Sagee Tal strolls along the beachfront to meet me at a little seaside café next to his apartment in Haifa, Israel. Having left his suits and ties back in the States, he has embraced the Israeli workplace uniform of jeans and T-shirts. It is a windy weekday and despite being in the midst of exams, Tal takes some time out from revision to reflect on the past year and a half as an American medical student studying at the Technion in Israel.

The son of Alex and Orna Tal, Sagee Tal was born in Houston and at an early age moved to Kansas City, growing up in the Jewish community and attending Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy.

“My Mom taught Hebrew at HBHA and I have fond memories of the JCC. It felt like my second home.” recalled Tal.

Tal’s father is an endocrinologist and it was his career that brought the family to the heart of America. Dr. Alex Tal worked at the Truman Medical center and UMKC for many years prior to moving to Pittsburgh, Pa., where they currently reside.

“My Dad grew up on one of the first kibbutzim in Israel, Degania Bet on the banks of the Sea of Galilee,” Tal explained. “He was the son of Russian immigrants and he was raised on the kibbutz by his aunt while his mother chose to live in a larger city.”

Eventually Tal’s father, too, left the kibbutz for the city, this time to Tel Aviv to study medicine. Here he qualified as a doctor, met Sagee’s mother and, following his army service during the Yom Kippur war, they moved to America in pursuit of the American dream.

“My dad always wanted me to be a doctor,” explained Tal. “My sister had succumbed to parental persuasion to follow his lead in medicine but I was more resistant.”

Tal moved to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and studied economics.

“Medicine was always at the back of my mind so I took the medical pre-req courses, just  in case.”

Tal graduated, began a career in economics but again, medicine beckoned, and he studied for the MCAT (medical entrance) exams, just in case.

Realizing that he was not cut out for the business world, medicine yet again beckoned, and this time Tal realized that indeed medicine was the career for him. Concurrently, as Tal confirmed to his father that he would be following the family tradition and pursuing a career in medicine, his paternal grandmother took ill in Israel. Tal’s father rushed to her bedside in Rambam hospital in Haifa and during his visit happened to hear a gaggle of eager medical students speaking English with their mentor.

So impressed with the depth of their knowledge and positive approach to their medical education, Dr. Alex Tal made enquiries as to where these medical students were training. Upon discovering that they were studying at an American medical school program based in the Technion, and with his son’s future medical career at the forefront of his mind, he researched the program before returning to America.

“My Dad was really enthusiastic about the Technion American Medical School program (TeAMS). I had the required grades and while I had planned to apply for medical school the following year, on a whim I decided to send in an application. The TeAMS program has a rolling application scheme so I applied on the off chance that I would be able to interview in the summer vacation,” said Tal. “Almost immediately I received a reply informing me that I could be considered for entry that year [2011], if I flew out to Israel straightaway to interview as there would be no more U.S.-based interviews.”

Tal took a week to weigh his options; he consulted his parents, friends and other medical school students.

“I had always wanted to spend time in Israel and I knew of the Technion’s excellent reputation. Upon hearing such positive feedback from TeAMS students, I decided to take the chance and fly (to Israel) the following week for interviews.”

At the end of June 2011 Tal arrived in Haifa, impressed the Technion’s admissions team, and was accepted to the program.

On Oct. 4, 2011, Tal arrived in Israel to begin his medical studies, two days after leaving his job in economics, and he hasn’t looked back since.

“I don’t think I could be having a better experience. The studies are interesting, it is taught well, and being in Israel on the beach is wonderful,” Tal exudes. “I love Bat Galim [in Haifa], it’s extremely relaxed and I live close to other students, in a beachfront apartment, just a few minutes’ walk from the medical school.”

While first-year classes were more ‘science-y,’ Tal says that this year, his second year, is directly related to the clinical medicine that he is beginning to practice.

“Some of my classes take place in Rambam hospital, with real patients, practicing the clinical skills previously learnt theoretically.”

Israel’s informal culture allows medical school students to access top doctors from day one.

“We see what residents see in the states. Everything is much more relaxed here so you can go up to any doctor and ask to shadow them. Not only that, but when you are shadowing them they often involve you in their medical procedures.”

While medical school is undoubtedly an incredibly demanding experience, Tal says that he manages to find time to socialize with local students, spend Shabbat meals with the local community and enjoy the best of what Israel has to offer.

