By Sharon Wisch-Ray
sharonw@texasjewishpost.com

Bnai Zion honorees announced

The Bnai Zion Foundation “is in full steam ahead mode,” boasted National President David Eisenberg at a recent Bnai Zion board meeting, “as we prepare for our annual Texas Region Gala,” which will be held at the Westin Galleria on Nov. 8.
Diane Benjamin, president of the Texas Region, stated, “We anticipate a sold-out event, as this year’s honorees are extremely well respected by all who know of their many deeds of loving kindness, here in Dallas and in Israel.”
This year’s recipients of the coveted awards, according to chairman of the gala, Shirley Strauss, will be Dr. and Mrs. Hyman Tolmas, who will be the recipients of Bnai Zion’s Distinguished Humanitarian Award; Pastor Rafael Cruz, who will receive Bnai Zion’s America-Israel Friendship Award; and Anh Vo, owner of the popular “Jewish institution” known as Cindi’s NY Deli and Restaurants, who will receive Bnai Zion’s Community Service Award.

Shapiro chair-elect of Holocaust Museum board

The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance recently made two announcements about changes to its board of directors.
Former Texas State Senator Florence Shapiro has been nominated as chair-elect of the board, while Dr. Nicholas Pournader has been named as the museum’s newest board member.
“We are so pleased to welcome these new additions to our board and look forward to Senator Shapiro’s and Mr. Pournader’s leadership and insights in the continued development of our museum,” said Mary Pat Higgins, Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance president and CEO. “Their backgrounds and breadth of knowledge will be invaluable as we grow the museum and build a new permanent home.”
Prior to her service in the Texas State Senate, Senator Shapiro served on the Plano City Council for 11 years and as the mayor of Plano for two years.
She was elected to the Senate in 1993 and served until her retirement in January 2013. Throughout her career she was known as an advocate for children, whether through her chairmanship of the Senate Education Committee or her work advocating for the rights of sexual assault victims, particularly those who were children.
Today, Senator Shapiro serves on many boards including Communities Foundation of Texas, ATT Performing Arts, Simmons School of Education and Human Development at SMU and Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Engagement at University of Texas among others. The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Shapiro graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a B.S. in secondary education.
Shapiro will succeed acting Chair Stephen Waldman in 2017. Prior to being nominated as chair-elect, Shapiro served as vice president of the museum’s board since 2013.
Pournader, one of the tech and telecommunications industry’s leading strategists, is currently a managing director at Pournader & Company. He has previously served as COO and CFO at Grant & Eisenhofer, where he led the global securities litigation firm from 2003 to 2011. Prior to 2003, Pournader served as senior vice president at Oracle Corporation, Siebel Systems and SunGard. Pournader graduated with a B.A. in English and an Executive MBA from Oklahoma City University, and holds a Ph.D. in management and organization development from University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.
He is a concert violinist and fan of the arts.
For more information on the museum or its board, visit dallasholocaustmuseum.org.

Munn named Five Star Wealth Manager for 3rd straight year

Irv Munn, a Certified Financial Planner, has been named as a recipient of the 2015 Five Star Wealth Manager award.
This is the third consecutive year that Munn has received this award. Five Star Professional partnered with Texas Monthly Magazine to find wealth managers who satisfy 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria that are associated with wealth managers who provide quality services to their clients.
Fewer than 4 percent of the wealth managers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area were selected. Award winners will appear in the August issue of Texas Monthly Magazine.
Award selections for nominated wealth managers are based on satisfying the following criteria: credentialed as an investment advisory representative, a FINRA-registered representative, a CPA or a licensed attorney, actively employed as a credentialed professional in the financial services industry for a minimum of five years, favorable regulatory and complaint history review, fulfilled their firm review based on internal firm standards, and accepting new clients.
Other criteria considered are one- and five-year client retention rate, non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered, number of client households served, and education and professional designations. This award is bestowed by an independent third-party organization not affiliated with Raymond James.
Munn is the president of Munn & Morris Financial Advisors. The firm is comprised of a team of private wealth managers that help high-net-worth individuals manage and coordinate their financial affairs. Munn said, “The key to long-term growth is avoiding large losses. Our proprietary investment process incorporates a strategy to make the portfolio conservative when there is a strong indication of a significant market downturn. We also deploy tactical modifications designed to improve performance by overweighting asset classes that are currently outperforming.”
Munn received his undergraduate degree from UCLA and his master’s degree from the University of Texas. He is also a CPA, but sold his accounting firm several years ago to devote more time to financial planning. He has been a registered representative with Raymond James Financial Services for 18 years.
Munn & Morris Financial Advisors is independent of Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Securities are offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

