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Over the past couple of years, Jewish Federation officials discovered a troubling statistic: 50 percent of Jewish Federation donors don’t know what the organization does. If they did understand its mission, they often could not explain it succinctly. So a new marketing strategy that will tell the Jewish Federation’s story better will debut on Super Sunday, Jan. 29.

Jewish Federation materials will now include a new tag line, “everywhere. everyday.” Todd Stettner, Jewish Federation’s executive vice president and CEO, explains that the tag line “showcases the fact that we are global in scope.”

“We help people in need around the world, 365 days a year,” he said.

Its new mission statement is short and to the point: “To sustain and enhance Jewish life at home and around the world.”
Stettner added that Jewish Federation’s new marketing materials have been reorganized to better showcase what the agency does: raising funds to support a wide variety of programs that fit into five areas of service:

• Safety Net Services: Including programs like Jewish Employment Services, counseling subsidies for individuals and families under stress and the Gesher and Chesed Emergency Assistance Funds
Youth & Family Services: Including programs like Sasone, scholarships for the JCC’s Child Development Center (CDC) and the PJ Library

• Youth & Family Services: Including programs like Sasone, scholarships for the JCC’s Child Development Center (CDC) and the PJ Library

• Senior Adult Services: Including programs like JET Express, the Heritage Center and the assistance fund at Village Shalom

• Jewish Identity & Education: Including programs like Taglit-Birthright Israel, scholarships for Jewish campers and the Student Leadership Mission to Israel at KU Hillel

• Israel & Overseas: Including programs like children’s medical assistance in Romania, emergency foster homes in the city of Ramla, Israel, and welfare support for elderly Jews in the former Soviet Union

Why now?

When Immediate Past President Bill Carr first assumed the presidency in the fall of 2009, one of his key objectives was to more effectively communicate the importance of the Jewish Federation. He chose Ira Stolzer to lead the way because he had a strong friendship with him and was confident it was good job for him.

“I knew he would be the perfect fit for the challenge and the opportunity. I am thrilled with the results of the work of Ira, Jane Martin (Jewish Federation’s director of strategic marketing) and members of the marketing committee who have created an exciting and vibrant brand strategy,” Carr said.

Stolzer admitted that he was a prime example of the image problem Jewish Federation faced.

“When I came on the board as marketing chair, I had no idea how many Jewish lives were made better due to the amazing financial support from the Jewish Federation’s annual fundraising efforts. I soon realized it was going to be a unique opportunity to articulate what the Jewish Federation does in a simple, easy and engaging message that would resonate with our community,” Stolzer said.

The process

Stolzer explained that he and Martin conducted a dozen focus groups — along with many one-on-one interviews — with donors and non-donors, through which they gained important insights on Jewish Federation. Stolzer also personally interviewed the agency’s entire senior staff as well.

Martin said they interviewed people who fell in a variety of age categories as well as across the board in communal involvement.

The result was the new mission statement and marketing campaign.

“I am really excited to see the creative message come to life. We believe this will help our community better understand the good work the Jewish Federation does and how it’s made possible through their financial support — everywhere, everyday,” Stolzer said.

Current Jewish Federation President Miriam Scharf is impressed with the new brand strategy being rolled out.

“Ira and the marketing department managed to take the more than 75 programs and services we support and package them into an easy-to-understand message. As we introduce our new message at Super Sunday, and begin reaching out to donors and volunteers in 2012, I look forward to creating a better understanding of the important work we do. When you look at what we accomplish each year, it’s easy to see how we help people ‘everywhere, everyday.’ ”

Martin said they’ve been discussing the new campaign with members of the Jewish Federation board as well as affiliated agencies for the past several months.

“They feel it’s easy to understand and memorable. Every board member now knows it and can repeat it,” she said. “It’s nice that we are now working together and speaking the same language.”

The five areas of service, Martin explained, make it easier for people to understand exactly what Jewish Federation does. For example, she said they learned through the focus groups that many people are under the misconception that the majority of funds Jewish Federation raises go to Israel.

“In fact, 66 percent of the funds we raise stay right here in Kansas City,” she said. “The remaining funds do go primarily to Israel and overseas, but some fund national programs and organizations.”
Martin said that a new website will be rolled out the week of Jan. 23, incorporating all the new marketing materials.

One way to describe the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s Shorashim I mission to Israel last October is by what it was not.

It was not like any mission previously sponsored by the Jewish Federation. It did not include couples or families. Its brief, seven-day itinerary was not pre-determined before participants got involved. It did not rely on standard modes of transportation. And, while history and religion were ever present in the background of the group’s activities, they were not the primary focus.

