When the Holocaust comes to mind, many people Jewish and non-Jewish alike, often forget that the Jews were not the only people persecuted by the Nazis. The persecution of the homosexual community is the theme of a traveling exhibition from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, entitled “Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945” hosted by the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The free exhibition opened Feb. 16 and continues through April 10 in the Dean’s Gallery of the Miller Nichols Library.

The exhibition is being co-presented by the UMKC Division of Diversity, Access and Equity, in partnership with the Kansas City Museum and in conjunction with Heartland Men’s Chorus’ spring concert, “Falling in Love Again,” March 23-24 at the Folly Theater. It is also a project of GLAMA: the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, a collecting partnership of the Kansas City Museum and the LaBudde Special Collections Department of the UMKC Libraries.

“Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933–1945” examines the Nazi regime’s attempt to eradicate homosexuality, which left thousands dead and shattered the lives of many more.

From 1933-1945, Germany’s National Socialist government attempted to root out those who did not fit its idealistic model of a “master Aryan race.” Jews were the primary victims and 6 million were murdered in the Holocaust. Millions of others were persecuted for racial and political reasons, including homosexuals. Visitors to this informational exhibition will learn about the Nazis’ attempt to wipe out homosexuality and terrorize German gay men into social conformity with arrests, convictions and incarcerations of tens of thousands of men in prisons and concentration camps.

Rick Fisher, the executive director of the Heartland Men’s Chorus, said the exhibit was brought to Kansas City as an educational resource for the community that ties into HMC’s upcoming concert “Falling in Love Again.” The program includes the Midwest premiere of the Jake Heggie opera “For a Look or a Touch,” which is based on the journal of Manfred Lewin that is housed at the USHMM.

“The journal tells the story of two gay lovers separated by the Holocaust as one was sent to the camps and exterminated. We see the exhibit as an opportunity for our community to learn about this often overlooked chapter of gay history in greater detail,” Fisher said.

Christopher Leitch, director of the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall, said the museum became involved at the suggestion of HMC Artistic Director Dr. Joseph Nadeau.

“He had seen the exhibition and immediately saw the relevance in presenting it concurrently with the concert. He contacted GLAMA: the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, which is a partnership of the UMKC Libraries and the Kansas City Museum. Stuart Hinds of UMKC and I had seen the exhibit at the USHMM in Washington and we agreed on the spot it would be good for our museum,” Leitch said.

UMKC’s Hinds, who is director of Special Collections, added that he thinks this exhibit tells a story unfamiliar to the majority of the university’s student population, and it provides an excellent opportunity for the library to enhance their educational experience in an unexpected and engaging manner.

“I serve as co-faculty adviser to Pride Alliance, our LGBTQ student association, and as a result I am privy to first-hand accounts of discrimination and intolerance they encounter, not only on campus but in the community as well. Members of the majority communities may have the impression that all is ‘hunky-dory’ for oppressed minority groups — gays are on TV, after all — but, as we know, this is not the case. Reminding visitors of how easily that oppression can expand and encompass entire populations is critical to its prevention in the future,” Hinds said.

Museum Director Leitch said it was important for the university and the museum specifically, to co-sponsor this exhibit because both are interested in important chapters of 20th-century history.

“We encourage all students and citizens to be better informed about the world, and the community, we all live in. And of course GLAMA is interested in the untold stories of marginalized LGBT persons across time and around the world. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has a stellar reputation for scholarship and accuracy, and we all knew that working with them we would be presenting the best possible exhibit. There is a piercing honesty in all they do — bearing witness to such depraved truths is not easy, or comfortable. But if, as educators, we want to have a better world, where these things cannot be allowed to happen again, then we have to participate in exposing the deeds of the Nazis in all their horror and degradation,” Leitch said.

HMC’s Fisher hopes the exhibit gives those who see it a sense of history and reminds people to never forget the horrors of the past.

“Although great strides have been made toward LGBT acceptance and rights in Western countries, and are being made in the USA, there still is great persecution and atrocities being committed against our people around the world. We tell our stories and sing so that one day, we all may be free,” Fisher said.

