Mazel tov, Aarona!
Aarona Cohen Berger, surrounded by her family and close friends, celebrated her 104th birthday on Wednesday, June 17! Everyone enjoyed the festivities, highlighted by bingo games expertly called out by Sam Mandelbaum. Aarona had a smile on her face from beginning to end as she clapped along with Eli Davidsohn, who performed an absolutely marvelous musical program. Rabbi Aryeh Rodin of Congregation Ohev Shalom spoke with wisdom as he reminded us all to make every day count in our lives by living with joy.
Aarona was born in Cleburne, Texas on June 17, 1905, the youngest child of Jake and Lena Cohen. Her brothers Mark Cohen, Dave Cohen and Melvin Cohen and sister Dorene Cohen Firnberg, all now deceased, adored her. While Aarona and her late husband, Sam, who passed away in 1973, had no children, she was blessed with a large family of loving nieces and nephews including Selma and John Tauben, Ducky and Bob Firnberg, Felice and Aaron Cohen, Billy Cohen and Mickey Cohen, all now deceased. “Aunt Aarona was always there for us helping with our weddings and doing whatever was needed to help make our lives happier,” said her niece Hanki.
Aunt Aarona continues to be an inspiration to her family and close friends including Miriam and Maury Karp, son Alan and Cheryl Karp and children Laura and David of El Paso; Hanki and Lane Harris; Susan Cohen Wright, daughter Liz and Ed Bowen and son Justin Aaron of Colorado Springs along with Susan’s daughter Alysha Coger of Kansas City; Linda Firnberg of Seattle; Lita and Jak Firnberg of the Philippines; LaVerne Cohen; Sandy and Jerry Dodson and sons Greg and Eric of Houston; Morris Tauben, Sandy and Mark Kaman, Jan and Bob Woerner and daughter Haley, Denise and Sheldon Tauben and children Laurel, Josh, and Trenton, all of Dallas; and Daniel Kaman, Michelle and Adam Kaman, all of Chicago, along with close friends Betty and Mason Miller and daughter Laura and sons, Penny Weiner and daughter Sarah, Carol and Royal Brin, and Sarah Yarrin, all of Dallas, Janice Brin of Mexico and Renee Miller Gielewski of Pittsburgh as well as the residents, staff and volunteers of Golden Acres.
Aarona relates the secret of her long life: dark chocolate, exercise and living each day knowing that she is in this world as long as G-d deems it to be so. She is an amazingly wise woman loved by all who know her. We all wish Aarona much happiness in the days to come all the way to 120!

Added congratulations
Joshua Aiden Hill, son of Selwyn and Katy Hill, received a medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas on June 4.
A graduate of Richardson High School, Dr. Hill received a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from UT-Austin. He plans to pursue a career in internal medicine and has accepted a residency position at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School in Boston in 2005.
UT Southwestern Medical School is part of UT Southwestern Medical Center, which is ranked among the nation’s top academic medical centers for its education, research and patient care.
Jaclyn Friedman of Dallas, daughter of Lawrence J. Friedman and Beverly A. Friedman, both of Dallas, received a Bachelor of Arts from Emory College of Emory University in Atlanta at its 164th commencement ceremony on May 11.

On the business scene
Harlan Davis was the runner-up Rookie of the Year for the Dallas Business Journal’s 2008 Heavy Hitters issue. The Rookie of the Year commercial real estate award is given to those within their first three years in the business. It is awarded on a combination of the volume of deals done during the year and the transaction value of all of the deals done during the course of the year. Harlan’s team’s “top” deal in 2008 was the relocation of Tenet Healthcare from Far North Dallas to Downtown Dallas for 165,000 square feet (Tenet will occupy space in the fourth quarter of 2009).
His proud parents are Eddie and Debbie Davis.
After attending the University of Kansas for four years, Harlan started working for CB Richard Ellis in July 2007 right out of college to focus on tenant representation.
Your opinions are wanted!
The Dallas chapter of a nationally recognized women’s not-for-profit organization is currently engaged in a long-range planning process as it seeks to position itself for growth and dynamism in the future. The organization is conducting research to better understand the membership and philanthropic trends of the local Jewish community.
This organization wants your opinion! Participants must be Jewish women living in the DFW Metroplex. The research format consists of a 90-minute group discussion on the evening of July 9, with Michael Egan of the Dallas Marketing Group conducting the focus groups. All opinions are strictly confidential and will remain anonymous; personal information will be used exclusively for market research.
To learn more and find out if you quality for participation, please call 972-930-9725 to complete a brief questionnaire, or e-mail rhendy5@earthlink.net and you will be contacted.
Barry ‘Bazza’ Wernick and Matthew Spradlin co-author comic book
Dallas natives Barry “Bazza” Wernick and Matthew Spradlin will be at Zeuss Comics, 4412 Lemmon Ave., next Wednesday, July 8, from noon until closing to debut their new comic book, “Bad Kids Go to Hell.” The dynamic duo’s first comic book franchise has already been named the staff pick by Diamond Comics’ monthly trade magazine Previews, and more recently received rave reviews in a full page write-up in the definitive magazine of the horror genre, Rue Morgue.
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