Diamonds and Dice 2022

2022 Honorees - The Balis Family

                                                                                                                L-R (Phil, Sandy, Drs. Amy and David Balis)

Welcome to Diamonds and Dice! Thank you for supporting our event which raises funds to help support the day-to-day operations of Congregation Anshai Torah.    

This year, we are honored to recognize the Balis Family – Drs. Amy and David Balis and Sandy and Phil Balis.

Amy and David are founding members of Anshai Torah and proud members of “The Shabbat Group''.  They are members of our Chevra Kadisha and are active in our Sisterhood and Men’s Club. Amy currently serves as co-chair of our CATS in college program, encourages and maintains benefactors of our Shalach Manot program and co-chaired the synagogue trip to Europe.  David is Anshai’s dedicated grape juice server each Friday evening and was responsible for an organ donation event which led to several life-saving kidney donations. 

Sandy and Phil joined Anshai Torah immediately after it formed, after moving to Dallas to be with their children and grandchildren. The community and “The Shabbat Group” welcomed them. Sandy is an active member of Sisterhood and was a leader of their Book Club for years. She was also a member of the board of directors of the Sisterhood and Hazak. She served in many positions on the Hazak board, including president. She is currently Hazak’s VP again and also historian. Sandy retired at the start of the pandemic. Now as a leader in McShan Tutors she tutors English and arithmetic, among other supervisory activities. This is a volunteer organization that tutors about 100 immigrant 1^st through 3^rd graders at McShan elementary school. In her spare time participates in several book clubs, one of which she is the leader.

Phil helped start the Yom HaShoah project as a member of Men’s Club. He then became a long serving budget chair and is still on the budget committee. While budget chair, he developed and formed the audit committee (review committee) and was its first chair. Phil has also been a member of the cemetery committee, of Harvey Swento’s Shabbat Under the Stars grilling team and currently helps prepare and serve Plano West High Schooler’s lunch and has done so for 7 years. When the pandemic started Phil was in his first year as president of Hazak. Phil is now Immediate Past President. Immediately thereafter, he started to email all Hazakers 3 or 4 times a week to keep them entertained and informed. The emails continue to this day. Phil owns his own business but is semi-retired and involved with Hazak and his neighborhood community.

“We are humbled by this honor,” said Amy, David, Sandy and Phil.  “We have found a welcoming home at Anshai Torah and feel especially blessed to have been a part of the synagogue from its inception.  Our children/grandchildren found their love of Judaism at Anshai Torah and they continue to foster their Jewish education through college and beyond. We look forward to celebrating with our friends, family and Anshai Torah community.” 

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