The exhibition will be supplemented with special “brown bag” film viewings. “Bent,” the 1997 film adaptation of the Tony-award winning Broadway play about a gay couple imprisoned in a concentration camp, will be shown at noon March 6 in the Miller Nichols Library iX Theatre. The documentary film “Paragraph 175,” which shares the stories of individuals who were persecuted because of the law, will be shown in the same location at noon March 13. Brief discussions will be held after each film.

Visit kansascitymuseum.org/persecution for additional details and programming.

“Parsha Potpourri: Divrei Torah and Points to Ponder on the Weekly Parsha,” by Rabbi Ozer Alport, Israel Bookshop Publications, 613 pages

Looking for a divrei Torah book, but can’t decide which one to choose from among the many books available? Look no further. Former Kansas Citian Rabbi Ozer Alport has written “Parsha Potpourri,” a book for the entire family to discuss at the Shabbos table, or to simply read and contemplate.

The book includes unique, relevant parsha insights, inspirational anecdotes and thought provoking questions and answers on each parsha. But why, you may ask, yet another book on the weekly Torah portion?

“I have been sending out Parsha Potpourri weekly to a mailing list of thousands of readers for the past seven years. Over the years, many readers encouraged me to publish a collection of my favorite pieces in book format so that they can be enjoyed by others,” Rabbi Alport explains. “At this point, the time felt right, and I compiled the insights that I found to be most inspiring, insightful and applicable to contemporary readers.”

To receive Rabbi Alport’s weekly Torah emails, send an email to , with the word “subscribe” in the subject line. There is no charge.

Rabbi Alport also teaches weekly Torah classes, authors the Parsha Potpourri column on Aish.com and writes for the International Hamodia Newspaper. Last November, he was a scholar in residence at Beth Jacob Congregation in San Diego.

Rabbi Alport said the director of Aish.com is a longtime subscriber to the rabbi’s weekly emails.

“He approached me two years ago about adapting my work into a column on the weekly Torah portion for his Web page. Some of the material on Aish.com is included in the book, but the book is much longer and contains a lot which is not available on Aish.com,” he said.

For past Parsha Potpourri columns, go to www.aish.com/authors/130109323.html.

Aish.com gets more than 1 million hits a month and has more than 380,000 email subscribers. Rabbi Alport said he estimates that his commentary on the website is seen by many thousands of readers.

The target audience for his book is “any Jewish person who is interested in growing in his or her appreciation of the Torah and its relevance to our daily lives, and in understanding the Torah on a deeper level,” the rabbi said.

The book is available on Amazon.com, where it has received rave reviews. One reviewer said, “The author … poses interesting questions and delves into discussion combining textual sources, creative reasoning and stories of past Torah giants. Each idea is full, thought out discussion, not a ‘short vort’ of a d’var Torah you’ve already heard 100 times on the first verse of every parsha.”

Although “Parsha Potpourri” has only been out since Oct. 15, it has reached as high as No. 3 in the most popular Bible commentaries on Amazon and is frequently sold out. Rabbi Alport has also sold a few hundred copies to subscribers to his email list, many of whom wanted inscribed copies.

Rabbi Alport grew up in the Kansas City area, where he and his family were members of Kehilath Israel Synagogue, and he attended Shawnee Mission East High School. In 1994, he left Kansas City for Boston to attend Harvard. He and his wife Adina (a neurologist) and their three sons, Chaim Pinchas, 13, Moshe Aharon, 11, and Yosef Meir, who will turn 5 in a few weeks, now reside in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Most eighth-graders dream of sleeping the day away or taking a vacation on a warm, sunny beach during winter break. Not 14-year-old Leah Sosland. Her dream was to volunteer at an orphanage in Uganda.

The daughter of Jane and Josh Sosland, Leah’s dream came true this past December when she and her father traveled to Uganda. The pair spent a little more than a week volunteering for the Change the Truth Foundation at the St. Mary Kevin Orphanage Motherhood in Kajjansi, Uganda.

Leah said she learned about CTT when she was about 8 years old from her friend and neighbor Gloria Baker Feinstein. She’s been interested in helping the organization ever since.

“I went to one of her fundraisers and I saw a video about it that really stuck with me,” Leah explained of her initial interest in the organization.

Feinstein founded CTT in 2007 following a trip she made to the orphanage in 2006. The non-profit organization is dedicated to supporting the needs of the children at St. Mary Kevin Orphanage, which is home to about 180 orphans and disadvantaged children. The orphanage has few resources because of limited government programs and extremely high poverty levels. The fund assists the orphans by providing them with shelter, food, security, clothing, medicine, love, access to education and training in vocational skills.

