There is nothing more certain in Israel than uncertainty.

While things in the Jewish state may be more uncertain than ever before, its American-born ambassador assured the audience more than once during his presentation Monday night that Israel will survive and is not alone because of its friendship with the United States, Israel’s best and strongest ally.

The Ambassador of Israel to the United States Michael Oren was in Overland Park to speak at an event sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee. Battling a virus, he was traveling in the Midwest to serve as the featured speaker at Kansas State University’s Landon Lecture Series on Jan. 29, where he was expected to discuss “Israel, The Ultimate Ally.” He was traveling throughout the Sunflower State with Roey Gilad, the consul general to the Midwest based in Chicago, and was also expected to visit Fort Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kan., before returning to Washington, D.C.

The 20-minute speech by one of Israel’s most well-known dignitaries was often a pep talk. Preaching to a mostly Jewish audience, he called attention to the fact that no matter what challenges occurred during Israel’s 64-and-a-half years, its people have continued to survive and thrive.

He emphasized that Israel is still strong, “despite facing challenges as daunting as ever” brought by people who want nothing better “than to see us wiped off the map.”

Oren has served as Israel’s ambassador to the United States since June 2009 and last visited the metro area five years ago. Speaking to an overflow crowd estimated at more than 550 that spilled into the Campus’ dining hall area, he gave dozens of examples about the strength and resiliency of the Israeli people, who now number close to 8 million people. For instance, there are now more people who speak Hebrew than Finnish and Danish, and Hebrew speakers will soon outnumber those who speak Swedish.

He believes Israelis can be most proud of the fact that from its creation it has been a sovereign and democratic state.

“Seconds after we declared our independence in 1948, we were attacked by six Arab armies that wanted to knock us back into the sea,” he said. “We had 600,000 people armed with handguns and we won.”

Oren proudly pointed out that Israelis are highly educated, rated second in the world in per capita education.

“After Canada, we are the most highly educated country in the world,” he said.

“Israel is the only country with more Nobel prizes per capita than Olympic medals,” he added.

The Jewish state, according to Oren, is now a “techno powerhouse.” He said every major American technical company has two research and development centers in Israel.

“All of your computers, all of your cell phones are working with components and parts and concepts developed in the State of Israel,” he said.

Oren has been called one of the five most influential Jewish leaders in America and one of the 10 most influential Jewish leaders worldwide. He has been instrumental in securing U.S. support for Israel’s defense and upholding Israel’s right to security and peace. He briefs Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders on issues vital to the U.S.-Israel alliance.

He touched on the unrest in the entire Middle East, the challenges of chemical weapons in the hands of the Syrian army as well as the serious issues the Iranian nuclear program poses for Israel’s security. Oren also mentioned the problems Hezbollah continues to cause.

“Rarely in Israel’s history have we faced so many insurmountable dangers at the same time,” he said.

He noted the negotiations with the Palestinians are yet another challenge the Jewish state faces, as Israel has tried for four years to get the Palestinians to sit down and talk.

“The government of Prime Minister Netanyahu is committed to achieving a comprehensive peace with the Palestinians … but we have to succeed in getting the Palestinians to negotiate with us.”

Oren said the Palestinians want to get the territory without getting the peace.

“They are having reconciliation talks with Hamas in Gaza. If you look at the Hamas covenant, it’s dedicated not only to destroying the State of Israel, it’s dedicated to destroying the Jewish people worldwide. It’s a genocidal organization,” Oren said.

Oren pointed out Israel is committed to negotiating directly with the Palestinians leading to a two-state solution, “living side-by-side with a Jewish state and a Palestinian state.”

“We are willing to start negotiations today in Jerusalem, in Ramallah, in Kansas, we don’t care as long as the Palestinians negotiate with us.”

During the question-and-answer period he reiterated that Israel doesn’t have pre-conditions for negotiations, but has positions it will not back down from. One such condition is the recognition of the Jewish people.

“We recognize the Palestinian people and we need them to recognize Jewish people with the right of self-determination,” he said.

