Prepare for Jewish life after high school

A new series, “Are Jew Ready? Life Beyond High School,” will start next week. The program is geared toward Jewish high school students and parents in the Dallas area to prepare them for life after high school. 

StandWithUs and the Jewish Student Union of Dallas will collaborate to provide 11th-12th graders with a two-part series to educate teens about antisemitism. “The first step in combating antisemitism, as we all know, is educating people on the facts,” said Leah Weisglass, president of Dallas NCSY, Plano West Jewish Student Union and a StandWithUs Kenneth Leventhal High School intern.

The first installment is from 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30, at DATA of Plano, 3251 Independence Pkwy. StandWithUs Southwest High School Coordinator Sharon Basch will present “Israel 101” — a brief history of ancient and modern Israel and the Jewish people. This event is open to teens and their parents. 

The second part of this series, “Judaism Beyond High School,” is a class to prepare teens intellectually and spiritually for life beyond high school and will be led by Rabbi Nesanya Zakon from 7 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6. This event will be held at DATA of Plano and is open to teens and their parents. 

Teens who attend both sessions will receive an “Antisemitism Training Certificate” from StandWithUs and NCSY. Registration costs $15 for the series; to register, please visit https://bit.ly/3G2gijU by Jan. 27.

In addition to the two-part series, NCSY will lead a Shabbaton to Austin Feb. 11-13. Early bird cost for the Shabbaton is $150; after Jan. 31, cost is $199. To register visit, https://bit.ly/3KQFgXg.

For more information about NCSY or Jewish Student Union, contact Rabbi Michel Lomner at michellomner@ncsy.org.

Dallasites participate on Chai Lifeline team for Miami Marathon

As Risa Solomon gets ready to lace up for the Miami Marathon, she will be thinking about all the families that are helped by Chai Lifeline. “I must admit it is quite a challenge to go out there and train for a minimum of three months,” the Dallas resident said. “Every year when I sign up for the race — this will be my 11th with Team Lifeline — I think about the challenge of training, but I still sign up, knowing that my fundraising will help put a smile on the children of Chai Lifeline.”

Risa is not alone, and will be joining the largest organized team in the upcoming Feb. 6 Miami Marathon. Team Lifeline is a delegation of 420 runners from around the country who are passionate about helping children with life-threatening or lifelong illness. The team supports Chai Lifeline, an international children’s health organization that provides social, emotional and financial services to families whose lives have been altered by their diagnoses.

Unfortunately, due to a recent leg injury, 16-year-old Rachel Herskovitz won’t be able to complete her first marathon run with Team Lifeline this year. “I’m beyond disappointed by this turn of events but still feel very honored to be involved in the efforts since I’ve already done all the training and raised the money for the organization,” she said.

Also running from Dallas are Miriam Cassius and Avigayil Quinn.

Donations to the Dallas runners pages can be made at
https://www.teamlifeline.org/miami22/RisaSolomon
https://www.teamlifeline.org/miami22/Rechie
https://www.teamlifeline.org/miami22/miriamcassius
https://www.teamlifeline.org/miami22/AvigayilQuinn

News and notes

The North Texas Jewish Democratic Council will co-sponsor a Democratic Primary Forum at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6, at the Hilton Richardson Hotel, 701 E. Campbell Road in Richardson. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. Democratic candidates for federal, state and local office will be present. Other sponsors of the event are North Dallas Texas Democratic Women, Far North Dallas Richardson Democrats and Women of Dallas United for Action. To RSVP, visit bit.ly/primaryforum.