By Linda Wisch-Davidsohn

Good wishes to Jewish social media powerhouse Susanne Goldstone Rosenhouse, who was honored with the Leslie Nelkin Special Service Award at NJOP’s (formerly the National Jewish Outreach Program) 20th annual dinner, Feb. 11, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. This award is given to Jewish engagement practitioners who have made exceptional contributions to their field. An NJOP team member since 2004, Rosenhouse is currently the NJOP social media coordinator and the driving force behind NJOP’s highly influential social media platforms @JewishTweets/JewishTreats.
In March, she will be moderating a core conversation at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, entitled “Is Facebook Making Houses of Worship Go Extinct?” The discussion plans to cover how social media has changed the role of the religious meeting place. It will also examine how communal religious spaces are needing to adapt to be more than just the physical space people come to pray, but to also be places that foster connections and relationships in new, innovative and experiential ways. She is also currently working toward a certificate in Experiential Jewish Education at Yeshiva University.
Rosenhouse works remotely from Dallas where she lives with her husband Evan and daughter Rebecca Noa, a fifth generation Dallasite.

Camp scholarships available through DJCF

The Dallas Jewish Community Foundation is here to help individuals at every stage of life — even those hoping to attend Jewish summer camp. The Essie and Reuben Rosenbloom Jewish Overnight Camping Fund of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation was established to provide scholarships for children and teens in the Dallas/Fort Worth Jewish community who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend Jewish camps. These scholarships are based solely on financial need, covering partial to full camp costs. All applicant information will remain strictly confidential.
The summer camp scholarship applications are now available for Summer 2014 — please visit www.djcf.org for more information. Applications are due no later than March 29, 2014.
For questions, contact Marna Edenson at medenson@djcf.org or 214-615-5278.

Jewish-Latino Alliance workshop scheduled

The Jewish-Latino Alliance of AJC will host a workshop from 1-4 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 23 at the Aaron Family JCC, 7900 Northaven Road. This workshop, called “Bridging America-Diverse Roots and Common Ground,” gives Jewish and Latino community leaders the chance to meet informally and find ways to help one another on issues ranging from immigration reform to overcoming stereotypes.
This is particularly important in Texas where Latinos number close to 40 percent of the population, or to put it in “Jewish terms,” Latinos in Texas outnumber Jews in Israel. Therefore, it is imperative for the American Jewish community to build a relationship now with this segment of the population.
The program is based on a curriculum used nationwide and will be facilitated by Meyer Denn, director of the Federation’s Center for Jewish Education; Ann Schaffer, director of AJC’s Belfer Center for American Pluralism; and David Ayon, senior fellow at Center for the Study of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University.

Tiferet Israel’s annual Chili Cookoff adds Medical City Dallas as new partner

I can almost smell the myriad aromas in the air — and know that Tiferet Israel’s Chili Cookoff is coming soon, March 30 to be exact. I heard it through the grapevine that Tiferet Israel is proud to have Medical City Dallas as a sponsoring partner for the Dallas Kosher Chili Cookoff.

Talented young Arab and Israeli artists bridge the divide through the power of music

The Dallas Polyphony concert is part of a multi city tour in the U.S. featuring two youth string quartets. Each quartet consists of two Arab and two Jewish student musicians. David Broza, an Israeli singer songwriter and a strong supporter of Polyphony, will play along with the student musicians. Broza’s appearance with this group is exclusive to Dallas. The concert will be held at 8 p.m., Thursday, March 6 in the Caruth Auditorium at SMU’s Owens Art Center, 6101 Bishop Blvd.
Polyphony is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to bridge the divide between Arab and Jewish communities in Israel by creating a common ground where young people come together around classical music. It uses the language of music to create the harmony of possibility. The programs supported by the Polyphony Foundation currently reach more than 4,000 Arab and Jewish young people and provide training and employment for more than 40 faculty and teachers.
Polyphony’s Foundations’ Co-Founder and Director of Programming Nabeel Abboud-Ashkar, received the Yoko Ono Lennon Courage Award for the Arts in 2012 for his work with the Polyphony Foundation.
Dallas program Chairs, Betty Jo and David Bell and Rabbi Nancy Kasten, believe that bringing this group to Dallas offers our community a different and inspiring picture of Arab-Jewish relations in Israel.
As of Jan. 29, 2014 community partners include: Aaron Family Jewish Community Center, Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts, Shirley Kasten Memorial Fund, Temple Emanu-El Music Committee and Wilshire Baptist Church.
For information about sponsorships and partnerships contact nkasten75229@yahoo.com or betbell@swbell.net. Tickets are $40 and can be ordered at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/570379