Archived News

On first glance, the title resembles the beginning of a vaudeville joke. Rather than generating laughs from the punch line, you hear gunshots and explosions in the background. Philadelphia playwright Seth Rozin’s dark comedy “Two Jews Walk Into a War” is set in the recent past during the Taliban regime’s final days in Afghanistan. The title characters are accountant Ishaq (Jim Korinke) and carpet salesman Zeblyan (Robert Elliott), who are the last two surviving Jews in Kabul. The only thing that binds them together is that they hate each other’s guts. The play, directed by Cynthia Levin, made its Kansas City premiere last weekend and continues through March 20 at the Unicorn Theatre on the more intimate Jerome Stage.

The entire play takes place inside a dilapidated old synagogue in which the walls are crumbling, the stained glass window is broken and the ark is empty. The play opens with the death of a third person who kept the peace. Ishaq and Zeblyan are now forced to confront each other. Their loathing stems from the fact that Ishaq’s parents convinced Zeblyan’s family to leave the refugee camps after surviving the Holocaust and come to Afghanistan rather than the United States, Canada or Israel.

Ishaq tells Zebylan that they must declare a truce and stop hurling insults at each other. He believes the future of Afghan Jewry depends on them. He hatches a plan to repopulate the Jewish community in Kabul. They will find two Afghani women of child-bearing age, convert them to Judaism, marry and impregnate them. This will double the Jewish population in nine months. However, a conversion ceremony requires a rabbi. A rabbi will need a Torah. Ishaq happens to be a Torah scholar. He has memorized the Torah including all the punctuation marks. Since he is more than two decades older and his hands are unsteady, Ishaq dictates the passages and Zebylan serves as the scrivener. They kvetch, argue, debate and bounce ideas off each other in a verbal game of ping pong.

Their hilarious odd couple pairing finds Ishaq in the role of straight man to Zebylan’s questioning, smart-aleck jokester. The play consists of brief sketches, many lasting no more than a few minutes, followed by a blackout and Middle Eastern music. It closely resembles an episodic sitcom. While loosely based on a true story, this thought-provoking play points out how fragile religious freedom truly is. We too often take for granted our religious institutions that serve as the beacons for preserving our faith and the meaningful traditions passed down from our ancestors.

Levin is to be congratulated for bringing this play to Kansas City. She deftly handles a serious situation with doses of comic relief. Her Conservative Jewish background comes in handy in guiding these two talented non-Jewish actors through their paces. She gets a valuable assist from Jewish scenic designer Evan Hill for his masterful recreation of the synagogue which acts as a vital unifying linchpin. These two demanding roles pose a real challenge to the actors. Korinke and Elliott have a winning chemistry that allows for a believable give-and-take kibitzing. Elliott is very refined with a nuanced performance. He uses his physicality to bring out his character’s mischievous behavior. Korinke is simply amazing in overcoming a monumental memorization challenge. He gives subtle hints of the age disparity between the characters. His feebleness is demonstrated by taking pills and a bad back. He is convincing in his devout beliefs and stubborn adherence to the text being the literal word of God. The play effectively mixes the modern with the ancient and hints at the disparity between Orthodox and Reform Judaism.

The play is very generic with very few ethnic words and will appeal to all religious denominations. The Kansas City version is the first to include an intermission to break the 90-minute length in half. I give this uniquely intimate experience a solid grade of B.

For tickets or more information, call (816) 531-7529, ext. 10, online at www.unicorntheatre.org or in person at the box office.

The shofar blast announced the beginning of the celebration, and it was a day to remember for members of Kehilath Israel Synagogue. On Sunday afternoon, Feb. 27, about 325 people filled the sanctuary to witness the final words written in the congregation’s 100th anniversary Torah.

Arnold and Carol Caviar and their family underwrote the project, dedicating the Torah and the mantle, which began more than a year ago as part of KI’s 100th anniversary celebration. Funds raised by the project will support KI activities.

“This day is a result of Arnie Caviar’s vision,” said KI President Steve Osman.

More than 300 people, including congregants and friends of KI in the community, contributed to the project. Dedication opportunities included making donations for letters; aliyot; special sections; parshiot; and books. A few people purchased enough letters to spell a certain word or write a phrase. Donations also paid for the gartel (Torah sash); atzei chayim (wooden Torah rollers); yad (pointer); shield (breast plate); crown; parchment, ink and quills; and torah and mantle.

Contributors “purchased” certain letters, a word, a phrase, a portion of the week, or even one of the books of the Torah. Donors were invited to share in the activities, beginning that morning, by writing a letter in the Torah along with the sofer (scribe) Rabbi Shmuel Miller.

“It is very, very special as we dedicate our own Torah in the second century of our congregation’s existence,” Rabbi Herbert Mandl said.

The scribe added the final words to the Torah while seated on the bimah underneath the chuppah in the sanctuary. The actual writing took place under the chuppah, since a Torah scroll is often considered like “the bride of the Jewish people.”