When Leah originally saw the CTT video, produced by Lynne Melcher, she decided she really wanted to go to Uganda.

“In the video there was a girl who was around my age now who went to the orphanage,” Leah said. “I just thought it was pretty neat that someone so young could go there.”

When Leah attended that very first fundraiser about six years ago, Feinstein noted that she even wrote in the guest book that she wanted to go to the orphanage.

“She never gave up on that dream to go. The children at the orphanage fell in love with her and are hoping she’ll return some day. Her kind and gentle nature made the children feel special and very loved. Leah has been their friend and advocate for three years already, and I suspect she’ll continue to be in their corner for years to come,” Feinstein said.

Each December, Feinstein assembles a group of volunteers who travel to the orphanage. Team members travel at their own expense for the opportunity to spend about two weeks with the children. Feinstein said the volunteers just want to make a difference by spending quality time with the children. Volunteers help plant gardens, paint dormitories and install mosquito netting. They sing and dance, play cards and read books. They hold hands with and give lots of hugs to children who have lost so much and have so little to call their own. The friendships the orphans and the volunteers establish are deep and long lasting.

Leah did the usual things to prepare for a trip to Africa, including getting vaccinated for yellow fever. But she didn’t have to prepare much for her mission, which was to be a friend and mentor to the orphans.

“I knew I would be doing some art with the younger kids and girls my age. I really wasn’t so sure of what to expect when I got there. I was surprised to find out you just hang out with the kids and that’s what really makes it amazing,” she said.

Because it was winter break in Uganda, Leah said there were about half the number of kids at the orphanage as usual.

“A lot of them have aunts or sometimes even parents who just don’t have the resources to take care of them all year round. But they come home for maybe Christmas and when they can afford the transportation,” she explained.

She spent the day at the orphanage, walking about a mile to get there from where they stayed in the village. She arrived around breakfast time, which she said usually consisted of porridge. The lunch meal was often rice and posho. Posho is similar to grits and is made from ground up corn flour and water. It has a thick consistency which looks like a stiff batch of mashed potatoes.

Since the volunteers were at the orphanage on Christmas, she saw the children treated to a feast.

“They got chicken and beef with peanut sauce with their posho and beans,” Leah said. The group from CTT brought presents for the children with them, giving each child a deck of cards, a candy cane and a cap.

While she was there, Leah noticed that some of the kids didn’t look as healthy as those she is used to seeing here.

“Some of the kids that are my age are a lot shorter than me and they just don’t look like they are 14,” she said.

Leah also noticed how seriously the students take their studies. She said the lack of materials makes it a struggle for them as well.

“They don’t have books, the teacher has the only book and everything is copied onto the blackboard. Then the kids have to write it down, so it’s a very slow process.

“It’s also really rigorous. In secondary school, which is our high school, kids my age wake up at 4 in the morning to prepare and start their lessons at 7 and they go to sleep at 10 or 11. So they really don’t get much sleep and they are studying really hard because they know how important education is,” she continued.

Education is not free in Uganda, so many kids can’t afford to continue on to secondary school.

“You can sponsor a child through Change the Truth,” she said. “That helps them pay for school.”

This trip isn’t the first time Leah has assisted CTT. She chose to raise money for the fund as her mitzvah project prior to becoming a Bat Mitzvah at Congregation Beth Shalom. Last year she participated in the fund’s annual local fundraiser, which auctions off banana dolls. The dolls are crafted by students and volunteers at the orphanage using fiber that is stripped from the base of banana trees. Once the dolls get here, local artists decorate them; then they are sold in silent and live auctions.

As a volunteer this year, Leah had the opportunity to learn how to make the dolls. She doesn’t know yet whether she will actually decorate a doll for this year’s auction, but hopes she will be one of the few who gets the opportunity to do so.

Leah said her father traveled to Uganda with her hoping she would have a good experience. His main priority, she believes, was to watch out for her.

“But by the end I think it was so much more to him than that. I went off on my own with the kids a lot while my dad had his own little posse of boys,” she said.

Josh Sosland said he owes his daughter an “incredible debt because of this trip.”

