By Amy Wolff Sorter

We’re coming to an interesting time of the year both in the secular and Hebrew calendars. On the secular side, we’ve just passed Memorial Day, the non-solstice launch of summer. The only holiday to break up the next 10 weeks or so between now and Labor Day (and the start of school, end of summer vacation and so on) is July 4.
Now, if we glance at the Hebrew calendar, we see that we’ve just received the Ten Commandments (commemorated through the Feast of Shavuot), and other than the Fast of 17 Tammuz (on July 8) and Tisa B’Av (July 28-29), there really are no major holidays until we reach the High Holidays (this year starting on the sunset of Sept. 16).
I find it interesting that, as we experience a hiatus of scheduling that seems to come with the fall, we also experience a hiatus of Jewish holidays.
But with or without Jewish or secular events, here’s hoping your upcoming summer is filled with a lot of relaxation, family and friends (and a somewhat low air-conditioning bill).

Mazel tov, Brandon Chicotsky

But we aren’t so far away from many graduations that we can’t celebrate one or two of them in these pages.
Donna Chicotsky writes that she and her husband, Robert Chicotsky, celebrated their son Brandon’s graduation from New York University, where he received his master’s degree in management.
He also received an Academic Excellency Award for a No. 1 rank in his graduating class. Brandon is also set up with a job — he is now business strategist at Link Coworking, a membership club bringing together people who need an interactive space in which to conduct their business. Many congratulations, Brandon, and may you experience much luck and success throughout your life and business career.

And another graduation

We recently heard from Corrine Jacobson — she’s not the one graduating, but her granddaughter, Kasey Schneider, is.
Kasey recently graduated from J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson and will attend the University of Arizona in the fall. Corrine said she had a great weekend in Dallas, celebrating her granddaughter’s accomplishments. A large “mazel tov” is also sent to the Dallas side, to Kasey Schneider — we wish her very well as she enters college.

From the keyboard of prolific writer Joe Klein

Joe, who just moved with his lovely wife to the Vantage in Fort Worth (it was mentioned in this column last week), was asked by his hometown newspaper, the Elmer Times of New Jersey, to move on to the next chapter of his life.
For those of you who have been following Joe’s path, he’s published many articles in that newspaper about his life growing up in Pittsgrove Township, N.J. Now it’s time for the next chapter in what Joe calls “memories of an octogenarian.”
In his next installment, his writings will cover the time during which he lived and worked in Taiwan as an avionics engineering advisor to quasi-government agency Aero Industry Development Corp.
I’ve had a chance to glance at the first chapter, in which he details the political situation in Taiwan during the late 1980s (during which Joe worked there). At that time, he noted, it was common for members of the Taiwanese legislature to indulge in fist fights and destroy microphones in the chamber.
At any rate, it’s good to see that Joe’s stories are sparking interest and that he’s being asked to supply more to the Elmer Times readers.

If you aren’t doing anything on June 13

You can participate in the next Sylvia Wolens Daytimers event at Beth-El Congregation: the organization’s annual movie and ice cream social.
The movie shown will be “Second Hand Lions,” a terrific coming-of-age film with Haley Joe Osment as a young boy spending a summer with his eccentric and rich Texas uncles (portrayed by Robert Duvall and Michael Caine).
The cost for this is $5 and includes the film plus all the popcorn and ice cream you can eat — a pretty good deal, actually. Fat-free, lactose-free and sugar-free ice cream can be ordered as well, just let Barbara Rubin or Hugh Lamensdorf know when you call.
And, if you want to make reservations, you can call Barbara (817-927-2736) or Hugh (817-738-1428) or log onto www.bethelfw.org/donations to reserve for yourself.
As always, the event exists thanks to financial support from the Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

And if you are doing anything this summer … anything at all

Let us know. If you’re going somewhere fun, or simply hanging out in your backyard, but are throwing a whale of a party, send us pictures (don’t forget to identify who everyone is). My email address is the same — awsorter@yahoo.com.