Rabbi Miller, who has written 27 Torahs, wrote this one on kosher parchment using a quill from a turkey and ink made of berries. If it is unrolled from end to end, its length is approximately the size of a football field. Rabbi Miller said it usually takes six to 12 months to write a Torah and he spends approximately six hours per day writing.

The Torah mantle, a contemporary design of blues, red, greys and plums, has stitched on the outside in Hebrew, “The Torah Will Be Made Great And Glorious.

Rabbi Mandl said this Torah will become the congregation’s main Torah and should be in use beginning this week.

KI chose this project as a way for its members to fulfill the 613th commandment to “write a Torah in one’s lifetime.” Since the Torah is called a “Tree of Life,” the synagogue’s younger members fittingly entertained the audience with that song, as well as several others. Chazzan Jeffrey Shron also entertained.

High school athletes in the Jewish community are having a good year. In the last few weeks alone, one has won a state championship, another led her basketball team in scoring and the third signed a letter of intent to play college soccer. Read on to learn more.

Wrestler three-peats as state champ

Zack Tanenbaum capped off his Blue Valley North high school wrestling career in grand fashion Saturday night, Feb. 26, when he won his third straight state championship. He did so in dominating fashion, with his closest match being a 14-2 victory in the finals of the 135-pound weight class. This win makes Zack the first three-time wrestling champion in BVN history.

Zack was undefeated his entire senior season, compiling a 40-0 record. He hasn’t actually lost a match in more than a year. His last defeat came in the early part of his junior season on his quest to become the Kansas State 6A wrestling champion in the 135-pound weight class. As a sophomore he was the 119-pound state champ.

Zack said it’s “an awesome feeling,” to be a three-time champ. He credits his success to a lot of hard work in the practice room.

“There’s definitely been a lot of sweat and a lot of early mornings working out at the Jewish Community Center before school,” he said. “It all definitely paid off.”

Working out twice a day isn’t the norm for wrestlers, or many other high school athletes.

“I think it’s more of a me thing. I haven’t really heard of any other athletes working out before school,” he said.

Zack has committed to wrestle at Brown University, an Ivy League school located in Providence, R.I., in the fall. A 4.0 student, he chose the school based on its great academics.

“They also have a Division I wrestling program, so it’s the best of both worlds,” said Zack, who plans to study biology and hopes to become a doctor.

“They also have a Division I wrestling program, so it’s the best of both worlds,” said Zack, who plans to study biology and hopes to become a doctor.

Since the season just ended last weekend, the all-city teams and other similar honors haven’t been released yet. Already this year 610 Sports Radio has recognized Zack as its athlete of the week and he’s been named an All-EKL (league) Scholar Athlete as well as to the principal’s honor roll.

The wrestling season isn’t quite over yet for Zack. Before he gets a chance to take some time off he will wrestle in the Kansas City Metro Classic, a tournament featuring the best metro wrestlers from both sides of the state line.

“It’s kind of an all-star team,” explained Zack, the son of Kelly Jackson and Dr. Robert Tanenbaum. “After that I’ll take some time off. I need a little break.”

Basketball player climbs scoring chart

Mikayla Davis, a senior at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, was recognized by the Kansas City Star earlier this winter for scoring more than 1,000 points in her career. In fact she ended the season with 1,339 points and now holds second-place on the all-time scoring list for girls behind Abby Sechrist (2005-2008) who scored 1375. She’s also third on the school’s all-time scoring list — boys and girls. The top scorer with 1564 points if Cory Gutovitz (2005-2009, boys), followed by Abby and then Mikayla.

Averaging 17.9 points per game, Mikayla was the Lady Rams leading scorer this year.

A shooting guard, Mikayla is a little surprised by her scoring prowess.

“I didn’t expect to score that many points. When I first started playing high school basketball it wasn’t my goal to score that many points. But it feels really good and it’s a good accomplishment,” she said.

Mikayla had such a stellar season despite getting off to a slow start early in the season. She was recovering from knee surgery she had in July to repair a torn ACL in her left knee.

As one of four seniors on the Lady Rams (Shira Levine, Maggie Herman and Davida Rosenthal are also seniors), she helped the team finish with an 18-7 record.

“I took a leading role on the team and that role was to score the points and help other people to score. I scored most of those points last year and this year but I obviously couldn’t have done this without the help of my team,” Mikayla said.

As soon as Mikayla turns 18 later this year, she hopes to begin playing in an 18 and older league. She also plans to join an all-seniors team after spring break. She doesn’t know yet whether she’ll play in college.

“Since I want to go into physical therapy, I’ll already have so much on my plate for college that I don’t know if I could handle playing basketball as well. But I’ll definitely do intramurals,” said Mikayla, who is considering attending either Drake University or Wichita State University.
She’s said she’s sad her high school career is over.

“But some of my best memories of high school are of basketball, so I’m glad I played,” said Mikayla, the daughter of Debi and Scott Davis.

