News

Last week’s collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, is more than just a distant tragedy to Rabbi Mendy Wineberg, director of Chabad of Leawood.

In March 2020, when the pandemic hit and the world temporarily shut down, everyone was looking for a way to safely leave the confines of their homes and get a little social interaction. For one group of Leawood neighbors, their solution is still going strong 18 months later.

TEACHER RECOGNITION

When Shawnee, Kansas, Mayor Michelle Distler put out a call for residents to nominate teachers who stood out during this pandemic year, parents gave a big thumbs up to Vicki Widman, a member of the local Jewish community.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City (“The J”) is excited to partner with the Kansas City Royals to present Jewish Community Night at Kauffman Stadium on July 28. The game begins at 7:10 pm versus the Chicago White Sox.

It can be unsettling to think that the person sitting next to you in the classroom is doing so on an empty stomach – not because they chose to skip breakfast or lunch, but because they simply didn’t have enough food to eat.

Do you know someone considering conversion to Judaism and seeking a comfortable forum to learn more about the fundamentals of Jewish thought and practice? Interested candidates are asked to contact the Rabbinical Association to learn how they can register to participate in this year’s community-wide course, “Judaism for Conversion Candidates” which begins August 19.

The Jewish Community Foundation recently brought together community leaders for “A New Take on the Positivity Rate,” the latest installment of its Parking Lot Lunch series. Professionals from local Jewish community organizations were invited to reconnect, network, and share positive personal and professional outcomes of the pandemic. The event, which took place outside in the Dan Fingersh Memorial Garden of Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, was the Foundation’s first in-person program since March of 2020.

Four years at KU Hillel wasn’t enough for Ally Fabes. When she was hired last year as an Engagement Associate, she found it incredibly fulfilling to come back to the nest. Now, Fabes takes on a new role at KU Hillel: Program Director.

This year’s community Tisha B’Av observances will include a virtual discussion at 4 p.m., July 18 titled From Destruction to Redemption: Personal Stories of Addiction and Recovery. It will be hosted by the Rabbinical Association and Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City.

Want to do the mitzvah of saving a life and thus saving the world? Please consider donating a kidney to me. I’m a retiree and member of the KC Jewish community whose kidney function has deteriorated despite my doing all the right things. Though I’m on the list for a kidney from a deceased donor, there are over 100,000 others also waiting. I want to avoid dialysis (which isn’t a cure) as the five-year life expectancy on dialysis is much lower than for breast cancer.