Articles
TORCH Offers New Weekly Class for Women
Every Tuesday evening, women from across Houston gather to enrich their weeks with Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe. Through this ongoing series, of the 48 Ways to Wisdom, “Each person will gain the timeless tools which help maximize every moment in life by ...
Support Jewish Education and Win Big!
Creating new and exciting Jewish, educational opportunities has been the goal of TORCH since its creation. This mission, however, can only be sustained with support from the Houston Jewish community. With than in mind, TORCH has decided to ...
TORCH Offers Exciting Line-up for Holiday of Shavuot
Beginning at sunset on Tuesday, May 18th, the Holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the day that the Jewish people received the Torah at Mt. Sinai, begins. One of the many customs involved with Shavuot is that of staying up late into the night ...
Condolences to the Mirwis family
We regret to inform you of the passing of Dr. Allan Mirwis, father of TORCH president, Etan Mirwis.
Etan is currently sitting shiva with his family in New York, but will return to Houston on Thursday and continue shiva in his home at ...
Festive parade dances Torah to new home
Jewish Herald Voice | May 6, 2010
Sefer Torah is dedicated in Southwest Houston
[Pictured: The community rejoiced with Congregation Ahavat Yisrael on May 2 when a new, 150-year-old sefer Torah was paraded down a Southwest Houston ...
Passing the TORCH
Jewish Herald Voice | May 6, 2010
TORCH has installed its new board of directors. Led by president, Etan Mirwis, the board includes Andy Serotta, vice-president; Israel Tarshish, Esq., treasurer; Rachel Davis, secretary; and Dr. Brian Passell, ...
Downloadable and Printable Pesach Guides
Everything you need to know about the Pesach Holiday.The laws, customs, & history in 60 minutes or less.
Please feel free to distribute them electronically or in printed form.
We thank Partners In Torah, Aish Hatorah, Ohr ...
It’s a Siyum HaShas: Graduates honored in historic Houston ‘First’
Jewish Herald Voice | February 18, 2010
By Aaron Howard
It’s a “graduation ceremony” that confers no diplomas. The students are honored for completing a seven-year-long curriculum. Then the next day, the scholars begin studying the ...
The New Face of Jewish Outreach
January 19, 2010 | By Steve Lipman
In a typical month in the Houston area, members of the Jewish community study aspects of Jewish law and philosophy with kollel rabbis, Jewish residents of a nearby suburb attend Shabbaton programs and ...
Don't mess with Texas: More Americans moving in
CNN Money | December 23, 2009
Americans, it seems, still have a love affair with the West. Texas and Wyoming were the big winners in the Census Bureau's annual population estimates, which were released on Wednesday.
In the year ended ...
The best metro areas for small business startups
CNN Money | November 2009 Issue
Traditionally known for its lax zoning, low taxes, dominant oil industry and heavy traffic, Houston has evolved rapidly over the past decade. The city government has moved aggressively to curb pollution and ...
Web Visit History
We are extremely grateful to our dedicated readership for visiting website for programs, Dvar Torah for Shabbat, Articles, video and more. Over the first 12 months we had 68,535 visitors. This proves an amazing interest in our work and we thank you ...
Mission to Israel: A case of Jewish geography
Jewish Herald Voice | August 6, 2009
Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron, City of David, Masada, the Dead Sea, and . . . Houston? These might not seem to go together, but a group of nine men from Houston proved that indeed, they do. They recently ...
For the preservation of life: Part 2
Jewish Herald Voice | August 13, 2009
By Aaron Howard
(Note: This is the second of a four-part series that explores Jewish values as related to the current debate on healthcare reform.) For the first part of Aaron Howard's series, ...
For the preservation of life: Part 1: Jewish perspectives on healthcare reform
Jewish Herald Voice | August 6, 2009
By Aaron Howard
Note: This is the first of a four-part series that explores Jewish values as related to the current debate on healthcare reform.
A Jewish tradition of healing based on a broad ...
Dr. Ron Moses recipient of the Ben Susholtz Young Leadership Award
The Ben Susholtz Young Leadership Award will be presented to Dr. Ron Moses, the immediate past president of Congregation Brith Shalom, founder and co-chair of TORCH’s annual Jewish Medical Ethics Conference. A graduate of the Wexner Heritage ...
ASCENT Israel Mission - Day #7: Heros
One thing that makes this mission unique is the learning opportunities presented to us. We started the day learning from Lori Palatnik and Gila Manolson. The thought- provoking sessions were followed by the humbling experience of taking part in ...
ASCENT Israel Mission - Day #6: Shabbos in Yerushalayim
Shabbat Shalom! Our late morning start was just what we needed after the past 5 days, which felt more like 5 weeks. The day began with words of inspiration and wisdom from Lori Palatnik. Shabbos lunch was enjoyed by all. We were intrigued by ...
ASCENT Israel Mission - Day #5: Holy Jerusalem
We departed the hotel and headed to the old city once again. Our tour guide took us through Ir Dovid, the city of David. We were in awe with the rich history in which we are a part. We made our way to the kotel tunnel tours. We got a better ...
