By Sharon Wisch-Ray

It is not too late to join Hadassah’s Professional Women’s Networking group from 7-9 tonight, Thursday, March 28, for its annual “Frocks and Frolics Clothes and Accessory Exchange.”
Admission is $18. You can select the same number of items you bring, or pay $5 for each item.
This is a fundraiser and all the money collected will go to Hadassah. The location is at a private residence in the Coit and Campbell area. Call the Hadassah office, 214-691-1948, with your RSVP, and you will be advised of the exact address.

Temple Shalom to honor Elaine Wolff

The Temple Shalom Sisterhood will honor Elaine Wolff as the 2013 Woman of Valor.
A native Texan from Houston who has spent most of her life in Dallas, Elaine’s smile and southern hospitality are just a few of the traits that make others feel so welcome around her.
Elaine represents all that exemplifies this honor with a spirit of volunteerism that has included being one of the founding members of sisterhood, chairing many of the committees, and currently serving as a sisterhood director. Another title she holds is Lifeline member of the YES Fund (Youth Education and Special Projects) of the Women of Reform Judaism.
Elaine’s devotion to Temple Shalom is shared with her husband, Ron, as they were among the founding members of the synagogue. She and Ron also chaired the synagogue’s High Holy Days food drive for five straight years.
Her family includes son Blake, daughter-in-law Michele and daughter Shawn. When Elaine’s children went to college, she also returned to school and earned a degree in finance that she used for many years.
Now retired and the proud grandmother of Jared and Ethan, she enjoys reading, mah jongg, working out, doing crossword puzzles and watching HGTV. She still finds time to volunteer for sisterhood and Temple Shalom activities, and you can often see her smiling behind the counter at the Traditions gift shop.
Elaine will be honored from 6-9 p.m. Sunday, April 21 at Temple Shalom Sisterhood’s annual spring event. The event, with the theme “Comedy and Cocktails” and including dinner and drinks, will benefit Women of the Wall and Patriot Paws.
For information, call Keo Strull at 214-662-4720.

Beverly Tobian among three to receive 2013 Maura Award

Beverly Tobian is among three women who will receive the 2013 Maura Women Helping Women Awards at Dallas Women’s Foundation’s Leadership Forum & Awards Dinner, presented by AT&T.
The event, also featuring nationally recognized business leader Linda G. Alvarado as keynote speaker, will begin with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18 at the Omni Dallas Hotel.
The Maura Awards recognize women who lead the way in improving lives for women and girls in North Texas. Tobian is being recognized as an activist for quality of life among the community’s most vulnerable women. She is the founder and chair of the Women’s Council Health and Human Services Coalition. She has helped raise awareness of quality of life issues among city council members and has positively impacted housing, transportation and health policy.
She has been an advocate for women at all stages and socio-economic levels, especially the most vulnerable — survivors of domestic violence, prostitutes and the elderly — through her work with The Family Place, the New Life Prostitution Diversion Initiative, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Older Women’s League–Dallas, among many others.
Other Maura Award recipients will be Clare Buie Chaney, women’s history advocate and community volunteer, and Melendy Lovett, champion of STEM education and mentorship for girls. The foundation will present its inaugural Young Leader Award — which recognizes women under the age of 40 whose breakthrough leadership is creating a path of opportunity for other women to follow — to Veronica Torres, an organizer and advocate for Latina women’s health and professional advancement.
The Women Helping Women Awards were first presented in 1978 by the Women’s Center of Dallas, and were later hosted by SMU and the Women’s Museum before moving to Dallas Women’s Foundation this year. The awards were renamed the Maura Women Helping Women Awards in 1995 to honor Maura McNiel, the founding president of the Women’s Center.
For table and ticket information, visit www.DallasWomensFoundation.org or call 214-525-5314.

News and notes

Mazel tov to Rabbi David Singer of Congregation Shearith Israel who was named to the Forward’s list of the 36 most inspiring rabbis. Rabbi Singer, new to Shearith this year, was named for the development of the innovative Makom program, which has inspired young adults to celebrate Shabbat out in the Dallas community.
Speaking of local rabbis in the news, Temple Emanu-El Senior Rabbi David Stern will be the scholar in Residence on an American Jewish World Service trip to Nicaragua from June 16-23. Cost of the trip is $2,600, and it sounds pretty amazing.
According the AJWS website, participants will travel from the colonial capital of Managua to the forested hills of Matagalpa and will meet AJWS grantees working to empower communities whose rights were eclipsed by decades of authoritarian rule and conflict.
“These inspiring activists are building Nicaragua’s civil society from the ground up, demanding a future of peace and equality,” the website stated. “Throughout the journey, we will engage in dialogue with local leaders and intellectuals, who will offer insight into the unique challenge of securing human rights in this complex land.”
For information about the trip, visit ajws.org.