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Fort Osage High School senior Aniya Henson is the $10,000 scholarship winner of the 2020 KC SuperStar Finals. Other top winners are, from top to bottom on the right, Emma Mathieson, second place; Kloe Wagner, third place; and Lucy Brock, fourth place.

Aniya Henson, a senior at Fort Osage High School, won the title of 2020 KC SuperStar in a virtual finals’ show. Aniya had been a past KC SuperStar semifinalist in 2019. As the 2020 KC SuperStar, Aniya receives the Edward and Ellen Rose $10,000 scholarship.

Back by popular demand, The Faith Always Wins Foundation/SevenDays will host a virtual Interfaith Panel at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12. The topic: “Leaning on our faith for Inspiration & Hope” with a focus on healing in this post-election environment. A similar panel was part of SevenDays® 2020 virtual experiences in April.

Sarah Glaser, KU Hillel Development coordinator and KU senior, holding her Shabbox. She is helping make sure her fellow students are signed up for their Shabbox and Shabbat dinner.

Because of Rock Chalk Shabbat’s virtual setting on Friday, Nov. 6, students will not be able to share a festive dinner with their KU community at the Kansas Union like years prior. However, KU Hillel is providing students with to-go dinners to share with their friends while watching services.

Pictured is KU student Ethan Geller, his arms laden with Shabbat to go packages being delivered to his fellow KU students to share in the joy and the spirit and provide a sense of warmth and support.

As millions around the world are impacted daily by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health effects of the coronavirus are appearing in significant ways. According to a recent report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 40% of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health issues or substance use as they try to cope with the various challenges of the coronavirus.

These concerns are magnified when we are dealing with young people and college students, as the CDC findings showed an overwhelming number of college students reporting declining mental health during the coronavirus, as they struggle to focus on school and work and have difficulty adjusting to a new normal.

It is with this in mind that KU Chabad has expanded its vital program called “ReJOYvination 360,” a multifaceted and broad initiative aimed at creating a full spectrum of emotional support for Jewish students at KU. This holistic, all-encompassing effort is aimed to provide students with the support, resources and skills to achieve mental wellness and fight the stigma of mental illness.

With their parents hundreds of miles away, students turn to the Chabad House when they are in crisis. The loving presence of co-directors Rabbi Zalman and Nechama Tiechtel are an effective stopgap measure, as very often they serve as first responders when a student is in a crisis.

“Being an out-of-state student, it’s tough not having family around to help me through rough times, so it’s good to have my Chabad family to fall back on whenever I need them,” said KU senior Sami Schechter. “It’s beyond heartwarming to know that no matter what pain is going on in your life, the Tiechtels are always just happy to embrace you for who you are.”

Jewish Federation, The J begin new collaboration

Penina Hoffnung

 

 

By Lacey Storer
Contributing Writer

Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and The J — Jewish Community Center are starting a new partnership that will expand the Jewish Experiences programming available to the community, bringing more opportunities for Jewish learning and engagement. 

“This is a new and exciting venture for us in moving our community from cooperation to collaboration,” said Dr. Helene Lotman, Jewish Federation president & CEO. “We’ll be more united and working together to offer comprehensive engagement activities to the community as a whole, rather than as separate individual organizations.”

The J and Federation will be creating a committee comprised of staff and volunteers from across the community, representing various organizations that are interested in promoting the programming and events created out of The J’s department of Jewish Experiences.

“The J was very receptive to the idea of working together to align Jewish experiences and engagement to have a greater reach,” said Samantha Hammontree, The J’s chief operating officer.

For the first time ever, Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) will present its annual General Assembly virtually. The reimagined gathering of Federation lay and professional leaders, partners and supporters, presented exclusively online this year, begins Sunday, Oct. 25, and concludes Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Another first: The event is free to all for the first time. By working with sponsors to underwrite the expense, JFNA has removed barriers to participation. As a result, registration has grown considerably, with more than 6,000 people across North America planning to take part in two plenary sessions and a variety of workshops. 

 

“We were excited when JFNA announced last November that the General Assembly would be held in Chicago in 2020, because it’s a short flight, a train ride or even a drive from Kansas City, meaning we expected to take more Jewish communal leaders to the conference,” said Federation President & CEO Helene Lotman. “By adapting to our circumstances and going virtual this year, even more Kansas City community members can take part, learning about the important work we do together not only for our local community, but for our wider Jewish community nationally and globally.”

 

The 10 KC SuperStar finalists gathered on stage during a taping of the event. Due to the pandemic KC SuperStar will be virtual this year and segments were taped in advance. To watch the event on Sunday, Oct. 18, visit kcsuperstar.org.  

The J’s largest fundraiser provides scholarships, vital programs

By Ruth Baum Bigus
Special to The Chronicle

The finals of KC SuperStar, Kansas City’s premiere high school singing competition, is happening but like a lot of events in 2020, it’s now taking place in the virtual world.

Elie Simon

 

By Lacey Storer
Contributing Writer

Earlier this year, as college students and recent grads were absorbing the disappointments of canceled internships and Birthright trips, they began wondering how they’d pass the long summer months. The answer came in the form of a question: Are you ready to be a Changemaker?

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