Compiled by Sharon Wisch-Ray
sharon@tjpnews.com

There are a number of exciting events coming up in Fort Worth in the next few weeks.
Congregation Beth Shalom will host a “Havdalah Sing-in” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. Publicity materials say “bring the kids, have a nosh and sing together. What better way to welcome a new week?”
The Texas Jewish Arts Association will host “A Conversation with Evelyn Siegel” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, 4109 Tamworth Road in Fort Worth.
Evelyn will share stories about her creative life as past owner and founder of the Evelyn Siegel Gallery, founding member and National Council Member of Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Aspen, Colorado, and longtime arts teacher. In 1967, Evelyn Siegel helped found Senior Citizen Services She also operated the Evelyn Siegel Gallery on West 7th Street from 1982 to 2004 and taught art at Country Day for 17 years. In May, she made more than 150 pieces of her art collection available at a charity event benefiting Senior Citizen Services of Tarrant County.
This event is free; snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Event co-chairs are Kim Goldberg and Julie Berman. Space is limited, so if you’d like to attend the event, you must RSVP to Kim Goldberg at kimgoldbergdesign@gmail.com or Julie Berman at julie@meetal.com.

Gates of Chai

The 19th annual Gates of Chai Lectureship in Contemporary Judaism will present “The Sky is Not Falling: God, Love, and Money in Times of Crisis” with Rabbi Joseph Telushkin at 7 p.m. Sept. 14, in TCU’s Brown Lupton University Union, 2901 Stadium Drive in Fort Worth. Telushkin appeared to a sold-out crowd in Dallas in November 2014 when he discussed his most recent book The Rebbe, a biography of the late Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who turned the Chabad Movement into what it is today.

According to the Brite website, “Joseph Telushkin, named by Talk magazine as one of the 50 best speakers in the United States, is one of America’s leading ethicists. His book, Words that Hurt, Words that Heal, inspired Senators Joseph Lieberman’s and Connie Mack’s Senate Resolution No. 151 to establish a National Speak No Evil Day in the United States, a day in which Americans would go for 24 hours without saying anything unkind.

“An invaluable sourcebook of tools for businessmen, Words that Hurt, Words that Heal contains suggestion after suggestion of how and when to criticize, how to keep a disagreement from turning into a quarrel, and the one technique that will keep you, even when angry, from ever saying something that can destroy a relationship.
“Joseph Telushkin, hailed by Jewish Week as ‘America’s rabbi,’ is a renaissance figure, whose reputation extends well beyond the Jewish community. His novel, An Eye for An Eye, became the basis for four episodes of David Kelley’s Emmy award-winning TV series The Practice and he wrote an episode for the TV series Touched by An Angel for Kirk Douglas, in which Douglas stars as a man who, after a lifetime of struggle with his faith, returns to God. The renowned historian Paul Johnson labeled Telushkin’s A Code of Jewish Ethics — winner of the 2007 National Jewish Book Award as the Book of the Year — as ‘the most comprehensive introduction to Jewish ethics to appear for many years.’ Telushkin’s work has been the subject of a PBS special, titled Moral Imagination: A Day by Day Guide to Ethical Living, that aired throughout the United States in 2000.
“A penetrating speaker with the timing of a standup comic — Telushkin’s earlier book was hailed by Larry Gelbart (author of M*A*S*H): ‘I don’t know if Jews are really the chosen people, but Telushkin’s book makes a strong argument that they’re the funniest’ — so that his talks challenge even as they entertain. One thing is certain: You will walk out of Telushkin’s speech different than when you walked in.”
To order tickets, go to epay.tcu.edu/brite_tickets/.

Evening of Extraordinary Music

At 7 p.m. Sept. 15, Beth-El Congregation will present an evening of music featuring internationally renowned clarinetist, Franklin Cohen, a soloist since his triumph at the International Competition in Munich where he captured the first prize. Joining Mr. Cohen are violinist Gary Levinson, artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, and concert pianist Baya Kakouberi. Levinson will perform on a priceless Stradivarius which will add to a richly textured program ranging from Klezmer music to Fiddler on the Roof to Mozart. A reception will follow the concert.