“The Israeli lifestyle is great, people are friendly, more family orientated, less competitive and I even find the Israeli chutzpah endearing!”

Tal’s classmates come from across the United States and Canada. From Quebec to New York, from Ohio to California, all with one goal in common: to be the next generation of American doctors (with a little bit of Israeli chutzpah picked up along the way.)

Anna Harwood writes about Israeli innovation, science and culture. She moved to Israel from London two years ago.

Less than a month after Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz officially resigned as senior rabbi at Kehilath Israel Synagogue, he has been hired as executive director of Valley Beit Midrash in Phoenix, Ariz. The Jewish News of Greater Phoenix posted a story on its website Wednesday, June 5, under the headline “Valley Beit Midrash hires one of ‘America’s top 50 rabbis.’ ”

According to its website, Valley Beit Midrash is a collaborative organization that brings new, exciting and relevant programs to the Greater Phoenix Jewish community in a diverse, welcoming, engaging and pluralistic setting. The Jewish News added that Valley Beit Midrash partners with a number of Phoenix synagogues and Jewish organizations to provide this programming.

There is no mention in the newspaper’s story, or on Rabbi Yanklowitz’s website, of the nine months he spent as K.I.’s senior rabbi. The article does state that in the past decade, he has been the director of Jewish life and senior Jewish educator at the Hillel at the University of California, Los Angeles; a chaplain in the U.S. Army; a hospital chaplain; and a congregational rabbi.

The Chronicle’s attempts to get a comment from Rabbi Yanklowitz via email were unsuccessful.

Rabbi Yanklowitz told the Jewish News in an email that he believes “Valley Beit Midrash offers one of the greatest models and vehicles in Jewish life to reimagine our individual and collective destiny.”

The newspaper reports he will take over his new position in July. The announcement that Rabbi Yanklowitz officially resigned from K.I. was made on Saturday, May 18, by Steve Osman, the congregation’s president. Rabbi Yanklowitz joined K.I. in August and stopped doing any official work for the congregation in late April.

EDITOR’S RANT

REALITY SHOW DOESN’T SHOW OUR BEST SIDE — Admittedly I am not a big fan of reality shows on TV like any belonging to the “Housewife” franchise or “The Bachelor.” OK, I do watch a little “Dancing with the Stars” and occasionally the Kardashians. My curiosity was peaked last week when I saw a JTA article about a new show on Bravo, “Princesses: Long Island” and I had to check it out. All five “stars” of the show are single Jewish women in their mid to late 20s who live on Long Island, N.Y. These women made me cringe. One — Ashley — was proud to call herself Jewish, American and a princess. That description is generally not complimentary. In my opinion they all acted despicably, including one girl’s mother, at one time or another during the one-hour show. Of course it is produced by Jewish people as well. In this case, and others, I often believe we are our own worst enemy!

JEWISH FOOD WRITER TO APPEAR HERE — Food and cooking writer Mark Bittman will be the keynote speaker for the Urban Grown Farms and Gardens Tour hosted by Cultivate Kansas City. He will deliver his keynote speech, “The Future of Food,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 20, at Unity Temple on the Plaza. Bittman, whose “Minimalist” column ran in the Dining section of the New York Times for more than 13 years, is a Times Opinion columnist, the lead food writer for the Times Magazine, a columnist for the Times Dining section and regular appears on the “Today” show. His books include the bestselling “How to Cook Everything” and the groundbreaking “Food Matters,” which explores the crucial connections among food, health, and the environment, and provides tangible guidance for Americans rethinking their diets. To learn more or to purchase tickets, visit www.cultivatekc.org.

2013 ART OF THE CAR CONCOURS — Fans of sleek design and classic vehicles will enjoy the best of both worlds Sunday, June 23, when the Seventh Annual Art of the Car Concours® is held on the picturesque lawn of the Kansas City Art Institute. More than 200 rare and special-interest vehicles from around the world — including cars, trucks, race cars and motorcycles — will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Proceeds from the show will benefit scholarships at the four-year school of art and design, which was founded in 1885 and just graduated its largest-ever senior class.

For several years, Barbara Krug and her late husband, Sandy, displayed a crowd-favorite 1938 MGTA Tickford Coup, one of perhaps only 350 ever made, at the request of Marshall Miller, event founder and chairman.

