Chili cookoff awards $1500 to Yavneh’s S.A.T.
Yavneh Academy of Dallas’ Students Against Terrorism is the recipient of a $1500 award by the Tiferet Israel Kosher Chili Cookoff. Event co-chairs Jay Abrams, Diane Benjamin, and Janet Bubis, presented the award to Students Against Terrorism president, Aaron Liener, and the organization’s Points for Peace Basketball Tournament president, Brittney Herson, at Yavneh’s May 17 commencement ceremony. In presenting the donation, Benjamin cited the organization’s commitment to community, to Israel, and to leadership. S.A.T. has raised over $350,000 in the past seven years, supporting children and adults whose lives have been changed due to acts of terrorism.
The student-run organization, started in 2002, has made donations to programs including Camp Koby, a camp for children; purchased half of a Magen David Adom ambulance (the Dallas Jewish Community contributed the other half), and given monies to the Malki Foundation which is dedicated to providing special care for disabled youth.
For more information about Students Against Terrorism, or other Yavneh programs, contact 214-295-3500 or e-mail info@yavnehdallas.org

Beth Torah Men’s Club elects officers for ’09-2010 year
Well-known Dallasite Mike Precker is the new president of Congregation Beth Torah’s Men’s Club. Elected Vice Presidents are: Alan Hoffman, President Elect; Alan Koenigsberg, Membership and Programs, Michael Carr. Others are Secretary, David Mandell; Treasurer, Stanton Zeff and Immediate Past President, Rusty Dworkin.
In the past year, the CBT Men’s Club increased its membership to 100 and won the Quality Club Award from the national Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs for its breadth of service projects and programming for the synagogue and the wider community.
“Our goals are simply to continue this great legacy —  and to hang out together more often,” Precker said.
Iliza Shlesinger to appear at Addison Improv
Iliza Shlesinger winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2008 will appear at the Addison Improv the weekend of June 19th. A former Greenhill graduate from Dallas, she currently resides in Los Angeles. She’s the daughter of Barbara and Fred Shlesinger and Ronnie and Randy Antik.

Nurse follows in founder’s tradition
Barbara Moses, a registered nurse, has taken over the reigns of the Dallas Chapter of Hadassah, having been elected its current President. She follows in the footsteps of Hadassah’s founder, Henrietta Szold, who was a nurse as well. Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, was founded in 1912. The current National President of Hadassah, Nancy Falchuk, is also a registered nurse.
Ms. Moses was employed at UT Southwestern for 20 years. In her most recent position there, she was Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine.
In 2001, Ms. Moses was selected, along with 14 other local women, to participate in the Hadassah Leadership Academy (HLA), a unique program developed by the National Organization of Hadassah, to prepare new leadership. Five other members from the same HLA class are either serving on the 2009-2010 Board of the Dallas Chapter or in other responsible positions.
Having lost three full-time staff members and its office in the wake of the Bernie Madoff scandal, the Dallas
Chapter of Hadassah has landed on its feet. An anonymous donor is providing the rent for their new office, located at Hillcrest and Arapaho, near the Albertson’s (6959 Arapaho Rd., Suite 571).
In her acceptance speech, Ms. Moses quoted Michelle Obama’s exhortation to the graduating class at Merced University – “Dream Big.” “And you should, too!” Barbara told the Hadassah membership, “After all, you have Moses now at the helm to lead the Chapter to the Promised Land.”
Learn effective coping strategies to deal with tough economy
A Free Workshop, “A Leap of Action, Shearith Israel’s Response to the Economic Crisis, will be held on Wednesday, June 17, 6:00 p.m. at the CSI Douglas location
Theme of the workshop is “Claim YOUR Visibility: Now is the Time Not to Hide, but to Make YOUR Mark.”
Those attending will learn some practical as well as cost-effective strategies to help raise your visibility when you can’t see the “Pot of Gold” at the end of the Rainbow. You can take an uncertain time in your life and turn your dreams and passion into fruitful and prosperous experiences. Come prepared to share your ideas and get some on the spot coaching to propel yourself or your business to the next level.
The Leap of Action Series is a response to these uncertain and trying economic times. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught that Judaism does not take a leap of faith, but rather a leap of action. May our collective Leap of Action bring our community closer together and provide needed support in the coming months.
Congregation Shearith Israel is at 9401 Douglas Ave, 75225 (enter the doors facing Walnut Hill Lane.)
This program is free and open to the community but reservations are required as space is limited. Contact Jo Reingold at jreingold@shearith.org or 214-361-6606.
Online auction benefitting the Samaritan Inn, led by Beth Torah bar mitzvah student Evan Katz
For his mitzvah project, Evan Katz is helping the homeless through a donation drive benefitting the Samaritan Inn. Evan is raising money and gathering paper products, gift cards, and volunteers for The Samaritan Inn through local events and an online auction that runs May through June 2009. The Samaritan Inn, established in 1984, is the only homeless shelter in Collin County, Texas. With the financial crisis going on in America’s economy, housing values are plummeting, and more and more people are losing their jobs and homes. The Samaritan Inn is a special place that not only shelters the homeless, but also provides a comprehensive program that helps people obtain jobs, get back into the real world, regain housing, and engage in their own lives.
Residents mostly come to The Samaritan Inn by referral, and have to apply for acceptance into the shelter by passing a drug test. Throughout the course of one to three months, staff members assist the residents work through an individual action plan to gain new skills and independence. These vocational skills help them in their career search. The Samaritan Inn provides three meals a day, personal hygiene products and facilities, clothing if necessary, and use of the computer lab. With over 130 residents weekly, costs to accommodate these residents can definitely add up.
Evan’s goal is to raise $2,000 for the shelter and help the homeless rebuild their lives. In order to reach his goal, Evan needs your help! To find out more information about the online auction or to bid on one of the many items, please visit the website at www.auctionfortheinn.com. For additional information on what you can do to help Evan achieve his goal, please contact him at auctionfortheinn@verizon.net.

Zales new store opening to benefit Autism Speaks
Zales, a leading specialty retailer of diamonds and other jewelry, announces the grand opening of its new store at NorthPark Center by supporting Stephanie’s Day and Autism Speaks.
To commemorate the new store opening, Zales is partnering with Stephanie’s Day, a resource fair at NorthPark Center for children with special needs. Stephanie’s Day was created by CBS 11/TXA 21 President and General Manager Steve Mauldin, whose daughter Stephanie has autism. The goal of Stephanie’s Day is to provide resources for children afflicted with disorders such as autism to reach their full potential.
In honor of Stephanie Mauldin, Zales will be donating a portion of proceeds from sales June 11 – June 14 to the Dallas chapter of Autism Speaks.
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person’s lifetime. One in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person’s ability to communicate and relate to others, and is associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines.
Zales is passionate about helping Autism Speaks find treatments for this condition. The money raised through this effort will support the Dallas chapter of Autism Speaks’ efforts to increase awareness of autism spectrum disorders; fund research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism; and advocate for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.