“The truth is I never would have gone had she not asked — and asked and asked — and it was a great experience beyond what I could have imagined. It was a thrill to watch Leah with these kids. Being with her also really made it much easier for me to get to know the very special children at the orphanage. Rather than just being ‘the old guy’ in the group, I was ‘Leah’s father,’ so I couldn’t be all bad!” he said.

Leah said saying goodbye to the kids she got close with in that short time was hard. But she’s keeping in touch with them.

“I’m writing letters to the kids. They write you goodbye letters and they want you to reply back. They keep those letters for a really long time. I’m also planning on going to the fundraisers when I can and I hope to go back sometime soon, maybe next December with my mom,” she said.

Like so many of us, Louise Siegel had three different remotes for her television set up at home. She was challenged with figuring out which combinations of gadgets to use for the various pieces of equipment. But have no fear, Siegel has it all straightened out and working smoothly, thanks to Jewish Family Services’ Help@Home volunteer handyman TJ Chambers, who spent time with her to go over the high-tech equipment.

“He was very patient with me,” Siegel said. “I was so grateful — he came out three different times to help.”

But Chambers was more than a handyman; through Help@Home he and Siegel formed a special relationship.

“We are friends because he’s done things for me above and beyond his job,” Siegel said. “He’s so nice and wonderful. I trust him.”

Chambers feels the same.

“I really get enjoyment out of helping people like Siegel and making new friendships,” he said.

Help@Home, Jewish Family Services “aging in place program” was modeled after successful programs both in the United States and Israel. Help@Home was created to meet the needs of Kansas City’s growing older adult population by offering high quality, dependable home repair services and a greater access to a variety of other services which help maintain independence and provide for peace of mind. The program is open to anyone 65 and older or those younger than 65 with a mental or physical disability, regardless of religion or ethnic background. The service is provided for a monthly fee, which can be as low as $5 and is assessed on a sliding scale.

Currently, there are 235 people enrolled in Help@Home — and new members, as well as volunteers, are welcome to join the program.

Bob Brennan is a retired high school administrator who has been serving as a volunteer handyman for more than a year. In his early 60s, Brennan wasn’t ready for the retired, laid-back lifestyle.

“When I retired I had a sense of being lost,” Brennan said. “With this, I like the freedom of calendaring when I want to help. And when I’m finished, there’s a sense of what I’ve done is for someone else.”

Help@Home members have access to the services of a community handyman and his volunteer helpers who are able to help with minor home repairs such as plumbing, electrical, paint and drywall, installing safety equipment like handrails and grab bars, etc. They also assist with other “around the house”’ chores like assembling items, moving things, hanging pictures, flipping mattresses and cleaning gutters — things that have become challenging for some older adults.

Brennan does small electrical wiring projects, painting, minor plumbing and other odd chores. Among those Brennan has done work for is Help@Home member Irene Strauss.

“She’s a sweetheart,” he said.

A stroke survivor and an ordained Baptist minister, Brennan has found great joy in the new friendships he’s made as a volunteer handyman.

“I listen very carefully and validate who they are and by the end of the encounter, we’re old friends.”

Dawn Herbet, who works directly with the program as JFS director of older adult initiatives, said Help@Home helps older adults stay in their homes, as well as helps create long-lasting friendships.

“We know of so many of our members who have formed friendships with our staff and volunteers. As one of our members said, ‘I know if I call with a problem someone who is trustworthy will be out to guide and or help address the problem.’ ”

Siegel has been so pleased with the assistance she’s received through Help@Home that she passed along information to her daughter, who works for Jewish Family Services in Minneapolis.

“I count my blessings every day — if you live in a house by yourself, it’s such a blessing,” she said.

And it goes both ways, Brennan said.

“It’s what God wants me to do in my own quiet way,” he said.

If you would like to become a Help@Home member or for more information about the program, contact Herbet at 913-327-8239 or email her at . Those who wish to volunteer can send an email to or call 913-730-1410.

Author Louis Sachar is a literary celebrity. His “Marvin Redpost” and “Wayside Stories” series have delighted elementary and middle school students for decades. He’s received enough literary awards to fill a mid-sized library, and his Newbery Medal-winning novel “Holes” was made into both a feature movie and a stage play.

