Around the Town
By Amy Wolff Sorter

Phil Kavakoff built the “Can-Orah.” After being lit, the cans making up this unusual chanukiah were donated to the Tarrant Food Bank. | Photos: Amy Wolff Sorter

Back in the day (all of three years ago or so) when we attended Shabbat services at Chabad of Plano, the spiritual leader there, Rabbi Menachem Block, never failed to start his sermons with “Today is a very special Shabbos … ” Well, I’m going to take a page from the good rabbi’s book and say “Today’s column is a very special one … ”
Lauren Rekhelis took time out from spinning her dreidel to give a smile.

I was fortunate enough to attend two Chanukah candle lightings on Dec. 20; one at Arlington City Hall (sponsored by Chabad of Arlington) and the other at Congregation Ahavath Sholom. I’ll let the pictures I took tell the story; though we’ve closed the book on Chanukah for 5772, hopefully the warmth of the holiday remains for you all. From the Sorter family to all of you, have a happy, successful and healthy New Year.

Save the date

The Fort Worth Chapter of Hadassah will host a Shabbat Lunch & Learn at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28. The topic: “Scripture, Salmon and the Fairer Sex,” presented by Dr. Toni Craven from TCU’s Brite Divinity School. Food will also be served — salmon! Questions? Contact Dolores Schneider at 817-294-7626 for more information.

Gearing up for film

Beth-El Congregation, with financial assistance from the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County, will launch the 2012 Beth-El Jewish Film Festival with the “Human Resource Manager” starting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 7 at the synagogue at 4900 Briarhaven Rd.

From left, Scott and Kathy Raffel joined Scott’s parents Rhona and Irwin Raffel for latkes at Ahavath Sholom’s Chanukah celebration.

Other films will be “Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray” to be shown on Feb. 18 and “Camera Obscura” the feature presentation on March 10.
The films are free with an optional dinner available prior to each film at a cost of $12 per person; reservations for the dinner ARE required and can be obtained by calling 817-332-7141.

And in other entertainment news

Stage West Theater in Fort Worth is offering David Ives’ play “New Jerusalem: The interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation, Amsterdam, July 27, 1656.”
Run dates are Jan. 5 through Jan. 29. Times are 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and matinee performance at 3 p.m. on Sundays.
For more information, call the box office at 817-784-9378 or log onto http://www.stagewest.org/season/new-jerusalem.

Leave a Reply