Kansas Governor Laura Kelly spoke to students of Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy (HBHA) to express her support of both Jewish students and combating antisemitism.
Gov. Kelly came to the school on Oct. 30 at the request of HBHA Head of School Adam Tilove and David Soffer, a parent of HBHA students with connections to the state government. After a tour of the school and interactions with lower- and middle-school students, she addressed the upper-school students (grades 9 through 12).
At the dais in front of the ark in HBHA’s beit midrash (room dedicated for religious study), Gov. Kelly expressed concern over the rise in antisemitic events since the Israel-Hamas war began and the insufficiency of condemnations of the terrorists.
“This conflict may be happening in a faraway land, [but] I know that it is hitting close to home,” she said to the students. “All the gruesome visuals you’re seeing and the vicious soundbites you are hearing — you [must] feel isolated.”
During a brief discussion period, the governor heard from a student about the importance of outreach to the Jewish community and answered a question on how best to get involved in local and state government. Gov. Kelly stressed the importance of voting, and since the majority of the students present were below voting age, she spoke of the impact of contacting and conversing with local politicians and representatives.
Before Gov. Kelly departed, Tilove requested that everyone in the room shut their eyes and raise their hands if they’d felt scared or isolated in the past few weeks. Nearly everyone raised their hands.
“I just wanted to show you the effect of what is going on in this community,” Tilove told Gov. Kelly. “Most people are looking at this as outsiders… but this community, they’re really feeling it.”
Tilove presented the governor with a student-made artwork on behalf of HBHA. The artwork contained the Sim Shalom prayer, which asks for peace, goodness, blessing, grace, loving kindness and mercy.