Soccer player signs with Drake

Pembroke Hill senior Ross Payne signed a letter of intent to play soccer at Drake University during a signing ceremony at the school in February in front of a large gathering of family, teachers and students.

“I’m really excited. It’s something I’ve been working toward and thinking about for quite some time,” Ross said this week.

A four-year varsity starter, Ross, the son of Lisa and Roger Payne, set a school record in career goals with 114. A team captain both his junior and senior years, Ross was named to the All-District and All-State teams all four years of his high school career. His other honors include being named Class I Missouri Player-of-the-Year in 2010.

And also this year, he was one of nine players in Missouri selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Regional team. Additionally, he was a two-time Kansas City Star Athlete-of-the-Week and a member of the Kansas City Star’s All-Metro team in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

During Ross’ upper school soccer career, the team won districts each year and made three final-four appearances.

When he’s not playing soccer, Ross has helped to instruct a recreational soccer team of third- and fourth-grade boys, assisted the coach with a Pembroke Hill summer soccer camp and, when time permitted, enjoyed playing baseball and basketball. Ross also created and currently manages his own stock portfolio. He has volunteered with Harvesters and The Humane Society.
High school soccer may be a fall sport, but it actually keeps Ross busy all year.

“I play KCFC club soccer year round. I’ve played club soccer since I was 3 or 4 years old,” said Ross, whose family belongs to Congregation Beth Torah. “We’re just finishing the indoor season and we’re ready to get back outside.”

Through club soccer over the years, he’s actually met some other players from the KC area who will be playing for Drake next year also, and Ross feels good about that. He’s not sure yet what he wants to study, but he plans on it being something in the business school.

What do the Sprint Center and The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle have in common? They have both used Digital Lagoon to enhance their images.

Digital Lagoon’s multi-faceted services can be used by individuals, small companies and large corporations.

Just how multi-faceted?

“Let’s talk about a new company for example. We can develop the website. We can put together videos for training, marketing and sales. We can do the interior and exterior design and all trade show displays,” explained Owner/President Jordan Gershon. It’s very common for companies to hire the Jewish-owned business for the varied services they offer. The Chronicle hired Digital Lagoon to correct some glitches on its website; its parent company, MetroMedia publishers, had magazine covers enlarged, which now hang on the office walls.

When Digital Lagoon was established in 1995, Interactive CD-Rom and video production was the company’s primary focus. Shortly after, it was contacted to assist in the development of sprint.com, which launched a new Web development division within Digital Lagoon.

“We next developed twinkies.com, amctheatres.com and garmin.com,” said Gershon, who is a member of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.

Today, Gershon described Digital Lagoon as a “single-source provider for marketing communications.”

That includes providing cutting-edge technology in Web development, video production and large-format digital printing.

When it comes to developing websites, Gershon said Digital Lagoon can do “the creative, the programming and also take care of all the hosting and on-going maintenance.”

“We have a very powerful content management system that allows the user to be able to update and make any changes to their website,” Gershon said. “No matter how large or small the website, it’s easily developed and maintained by Digital Lagoon.”

Digital Lagoon works with a variety of companies such as retailers, restaurants and health care clients. In fact it just completed large projects for both Carondelet Health and the Blue Valley School District’s CAPS program. Customers aren’t just centered in Kansas City, Gershon said, “Digital Lagoon serves people and businesses all over the country.”

If video production is needed, Digital Lagoon offers location shooting, editing, post-production, mastering and duplication.

“We have writers, producers, script writers and editors. We can take it from an idea all the way through the completed production,,” Gershon said. Many companies are currently training their employees, Gershon said,  using Web-based training, which Digital Lagoon develops.

“You can track the user, see what they’ve looked at and incorporate testing to see if they are retaining the information. That’s a good use of combining our video and web technology,” Gershon said.

The newest facet of Digital Lagoon’s business is large-format digital printing, which was added in 2007. It’s iunique in that it can print on almost any type of material.

“Our biggest project to date is the entire Sprint Center,” he said. “When you go to the Sprint Center, we did the design, the installation and the printing for the interior and exterior signs and graphics.”

On the print side, Digital Lagoon works with consumers, retailers, designers and architects. Besides signage, businesses often need large digital printing to showcase products at trade shows. Gershon said, “Digital Lagoon not only creates and produces the materials; it can install them as well, regardless of where the installation is needed.”

“We can print on metals, acrylic, glass, vinyl, fabric, tile and others” he said. “We use UV ink so it’s impervious to any moisture or fading and allows for both interior and exterior applications.”
Digital Lagoon’s state-of-the-art facility includes a complete prepress shop, wide-format printers, a complete finishing shop and full installation and design services.

“We have the skill and the capacity to turn your job around quickly and affordably,” Gershon said. “It’s all very new technology that’s only been around three years.  I’ve always been interested in technology and media.”Gershon is involved in every aspect of the business and thoroughly enjoys it.

