B’nai B’rith International has been supporting Jews around the world since 1843. In 1995, the organization began sending humanitarian aid to the Cuban Jewish community. Several Kansas Citians want to become a part of that group which is helping Cuban Jews, so they plan to take part in the B’nai B’rith Cuban Jewish Relief Project Mission in December.

Mark Wasserstrom, the president of B’nai B’rith Lodge 184, the largest of the three lodges in Kansas City, plans to participate in the mission scheduled Dec. 6 to 13. He is recruiting others to join the group along with Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn, who is a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is the rabbi of Temple Israel of Greater Kansas City. Wasserstrom said B’nai B’rith just completed a mission to Cuba in June and has another one planned in November as well. Officials hope 25 to 40 people participate in the December mission.

Participants, who must be members of B’nai B’rith, will spend seven days and six nights in Havana, Santiago and Guantanamo in Cuba and one night in Miami. The itinerary includes sharing erev Shabbat and a Shabbat meal with the Jewish community of Santiago; meetings with the leaders and members of the Cuban Jewish community; and a trip to the Holocaust Memorial in Havana.

Wasserstrom is interested in the project because he thinks establishing an ongoing relationship with the Jewish community in Havana is a worthwhile project.

“Since the official count of the number of Jews in Cuba is 1,200, there is such a small Jewish community that I think the Jewish community of Kansas City could actually manage to have a significant impact on the community in Cuba,” Wasserstrom said.
“The other part of the project that is exciting is that there are enormous historic pressures to open Cuba back up. So when Cuba opens and the U.S. blockade ends and the remaining restrictions on travel end, I think that we will see a significant increase in dealings with Cuba,” he continued.

The U.S. government restricts travel to Cuba for American citizens. Restrictions have been modified over the past few years and Cuban-Americans can now travel freely to the country. Students and religious missionaries are also allowed to travel to Cuba if they meet certain restrictions. It is legal for U.S. citizens to take this trip because B’nai B’rith has official religious missionary credentials through the U.S. Treasury department.

The B’nai B’rith website reports that the Jewish community in Cuba, although small, is thriving.

“When the Soviets left in 1990, the Cuban government declared that communism and religion could coexist. The Jewish community is now enjoying a revival. The disarray of the Soviet era has given way to a true sense of cohesiveness today. They are Jews that the rest of the world can look to with pride,” notes the website.

“Although there is no anti-Semitism in Cuba, daily life is very hard for all Cubans. The average person earns between $15 and $35 per month. Food is rationed. Not many quality items are available in pesos, and must be purchased with U.S. dollars (something not everyone has access to.) A doctor earning $35 per month may hope to supplement his income as a cab driver or a waiter, who can earn $10 a day in tips,” it continues.

Because of the economic hardships Cubans face, Wasserstrom said those who plan to participate — all participants must be B’nai B’rith members — are expected to take at least 15 pounds of supplies to be given as a gift to the Jewish community in Cuba. Upon registration, B’nai B’rith will provide a list of “needs” to participants, which often include medicine and cultural/religious items such as Judaica and books.

In addition to the humanitarian supplies and Judaica B’nai B’rith has been supplying the Cuban Jewish community, it has also sent mammography machines to the hospital and medical texts to the University via the Jewish community.

Rabbi Cukierkorn said Cuba has been described to him “as the Jurassic Park of socialism.”

“Things are changing very little, but it’s fascinating to go see what a socialist nation really looks like,” he said.

Through his book “Accesible Judaism: A Concise Guide” (in Spanish as “HaMadrij: La Guía”), Rabbi Cukierkorn has been in contact with several Cuban Jews.

“When I wrote my book many, many years ago (2004), the first thing I did was to send 12 copies of the book — one for each synagogue — to the B’nai B’rith Cuban Jewish Relief Project,” Rabbi Cukierkorn said.

He said that because there is such a desire for Jewish information, the book is of great value there.

“I’ve received emails from people thanking me for the book,” Rabbi Cukierkorn said.

The Reform rabbi has also seen a picture of the library where there are several copies of his book on a shelf at the Patronato, which functions as Cuba’s Jewish community center and is a part of the largest synagogue in the country.

“There is a picture of an open book and you can see that the pages are used, that people are reading it. What could give a writer more joy,” Rabbi Cukierkorn said.

Rabbi Cukierkorn will take 100 copies of his book to Cuba, compliments of Lodge 184. The members of Temple Israel are giving Rabbi Cukierkorn the time off to take this trip. He is doing so just as any other participant, not as the group’s rabbi.
Wasserstrom is happy that Lodge 184 is able to sponsor Rabbi Cukierkorn on this trip.