It was the last question of the night that sparked the most emotion. Jan Present first announced that she didn’t trust the current U.S. administration’s support of Israel and then asked Oren what the United States could and should do to support Israel.

Some in the audience booed her question. The ambassador did not waiver as he reminded the crowd — something he had already pointed out in his prepared remarks — that the United States is indeed Israel’s biggest ally.

“We’ve never been entirely alone. Today we have the United States of America, the most multi-faceted, deepest alliance that this country has had with any country in the post World War II period. It’s an alliance based on common faith, based on deep spiritual ties, common democratic values and a very expensive strategic alliance,” he said earlier in the evening.

To answer the question, he simply said, “The United States does so much for Israel.

“It’s beyond the military aid, which is about $3 billion a year. That aid enables us to meet some of our challenges,” he said.

He noted that the United States was also one of the few countries to stand with Israel against the Iranian nuclear challenge.

“Do we have disagreements? Yes we have disagreements. There are no two allies in history who have not had disagreements. These did not begin with this administration.

“The true litmus of any alliance is not whether you agree all the time … it’s how you discuss your disagreements, how you get by them and how you continue to cooperate in meeting the challenges which confront both the United States and Israel.

“And on that score, I am completely confident that the United States is doing an outstanding job,” the American-born ambassador concluded, while the audience rewarded him with a round of applause.

The evening wasn’t strictly a rah-rah session for Israel. During the Q&A, Sam Devinki asked why Israel allows people to build housing in controversial areas. Oren then discussed the settlements, saying that if controversy would deter “us, I don’t think we’d have the State of Israel today.”

“Settlements are not the source of controversy. There was controversy 50 years before the first settlement was ever built,” he said.

He continued, “In 2005 we ripped out 21 settlements out of the Gaza strip to try to advance the peace process and it didn’t bring us peace. It brought us about 9,000 rockets.”

Another question was posed by Ellen Portnoy, whose daughter Lara Portnoy made aliyah last week. She asked what the government was doing about the problems young people are currently facing in Israel, specifically finding jobs and affordable housing. Oren didn’t really answer that question directly. Instead, he took the opportunity to discuss the role young Israelis had in last week’s election, in which almost 70 percent of Israelis voted and showed their support for Prime Minister Netanyahu.

An 11-year-old boy (Jake) who asked the ambassador, “What can Jewish children do to support peace?” was met with a warm response from the friendly audience. His question went along well with BIAV’s Rabbi Daniel Rockoff’s opening prayer of the evening.

“May the relationship between the (United States and Israel) continue to be one of mutual respect and shared value in the spirit of Moshe and Yitro. Bless and protect the people of Israel … and bless and protect the United States of America. Amen.”

Earlier this month the Vaad KaKashruth of Kansas City announced that Boulevard Brewing Company is now under its kosher supervision.

According to Andy Jenkins, the brewery’s community relations manager, the following Boulevard Brewing Co. beers are now being produced under the strict kosher supervision of the Vaad: Pale Ale, Unfiltered Wheat Beer, Bully! Porter, 80-Acre Hoppy Wheat Beer, Boulevard Pilsner, Amber Ale, Dry Stout, Single-Wide I.P.A., Irish Ale, Boss Tom’s Golden Bock, ZON Belgian-style Witbier, Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest, Nutcracker Ale, Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, Double-Wide I.P.A., Long Strange Tripel, Dark Truth Ale, The Sixth Glass, Bourbon Barrel Quad, Saison-Brett, Imperial Stout, Rye-on-Rye, Grainstorm Black Rye IPA, Two Jokers Double-Wit, Reverb Imperial Pilsner and Nommo Dubbel.

Jenkins said these beers are, or when seasonally appropriate will be, available in markets currently carrying Boulevard products.

Rabbi Mendel Segal, the Vaad’s executive director/rabbinic coordinator, confirmed that all Boulevard beers, unless otherwise noted, “are now being produced under our strict kosher supervision and will be marked with our symbol of assurance in the not-so-distant future.”