The focus instead was to provide a group of 15 men — mostly successful 40- to-60 year old business professionals with varying degrees of connection to the Jewish community, some of whom had never been to Israel — a quick immersion into the Jewish state with the ultimate goal to motivate increased engagement in the Jewish community.

A measure of magic

The idea for a men’s mission was originally proposed in 2008 by then Jewish Federation President Ward Katz, who had heard about similar missions sponsored by Jewish Federations in other cities. About a year ago, after recruiting John Isenberg and Steve Karbank to serve with him as co-chairs, Katz’s vision for Shorashim I began to come together.

Mission chairs and participants Peter Beren, Max Goldman, Edward Goldstein, Glenn Goldstein, Arthur Liebenthal, Aaron March, Michael Rainen, Peter Shapiro, John Starr, Mike Fishman and Todd Stettner, executive vice president and CEO of Jewish Federation, met three times before departure on Oct. 23 to learn and get to know one another better. The itinerary, which incorporated the best ideas from other cities as well as from participants, was arranged and tweaked up to the last minute by the Jewish Federation’s special campaign projects director and veteran mission planner, Debbie Granoff, and Gail Weinberg, financial resource development director. They assured everyone’s needs were met before, during and after the mission.

“I had been to Israel many times before, and all trips to Israel are special in their own way,” said Karbank. “But this trip had that measure of magic. “It wasn’t the itinerary, although it was great. It wasn’t the food or the wine or the places we stayed, which were also great. There was something that happened that was really dynamic and wonderful and heartwarming and exciting and thrilling, and I think everyone on the trip felt it.”

Shorashim I’s non-stop schedule offered what proved to be just the right mix of business, political, military, cultural and recreational activities, with the spotlight on people on the cutting edge of Israeli society.

Air, sea and land

The day after arrival, the group rode in jeeps and ATVs to Tel Gezer, following in the footsteps of the fighters in their breakthrough to Jerusalem in 1948. Back in Jerusalem that evening, Major General Mickey Levy took participants on a tour of the ramparts of the Old City and for a visit to Israel Police Force headquarters.

“We went underground into the station,” said Isenberg, “to an area where they had walls of big screen televisions. We saw video of what happened at the Dome of the Rock when the Intifada started 10 years ago. We could see that there isn’t anything that goes on in the area that they don’t know about.”

The second and third days of the trip featured Israel by air, sea and land. “We got helicopter transportation for two days,” said Katz. “That may sound like a total luxury, but it really was necessary to do so much in such a short period of time.”

Traveling from Jerusalem to the Golan Heights in helicopters piloted by ex-military personnel allowed for a birds-eye view of the country’s small size and close proximity to the borders of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Accompanied by an expert in Israeli security, the group enjoyed super fast tornado boat rides along the Mediterranean coast toward Rosh Hanikra and the Lebanese border, followed by another flight to Atlit to participate in a Navy Seal graduation.

“Even though we needed translators to understand what these young men were about to do with their lives, this was a deeply moving experience, especially with the release of Gilad Shalit the previous week,” Stettner said.

Nation of Dedication

The next morning it was off again in helicopters to an Israeli Defense Forces Training Center in the Negev, where participants were taken on a guided tour of the IDF Urban Combat Center and learned about some of the most complex military challenges facing the IDF today.

“They constructed a whole city on this base that resembled a typical Arab city,” explained Katz. “They even had explosions and the call to prayer on loud speakers, all designed to replicate the kinds of physical and psychological stress that soldiers face in urban warfare.”

One of the places that touched both Karbank and Isenberg deeply was an Ayalim Youth Village. The Ayalim initiative, which receives Jewish Federation support, provides students the opportunity to settle in Israel’s peripheral areas and serve as agents of social change by offering housing and academic scholarships in return for community service.

“The nearly 500 students who currently live in 11 student villages throughout the Negev and Galilee volunteer with more than 20,000 disadvantaged youth,” said Karbank. “It’s a kind of 21st century Zionism and certainly a place where venture philanthropy could help businesses get started.”

Throughout the week, participants were impressed by the talent and dedication of the people they met. The Jewish Federation had included the book “Startup Nation” by Dan Senor and Saul Singer in reading material provided before the trip, so a surprise encounter and conversation with one of the book’s heroes, Better Place founder Shai Agassi, in the company showroom felt like interacting with a celebrity. For added excitement, the men got to test drive electric vehicles that Better World leads the world in producing.