“I absolutely love it. I like interacting with clients to increase their sales and providing them with new creative solutions,” he said.

The company has recently jumped into the promotional business with photodarts.com.

Featured in the Wall Street Journal, Gershon pointed out that photodarts.com can customize regulation-sized dart boards by printing any image, logo or photo. Customers can see what the customized dartboard will look by clicking on the website and uploading the image. Dart boards can also be found on Digital Lagoon’s website, www.lagoon.com.

Rabbi Moti Rieber has been on a journey — a life journey — that has now taken him to Kansas City, the home town of his wife, Suzy Siegler Rieber, daughter of Merna and the late Sylvan Siegler.

His journey started in New Jew Jersey where he grew up and studied at Rutger’s University. In 1995 he moved to Israel, one of a group of young, enthusiastic Americans encouraged to make aliyah and become English teachers. He spent four years in Israel, where he met Suzy. Married in 1997 at Kansas City’s Congregation Beth Shalom, they returned to Israel where they both taught English.

Eventually he and Suzy decided that they wanted to be closer to family. So the physical journey brought them back to this country, but he also made a spiritual/emotional journey. He decided to become a rabbi. After graduating in 2004 from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pa. (a 30-minute train ride from downtown Philadelphia), he became a pulpit rabbi in Illinois for three years.

But Rabbi Rieber’s journey was not over yet. While he lived in Pennsylvania he worked in Jewish communal work, and he discovered he really enjoyed it.

So another journey began. Rabbi Rieber, Suzy and their three children, moved to Wichita where he became the director of the Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation. While there he served on the board of the Kansas Interfaith Power and Light, the local branch of a national organization that encourages local congregations to ‘green’ their worship spaces and teach about the environment and stewardship of the earth from a religious prospective.

This led to his revelation that he wanted to continue working in non-profit work that relates to tikkun olum, repair of the world. Issues that interest him are environmental issues, sustainable food for local distribution, urban organizations and activism. Currently he serves on the board of the Overland Park Community Gardens.

The Rieber family journeyed one more time this summer when they moved to the Kansas City area to be closer to family and friends. Suzy was able to find a job with the Shawnee Mission School District.

Rabbi Rieber is teaching at a variety of places in the area: The TAG Program, confirmation class at Beth Torah, Adult Education at the Jewish Community Center, and substitute teaching as needed at Congregation Beth Shalom for teens.

“Rabbi Rieber is very passionate about the topics he teaches and very knowledgeable,” said Jeff Goldenberg, the director of Adult Jewish Learning at the Jewish Community Center. “He connects well with the students.

Currently Rabbi Rieber is teaching a three-part program: “How We Saw Ourselves: Art, Literature and Music in Early 20th Century Jewish Communities.” These nine sessions were divided into three individual units, Immigrant America, Yiddish World, and Pre-State Israel.” The final part, Pre-State Israel, began this week.

“We need to offer more of the secular Jewish learning information: art, literature, music,” Goldenberg said. “Rabbi Rieber is teaching not your every day topics.”

As he makes his place in the Kansas City community, Rabbi Rieber has joined both BIAV and Beth Shalom. He is hoping to find a full-time position that fulfills his desires to repair the world. But he also hopes to continue teaching both adults and teens.

“What I’m really looking for is sustaining parnassah in Kansas City,” he said. “Some combination of non-profit work (Jewish or secular), teaching, B’nai Mitzvah tutoring and freelancing as a rabbi that would lead me to be able to stay here and support my family.”

And, he and Suzy hope, their journeys end here in Kansas City.

In the short space of two years, Rabbi Adam Stein got married, accepted a position here as assistant rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom, and will shortly be relocating to Australia.

When his position was eliminated at Beth Shalom, Rabbi Stein opened his portfolio and secured a new position at a synagogue in Melbourne. It’s home to about 40 percent of Australia’s Jews and has a Jewish population of more than 60,000. He’ll be the only rabbi and one of only two staff members at Kehilat Nitzan, a Masorti synagogue (the equivalent of Conservative here in the United States). The congregation was founded about 12 years ago and has approximately 250 families.

“I’ll be completing my contract at Beth Shalom this summer,” he told the Chronicle, “and Tamar and I will leave sometime after that.”

Tamar’s family is in Chicago; Rabbi Stein’s in Washington, D.C., and California. But with a flight of 16 hours at a cost of more than $3,000 and a cost of living that’s more like Los Angeles than Overland Park, Rabbi Stein doesn’t expect his job in Australia to be “a forever position.” He’s accepted a two-year contract and looks forward to “a great adventure.”

People are often criticized and looked on with disdain for being fat. “A Matter of Size” puts a comedic spin on being overweight. This endearing romantic comedy is the closing night film of the 13th annual Kansas City Jewish Film Festival. Its exclusive showing will be at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 13, at the White Theatre.