Founded in 1989, Boulevard Brewing Company has grown to become the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. The brewery’s mission is to produce fresh, flavorful beers using the finest traditional ingredients and the best of both old and new brewing techniques. Boulevard beers, which are known for their full flavor, distinctive character and unsurpassed quality, are currently available throughout Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Massachusetts, with partial distribution in Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Texas and Utah.

Jenkins said Boulevard Brewing had been considering kosher certification for a while.

“Ultimately, it was the nudging of a brewery investor, along with our expansion into various East Coast and West Coast markets, that finally precipitated us moving forward with the process,” Jenkins explained.

Rabbi Segal said the process took several months. The Vaad first met with Boulevard Brewery in April 2012. He added that the local Vaad’s hechsher is widely accepted, so fans of kosher beer all over the country should be comfortable drinking the beer under its supervision.

Rabbi Segal said this is an exciting development for members of the Kansas City Jewish community who observe the laws of kashrut.

“The craft beer industry as a whole has yet to really embrace kosher, which really highlights Boulevard’s commitment to certify their products,” Rabbi Segal said.

The local Vaad has been working hard to increase kosher options in the Kansas City area. Over the past year it has established some new kosher traditions in the area, including a regular pizza night at Johnny Brusco’s Pizza, located at 8909 W. 95th Street in Overland Park. Rabbi Segal expects the Vaad to make “more exciting announcements,” in the near future.

Classical music lovers will be in for a treat on Sunday, Feb. 10, when Israeli musicians Ilan Schul and Mula Sajevitch present classical and Klezmer music at Park University. The concert will be held at 3 p.m. at Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel, 8700 N.W. River Park in Parkville, Mo. Faculty and students from Park University’s International Center for Music will perform as well. Tickets are $15 per person, $10 for seniors, and are available at the door.

Shmuel “Mula” Sajevitch is the brother of violinist Ben Sayevich, who now teaches at Park. He is a member of the Rosamunde Trio based in London, has played extensively throughout North America, Europe and the Far East and has appeared on radio and television both as soloist and chamber musician. Schul said he and Mula Sajevitch are performing here because of the brothers, who were born in Lithuania, which at that time was a republic of the Soviet Union, and immigrated to Israel in 1971 when Ben was 12 and Mula was 23. This is a short three-city tour for Schul and Sajevitch. They are preparing for a larger concert tour in the spring of 2014.

Schul, who served as president of Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Israel’s premier institute of artistic education, creativity and performance, for nine years until this past October, is a clarinetist and conductor. He is taking a sabbatical year and will return to JAMD as professor of clarinet, chamber music and orchestra studies when the year concludes. He explained via an email interview that the Feb. 10 performance will be a collage of classical music, “with traditional Jewish music brought by immigrants from all corners of the world into Israel leading to a unique musical language.”

“The blend of Jewish musical traditions in Israel formed a crucial element in the melting pot of the Israeli cultural identity,” he said.

The first half of the concert will consist of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet, which Schul explained is “one of the most monumental chamber music works of the 19th century.” He said it was written for a gypsy clarinetist, and illuminates musical elements of the gypsy flavor. In addition to Schul and the brothers, the performers will include David Radzynski on violin, Peter Chun on viola and Daniel Veis playing the cello.

Described as an “outstanding talent even as a young boy,” Mula Sajevich accompanied a national folklore troupe of more than 1,000 dancers in Lithuania when he was only 12. Over the years he has continued to play, teach and record compositions he wrote and produced himself. Since 2006, he has been a permanent staff member at the seminar “Clarinet and Klezmer in the Galilee,” founded and led by maestro Giora Feidman.

A large part of the second half of the concert here will consist of Mula Sajevitch’s original music, including “Yiddish Jazz,” “Idyll,” “For you my Love,” “Zila,” “Meiron,” “Desert Dance,” and “Longing.” His tunes are described by Schul as having “a special innocence, simplicity and charm, and help to connect us to his inner voice and soul.”