ESPN’s Mark Elfenbein to kick off Beth Torah Men’s Club breakfast series

Mark Elfenbein, a longtime popular presence on Dallas sports talk radio, will be the guest speaker at the year’s first Beth Torah Men’s Club breakfast Sunday, Aug. 2. Elfenbein, who now works for ESPN 103.3 FM, will share his thoughts on the upcoming Cowboys season and the rest of the Dallas sports scene.
As always, the day starts with the award-winning lox-and-bagel breakfast, and the public is welcome. The breakfast starts at 9 a.m. and costs $10, $5 for students. Beth Torah is located at 720 W. Lookout Dr. in Richardson, near the crossroads of Central Expressway and Bush Turnpike.

The J invites community to try mixing flow yoga, ‘singing’ bowls, aqua-cardio pilates

Summer is here and so is the notorious Texas heat, but the fitness team at the Jewish Community Center of Dallas’ Lieberman Family Wellness Center The J is offering a new way to stay fit while keeping cool: Yoga Spa Splash. Taking place every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at 7900 Northaven Road, Yoga Spa Splash begins outdoors poolside as the sun fades away with 30 minutes of flow yoga accompanied by the sounds of “singing” crystal bowls. It’s a chance to find peace and balance at the end of a busy day before taking a plunge into the pool for 30 minutes of refreshing, heart-pumping, aqua-cardio Pilates.
“Yoga Spa Splash is a very special class designed for your mind, body and spirit,” said Terri Arends, The J’s group fitness director. “There’s a unique experience that comes from being outside practicing yoga while listening to the calming sounds of the ‘singing’ crystal bowls that pairs perfectly with getting into the water for aqua-cardio Pilates. Many of our participants have told us that it is the perfect way to shake away the stress of the day while accomplishing a very thorough full-body workout.”
The class is open to ages 14 and older. Non-members of The J are invited to try a complimentary Yoga Spa Splash class Aug. 12. 
To reserve a space for a class or for more information, please contact Terri Arends at 214-239-7137 or tarends@jccdallas.org.

BBYO invites teens to new member sign-up day

We are so fortunate that Dallas has an active BBYO presence. After taking the summer off, BBYO is ready to get back into full swing in August.
If your child is entering high school, or already in high school and not involved in BBYO, Sunday Aug. 16 is their chance to sign up. BBYO will hold its new member sign-up day at 1 p.m. for boys and 2 p.m. for girls in the BBYO wing of the Aaron Family JCC, 7900 Northaven Road.
Please allow 15 minutes for the process.
BBYO dues are $75 per year or $149 for a lifetime membership and must be paid in order to register. Dues can be paid by calling the BBYO office at 214-363-4654 or registering online at b-linked.org, or sending a check made out to BBYO to the BBYO office (7900 Northaven Rd., Dallas, TX 75230). A Medical Consent and Waiver Release must be completed and submitted to the BBYO office.
Teens are allowed to sign up with a friend or friends; however, all must be present to sign up together. They may sign up with a maximum of three friends who are not currently registered for a chapter (in other words, your child plus three friends for a total of four kids). Teens are guaranteed placement together only if all of the sign-up cards match (meaning that the names on the sign-up card match with the people presently signing up). A legacy is a person signing up to be in the same chapter as a brother/sister (who must be a current, paid member).
If your child is signing up alone and your membership dues are paid, you may call the BBYO office to sign up over the phone and you do not need to attend for the sign-up Aug. 16. Please call the BBYO office at 214-363-4654 by Aug. 12 to make arrangements to sign up.
After you have registered, Aug. 16, the chapter advisor will notify parents to give you instructions for the chapter pick-up Aug. 23.
For questions, please feel free to contact Tracy Davis Levi (tlevi@bbyo.org or 214-363-4654).