ANGEL GALA — Several members of the Jewish community are integrally involved with the 10th annual Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care 2013 Angel Gala Saturday, Aug. 24. Serving as honorary chairs are Arnie and Carol Caviar. The event co–chairs are Carol Barnett, Sharon Mallin and Jill Shapiro. The event, which will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Overland Park, is expected to draw more than 600 people and will recognize all the people involved with the organization, including patrons, donors, volunteers and staff. Hospice House serves more than 1,000 patients each year.

COOKOUT AT HYVEE — When HyVee at 95th and Antioch in Overland Park opened last winter, Kosher Department Manager Meir Anton said the store would be holding kosher events in the future. It has its first event, a kosher cookout, on the schedule for Tuesday, Aug. 27.

Anton said, “The store will purchase a barbecue grill for the occasion and the event will be supervised by the Vaad HaKashruth of Greater Kansas City.” Hy-Vee plans to keep the grill to use exclusively for future kosher events.

The menu will include beef hot dogs, hamburgers and lamb burgers. Food will be served from 5 to 8 p.m.

Customers may purchase food for take-out or may eat it in the store’s second-floor restaurant. Plastic plates and utensils will be available as well as condiments.

If this first event is successful, Anton said HyVee hopes to plan more kosher events in the future.

For more information contact Meir Anton at 913-894-1983, , or at https://www.facebook.com/HyVeeKosherDept.

NEW CHILDREN’S PRAYERBOOK — It’s too bad my children aren’t little anymore because I just received a wonderful new Reform prayer book for young children: “Mishkan T’filah for Children: A Siddur for Families & Schools.” It is a full-color siddur appropriate for grades K-2 and includes a Shabbat service for evening and morning, as well as a weekday service for evening and morning. This volume is designed to introduce young children to the structure and order of the prayer services. Thumbing through the book, I really enjoyed this explanation of the Torah: “In this scroll is the secret of our people’s life from Sinai until now. Its teaching is love and justice, goodness and hope. Freedom is its gift to all who treasure it.” I think that’s a definition I can pass on to those of other faiths who ask me about the Torah. The book was published by CCAR press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and a volume appropriate for children in grades three to six is expected next year. It can be ordered at www.ccarnet.org/ccar-press or by calling 212-972-3636 x243.