Inspired to connect

Others were inspired by Raya Strauss Ben-Dror. As co-owner and board member of the Strauss-Elite group, a multi-national organization with almost $1 billion in sales, Ben-Dror represents one of the most influential families of the Israeli business sector. Ben-Dror explained why she decided to step down from business to devote her time to philanthropy.

Equally memorable were the three wineries the group visited, two in the Golan and one in the Judean Hills. Of the several hundred wineries in Israel, a high percentage are boutique operations making 100,000 bottles or less a year, according to Isenberg, who started Wines Across Israel, which arranges wine tours in Israel.

For Stettner, one of the most rewarding moments occurred on the first full day of the trip. “We met David and Miri Leichman at Tel Gezer for a briefing about the area and shechechayanu,” he said. “Then we rode jeeps into the town of Ramla to meet with young adults from the Keshatot program, which the Jewish Federation helps fund. Someone noticed a plaque recognizing our support on the wall and said, ‘Boy, I didn’t know that we do so much!’”

Isenberg, who’s been to Israel at least 10 times, couldn’t get over that wherever the group went, when they mentioned they were from Kansas City, there was instant recognition and appreciation.

“I don’t know yet if our goal of expanding participation in the Jewish community worked,” he said. “But the meetings we’ve had with participants since getting back have been positive. If we can take those feelings and experiences and turn them into energy to build a stronger Jewish community, it will have been a successful mission.”

For more information about Shorashim or other Israel and overseas missions offered by the Jewish Federation, contact Debbie Granoff at 913-327-8106 or .

“Don’t Hug the Tour Guide!” by Natalie Jane Toubes; Xlibris Corp., 2011

Ever wonder what it would be like to visit Europe, China, England, Quebec, Israel, South America, South Africa? Natalie Jane Toubes can tell you because she’s been to all these places and more. And you can find out what she has to say in her book “Don’t Hug the Tour Guide!”

Toubes’ book paints vivid scenes of fascinating countries all over the globe and many cities right here in the United States for both seasoned and armchair travelers.

Toubes, who taught French and English in high schools and colleges in Chicago, Iowa City, Anchorage and Kansas City, is truly an experienced traveler. She and her now retired husband, Dr. Daniel Toubes, have traveled throughout their entire married lives. Her book covers the 1960s through 2009 — and she plans a sequel since she has even more adventures under her belt.

Toubes said she wrote the book because she had so many wonderful experiences that she wanted to share them with others.

“I felt that by writing this book, it would be interesting to travelers and also people who are thinking about traveling — just about anybody who likes to travel or thinks about it,” she said. “It might encourage them to do it. It’s a wonderful, educational experience.”

In the introduction to her book, Toubes says for as long as she can remember she’s loved to travel. She remembers day trips she and her father and mother took when she was a child, which she believes instilled in her a sense of adventure.

“I always said I wanted to see the world before I left it,” she said. “I’ve been very fortunate.”

Toube’s book is filled with little tidbits and insights from all over the world, including India, which inspired the book’s title.

She writes: “As the trip drew to a close, I became very sad. The group of people we traveled with was very compatible, and we became good friends. To say good-bye was very hard. I hugged Sunil, our guide, and the look on his face was unforgettable, a look of total surprise. Women do not touch men in public in India!”

The secret to remembering her various travels is keeping a detailed journal. Toubes said she would sit down and write about her day every night before she went to bed.

“If you have a journal, you remember and the trip lasts a lifetime,” she said. “I could not have written this book if I had not kept a very detailed journal. I had to do a little research, of course, but wouldn’t have remembered half the things (without the journal).”

She also has a tour book of whatever city or country she visited so she could look up spellings or certain details about it.
In addition, her husband always takes lots of photos, so when she gets home, she immediately goes through them and identifies each one.

“What always bothered me is that people take one picture after another and don’t write down anything about them,” Toubes said. “You know they’re not going to remember.”

All the photos in the book were taken by Daniel Toubes.

When Toubes is not traveling, she enjoys knitting, cooking and reading. She and her husband have been members of Congregation Beth Shalom for 40 years.

The “partially” self-published book is available online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and is on the shelves at Rainy Day Books in Fairway. The cost is: hardback, $29.99; paperback, $19.99; $3.03 for Kindle; and $7.99 for Nook.

Toubes said the book has done fairly well and she wants to get started on the sequel.

“I’ve had such a great time … You feel like a citizen of the world. (Traveling) is a good thing; I just wish everybody could do it,” she said.

