The Jewish Community Center has selected its interim President and CEO Jim Sluyter to fill the position permanently. The appointment was approved by the The J’s board of directors on Thursday, Aug. 27. Slyter, who is not Jewish, was chosen from a pool of 35 candidates and three finalists who were vying for the position that became open when Jacob Schreiber resigned in January.
A journalist for 45 years, Sybil Kaplan immigrated to Israel in October 1970. As one of the few female foreign correspondents covering events in the young Jewish state, it was a very exciting time in her life. So, she decided to chronicle it in a new autobiography, “Witness to History: Ten Years as a Woman Foreign Correspondent in Israel.” The self-published book came out Aug. 2.
White supremacist Frazier Glenn Cross Jr. was found guilty of capital murder and five other charges by a 12-member jury Monday afternoon in Johnson County District Court. The pentalty phase of the trial — where it will be determined whether he will receive the death penalty or life in prison — began Tuesday morning and was not completed by the time The Chronicle went to press Tuesday evening.
The Kansas City Jewish Film Festival presents its Short Film Showcase, presented by Mini Cinema, on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at The White Theatre and at the Regal Cinemas LA Live in Los Angeles, California. The showcase, which is also The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle night, will feature eight award-winning Jewish-themed shorts curated by the KCJFF’s director Shawn Edwards. The event is part of the 17th annual Kansas City Jewish Film Festival which runs Oct. 10 through Oct. 18 at the White Theatre. Mini Cinema is an entertainment Company that introduces critically acclaimed short films to everyday people. The KCJFF and Mini cinema have partnered to produce this Short Film Showcase, which will take place on the same day in two different cities.
The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy has been awarded a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for work on a new approach for artificial pancreas development to help the tens of millions of people who have diabetes.
GREAT HARVEST SECRET RECIPE — I was never blessed with the gene that allows a person to bake a scrumptious challah. But I love them, and my bakery of choice has been Great Harvest Bread Co. at 83rd and Mission Road. The bakery has recently started advertising in The Chronicle, and I found out it has new owners — Sarah and Brian Berlin. We were chatting and I learned that the challah recipe they use was given to the bakery’s previous owners by Linda and Craig Salvay. It’s on the menu every day and is one of Great Harvest’s best sellers, not only at the High Holidays but every day. The bakery can make customized orders, which can include golden raisins or poppy seeds. Challah can be braided, round or pulled apart as rolls based upon customer preferences. To place a pre-order, call the bakery at 913-381-8877.
They are being promoted as two superstars in Jewish music. But when Neshama Carlebach and Josh Nelson perform in concert and participate in the service at the communitywide Selichot program, neither will be thinking about superstardom.
Michelle Goldsmith has been selected as this year’s Dan Fingersh Young Leadership Award winner. The award will be presented during the Jewish Federation’s 82nd Annual Meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at the White Theatre.
ACCUSED KANSAS CITY SHOOTER OPENS TRIAL WITH ANTI-SEMITIC ALLEGATIONS (JTA) — The white supremacist on trial for murdering three people at two Jewish communal institutions here said in his opening statement that he plans to prove that white people are the victims of genocide at the hands of the Jews.
Depression is a tough mental illness. Through treatment, some are successful in winning the battle against depression. Others lose the fight and their lives. Jason Arkin, a member of Congregation Beth Torah who grew up in Overland Park, lost his battle with the disease when he took his own life on May 19 at the age of 20. Now his parents Steve and Karen Arkin are working to help others who face depression and other mental illnesses to talk about the issues and get help.
