“Invisible City” by Julia Dahl, Minotaur Books, 2014
In her first novel, investigative reporter Julia Dahl writes about the death of a Hasidic woman in Brooklyn. Her protagonist Rebekah Roberts is also an investigative reporter covering the case of this woman discovered in a junk yard. Rebekah is a young woman who is new to New York and clueless about the world of Orthodox Jews. However, Rebekah’s mother was a Hasidic woman who temporarily fled the confines
SHABBAT IN THE PARK — Last summer’s experiment with Shabbat in the Park was so successful for The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah that they are planning to have it again this summer. The first Shabbat in the Park, held at Leawood’s Gezer Park at 133rd and Mission Road, will take place tomorrow night. (The other two will be held July 18 and Aug. 15.) The Kabbalat Shabbat service begins at 6 p.m., preceded by a bisseleh nosh at 5:30 p.m., and is made possible with support from B’nai Jehudah Sisterhood.
Photo by Tatjana Alvegaard: Matthew Lewis (right), president and CEO of Village Shalom, visited with Herb Fishman at the recent dedication of Beverly’s, a new hospitality suite in Village Shalom’s main lobby area, which was dedicated on May 14. The space is named in memory of Beverly Fishman, who lived at Village Shalom with her husband Herb until her death in 2012 at age 83.
April’s fatal shooting at Village Shalom has had a palpable effect on the entire senior living community, according to its president and CEO, Matt Lewis. But two months after the murder of Terri LaManno in the center’s parking lot, the staff has moved from crisis mode to reflection.
Maxine Benson (right) enjoyed visiting with CDC parents Jane Martin (from left) and Barbara O’Connor at a party June 8 in her honor at the JCC outdoor pool.
It’s been a long, winding, but fulfilling road for Maxine Benson, who recently retired as the director of the Jewish Community Center’s Child Development Center. For 17 years, Benson’s days were filled with the children’s voices, tending to their every concern, showing compassion of their fears, and a passion for learning. She was always available to talk to parents about what their children experienced each day they were at the CDC.
Judy Sherry (right) attends a meeting for Grandmothers Against Gun Violence.
After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012, one Cape Cod area grandmother decided to start an organization called Grandmothers Against Gun Violence (GAG) hoping to prevent other devastating tragedies.
Karen Jackson (from left), Shachar Yehuda and Barb Jacobs volunteered in the Community Art Tent at KosherFest 2014.
KOSHERFEST A SUCCESS — A good time was had by all at KosherFest 2014, Congregation Ohev Sholom’s delectable fundraiser held Sunday, June 1, at the Prairie Village-based congregation. More than 160 volunteers helped out that day. More than 125 art projects were completed based on an interpretation of a Martin Luther King quote. In addition, festival goers enjoyed music, dancing and — of course — kosher food. Volunteers served up 142 plates of blintzes, 241 potato knishes and 214 meat knishes as well as 344 cabbage rolls.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum/National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Md.: Hermann Otto Hoyer, In the Beginning Was the Word, ca. 1937, German artist Hoyer depicted a quasi-messianic Hitler mesmerizing an audience with his oratory in the 1920s. The artwork’s title is from the opening line of the New Testament Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This and 400 other Nazi-era artworks still considered politically charged remain in the U.S. Army’s custody today.
The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education is bringing to Kansas City yet another world-class exhibition. State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda, a thought-provoking exploration of Nazi propaganda that challenges visitors to think critically about the messages they receive today, opens here Tuesday, June 24, and continues through Oct. 25. The free exhibition, produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will be at the National Archives at Kansas City, located at 400 W. Pershing Road in Kansas City, Mo., just west of Union Station.
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, gift of Helmut Eschwege: Behind the enemy powers: the Jew. During World War II, Nazi propagandists frequently depicted ‘the Jew’ as a conspirator plotting world domination by acting behind the scenes in nations at war with Germany. This caricature represents the ‘Jewish financier’ manipulating the Allies, Great Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union. Hanisch, artist; ca. 1942.
In conjunction with the State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda exhibition at the National Archives, the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education will offer a speaker series twice a month on Wednesday evenings. These events are offered in partnership with the National Archives and the National World War I Museum. The first event will be held July 9. All programs will be held at 7 p.m. at the National World War I Museum. The exhibit, which is at the National Archives in Kansas City, Mo., may be viewed prior to the speaker series
Jeff Mallin (from left), Zach Mallin, Shirley Rose and Larry Mallin following the 2014 graduation ceremony at the University of Missouri.
THREE GENERATIONS OF TIGERS — Last month Zach Mallin graduated summa cum laude with a business degree in finance, banking and real estate from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Several Mallins traveled to Columbia to celebrate with Zach, including his father,
The mother-daughter team of Alice and Valerie Bordy serve together as members of the Jewish Vocational Service board of directors.
Serving Jewish Vocational Service has long been a labor of love for the Bordy family. It began many years ago when Dr. Marvin Bordy was asked to provide some medical assistance to refugees. The rest, as they say, is history.