Schul was born in Bucharest and immigrated to Israel at the age of 4 with his parents. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Schul is a frequent soloist with orchestras and chamber music ensembles in Israel, and was for several years a member of the Doron Ensemble for Twentieth Century Music. He has also appeared as guest conductor with the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion, Israel Sinfonietta Beer-Sheva, Musica Nova, and the Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra, where he was house conductor.

Schul and Mula Sajevitch play together often and Schul plays on Sajevitch’s debut CD, “Longing.”

Schul hopes the February concert here will appeal to music lovers.

“Soul music, especially Jewish soul music, or as referred to as Klezmer, is mostly a state of being for the artist and a state of mind for the audience in which the message and energy of the music is handed over to the listener from the inner voice of the performer,” he said.

“Klizemmer in Hebrew means instrument of song, so our instrument is only a tool for singing out our souls and inner still voice!” he continued.

Ben Sayevich is excited to get the chance to perform with his brother and Schul. He said both musicians are highly praised in Israel.

“Schul was president of Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and that’s a very prestigious position,” Ben Sayevich said.

“My brother has a wide scope of Jewish musical background, and he has a certain way of jazzing up music,” he continued. “Since he came to Israel, he’s written some very popular music. He can write and orchestrate very quickly and has a very unique ear.”

Ben Sayevich said he’s looking forward to the concert.

“The concert will be a unique blend of classical music and Jewish music,” he said. “The Jewish music comes from different parts of the world and has been blended together in Israel. I find that very fascinating that it can show the different cultures and still become Israeli music.”

Although an Orthodox neighborhood in Brooklyn is only a short subway ride from the artsy enclaves of the West Village in Manhattan, the space between is immense, according to artist Helene Aylon.

Aylon, who describes herself as an eco-feminist Jewish artist, will be in Kansas City next week as a visiting author at the Jewish Community Center. She’ll also be the artist in residence for the Feb. 6 session of “The Valor Project,” a painting class focusing on expressions of feminine valor in Jewish sources, held at the JCC’s Heritage Center.

Her career has spanned decades, and she reflects upon that and the effect of her Orthodox upbringing in her memoir, “Whatever Is Contained Must Be Released: My Jewish Orthodox Girlhood, My Life as a Feminist Artist.”

“It’s all interwoven and even though I sort of am critical of my Orthodox background, it still inspires me,” she said. “It’s like I’m on a treadmill — I go back to it all the time.”

Aylon is quick to say that the book is not an indictment of how she was raised.

“I had to pour my heart out in the book. It’s full of other sweet thoughts about my upbringing and about my mother especially, (but) it’s still very critical (with my view as) a feminist. I had to be and I still am,” she said.

Aylon has expressed her artistic visions in a variety of media. One of her more well-known ventures is the God Project.

Part of that project involved her covering each page of the Torah with a sheet protector and highlighting words she said represented militarism, cruelty, misogyny and words she contends did not come from God but came from people who were writing the Torah. In all uses of the term “G-d,” she makes the hyphen pink, to symbolize the stories of women lost to history.

The medium she uses “all depends on the subject … I had to use certain materials so the work would change,” she said.

For her current project on foremothers of Judaism, she’s using photography.

“Some people call me a visionary artist; some people say I’m a future foremother,” Aylon said.

Her life as an artist is divided into five parts, Aylon said. The early years of her art started around her 30th birthday, when she was a young widow raising two small children.

“Every 10 years I change. I react to a big issue of the day,” Aylon said.

Those issues have included how women’s bodies are viewed and her support of nuclear disarmament, and she has brought her interpretations of them to museums and other spaces worldwide.

In 2011, she brought part of the God Project to The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pa., and last year, she participated in an exhibition of Jewish feminist art at the Museum of Art in Ein Harod, Israel.

Helene Aylon events

Helene Aylon will speak about her memoir, “Whatever Is Contained Must Be Released: My Jewish Orthodox Girlhood, My Life as a Feminist Artist,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, in the Social Hall at the Jewish Community Campus, followed by a book signing. During her three-day stay in Kansas City, Aylon is also presenting to participants in the Jewish Community Center’s Valor Project, the Kansas City Art Institute and the University of Kansas. For more information, call 913-327-8077.