“This is the quality that visitors can expect to see,” Barbara Krug said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind show, with cars from all over the United States and Europe, owned by collectors who are well-known and passionate about their cars. It’s rare to see such variety and quality in one place,” she continued.

The show will feature more than 30 exhibitors, as selected by event attendees and created by KCAI students, alumni and sponsors.

A special opportunity for youths ageSeparately, a special Saturday event will feature Stirling Moss, the most famous racecar driver of his era. From 1948 to 1962, he won 212 of the 529 races he entered, including 16 Formula One Grand Prix races.

Tickets for the Sunday Concours are $12 online or $15 at the gate. Children 10 and under are admitted free. Free parking with complementary shuttle service is available at the new UMKC parking garage at 50th and Oak Streets, and paid parking is available at the Nelson-Atkins garage adjacent to the Concours grounds. To learn more and purchase tickets, visit www.artoftheconcours.com.

On the morning of Sunday, June 2, a 12-member group representing the KU Chabad community set off in a white 12-passenger van stuffed with supplies to help victims of the tornado in Moore, Okla., a city hit hardest by a devastating tornado just 10 days before.

As they enjoyed the scenery along I-70 everything seemed to be quite normal, but then as the van entered the city of Moore, the entire reality just shifted before their eyes — strip malls that had been totally crushed and areas where houses had stood were now reduced to rubble.

“No words could ever be enough to describe what we saw and felt,” shared Rebecca Katz, a trip participant from Overland Park. “It was horrific to see, blocks and blocks of houses destroyed.”

Once in Moore, the group stopped at the area’s command center — an area that lost its power again as a result of last weekend’s latest storms —and teamed up with the relief efforts being led by Rabbi Ovadia Goldman of the Chabad Community Center in Oklahoma City. With a wide swath of the city of Moore destroyed, and the need for food and basic living supplies growing, there was lots of work to do.

The KU Chabad group split up across the hardest hit neighborhood and went from house to house clearing debris and searching for items of value. Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, the director of Chabad at KU who organized the trip, said it was heart wrenching to see so many lives torn apart as they found such personal effects as World War II medals, wedding pictures and baby toys.

The group also distributed more than 250 pounds of clothing that was collected from families and friends in Kansas. Some families were given gift cards to Target and Walmart to help them purchase items to begin rebuilding their lives. Sarah Krawchek, who participated in the trip along with her husband Matt, brought along handmade jewelry that she shared with two young children who were standing in the ruins of their home.

“It felt so good when two girls were excited to receive my handmade jewelry,” Krawchek said. “I felt as if I was giving hope.”

In addition to the physical assistance of clearing the debris and distributing clothing and gift cards, Rabbi Tiechtel said trip participants really felt that people were uplifted by their presence and relished the opportunity to talk about what they experienced.

“Seeing so many people work for hours and make just the smallest dent in the miles of devastation was a very humbling experience,” said Rebecca Katz, who joined along with her husband Jonathan. “The items that we found seemed broken and worthless, but to the people we were helping they are the only physical pieces of home they have left.

“Even standing amidst all the miles of former neighborhoods, it is hard to believe the number of people whose lives have been impacted. I feel so blessed to have been able to give back even the littlest bit to those who have lost so much.”

Rabbi Tiechtel said the purpose of this trip was to show how in the face of so much destruction and darkness, “if we gather as a community together we can bring so much more light.”

“When we arrived in Moore we were all just shell shocked from the devastation, the destruction, the stillness in the air; but we were also so moved by the love, the care and the concern of people across the country that drove in to show how much they care for another human being. The tremendous relief efforts of the Chabad of Oklahoma and the Jewish community has made a real ‘Kiddush Hashem,’ Sanctification of G-d’s name,” the rabbi continued.

Rabbi Tiechtel wants everyone to be reminded that “as we move on in life and the tragic destruction in Moore begins to fade away, it is important that we continue to do our part to support those in need.” The Chabad in Oklahoma City has established a disaster relief website where updates are posted and help can be offered at www.jewishokcrelief.com.

Even though the trip from Lawrence to Moore was only for one day, Tiechtel said all the participants will surely take lessons from Oklahoma with them.

