Two hundred teens gather at 2011 J-Serve

On Sunday, April 17, nearly 200 teens gathered at the JCC to participate in an afternoon of community service. They seized this opportunity to fulfill the Jewish values of gemilut chasadim (acts of loving kindness), and tikkun olam (repairing the world). The teens were participating in J-Serve, America’s Global Youth Service Day. Across the globe, teens joined to make their communities and the world a better place.
Their afternoon began with a teen-led Jewish values activity in Zale Auditorium. Thereafter, the teens boarded buses that transported them to 10 different sites for their community service projects.  The projects spanned a wide spectrum of need in the community and served several populations. The teens made ice-cream sundaes, played Bingo (with prizes, of course!), and socialized with seniors at Sunrise Senior Living and Legacy They visited several facilities that serve the needs of underprivileged children, including Rainbow Days, Family Gateway and the Headstart program. While there, they worked on the playgrounds, made coloring books and organized the toys and games. Additionally, they visited Pebbles Apartments, which houses formerly homeless mothers and their children. They distributed donations of household goods and spent considerable time organizing games and playing with the children. The final set of projects had the teens donning work gloves and tending to the environment by planting trees and gleaning at Texas Trees, and the Gleaning Network of Dallas.
All in all, the teens made a positive contribution to the community and embodied the message of this quote by Anne Frank: “How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

Spiritual, uplifting Shabbat service June 3 at Shearith

Shearith Israel invites the community to welcome Shabbat with a new spiritual and uplifting service at the main location, 9401 Douglas Ave., Dallas.  With melodies inspired by Shlomo Carlebach and Debbie Friedman, the redesigned Kabbalah Shabbat service will be more participatory and more meaningful than ever. The service on Friday, June 3rd will recognize all of the synagogue’s  recent graduates, as well as offer a special send-off blessing to children attending summer camp.
Following services on June 3, there will be a choice of dinner experiences. All are available by pre-reservation. Shabbat is to be celebrated with family and friends and there are  multiple opportunities to do that. Shearith will host a family dinner picnic style followed by Shabbat Bingo for the young and young at heart. For those wanting a Shabbat filled with learning and intellectual, spiritual discussion there is an adult-only dinner led by Rabbi William Gershon on the topic of: “Unlocking the Secret Mysteries of Judaism through Kabbalah.” Then for those ages 21-35, the Young Professionals of CSI will host their popular Shabbat in the homes, contact Leanne@aggienetwork.com for more information.
Members and guests are invited to come for this fabulous evening. Pre-registration is essential; call no later than May 31 to reserve the dinner of your choice with family and friends. Further information can be found by visiting www.shearith.org, or call 214-361-6606.

Congregation Ohr HaTorah fights neighborhood crime.

Linda Koop, a Dallas Council Member of District 11, helped arrange a meeting at Congregation Ohr HaTorah on April 28 with Police Chief Jesse Reyes about fighting neighborhood crime.
Gideon Posner compiled some helpful information from the meeting with the Dallas Police Chief Reyes.

Using 911

Any time you need the police, ambulance or fire brigade, call 911. 911 is not just for an emergency situation, it should be used to report any suspicious activity. For example if you see a suspicious person, vehicle, or suspicious activity – call 911 to report it.
When calling 911 – give your name, address, phone number, service required (police / ambulance / fire) and the situation. The Police Chief said the police statistics showed that 33 percent of the homes broken into had an open window, unlocked doors or open gates; 45 percent of cars stolen or theft from vehicles – had open windows, unlocked doors and items such as GPS on the dashboard or purses/valuables on display in the front seat. Simple things like locking doors and windows and putting away valuables prevent opportunity crimes.

JCC Junior Tennis Academy team aces city tourney

JCC Junior Academy Kids 12 and under won the City Championship on Sunday, May 8, by defeating two other first place teams in their division.  They beat the team from High Point and the team from the Dallas Country Club 6-1.  The team consists of Josh Kane, Max Platt, Gabe Friedstadt, Ben Genender, Ben Pollack, Kobe Roseman and Cal Rothkrug.   Congratulations to all the kids who won  Not shown in the picture, but participating in the victory were Daniel Brickman and Joseph Weinberg.