Dear Friends,
As 2026 begins, I want to start by thanking everyone who helped make 2025 such an incredible year for Chabad of Naples. We had a year of such growth and celebration.
To each and every one of you who came to a program, to our incredible Chabad Naples Partners through our Partner Project, to the generous souls who dedicate buildings, classrooms, and spaces for future generations, to the Chabad Naples donors who sponsor mega holiday events, programs, and celebrations, to the anonymous sponsors who quietly uplift so many, to the parents, teachers, and families who make our Preschool of the Arts so vibrant, to those who attend, participate, and bring joy and energy to our events and services, to every supporter and volunteer of Chabad of Naples and POTA in any capacity.
We are so grateful for your friendship and partnership!
New Year's resolutions aren’t always easy to embrace, but this one especially caught my attention: the digital detox.
Nearly half the world plans to cut screen time in 2026, recognizing what many already feel - our minds are cluttered, and our attention is constantly being pulled elsewhere.
As many as one in three people have tried a digital detox. Those who succeeded reported clearer thinking, improved sleep, and renewed energy.
Judaism has been offering this gift for thousands of years. It’s called Shabbat.
Shabbat invites us to put the phone down, silence the noise, and connect with ourselves. Our deepest selves. No notifications. No news cycle. No endless scrolling. Just presence, family, community, prayer, food, and rest. Real rest. The kind of soul-warming restorative rest that a restless world so desperately needs.
Keeping Shabbat isn’t an escape from life. It’s a return to it. A sacred pause. A reminder that we are more than what we consume, post, or respond to. I highly recommend you give it a try!
The Torah Portion this week is called Vayechi, which means "And he lived." But it doesn't just mean he was alive. He had a pulse, he was breathing. It means he experienced life to the fullest.
It is also the final portion in Genesis, which means the congregation traditionally calls out in unison: "Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek. Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another."
No words better express our wish for the Jewish people, the United States, the land of Israel, and for the world at large. Be strong. Be strong. Let us strengthen one another.
So whether you are a Shabbat regular or a newbie, we would relish the opportunity to welcome you at our world famous Shabbat gathering. Newcomers continually tell us how surprised they were by the warm atmosphere that washes over them when they step foot inside Chabad of Naples.
Come at 10:30, when the prayers are in full swing, and at 11:00 join as the Torah is carried out. Stay for the uplifting service and celebrate with our beautiful community lunch. You won't regret it!
We are also kicking off 2026 with a new adult education course exploring the wisdom of our sages. So many people have recognized that the farther we get into the future, the more we need to be anchored by the past. Join us for famous Jewish questions and fascinating answers. Be sure to bring a few questions of your own. More info below.
The years may change, but the Torah remains the same, and so does the resilient spirit of the Jewish people. So let's all do ourselves a couple favors and learn from the ancient Jewish wisdom that has kept us going for so many millennia, and unplug this Shabbat!
We are called the people of the book, not the people of the iPhone, and we all deserve some rest.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos