With the creation of a Jewish Girl Scouts troop more than a year ago, Kansas City is now home to a new way for Jewish girls in kindergarten through fifth grade to connect and bond over mutual interests.
Started by local moms Lindsey Lipsky and Sara Goldfarb, Troop 5871 is similar to most Girl Scout troops in that they meet monthly, focus on leadership and community building and work on various service projects throughout the year. The troop also integrates Jewish values and practices and brings together girls from all branches of the Jewish community. It is open to girls from any area school and welcomes new members.
According to Lipsky, having girls of different ages in the troop has been very positive. While troop members get to work on different projects based on age and ability, the troop leaders noticed that the older girls have taken on more leadership roles, teaching and playing with their younger members.
While starting a Girl Scout troop wasn’t originally on their to-do lists, Lipsky and Goldfarb found themselves at an initial Girl Scouts troop meeting because of their daughters. Goldfarb’s daughter Hannah, who attends Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, was interested in having a girls-only scouting space. According to Goldfarb, this was so important to Hannah that she advocated for it and convinced her mom to look at available options.
For Lipsky’s part, she realized her daughter was enjoying Girl Scouts through her public school group but was missing the Jewish communal aspect of things. Lipsky, who grew up in a larger Jewish community in Chicago, Illinois, appreciates that her everyday life was rich with Jewish culture and community. She wanted the same for her daughter, Ellie.
Current members of the Jewish Girl Scouts troop, Troop 5871, include (from left) Lilah Kravitsmith, Cora Allard, Edith Raab, Elisheva Sandler, Julianne Kravitsmith, Hannah Goldfarb and Ellie Lipsky.
“There are only 22,000 Jewish people that live in Kansas City. Here, we have to be intentional about being Jewish by forming relationships and creating habits around it,” she said.
After attending the introductory session, the two women decided to take what was already working and apply it to the Jewish community.
“When you’re a troop leader, you do a background check, you have to go through training; there are systems in place to create a safe space. But at the same time, [each troop] is its own entity, and we have high hopes for it,” Lipsky said.
Both women have found many benefits in the troop for everyone who is involved.
“This is an opportunity for so many different people to overlap and come together. I now have met moms who I might not normally have known before, because they go to a different synagogue, or because the kids don’t go to the same school,” Lipsky said.
Lipsky also pointed out that a Jewish Girl Scout troop provides another much-needed low-barrier entry point to Kansas City’s Jewish community. Their monthly meetings give girls time to make crafts, sing songs, participate in service projects and learn about Jewish holidays. She sees this troop as a gift to the girls, who can grow up feeling like they are part of something bigger than just their sports team or their grade at public school.
“We are an important people, and we have to go out of our way to find each other,” Lipsky said. “So that’s the meta benefit: hopefully we’re planting seeds to help our kids grow.”
Pictured at Mitzvah Garden KC are Troop 5871 members Ellie Lipsky, Julianne Kravitsmith, Stella Mader, Hannah Goldfarb and Hannah Lipsky.
The troop currently has 12 members and is looking to add more girls in the coming year. Their program year begins in October, and activities include volunteer work at Mitzvah Garden KC and Wayside Waifs as well as fun projects throughout the year that combine themes from Girl Scouts and Jewish context.
Lipsky and Goldfarb emphasize that the troop’s success relies on community support and participation. Both leaders are enthusiastic about plans to expand and enhance their offerings in the future as the troop grows. They appreciate all the resources parents of current troop members have given, including time, talent and financial support.
The troop aims to continue to grow and sustain itself, and there are plans to involve more parents and community members as it grows. While they are opting out of cookie sales for the time being, troop leaders are considering alternative fundraising ideas, including Girl Scout challah sales.
They invite families to reach out for more information and to give Troop 5871 a try. They held a “get to know the troop” pool party on July 28 and are welcoming new members. More information about the troop can be found on the Facebook page for Girl Scout Troop 5871; by contacting Lindsey Lipsky at ; or by contacting Sara Goldfarb at .