HEED THE CALL — Sunday is the day of the “big game,” and the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s annual Super Sunday. While you’re in the kitchen preparing those game day snacks or doing whatever it is you enjoy doing on Sunday, don’t forget to answer the phone when a Super Sunday volunteer calls to ask for your yearly pledge. You’ll feel good knowing that your pledge will help sustain and enhance Jewish life at home and around the world! Learn more by reading Co-chair Neal Schwartz’s article in the opinion section.

UNSETTLING CARTOON — On Sunday, Jan. 27, which just so happened to be International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the London Sunday Times published a cartoon that many of us found horribly offensive. According to reports published by our national/international news service JTA, the cartoon shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu building a wall on the bodies of Palestinians and using their blood as cement. It carries the caption “Israeli Elections … Will Cementing Peace Continue?”

HonestReporting called the cartoon “a blood libel on a day when the millions of victims of the Holocaust are remembered.”

“On any day, this cartoon’s imagery is an assault on the real victims of genocide, demeans their suffering and insults their memory,” said HonestReporting CEO Joe Hyams in a statement issued Sunday by the organization. “The Sunday Times should be mindful that what started as cartoons in the 1930s ultimately led to violence and unspeakable tragedy.”

Originally the Sunday Times defended the cartoon, saying it was “aimed squarely at Mr. Netanyahu and his policies, not at Israel, let alone at Jewish people.” But by Monday Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns the Sunday Times of London through a subsidiary, said the paper should apologize for printing what he called a “grotesque” cartoon of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Murdoch made his remarks Monday on Twitter about the cartoon.

“Gerald Scarfe has never reflected the opinions of the Sunday Times,” Murdoch tweeted, referring to the cartoon’s illustrator. “Nevertheless, we owe major apology for grotesque, offensive cartoon.”

Murdoch’s statement was made in response to criticism from leaders of the Jewish community in the U.K. who said the drawing was reminiscent of anti-Semitic blood libels.

Jon Benjamin, the head of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, called the cartoon “appalling” and said it was similar to the offensive images of Jews “more usually found in parts of the virulently anti-Semitic Arab press.”

Benjamin said its appearance in the broadsheet on International Holocaust Remembrance Day added insult to injury.

SPINNING TREE THEATRE PRESENTS ‘SHIPWRECKED!’ — Written by Jewish Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies, the three-actor, multi-character vaudevillian romp “Shipwrecked!” is 90 minutes of non-stop adventure-filled fun for the entire family (ages 9 and up). The New York Times says the play “Springs to life like a theatrical pop-up book!” The show runs Feb. 1 through Feb. 17 on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It will be put on at the Paul Mesner Puppet Studio, 1006 E. Linwood Blvd. in Kansas City, Mo. Tickets may be purchased by calling 816-569-5277. More information is available on the website, www. www.spinningtreetheatre.com.

Bryan Schmutz is really busy these days as part of the marketing team at the Jewish Community Center. He’s happy in his position of marketing coordinator/webmaster — one that Jewish Employment Services helped him to land. Schmutz gives much credit to JES helping him land the JCC job.

“They knew what I was looking for and knew if something would be a good fit,” Schmutz said. “It was very helpful and very relevant.”

The JCC has been pleased, too.

“Bryan has been a very good hire for us,” said Stu Goldstein, JCC marketing director. “Bryan has established a great working relationship with the teams we support and has quickly developed a reputation for delivering high quality work. He’s become a significant asset to my department,” Goldstein added.

Schmutz is one of many success stories connected with JES. Now entering its third year, Jewish Employment Services continues to meet its mission of helping members of the community find employment.

Since its inception in 2010, 226 job seekers landed a job with the help of JES. More than 500 job seekers have enrolled in the program that currently has 210 actively enrolled.

JES is a joint program of Jewish Family Services and Jewish Vocational Service. It was the brainchild of a handful of local Jewish business leaders who saw a need to expand the services that were being provided to members of the Jewish community who had lost their jobs.