He is also an enthusiastic bridge player and member of the American Contract Bridge League who plays on a regular basis at his local bridge club, and whenever he can when he’s not home in Austin, Texas. Sachar’s latest novel, “Cardturner,” combines his inventiveness in creating quirky and heart-filled tales with his real life love for the card game. The book, described by Sachar as his best, has added adults to his long list of devoted fans.

At 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, the community is invited to a free book talk about “The Cardturner” by Sachar sponsored by the Jewish Community Center in the White Theatre of the Jewish Community Campus. It’s the story of an awkward teen forced by his parents to serve as the eyes and the hands of his uncle, a blind and brilliant bridge player. As the elderly gentlemen’s “card turner.” Alton Richards describes the hands he’s holding and plays them as he’s instructed. The cards they are dealt play out and their personal relationship unfolds against the backdrop of complex family relationships, competition for the uncle’s fortune and personal discovery.

Sachar provides patient explanations and philosophical musings about the card game, delighting players, guiding the uninitiated and, according to local reader Martha Gershun, “making bridge sound like the most exciting game imaginable.”

As fitting follow up to the book talk, Sachar will join local players for an evening of bridge at the JCC. Beginning at 7 p.m. on March 3, the event will accommodate duplicate bridge players, directed and scored by bridge director Carol Calkins; or social bridge in an adjoining room. Included will be Don Stack, the number three-ranked player in the country. Bridge players are invited to participate by forming tables and registering by Feb. 26. The cost is $10 per table; call 913-327-9007.

These events honor the memory of Gloria P. Gershun, a professional librarian and passionate booklover with deep ties to the Jewish community. Among her many volunteer activities, Gershun co-founded the Kansas City Jewish Book Fair at the JCC and was active in its growth and support for many years. They are made possible in part by funding from Lawrence and Donna Gould Cohen; and Martha Gershun and Don Goldman.

Details

March 3
4 p.m. Book Talk and Book Signing: “Cardturner”
Previous books by Sachar will also be available to purchase
Free community event

7 p.m. An Evening of Bridge at the JCC
Duplicate bridge, directed and scored by Carol Calkins
Social bridge in adjoining room
Call 913-327-8007 to register by Feb. 26, full tables requested; $10/table

The Downtowners, a business and civic group of more than 800 members committed to the betterment of downtown Kansas City, Mo., recently presented its annual Jim Davis Award to Mel Mallin, a native Kansas Citian and longtime real estate developer. Mallin is a resident of Village Shalom in Overland Park.

Mallin has devoted most of his adult life to the revitalization of downtown Kansas City, in particular the River Market and Garment District areas. Founder and past president of the River Market Business Association, he is known as a trailblazer in developing loft living in Kansas City. His passion for loft-design apartments and condominiums was inspired by New York’s SoHo neighborhood after World War II. Mallin pioneered the conversion of under-utilized, historic buildings to residential use, a trend that has brought thousands of residents to Kansas City’s downtown area.

“The Downtowners Board was inspired by Mallin’s vision to bring people downtown to live, not just to work,” said Roger Summers, president of the Downtowners board of directors. “He has had a lasting impact on the makeup of downtown, and no one is more deserving of the annual award given in memory of Jim Davis.” Mallin received a standing ovation as Summers presented him with the award.

James H. Davis was a reporter for The Kansas City Business Journal for 12 years, covering real estate, development and banking. Before his death in 2008, Davis wrote a passage for his own memorial service that challenged the citizens of Kansas City to keep the downtown renaissance alive.

The Downtowners group has presented the Jim Davis Award each year since 2009 to a prominent individual who has made a positive, broad and long-lasting impact on the downtown area. In 2012, the honoree was Shirley Helzberg who, among her many civic activities, serves as a lifetime member of the Village Shalom Board of Directors.

After four years away serving his country, Staff Sgt. Gene Baker recently returned to his job at Western Extralite, where he had worked for three years before the reserves called him to active duty. The support shown by his employers upon his return was so extraordinary that Baker nominated them for the honor of a Service Member Patriot Award.

The Patriot Award recognizes bosses who have been nominated by a National Guardsman or reservist employee for support provided directly to the nominator — in this case Baker. The staff sergeant recently returned from a year in Qatar, where he led a squad responsible for base and convoy security. Prior to deployment, he was assigned to serve as an instructor in military science and physical training for the ROTC and National Guard programs at universities. Today, he has returned to his position as an account manager at Western Extralite.