“He has a reputation far beyond Kansas City, so it just seemed to make a great deal of sense to get somebody who is sensitive to issues throughout South America,” Wasserstrom said. “Hopefully B’nai B’rith will realize what an important asset Rabbi Cukierkorn is so that he can contribute not only to the richness of Jewish life in Kansas City but that he can share his knowledge and experience with B’nai B’rith and help guide whatever efforts B’nai B’rith can pursue.”

While it’s been said that Jews don’t face anti-Semitism in Cuba, Wasserstrom is worried that Jews are beginning to face more anti-Semitism in other parts of South America.

“Iran has been giving a great deal of foreign aid to South American countries and distributing Arab propaganda along with it. That’s why in December 2011 B’nai B’rith had its first international policy conference in South America in Montevideo, Uraguay,” Wasserstrom explained.

While the B’nai B’rith International organization may be struggling a bit retaining its members — for example membership has slipped tremendously here in Kansas City’s three chapters — Wasserstrom said one of B’nai B’rith’s strengths has always been monitoring world events as they impact the global Jewish community.

“So when we have a situation such as a new strain of anti-Semitism evolving in South American, B’nai B’rith is one of the few Jewish organizations that can effectively address the situation. To have an opportunity to go on a mission to Cuba and to participate at any level in a new program that is of some significance is exciting,” Wasserstrom said.

The registration deadline for this trip is Nov. 1. To learn more about the trip, visit the website at http://www.bnaibrith.org/cubanjewishrelief.cfm or contact Rabbi Cukierkorn through his website, www.rabbicukierkorn.com. or call him at 913- 940-1011.

Kelly Somberg

OCCUPATION: Administrative assistant, Jewish Community Center’s summer camps and community volunteer

CONGREGATIONAL AFFILIATION: Congregation Beth Torah

WHAT KIND OF VOLUNTEERING DO YOU DO FOR JFS? FOR HOW LONG? I have been a volunteer driver for the JET Express volunteer driver program for more than three years.

WHY DO YOU VOLUNTEER? I’m a lifelong volunteer. I feel it is just part of who I am. I enjoy making a contribution, working with others and giving back to my community.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL STORY OR ANECDOTE TO SHARE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE? One of my favorite riders is Wilbur — he is over 80 years old and volunteers weekly at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. I’ve picked him up almost every Friday morning for the past three years. I think it is fantastic that he still volunteers in his 80s and through JET Express, he remains an active part of his community.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT VOLUNTEERING WITH JFS? I love the interaction with the senior adults I drive. They are always so appreciative of the ride and JET Express. We often share stories from our week or about our families, talking about the weather or just sharing a smile. With my parents and grandmother living in Arizona, JET Express has allowed me to stay connected with this generation.

I also love how flexible and easy it is to volunteer for JET Express. I can choose my rides from my computer. It is my choice how many rides I do each week. Many times I can help someone else with a ride while I am running my errands; that’s a win-win in my book.

Make a difference in someone’s life and experience the joy of giving! Jewish Family Services has a multitude of volunteer opportunities to fit your schedule, so sign up today at www.jfskc.org/volunteer/or 913-327-8250.

TELLING THE STORY: TEACHING THE CORE — Last month, Jean Zeldin, executive director of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, attended an international conference at Yad Vashem which drew nearly 400 center and museum directors, scholars and educators from more than 50 countries. Sessions were devoted to both scholarship and pedagogy, with discussion focusing on challenges of Holocaust education in the 21st century, transition from personal memory to historical memory, and the centrality of the Holocaust as a touchstone for the study of other genocides. Presenters emphasized the responsibility of Holocaust centers and professionals to provide accurate content and context, especially to educators who must “get it right” and transmit the history in a meaningful way. In keeping with that goal, MCHE recently offered a three-day teacher institute, “1942: The Final Solution,” with in-depth content provided by historian Fran Sternberg, Ph.D., MCHE’s director of university programs and adult education, and pedagogical sessions, including document-based activities, facilitated by Jessica Rockhold, director of school programs and teacher education.

HERITAGE CENTER ACHIEVES NATIONAL ACCREDITATION — The Heritage Center has officially been awarded national accreditation through the National Institute of Senior Centers. It now joins the ranks of just a little more than 200 senior centers in the nation that meet the strict standards and high quality accreditation demand. We extend a hearty mazel tov to our friends who run the Heritage Center. We always knew it was the best in the area!

THE KING AND I — Several members of the Jewish community have roles in the Jewish Community Center’s upcoming production of “The King and I.” It opens July 14 and runs through July 29. You can catch Francine Gollub, Leah Cole, Leah Selmmons, Alexandra Fulford, Carolyn Braverman, Maya Schreiber and Noah Waldman in this Rodgers and Hammerstein family favorite that shares the story of the king of Siam and his relationship with Anna Leonowens, who travels from England to tutor the king’s children. It will be performed in the White Theatre. Ticket information is available online at jcckc.org/boxoffice or by calling 913-327-8054.