JES is funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, the Jewish Heritage Foundation, the Lowenstein Brothers Foundation, the Morgan Family Foundation and the Sosland Foundation.

In putting the program together in Kansas City, Director Gayl Reinsch looked at similar programs in Baltimore, San Francisco and East Orange, N.J.

Job seekers work closely with JES career coaches Cari Boasberg, Joan Kopelson and Anne Mullin as well as Reinsch, who helps clients in the actual job search.

JES offers a monthly job club, a weekly JumpStart class and individualized coaching sessions that involve intensive work on resume development, creating a 30-second commercial, a “reason for leaving (last job) statement” and other components to assist job seekers in their job search.

The new Monday morning Kaffee Klatsch is a weekly social hour designed to motivate job seekers and provide a venue for mutual support. Led by a coach, this has proven to be a great way to start off the week.

“Over the two years, JES has developed a great process that gets job seekers into a new job faster,” Reinsch said. An effective resume, mock interviewing, and numerous networking tools such as the Networking Score Card, are part of what sets JES job seekers apart.

Employers who have hired JES clients have been positive about the program.

“Jewish Employment Services helped us fill several key positions in short order,” said Miles Kaufman of Bullseye Media. “Within just a few days they presented us with several qualified candidates to choose from.”
JES funders are also pleased with the program’s success.

"We were proud to be a part of the inception of Jewish Employment Services, as together, we were able to quickly respond to the rapidly growing unemployment rate within the Jewish community,” said Todd Stettner, Federation executive vice president and CEO.

The JES team continues to work hard to help job seekers; those wishing to connect directly with JES should email , attaching a resume, if they have one. For more information about the program in general, visit www.jfskc.org/JES or www.jvskc.org.

The topic of mental illness is one that touches many lives — one in four Americans struggle with mental illness in any given year.

The Jewish Community Center Cultural Arts Department raises the issue of dealing with mental illness in its production of the musical “Next To Normal” at the White Theatre. Performances are Feb. 9, 14, 16, 21, and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 10, 17 and 24 at 2 p.m. Each performance will be followed by a talk-back session with a mental health professional to highlight and provide context for the issues raised by the script.

This production features the talents of local actors under the direction of Mark Swezey with musical direction by Jeff Martin. The cast includes local success story Patrick Lewallen, a graduate of Shawnee Mission South and the University of Kansas. Lewallen was cast as Gabe through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. Lewallen performed in the national tour of “Rock of Ages.” He also appeared in the movie version of the hit rock musical with Tom Cruise. Lewallen, a former student of director Mark Swezey, last appeared at the White Theatre in the comedy “Beau Jest.”

“Next To Normal” won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama. It is the story of a suburban household that is dealing with the mother’s bi-polar disorder and its unpredictability. The audience shares the experience of a family’s struggles as they deal with mental illness and how they learn to care for each other. The exhilarating musical score helps tell this powerful story in a meaningful way sure to move the audience to a more keen understanding of the challenges of dealing with mental illness.

The Jewish Community Mental Health Coalition is partnering with the JCC on “Next to Normal” to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of mental illness. Following each performance, a mental health professional will provide insight into the issues raised, and context for the complexities of mental illness. (For more information on these sessions, visit www.jcckc.org/normal.) Participants for the Talk-Back sessions will come from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Depression Bipolar Support Alliance, the Jewish Community Mental Health Coalition and Bike for the Brain.

While plays, movies and TV frequently emphasize the more exaggerated signs and symptoms of mental illness, the National Institute of Mental Health states “most people with mental illnesses who are diagnosed and treated will respond well and live productive lives.”

Cast member Lewallen said he’s excited to be working in this JCC-White Theatre production of “Next To Normal.”

“I confess, in the beginning, I knew nothing about the show,” Lewallen said. “Through the rehearsal process, I have become enchanted with the difficult, creative score and the overpowering story. It’s going to be a solid production.”

“Next To Normal” is rated PG-13 for adult language and situations. Tickets for this production are $16 for members, $22 for (general public), and $11 for students (college and under). Tickets may be purchased by contacting the box office, open from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday at 913- 327-8054; or you may purchase tickets online by visiting the JCC web site at www.jcckc.org/boxoffice.