THE PERFECT BIRTHDAY GIFT — For his 75th birthday, Ed Porter received what he called “the perfect gift” from his wife, Karen and his children and their spouses: Deb and Mike Gill, Barbara and Ron Hill and Ed and Carol Porter. The family established the Ed Porter Adult Jewish Education Fund at the Jewish Community Center. “I was surprised and really touched,” said Ed. “To have my children carrying on the values I’ve tried to model is the best present a father could ask for.”

JEWS IN THE TV NEWS
BUSINESS — I don’t know why, but Jewish people always want to know if someone else, especially celebrities, are Jewish. We have discovered that NBC Action News (channel 41) may have the largest percentage of Jewish people on staff than any other newsroom in town. We’ve done stories about Najahe Sherman, Gary Lezak and Justin Unell. We know Jeff Penner and Sloane Heller are Jewish as well as photographer Eric Schutlz. Most recently The Chronicle’s former editor Rick Hellman joined the staff as news desk assignment editor. We recognized one of his assignments recently when Congregation Beth Torah and Pleasant Green Baptist Church, who have worked together for years feeding the needy during the winter holidays, were featured in a story. Rick tells us Rob Low at Fox 4 is also Jewish. We wish Rick lots of luck in his new job!

MED STUDENT SEEKS
PEOPLE TO INTERVIEW — Rachel Myers, a member of Congregation Beth Shalom and a first year medical student at the University of Kansas, is seeking a grant related to testing for Jewish genetic diseases. The proposed project is called “Jewish Genetic Screening: Evaluation of the barriers and strategies to increase education and awareness for young Jewish adults.” If she is awarded the grant, she hopes to determine several things including when genetic testing for Jewish genetic diseases is most appropriate, how much information individuals have and want prior to screening and how the level of awareness and screening rates can be improved amongst the varying Jewish denominations to increase prevention. To accomplish this task, she plans to interview patients participating in screening, physicians, genetic counselors, religious figures and other community members that have a connection to or interest in Jewish genetic diseases. As part of the grant-seeking process, she needs to show she has established contacts worth interviewing. If you have undergone screening, have a Jewish genetic disorder, are a carrier of a particular gene, or know of anyone else that may be affected, Myers would really appreciate conducting a brief interview. She is the daughter of Allison and Alan Myers.  Contact me at or 913-951-8425 if you would like to get in touch with Myers.

PETITION FIGHTS FOR GROSS — A petition to secure the release of Alan Gross from his Cuban prison cell has appeared on the White House website, http://wh.gov/DJO. Gross has been in a Cuban prison cell since Dec. 3, 2009. This appears on the website, “It is time that he is brought home. This administration has spoken out on Alan’s behalf, but it is time to do more. It is time to do whatever it takes to get Alan released and returned to his loved ones. His wife had to sell their family home. One of his daughters and his 89-year-old mother have cancer. His wife has had surgery. Alan has lost over 100 pounds during his imprisonment and has developed some serious health problems. He is 62 years old and his family fears that if Alan has to serve out his 15-year sentence imposed by the Cuban court system, they may never see him again. Alan’s family needs him home with them as soon as possible.” The petition needs 25,000 signatures by Jan. 24 so that it will be reviewed by White House officials and receive a response. Messages in support of Gross may also be sent through a link that will go directly to the appropriate staff at the White House so they can learn how many people are concerned about Gross’ plight. That link is: http://www.whitehouse.gov/webform/contact-american-jewish-issues-outreach-team.

The headlines are very similar, but appear 31 years apart. Gabriel Yehudah Goodbinder, born Jan. 2, became the first Jewish baby of 2012. He is the son of Jay and Darcy Goodbinder. Darcy was the first Jewish baby on Jan. 6, 1980, and was featured on the front page of the Jan. 11, 1980, edition of The Jewish Chronicle.

Gabriel was born at 9:45 p.m. at Shawnee Mission Hospital. He has light brown hair and hazel eyes.

“His eyes haven’t differentiated yet,” Jay said.

He weighed 6 pounds, 3.4 ounces and was 18 inches long. He is the first child for the Goodbinders, who were married Nov. 1, 2009.

Darcy said Gabriel’s actual due date was Jan. 16.

“We definitely discussed the possibility that he could be the first Jewish baby, but we had no idea. My mom was always two weeks early with her children, so we thought that I probably would go early,” said Darcy, who has three siblings. Her mother, Patti Kroll, is Congregation Beth Shalom’s Polsky Religious School director.

Like all new parents, the Goodbinders are not getting much sleep. But Darcy praised Jay for his helpfulness in allowing her to get in as many naps as possible. She recently retired as the chef in the Heritage Center’s kitchen. Jay is a chiropractor at the Neuropathy Center.

