9/25/08

A visit from Mrs. Strickland



Men's Club President Dale Levy poses with Ohio first lady Frances Strickland after the brunch.


(NOTE: This article and photo have been submitted by Lillian Kowalski for publication in the Ohio Jewish Chronicle and The New Standard.)

On Sunday Sept. 21, the Men’s Club of Congregation Tifereth Israel started a new year of programming with a very special guest. At their first monthly brunch of the year, Ohio State First Lady Frances Strickland addressed the crowd on the growing crisis in public education.
Mrs. Strickland concentrated on expressing ideas for fostering creativity in students and modeling learning based on them. She also explained the idea of a “both/and” policy that makes certain all areas of learning are covered and that one area is not left out for the sake of heightening another.
Born in Kentucky, Mrs. Strickland has a doctorate degree in educational psychology from the University of Kentucky and has devoted her life to working for the betterment of children’s education.
“Mrs. Strickland provided a wonderful start to Men's Club's annual brunch speaker series” said Bill Chronister, vice president of Men’s Club. “Her discussion of trends in public education showed how much thought the current administration is putting into the effort to improve our schools. And our congregants had a lot of good questions and comments, making for a thought-provoking discussion. Of course, the brunch could not have gone so well without the participation of Sisterhood.”
In coming months, Men’s Club brunch speakers will feature Bill Cohen, Statehouse correspondent for WOSU; Gary Smith, president of Men’s Club at Adath Israel Congregation in Cincinnati, and Tifereth Israel president Howard Schottenstein. More information will be available in this publication closer to the events.

9/23/08

Texas Hold 'Em a hit in Ohio

They said it couldn't be done, but the first Congregation Tifereth Israel Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament came off without a hitch -- or a hitching post.
Organized by Dale Levy, Douglas Segerman and Jerry Sigal, 30 players spent the evening of Sunday, Sept. 21, going all-in in the Upper Social Hall.
Those finishing in the money were:
Grand champion: Douglas Segerman
Second place: Mike Petersen
Third place: Lee Budin
Fourth place: Marc Carrol
Fifth place: Karl Rubin
And especially gratifying: The fundraiser raised some funds!
Jerry says he's ready for the next one. Let him know (jerrysigal@midohiobenefitsgroup.com) whether you want it quarterly or annually.

Frances Strickland gives us lots to chew over

Mrs. Strickland provided a wonderful start to Men's Club's annual brunch speaker series. Her discussion of trends in public education showed how much thought the current administration is putting into the effort to improve our schools. And our congregants had a lot of good questions and comments, making for a thought-provoking discussion.
Of course, the brunch could not have gone so well without the participation of Sisterhood.
Our brunch lineup for the remainder of 2008 is:
Oct. 12 -- Howard Schottenstein, president of Congregation Tifereth Israel, on initiatives for our shul.
Nov. 9 -- Bill Cohen, Statehouse correspondent for WOSU, on the outcome of the presidential election.
Dec. 14 -- Gary Smith, Men's Club president, Adath Israel Congregation of Cincinnati, discussing new initiatives on the national scene.