“Needle in the Bone: How a Holocaust Survivor and a Polish Resistance Fighter Beat the Odds and Found Each Other,” by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg. (Potomac Books, 2013)

Kansas Poet Laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg has crafted a beautiful, moving story about the lives of two survivors of World War II, both of whom ended up at the University of Kansas where they became close friends. She interviewed both men over the course of several years. Now in “Needle in the Bone,” she exquisitely combines their World War experiences into a narrative that informs readers and at times brings them to tears. She also demonstrates the power of friendship and a belief in the essential goodness of people which can overcome prejudice, misconceptions and the devastation of history.

Lou Frydman was a 9-year-old Jewish boy when the Nazis invaded Poland. When the Warsaw Ghetto was liquidated, he and his brother were sent to six concentration camps and on three death marches, miraculously surviving until they were liberated in 1945. Jarek Piekalkiewicz was descended from a well-to-do Polish family and became involved with the Polish resistance army at the age of 15, forming his own unit. He was captured by the Germans and sent to a POW camp from which he was eventually liberated by the U.S. Army, which took him on as a contract worker until the end of the war.

Both young men lost virtually all of their extended families during the war. Both were driven by a desire for education. Piekalkiewicz went to Trinity College in Dublin. Frydman went to City College of New York. Each one met a wonderful woman who became his wife. And in the end, each one became a notable scholar in his field, both teaching at the University of Kansas where they met and became close friends.

This summary does not do credit to Mirriam-Goldberg’s sensitive writing. The way she was able to blend both life stories into a seamless whole, her personal involvement with her subjects, her exhaustive research about Poland and the Holocaust during the war, and about the misconceptions of Polish anti-Semitism are truly impressive. “Needle in the Bone” should become required reading in any World War II or Holocaust history class. It is much more than the reminiscences of two old men. It is world history at its finest.

Andrea Kempf is a retired librarian who speaks throughout the community on various topics related to books and reading. She is a member of the Council of Advocates of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education.

Kansas poet laureate discusses new book

Join author Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg on Thursday, Jan. 31, as she discusses her book, “Needle in the Bone,” sponsored by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education and the Kansas City Public Library at the library’s Plaza branch. The book weaves together the stories of Holocaust survivor Lou Frydman and Polish resistance fighter Jarek Piekalkiewicz. For reservations, call 816-701-3407 or email www.kclibrary.org. 6 p.m. reception; 6:30 p.m. program.

Although Kansas City’s Hope House and Overland Park’s clair de lune lingerie boutique each focus on increasing a woman’s self esteem, the reasons women seek them out couldn’t be more different. Last year Hope House served 10,000 victims of domestic violence in its two Kansas City-area shelters and Comprehensive Outreach Programming and clair de lune sold high-quality bras and lingerie to hundreds of women throughout the region.

Yet a successful nine-year alliance between Hope House and clair de lune brings the notion of helping women feel better about themselves full circle. Terry Levine, a Kansas City resident who founded clair de lune — which specializes in expert bra fitting — in October 2004, envisioned her business as an active community participant. Each year the boutique is involved in myriad breast cancer programs that help raise awareness on the importance of early detection and support women experiencing a breast cancer journey.  Levine also wanted to include victims of domestic violence in her business mission statement and in January 2005 launched the Great Bra Exchange (GBE) in partnership with Hope House. The goal: to encourage clair de lune’s customers to donate gently used bras for Hope House and receive $15 off a new bra in return.

As a result of the GBE, clair de lune has donated 12,000 bras to help the women of Hope House — many who arrive at the shelters with little more than the clothes on their backs. This year’s event kicks off Jan. 10 and Levine anticipates her customers will again be generous with bra donations for Hope House, which in 2013 observes its 30th anniversary of serving the Kansas City area. This year clair de lune hopes to top the 3,000 gently worn bras donated by customers in 2012.

