seconds to get to safety. Amongst the many other important causes we donated to, I brought donations from our community to the Chabad center which is a massive bomb shelter and became the city War Room, with a warehouse of food to deliver to each home.

We met reserve soldiers who have everyday jobs like you and me and left their wives and children at home to fight for their security.

In Be’er Sheva, on our way to Soroka Hospital, we had to run off the bus and lay flat on the floor while a missile was exploded by the Iron Dome overhead. At the hospital we met heroes of Israel, who continued battling to save as many lives as they could, even after being shot multiple times. I delivered gifts, read the personal cards our community sent along with them, and heard the same words again and again, everywhere we went.

“Thank you for coming. Thank you for bringing your love and showing that we are one people.”

After a heart-wrenching and nonstop four days, I returned to Florida, but my heart remains in the East. I’m humbled that our community trusted me on this important mission to bring their love, donations and huge gifts to our family in Israel, and I know that from here, we will continue to support them, and do everything we can for the safe return of the 241 hostages.

Our community donated huge amounts to soup kitchens, victims of war, and security needs in Israel. We continue to receive many requests for vital supplies that are needed there, urgently. To continue contributing, visit: chabadnaples.com/Israel

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music and solidarity: Six13 A Cappella Concert in Support of Israel! Tomorrow night Monday, November 6 at 7:00 pm. www.Cjlnaples.com.

Your presence could truly make a difference as we want to show our strength in numbers. It's more than just a concert; it's an opportunity for us to stand together, celebrate our heritage, and support one another. This event is a chance for us to come together and show our strength as a community.

We look forward to seeing you there!

We are one nation, under one God, and we will rise from this together.

Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos

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