“It was so heartwarming to see people from all over the world come together to help the community of Moore, Oklahoma,” said trip participant and KU senior Howie Abrams. “It made me proud to be a Jew, an American, but most of all a human. This journey symbolizes that in a sometimes complicated world, people can come together to help others in their time of need. My hope is that the people of Moore, Oklahoma, can find peace in the fact that there are so many people who care about them, and want to help them.”

The Mitzvot for Moore trip was a project of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life at KU and was supported by Miles Schnaer of Crown Automotive of Lawrence.

For more information about Chabad at KU’s social action activities, contact Rabbi Tiechtel at 785-832-8672 or or visit the website at www.JewishKU.com.

HBHA’s Destination Imagination team arrived home Sunday night from the Global Finals 2013 in Knoxville, Tenn., exhausted but proud of their showing. The team — comprised of Haidee Clauer, Julia Paul, Eliana Schuster, Simi Schreiber, Molly Kavanaugh and Mia Velasquez — finished in 40th place out of the 83 total teams competing.

Seventh-grader Haidee Clauer, who has been on the team since fifth grade, had a great time at Destination Imagination and described it as an amazing experience.

“The best part was being able to be there with all my friends and with Mrs. (Vickie) Sisco and being able to do everything together as a group,” Haidee said.

Sisco said she thinks the girls liked the culture of the whole event, “never knowing what challenges were around the corner.”

“I think the whole thing blew their minds. It was so much bigger and better than I think they could ever imagine,” she said.

In fact Sisco said the final standings were secondary to the entire experience.

“That’s the way the culture of the DI is. It was just a big celebration of the work we have done, all the team building that they created. Those girls are there for each other in so many ways — more than just problem solving as a team. They are there for each other personally and it was just awesome being with them through this journey,” Sisco said.

“It was such a valuable experience. They were a great dream team to be with. As a teacher/manager, it really was a pleasure to take them to this event.”

DI is often referred to as the world’s largest celebration of creativity. Its challenge program, the one the six girls competed in last week, is its most popular offering and is an international tournament for kids. At the start of the season, teams choose one of seven challenges. After weeks spent creating and developing their solutions, they go to a local tournament. Top-scoring teams advance to state or country tournaments. The top level of the tournament is the Global Finals — the world’s largest celebration of creativity.

The HBHA team won the Kansas state tournament, earning the girls the right to attend the Global Finals. They qualified once before, but did not have the funds to attend either of those times. This year an anonymous donor funded the trip.

The girls actually tackled their first challenge before the opening ceremony took place Wednesday night.

“It was rescheduled to Wednesday because we were originally scheduled to do it on Saturday and we had requested not to perform on Shabbat,” Sisco said. “There were lots of other groups who had to do it on Wednesday, too, because they had so many participants.”

The HBHA team didn’t score as well as they hoped on their first challenge, but Sisco said even though they weren’t given the official scores from the instant challenge (they finished 21 out of 83 teams in that challenge), their final standing shows they bounced back. The instant challenge, she explained, involved five balls placed on one side of a fence. The girls had to build a device that would pop the ball over that fence.

“They only popped one ball over the fence so they thought they did poorly. But as it turned out, a lot of teams didn’t get any balls over the fence,” Sisco said.

Except for Shabbat, the girls were at the competition the entire time. When they weren’t doing their actual challenges, Sisco said they had lot of “sciency” things they could do. One of the favorites was a Duct Tape Playground, provided by sponsor 3M. They were only able to go to the area for two 20-minute sessions. While there they got to help make Duct Tape pictures on the wall and wearable creations.

Haidee explained that they enjoyed helping to create the Duct Tape murals. Each began as an empty wall filled with squares. Participants could fill the squares with the appropriate piece of Duct Tape. As the week went on, more and more pieces were added to the mural.

“At the very end you could see the pictures and it was so cool. There were three pictures, the first was a clown fish, the second picture was a crab and the third was a sea turtle,” Haidee said.

Haidee said that she and her friends couldn’t make anything “that spectacular” in the 40-minutes they were allotted in the Duct Tape creative room, but she managed to make a skirt while her friends made a purse, belt and a hat that they wore at the Duct Tape Ball.

Teacher and parent Edna Levy also accompanied the group. She coordinated Shabbat activities. Sisco said they met with the local Hillel and spent Saturday relaxing in the Smokey Mountains.

