Dr. Joel Roffman will be guest at Congregation Beth Torah Men’s Club breakfast
Dr. Joel Roffman, co-author of the new book “Coping with Adversity: Judaism’s Response to Illness and Other Life Struggles,” will be the guest at the Beth Torah Men’s Club Sunday breakfast on March 8. Dr. Roffman, a cardiologist in Richardson, collaborated with Rabbi Gordon Fuller, combining medical experience with Judaic knowledge for an important new book drawing on the practical wisdom of ancient Jewish teachings and scripture to help people of all faiths.
The Cleveland Jewish News recently said the book’s “combination of medical and theological advice works beautifully as a holistic approach to adversity.” Arthur Kurzweil, author of “Kabbalah for Dummies” and “The Torah for Dummies,” said “Coping with Adversity” is “filled with profound wisdom … It’s not just another book. It is a book that can be transformative.”
The public is welcome at the monthly lox-and-bagel breakfast, which begins at 9 a.m. at Beth Torah, 720 W. Lookout Drive in Richardson. The cost is $10, or $7 for Men’s Club members.
Harriet Gross to speak at Herzl Hadassah, Wed., March 11
Popular TJP columnist and book reviewer Harriet Gross will review “Conversations With My Grandchildren” by Marion Montney at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 11 for the Herzl Hadassah Annual Life Saver Luncheon at the Classic Residence, 5455 La Sierra Drive.
A delicious salmon lunch and super raffle round out the morning. Lunch is $15; raffle tickets are $1 each or six for $5. All proceeds benefit Hadassah Hospital, Jerusalem.
Reservations are a must! Call Rose Biderman, 214-363-1911.
Students to visit Argentinean Jewish community
This spring, 30 students from UNT, UT-Austin and University of Houston Hillels will travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to learn about the Argentinean Jewish community and help mitigate the effects of the recent economic crisis. This trip is part of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s relief initiatives in Latin America.
Each student will bring a duffel bag full of donations for the Baby Help Center. The Baby Help Center provides supplies, day care, medical services and critical care to babies ages 0–3 years and their families.
Donations of diapers, pacifiers, bottles, toys, clothes, blankets, formula and wipes can be dropped off at Natalie’s Kitchen, Campbell and Hillcrest (a box is available next to the entrance) or Tiferet Israel, Royal and Hillcrest (a box has been placed near the door by the small sanctuary).
Please direct any questions to Morgan Dawer, mdawer@mail.utexas.edu.
Dallas helps build ICU at
Meir Medical Center in Israel
The Dallas Jewish community continues its partnership with Meir Medical Center when its CEO, Dr. Asher Elhayany, and head of its ICU, Dr. Brian Fredman, speak in the Dallas home of Dot and Basil Hayman on Thursday, March 12.
Two years ago Meir Medical Center embarked on a campaign to expand and upgrade its intensive care unit. The Dallas community played a tremendous role in this $2.5 million campaign. The new wing will have eight patient rooms, two isolation rooms, three offices and a family waiting room.
Currently the hospital has only six ICU beds, which means that every day there are people who can’t receive the care they need to save their lives. Since there is a shortage of ICU beds in other hospitals as well, it is often not possible to find a solution for those who need critical care. Every day, lives are in jeopardy because of the lack of intensive care unit beds.
On the eve of the recent Israeli war in Gaza, a local businessman, Steve Collis, who is the chair of American Friends of Meir Medical Center, visited Meir Medical Center with his wife Toni, daughter Michala and friends, all of whom were there to celebrate Michala’s bat mitzvah. Recently Mr. Collis reflected, “For me, personally, it was most exciting to see the footprint of the new ICU that we have all worked hard to help update and modernize. It was explained to us that by instituting this new ICU, hundreds of lives could be saved in the first year alone and potentially thousands in the future.”
While American Friends of Meir Medical Center has members throughout the United States, Dallas has a large contingency of leadership, including Steve and Toni Collis, Sandy Haymann Marks, Dot and Basil Hayman, Daniel Witheiler, Linda Behr, Bruce Feldman and Diane Roth.
Located in Kfar Saba, Meir Medical Center cares for over 600,000 Israeli citizens — roughly 10 percent of the country’s population. It is one of the seven largest hospitals in Israel with almost 800 beds. It is located in central Israel on a major highway system and thus receives many injured in car accidents as well as victims of various forms of violence. In addition to being a full-service hospital performing surgery and treating people with severe illness, it is also considered to be the main treatment center for trauma due to war and terror attacks.