“We’ve been very excited this whole pregnancy. We think it’s a blessing and a miracle,” Darcy said.

“It’s changed your paradigm on life,” Jay added.

The “First Baby” contest is sponsored each year by The Chronicle: The Goodbinder family will be treated to prizes from the following advertisers:
Cigar & Tabac, Ltd.: “It’s a Boy” cigars
Cosentino’s Price Chopper: $25 gift certificate
Craig Sole Designs: Bouquet
Gates Bar-B-Q: $25 gift certificate
HyVee, 91st and Metcalf: $25 of diapers or baby food
Irish Crystal Co: Reed & Barton frame
Johnson County Community College Performing Arts Series: Two tickets to “Stuffed and Unstrung — Henson Alternative,” Feb. 18
Knocky’s Liquors: $25 gift certificate
Riley’s Phillips 66: $25 gift certificate
Sheridan’s Lattés & Frozen Custard: Gift certificate
Theatre for Young America: Baby’s first live theater performance
Urban Table: $25 gift card

Yevgeniy Shenker was 3 years old when he came to Kansas City with his parents from Russia in December 1990. Twenty years later, as a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, he was severely injured serving his country in Afghanistan.

On Jan. 24, 2011, Shenker lost his left leg in an accident involving an IED. His mother, Larisa Shenker, said she doesn’t think they will ever know for sure exactly the details of the accident. His right leg, right arm and back were also severely injured.
Larisa said this isn’t the first time Geniy, as he is known by friends and family, has faced adversity.

“When he was younger he spent six months in jail and was kicked out of school. But he eventually graduated with a 4.0. I’m proud of what he’s done for the country and himself,” Larisa said.

Geniy joined the Marines following his graduation from Blue Valley High School in 2007. Larisa said the Marines has been good for Geniy, and she expects he will re-enlist for another four years soon.

Geniy’s recovery

To date Geniy, who turned 24 in November, has had more than 20 surgeries. The past three — in June, July and November — all were unexpected. Each time his mother has been there to help him and give him moral support.

“He can drive now because he can use his right leg,” Larisa reported.

Geniy faces another surgery this month. After he recovers from that, he will begin therapy to learn how to walk with a prosthetic left leg.

While not in the type of physical pain her son has had to endure, this past year has been painful for Larisa as well. After Geniy was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., the Marines flew Larisa and ex-husband, Geniy’s father Arkadiy Shenker, to be by their son’s side. Two months later, Geniy was transferred to Navy Medical Center in San Diego, commonly known as Balboa Hospital. He’s been in an out of that hospital since then. Larisa has been with Geniy through every surgery and recuperation period.

“I am so proud of him. His spirits are great,” said Larisa, who became a U.S. citizen in 1995. Geniy obtained his citizenship just before he joined the Marines.

Larisa expects Geniy will be in San Diego at least another six to seven months. When he’s not in the hospital recovering from surgery, he lives in an apartment off the base, with his mother. They go back and forth to the hospital regularly for medical and therapy appointments.

Economic woes

Now Larisa faces challenges herself. An assistant manager at Taco Bueno in Olathe, she took a leave of absence through the government’s Family Medical Leave Act following Geniy’s injury.

“The Marine Corps has paid for most of my trips back and forth over the past 11 months. I’ve been home maybe three or four weeks total during that time to help take care of my mother, Flora Kruglyak,” Larisa said.

She will run out of leave time at the end of January. Without a regular salary, she fears she will soon lose her home.

“I am proud of what my son has accomplished and I want him to have his home to come home to whenever he decides to come home,” she said.

Larisa readily admits she is having difficulty making ends meet. That worries her.

“I just want him to have his home here,” she repeated.

Starting kindergarten is certainly one of the milestones in any child’s young life. It’s a milestone for parents as well, and one that often scares them. In an effort to make this transition a smooth one for both parents and children, a panel discussion will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, at the Jewish Community Campus in the Heritage Center. The event is free and childcare is available. To learn about childcare, visit jcckc.org/youth-programs/childcare/.

The event is co-sponsored by the KC Jewish Preschool Director’s Council, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and The PJ Library. The panel features pediatrician Michael Blum, D.O., HBHA kindergarten teacher Nicole Hollingsworth and Betsy Low, LSCSW, child and family therapist at Jewish Family Services.

Maxine Benson, director of Child Development Center programs for the Jewish Community Center, said the CDC started the program about six years ago as an informational gathering for Pre-K parents because “they would tell us how hard it was to leave the CDC.”