“We walked around and picnicked and enjoyed the day,” said Sisco, adding that they had a special service in the mountains as well.

Levy also made sure the girls returned home with a special reminder from the competition. The girls could not bring the set they had shipped to the competition back with them, so before it was disposed of, Levy took tiny pieces from the curtains and made each girl a scroll filled with a cinnamon stick to remind them of the sweet smell of the Shabbat they spent in Tennessee.

Haidee couldn’t express enough how wonderful she thought the entire Destination Imagination experience was.

“It was a really amazing experience, especially in the opening and closing ceremony to be able to sit in the middle of this huge stadium and look around and see it filled with all these people. That was amazing.”

Truman Medical Centers announced Monday that the newly expanded and relocated oncology unit, set to open in early 2014, will be called The Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Center at Truman Medical Centers. The $2.3 million gift by the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation endows the first cancer care center to bear the family’s name in Kansas City, Mo, and demonstrates their continued investment in research and cancer care on both sides of the state line.

“This is a momentous day for TMC and for cancer care in the Kansas City Metro area,” said TMC President/CEO John W. Bluford. “The R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation gift is another spark in the collaboration that exists among 15 hospital and research organizations throughout the region and spurs advancement of all of the member organizations of the Midwest Cancer Alliance.”

The Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Center at TMC will focus on state-of-the-art quality care, comfort, safety and providing a healing environment for patients and their families. At nearly 17,000 square feet, the new cancer center will more than triple the size of the current unit at TMC. The new center will feature a comforting welcome area, 10 dedicated exam rooms and one procedure room along with 16 chemotherapy infusion rooms equipped with comfortable recliners and individual TV/entertainment centers for patients. Dedicated to the convenience of patients, the center also will feature an on-site pharmacy with specially trained oncological pharmacists, patient navigator staff available for consultations, education and a social worker to help address patients’ ongoing medical and home-life needs. A special “boutique” also will be available that provides consultations and private fittings for wigs and prosthetics for patients during advanced cancer treatment.

“My goal in life is to make a difference in people’s lives,” Annette Bloch said. “I’m so happy to be a part of the wonderful care given to cancer patients at Truman Medical Centers.”

TMC is an active member of the Midwest Cancer Alliance (MCA) and works in collaboration with the University of Kansas (KU) Cancer Center on clinical trials. This relationship has resulted in a regional, advanced collaborative approach to research. Specifically, through expanded enrollment capacity, TMC patients have increased access to MCA sponsored clinical trials through the KU Cancer Center and in turn the trials’ research has benefited from expanded demographics including patients with co-morbidities and/or socioeconomic disparities.

“This generous gift from the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation not only strengthens cancer care at Truman Medical Centers, but it will also help expand research opportunities and promote our shared goal of health equity across all Midwest Cancer Alliance institutions,” said Roy A. Jensen, M.D., director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center.

MOVIE SCREENING — Gathr Films presents a preview screening of Cohen Media Group’s “The Attack” at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Thursday, June 6) at Glenwood Arts Theatre in Overland Park. Tickets can be purchased at http://gathr.us/screening/4381. The film, which is subtitled, is about Amin Jaafari, an Israeli Palestinian surgeon who is fully assimilated into Tel Aviv society. He has a loving wife, an exemplary career and many Jewish friends. But his picture-perfect life is turned upside down when a suicide bombing in a restaurant leaves 19 dead, and the Israeli police inform him that his wife Sihem, who also died in the explosion, was responsible. Convinced of her innocence, Amin abandons the relative security of his adopted homeland and enters the Palestinian territories in pursuit of the truth. The film is adapted from Yasmina Khadra’s international bestseller of the same name. Originally published in 2005, the novel has been translated into more than 40 languages and has won numerous awards worldwide. At press time the theater was hoping to host a discussion about the controversial subject matter after the film. To view the trailer, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NObn1g6Hzo0.

PET FOOD PANTRY — Jewish Family Services & VCA Hospitals are opening a Pet Food Pantry called Jasmine’s Corner this week! KCTV-5 promoted it on a recent newscast. To see the interview with Celeste Aronoff, visit http://www.kctv5.com/video?clipId=8949876&autostart=true.

