The annual Day of Discovery will take place virtually on August 22. The daylong event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and provides an opportunity for community members to learn, study, and discover a wide range of topics led by Jewish educators, rabbis, and cantors.
This program provides a unique opportunity for the Jewish community to discover the richness and diversity of Jewish learning available in Kansas City. Participants can register to attend up to three classes throughout the day, plus attend the lunch and discussion session.
Among the nearly 30 class offerings, three presenters provided a further glimpse into their sessions. One new presenter this year is Rukhl Schaechter, the editor of the Yiddish Forward, which posts daily news briefs about Yiddish-related events, books, and CDs, and also produces Yiddish cooking shows. Her program is “How Learning Yiddish Helps You Think More Jewish.”
Schaechter’s father was a Yiddish linguist at Columbia University, so she grew up speaking Yiddish at home. Schaechter graduated with a degree to teach Yiddish.
“Yiddish was the language spoken by the vast majority of Ashkenazi Jews for the past thousand years, so when you learn words like ‘mekhutonim’ (which doesn’t exist in English), you’re learning not just a word but a basic concept in Jewish family relations,” she said. “This emphasizes the important role parents-in-law have always played in Jewish life.”
She will also discuss other words that have an interesting meaning, such as “povidle,” which means prune jam, which is not just a food but also the first thing Jews traditionally ate when breaking the Yom Kippur fast.
Rabbi Stephanie Kramer, the new senior rabbi at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, is leading a session titled “From Revelation to Revolution: How to put Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Belonging into Action.”
One of Rabbi Kramer’s driving forces in her rabbinate is to promote diversity, equity, inclusivity and belonging. She believes progress has been made, but there is still much more to do.
“I have been working on this important topic long before 2020, and I unfortunately believe that there will be a lot of work left to do into the foreseeable future. Even though 2020 brought this work into the light, it is so important to not sit back and rest, even for a moment,” she said.
Marilyn Nagel will join Rabbi Kramer in leading the discussion. Nagel is an expert in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and has been working with corporations and nonprofit organizations over the past 18 years to create more inclusive cultures. She is widely recognized as a thought leader in DEI globally.
Jason Barnett, formerly of Shawnee, Kansas, made Aliyah to Israel and joined the IDF, where he became a commander in the IDF’s 101st Airborne. His presentation, “A Soldier’s Journey,” will discuss his journey as a Jewish combatant in the IDF and how the experience of serving in the IDF forever changed his perspective on the world. He will also address his struggles with morality and personal strength.
Currently living in Jaffa/Tel Aviv, Barnett is a brewmaster and a business owner. He holds a bachelor of arts in Judaic studies from the University of Cincinnati and is a reservist in the legendary 55th Airborne Brigade.
“What really drove me to make Aliyah was the desire to play my part in what I viewed as the survival and protection of the Jewish people throughout the world,” he said. “When I thought about joining the IDF, it was really a question of how could I not? If I was counting on Israel to be there for me in a future hour of need, how could I not serve my time and do my part?
“The meeting of expectation and reality is, I think, an interesting story that revealed unexpected truths to me from every angle and aspect of the Israeli-Arab conflict. The years following my active service were a tumultuous time as well, a time in which I waged a different kind of battle within myself, trying to make sense of it all.”
Now, 11 years after making Aliyah, he feels that he has achieved enough perspective on it to share with others.
Visit kcrabbi.org for information, a complete listing of classes and topic descriptions, and a link to registration. The deadline to register is August 16 and participants are asked to register early as some classes have limited spaces. Registration fees increase after August 16. Zoom links for each session will be sent a few days prior to the program.
For any questions, contact Annette Fish, administrator/program director, Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City, by email at or by phone at 913-327-8226.
By Michael Portman,
Special to the Chronicle
