By Sharon Wisch-Ray

Gates of Chai lecture will feature Cantor Bruce Ruben

Cantor Bruce Ruben and wife Judith Clurman will be guest artists for a special musical program at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8 in the ballroom of Brown-Lupton University Union on the campus of TCU, 2901 Stadium Drive. They are featured at the 16th annual Gates of Chai Lectureship, sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program at Brite Divinity School. Their topic is “Jewish Identity on Broadway.”
Tickets are $18 for general admission with valet parking. Students are admitted free of charge. For tickets, visit www.brite.edu or by calling 817-257-7808.
Clurman is an Emmy- and Grammy-nominated conductor, educator and choral specialist. She served as director of choral activities at The Juilliard School for 18 years and currently conducted Essential Voices USA collaborates with the Omaha Symphony’s Sacred Voices concerts and enjoys teaching and coaching voice.
Cantor Ruben is the director of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. From 1982-2006, he served as the cantor of Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York City. For the past three years, he led High Holiday services at the Beth-El Congregation in Fort Worth.
The Gates of Chai Lectureship is designed to promote informed, dynamic public dialogue and education on issues of relevance to contemporary Judaism. The Lectureship is sponsored through the generosity of Gates of Chai, Inc., in memory of Larry Kornbleet and family members of Stanley and Marcia Kornbleet Kurtz who perished in the Holocaust.
Previous Gates of Chai speakers include Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel, legal/political activists Morris Dees and Susan Estrich, Middle Eastern policy expert Dennis Ross and authors Rabbi Harold Kushner, Thomas Cahill, Chaim Potok and Bruce Feiler.

Daytimers Learn about Chisholm Trail Parkway

In a spirited exchange, the “Daytimers” questioned the people in charge of the Chisholm Trail Parkway project, Kevin Reilly, corridor manager, and Sam Lopez, project communication manager. Lopez gave a detailed timeline for the Parkway, explained the toll tag system and answered a number of questions about the area, toll charges and traffic patterns.

When Reilly rose to speak about the details of the construction, there were dozens of requests for information about road closures, rerouting of older roads, and pillars, beams and concrete bunkers along the Parkway. It was one of the most involved crowds ever at “Daytimers.”
Rosanne Margolis and Ethel Schectman managed the door, and Bill Margolis and Larry Steckler made sure everyone got the right lunch. Emcee for the day was Dr. Hugh Lamensdorf, and the speakers were given a delightful introduction by Edythe Cohen.
The date for the next “Daytimers” program has been changed to Oct. 30, when Cantor Robbi Sherwin, a multi-instrumentalist, inspirational singer and speaker, will come from Austin to bring her special brand of “spirited Jewish songcrafting” to the group. She is the daughter of Ken Sherwin and the late Felice Sherwin of Fort Worth.

For information and reservations, call with your credit card to Barbara Rubin, 817-927-2736, Larry Steckler, 520-990-3155, or Hugh Lamensdorf, 817-738-1428, or reserve for yourself at www.bethelfw.org/donations. The Sylvia Wolens “Daytimers” is a program of Beth-El Congregation with financial support from the Jewish Federation

News and notes:

• Hedy Collins reminds me that The Jewish Family Services Senior Program participants were fortunate to receive “Yontif” bags for the High Holidays.
Special thanks goes to the WRJ of Beth Israel in Colleyville for the donation of the round raisin challahs that everyone received.
The rest of the goodies (including apples, honey, wine and soup mix) were due to the generous donation from NCJW that has left JFS money to continue this mitzvah for the seniors of the JFS Program.
The Senior program meets daily at Beth-El and is going strong. blackjack, bingo, dominos and mah jongg are among the daily games and twice a week, there is exercise class. Join the fun.
• “Western Treasures” opens today, Thursday, Sept. 19, and runs through Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014, at the Sid Richardson Museum, 309 Main St. in Sundance Square.
The exhibition of 39 paintings will reunite popular works by Frederic Remington (1861-1909), Charles M. Russell (1864-1926) and their contemporaries with rarely seen paintings from the permanent collection. Visitors will also view six bronze sculptures by Remington and Russell on loan from private collections.
The museum was temporarily closed, but reopened today. Admission is free and the museum is open daily except for major holidays. For information, go to www.sidrichardsonmuseum.org or call 817-332-6554.