JUST FOR HER — The JUST FOR HER event, owned by Temple B’nai Jehudah member Aimee Jacobson and Congregation Beth Torah member Lindsay Aydelotte will celebrate its fifth anniversary when it opens at 5 p.m. June 7 at the Overland Park Convention Center. This once-a-year event, which runs through Sunday,  will include more than 275 booths of shopping, beauty treatments, health and wellness guidance, entertainment and tasty treat sampling. The Just For Her Event has successfully expanded to Omaha, Neb., and Des Moines, Iowa. For more information, including purchasing tickets, visit www.justforherexpokc.com.

CAN YOU SPELL KNAIDEL? — When the story about the National Spelling Bee came on the national news last week, I knew right away that the winning word was Yiddish in origin. I’ve heard matzah balls referred to as knaidlach many times.

But the news gets even more interesting. Even though Arvind Mahankali, 13, of Bayside Hills, N.Y., defeated 10 other finalists on May 30 after spelling the Yiddish-derived word “knaidel,” described as “a traditional Jewish dumpling,” the New York-based YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, recognized by many as the authority on all things Yiddish, said the preferred spelling historically has been “kneydl,” The New York Times reported June 1.

The story, sent to us by  JTA, said the spelling contest uses Webster’s Third New International Dictionary as its final say in word spelling. The dictionary’s publisher told The New York Times that the knaidel spelling is the most common variant of the word.

Nu? We always knew there were more ways than one to spell Yiddish and Hebrew words.

RECYCLE DRIVE — Got a basement full of old personal electronic equipment and home furnishings? Recycle it from 9 to noon Sunday, June 9, at Congregation Beth Torah. Beth Torah is joining with UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries) and the Heartland Habitat for Humanity ReStore to recycle this year. Both organizations have specific requirements that you can learn about on the Beth Torah website, www.beth-torah.org. A $5 per load donation is requested; all proceeds will go to the Heartland Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

When Jewish Student Union came to the Kansas City metro area, it started with a group for teens in just one school. Now the after-school club that aims to infuse Jewish culture and education to Jewish public high school students meets at six different high schools (West, North, Northwest and Southwest in Blue Valley and East and South in Shawnee Mission) and serves approximately 275 Jewish students.

“There are at least three more schools we’d like to offer JSU at,” said Hillel Goldstein, JSU’s local director.

Aside from the clubs in school — that meet either twice a month or every week — JSU sponsors additional programs such as Shabbat dinners, region-wide JSU-sponsored trips to such places as New York or Chicago, The Jerusalem Journey summer program and the new JSU Scholars program. JSU attracts students from all Jewish denominations and regardless of synagogue affiliation. It is a partnership of CAJE/Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and funded by the Jewish Heritage Foundation and the Funders Council. It is also a community program of NCSY.

Goldstein explained that JSU scholars is a special learning program that meets weekly for dinner and discussion on the Jewish view of a pressing topic such as business ethics or drugs. Upon completion of the program, each scholar is awarded a scholarship to any Jewish experiential program of their choice.

In celebration of its success over the past six years, JSU implemented its first ever fundraiser brunch on Sunday, May 19. It highlighted the various accomplishments of its members and alumni as well as served as a platform for families and friends of the students to meet each other and to meet the JSU staff. Rabbi Donny Schwartz, the director of Midwest JSU, flew in from Chicago for the event and was the guest presenter.

Several students also spoke about their JSU experiences at the event. Shawnee Mission East club President Shaina Stasi explained, “JSU means a lot to me because while there are countless religious clubs, JSU is the only Jewish one. It gives students a chance to express their Jewish identity with others at public school.”

Scott Fromm, Blue Valley North club president, added, “I have had so many amazing experiences, met so many amazing people, eaten so many amazing meals, and, most importantly, learned so many amazing lessons about Judaism.”

The brunch also honored each JSU club president with the Nachshon Leadership award as recognition for all they do for their club and for their dedication to their fellow Jewish students.

“They spend a lot of time recruiting members and planning events to make their school clubs as successful as possible,” Goldstein said.

Each graduating JSU member was given an award at the brunch for their involvement in their JSU club during their high school career. Both the presidents and graduates were given a complete Havdalah set to take with them as they go away to college in the fall. Three of the graduates are choosing to spend a gap year in Israel before attending college.

