Mika Kislanski, the Kansas City Jewish community’s shalicha, has been welcomed and involved with KU Hillel since her arrival in September.
Kislanski’s relationship with KU Hillel has grown, with her first event being a Sukkot Shabbat service and dinner.
“It was different than anything I've ever experienced, but also familiar,” Kislanski said. She grew up going to an American Jewish summer camp, and said the service felt very similar.
KU Hillel students appreciate having someone from Israel available to talk.
“She is such a welcoming and fun individual to interact with,” senior Alexis Greenberg said.
Going forward, Kislanski wants to incorporate her personal values into future KU Hillel programs, wanting “to do a deep dive into topics that are more difficult and complex,” she said.
On Oct. 19, Kislanski led a program called “How to Read the News,” related to the ongoing war in Israel and the media coverage about it. The goal was to learn about the best practices while checking the news.
“Mika did an incredible job helping us learn more about news sources in Israel and the different perspectives and biases that exist,” Greenberg said.
Although Kislanski’s start in Kansas City has been affected by the war in Israel, she looks forward to continuing her work teaching students about herself and Israel, saying that she’s “just very excited to be here.”
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