By Sharon Wisch-Ray

I have a confession to make. Like many Jews of Ashkenazic descent, I suffer from Crohn’s Disease, an autoimmune condition that attacks the small intestine.
I am fortunate that, since my diagnosis 20-plus years ago, my symptoms are mild and I can handle them most of the time without medication. However, others are not so lucky and wage a daily war against this and the other inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis.
This Saturday. May 19, Take Steps for Crohn’s and Colitis will hold their annual walkathon at 4:30 p.m. at the Amphitheater at Oak Point Park in Plano. Nationwide, this is the largest fundraising event for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. There is still time to register and you can walk the short course as part of a team, or as an individual.
Many patients feel that they are alone in their struggle with IBD, not knowing how to explain to others what they go through. Take Steps provides the perfect environment for patients and their families to come together and know they are not alone in this fight. The night is filled with music, food, kids’ activities, local entertainment and most importantly, the company of hundreds of people who truly understand the impacts of IBD.
To register, visit http://cctakesteps.org/dallas.

Akiba foursome earn Duke TIP honors

Akiba Academy seventh-graders Rosie Bernstein, Daniel Gross, Alan Presburger-Rapoport and Amanda Steinborn received state recognition for their SAT scores and will be honored at a special Duke Talent Identification Program award ceremony.

In addition, Rosie, Daniel and Amanda qualified for Duke’s Center for Summer Studies program, and Alan qualified for the Academy for Summer Studies at Duke University.
The Duke TIP identifies seventh-graders across the United States who scored at the 95th percentile or above on a grade level achievement test. These students are invited to participate in the Duke TIP seventh grade talent search and take either the ACT or the SAT. The students take the SAT/ ACT alongside college-bound 11th- and 12th-graders.
Duke TIP provides all talent search participants with a comparative results summary to help interpret their scores. Some high-scoring students are invited to participate in Duke TIP’s summer programs that take place at Duke University and other colleges and universities around the country.

Four inspiring women at Chabad’s annual Women’s Event

Chabad of Dallas will hold its annual Women’s Event at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 20, at Chabad of Dallas, 6710 Levelland.
Four Jewish women, Rebettzen Baila Dubrawsky, Leslee Feiwus, Sue Schwartz and Rebecca Sklaver, will share their thoughts and inspirational stories.
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $20 at JewishLifeNetwork.org or at the door for $25. Brunch is included.

Get the Blow by Blow at DJHS annual meeting

Noted Dallas Morning News columnist Steve Blow will highlight the Dallas Jewish Historical Society’s annual meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, in the Zale Auditorium at the Aaron Family JCC, 7900 Northaven Road in Dallas.
As part of the Harold A. Pollman Lecture Series, Blow’s talk, “An Offbeat History of Dallas” is sure to enlighten and entertain. Blow will speak at 7:30 p.m., following the Dallas Jewish Historical Society’s annual meeting and board installation at 7.
Blow joined The Dallas Morning News as a reporter in 1978 and has written a popular column on the Metropolitan page of The News since 1989. Before joining The News, Steve worked as a reporter at the now-departed Fort Worth Press and at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
His columns have been named the best in the state by the Dallas Press Club, the Headliners Club of Austin and the Associated Press. Both editors and readers of The Dallas Observer have named his column the best in Dallas.
Blow grew up in Tyler and received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Texas. His wife, Lori, is a teacher in Mesquite. They have two grown children — a daughter, Ali, and a son, Corey. Both are married and live and work in Dallas. He has four grandchildren.
This program is part of a continuing series graciously sponsored by Harold Pollman for the purpose of bringing to Dallas national experts on topics of interest to the Dallas Jewish community.
Admission is free and the program is open to the public. To make a reservation, lease call 214-239-7120 or e-mail emckenna@djhs.org.

Food Bank honors Temple Shalom

Temple Shalom was recently named one of The North Texas Food Bank’s (NTFB) 2012 winners of its annual “Dishing Out Gratitude” awards program.
The winners were revealed during a dinner reception April 16 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Dallas. Temple Shalom Rabbi Andrew Paley accepted the award on behalf of the synagogue.
Companies and local supporters such as the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Good Habit Media and pianist Debbie Austin helped make the event meaningful and elegant.
Recipients of the awards have shown exemplary efforts in passionately pursuing a hunger-free community. The awards were presented to individuals and corporations that have embraced and advanced NTFB’s five core values: do what needs to be done; do what is right with urgency; steward and leverage resources with integrity and in an authentic, transparent way; respect diversity of individuals, thought and viewpoints; celebrate passion for our world and the people who live in it.

Connecting Our Faiths resumes May 30

The next installment of the Connecting Our Faiths series has been slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 30 at the auditorium of Northway Christian Church, 7202 Northwest Highway. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger of the Jewish Studies Initiative of North Texas, Rev. Doug Skinner of the Northway Christian Church and Imam Yahya Abdullah from the DeSoto Islamic Center will each speak about the role of Abraham in their respective traditions.
A panel composed of Robert Hunt from the SMU Perkins School of Divinity and Newell Williams from the TCU’s Brite Divinity School will react to and comment upon the presentations of the speakers.
For further information please contact Tricia Harris at 214-808-2082 or tharris98@hotmail.com.

Celebrate Yom Yerushalyim

Don’t forget there is an amazing concert planned at  7 p.m. Sunday, May 20, at Anshai Torah, 5501 W. Parker Road in Plano in observance of Yom Yerushalyim. The concert will celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem in the Six Day War of 1967. For more info, call 972-473-7718.