2012-2013 CALENDAR ITEMS NEEDED — The Jewish Chronicle is working on the annual Rosh Hashanah publication and we need the help of Jewish organizations, congregations, agencies, foundations and other Jewish groups. Please send us your calendar of special events for the upcoming year (October 2012 through September 2013) so we can add them to our calendar. We don’t mean weekly or monthly events like study groups, but events that may occur once a year or a special event being planned now for the upcoming year.

In order for these events to be considered for placement in the calendar, please send them to us no later than Aug. 1. These can be sent to or .

If you have any questions, call Barbara Bayer, editor, at 913-951-8425 or Marcia Montgomery, community editor, at 913- 951-8426.

Rabbi Alan Cohen is retiring. What’s new about that? He retired in 2008 from the pulpit of Congregation Beth Shalom after serving the congregation for 19 years, didn’t he? True. But last year the congregation came calling again, asking him to serve one more year in an interim capacity.

The Conservative rabbi accepted that challenge, and spent the last year handling the pulpit duties of a senior rabbi once again while the congregation searched for, and hired a new senior rabbi. Rabbi David Glickman is expected to arrive at Beth Shalom in July and now, Rabbi Cohen is really ready to retire. He and his wife Linda will be moving to Florida in mid-July.

The immediate future

The Cohens chose Boynton Beach because it featured a warm climate. They like that part of the country, having lived there for 17 years before moving to Kansas City in 1989.

The couple even lived in West Palm Beach for a while, and has maintained connections with a lot of people still in the area. Rabbi Cohen also liked the fact that he has many colleagues in the area who meet on a regular basis to study. Then there’s the amenities of Jewish life nearby that is also appealing.

“There are actually two kosher markets not far from where we will be resettling,” he said.

This past year has been a busy one for Rabbi Cohen. So he plans to take it easy for a while and take his time before making any new commitments.

“For the first six months, I probably won’t do anything real organized because I’ve got to take time to get situated in our new place and take care of all the things that are necessary with a move. We’ve also got a fair amount of traveling on our agenda for the next six months,” he said.

He will be mixing pleasure with business on at least one of his trips. Several days before Rosh Hashanah the Cohens will board a Princess cruise ship, stopping in Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa and New Zealand before docking in Australia 26 days later.

“During the period of the High Holidays, I will be leading services for those Jewish passengers that want to avail themselves to services for the High Holidays and for Sukkot. It’s not a Jewish cruise, and I’m not the rabbi for the whole cruise,” he said.

He estimates there will be about two dozen Jewish people on the cruise, since the cruise line said they plan to have about that number of prayer books on board.

This isn’t the first time he’s been hired as a High Holidays rabbi. Following his original retirement from Beth Shalom in 2008, he served the small community of Henrietta, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester, N.Y.

“In Henrietta we had a small group; the largest turnout was 50 people. It was very intimate. The cruise will be a similarly small, intimate gathering except it will be at sea. I’m looking forward to it,” Rabbi Cohen said.

Looking back

Rabbi Cohen said returning to the pulpit wasn’t that difficult because it was a job that he had always been very comfortable with.

“I think I had done a reasonable job at it in the course of all those years. So I was able to come back with that skill set in place to help the congregation,” Rabbi Cohen said.

While the role was the same, it was also very different.

“I was coming back almost like a place holder — a person whose position is not to set an agenda or have an agenda or have a vision, but to help a congregation realize its vision and set its own agenda. That’s what I’ve tried to do over this past year,” he said.

This year, Rabbi Cohen said his role was to be there for life-cycle events “and such that might arise.”

“But much of the re-envisioning of the congregation’s life and future was in its own hands to do. They had to set up, as they have done, a very committed group of folks to that process,” he explained.

The past year was relatively easy for him, Rabbi Cohen said. But it was an adjustment to reacquaint himself with a pulpit rabbi’s schedule.

“Sometimes you make plans for things and incidences arise, crises arise, life cycle events come up that need attention right away, so you have to put other plans on hold. It’s a little bit like we put our plans on hold to relocate a year ago, which was our original intention,” he said. “I had gotten very quickly and comfortably adjusted to the idea that I could make my own schedule, that it could be more 9 to 5 than certainly the rabbinate allows for.”

The 66-year-old rabbi never really retired the first time. He became the director of Interreligious Affairs for the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee and also worked in the chaplaincy department for Saint Luke’s Health System at the Plaza hospital.

“I worked with Saint Luke’s to bring a Judaic presence to their program,” he said.

The JCRB|AJC position was a part-time position that he was able to continue one day a week this year as well. He did so to continue some of the projects he had begun and “hopefully put in place a process that they can even run beyond.”

