Safety and security training at Beth-El Congregation, Monday, May 23

Beth-El Congregation will host a safety and security training program from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, May 23. An hors d’oeuvres reception will precede the training at 6 p.m. Both the reception and the training are free and open to the entire community, courtesy of the Secure Community Network (SCN), the official safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America. Free registration at securecommunitynetwork.org/may-training is required to attend.

The first part of the training will cover the basics of situational awareness — how to recognize suspicious or potentially dangerous behavior and threats, and what to do — whether you are in synagogue, at school, at work or just running errands. The second part will cover what to do if you are faced with an active threat, including how to prepare in advance, how to commit to action during an incident, how to respond to the arrival of law enforcement and the importance of additional programs such as Stop the Bleed™. The training incorporates the principles of the nationally recognized “Run-Hide-Fight” approach to surviving active threats. The training will conclude with an exercise to demonstrate how to apply these skills.

Instructor Brad Orsini, SCN’s senior national security advisor, will conduct the training. Following more than 30 years of service as a U.S. Marine Corps officer and FBI special agent, Orsini served the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh as its first director of Community Security before joining SCN in 2020. Representatives of the Fort Worth Police Department and the news media have also been invited to help strengthen community connections.

Register now at securecommunitynetwork.org/may-training for this life-saving training.

For more information, contact Craig Fifer at cfifer@securecommunitynetwork.org.

Beth-El MRJ hosts ‘Cuisine of our Heritage’ benefiting Ukrainian Jewish resettlement

On Friday, May 6, more than 120 people attended an installment in a series of “Cuisine of our Heritage” events sponsored by Men of Reform Judaism (MRJ) at Congregation Beth-El. The theme of this dinner was, appropriately enough, the cuisine of the nation of Ukraine, which was a center of Jewish life, learning and scholarship for over a millennium. The dinner, headed by MRJ President Eric Deutsch and chaired by Alan Feinberg, featured a cornucopia of classic Ukrainian dishes including beet salad, potato salad, pierogies, stuffed cabbage rolls and MRJ’s own version of chicken Kiev.

Table decorations were festooned with American flags and the blue-and-yellow flag of Ukraine. A member of the Fort Worth community of Ukrainian birth and heritage sang the Ukrainian national anthem and offered brief observations about the current status and problems which Ukraine is facing. Event chair Alan Feinberg kept the evening going by providing interesting facts about Ukraine, its role in Jewish history (and vice versa), and a list of famous Jews of Ukrainian origin.

The event raised almost $4,000, 100% of which was donated by MRJ to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) in order to assist Ukrainian Jewish refugees. Twenty MRJ members assisted in providing, cooking or serving the dinner.

Beth Shalom holds Lag B’Omer picnic

Beth Shalom held its first Lag B’Omer celebration Sunday, May 15, at the synagogue. There was delicious Texas barbecue with all the fixin’s, Israeli music, a s’mores station, crafts, games and face painting. “A good time was had by all,” said Stuart Snow.