Community News

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.

Amid the pandemic, KU Hillel sought out new programming to keep students engaged. Recalling his thoughtful conversations in years prior, KU Hillel’s Rabbi Neal Schuster conceived his now popular “What the Bleep is Going On” program.

Hunger never takes a holiday. The two locations of Jewish Family Services Food Pantry continue to offer support for the growing number of individuals facing food insecurity. Each month, the JFS pantry is serving more than 900 families with food, personal care items, cleaning supplies and pet food. JFS relies on food drives and donations for 50% of the products it distributes — so it needs your help.

“Tradition! Tradition! Tradition!” Those words evoke images of the Broadway musical masterpiece, “Fiddler on the Roof.” Many of the memorable songs of “Fiddler on the Roof” will be part of “Fiddler in Concert,” a virtual cabaret, presented by The Lewis and Shirley White Theatre at The J, April 11 through May 9. The concert will be performed and pre-recorded and then available for viewing on-demand for $18 per household.

The Kansas City Jewish Film Festival at The J, in partnership with the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education (MCHE), will present the film “Those Who Remained” in honor of Yom HaShoah. The film is available for viewing on-demand April 7 through 14. A virtual presentation and discussion with Dr. Shelly Cline, director of education and historian with MCHE, will be at 8 p.m. April 14.

Four area high school seniors receive kindness scholarships

Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green has been a winner on the gridiron. Now, he is being recognized for his charitable work off the field as the first recipient of the Ripple of Kindness Award.

Do you know the latest information on COVID-19 and its impact in our community? How does this impact The J’s Heritage Center members and participation in activities at The J?

Co-Chairs Berenice Haberman, Meg Adler and Arlene Shalinsky announce that Beth Shalom Sisterhood has launched its 2021-2022 Congregational Calendar Campaign of selling listings, tributes and ads to its congregants and advertisers in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The calendar is Sisterhood’s major fundraising project, and its proceeds support both congregation and sisterhood programs. The calendar/directory is complimentary to all Beth Shalom congregants, non-congregant sisterhood members and advertisers. Calendars will be mailed the first of September.

Safety remains top priority for The J

As Kansas entered phase 2 of its COVID-19 vaccination roll-out plan, Machaela Whelan, director of The J’s Child Development Center (CDC), worked with the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment to register qualifying employees for COVID-19 vaccinations. As of mid-March, the majority of the CDC’s and The J’s after-school program’s approximately 75 teachers and staff had received vaccinations.