Working with the JCRB|AJC was tremendously gratifying for the rabbi. He especially enjoyed the interaction with other clergy.

“I found that the overwhelming majority of the non-Jewish community, whether they be liberal or conservative, mainline Protestant, Catholic or evangelical Christian have a very open attitude toward Judaism,” he said.

He believes he had tremendous opportunities to build some new bridges and strengthen some existing bridges during this time. He helped “create a bond between the Jewish and the non-Jewish community.”

He thinks that bond is stronger today because of his efforts and the JCRB|AJC’s work in general over the years. He believes his non-Jewish colleagues were very appreciative of the opportunity to learn and to share in the various study programs afforded to them during that time.

A bittersweet goodbye

Looking back over the past year, and his rabbinate in general, he believes it was something he enjoyed.

“It was 40 years ago this month that I was ordained, in June of 1972, and I probably would not have stuck to it for all this period of time if I hadn’t enjoyed it. So coming back for the year was coming back to something that I had enjoyed before hand, even the three years when I was away from the congregation between 2008 and 2011 doing the other work, I still had my hand in Jewish communal life. I wasn’t doing the normal congregational rabbinical activities because I intentionally kept myself out of that loop at the synagogue and did not involve myself in life-cycle events and such but I was still involved in Jewish communal affairs and interacting with religious community.”

The Cohens have spent 23 years in Kansas City, making it the community they have lived longer than any previous one, including their birthplaces. So saying goodbye may not be easy.

“I think it’s going to be a little difficult from an emotional standpoint,” he said.

But as he wrote in his final article for Beth Shalom’s newsletter “The Scroll,” “We have traveled together from Israel to Conception Abbey. A part of us will always remain in Kansas City and our loyalties will always be to the Royals and Chiefs with a leaning toward the Jayhawks (sorry to our Missouri friends). There will be parts of KC and Beth Shalom that we will always carry with us.”

Linda Cohen looking forward to retirement

Linda Cohen is retiring not only from many of her duties as a rebbetzin but also as a teacher. Cohen has coordinated the community conversion class since its inception in 2003.

“It was by far one of the most rewarding things I ever did in my life,” she said. “It was just a ball, a lot of fun. The program crossed every line possible — ethnic, socio-economical, age, gender, gender preferences. The commonality was everybody was there because they had an interest in pursuing Judaism. And it really is a testimony to the rabbis also and their participation how successful it has been. It really has been an incredibly successful program.”

Cohen also taught at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy for 12 years, taught at Congregation Beth Shalom for several years and volunteered for a number of things, in addition to taking care of her grandsons when they were born.

Immediate retirement plans include a move to Boynton Beach, Fla., and a High Holidays cruise. So what’s next? Cohen said she and her husband, Rabbi Alan Cohen, won’t be lacking in activities to keep them busy.

Boynton Beach is on the east coast, between West Palm and Boca Raton.

“We lived in West Palm at one point a long time ago,” Cohen said. “Alan has lots of colleagues in that area; we have friends in that area, so there were lots of things that made it for us very attractive.”

One of their goals, Cohen said, is to visit children and grandchildren more frequently and for longer periods of time, “and not be tied down to the demands of a congregational life.”

Cohen said moving where their children live was not an option. Their daughter Reena, her husband and their two sons live in Toronto and their son Rafi, his wife and two sons live in a Dallas suburb. A native Canadian, Cohen said she doesn’t like the weather in Toronto and since Rafi is a rabbi, it is uncertain how long he will stay in Dallas.

Once the Cohens return from their cruise and are settled into their new home, they will both start seeking out volunteer opportunities and resume the fun activities they enjoy.

“We would like to get back on the golf course,” Cohen said. “Alan wants to get over to the tennis courts more frequently, we both like to bike ride, we both like to walk. … I like to play Mah Jongg, so I’m going to try to find a group, join a book club.

“There’s a synagogue a half mile from where we’re living that we’ll get involved in. Given the over-60 population of baby boomers that are active in this generation, there are so many activities of all sorts, everything from volunteer to educational to entertainment that neither one of us really anticipate. Spending time with friends of ours that are down there and retired, I have never yet heard anybody say they’re bored.”

Cohen said she’s looking forward to the flexibility of retirement.

“Especially for Alan, not having to be certain places at certain times and his professional life interfering with our personal life, so to speak. And just kind of being free spirits, I guess. We decided to do it now while we are hopefully young enough and healthy enough to gad about a bit.”

‘Lihitraot’ Rabbi and Linda Cohen

Congregation Beth Shalom will bid farewell to Rabbi Alan and Linda Cohen Saturday, June 30, at Shabbat services beginning at 9 a.m. A Kiddush luncheon, sponsored by the congregation and prepared by the Kiddush Corps and friends, will immediately follow worship.