“Here we are like one big family and parents are involved with teachers,” Benson said. “Parents are worried about that transition to kindergarten where they are not so welcome into the classroom and the school will not be as interested in their opinions or input.”

Because that transition can be as difficult for the parent as it is for the child, Benson said CDC administrators thought an information session could address both aspects of transitioning to kindergarten.

“We wanted to make this as seamless for the parents as we made it for the children. We do a pretty good job about getting kids revved up about leaving preschool,” she said.

“Sometimes children still have difficulty adjusting because they are meeting lots of new children and new teachers. Sometimes it’s very, very different, but it was actually more difficult for some of the parents to make that transition,” Benson said.

“The program initially started not so much to ease the way for the children as it was to ease the way for the families. Children can pick up on all that anxiety … and they can start to think maybe this isn’t the great thing I thought it was,” she continued.

Benson thought the program was a good one, but described attendance as only so-so. But when she talked about it with other preschool directors, they thought it was a great idea.

“Judy Jacks Berman suggested it would be good to expand the program into a community program,” Benson said.

Now in its third year as a community program, the preschool directors, along with HBHA’s Tamara Lawson Schuster and Karen Gerson of The PJ Library, have crafted the program to include a social worker, a pediatrician and a kindergarten teacher.

“I tell parents you are getting a million-dollar panel for free,” Benson explained. “We are able to give you a panel of knowledgeable experts from our community who present fabulous information, for free.”

For the past few years, HBHA’s Nicole Hollingsworth has presented the kindergarten teacher’s view.

“I encourage all Pre-K parents to attend this event as a plethora of information is shared to help them prepare their kiddo for kindergarten. This event also gives tips for the family as the transition to kindergarten can be a big change for all. A smooth kindergarten transition is key to a successful start to a child’s formal education,” Hollingsworth pointed out.

Benson said Dr. Blum gives an overview of where children should be physically when they enter kindergarten, as well as how to work out the kindergarten physical exam so that insurance will pay for it.

“He also talks about readiness from his standpoint and always addresses the question from a pediatrician’s point of view when to send the child ahead or make the decision to hold back,” Benson said.

The third piece of the programs comes from JFS’ Low. She will address “the common sense ways to get your child ready to make the move to kindergarten as well as ways parents can keep their anxiety level down,” Benson said.

“She provides wonderful tidbits of information that will make that first day a breeze and help a child get over the hump,” Benson said.

Benson said she always hears nice comments from parents who attend the program. It’s also a great way for the various preschools from different religious denominations to do something together.

“We can cull from the community the best of the best this way,” Benson said. “It shows the community working a collaborative effort as it should. We’re not there to sell our programs. We want to make this easy for the parents. It’s just a really nice program.”

In addition to Benson, Berman, Schuster and Gerson, the planning committee includes Stacey Belzer and Susan Goldberg, B’nai Jehudah Preschool; and Devory Wineberg, Gan Chabad.

Reservations are requested for the program, however walk-ins are also welcome. To RSVP or for more information, contact one of the sponsoring organizations.

One thing is certain about Mandy Patinkin — his Jewishness is part of every role he portrays.

“It’s who I am,” said Patinkin in a telephone interview from New York, where he is currently performing on Broadway with longtime friend Patti LuPone. The powerful performing twosome will bring their show, “An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin,” to Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts through Theatre League (Jan. 17-22) just days after closing the show on Broadway. (For ticket information call 816-994-7222 or visit www.theaterleague.com.)

“My Jewishness and humanness are intertwined,” Patinkin continued. “It’s rachmones and compassion for others. It defines my character. If Jewishness, you take away from who I am.”

Now 59, Patinkin got his theatrical start through the Jewish Community Center near his childhood home in Chicago. At the suggestion of his mother, the teenage Patinkin became involved with the Young Men’s Jewish Council.

“I wasn’t interested in school, and I got involved in a play and I found myself,” Patinkin said. “It was about telling someone’s story. ... It saved my life.”

After attending Kenwood High School, Patinkin landed in our own backyard at the University of Kansas. During his two years at KU, Patinkin appeared in “Man of La Mancha,” “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” and as Tevye the milkman in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”

“This is where I started,” Patinkin told AP. “This is the last place my father saw me perform.”

While at KU, Patinkin was chosen as Teen Angel in nationwide 7-Up commercial; he left Lawrence and relocated to New York to attend Julliard School of Drama. After Julliard, Patinkin performed with the Baltimore Center Theatre Group as well as in BBC Radio productions.

Patinkin has been back to KU on a few occasions, but won’t get the chance this time.

