Greetings to all!
Under the category of “there are TWO Jewish families in Joshua, Texas?” I was thrilled to receive an e-mail from Caryn Gottlieb FitzGerald, who, as she put it, “from one Jewish woman to another” welcomed us to the not-so-sleepy town of Joshua, population 5,910, according to the 2010 census. Thank you, Caryn, for the wonderful greeting. I promise we will connect very soon.
Sharon thought Caryn’s and my situation might form the basis for a story about how those of us in outlying towns manage to stay connected to our faith when the nearest shul is five hours away. Okay, I’m exaggerating. But I’m interested in hearing from those who might have to expend a little more effort to send their kids to religious school or to make it to Shabbat and other holiday services on a regular basis. Please send those thoughts and ideas to me at awsorter@yahoo.com.
Welcome aboard
The Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County has hired Angie Kitzman as program director/campaign assistant. Angie is no stranger to Fort Worth, having been raised in Cowtown. Now she is able to put her skills and personality to work to help develop programs, manage the website and help with campaign administration for the Federation.
The Congregation Ahavath Sholom Ladies Auxiliary executive committee and board of directors for 2011-2012 is in place and ready to go. Here they are. President: Annette Smith; VP-Membership: Tammie Rhinehart; VP-Programs: Jodi Berger, Susie Herman, Marina Michan; Recording Secretary: Karen Alpert; Corresponding Secretary, Rhonda Goodman; Treasurer: Phyllis Gordon; Membership-Life: Louise Vermillion; Parliamentarian: Betsy Darling; Board of Directors: Ava Beleck, Linda Lavi, Debby Rice, Barbara Schuster.
The CAS Ladies Auxiliary will also host a beach party to welcome Rabbi Andrew Bloom’s wife, Michal. The event will take place from 3-5 p.m., Sun., Aug. 7, at the Smiths, 6712 Savannah Lane. Contact Debby Rice, 817-346-2944 or debbyr@sbcglobal.net by Aug. 4 to RSVP.
Movie-watching and ice cream — mmmmm
In an effort to stay cool, the Sylvia Wolens “Daytimers” of Beth-El Congregation had the right idea, as this group conducted its recent annual ice cream social and movie party. In addition to enjoying dairy treats and popcorn, participants viewed an Israeli short film, “Second Watch,” about a soldier who stands watch, alone, on the Israel-Jordan border. The feature film was Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Thanks goes to Irv and Jacquie Robinson for “door duties,” and Edythe Cohen, for introducing the films.
The next tentative Daytimers event will be a picnic and pool party, scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. on Wed., Aug. 17 at Roz Rosenthal’s home. I say “tentative” because, as of this writing, Roz is dealing with some health issues. Please call Barbara Rubin at 817-927-2736 for reservations and up-to-date information about Roz.
Upcoming
Jewish Family Services of Fort Worth is offering a unique and sweet way to say “happy new year” through its sale of jars of kosher honey. These $12 jars make great Rosh Hashanah gifts, and proceeds benefit the JFS’ Key Operating Endowment fund. The process is simple — fill out a form with the recipients’ names and addresses, write a check (or provide credit card information) to the JFS, and the jars are sent directly to the recipients, complete with festive labels and holiday greetings. For more information, e-mail JFSKeySociety@gmail.com.
It’s not too soon to think about those Chanukah gifts, especially if you’re SELLING those gifts. Vendors are being sought for Congregation Ahavath Sholom’s Fall Community Gift and Jewelry Bazaar, which will take place 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Sun., Nov. 20 at the shul, 4050 S. Hulen. Booth fee is $65, which includes a free lunch. For more information, contact Annette Smith, 817-370-8807 or amksmith@charter.net.
From the travel front
Barbara Rubin just returned from the Castleton Opera Festival in Virginia where she met her daughter, Nina Rubin, and other relatives from Ohio, Virginia and D.C. for what she calls a mini-family reunion. Her grandson, Nicholas Vaughan, designed the sets and costumes for all seven shows — no easy feat — and was kind enough to share some of the photos with us. She tells us Nick is now in Beijing, where he is designing sets and costumes for the “Barber of Seville,” which will be performed at the Beijing Opera House this November.
Positive health news
Corrine Jacobson continues to recover from major surgery that took place in April. During her recovery period, she enjoyed visits from her children, Grant, Janine and Audrey Jacobson from San Francisco, and Elise, Mark and Rachel Krug from St. Louis. Corrine’s granddaughter, Paige Krug, beat the heat by attending a Jewish camp in Wisconsin, while her grandson, Barry Bond, was busy editing the filming of Hooter’s Nationwide Beauty Contest. This contest is scheduled to air on the Spike network. Barry’s sister Lisa, an RN with the Visiting Nurses Association, took time out from her duties as healer to take a four-year tour of Europe with friends.
Genie Long is continues recuperating well in Oklahoma. She’ll return to sing in the Beth-El choir at the beginning of the High Holy Days. Her beautiful voice has been missed.
Finally, congratulations to my own hubby, David Sorter, who continues to recover from very serious illnesses suffered during the first part of this year. He has regained much of his strength and is doing what he does best — namely, racing around Crowley, Texas to collect news in his job as editor for the Crowley Star.
I NEED NEWS!
Please send news, upcoming events and information to me, Amy Sorter, at awsorter@yahoo.com. Until next time!