Legacy residents enjoy menorah lighting

The Legacy at Preston Hollow, a family service-oriented community, celebrated the recent holiday season with a traditional menorah lighting ceremony.
More than 100 residents, their families and members of the community observed the special night with a traditional candlelighting service led by Rabbi Howard Wolk, as well as songs, prayers and refreshments.
“The menorah lighting was wonderful,” said Jerry McDonald, executive director, The Legacy at Preston Hollow. “It was heartwarming to see so many familiar faces from the community along with residents and their families enjoying the celebration.”
The Legacy at Preston Hollow, known as the Dallas Home for the Jewish Aged, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, faith-based senior living residence offering a unique continuum of care that enables residents to stay in place with assisted living, short-term rehabilitation, skilled nursing and long-term care.
Built in 2001, the community features 41 assisted living apartments, 113 skilled nursing beds and a state-of-the-art Medicare unit. The Legacy at Preston Hollow is a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. The community is open to people of all faiths. For questions regarding admissions, please call 214-363-5100 or visit www.thelegacyph.org.
The Legacy Senior Communities, Inc., parent company of The Legacy at Preston Hollow, is also the parent organization of The Legacy at Willow Bend in Plano, the only Jewish-sponsored life care retirement community in Texas. For information about The Legacy at Willow Bend, please visit www.thelegacywb.org.

JFGD offers Tri-Teen summer program to Israel and Hungary

The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas is offering a unique “Tri-Teen” program for teens this summer.
Young people, ages 15–18, can have an amazing experience at a summer camp in Budapest from July 9 to Aug. 1.
They’ll have the opportunity to travel to Israel and Budapest. The strong emotional journey will provide new Jewish friendships and a chance to expand their global perspective. It’s a positive challenge and a chance to make a difference in someone’s life.
Three groups of teens — one from Budapest, a second from the Central Area Consortium communities and a third group from Israel’s Western Galilee — will be brought together for this program. Each group will have 12 young people aged 15 to 18 (and a minimum of one chaperone).
The $3,800 fee covers all costs.
For registration or question, please contact Deborah Fisher at dfisher@jfgd.org or 214-615-5250.

Meyer Bodoff to be new DJCF head

The Dallas Jewish Community Foundation (DJCF) has announced that Meyer Bodoff has accepted the position of executive director/CEO. He will assume the position on Feb. 8.
Bodoff’s background includes many years of professional leadership in Jewish communal work, with broad experience in annual and planned giving. He spent eight years as the president of the United Jewish Community of Las Vegas, where a national award for campaign excellence was achieved several times. During his tenure, Las Vegas was defined by the UJC as “the fastest growing Jewish Federation in North America.” Prior to that, he was executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts; executive director of the Jewish Federation of Southern Maine; and executive director of the Jewish Community Center of Central New York.
He has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., and has completed graduate courses in social work, psychology and public administration.
Bodoff has a long history of leadership, management and the implementation of creative, quality, revenue-building programs in the communities where he has served. The motivation and interpersonal qualities that he displayed during his recent interview in Dallas demonstrate that he will be an excellent addition to the DJCF staff and to the community.

Kosher wine tasting at Sigel’s

A kosher wine tasting will be held at Sigel’s, 15003 Inwood Road, Addison, on Thursday, Feb. 18, 5–7 p.m.
Joe Hurliman, winemaker and enologist for Royal Wine Corporation, will lead participants through a tasting of his current vintages. Including in this tasting will be a number of wines from new estates imported and produced by Royal Wine Corp. that have never been available in Texas. Special discounted prices will be available for all of the kosher wines in stock after the tasting.
With over 20 years in the wine business, Hurliman has established his reputation as one of California’s finest winemakers. After starting his career at Edna Valley Vineyard in 1985 and including stops at Sine Qua Non and Stolpman vineyards, he spent eight years as assistant winemaker at Alban Vineyards, helping to create Alban’s legendary lineup of Rhone varietals. He now oversees production of the entire Royal Wine Corp. lineup of kosher wines.

‘Sounds to Sentences’: Learn about children’s speech development

Sheryl B. Ambers, M.S., CCC-SLP, Jewish Family Service speech-language pathologist, will present “Sounds to Sentences,” Monday, Feb. 8, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Ambers will discuss: At what ages do children usually say certain sounds or words? What is the typical timetable for speech and language development? Why do you know exactly what your child is saying, yet no one else can understand her? What are the real “red flags” in language development?
Find the answers to these and many other questions about speech and language.
Please RSVP or send questions to Sheryl Ambers, sambers@jfsdallas.org.
Jewish Family Service is located at 5402 Arapaho Road, one block east of the Dallas North Tollway. There is no charge to attend the program, and it is open to all.

Beads of opportunity: Akiba students learn and loan

Upon their return from winter break, Akiba Academy’s enterprising group of third-grade students began the industrious task of hand-beading very special keepsakes for a wonderful cause.
Picking up where last year’s third-grade classes left off, the students had already committed to designing, constructing, packaging and selling bracelets that would inspire those who wear them with “Wisdom,” “Shalom” (peace), “Be Green,” “Strength” and “Liberty.”
Teacher Lorre Degani also wanted them to explore how the dollars they raised could go farther than ever before, so she introduced to her class the concept of micro-loans.
“Last year, my students made beaded bracelets and the proceeds were sent to Uganda, since that class had been pen pals with the children in this village since kindergarten. When we decided to make bracelets this year, we explored how to make an even greater difference.”
Microfinance loans enable women in poor families — who typically live in countries where they earn less than a few dollars a day — to earn a higher income by buying and selling livestock, planting fruit-yielding trees, purchasing grinders to make and sell tortillas at the market or buying fabric to create and sell crafts. Loan repayment rates are a remarkable 98 percent. Women are able to save for the future, invest in their children’s education and raise families in healthier environments.
With the help of Akiba mom Sari Raskin, Ms. Degani invited representatives of The Chiapas Project, a nonprofit organization founded by Dallas business and civic leaders to support micro-financing programs for women in poverty, to visit the classroom and explain their organization’s goals and objectives.
“Chiapas Project emissaries Bradley and Buke did an awesome job explaining how loaning even a small amount of money can make a big difference in one woman’s life in poor areas of Mexico,” Degani said. During the presentation, students were engaged and curious, asking very insightful questions. Thankful for their own good fortune, the students embraced the approach while acquiring new knowledge of a different financing concept, happy to have found a way to truly make a difference.