Another brick in the wall
BBYO is celebrating its impact on Dallas youth through its “Bricks for BBYO” program.
To commemorate the many years of service to Dallas-area Jewish youth, North Texas-Oklahoma BBYO initiated a program called “Bricks for BBYO” that helps support its international award-winning youth programs serving over 700 Dallas area teens yearly.
“Bricks for BBYO” is an opportunity for parents, alumni, advisors, current members and corporate sponsors to purchase a personally engraved brick that will be mounted on the walls outside the BBYO office area. Sherrie Stalarow, senior executive regional director for BBYO, states that “these bricks will serve as a permanent testament to what BBYO has meant to the generations of teens who were and are members of BBYO, in addition to the organization’s impact on the Dallas, Fort Worth and Tulsa Jewish communities.”
BBYO is the largest and most effective provider of identity-building and leadership development programs for Jewish teens throughout the world. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., BBYO encompasses over 40 regions across North America, as well as Central and South America, Europe, Israel, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and comprises more than 130 employees and over 800 volunteer advisors. BBYO has helped thousands of Dallas-area Jewish teens for over 50 years.
Mounted bricks are on display in the BBYO wing of the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center. For information about a “brick” contribution, please call the BBYO office at 214-363-4654 or e-mail Sherrie Stalarow at sstalarow@bbyo.org.
Levine Mah Jongg tournament planned for Jan. 11
Levine Academy’s Parent Association is planning their annual mah jongg tournament on Sunday, Jan. 11, 12:30 to 5 p.m.
For information, you can contact Anna Popp at anna@majgirl.com or 972-248-3032; Carol Tatom at ccieli@aol.com or 972-596-7065; or Nina Goodman at goodmanemail@verizon.net or 469-467-1220.
Prizes will be awarded. Interested players should send their $36 registration check to Levine Academy, 18011 Hillcrest Road, Dallas, TX 75252, by Jan. 7.
Migdol lectures on HLF trials
Marvin J. Migdol, longtime local reporter, covered the recent Holy Land Foundation (HLF) trials and the “guilty on all counts” verdicts.
The Justice Department said that HLF sent $12 million to Hamas, declared a terrorist organization in 1995.
Migdol covered the initial trial and retrial more extensively than any other journalist except for the Dallas Morning News. He frequently sat in on the Dallas trials, a fixture in the courtroom. Migdol sat and conversed with Noor Elashi, daughter of a defendant who regarded her dad as a hero.
On Oct. 22, 2007 the original three-month trial ended with a mistrial. There were 197 counts against the defendants. The trial and retrial reverberated around the world as the most momentous terrorism funding case. Hamas is known for sending numerous suicide bombers into Israel.
President Bush announced that he was freezing HLF assets in December 2001, claiming that the Islamic group Hamas had “obtained much of its money it pays for murder abroad right here in the United States.”
The defense said that the funds were zakat (charity).
In Migdol’s lectures, he traces HLF from its founding through the two trials, accenting highlights of the trials. Prosecutors’ strategy included putting Israeli secret agents on the stand, substantiating FBI and other evidence, including over 1,000 exhibits such as wiretaps, documents, transcripts and even videotapes dug up in a backyard in Virginia. He also discusses Muslim links with terrorism acts that have killed over 100 people in recent days, including at the Chabad Jewish Center in Mumbai.
During both trials there were gag orders for all attorneys. In two previous cases in Illinois and Florida, there were hung juries. The U.S. government has spent 14 years on the HLF cases. In both trials the defense acknowledged ties between the defendants and Hamas leaders.
Migdol’s recent speeches have been given at various places including Congregation Nishmat Am and The Legacy.
A native of Rochester, N.Y., Migdol moved to Dallas from Buffalo in 1968. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Buffalo and a master’s from Boston University in public relations. He also studied law at the University of Miami, where he was a member of Phi Delta Phi. Upon graduation from BU,
Migdol spent seven years in public relations and fundraising for nonprofit, often Jewish, causes. He served as national director of public relations for the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) in New York City, heading a staff of 20 PR people. He was regional director of JNF.
Migdol has received numerous awards and honors. He is listed in many “Who’s Who” volumes and was selected as the Dallas “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the competition sponsored by Arthur Young and Company.
He has served as an adjunct professor for Pennsylvania State University, SUNY, University of Texas at Dallas and several other colleges. He has also been a free-lance writer, mainly writing for Jewish publications, since 1966. He was the director and narrator of a weekly NBC-TV program in Buffalo called “Faith of Israel.”
Migdol has served on the boards of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting, Academy of Hospital Public Relations, Dallas Bridge Association, University at Buffalo Alumni Association, American Jewish Congress (Southwest) and many other groups. He was a founder of Temple Shalom and served on their Brotherhood board.
His programs include ample time for Q&A.
Marvin is married to Fay Migdol and is the father of six children.
Community Kollel of Dallas offers free Hebrew lessons
The Community Kollel of Dallas is offering a six-session basic Hebrew class, free. Learn how to make sense out of the Hebrew alphabet. The emphasis is on letter recognition, pronunciation, vowels and other skill-building techniques to help gain confidence and proficiency in reading capabilities. The class is taught by Ayelet Myers using materials from the National Jewish Outreach Program.
The class will be given Wednesdays, Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 26, Feb. 2, Feb. 16 and Feb. 23, from 2:25 to 3:25 p.m. in the Library Conference Room, second floor, Schultz-Rosenberg Campus, 12324 Merit Drive, Dallas.
For additional information, visit www.kollelofdallas.org or call 214-295-3525
Legacy names Eddie Feldman director of sales and marketing
Plano’s first and only life care retirement community, The Legacy at Willow Bend, has named Eddie Feldman director of sales and marketing. The announcement was made by Michael Ellentuck, president of The Legacy Senior Communities, Inc.
Feldman joins The Legacy at Willow Bend from Classic Residence by Hyatt, where he served as director of sales and marketing.
A third-generation Dallasite, Feldman attended St. Mark’s School of Texas and received a bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Park Cities and the Dallas Executives Association. He lives in Dallas with his wife, Jane, and daughter, Alexandra.
End of Year bash at Tiferet
Why go out on a cold evening among strangers when you can have fun among friends, in a safe and warm environment? On Wednesday, Dec. 31, Congregation Tiferet Israel will host their Second Annual “Tiferet End of Year Bash.” The party starts at 9:30 p.m. and will conclude around 1 a.m.
Included in the evening will be drinks, dancing, casino games, a champagne toast, midnight breakfast, karaoke, laughter, and resolutions to exercise more while eating a healthier diet (yeah, right). In addition to those exciting activities, the evening promises memorable images of Rabbi Shawn Zell spinning and twirling to the music, as his tzitzit fly in the midnight breeze, under the moonlit sky.
This event is open to all in the community and is a continuation of Tiferet’s commitment to provide programs that meet the needs of a growing and diverse community. Dietary laws will be under the strict supervision of Tiferet rabbinic authorities. The cost for the event is $45 per person.
Please call Debby Chambers at 214-691-3611 to RSVP.
Congregation Tiferet Israel is located at 10909 Hillcrest Road, just north of Royal Lane in Dallas.