Archived News

HAMSA PRESENTED TO TREE OF LIFE — When our Jewish community faced tragedy in April 2014, a hamsa was sent to the Jewish Community Center (The J) by students from Congregation Mount Sinai in New York. Following the tragic shootings at Tree of Life * Or L’Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh on Oct. 29, our local Jewish community held a community vigil at Kehilath Israel Synagogue where that hamsa was on display and the 3,000 people in attendance had the opportunity to sign cards of support to members of Tree of Life.
Now that hamsa and the more than 1,000 cards of support have been delivered to Tree of Life by Ed and David Porter, former members of the congregation who now live in Kansas City. In fact, David Porter became a Bar Mitzvah at Tree of Life. Eventually the hamsa and cards will be part of a collection of materials associated with the Tree of Life shooting, which will be displayed at Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center.

THOUSAND POINTS OF LIGHT — This week the nation honors the memory of President George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States. Volunteerism was important to him during and after his presidency and during his inauguration he said: “I have spoken of a thousand points of light, of all the community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the nation, doing good.”
In 1990, President Bush created the Daily Point of Light Award for individuals making a difference. From the White House, he formally recognized more than 1,000 volunteers as “points of light,” highlighting the volunteer movement that became a defining mission of the Bush administration. SuEllen Fried, who was the 900th person to be honored as Point of Light, has been invited to take part in funeral ceremonies for the former president in Washington, D.C.
Points of Light reinstated the Daily Point of Light Award in 1998, with a mission to honor those who take action to create change in their communities. We were reminded this week that Congregation Beth Torah’s youth program was a recipient of that prestigious award sometime in the 1990s. During that time, CBT youth organized Halloween parties for children living at the reStart shelter, cooked meals at reStart, served as counselors and conducted fundraisers for Camp Rainbow, participated in Martin Luther King Jr. Day programs at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City and volunteered at both SAFEHOME and Save Inc. The recognition came with a certificate signed by President Bush. The organization still exists today, and nominations are accepted for the Daily Point of Light Award at pointsoflight.org.

SHINING BRIGHTLY AT NEW YORK’S ROCKEFELLER CENTER — Many of us know that some of the most well-loved Christmas songs were written by Jewish composers and songwriters, including “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin; “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Johnny Marks; and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Edward Pola and George Wyle.
You may not know that the brand-new star on top of the Christmas tree at New York’s Rockefeller Center was created by Jewish architect Daniel Libeskind. It weighs 900 pounds and has 70 spikes and 3 million Swarovski crystals on it. The tree will be on display through Jan. 7.
Libeskind is the son of Polish Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel from Poland in 1957 and then moved to New York in 1959. Liebeskind’s buildings include the reconstructed World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan, the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Danish Jewish Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark.

PRESENTATION AVAILABLE ONLINE — In November, Congregation Beth Torah and the United Methodist Church of Resurrection (COR) co-sponsored a program featuring an Orthodox rabbi and a Palestinian who shared their personal stories on how they are working together to build a better future for their peoples through the organization ROOTS / SHORASHIM / JUDUR. The presentation is now available on COR’s website at cor.org/leawood/discipleship/lecture-series.

The newest member of the faculty of the University of Kansas’ Department of Political Science as an assistant professor in the area of Israel studies, Rami Zeedan, Ph.D., could himself be a topic of Israel studies. The native Israeli is a member of the Druze community of Daliat al-Carmel; a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, where he earned the rank of major; and a graduate of the University of Haifa, where he earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate, the last two degrees earned while serving his country.
Such is the world of Israel and its citizens: complex, contradictory and complicated.

JET Express, the volunteer driver program offered through Jewish Family Services, is marking its 10th anniversary of getting older adults who no longer drive to the places they need to go. Hundreds of older adults in the Kansas City area are able to get to the doctor’s office, grocery store, entertainment, religious institutions or visit friends, thanks to this program. Volunteers are able to drive when it meets their schedule thanks to the user-friendly and flexible program.
While JET Express is an efficiently run program, there is one “speed bump” of sorts — demand is outpacing supply! There are more requests for rides than the number of volunteer drivers to meet the need. With the hope of recruiting more drivers, JFS staff set out to produce a new driver recruitment video.

HANUKKAH AT THE KANSAS STATE CAPITOL — Once again the Chabad rabbis in Kansas are organizing a Hanukkah celebration in Topeka at the Kansas State Capitol. It will take place at 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3. The address is 300 SW 10th St. in Topeka. Kansas Lt. Gov. Tracey Mann is expected to attend as well as other state dignitaries. Those in attendance will be treated to a reception following the program, which will include a candle-lighting ceremony and feature Hanukkah delicacies including latkes. Transportation from Overland Park to Topeka will be available. Reservations are requested by emailing . For more information, contact Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel at or Rabbi Mendy Wineberg at .

CHEERS TO A WELL-EARNED RETIREMENT — After 32 years serving in a variety of roles, including teaching in the Polsky Religious School and serving in multiple administrative roles for Congregation Beth Shalom’s clergy and staff, Jill Goldstein retired on Nov. 2.
Goldstein is not 100 percent retired. She will continue to work with the B’nai Mitzvah families part time to ensure they have a smooth journey from the time their children’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah date is chosen through the day they become valued members of Beth Shalom’s minyanim. On Saturday, Dec. 8, Goldstein will be honored on her retirement at a special Shabbat and Kiddush following service that begin at 9:30 a.m. in Goldsmith Hall.

