Among the challenges Chabad emissaries face, like finding kosher food and building up a Jewish community, proper schooling for their children is of paramount importance.
Thanks to philanthropist Michael Staenberg, Chabad children in Kansas City will now be able to attend their online school sessions together. Staenberg’s newest philanthropic endeavor is the gift of a space for the Torah study. Combining the best of two worlds, the children will receive an in-depth, intensive Jewish education while enjoying the social interactions with other children their age.
The new space is off of Metcalf Avenue and accommodates the needs that the children will have as they study Torah together.
Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, co-director of KU Chabad in Lawrence, said the new space will “fulfill the basic needs of every child to have social interaction and forge meaningful friendships.”
Chabad emissaries use the Nigri Jewish Online School (JOS) for their children. The JOS offers full-day, completely online school sessions geared for the children of Chabad emissaries across the globe.
“I was sent to relatives in New York when I was 11,” recalls Rabbi Mendy Weinberg, who has been serving as Chabad in Kansas City, alongside his parents, for more than 25 years. “At that time, there were no available options for an advanced Jewish education at home.”
The advent of JOS has changed that situation.
“We have students from all over the world,” explains Noa Miriam Truxton, a director for the JOS. “We group them by time zones and assign teachers to times that work for them. It is a privilege for us to provide an advanced Jewish education while the children can still be at home.”
Staenberg’s gift will allow the Chabad children to attend the virtual classes of JOS while also being able to have an in-person social experience.
For the six Chabad families living in or around Kansas City, the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy has been important in early Jewish education.
“We are so lucky to have such an excellent choice so close to home,” said Tiechtel. “They offer our children quality education and pride in their Jewish identity.”
As their children enter middle and high school and are ready for a more intensive Judaic learning experience, local Chabad families can now easily rely on the JOS because of Staenberg’s contribution.
Staenberg is the co-founder of THF Realty, the third largest commercial real estate firm in the country. He launched the Staenberg Family Foundation, which awards millions in grants annually to art museums, food programs, Jewish community centers, youth centers and more. He was the principal benefactor for The J - Jewish Community Center’s recent expansion.