“I wish I had free time to visit my alma mater,” he said.

Patinkin has had a diverse career spanning the Broadway stage as well as film, television and recording. He won a Tony Award for the role of Che in the musical “Evita,” where he and LuPone first connected. Patinkin went on to tread the boards in such other shows as “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Falsettos” and “The Secret Garden.” His film roles have included “The Princess Bride,” in which Patinkin made the phrase, “prepare to die” famous, “Yentl” and “Ragtime.” The small screen of television took Patinkin’s signature voice and face to the masses through such roles as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger in the hospital drama “Chicago Hope,” for which he won an Emmy. Patinkin portrayed Special Agent Jason Gideon in the ensemble cast of the TV series “Criminal Minds.” Currently, Patinkin is in production of the Showtime series “Homeland,” playing Dr. Saul Berenson, a member of the CIA who is — of all things — the Middle East Division Chief emeritus.

Patinkin said all the characters he has played have been Jewish in one sense or another. He’s found all the roles he’s played — whether on stage or screen — to be compelling, however Patinkin is particularly enjoying this turn in “Homeland.”

Patinkin is excited about bringing this current show to Kansas City audiences in eight performances. It’s a show he and LuPone have been doing off and one for the past nine years.

“It’s a figurative journey of two souls both spoken and unsung,” Patinkin explained. “It’s a concert format but it’s not the usual fair. It’s designed to be very entertaining. There are some familiar big show tunes and some that aren’t so familiar. Most importantly, it’s with my dear friend Patti LuPone. We love each other dearly and it’s a celebration of our lives.”

Theatre League Executive Director Mark Edelman has been promoting shows for 35 years, during which time he estimates he has used the words direct from Broadway at least 10,000 times. This particular show may represent the most direct path a show coming from Broadway to Kansas City has ever taken.

“I don’t’ think I’ve ever presented a show as direct from Broadway as ‘An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin,’ because that show is closing on Broadway on Jan. 13 and opening at the Kauffman on Jan. 17, four days later. It’s pretty tight,” Edelman said.

How does Patinkin keep a show that was conceived nine years ago fresh for audiences who have never seen it?

“We keep changing it, too,” Patinkin said. “When you pick the right material you keep it fresh.”

And there are stretches of time when the pair doesn’t perform together.

“I long for it when I’ve been away from it like a vitamin” he said.

Patinkin has a life beyond the footlights. Happily married to actress/writer Kathryn Grody, Patinkin enjoys his family time which includes sons Isaac, 29, and Gideon, 25.

“My older son is getting married,” said Patinkin, pride welling up in his voice. “It’s on his time clock. I hope it’s before I die,” he said with a laugh.

Gideon, a singer and songwriter, has his first CD coming out.

“Every now and then my youngest son performers with me and I love it, but he’ll be in New Zealand rolling out his CD,” Patinkin said.

Patinkin will continue doing concerts through the end of March, take personal time in April and in May, it’s back to filming the Showtime series, which takes place in the post 9-11 world of terrorism. He likes the role of Berenson, a mentor/father figure to the lead character CIA Agent Carrie Mathison, played by Claire Danes. Patinkin describes the series as a psychological thriller.

“It has some very serious questions about who are the terrorists,” Patinkin said. “It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life … These writers thrill me. It’s extraordinary and I’m a very extraordinarily lucky man to be part of it.”

Lisa Payne doesn’t see herself as an extreme couponer. But she does believe she knows quite a bit about being thrifty, and she’s sharing her expertise with anyone who wants to listen one Sunday morning a month at Congregation Beth Torah.

On top of that, she will present “How to Stretch a Dollar,” at 11 a.m. two consecutive Sundays, Jan. 22 and Jan. 29. A columnist and author of “Once Upon A Garage Sale…,” Payne will discuss ways to spend less money and boost your household’s bottom line. Topics will include garage sales and “extreme couponing.”

Payne came up with this idea to share her couponing expertise, and help others at the same time, as she thought about Schmooze & News, a gathering held every Sunday religious school is in session at Beth Torah. After family services, adults schmooze and catch up with friends, often while reading various Sunday newspapers.

“I was hoping and am working toward this being a ‘mitzvah’ time, a time when people can do a good deed with the ads in the Sunday paper,” Payne said.

How can people do this? Payne gives several examples.

“They can leave the coupons that they do not want for their own use for the use of others in the community,” she explained.

“We can strategically buy things with these coupons, especially when using the coupon will make the item free or 50 percent or more off its usual cost.”