Herzl (Itzik Cohen), age 35, suffers from low self-esteem mainly attributable to his obese girth. He feels like he has an incurable disease every time he steps on a scale. His earliest childhood memories are of being called “fatso” or “Mount Herzl.”

He lives with his seamstress mother, Mona (Levana Finkelstein), in the central Israel city of Ramla (ironically, a sister city of Kansas City). His latest efforts to drop kilos have been deemed a waste of time by weight loss counselor Geula (Evelin Hagoel).

Herzl gets a new job washing dishes at a Japanese restaurant. He sees on television Sumo wrestling for the first time. This revelation opens his eyes to the possibility of an athletic endeavor where his hefty bulk is advantageous. He decides to start a Sumo wrestling club.

Herzl persuades his three friends, Aharon (Divir Benedek), Gidi (Alon Dahan) and Sammy (Shmulik Cohen), to quit the dieting program and join him as part of Ramla’s Sumo wrestling team. They convince Kitano (Togo Igawa), the owner of the restaurant and a former Sumo referee in Japan, to serve as their coach. They clean up an old warehouse that becomes their training facility. Their goal is to wrestle in a locally-held competition with the winner representing Israel in a Japanese tournament.

Herzl becomes attracted to Zehava (Irit Kaplan), a pretty zaftig girl. He invites her over for Shabbat dinner. Mona tells Herzl she wants thin grandchildren and thinks Zehava is too fat. Zehava overhears these cruel remarks. Herzl tries to smooth things over with Zehava. A humorous scene takes place at Zehava’s abode concerning whether to leave the lights on or off during sex.

Zehava has a black belt in judo and Herzl invites her to train alongside the men. Kitano hurts Zehava’s feelings when he tells her that women are not allowed to participate in Sumo. When Zehava walks off crying, Herzl follows after her and tells her he is quitting Sumo. This turns out to be a lie.

Besides the budding relationship between Herzl and Zehava, every character has their own side story that becomes a subplot. One of the priceless scenes that will have you in stitches is when these four men walk through the city wearing only the traditional bright red mawashi that look like loincloth diapers. The last reel involves a series of competitive matches where the objective is to push an opponent out of the “dohyo” (the ring) to win. The movie ends on a cute upbeat note with Herzl in the hallway outside of Zehava’s apartment.

The delightful screenplay triggers an inspirational spark of self-acceptance, especially for fat people who can come out of their closets with pride. The acting is very natural and convincing. The movie debuted at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. It has played at more than 50 Jewish film festivals around the world.

“A Matter of Size” received 13 Ophir nominations (the equivalent of our Academy Awards), which was the most of any Israeli film in 2009. It won awards for best costume design, best actress (Kaplan) and best supporting actress (Finkelstein). The superior quality of the film is reflected in the other nominated categories for best film (lost to “Ajami”), best director, best actor (Itzik Cohen), best supporting actor (Benedek), best screenplay, best editing, best cinematography, best sound, best music and best art direction.

Harvey and Bob Weinstein were so impressed with this cinematic gem that they have bought the rights for an American remake. This feel-good romantic comedy, in the same vein as “The Full Monty,” is not afraid of featuring big-bellied men. It has a running time of 90 minutes and contains sexually suggestive material. The dialogue is in Hebrew and Japanese with English subtitles. It gets my vote as the second best film of this year’s festival and a rating of good (3 stars out of 4).

Jewish Film Festival premiers Saturday night

Below is a full list of the seven films scheduled to be shown at the 2011 Jewish Film Festival March 5 through March 13 at the Lewis and Shirley White Theatre at the Jewish Community Campus.

Tickets and Festival Passes may be purchased online at kcjff.org, by calling (913) 327-805, or in person at the White Theatre.

‘ANITA’
Saturday, March 5, 7:30 p.m. plus Opening Night Dessert Reception, Spanish with English subtitles
Additional Pre-Film Reception for Festival-Pass Holders Only
In the wake of the 1994 bombing of the Buenos Aires Jewish Community Center, a young Jewish woman with Down syndrome searches the city for her mother, receiving help and companionship in unexpected quarters through the simple force of her ingenuous personality and open heart.

‘The Yankles’
Sunday, March 6, 1 p.m., English
In this fun-for-the-family feature, a washed-up major leaguer gets a second chance — as coach of a yeshiva baseball team. After a rough start, he finds a home with “The Yankles,” and with his help, the team strives for success on the field, while their coach works to rebuild his reputation and his relationships with those whom he wronged in the past.

‘The Little Traitor’
Sunday, March 6, 6:30 p.m., English
Family Night: Appropriate for ages 7 and up, with free babysitting available for younger children. Reservations required.
Starring Alfred Molina and featuring Theodore Bikel, this is a tale of the unlikely bond between a kindly British soldier and a spirited Jewish boy set against the backdrop of the birth of the state of Israel — based on the acclaimed Amos Oz novel, “Panther in the Basement.”

