Dear Floridian Leaders and Friends,

Many of you receiving this email joined us in Naples on November 30th as 350 Jews and Christians came together to stand against antisemitism and in solidarity with Israel.  We were informed, united and activated through the inspirational messages of rabbis, pastors and the Deputy Consul General of Israel in Miami. If you would like to see a short recap of the event, please click here.

As inspiring as November 30th was, it was just the beginning! We - Christians and Jews united - must build on what was started that day. We must continue to be informed with the truth in order to counter lies and misinformation. We must make more opportunities to be united in spite of a culture that seeks to divide us. And, we must be further activated to stand against the rising tide of hatred towards the Jewish people and the Jewish State.

In the face of an exponential increase of Jew-hatred, accompanied by unprecedented demonization of Israel's efforts to defend itself against an enemy intent on its destruction, the biblical book of Esther is a timely source of inspiration and instruction for how to live in such a time as this. 

Esther gives the account of an attempted annihilation of the Jewish people, dispersed throughout the ancient Persian Empire. The story also reveals how that attempt was defeated, and how the Jews celebrated their deliverance from genocide.

But Esther is not just a record of events that happened almost 2,500 years ago in a land far away! This book contains lessons that can inform, unite and activate us today, right where we are.

Esther's story reveals the power of the written word to bring about both evil and good. 

 - The edict to destroy, kill and annihilate the Jews was dispatched via letters.
 - The decree that allowed the Jews to defend themselves against attempted genocide was also communicated through the written word.
 -  The holiday of Purim, in celebration of the Jews' deliverance, was established in letters.

How should our understanding of the power of words inform and activate us as we function in a society deluged with words that inspire evil or good?

We also learn from Esther the importance - and necessity - of doing whatever we can, wherever we are, to counter evil in the world in which we live. We see that her activism was enabled by being informed of the truth and by working in unity with those around her. How relevant is Esther's example for us in this time in which we live?

Would you like to hear more?

Join us as Jews and Christians come together again!

Tuesday, March 19th at 7:00 PM
Nina Iser Center
Jewish Federation of Greater Naples
4270 Pine Ridge Road
Naples, FL

This time we will eat delicious hamentaschen as we

Celebrate Esther's holiday of Purim
Commemorate her victory over the antisemites of her time 

and
Discuss the relevance of her story for us today

Tickets are complimentary but preregistration is required.

REGISTER HERE