Just in time for Hanukkah, Ken Horwitz publishes cookbook

Local attorney Ken Horwitz recently published “Deep Flavors: A Celebration of Recipes for Foodies in a Kosher Style.” He will be signing copies from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, at Central Market at Coit and George Bush in Plano.
Horwitz’ kosher-style cookbook celebrates the joy of cooking and eating with everything from appetizers and soups to mouth-watering desserts in traditional Jewish dishes, non-Jewish ethnic, vegetarian and American regional fare. The author combines his hunger for cooking with his passion for making international and regional favorites with the goal to create recipes that are easy to read and easily followed by anyone with a basic knowledge of cooking.
His award-winning Spinach/Mushroom Lasagna is a completely vegetarian dish accessible to Jews, vegetarians and foodies, with a unique twist on ingredients that gives it a complex flavor profile. Classic foods like brisket and roast turkey take on a whole new flavor with newly imagined taste combinations, yet manage to maintain recognizable features of each dish.
The Beet Borscht, a family recipe from Horwitz’s grandmother, is somewhat unusual in that it is vegetarian. “A non-Jewish friend almost refused to eat it because he does not like beets; he had a third helping that evening,” Horwitz shared. “Too many existing recipes, whether online or in print, leave out critical stages or ingredients, assuming that the reader will instinctively know what to do next,” he added.
Author Ken Horwitz has spent 51 years as a CPA and lawyer in a general tax and transaction practice, where he developed a creative and focused approach to finding and fixing problems — a skill that translates well to the development and modification of recipes based on traditional (and nontraditional) family favorites.
His professional drive and the care given to his work have earned him multiple awards, including the Honorary Fellow for a lifetime of distinguished service and the 2017 Chairperson of the Year by the Texas Society of CPAs. Currently residing in Dallas, Horwitz enjoys sharing his passion for cooking with his wife and his children’s families. Horwitz believes that one of the highest compliments he has received came from a longstanding client who uses numerous lawyers. He said, “Ken, you are the only lawyer we use whose work we have not had to fix.” Horwitz’s goal is for “Deep Flavors” to reach that same standard.
“Deep Flavors” is available on Amazon for $39.95 for the hardcover or $9.99 for the Kindle edition. To learn more, visit www.deepflavorscookbook.com.

DJCF college and camp scholarship applications open

The Dallas Jewish Community Foundation awards more than 50 college scholarships each year based on financial need, academic merit, involvement in extracurricular activities and/or community service. Anyone that will be a full-time college or post-grad student next school year (2020-2021) is encouraged to apply. While the Foundation has offered these scholarships for many years, there are new specialty scholarships this year: a scholarship for a student who is visually impaired, one for a student who is majoring in theater or musical theater and another for a student born in Israel or who has at least one parent who was.
The average scholarship award is $2,700 and most are for studying at the college or university of the recipient’s choice. In addition to these new scholarships, the Foundations also awards for fields in medicine, law, education, fashion merchandising and Jewish studies. There are scholarships for studying in a yeshiva and in Israel. These are for students studying full-time at the undergraduate and graduate level.
Even with so many scholarships the DJCF makes it simple to apply. All applicants complete just a single application to be considered. The application is then automatically matched with those scholarships with which it meets the criteria.
The Essie and Reuben Rosenbloom Jewish Overnight Camping Fund of the DJCF is a need-based scholarship available to assist Dallas Jewish children entering grades 3-8 in the fall of 2020 who otherwise would not have an opportunity to attend Jewish overnight camps. Since the creation of this fund, more than 300 campers from Dallas, Denton and Collin counties have been able to attend camp.
A unique feature of this scholarship fund is that both the applicants AND the review committee are anonymous, meaning the committee reviews the applications after all personal information has been redacted and members of the committee are known only by a select group of DJCF staff members. Even the DJCF chairman of the board does not know who the committee members are. This high level of confidentiality is to ensure the families can maintain their pride while requesting scholarship assistance.
To be eligible to apply for a scholarship, a family must demonstrate financial need and the eligible camp must be a nonprofit overnight residential camp affiliated with a Jewish organization in the United States. The DJCF welcomes all applicants who fit the need, age criteria and eligibility requirement. Repeat applicants will be considered, with priority given to first-time campers. The application will close March 3, with notification in early April. For the application and more information visit www.djcf.org.

Temple Shalom announces 2020 WOV honoree

On Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019, Temple Shalom Sisterhood hosted its annual Paid Up Membership Dinner, co-chaired by Julie Gothard and Lauren Green and catered by Zoe’s Kitchen. More than 125 attendees heard featured speaker Mary Pat Higgins, president and CEO of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, speak about “Humanity — Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” and the new downtown museum. At the conclusion of Higgins’ presentation, Temple Shalom Sisterhood presented her with a donation to the Museum Experience Fund. This fund, originally initiated by Temple Shalom member Ken Glaser, pays the expenses (admission and transportation to the Museum) for economically disadvantaged students.
A highlight of the evening was the announcement of Sisterhood’s 2020 Woman of Valor (WOV). Much to her surprise, Event Co-chair Julie Gothard was named as this year’s honoree. Julie is a past Sisterhood co-president, is a past Temple Shalom Connections Council co-chair, serves on the Jewish Family Service (JFS) executive committee, and is currently co-chairing the JFS 2020 Woman to Woman event. She has been a member of the Greene Family Camp Committee for many years. Julie shares her passion for serving the community with her husband Dr. Sander Gothard; together they co-chaired the 2018 AIPAC Dallas Annual Event.
Plans are in the works for Sisterhood’s 31st Annual Spring Event/Woman of Valor Celebration on April 5. For more information, contact WOV Chair Kim Kort at kimberlykort@gmail.com.