ASCENT Israel Mission - Day #4: Masada
By Michal, Faige, and Zehava
The day began EARLY….as we sleep-walked up Masada during a magnificent sun rise. Masada is the mountain famous for the castle built by Herod the Great which later housed the Jews who escaped Roman captivity. The ...
ASCENT Israel Mission - Day #3: Ein Gedi & the Dead Sea
By ASCENT Staff
The day began with an amazing presentation by Rabbi Ken Spiro. The talk, entitled World Perfect, reflected on the six values that would make the world perfect. Rabbi Spiro then highlighted all the major civilizations that have ...
ASCENT Israel Mission - Day #2: Jordan River, Tzfat and Meron
By Faige, Michal and Zehava
Several brave women from our group woke up early to attend a rigorous morning fitness class. This was followed by a delicious breakfast for all. We spent the morning at Har Ben Tal, an abandoned army post on the ...
ASCENT Israel Mission - Day #1: Houston, we have take-off!
By Zehava, Michal, and Faige
On Sunday, July 12th 24 Houston women, along with over 50 other women from Denver and Dallas, began an exciting ten day journey to Israel. The women were participants in the first ASCENT mission to Israel, joining ...
Men's Israel Mission Notes (7/10/09)
By Reuven Linzer
First, my apologies for not sending our progress on a more regiular basis. There are two reasons for this. First, neither of our apartments included wifi and it is not easy to locate free spots to plug in! More important than ...
Men's Mission Post (7/5/09)
By Rabbi Gavriel Jacknin
Highlights - Day #1
Hello to my fellow Torch Rabbi’s, family & friends,
Thank G-d we landed in the holy land of Israel less than 24 hours ago and we’re already having an AWESOME time!!!! We ...
Men's Mission Pre-arrival Post (7/1/09)
By Bob Linzer
It is Tuesday evening in Netanya where the temperature reached the upper 80's with a nice breeze. I arrived here a couple of days early to see some close family friends and I am excited about meeting up with the group ...
Partners in Torah plans expansion in Houston
Jewish Herald Voice | March 12, 2009
A recent cocktail reception at the home of Dr. Zev and Susan Munk was designed to spread the word about the Partners in Torah’s planned expansion across Houston’s 50,000-plus Jewish com munity. The event ...
Lori Palatnik returns to Houston for the ASCENT Mini-Conference
Jewish Herald Voice | January 29, 2009
The Arlene Stock Center of Torah for Women will present Lori Palatnik at the upcoming Women’s Mini-Conference on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The event will build on the momentum created by the sixth annual Houston ...
JSU seeks to connect Jewish high school students
Jewish Herald Voice | January 8, 2009By Aaron Howard
Incorporating some Judaism into the high school day – that’s the goal of the Jewish Student Union, a national Jewish organization for teens attending public high schools. Active in ...
Daf Yomi held despite Ike
Jewish Herald Voice | September 25, 2008
Though Hurricane Ike made Texas landfall early Saturday morning, Sept. 13, TORCH held its regularly scheduled Daf Yomi class that afternoon at the Young Israel of Houston.
The Daf Yomi class, ...
TORCH celebrates 10 years in Texas
Jewish Herald Voice | August 15, 2008
Resource organization connects local Jews and Judaism
This September, the Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston will celebrate its 10th anniversary – an important milestone for this ...
Houston, New York Has a Problem
The New York Sun | July 16, 2008New Yorkers are rightly proud of their city's renaissance over the last two decades, but when it comes to growth, Gotham pales beside Houston. Between 2000 and 2007, the New York region grew by just ...
Best Cities to Live, Work and Play
Yahoo! Finance | June 4, 2008These ten great places will only get better.
Our approach this year to picking the ten best cities in which to live and work was simple: Look for places with strong economies and abundant jobs, ...
TORCH, JCC and HKA sponsor pre-Pesach prep day at the JCC
Jewish Herald Voice | April 10, 2008Of all the Jewish holidays, Pesach is the one most commonly observed, even by otherwise nonobservant Jews. According to a National Jewish Population Survey, more than 80 percent of Jews have attended a ...
Houston, Texas: Torah with a Texas Twang
The Jewish Press | August 29, 2007
Think of a place that is a beacon of diversity and multiculturalism, a hub of international businesses, major airports, and resident companies in the four disciplines of the performing arts, as well as fine ...
'Talk the Talk' at ASCENT Conference for Jewish Women
Jewish Herald Voice | November 30, 2006On Sunday, Dec. 3, from 9:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m., ASCENT, the Women’s Division of TORCH, will host the Houston Conference for Jewish Women at the InterContinental Houston Hotel, 2222 West Loop South. ...
Dr. Ron Moses to receive TORCH award
Jewish Herald Voice | August 2006Torah Outreach Re-source Center of Houston will honor Dr. Ron Moses with its Young Leadership Award at its annual dinner on Sept. 17, at the InterContinental Hotel.
Dr. Moses has been ...
Valerie & Etan Mirwis chosen for Houston Jewish Spirit Award
Jewish Herald Voice | August 2006Torah Outreach Resource Center of Houston is proud to announce that Valerie and Etan Mirwis will be the recipients of the Houston Jewish Spirit award at its annual dinner on Sept. 17, 2006, at the ...