“Nora’s Will’
Monday, March 7, 7:30 p.m., Spanish with English subtitles
In this dark comedy, a woman orchestrates her own suicide right before Passover in a manipulative flourish geared to annoy her ex-husband — but an unforeseen twist leads him to re-examine the relationship and rediscover their undying love for each other.

‘The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground’
Saturday, March 12, 9:30 p.m., English, Yiddish with English subtitles
From the Lower East Side to Krakow, Poland, this quick-paced portrait captures the energy, infectious concert performances, and on-camera candor of the band that has been redefining Jewish music for more than 20 years.
Festival Pass holders and ticket-holders for this film will receive $5 off any ticket for the thought-provoking performance by spoken-word artist Vanessa Hidary, “The Hebrew Mamita” (7:30 p.m. in the White Theatre). Complimentary fresh-brewed Roasterie Coffee will be available between shows.

‘Against the Tide’
Sunday, March 13, 1 p.m. plus discussion following, English
A compelling examination of American inaction during the Holocaust, through never-before-seen footage and interviews with activists who tried to mobilize the U.S. government — and the American Jewish establishment.
Discussion following the film with historian Frank Adler.

‘A Matter of Size’
Sunday, March 13, 7:30 p.m., Hebrew with English subtitles
A coming-out story of a different kind: Fed up with the “dictatorship of thinness” of their weight-loss workshop, four friends from the Israeli city of Ramla — Kansas City’s Sister City — ditch their diets and find new fulfillment in the world of sumo wrestling. Pound for pound, a pleasure.

Who passed a rule that only hippies and cramming collegians could set up camp at joints that focus their efforts on coffee and other libations? It’s an absurd notion. We yearn for such joints long after we start having kids. Responsibility. Jobs. We may not have as much time to enjoy them, but we still relish low key places where we can sit down with a good cup of coffee. A drink. And maybe even some decent food. Though clearly Take Five Coffee + Bar (5336 W. 151st Street) in Leawood won’t toss out the hippies or the cramming collegians, it seems more concerned with filling the void for the rest of us.

On one visit, we approached Take Five as a family affair. We picked a comfortable booth near the entrance, and sat down to take in the mood of the place — evidently geared to fostering a feeling of community and a vague sense of escape from the chaos of the day. Food is ordered at the counter, and brought out to the tables when it is ready. The kids’ meals came out first. Exhibiting wisdom sometimes sorely lacking in much more sophisticated spots, our server said, “I thought you would probably want the kids’ food out quick.” A small, but gallant gesture.

A conspicuous absence of televisions spoke volumes. Might some folks come here in search of good conversation? Peace and quiet? Some of the walls are papered with burlap sacks that held (or appear to have held) coffee beans. There are yellow/gold light fixtures, above, and stone tile floors, below. Black and white pictures of jazz musicians and singers are on the walls. Soft jazz music plays in the background. A stone fireplace rests at one end of the place.

Take Five’s “Lunch/Dinner” menu is small, by conventional restaurant standards — though probably of reasonable size for a coffee and liquor “joint.” It offers three appetizers, two salads (with chicken and salmon as add-ons), and five Panini sandwiches. We tried the Spinach Artichoke Dip ($4.95, $7.95) — a decent, creamy version of the ubiquitous appetizer dip, with mostly spinach, and two big pieces of artichoke heart plopped down in the dip’s center. We dunked nice, warm pita bread in the dip, though tri-colored chips are also offered as a dunking option.

All five sandwiches are served as “crisp” ciabatta Panini. The word Panini emanates from the Italian word Panino, which refers to sandwiches, in a more general sense. In this country, though, Panini are more commonly considered to be pressed and toasted sandwiches — often grilled. I tried the rather interesting Pacific (Panini) ($7.95), with grilled salmon, tomatoes, spinach, artichoke and cream cheese. This was solid ciabatta bread, though it was not nearly as “crisp” as anticipated — and certainly not pressed and grilled to the extent we are accustomed with Panini. The salmon is a surprisingly respectable version, however, for this casual, coffee shop venue, and the flavors of the “Pacific” blend well together. Sandwiches are offered with a choice of chips, cottage cheese or “twice baked” potato salad (the latter of which is pre-made off the premises, with bacon already mixed in).

My wife sampled the Spinach Salad ($5.95), served with chopped egg, plum tomatoes and parmesan cheese, and she added chicken ($2). The salad was only moderate in size — maybe to be expected, given the price — and the chicken was a bit dry and lacking much flavor. She requested it with ranch dressing. Most disappointing was that — as the server behind the counter confirmed — none of the three offered salad dressings (raspberry vinaigrette, ranch, honey mustard) were made in-house. Having a limited menu yields additional responsibility in regard to the quality of the offerings. Making one (or more) of the salad dressings in-house would be a sure way for Take Five to bring its culinary stature to the next level.