Harold Schlozman is no stranger when it comes to a hospital setting — he spent years working as a pharmacist at the Veterans Hospital in Kansas City. He saw patients on the various wards who were anxious, depressed and in various stages of illness. It was that very setting that inspired him to become a Spiritual Care Volunteer through the Jewish Community Chaplaincy Program housed at Jewish Family Services.

“I vowed that when I retired I would try to bring these people and others comfort and a few kind words and a smile,” he said.
So when the SCV program began four years ago, Schlozman was among the first people in the community to sign up.

“When Rabbi (Jonathan) Rudnick (the Jewish Community Chaplain) asked me to become an SCV, I enthusiastically agreed,” Schlozman said.

Rabbi Rudnick overseas the program that brings care and comfort to Jewish patients in local hospitals and older adult facilities around the metropolitan area. Schlozman is one of 11 in the community who are part of the Spiritual Care Volunteer program at JFS. The mission of the Chaplaincy Program is to address the spiritual needs of Jewish people and their families facing health and healing challenges in the metropolitan area.

Spiritual care volunteers carry out the Jewish mitzvah of bikur cholim — caring for the sick — and the program is making a difference in people’s lives.

SCVs have made more than 4,000 visits in the program’s four-year history. They visit Jewish individuals, patients, residents, their families — even inmates — on a regular basis and bring them the spiritual care resources of the Jewish community and Jewish tradition. The program was started as outreach to unaffiliated Jews who were either in the hospital or residing in assisted living or long-term care facilities.

In cooperation with area congregational rabbis, Rabbi Rudnick reaches out to affiliated patients and residents as well.

These volunteers go through an extensive orientation that covers the fundamentals of being a spiritual care volunteer. Each one has been assigned to one of six area hospitals and six elder-care facilities. Rabbi Rudnick said SCVs visit with patients and residents; they may pray, read or just talk about what is meaningful to them. Volunteers also leave a copy of “The Circle of Healing,” a booklet created by the first community chaplain, Rabbi Nathan Goldberg, and published by JFS. It includes readings, prayers and spiritual resources.

When visiting others, “sometimes we hold hands and we’ll feel the person is more light-hearted merely from the presence of someone who he knows is there to see him and offer him encouragement,” said Schlozman of the experience. “It’s important to do something to help someone who is in need of spiritual comfort.”

Rabbi Mark Levin of Congregation Beth Torah has been a supporter of the spiritual care volunteer program.

“These volunteers bring their caring and listening skills to the bedside of people who may simply want to tell their story to a supportive person,” Rabbi Levin said. “It demonstrates that even people we do not yet know well matter in our lives, that the community is attuned to their welfare. We want to make sure that no one disappears from the community’s radar.”

Rabbi Alan Cohen of Congregation Beth Shalom is part of the Chaplaincy Advisory Board Rabbi Rudnick has established.

“I have been privileged to see this program begin and grow,” Rabbi Cohen said. “Each new cohort has added greatly to the level of care our community can provide by bringing caring lay volunteers into the field of spiritual care. They are a complement to the clergy of our community and exemplify the fundamental principle that all of us should be concerned with ‘visiting the ill.’ ”

Schlozman has found his time as an SCV personally fulfilling.

“I enjoy being with people and meeting people,” he said. “By offering my time, encouragement and presence, I try to help them on the path to recovery or acceptance.”

Rabbi Rudnick said the program’s impact in the Greater Kansas City community has been significant, and Chaplain Jean Murphy agrees. She has been working with the rabbi and his volunteers, first at Villa St. Joseph and then at St. Joseph Medical Center.

“Volunteers add greatly to our effectiveness and each one brings their own personality and spirituality to the mix,” Murphy said.

“It is a great outreach to be able to provide chaplains and spiritual care volunteers of different denominations and different faiths. It adds to our diversity.”

Murphy said Rabbi Rudnick has been an inspiration for her.

“I have learned so much from him and he has provided wonderful resources for the chaplains,” she said. “We are grateful for the support and resources made available to us by Jewish Family Services and Rabbi Jonathan.”

Schlozman highly recommends volunteering for the spiritual care volunteer program.

“If you enjoy being with others, helping others and making a difference in their lives, I encourage you to contact your rabbi or Rabbi Rudnick and become a spiritual care volunteer. We bolster hope for those in need.”

Those wishing to serve as an SCV should contact their congregational rabbi. Unaffiliated individuals wishing to volunteer may contact Rabbi Rudnick at 913-327-8250.

When Ariella Ben-Aharon and her husband Roy became engaged they knew they wanted to have a kosher wedding reception.

Ariella Ben-Aharon said she and her husband keep kosher, but even if they didn’t, they wanted a kosher option available for their guests.

“For all of our family and friends that keep kosher it was very important to us,” she said.