The Patriot Award was presented by retired trooper and Air Force Office of Special Investigations Agent Bob Schure at a ceremony on Feb. 12. John Isenberg, Western Extralite vice president government relations, accepted the award on behalf of himself and his brother, Western Extralite President Tom Isenberg. The full-service electrical and datacomm products distributor has 17 locations across Missouri and Kansas including headquarters in the West Bottoms.

Honorees are selected based on efforts made to support citizen warriors through a wide range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence.

The Patriot Award is given by a Department of Defense agency, The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), which was established in 1972. ESGR staff work with a network of more than 4,800 volunteers across the country to promote and enhance employer support for military service in the Guard and Reserve. Today, the reserves make up nearly half of the total armed forces.

With more than 1 million cubic feet of warehouse storage space spread across 17 locations in Missouri and Kansas, Western Extralite stocks more than $7 million in inventory and offers on-demand access to more than 13,000 electrical and datacomm products. Recently named the Greenest of the Green of all the electrical distributors in the nation, Western Extralite also was awarded gold and silver KC Industrial Council Sustainability Awards. The company installed the Midwest’s first solar wall in its Manhattan, Kan., facility and built the first LEED certified building in Lawrence, Kan. In June 2011, Western Extralite made the largest single solar investment by any company in Missouri up to that date, installing solar electric generation systems at six service centers.

TORCH OF GOLD AWARD — Valerie Bordy, someone I’ve known since BBYO days, has almost 500 friends on Facebook. And while you often wonder how many “real” friends people have on Facebook, I have no doubt Valerie has twice that number of friends. Her friends at the Trailhead District recently recognized her with the Torch of Gold Award presented by the Boy Scouts Trailhead District for working with Venture Crew 2011. The Venture Crew serves girls and boys ages 14 to 99 and is uniquely tailored to serve the needs of special needs youth (as are a Boy Scout Troop and a Cub Scout Pack) and their families. Valerie has been the adult chair of the Venture crew since its inception four years ago because her daughter, Katianne, is a member of the crew. Each of these units moves at a pace appropriate for and respective of these Scouts. Youth, parents and siblings with similar circumstances can share life’s adventures and celebrate successes in this program. The group meets once a month at the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, and has two campouts per year. The boys attend a Rotary Camp session at the camp in Lee’s Summit during the summer; the girls have been attending a special needs summer program hosted by the Girl Scouts. In thanking the district for the award, Valerie noted that “it’s a wonderful group of kids and parents.” Stealing a quote from one of her Facebook friends: “You’re a special lady, Val!”

A UNIQUE PROPOSAL — (JTA)  A Jewish settler from Har Bracha recruited soldiers manning a nearby West Bank checkpoint to help him with an unusual marriage proposal.

Nir Shamir, 26, had to request the cooperation of the Defense Ministry, the Border Crossing Authority, the troops stationed at the checkpoint and their commanding officer to pull off the stunt.

The ruse? The couple would be pulled over in Shamir’s car and accused of being involved in a hit-and-run accident involving a Palestinian child. Shamir had pilfered the national ID card of his girlfriend, Sara Toshinsky, and the soldiers would say they had found it at the scene.

The soldiers took Toshinsky, 23, for questioning, and then led her to an area overlooking the Samarian hills near the checkpoint where Shamir, who uses a wheelchair, had set up a red carpet with flower petals, candles and fluffy pillows. A sign lit up in fire read “Will You Marry Me?”

Toshinsky told Yediot Achronot that she “did not suspect a thing. Another second and you would have had to hospitalize me.” 
The couple enjoyed the atmosphere for about an hour after the proposal, Yediot reported, accepting the congratulations of the soldiers who passed by.

PLAZA LIBRARY PRESENTS LEON LITWACK — Historian Leon Litwack will be in K.C. next week to discuss the 1963 March on Washington. Litwack is the son of working-class Russian Jewish immigrants and is a leading scholar on slavery, Reconstruction, and the fight for civil rights. He will discuss the enduring impact of that march in the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Plaza library. Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. RSVP at kclibrary.org or call 816-701-3407. Litwack has written several books, including “Been in the Storm So Long: The Aftermath of Slavery,” “North of Slavery: The Negro in the Free States, 1790-1860,” and “Trouble in Mind: Black Southerners in the Age of Jim Crow.”