During another visit — on an unseasonably warm Sunday in February — we sampled the breakfast offerings. Three different house-made quiches were on hand ($4.25). We tried one with a satisfying blend of red pepper, parmesan, pesto and chicken. We were served a rather hefty slice, with a buttery, flaky crust, that had a lingering pesto flavor in each bite. The Turkey Sausage Panini ($2.95) came sandwiched with hardboiled eggs and a gooey portion of provolone cheese to complement the sausage. It was a good sandwich and a good value — albeit nothing extraordinary.

Our favorite breakfast option — that would have frankly been tremendous any time of day — was the house-made Cinnamon Roll ($1.99). It was a large, moist, icing-covered rendition with loads of cinnamon. The muffins and scones are also generally baked in-house. Offered pastries are best paired (of course) with a range of coffee offerings roasted for Take Five by Zoka Coffee Roasters, in Seattle. Zoka was founded by University of Washington alumnus Jeff Babcock, in 1996. Zoka’s café in Washington is rooted in a concept that Take Five emulates: a café in which patrons are invited to eat and drink (coffee or harder stuff) for an extended period of time in a relaxed environment.

While Take Five might never draw the most sophisticated culinary crowd, that does not appear to be the intention. Rather, it seems driven to pull in folks looking to unwind with a drink — coffee, or otherwise — who may want to grab a quick bite while they are at it. Birkenstocks and laptops are optional.

Food: 2½
Service: 2½
Atmosphere: 3
Out of Four Stars

Danny Mayer has a two-part strategy that has helped him achieve his goals time and again. Part one of the strategy is networking. Part two is having an impact wherever he gets involved.
Networking was the reason Danny got involved in the Business and Professionals Series, the Jewish Federation’s initiative to connect Jewish professionals ages 21 to 45 to each other and the Kansas City business community. Having an impact is why he agreed to serve as this year’s chair of the series.

Networking has always come naturally to Mayer, who was president of his fraternity at the University of Michigan. It was also an important goal after leaving his management consulting job with Ernst & Young in Chicago to attend business school at Columbia University in New York City.

“I realized,” he said, “that if I could get into a good school with people smarter than me, I could learn from them and have contacts all over the world.”

It was through his Columbia network that he met Tina Maddigan, the original Sophie from “Mamma Mia” on Broadway, whom he married in 2005.

“A buddy from business school invited me to a party at a bar. She was there, we had a great conversation and a month later, I went to the show and there she was singing in front of a sold-out crowd of 1,500 people. I went backstage to say hello and we started dating.”

NYC to KC Networking

After grad school, Mayer joined Bloomberg and later Reuters, where he helped build and expand their electronic trading systems. In 2008, he joined a small tech company, where he was instrumental in launching a global product to create more transparency between institutions and their clients.

But he and Maddigan, whose son Riley was an infant, faced a decision.

“We lived in a one-bedroom shoebox in the middle of Manhattan,” he said. “If we got a two-bedroom in the city, I would have to make a lot more money. Or, we could move out to the suburbs like a lot of my colleagues, with a two-hour commute to work and no relationship with my family — which isn’t the point of having a family.

“The financial markets were blowing up when I told my boss I was moving to Kansas City and didn’t have a job. He looked at me like I had a third eye. My office was across the street from Lehman Brothers. Still, Tina and I felt there would never be a better time to make the switch. So I began networking like crazy.”

Mayer’s approach to networking in Kansas City focused less on landing a job than meeting influential leaders, finding out what makes the city tick and exploring how to get involved. In March 2009, he joined Cornerstone Financial Group as chief marketing officer and head of practice development.

Connecting business and professionals

Through the networking process, Mayer met Neal Schwartz, a vice president at Cerner who was also the chair of the Federation’s Business and Professionals Series. Schwartz invited him to a B&P program and to join the planning committee. The following year, Mayer spearheaded a “Meet the Mayors” program attended by more than 100 people at Sullivan’s Steak House in Leawood. This year, as chair of the series, he’s building on that momentum. In January, more than 100 people gathered at the offices of Lathrop & Gage to hear three area advertising executives discuss the industry and its future in Kansas City.

Mayer is looking forward to the same turnout at the next B&P event on March 22, “Attaining Your Aspirations” at Sunlight Day Spas in Overland Park. The group will learn from three exceptional Kansas City leaders and entrepreneurs who transformed their personal life experiences into meaningful and successful careers. Panelists include former Chiefs linebacker and Founder of ADA Charities, Anthony Davis; Mary Lucas, founder and president of MBL Consulting and author of “Lunchmeat & Life Lessons: Sharing a Butcher’s Wisdom,” and Connie Zack, co-owner and chief sales officer of Sunlighten, owner of Sunlight Day Spas.

Mayer offers several explanations for the series’ appeal. Last year’s high-touch guerilla marketing campaign reached out to a broad cross-section of Jewish young professionals. But also, he says, “People like the idea that they can come to these programs and meet movers and shakers, pick their brains about what’s happening in the community and perhaps grab a nugget of wisdom.”

Mayer isn’t sure how he might be involved with the Federation down the road.