Since the couple wanted to serve meat at their reception they had to have a non-dairy cake. Finding a baker to make a dairy free cake, Ben-Aharon said, became a daunting task.

“We tried a lot of people,” Ben-Aharon said. “Nobody was interested in tackling a non-dairy wedding cake.”

Then they heard that a friend of her parents’ neighbor might be up for the challenge. So Ben-Aharon called the recommended baker, Nancy Stark.

“At first I was skeptical that she would be interested in doing it,” Ben-Aharon said.

But Stark, a pastry chef with 25 years experience, eagerly accepted the challenge.

“Nancy was willing to take it on with a smile,” Ben-Aharon said. “It was really a good experience.”

Ben-Aharon’s wedding took place March 18. Stark had never done a kosher wedding before, but she said she wanted to learn the skill.

“I learned a ton doing this one cake,” Stark said. “I like a challenge. I like to learn new things.”

Rabbi Mendel Segal, executive director of the Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City, assisted Stark through the kosher process. The Vaad HaKashruth supervises caterers and other venders to ensure that food for Jewish events is kosher.

“One of the big concerns among those who keep kosher, especially with weddings, is that they tend to serve meat meals. So the wedding cake needs to be 100 percent dairy free,” Rabbi Segal said.

Stark the pastry chef said she experimented with recipes to find the perfect non-dairy combo for a wedding cake.

“I picked recipes that I thought would be really good without butter and they were amazing,” she said. “I don’t think that you would be able to tell the difference.”

In the end, Ben-Aharon and her husband went with a lemon chiffon cake with butter-free vanilla “buttercream” frosting and an almond cake with butter-free chocolate “buttercream” frosting.

“It was really moist and it was really fresh,” Ben-Aharon said. “It was so good that we didn’t have any leftovers. We didn’t even have our cake topper to take home.”

Stark said she enjoyed the process and appreciated all the help she got from the Vaad.

“They just made it so easy for me,” Stark said. “They lined out for me what kind of things I would have to do.”

Stark prepared the cake in a kosher kitchen at the Torah Learning Center of Kansas City.

“I’m ready to do it again if anyone asks me,” she said.

Stark is one of a handful of bakers who Rabbi Segal recommends for brides who want a kosher wedding cake.

“She was great, she was really good to work with,” Rabbi Segal said.

Rabbi Segal also recommends Sherrie Ortiz of Sherrie’s Cake Magic. Ortiz has made wedding cakes for the past 26 years. She made her first kosher cake this January.

“I had considered doing it before, but I didn’t really have any connections,” Ortiz said. “It was fun, there was a lot to learn.”
Baking a kosher wedding cake requires specific steps, such as baking it in a kosher kitchen and using all kosher ingredients. But Ortiz said she didn’t find the process harder than baking a typical wedding cake.

“It was just a matter of finding the correct kosher products,” Ortiz said. “There were quite a few options that were non-dairy.”

For Ben-Aharon, the benefits of having a kosher wedding were worth any extra time spent to create the kosher meal and cake.

“I definitely think it added something just to know that I could cater to anyone or any preference in the community,” she said. “It was really nice to not exclude anyone.”

Rabbi Segal said the kosher meal adds to the spirituality of the sacred event.

“I do enjoy weddings more than lots of other events that we do because there is that excitement,” Rabbi Segal said. “It’s a happy occasion.”

Rabbi Segal encourages brides who want kosher weddings to contact him as they start the planning process.

“The best place to start is by going to our website (www.vaadkc.org),” he said.

Ben-Aharon said she recommends Stark to any bride.

“Kosher or non-Kosher I would suggest her either way,” Ben-Aharon said. “She was really great.”

The Girl Scout slogan urges its Scouts to “do a good turn daily.” Seventeen-year-old Sarah Herman has taken that to heart.

Sarah, a senior at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, has embraced the Jewish and general communities with her many and varied extra-curricular activities.

She plans to channel her interest in recycling toward her Girl Scout Gold Award project to make a rain garden.

“It’s a garden that collects (excess rain run-off) and instead of going into the sewer, which kind of ruins the sewer water, it makes a garden out of it. It’s really pretty,” she said.

A Gold Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout can earn. Herman got her Silver Award two years ago for teaching younger Girl Scouts about Judaism to help them earn their Bat Or Award.

“I taught them in five sessions about Jewish events and discussed them, and we had to do an art project,” she said.
Her favorite part of Scouting, however, is going to camp.

Sarah attended Camp Winding River from the seventh grade, and since then, she has volunteered as a horse wrangler in training, teaching safety to the younger Scouts, and as a riding instructor.

“I’m not a water person, and all the other Girl Scout camps were mainly water-based, so when I heard there was a horse-riding one, I wanted to do that,” she said. “I mainly like it to hang out with the little kids, but I like the horses too.”