“I am humbled our loyal and new customers alike answer the call each year,” says Levine. “As a small business owner, I consider it a privilege to support an organization like Hope House that helps victims of domestic violence get back on their feet and break the cycle of abuse.”

The Great Bra Exchange campaign emphasizes “Exchange. Empower. Indulge.”

“It allows our customers to exchange gently used bras to help empower the women of Hope House while indulging in a new bra for themselves,” explains Levine.  “We’ve even had customers buy new bras with the $15 offer and donate those to Hope House, too.”

MaryAnne Metheny, chief executive officer of Hope House since 1993, says one in four women will be victims of domestic violence in their lifetime. In addition, most women seen at Hope House start over with nothing. “Undergarments are an essential for a woman to feel ready to go out in the world — they are part of building self-esteem,” says Metheny. “The wonderful thing about the partnership with clair de lune is that we receive bras of all sizes to accommodate our clients’ various needs.”

Metheny says while a bra might be taken for granted in society, it’s often a luxury for women in a shelter. “The gently used bras we receive from the Great Bra Exchanges means our women have one less stressor in their lives while getting re-established.”

Levine and Metheny agree the Great Bra Exchange is one small but essential step to help victims of domestic violence achieve independence.

“To the women of Hope House, a bra represents another building block to help rebuild a sense of self beaten down in the cycle of abuse,” says Metheny.

The Great Bra Exchange at clair de lune ends Feb. 3. For more information or to donate gently used bras for Hope House, call 913-449-3232.

ELECTION TRIVIA FROM ISRAEL — This week was the second time in just three months that Chronicle contributing writer Sybil Kaplan and her husband have voted. Now living is Israel but still American citizens, they voted by absentee ballot before the U.S. election in November. On Tuesday they headed for the polls for Israel’s 19th general election. She reports that there is no such thing as voter registration in Israel. In general, three weeks before elections, every eligible voter is notified which of the more than 10,000 polling places they should report to. After showing Israeli identity cards, voters are handed envelopes and directed behind a cardboard stand. There on a table were boxes with the symbols of all the 32 parties from which to choose a paper, insert it into the envelope, seal the envelope, emerge from the closed-in area and drop the ballot into a box. This is more than a little different from the computerized voting machines many of us in Johnson County are accustomed to!

NEVER FORGET — As Jews, the phrase “Never Forget” is engraved in our brains. As such, it is important for us to make note of such dates as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The U.N. General Assembly has designated Sunday, Jan. 27 — the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau — as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, every member state of the U.N. has an obligation to honor the victims of the Nazi era and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides. This year’s theme is “Rescue during the Holocaust: The Courage to Care.” As we remember the Holocaust, you will find a glowing recommendation by Andrea Kempf of Kansas Poet Laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg’s new book “Needle in the Bone: How a Holocaust Survivor and a Polish Resistance Fighter Beat the Odds and Found Each Other.” The author will present the book, at an event co-sponsored by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education and the Kansas City Public Library on Thursday, Jan. 31.

NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER — This statement is so, so true. More than a year ago The Chronicle received several review copies of the book “Christmas for Joshua” by Avraham Azrieli. It gets a 4.61 rating from Barnes & Noble reviewers and a 4.5 from Amazon readers, but I didn’t bother to check this out because the cover just didn’t appeal to me. Besides the unappealing title, the cover features a Christmas ornament hanging from a tree. My co-workers and I just couldn’t figure out how this book was relevant to us other than the author being Israeli. But I was bored a few weeks ago and finally picked up the book. I would agree with readers on those two websites that the book is well worth your time. Reviewer Lucie describes it very well, writing, “Rusty, a converted Christian and his Jewish wife, happily married, are suddenly torn by conflicting ideas and feelings when their daughter marries an Orthodox Jew. The ensuing saga is heart-rending.” After I read the book I recommended it to a coworker, who also enjoyed it. The author Azrieli served as an IDF Intelligence officer before graduating from Columbia Law School in New York. He has also written “The Jerusalem Inception,” “The Jerusalem Assassin,” “The Masada Complex,” “One Step Ahead” and “Your Lawyer on a Short Leash.”