As JSU alumnus Rachel Bernard put it, “JSU’s goals are to connect public Jewish high school teens to Israel and to strengthen their Jewish identity ... for others, like myself, it can result in spending a year in seminary or yeshiva in Israel.”

While the brunch was earlier this month, donations for JSU are being accepted through May 30. To make a donation, visit www.tinyurl.com/kcjsubrunch. For more information regarding JSU, contact Hillel Goldstein at .

Theatre in the Park opens its 44th season of family musical entertainment with its version of “Children of Eden.” The cast includes three members of the Jewish community — Lyndsey Agron, Ruth Baum Bigus and Paris Naster — and the show has a decidedly Jewish flavor.

“Children of Eden,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (who also composed “Wicked,” “Godspell” and “Pippin”) is freely based on the story of Genesis, specifically the stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel and Noah and the Ark. It is described as a frank, heartfelt and often humorous examination of the age-old conflict between parents and children.

Bigus, the most experienced of the TTIP Jewish performers, said this show has a powerful message about the importance of family and how families grow and change.

“It is special to perform in a show that is based on Torah stories of the Garden of Eden and Noah and the ark. And I love the music of Stephen Schwartz (another member of the tribe),” said Bigus, who appears in “Children of Eden” as a storyteller and in the Octet.

The youngest of the Jewish performers at 16, Paris, who is in her first TTIP show, said the music in “Children of Eden” is beautiful. She has enjoyed her involvement in it so far.

“I think learning about the Bible in a musical way is truly emotional,” said the daughter of Debbie Naster, who will be a junior at Blue Valley Northwest High School in the fall. She actively participates in the Jewish Student Union club at the school.

Paris, who plays a storyteller in the show, has a solo in the song “The Wasteland.” In this song, the storytellers describe Adam and Eve’s desolate new environment after being banished from the Garden of Eden.

Agron, who plays the role of Aysha, one of the daughters married to one of Noah’s son, first appeared in a TTIP show in 1996. She said all ages can enjoy “Children of Eden,” which is her fourth TTIP show.

The casts for all TTIP shows are selected after an incredible weekend of auditions in the spring, drawing hundreds of aspiring actors from our surrounding communities. Bigus has auditioned many times over the years for TTIP, appearing for the first time in the summer of 1975. She appeared in “West Side Story” in 1983, twice in “A Chorus Line,” as well as “Cabaret,” “Footloose” and last summer’s “Urinetown.”

TTIP draws an annual attendance of approximately 50,000 patrons, drawing patrons from throughout the Greater Kansas City area. Bigus said it’s special to perform in the park’s beautiful setting.

“Being outdoors allows for so many different people to come see musical theatre — many for the first time,” said Bigus, who also serves as the theater’s publicist.

The other two Jewish cast members enjoy being with the people involved in the show.

“The people are incredible,” Paris said. “Everyone’s really good friends and the adults are really friendly to the children and it’s a really, really accepting environment, which is awesome.”

Agron, who has been performing for 21 years in both community productions such as this as well as professional ones, likes forming relationships with other cast members. She enjoys performing in general because she “gets to share what I love to do.” When she’s not performing Agron works at VinSolutions.

Paris has been performing in musical theater since she was 9 and enjoys it because “you’re able to experience your emotions and you’re able to captivate the audience and create an entirely new world for them but they are still able to connect it to the real world.

“I think that’s really cool that you can change someone’s life for two hours,” Paris said.

Performing is something Bigus has loved since she was a kid and her performances can be traced back to Nallwood Junior High School. Besides TTIP, she has had the opportunity to perform at Starlight, Barn Players and the Jewish Community Center. She has recently started a non-profit performing group with three friends called MidLife Players.

“We do performances of musicals in an ‘in concert’ style with scripts in hand. We focus on musicals we love but that we wouldn’t necessarily be cast in because of our age. Our next show is ‘Forbidden Broadway-Greatest Hits’ that will be performed in October,” said Bigus, who when not pursuing her hobby is a journalist with her own non-profit media relations firm, a wife and a mom.

If you are a Jewish person of European descent, particularly of Ashkenazi descent, it’s likely you know someone who suffers from Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis or irritable bowel syndrome. Those afflictions are painful and incurable and not always easy to talk about or to share with other people.