LOCAL EXPERT ON ‘60 MINUTES’ — Fans of “60 Minutes” may have recognized the name Scott Shuchart on the Nov. 25 broadcast. Shuchart was a senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties from 2010 to 2018. He is now a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
If you missed the program, go to cbs.com and search for “The Chaos Behind Donald Trump’s Policy of Family Separation at the Border.” Shuchart is a graduate of The Pembroke Hill School, Harvard, Oxford and Yale Law and the son of John and Stevie Shuchart, who are members of Congregation Beth Torah. He was also interviewed on the PBS News Hour on Nov. 26 and wrote an op-ed published Oct. 25 in the Washington Post titled “Careless cruelty: Civil servants said separating families was illegal. The administration ignored us.”

RADIO HANUKKAH FOR 2018 — This year, SiriusXM will air “Radio Hannukah” on channel 77. Beginning at 2 a.m. CST on Friday, Nov. 30, and running until 2 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, the radio station will feature an extensive collection of Hanukkah-themed music, including contemporary, traditional and children’s selections, as well as daily reflections and prayers related to the holiday. Devoted Radio Hanukkah listener Maury Kohn hopes to hear his favorite, “Hannukah in Santa Monica” by Tom Lehrer. Don’t know it? You can find it on YouTube and give it a listen.

ANOTHER 18 UNDER 40 LEAVES KC — Our cover girl for the 2016 Guide to Jewish Life 18 Under 40 edition, Melissa Stern, is leaving the area. A reporter at Fox 4, her last day “working for you” will be Dec. 6, according to her Facebook page. After spending seven years in the Midwest, five of those here in K.C., she’s heading back to the east coast. Her next stop is reporting for CBS in Atlanta starting in December. She writes on Facebook, “Gonna miss this place so much, but so excited for the next chapter!”

WEBSITE CONTAINS LIST OF HOLOCAUST VICTIMS’ ASSETS — The State of Israel’s Ministry of Justice is providing a list of Holocaust victims’ assets that have been transferred to Israel’s administrator general for management or that the administrator general has received information about from the Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims’ Assets Ltd.
The list is available on the Ministry of Justice’s website (http://www.justice.gov.il/Units/ApotroposKlali/Departments/ApotroposKlali/giloi/Documents/List01.pdf) and on the company’s website (http://www.hashava.org.il/assetList/#.W_LeeuhKjIV). Requests for restitution of an asset to its rightful heirs also can be submitted on the company’s website.
The list and method to request restitution are required by the Holocaust Victims Assets Law (Restitution to Heirs and Endowment for Purposes of Assistance and Commemoration), 5766-2006.

Congregation Beth Torah’s scholar in residence, Ron Wolfson, will be talking to clergy, staff, the board and the congregation about relational Judaism and what a relational synagogue would be like.
Wolfson is the Fingerhut professor of education in the Graduate Center for Jewish Education at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles.
He will work closely with the board and staff members the mornings of Dec. 6 and 7 on building connections, which he sees as three tiers: building a stronger connection to the Jewish experience itself; connecting to the representatives of the community; and connecting to each other.

Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue. Chicago’s Mercy Hospital. A Kroger grocery store in Kentucky. Jewish facilities in Overland Park. Austin’s in Olathe. in Olathe.
What do these places have in common? All these locations were the sites of acts of hate resulting in the murders of innocent people — including four here in the metro area.
Our world continues to be bombarded with these hateful acts yet one Kansas City area organization is determined to make a difference through acts of kindness and interfaith dialogue. It is The Faith Always Wins Foundation (FAWF), an organization with three pillars — Interfaith, Kindness and Workplace Healing.

“Tomorrow they are going to chop off my head.”
This is how Leon ‘Lee’ Levin begins “Memoirs of a Traitor,” one of the two books he published this year. “Memoirs of a Traitor” came out in June. His fifth book, “The Exodus Diary,” was published in October.
All five of Levin’s books are historical novels. A historical novel aims to keep the facts true, while adding the thoughts and emotions of those involved, occasionally adding a character as well.

Phyliss and Robert Bernstein and their adult children, Steven, Susan and David, are known throughout the community as enthusiastic supporters of many local causes and charities. One of their all-time favorites is Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City.
Now, in recognition of the family’s loving support and ongoing loyalty, the Ronald McDonald House on 25th & Cherry, one of three adjacent to Children’s Mercy in the Hospital Hill area, has been officially named The Bernstein House.

Dr. John Lantos, director of the Bioethics Center at Children’s Mercy Hospital and professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine, was honored with the William G. Bartholome Award for Ethical Excellence at the recent National Conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in Orlando, Florida.
The Bartholome Award recognizes an individual who has significantly impacted public discussion of ethical issues in pediatric medicine. Lantos presented a talk at the AAP Convention on “Ethical Problems in Decision Making in the Neonatal ICU” in conjunction with receiving the prestigious award.