The daughter of Congregation Beth Torah members Vickie and Mark Herman, Sarah has applied her love of helping younger kids as a madricha in the congregation’s Hebrew school for the last three years.

“I use what I learned at the Academy, all my Hebrew skills to help them there. That’s really fun, because at first the kids are like, ‘I don’t really want to go to Hebrew school,’ but we help make it fun. We play games and make it into competitions. The kids really like it,” Sarah said.

Sarah also worked at the Barney Goodman summer camp last year at the Jewish Community Center as a junior counselor for fifth- and sixth-grade girls.

“The best part of being a counselor is giving the kids as good a time as I had when I was a little kid. When I was a kid, the counselors made it awesome,” she said.

This year, she’s changing things up and spending six weeks in Israel with the Alexander Muss High School in Israel program. While there, she’ll earn high school credit as well as six college credits.

“What Muss teaches you is that one day you learn in class about sites and history, and the next day, you go out and see it. I think that’s really important that you’re not just seeing the sites to see them. You’re actually learning about them,” she said.

At school, she’s co-president of the Go Green program, which encourages recycling, in addition to being on Academy teams for soccer, basketball and cross-country.

Sarah has also been the Op-Ed editor of the newspaper and the people section editor for the yearbook, while also managing to balance being student council secretary last year. She’ll be the vice president of service on the 2012-13 student council.

As a member of the National Honor Society, Sarah makes weekly group trips to Roesland Elementary School in the Shawnee Mission School District during the school year to work with the kids as a community service project.

“We play with them and read with them and (are) their mentors. We went almost every Wednesday, and they loved us. I hope we’re going back next year,” she said.

Laura Hewitt, the Academy’s NHS sponsor, was impressed with how Sarah interacted with the children.

“Sarah worked with first-graders. Every time she walked into the room, the kids were so excited to see her. First-graders before lunch can be restless, but she could keep her group contained and on task,” Hewitt said. “What I really admire about Sarah is that she does everything and demonstrates leadership in such a quiet way. Everything she does the other students admire and respect and want to emulate her.”

GOMEZ IS JEWISH — The musical “The Addams Family” debuts at Starlight July 3 and continues through July 8. It stars Douglas Sills, a Tony Award nominee for his role as Percy in “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” who plays Gomez Addams. Sills is Jewish and grew up in a tight-knit Jewish community in Ann Arbor, Mich. When asked recently about the Jewishness of the play he replied: “He (Gomez) is definitely of Jewish style as I am,” Sills said. “Family is first and foremost to him.” His Broadway resume is long, including “Little Shop of Horrors.”  Tickets for “The Addams Family” at Starlight Theatre are on sale now and are available online at www.kcstarlight.com or by calling 816-363-STAR (7827).

A STITCH IN TIME — The Lebovitz family recently took an excursion to the Kansas City Garment District Museum, located at 801 Broadway. The museum is showcasing Eugene Lebovitz’s designs from when he worked for YouthCraft. The company relocated Lebovitz and his family here from New York City in 1959. A few years after that, Fashionbilt courted Lebovitz to be that company’s head designer. For more than 20 years, his designs were deemed successful. He retired from Fashionbilt in the ’80s after suffering a heart attack and owned Abe’s Taylor Shop, known by many as “the tailor’s tailor!” Over the years Lebovitz also made and showed intricate thread sculptures, tapestries, banners — one of which hung in Jerusalem for the city’s 25th anniversary — and in the late ’70s he made a robe for Jerusalem’s chief rabbi. The Kansas City Garment District Museum is open to the public on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or for private tours by calling 913-205-8520.

TRADITION CONTINUES — Several members of the Jewish community, including Melynn Sight, Jeff Goodman, Fred Goodman and Lynn Intrater, are busily preparing for the 21st annual Star Spangled Spectacular event in Corporate Woods sponsored by the Overland Park Rotary Club. Overland Park’s July 4 fireworks tradition raises funds for local charities Marillac Center, Ozanam and the Rotary     Youth Leadership Institute.

The Star Spangled Spectacular is an old fashioned Fourth of July celebration for all ages, and includes free live concerts, food, beverage and fun. The event takes place on the Fourth of July at Corporate Woods in Overland Park and many local businesses and individuals contribute to the event. For more information about the event, to become a sponsor or to volunteer, contact Intrater at or 913-385-9996.

KANSAS SENATOR SUPPORTS ISRAEL — U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) welcomed Israeli Ambassador Dr. Michael B. Oren to the U.S. Capitol June 19. During the meeting, Moran and Oren discussed a range of topics, including the recent escalation of rocket attacks from Gaza, improved anti-ballistic missile defense technology, security issues along Israel’s border with Egypt and the P5+1 talks with Iran in Moscow. They also discussed their support for continued cooperation between the United States and Israel on security issues, including cyber threats. “The deep friendship that exists between the United States and Israel is a result of our shared values,” Moran said. “The strength of that special relationship is critical at this time as Israel faces threats in Gaza, Egypt, Syria and Iran. I expressed my support to the Ambassador and pledged to stand with Israel as it confronts the challenges of our time.”

