By Amy Wolff Sorter

By the time you read this column, young Sorter and I will be at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, preparing to fly to Florida to share Passover with in-laws, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephew and cousins.
Passover celebrations were fun when Young Sorter and his cousins were kidlets — but now, as the kidlets have grown into teens and young adults, I’m hoping the discussions will be more interesting and insightful (assuming, of course, we can ban all texting devices from the seder).
There is a lot going on in the world today that demands our attention, and to my mind, the Passover seder, with its ritual observances of our flight from Egyptian slavery to freedom, presents the ideal opportunity to discuss how current freedoms are being eroded and threatened — and what we can do to prevent that from happening.
I extended the invitation some weeks ago to share your own Passover experiences; please feel free to send them to me at awsorter@yahoo.com.
May your Passover celebration this year be meaningful and may you find enjoyment in the company of family and friends at this time of year. Chag sameach!

Never Forget

Last week I mentioned that, even in the midst of our Passover celebrations, we need to look ahead to commemorate those in the past. Holocaust Remembrance Day — Yom Hashoah — is on April 19. Activities will take place up to, and on the day itself, to commemorate the six million lost and those who fought the hated regime that caused such destruction.
Beginning Monday, April 9, the TCU Chapter of Hillel will present a Holocaust Museum in Brown Lupton University Union’s ballroom, located on the TCU campus at 2901 Stadium Dr., in rooms 3301 C and D.
The museum will operate between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. on April 9-10; and from noon to 4 p.m. on April 11. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 10, Harriet Cohen with TCU’s social work department will discuss “Lessons Learned from Visiting Holocaust Death Camps.” Both museum and Dr. Cohen’s talk are open to the community at no charge.
For further information, contact the Hillel faculty advisor, Dr. Arnold Barkman at 817-257-7553 or a.barkman@tcu.edu.
On April 15 at 6:30 p.m., Congregation Beth Shalom, 1212 Thannisch Dr. in Arlington, will host a program dedicated to those who risked their lives to save others. The program will begin with a memorial service and a performance of the Holocaust Cantata by the A Cappella Choir and University Singers of UT Arlington. The service will also include Holocaust survivors as well as readings from journals and interview transcripts from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.
The program is also being sponsored by Sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County with financial support from The Dan Danciger/Hebrew Day School Supporting Foundation as well as the Multicultural Alliance of Texas.
Even if you don’t attend these or other programs, please take a moment on April 19 to commemorate those who perished, as well as the brave souls who tried to help.

Successful Ladies Auxiliary’s Donor Luncheon

The Ladies Auxiliary of Congregation Ahavath Sholom hosted its annual donor luncheon (one of the group’s main fund-raising events) on April 1, with Congresswoman Kay Granger as guest speaker — between all of her subcommittee assignments, Congresswoman Granger oversees 70 percent of all discretionary spending in the United States.
The photo shown here speaks volumes about the success of this event; congratulations to the women who attended and who put it all together.

Also Successful; Senior Seder

Hedy Collins writes that the B’nai B’rith Senior Seder, which took place March 29 at Beth-El Congregation, was a resounding success. More than 125 people attended and were treated to a seder service led by Beth-El’s Rabbi Ralph Mecklenburger. Congregation Ahavath Sholom’s Rabbi Andrew Bloom also stopped by to say a few words.

The meal was outstanding, and included everything from soup to nuts; or in this case, matzah balls to macaroons. Hedy notes it was served by “smiling, hard-working volunteers from the community,” all of whom were led by Harry Kahn. “As I always say, ‘it takes a village.’ Thank you to all who made the luncheon possible,” Hedy writes.

Need Money for College?

If your family has a high school senior who plans to head off to college, and you’re looking doubtfully at your bank statement in the meantime, consider applying for one of two Isadore Garsek B’nai B’rith Lodge # 269 scholarship.
The $1,000 scholarships are available to parents or guardians who are members of the Isadore Garsek lodge, or who are members of an established Jewish synagogue in Tarrant County. The parents/guardians must be members in good standing of either organization for at least 12 months.
Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement as well as accomplishments, outside interests and participation in school-oriented and outside activities.
Scholarships will be presented at the annual B’nai B’rith Jewish Person of the Year banquet on June 3.
The deadline for applications is May 24.
Questions? Contact Dr. Barry Schneider at dr_barrys@yahoo.com or get in touch with your synagogue’s youth advisor or rabbi.

The Next Daytimers’ Event …

… will take place Wednesday, April 18 and will feature a trip to Dallas, via the TRE, to view the Kennedy exhibit at the Sixth Floor Museum. The group will meet at the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center at 1001 Jones St. at noon, and to keep costs down, lunch will be a do-it-yourself affair.
Barbara Rubin tells us there is a Subway sandwich shop at the ITC, if anyone wants to buy lunch to eat on the train. The train is scheduled to return to Fort Worth by 4:45 p.m. Cost of the trip is $15 (and includes train fare, museum admission and bottled water).
For information and reservations, have your credit card handy and call Barbara Rubin, 817-927-2736 or Hugh Lamensdorf, 817-738-1428. You can reserve for yourself, too, by logging onto www.bethelfw.org/donations.