Community News

Nothing says Jewish cuisine like challah! Just its aroma conjures up memories of holidays, home and tradition.

Synergy Services is pleased to announce that it will be holding the 31st annual Kindest Kansas Citian Award via virtual livestream on May 7 at 7 p.m.. The event will honor Jake Jacobson, the Geiger family, 20 everyday heroes in Kansas City chosen from the community, and Gracemor Elementary School as the 2021 Rita Blitt Kindest School.

Sources include leaders in the local Jewish community 

The Leaven, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, recently explored past and present roots of anti-semitsm. The stories below are reprinted with the permission of the paper, which introduced the series as follows:

How are the historical experiences of the Black and Jewish communities at once distinct and interconnected? Should we see efforts to combat racism and anti-Semitism as separate struggles? What are African Americans’ and Jews’ responsibilities to one another in America’s current racial reckoning?

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month

Join The J, the Parkinson’s Foundation, Soundscaping Source and Jewish Family Services for the Fight Back Against Parkinson’s Disease Expo on April 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in The J’s Fitness + Sports + Aquatics lobby.

Jewish Vocational Service is hosting its ninth annual Global Table fundraiser as a series of four Monday evenings in May featuring carryout cuisine from refugee- and immigrant-owned restaurants. Along with delicious food, participants in Global Table To Go will receive a toolkit of enrichment activities to engage them with the featured culture of the evening.

Feed your mind with MeltonKC. Discover new meaning, connect and engage in new topics and ideas. Find more information and register at hbha.edu/melton/current-courses.cfm or contact Megan Pener at , MeltonKC director, with questions.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and The J will offer a three-part virtual course series titled “Judaism and Dreaming,” with Rabbi Howard Avruhm Addison. The series will kick off on April 29 with subsequent dates on May 6 and May 13 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. The course is part of the Jewish Federation’s and The J’s collaborative Jewish Experiences programming.

Honorees are Jewish Family Services and Robinson family

Jewish Family Services (JFS) and the Robinson family are being honored for their roles in an innovative program that has helped hundreds of abused and neglected children stay in their foster care placements, avoiding the trauma of being moved. The Light of Hope Award will be presented during Jackson County CASA’s live virtual Light of Hope breakfast, which begins at 7:30 a.m. on April 14.

Spiritual Care Volunteers are integral to Jewish Family Services’ Chaplaincy Program and fulfill the mitzvah of bikkur cholim — visiting the sick. Working with Jewish Community Chaplain Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick’s guidance, Brad Ordo is among this group of volunteers who receive extensive training to work in the healthcare community serving Jewish patients’ spiritual needs.