Many of these people turn to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, Inc. for support. The foundation’s mission is to cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. Known collectively as inflammatory bowel diseases, these painful, chronic illnesses affect up to 1.4 million Americans, including approximately 140,000 children under the age of 18.

Locally CCFA is sponsoring the only event dedicated to finding a cure for these digestive diseases called Take Steps for Crohn’s & Colitis. It takes place on June 9 at Franklin Park.

Walk Manager Pam Glickman explained the Take Steps walk raises money for the CCFA’s programming here in the area. Activities include support groups, educational programming and a summer sleep-away camp for children who live with Crohn’s and colitis. She said the event is more of a festival than a walk.

“We’ll have music with a live band, food and children’s activities. It’s a community atmosphere for people to get together because it’s a disease that not many people want to talk about,” Glickman said.

Registration and the festival begin at 4 p.m.; the walk begins at 5 p.m.

“We try to make it a fun atmosphere for the children, too. So we’ll have characters for kids, a fire truck, face-painting and games for the children. We’ll also have an artist in the kids’ tent who will do a project with them,” Glickman said.

The walk itself is very short, a little more than a half mile Glickman pointed out, because many who have the disease can’t travel long distances.

“Those who can may choose to walk the full mile,” she said. “It’s a short walk because we try to be respectful to what the patients’ needs are at any given time.”

There is no set registration fee.

“We encourage people to donate $25,” said Glickman, who expects 350 to 400 people to attend the event.

“We’re a very small walk but we are on target to raise $75,000 this year,” Glickman said. This is the sixth Take Steps Walk in the metro area.

Glickman proudly points out that 82 cents of every dollar raised goes back to the foundation for research, programming and education.

“That’s huge. Some charities don’t even send 50 percent back into their activities. We keep our administrative costs to the bare bones so we can put more money into research, programming and education,” said Glickman, a member of Congregation Beth Shalom.

One of the activities Take Steps funds is the summer camp held in Potosi, Mo. The children get on a chartered bus at St. Joseph Medical Center on a Monday and return on a Thursday night.

“Most of our children won’t go to a regular camp. It is an amazing time for these children to get to be with other children like them,” said Glickman. “About 75 children will attend from the Midwest region,” Glickman said.

Glickman has no exact statistics as to how many people in the Kansas City area suffer from inflammatory bowel diseases. One local Jewish family who plans to participate in Take Steps for the first time this year is still learning to adjust to their daughter’s diagnosis.

“Our daughter Paige is 11 years old and was diagnosed a little more than a year ago,” said Kerry Kuluva. “We haven’t been real involved yet with the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, but I’ve heard good things about it and I’m glad to know that there is a resource out there that might be a help to us in the future.”

Paige is of Ashkenazi descent and has another relative who has Crohn’s.

“We’ve had a hard time getting her symptoms under control. It’s been a long process,” Kuluva noted.

The Kuluva family has decided to join the Juliana’s Journey team in this year’s Take Steps walk.

“It’s important to raise awareness and money to help fund research and hopefully find a cure someday,” Kuluva said. “This is still kind of new for us so we are excited to see what it’s like and I’m glad that there’s an event like this locally.”

Juliana’s Journey is led by Julie Quickel and it supports their 8-year-old daughter Juliana. This is the first time the Quickels have organized a Take Steps walk team here and as of Monday it had raised more money than another team, $5,616.

Quickel said her daughter has had a severe case of inflammatory bowel disease and has been sick since she’s been a baby.

“We just wanted to get more involved with our local chapter and try to raise awareness and funds for it so people can learn more about it and realize how devastating it can be to people,” said Quickel, who hopes the team will number close to 45 people by the day of the walk.

In addition to those attending the Take Steps event, Quickel said Juliana’s Journey is having a benefit fundraiser at Firehouse Subs located at 7521 W. 119th Street in Overland Park on Saturday and Sunday, June 1 and 2. Mention that you are a part of Juliana’s Journey and 21 percent of your order will be donated to Take Steps.

Take Steps’ Glickman came on board with CCFA 15 months ago, just six weeks before the 2012 walk. Glickman, who also coordinates the walks in Topeka (Sept. 22) and Wichita (Oct. 6.), is excited the event is almost here.

“We would love to have more people come out and join us on June 9,” she said.

For more information, contact Glickman at or call 646-457-8865.