Elliott Dlin to speak at FWISD Holocaust program
Posy McMillen tells me that Elliott Dlin, head of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance, will be the featured speaker at a special daylong program for teachers in the Fort Worth Independent School District on Monday, Aug. 3, at Congregation Ahavath Sholom. Dlin will speak at two morning sessions: “Historic Overview of the Holocaust: When, What, and How?” and “Why?” His afternoon discussion, following lunch, will focus on “Choices & Consequences,” a modular, adaptable curriculum. Also speaking at the morning session is Paul Kessler, a Fort Worth Holocaust survivor, who will give a testimony on his experiences. Participating in the afternoon program will be Kathy Chapman, director of education and programming at the DHM, who will lead a discussion of the film, “Pigeon.”
Teachers will break into small groups for interactive digestion and an analysis of the curricular pieces.
Birthday celebrations!
There I was at the beauty shop last week, sitting between Sarah Herman, who is celebrating her 99th this week (today, July 30) and a patron on my right who, believe it or not, is 105. I was the young kid in the middle, almost 87. Both Sarah and my new friend are sharp as a tack and an inspiration to me, as well as to all seniors.
Joining Sarah at a family gathering are her son and family, Morty and Dr. Barbara Herman; their son and his bride, Lee and Celina Herman, and their son Kyle Herman of New York; granddaughter, Kelley Herman Cunningham and two of her daughters, Aly, 13 and Andie, 12, of San Francisco. Unable to attend were Kelley’s husband, Joe and their two younger daughters, Georgia, 8 and Jackie, 6. Also celebrating with Sarah are great-nephew Marc and Jennifer Herman and their 12-year-old son, Jake, of Los Angeles.
“Sarah, enjoy many more simchas!”
Call this, if you will, something special for my contemporaries. There is nothing wrong with Leon Brachman’s memory. At Shabbat services this Saturday morning at Ahavath Sholom, he’ll celebrate his 89th birthday by chanting the same maftir he chanted at his bar mitzvah in Marietta, Ohio, long years back. The weekend will be special for Leon, since several of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be here for the special occasion. His youngest daughter, Wendy Fisher, who lives in Efrat, Israel, with her husband, Warren, will be unable to attend because of the recent birth of her granddaughter, Tuv Bracha; her parents, Maayan and Noam Pouchacho, are staying with the Fishers until they find a new home in Israel. However, Wendy’s family will be represented by her children: Elad, 18, who enters the Israeli Army in November; Eliraz, 17; and Bezalel, 16, a math whiz. Representing Debby Rice’s family will be her grandchildren, Max, Nathan and Miles Rice, of Chicago and her son, Todd, who lives in Miami. Todd, who has his own Improv company in Florida, will return there on Monday because he teaches Improv at the Fort Lauderdale Comedy Club.
Leon will be honored at the Shabbat Kiddush at CAS following services and at a celebration that evening at his home.
Happy birthday greetings to our celebrants!
Sherwin elected to Women Cantors Network board
Cantor Robbi Sherwin of Austin and Crested Butte, Colo., was elected as the newest board member of the 300+ member Women Cantors Network (WCN) at their annual meeting in June in Ridgefield, Conn. Sherwin has been an active member of the 28-year-old international organization since 2002. Along with Abby Gostein of Austin and Cantor Francyne Davis Jacobs of Houston, Sherwin chaired the 2008 WCN conference in Austin, which brought 80 women cantors to Texas, a historical first. The conference included a standing-room-only concert of the cantors singing original commissioned pieces of the organization, as well as the acclaimed Jewish band, Sababa, of which Sherwin is a member. With over 500 in attendance, it is believed to be the largest Jewish concert in Austin’s history. Sherwin, who has extensive experience writing and publishing feature articles on Jewish music, was elected to the position of newsletter editor.
Cantor Kathryn Wolfe Sebo, of Cleveland, Ohio, is the president of the WCN. She said: “I am delighted that Cantor Robbi Sherwin is joining the Women Cantors Network board as our newsletter editor. She is smart, enthusiastic, talented, and I know she’ll be a great source of energy and ideas for our quarterly newsletter.” Sebo continued: “Robbi and her Texas co-chairs presented an amazing conference in June of 2008 and I’m excited to experience all the wonderful contributions she will add to our organization as a board member.”
Sherwin serves as the spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Butte in Crested Butte, and is in high demand around the country as an artist/scholar-in-residence and energetic Jewish musical artist. A graduate of Southwest High School in Fort Worth, she is the daughter of Felice and Lt. Col. (Ret.) Ken Sherwin. She is a multi-award-winning published musician, and her music is sung, recorded and performed around the world.
‘Daytimers’ head to Winstar Casino
The “Daytimers” are heading to Winstar Casino, Wednesday, Aug. 19, in a luxurious restroom-equipped bus. The bus will load at the Beth-El Congregation parking lot at 7:45 a.m., and depart at 8 a.m. Minimum number for the bus is 40 people; maximum, 55. Cost is only $5 per person and must be paid in advance.
WinStar World Casino offers world-class gaming, entertainers and cuisine. With the recent expansion, it is Oklahoma’s largest casino and one of more than 50 businesses owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation. Winstar World Casino offers Blackjack, 3-Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Pai Gow Poker and Mini Baccarat on the casino floor. Texas Hold’em and Omaha can be found in the luxurious Poker Room. The hundreds of slots, starting as low as one cent, feature every kind of game.
The group will board the bus to return at about 4:15 p.m. Information that is required in advance for Bus Manifest is: Name (as it appears on your driver’s license), Address, Phone, Date of Birth, and Do you have a Winstar Player’s Card?
For reservations, call Barbara Rubin, 817-927-2736, or Sylvia Wexler, 817-294-1129, or $5 checks can be mailed to Daytimers, Beth-El Congregation, 4900 Briarhaven Road, Fort Worth, TX 76109.
The Sylvia Wolens “Daytimers” is a program of Congregation Beth-El with financial support from the Jewish Federation.