BE SAFE ON PURIM — If you plan to go to one of the many fabulous Purim parties taking place this weekend, make sure you act responsively. In simple terms that means, don’t drink and drive. This is exactly the message the Orthodox Union is presenting as part of its Safe Homes, Safe Schools, Safe Shuls initiative.

“In past years, our community unfortunately has heard of countless stories of teenagers and young adults involved in car accidents on Purim due to drunk driving. It is time for parents and teens to be proactive and make certain that safety is the overriding concern throughout Purim,” declared Rabbi Judah Isaacs, director of the OU Department of Community Engagement. “Bodily harm through intoxication is not a mitzvah on Purim, and driving under the influence of alcohol is illegal, leads to impaired judgment, and chasve’shalom, a possible catastrophe.”

As the rabbi put it, there are plenty of ways to have holiday fun without putting yourself, and others, at risk.

It’s been said a picture is worth a thousand words. While Israeli photojournalist Gil Cohen-Magen never actually uttered those words during an interview last week with The Chronicle, it’s a good bet he believes them.

“I think that every picture that you shoot documents history and tells a story,” he explained.

Through his camera lens he has captured the most violent scenes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to the closed world of ultra-Orthodox Hassidim to photos of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Cohen-Magen’s photos have been published in newspapers and magazines all over the world. He worked for Reuters news agency for more than 10 years and still freelances for the company, has worked for Yediot Achronot (ynetnews on the Internet) and Haaretz in Israel. His photos have been displayed in Europe and Israel and he has toured the United States four times since the beginning of 2012. This trip, his first to Kansas City, includes visits to seven other cities.

Born in 1971, Cohen-Magen is based in Modiin, Israel. After serving in the Israeli army, where he was a paratrooper and also snapped some photos, he chose to study photography for three years at Hadassah College of Jerusalem and continued his studies in Montreal. It was photos he took in 2000 of the second Intifada he took that caught the eyes of international news agencies and magazines.

Not long after that Reuters offered Cohen-Magen a job based in Jerusalem. He noted that it was the first time Reuters hired Israeli photographers to follow the conflict.

He’s shot a lot of wars and rarely thinks about the risks he’s taking at the time because he’s focused on getting good photos.

Only when things are quiet and he’s editing the photos on the computer does he realize the danger he was in.

Does he do anything special to catch that good photo? He admits capturing that special photo is sometimes simply luck.

“If you go to Syria and you snap a lot of pictures, I think you will find a very strong picture,” he explained. “That doesn’t mean I’m a great photographer.”

“Often the photo comes to me. I will not come to the picture,” he continued.

Being a former soldier has helped him take interesting war photos.

“You cannot use the flash and need to act and think like a soldier … (you can’t do) things to get in the way or cause attention to you or the troops … It’s easy for me. I know all the rules,” he said.

Across the world, the face of Israel is often war and conflict. So Reuters asked Cohen-Magen to capture more of everyday life in Jerusalem.

“Reuters also wanted to see a different side of Israel and wanted to see more than blood and funerals,” he said.

He chose to focus on the ultra-Orthodox. Very little had been photographed of that culture because “they are against cameras and photography is against the rule of the Torah.”

Originally Cohen-Magen shot photos from the street — documenting such things as preparation for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Chanukah. But he really wanted to shoot inside the community.

“It’s very, very difficult. It’s impossible to shoot the pictures,” he said.

So he sought people to help him, eventually finding a group of teenagers who lived in Mea Shearim. After explaining that he wanted to show the “color” and “positive life” of the area and showing them photos he had already taken, they decided to trust him.

They asked him to keep their identities secret and in turn they would give him tips on where to take photos. They snuck him into places and he often hid his camera under his jacket, never using a flash during the entire project. After a while he chose to dress like the Hassidim, wearing a black kipah, black and white clothes and “even a small beard.”

He spent a decade taking these photos, putting them in his book “Hassidic Courts,” published in 2011 by Ayin Publishing House.

It was during this project that he took one of his favorite photographs, which has since been chosen as one of the top 100 photographs of the decade. Taken in 2005, it depicts an Orthodox Jew trying to push a bulldozer.

