FROM NEBRASKA TO TENNESSEE — Kansas City native and Kansas grad Rabbi Craig Lewis announced last week he is leaving Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, “The South Street Temple,” in Lincoln, Nebraska, to become the rabbi at Mizpah Congregation in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
He calls it “an amazing congregation in a beautiful part of the country.” He and his family moved to Lincoln in July 2011. Besides his bachelor’s degree from KU, he earned a Master’s of Management degree from L’Ecole Superieure de Commerce in Clermont-Ferrand, France. On his way to becoming a rabbi, he was awarded a Master of Hebrew Letters degree from the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. He was ordained at the Plum Street Temple in May of 2008
WISHNA’S ‘SHEARWATER’ POSTPONED A WEEK — Victor Wishna’s first full-length play, “Shearwater,” was supposed to open last week at the The Living Room Theatre. Unfortunately, an out-of-the-blue illness to a member of the company caused last week’s performances to be cancelled. Last night (Wednesday, Jan. 25) was the rescheduled opening night. In addition to the already scheduled performances that were to run through Sunday, Jan. 29, additional performances have been added for Monday, Jan. 30, Wednesday, Feb. 1, and Thursday, Feb. 2.
Tickets for all eight performances may be reserved at thelivingroomkc.com.
‘DEAD MAN WALKING’ AT UNITY — Sandi Lerner is helping to promote the film “Dead Man Walking” that will be shown Feb. 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Unity Temple on the Plaza in the main sanctuary. The presentation is free.
The film was written by Tim Robbins and is based on “Dead Man Walking,” a book by Sister Helen Prejean about her experiences as a chaplain on death row. The film stars Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. After the film, Rev. Sandra Campbell will lead a discussion, “Unlikely Friendship.”
The “Dead Man Walking” opera will also be produced by the Lyric Opera March 4, 8, 10 (7:30 p.m.), and 12 (2 p.m.).
INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY — Tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, the U.N. urges every member state to honor the victims of the Nazi era and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides. To learn more, you can hear the testimonies of 73 survivors who have ties to the Kansas City area on the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education’s website, www.mchekc.org/survivor-testimonials.
In addition, the MCHE Second Generation (2G) Speakers Bureau, continually honors the victims and those who survived the Holocaust. Now in its 10th year, the speaker’s bureau, which began as a supplement to the original survivor speakers bureau, has grown into a dynamic program and primary delivery mechanism for personalized Holocaust testimonies. Currently comprised of 13 volunteer speakers who share the Holocaust experiences of their parent(s) as well as personal perspectives, the group continues to reach record numbers of middle and high school students. During the 2015-2016 school year, a new record was achieved — 5,213 students at 35 schools. Though middle and high school audiences have always been the primary audience for second generation speakers, in recent years MCHE has received an increasing number of requests from the community, including faith-based groups, social service organizations, corporations and governmental agencies. Over the past year, MCHE speakers addressed groups totaling 1,456 adults. Among them were commanders in the U.S. Army attending an ethics symposium at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, active duty servicemen at Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, and the immigration staff at the local office of Homeland Security. Reaching people in positions of authority with the ability to make decisions regarding intervention in refugee crises or escalating genocidal situations has been motivating and empowering for these children of Holocaust survivors. “To prevent the Holocaust from fading into history, says 2G Steve Cole, “it is our duty to tell the very personal stories of its impact on our parents, our relatives and ourselves.” In addition to Cole, 2G speakers include: Sharon Barber, Sam Devinki, Ralph Hartwich, Joyce Hess, Regina Kort, Allen Lebovitz, Jack Nagel, David Radasky, Matilda Rosenberg, Irene Starr, Peter Stern and Evy Tilzer.
