Temple Shalom Sisterhood

We are the Sisters of Shalom.
Working together for Sisterhood, Spirituality, and Social Good.

Sisterhood is a great place to cultivate friendships while enjoying study, worship, advocacy, and social events. Your participation provides assistance to our Temple, our youth, and the community.

We welcome Sisters of all ages, backgrounds, and in all stages of life.  Whether you have just graduated college, have small children at home, work full-time, have retired, or something in between, there is something magical about women supporting women, sharing their knowledge, and offering their friendship and counsel. We are women on a mission to inspire the women of Temple Shalom Dallas to build enduring relationships with Torah, Reform Judaism, and each other through education, service, and support to the Temple and the broader community.  We are women who study together, play and laugh together, worship together, and work together toward the goals of Tikkun Olam – making the world a better place. And, we’d love to have you join us. 

Have a question? Email our Sisterhood President:  Alice Rosen at alicerosen@hotmail.com.

Go to Sisterhood’s Upcoming Events to see what’s coming up! 

Click HERE or scan the QR code below to be directed to our membership registration page. 


Temple Shalom Sisterhood Executive Board
To find a Sisterhood Board member click here: Sisterhood Board 2023-25.

History of Temple Shalom’s Sisterhood
Click HERE to learn about our history, including how we’ve changed and grown over the years.   You can also find our current By-Laws here. 

2023-24 Sisterhood board members: Ilene Zidow, Laney Arndt, Alice Rosen, Robyn Klein, Reesa Portnoy, Laurel Fisher, Brenda Butnick, Linda Widman, Ann Weintraub, Kassandra Sturgess, Robyn Carafiol

HEAL THE WORLD – JUST SAY YES

On March 10, 2024, over 100 people from Sisterhoods from across the DFW area came together at Temple Shalom to support WRJ’s (Women of Reform Judaism) YES Fund.  Everyone enjoyed the refreshments as well as musical entertainment from the marvelous Kay and Kent Ellingson.  We were joined by Shari Schulner, WRJ Director of Philanthropy and Phyllis Strasberg, WRJ Southwest President, who shared the importance of the YES Fund in supporting camps, cantorial and rabbinical students, Diversity and Inclusion as well as special projects around the world.  Together our Sisterhoods raised over $5,000 for this important fund.  Our special guest speaker was Gabrielle Merrill who spoke eloquently about being in Israel as an exchange student on October 7th.  How frightening that must have been!

 


Jacquie Schwitzer, Gabrielle Merrill, Shari Schulner, Phyllis Strasberg

 

Meet our 2024 Women of Valor – Laney Arndt and Chris Harris

Chris and Laney have both been in Sisterhood for many years, never seeking the limelight, yet they both have made so many significant contributions to Sisterhood and to Temple Shalom in their own unique way.

Chris moved to Dallas with her husband and two daughters in 1990 and joined Temple Shalom in 1993, where Chris always says she found her ‘Jewish Family’. In Dallas, Chris immersed herself in volunteer activities. Using her nursing skills Chris did lice checks at RISD Academy for Camp Hooray (sponsored by Sisterhood) for years and was a camp nurse at other local day camps. For Sisterhood, she ran the annual Sisterhood Garage Sale. Chris has the official duty of being the Temple Shalom Kitchen Manager.  Chris has managed and set up the Friday night Oneg Shabbat for decades. She also hosts many functions for Sisterhood in her home, including the Sisterhood Hanukkah party. Chris helps plan the Sisterhood gourmet dinner/lunches, as well as the Chai House/Temple Shalom dinners, including the CHAI Hanukkah party. Any food preparation that the Temple does for its members, Chris is an intricate part of it. She also coordinates the volunteers for the Temple Golf Tournament.  Dennis Eichelbaum gave Chris the Volunteer of the Year Award calling her “Temple Shalom’s Martha Stewart”, which is a very apt name/award for her! Chris may be short in stature, but she is mighty in energy and creativity and is a delightful and fun person!