Another way people can do a mitzvah is to leave recently expired coupons — just a month or two out-of-date — at Beth Torah.

“Those will be given to military families through www.operationexpiration.net or other agencies,” Payne said. “The overseas commissaries will allow the use of expired coupons as long as they are between 60 and 90 days old.”

There’s a box in the ulam (foyer) for the donations. It’s helpful if the coupons are already cut and divided into two categories: food and non-food. Payne will cut and separate the coupons if necessary. Then she will package them and send them off to help military families.

Payne, who has only been doing this since October, uses her own money to mail the coupons once a month. But anyone can do it.

She said she has taken on the cause because she figures most people won’t actually send them off themselves. But they may take the time to drop them off if they are going to the synagogue.

“I often send about 300 at one time,” she explained.

But she hopes this cause gains momentum.

“I am not intending this to be a one-man show. I really want to make this a community effort,” she said.

She says she personally uses coupons, along with purchasing and conducting garage sales, because she believes “if you don’t spend money on some things, then you will have money for other things.”

Payne may be more interested in the current coupons than the expired ones. Besides sending these along to the military, they can be used to purchase items right now that are needed by such organizations as Harvesters or battered women’s shelters. She is able to use the expertise she has gleaned to get the good deals like you see on TV shows to help these organizations. Then she donates those items to charitable organizations.

“I think it’s important to buy things for those who don’t have the time, money or resources to do it themselves,” Payne said.

Payne decided to share what she knows with others because of what she had learned attending CCO meetings at Beth Torah. CCO is the acronym for Communities Creating Opportunities, a grassroots community organizing effort to bring together the congregation and make systemic change in what matters most to our congregants. Through these meetings Payne had learned that many people are struggling financially due to the bad economy.

“I thought this was a good opportunity to explain couponing and being thrifty,” she said.

“It’s important when people are having trouble making ends meet that they feel in control. Couponing is a good way to help control expenses,” she continued.

Kelly Somberg, a member of the congregation’s social action and CCO committees, came by to help Payne cut coupons one Sunday morning in December.

“CCO is just a very small part of this,” Somberg said. “But this is a good way to be supportive of others in these hard economic times.”

Payne’s couponing has certainly helped her budget.

“I’ve learned how I can purchase many things for free. By studying the Walgreen’s and CVS advertising circulars, I was able to get two pages of items for free,” she explained.

“I am not an extreme couponer, but it is fun when the cashier says the total will be one penny,” she continued.
She urges people to be knowledgeable before they shop.

“WalMart always matches prices. And there is really only one place in this city that double’s coupons, and that’s Hen House. But you really need to know your prices at the stores to see if the coupon is worth it,” Payne said.

Payne isn’t sure how much time she spends couponing every week. She estimates she spends one to two hours organizing her coupons and another one to two hours shopping. But she points out once again this project is not just about her.

“I’m hoping this develops into something bigger than me. I am hoping for a community of like-minded people to get together and shop and share tips,” she said.

Finally, through her two classes in January Payne said she can help individuals learn how to save money themselves through couponing.

“Saving money is always a smart choice and allows people flexibility and control over how they spend money,” she said.

The Jewish Community Center has announced it plans to add classrooms to its Child Development Center.

The JCC will take over the space in the lobby of the Jewish Community Campus that was formerly used as a library by the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. HBHA gave up that space when it redesigned the area it occupies prior to the beginning of the current school year.

Schreiber said in March the JCC will initiate a construction project to build three new classrooms. The project will include a brand new Pre-K suite as well as enhancements to the existing CDC space.

“This is a rare opportunity for an additional 50 children, ages 2 to 4, to get a coveted spot in our top-rated early childhood program, which has been sold out with a waiting list for over 20 years,” said JCC Executive Director Jacob Schreiber.

Schreiber said the project will be complete by August, before the 2012-13 school year begins. The CDC is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and has earned five stars in the Quality Rating System. It serves children ages 12 months and walking through Pre-Kindergarten in both full-time and part-time classes.

CDC’s enrollment currently stands at 176 students, which Schreiber said is capacity. He expects the additional classrooms will increase enrollment to 226 students, filling three 2-year-old classrooms, three 3-year-old classrooms and four Pre-K classes.

Letters have already been sent to those on the CDC waiting list regarding the school’s expansion.

“We expect to fill quite a bit of our new spots from our waiting list,” Schreiber said.

He suggests anyone wanting to save a spot for next year or learn more about CDC enrollment in general contact Maxine Benson at 913-327-8051 or .

Schreiber said the JCC is currently raising funds to help pay for this expansion.