Three amazing women inducted into Temple Emanuel-El WRJ/Sisterhood Hall of Fame; aunt and niece honored together

Recently Temple Emanu-El’s Women of Reform Judaism honored May Sebel, Sylvia Silven and her niece, Cheryl Pollman.
May Sebel, a former religious-studies student and graduate of the Melton School, has volunteered extensively in Dallas and also in San Diego, Calif., where she resided for many years. She currently serves on the board of the Dallas Furniture Bank.
Sylvia Silven, a social worker and teacher of languages who retired from Greenhill School of Dallas, has devoted many volunteer hours to Temple Emanu-El and the National Council of Jewish Women.
Cheryl Pollman, upon retiring from law practice, launched a second career of extensive volunteer work in the Jewish community and the community at large. She is the past president of National Council of Jewish Women.

Want to go to Israel?

Deborah Fisher tells the TJP that there are three great Partnership programs going on that can get you to Israel this spring/summer. If you are 19–26 years old, and would look to volunteer at a summer camp in Israel, the Partnership with Israel has a great program for you, Kefiada in Israel, from June 27 through July 21. Are you a doctor, nurse, physical therapist, healthcare professional or hospital administrator? Do you want to go to Israel? Then, the ERG XI is for you. A course in hospital management of a mass casualty event at the Western Galilee Hospital–Emergency Response Group will run from May 27 through June 2. Another option for doctors is a Medical Externship. Physicians can spend one month at the Western Galilee Hospital. For more information about any of the Partnership programs, contact Deborah Fisher at dfisher@jfgd.org or 214-615-5250.

Mitzvah Day at Kol Ami

Congregation Kol Ami of Flower Mound will celebrate Mitzvah Day, a community-wide day of service, on Sunday, April 10. The theme of this year’s Mitzvah Day is tzedek, which is the Hebrew word for righteousness. The goal is do righteousness for a more just world and perform tikkun olam through effort and time. On Mitzvah Day, people transcend being just congregants; they become members of the Tzedek League. Plan to be part of the Tzedek League; plan to be part of Mitzvah Day. To join in on Mitzvah Day at Congregation Kol Ami, contact Michael Fripp at frippery2@yahoo.com.
Participants will meet at CKA, 1887 Timber Creek Road, at 9 a.m. for a free breakfast. After breakfast, they will break up into mitzvah teams in order to perform tikkun olam, to help to repair the world. There will be on-site mitzvah teams that will do activities at CKA and there will be teams that go out into the community. Everything from creating care packages for the elderly to repairing bicycles for children — there is a mitzvah activity for everyone! Make the world a better place! Join CKA for Mitzvah Day.

Miriam’s Seder to pay tribute to the late Debbie Friedman

The sisterhoods of Adat Chaverim, Congregation Anshai Torah, Congregation Beth Torah, Congregation Shearith Israel, Temple Emanu-El and Temple Shalom will co-sponsor Miriam’s Seder on Sunday, April 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Shearith Israel, 9401 Douglas Ave. This year’s event, which includes a seder and dinner, is a tribute to the late singer and songwriter, Debbie Friedman, and will feature local female clergy, educators and songleaders, using the Ma’yan Passover Haggadah. The cost is $36 per person if you bring your own Ma’yan Haggadah, or $46 per person including purchase of a new Ma’yan Haggadah. For more information and to make reservations, please contact Cynthia Cohen at 214-769-9069 or cynthiacohen51@gmail.com.

Bake matzah at the J

The Matzah Bakery at the J will be open Monday, April 4, through Sunday, April 10, jointly sponsored by Chabad of Dallas and the J. Learn the art of making matzah just in time for Passover. This is a wonderful hands-on experience for everyone! Cost is $3 per JCC member, $5 per non-member; special rates and times are available for groups of 10 or more. The highlights will be Family Time from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on April 10, and Youth Time with Abbii for kindergarten through grade six, that same day from 3 to 5 p.m. For more information and to make reservations, please contact Rachelle Weiss Crane, 214-239-7128 or rweisscrane@jccdallas.org.

‘Jews and Baseball’ promises to be a home run at the J

The Jewish Community Center of Dallas is delighted to present a one-time screening and Dallas premiere of “Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story,” narrated by Dustin Hoffman, on Sunday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Zale Auditorium at the J, 7900 Northaven Road. Preceding the film, at 6 p.m., attendees can partake of a special “All You Can Eat Ballpark Buffet.”
Tickets at $15 for adults, $12 for youth 12 years and under, may be purchased online at jccdallas.org or by calling 214-739-2737. The deadline for reservations is April 6.
“‘Jews and Baseball’ knocks it out of the park,” claims Newsday. “Irresistible to baseball fans, Hebraic or otherwise,” writes Time Out New York. “A warm and enthusiastic documentary,” says K. Turan of the L.A. Times.
“Jews and Baseball” is truly a love story that has special meaning in the lives of American Jews. More than just a film about sports, this is a story of immigration, assimilation, bigotry, heroism, the passing on of traditions and the shattering of stereotypes brought to life through Dustin Hoffman’s narration and interviews with dozens of passionate fans, writers and especially baseball greats such as Yogi Berra, Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax. Fans including Ron Howard and Larry King connect the stories of baseball to their own lives and to the turbulent history of the 20th century. Their stories are interwoven with never-before-seen film clips and photos of great Jewish players, unforgettable games and the broad sweep of American history.
Make your reservation now!

‘Gated Grief’ author Leila Levinson to visit Dallas Holocaust Museum

After the death of her father, a World War II U.S. Army doctor and concentration camp liberator, Leila Levinson discovered a concealed box of shocking photos he had taken of a Nazi slave-labor camp. She learned that he had suffered a breakdown after treating the camp’s survivors, and she was compelled to seek out and interview dozens of other World War II veterans who also liberated Nazi concentration camps. Still traumatized by the unimaginable horrors they found, many of them revealed for the first time their painful experiences. Levinson’s book, “Gated Grief,” is a groundbreaking portrait of trauma’s legacy which reveals that unspoken memories continue to imprison and haunt World War II veterans and tells how the emotional scars affected their loved ones as well, including the author and her family.
Levinson will visit the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance and make presentations on Wednesday and Thursday, April 6 and 7. The 5:30–7:30 p.m. event on April 6 is open to members and their invited guests, with registration and a museum self-tour at 5:30, an author presentation at 6 in the DHM Theater and an in-depth Q&A and book discussion at 7. The session on April 7, from 2 to 4 p.m., is open to the public, with free admission for military personnel; registration and a museum self-tour will take place at 2, followed by an author presentation in the DHM Theater at 3. Admission is free for Circle of Remembrance members, $10 for Upstander members and $15 for non-members. There is parking available in the museum lot at the northwest corner of Houston Street and Pacific Avenue. The museum is located at 211 North Record St., Suite 100, in Dallas.
To RSVP or purchase a book in advance for $24.95, please contact Nicole Gray, ngray@dallasholocaustmuseum.org or call 214-741-7500. For more information, visit www.dallasholocaustmuseum.org.