“For now,” he says, “I just enjoy the focus on business and want to make B&P the best it can be.”

Beyond that, he’s enjoying the simple pleasures that enticed him and Maddigan to move here: an affordable home near good schools, a 10-minute commute to work, time to spend with his kids, including 3-month-old daughter Sadie, a vibrant business community — and plenty of people who share his zeal for networking, leadership and making a difference.



Danny Mayer

• Born in Kansas City, 1975
• Shawnee Mission East, 1993
• University of Michigan, Bachelor’s of Business Administration, 1997
• Columbia University, Master of Business Administration, Finance & General Management, 2002
• Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Practice Development, Cornerstone Financial Group
• Lives in Overland Park
• Married to Tina Maddigan
• Children: Riley 3, Sadie 3 months
• Recent Reading: “The Dip,” by Seth Godin
• Favorite Movie: “Princess Bride”
• Favorite Restaurant: Mr. Bigg’s in New York City
• Favorite Jewish Food: Matzah balls
• Trips to Israel: None
• Pets: Brie, the cat, and BD, a black lab retriever

“I think these are very, very unprecedented times” for Israel.

The current situation in the Middle East is certainly an issue for supporters of the Jewish state. Rabbi Daniel Gordis will discuss that, and how he believes members of the Jewish community can help insure Israel’s survival, at the third annual Kansas City Israel Action Forum sponsored by American Israel Public Affairs Committee. (See below for details)

“I think people are worried about whether the Egyptian peace treaty is going to hold and what is going to happen with Jordan. We have a new administration in Washington, but there is definitely some tension. This is a very, very interesting time and I think this is a critical moment in Israel’s history. It’s a time for people to think about what is at stake and what they know and don’t know. I think the lecture, in some small way at least, will be a useful introduction to that,” Rabbi Gordis said.

Rabbi Gordis is the author of “Saving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War That May Never End,” (Wiley, 2009). The book was awarded the 2009 National Jewish Book Award. This is the second consecutive year he has been the forum’s featured speaker.

Dr. Daniel Gordis is senior vice president of the Shalem Center, where he is also a senior fellow. He is a regular columnist for the Jerusalem Post and a frequent contributor to the New York Times. He received his B.A. from Columbia College (Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa), a master’s degree and rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. He and his wife, Elisheva, live in Jerusalem and have three children and a recently acquired son-in-law.

While the current Middle East tensions seem to be at the top of most people’s minds, Rabbi Gordis believes the delegitimization of Israel seems to be the No. 1 threat the Jewish state is facing.

“Iran is as important as what is happening in Egypt and Tunisia and Algeria and everywhere else, but none of those things are actually going to topple the Jewish state,” he said.
“Ironically the thing that is the least violent is actually the most dangerous. The idea of delegitimizing the state and convincing the international community that Israel is a rogue state or that the creation of Israel was a mistake actually has the capacity to do a tremendous amount of damage to Israel’s international standing and could, ultimately, lead to Israel’s non-existence.”

At the forum, Rabbi Gordis said he will explain exactly how that can happen. He believes regardless of a Jew’s political or religious stripes, “all of us need to be in this together,” to keep Israel strong.

“Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, unaffiliated, left-wing, right-wing, Republican, Democrat, Israeli, American … it makes no difference. We as Jews should try to combat the deligitimization of Israel.”

In an issue such as this, Rabbi Gordis said the battle is won not with planes or bombs, but with words and ideas.

“As Jews, we need to prepare ourselves to have that conversation successfully. I think most Americans don’t really know how to defend Israel. There is simply too much that they aren’t familiar with,” he said.

Being well read about the issues, Rabbi Gordis believes, is the best way for people to educate themselves about what to say when others say things about Israel — some true and not true — such as settlements are the impediment to peace or that the Flotilla was illegal. He updates his personal website, www.danielgordis.org, on a regular basis with articles that he feels are truthful about Israel. He also maintains an e-mail list where subscribers can read his own dispatches on a regular basis. Those interested can register for the free e-mails on the website.

He also believes that Jews, even though it’s expensive, should all travel to Israel.

“One of the great things about Birthright Israel is that it has taken a younger generation of kids who really didn’t know a lot about Israel and made them much more conversive about the issues. And we’ve got to get people of other generations also to get over here.”

In addition, Rabbi Gordis believes people should support Israel politically.

“They’ve got to express their views to local papers, they’ve got to express their views to news media, to their local and national representative and so forth,” he said.

KC Israel Action Forum

Rabbi Daniel Gordis will be the featured speaker at the Kansas City Israel Action Forum, set for 1:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 5, at Kehilath Israel Synagogue. Light refreshments will be served (dietary laws observed).There is an $18 couvert per person, $5 for students.
Register online at www.aipac.org/kcforum2011 or contact Tali Jubelirer at (313) 253-8984.
Event co-chairs are John Isenberg and Bonnie Siegel. Larry Nussbaum is the AIPAC council chair.