Vigilant yet unafraid
During No one of any sense can argue that the despicable acts committed by the two deranged brothers during the Boston Marathon were totally and absolutely unforgiveable. While as a member of a Court, called upon to rule on whether the death penalty should be imposed and generally dissenting from its use, these acts would have fallen into my limited sphere and I would have imposed the death penalty upon both brothers without any hesitation. Their acts forfeited their right to live among decent people.

Endowments represent the future
I’m not sure that many of you have ever zoomed in on the many different play-on-words blocks which are located on the Directory page in every issue of the Federation Star. Well, they are funny and clever, but they appear there for a reason. They are a subliminal message for you to consider leaving a bequest or planned gift to the Endowment Fund of our Jewish Federation of Collier County. It’s so important!
As a former Federation Endowment Director I know that many of your home communities are chasing you to consider making such a gift.

Israel @ 65 Community Celebration
An Israel event celebrating Israel’s 65th birthday was held on Sunday, April 14 at Temple Shalom. The day brought out children, families and the young-at-heart to enjoy Israeli food, music and dancing, as well as an organizational fair featuring information and goods from our local and national Jewish organizations. We thank them all for their participation.
Kudos go to Betty Schwartz and Steven Brazina, Israel Affairs co-Chairs, and Melissa Keel, Federation Community Program Director, for spearheading this event. Special thanks to Temple Shalom for hosting the event and the Religious School for their wonderful project on Israel that was on display.

Reasons for giving
As I write this article I'm at 30,000 feet flying to New York for the birth of our third granddaughter. When it comes to babies, planning for an article deadline goes out the window.
Our rude awakening at five a.m. and rushing to pack and book a flight didn't help me realize I only had a few days for my last article of the season. Now that I have two hours of relative peace, I figured I could be productive and informative.
Today, I'm thinking about why we give to organizations with our time or money or, like many of us, both. I know why my husband Michael and I do. It’s not only to help those less fortunate, it’s also to make a better world for our children and grandchildren. When we give, we are also teaching and passing on a legacy of giving.