Laney was born in St. Louis, Missouri and moved with her son David, to Dallas thirty-eight years ago. Laney spent many years as a Special Education teacher, then taught 5th grade. Later, she became the Director of Elementary Science for RISD. She also wrote curriculum for RISD, the State of Texas, and National Geographic, where she actually led a variety of explorations, including one to Alaska! Since she has retired from teaching and explorations, Laney has immersed herself in many activities with Sisterhood and the Temple. She has worn many hats with Sisterhood, including co-President. She currently is the Traditions Store Manager, the eSchmooze VP, and teaches in the religious school. Laney expertly handles all these challenging responsibilities calmly and effectively, which is a mind-boggling feat! When she isn’t volunteering at Temple Shalom, Laney can be found volunteering at the Dallas Arboretum, where she drives the tram and works on their education projects and curriculum. In her spare time, Laney loves to travel and has been to Australia, New Zealand, Israel, the Panama Canal, and Europe. Downtime for Laney is playing mahjong, reading and Wordle. I like to say Laney can do ANYTHING, which is clearly evident by her bio!!

Its hard to believe that Chris and Laney didn’t even know each other before their children met at a confirmation retreat in 2006. The most interesting connection between Chris and Laney is they share grandchildren as Chris’ daughter Jen is married to Laney’s son David and they have two beautiful granddaughters, Hannah and Ellen. They are a close knit family, spending the holidays and all the important family celebrations together as one big family. Both Chris and Laney know where everything is, where to find it, and how to do it at Temple Shalom. Needless to say, they both exhibit the epitome of Jewish values of family and giving back, and trying to make the world a better place. So please join me in congratulating these two terrific ladies as we honor them as THE WOMEN OF VALOR for 2023/2024!!


SISTERHOOD LUNCH AND LOOM A HUGE SUCCESS!

The Sisterhood Lunch and Loom Event Resulted in a Huge Delivery. Our Sisterhood’s Sheila Frank and Adat Chaverim’s Sharyn Diamond delivered 89 hats to CEO Melissa Aucoin and Central Regional Manager Sarah Elshanshory of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition on March 7.  The hats are included in Comfort Totes they provide to all newly diagnosed patients.  The totes include a comfy blanket, a hat for a bald head, lotion and literature on facts and resources for handling their disease and treatments. They offered to pick up future donations as we continue to make hats for this worthy cause.

The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition will pick up completed loomed hats the last week of April. Drop your finished hats in the marked box as you enter Temple to celebrate our wonderful Women of Valor at the luncheon on April 21st. Can’t make it then? Leave it in the red basket in the Traditions closet between April 14th and 21st.

Planning is underway for Lunch and Loom during the summer most likely in July. If you are in town, join us for a scrumptious lunch, then sit and schmooze while we loom more hats for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. Do you have a hat you didn’t finish? Need some guidance? This is the place to answer all you looming questions. 


Sisterhood Chanukah Party – Top Your Latkes
After the Justice Garden dedication on Sunday, December 10, Sisterhood members gathered at the home of Chris Harris for a “Top Your Latkes” Party and YES jewelry sale fundraiser. We had a scrumptious array of toppings for our latkes including lox and cream cheese, brisket and bbq sauce, ricotta cheese and pomegranate seeds, feta and hummus, and of course sour cream and applesauce.  The weather might have been a bit chilly, but the love shown by everyone was heartwarming.

          


Sisterhood Reproductive Freedom Shabbat
On Friday, February 9, 2024, our Sisterhood joined with communities across the world to celebrate “Repro Shabbat: and the Jewish traditions it honors.  Repro Shabbat is an annual Shabbat celebration that honors the Jewish value of reproductive freedom. It takes place annually on Parshat Mishpatim, the portion of the Torah containing verses used as the foundation of Judaism’s approach to reproductive health, rights, and justice. This beautiful Shabbat service was led by Temple Shalom’s Sisterhood with beautiful music provided by Mandy Monreal.  Special guest, Nancy Kasten, provided the sermon.  


Stay Connected!

https://www.facebook.com/Temple-Shalom-Sisterhood-518124171557798/

 

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