It tells the story of an Orthodox community opposing construction of a new road. They opposed it because in order for the road to be built, graves would have to be moved. Moving graves, regardless of whether they belong to Jews or others, is strictly forbidden by Jewish law.

“One of the guys arrived and decided to try to push the bulldozer,” out of the way,” Cohen-Magen explained.

“Reuters chose it as one of the 100 best pictures of the decade, saying it shows David against Goliath and shows the face of Israel.”

A good photojournalist doesn’t become one without chutzpah and Cohen-Magen has that as well. In 2005, prior to Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank, there were fears that Ariel Sharon would be hurt or assassinated. Reuters wanted Cohen-Magen to spend as much time as possible with the prime minister. That wasn’t an easy task.

After failing to get access to Sharon through proper channels, Cohen-Magen wrote Sharon a personal letter. Sharon then invited the photographer to come to his home.

Cohen-Magen took Sharon a gift of photos he had taken and gave him a note telling him he appreciated the job he was doing.

“I explained that I wanted to take different pictures of him,” he said. “I didn’t want only boring photos of him shaking hands.”

Sharon was impressed Cohen-Magen worked for Reuters and served as a paratrooper in the army, so he allowed the photographer to follow him. He covered Sharon about five months, going everywhere with him.

Ironically one of the photos Cohen-Magen likes the best of Sharon is where he was attempting to shake hands. In it, Bobby Brown is keeping the prime minister from touching singer Whitney Houston.

“Bobby Brown snuck in the middle and told the prime minister he was sorry but Houston would not shake his hand. When Sharon asked why, Brown told him that she was not shaking hands with men and that she was keeping distance between men and women,” Cohen-Magen said.

For 15-year-old Samantha Farb, caring for the environment is not just a personal conviction, it’s a public issue.

The Lecompton, Kan., resident sued Gov. Brownback’s administration, alleging that the state violates the public trust doctrine because it does not regulate C02 emissions. These emissions are considered by many scientists to be a chief cause of global warming.

“We are suing Gov. Brownback because we think it is his responsibility to take care of the resources,” Samantha said.

Samantha is a freshman at Freestate High School in Lawrence. She is the daughter of Joe and JoAnn Farb and the granddaughter of Bernie and Judy Fremerman and the late Jack and Shirley Farb.

“I would really like to not only win but to create a huge awareness about our environment,” Samantha said.

She said environmental consciousness has always been a part of her life and a part of her faith.

“My family has always raised me to think about how can we help other people,” Samantha said.

Topeka attorney Robert Eye filed the lawsuit on behalf of Samantha in October in Shawnee County District Court.

The lawsuit is one of several filed throughout the country as part of a grassroots effort led by the non-profit Our Children’s Trust.

Julia Olson, executive director of Our Children’s Trust, said the initiative teaches youth who are passionate about the environment how to become activists for their cause.

“These kids are passionate climate activist. They really care about what is happening in the atmosphere,” Olson said. “We are trying to get their voice heard.”

Olson said there are currently 10 active lawsuits throughout the country filed by Our Children’s Trust participants.

The state’s attorney Steve Fabert filed a motion to dismiss the case.

Eye said he hopes that the judge allows for oral arguments before making a decision on whether the case should be dismissed.

“This really is about doing unto others about what we would have them do to us,” Eye said. “We have an obligation to future generations to leave the Earth certainly as good as we found it.”

Eye said the basis of Samantha’s lawsuit is that the air belongs to the public and based on the public trust doctrine the government has an obligation to protect that public resource.

Courts have used the public trust doctrine to protect water resources, Eye said.

“It has never been applied to protecting atmospheric resources,” Eye said. “If water can be protected by the public trust doctrine it is hard to see that the atmosphere wouldn’t be treated the same.”

If the Shawnee District Court judge rules that the atmosphere is part of the public trust the judge can also require the state to take action to protect the atmosphere.

Samantha said she hopes the judge rules for such action.

In the meantime, Samantha encourages everyone to take steps to reduce their carbon footprints.

“There are lots of things you can do,” Samantha said.

Samantha’s recommendations include eating a plant based diet, using less fossil fuel, and recycling as ways everyone can reduce their carbon footprint.