For many, school is a stepping stone. For some, it’s a place to return home. At Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy (HBHA), four alumni have found their way back — this time as teachers and mentors. Three new teachers join the faculty, and one longtime teacher is celebrating 12 years in the classroom, marking 24 years at HBHA as both a student and educator.
For weeks after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, Neta Meltzer of Overland Park, Kansas, struggled to sleep, eat and cope with the images flashing across her TV: Footage of young Jews massacred at a music festival, bloodied rape victims being carried off by Hamas terrorists, and photos of once-joyful families who’d been murdered in their homes.
Members of the Jewish community are invited to a service commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel.
Congregation Beth Shalom welcomed its newest clergy member, Assistant Rabbi Talia Kaplan, this summer. A recent rabbinical school graduate, Rabbi Kaplan joins Senior Rabbi David Glickman and Hazzan Tahl Ben-Yehuda as a spiritual leader at Beth Shalom.
Congregation Beth Shalom has completed its new sanctuary, concluding a yearslong endeavor to provide the synagogue a permanent prayer space.
Molly Hess has been announced as the new director of Jewish Experiences, a collaboration of the Jewish Federation of Kansas City and The J, having joined the team at the end of August.
After more than 10 years of dedication to The J, DD Gass, director of camps and school-age services, has announced her retirement.
More than six years ago, Victor Wishna found himself in Ottumwa, Iowa, writing a story about a small synagogue in the process of decommissioning.
A delegation of 28 local Jewish teen athletes recently returned from Houston, Texas, after competing at the 2024 JCC Maccabi Games, and 22 of them medaled across multiple sports.
Kehilath Israel Synagogue has announced that Shelley Palmarine will join as the synagogue’s new executive director.