Congregation Kol Ami is giving its building back to Bank of Prairie Village. Kol Ami President Nadine Gordon said the decision was made at a special board meeting held May 6.

Gordon said the congregation has to vacate the premises by the end of June and the last Shabbat worship service will be held June 29. The official papers returning the building to the bank will be signed July 2.

The building was purchased in the summer of 2005 from Zion Lutheran Church for $1.1 million. In April The Chronicle reported that the congregation had put the building up for sale with an asking price of $1.4 million. The 16,000 square-foot building is located at 7501 Belinder Avenue in Prairie Village.

“The bank has been great to work with,” Gordon said. “Other members may not feel that way but I’ve been integrally involved with them and feel that they have bent over backwards to work with us,” Gordon said.

Officials from the Bank of Prairie Village did not answer requests for comment for this story by The Chronicle.

For the immediate future, Gordon said the congregation will hold services in members’ homes, backyards and in parks. Negotiations are taking place with All Souls Unitarian Church, located at 4501 Walnut Street in Kansas City, Mo., to rent space for Friday night services and larger events such as High Holiday services. A board meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, June 19, after The Chronicle goes to press, where further decisions could be made.

For the time being, those wishing to learn where Kol Ami is conducting services may email . Arrangements are currently being made for a mailing address and an answering system. Once plans are finalized, an announcement will be made.

This decision was made a few short weeks after the congregation decided to sell the building. Gordon said maintenance costs for the building — for example the boiler was 40 years old — was more than the congregation could afford.

“Those costs have been eating us alive and the majority of the board felt that they couldn’t wait any longer. We also had some congregants who kept saying they no longer wanted to pay their dues if they had to continue to see that. They want to see that their money goes for the rabbi and for programs,” Gordon said.

Even without their building, Gordon said all regular programming at the Reform congregation, which now has 85 member units, will continue.

Rabbi Doug Alpert, who has a contract with Kol Ami through June 2013, reinforced Gordon’s comments that the congregation is still very much in business.

“While there is certainly an understanding that there are a lot of good memories that are carried with the building and this transition is a difficult one, the congregation is very excited about the future. They see real possibilities opening up,” he said.

“We’re looking at locations more in the midtown area, Brookside, the Plaza, and we’re very excited about it,” Rabbi Alpert continued.

Kol Ami also rented space in the building to three tenants — Mercy Church, a Montessori school and a daycare. Those tenants will remain in the building after Kol Ami vacates. Gordon understands that Block & Company, Inc., the real estate broker the congregation hired to sell the building, will be retained by the bank in the same capacity.

The congregation was established in 2003 and met in a variety of locations before purchasing the former church in Prairie Village. It began conducting programs in the building in the late summer of 2005.

Almost four years ago Rabbi Binyomin Gonsher, a Kollel rabbi, saw a need in the local Jewish community. He and Allan Gonsher, who happens to be his father, started Ahoovim, a group for Jewish adults with special needs to enjoy social events and to learn more about Judaism.

“Ahoovim is open to anyone 18 and older who would like to get together to not only learn about Judaism, but also to make social contacts with other young Jewish adults,” said Nan Kanter, the program’s community liaison.

The group’s name, Ahoovim, means beloved ones. Kanter helps to coordinate Ahoovim’s monthly programs along with Rabbi Elchanan Schulgasser, the Kollel rabbi who took over leadership of the program after Rabbi Gonsher moved to Florida a couple of years ago. Then they seek volunteers to help at each event.

“We wanted to address an important need in the community of young adults with special needs to connect in a positive Jewish way with other young adults,” Rabbi Schulgasser said. “They are involved in other programs, like Special Olympics, but this involves a Jewish component. We wanted it to involved Jewish identity in their peer group.”

The programs sometimes have a tie in to a Jewish holiday, like a sukkah hop for Sukkot. But when there is not a holiday, events are still held.

The events are usually held in the homes of volunteers and sometimes at the homes of relatives of the members, who are young adults in their 20s and 30s. For Purim, the group made hamantaschen at Rabbi Schulgasser’s home. But sometimes they go outside of homes, making seder plates at Paint, Glaze and Fire; or taking a nature hike.

This summer, the group hopes to hold a barbeque and a games day.

Ken Malashock has been active in the group for the past two years. His mother, Gina Malashock, says, “Every program is planned around a Jewish holiday or a Bible story. They do the blessings before they eat; all the food is kosher; and it is great exposure for Ken. He has gotten so much out of it!”

That’s exactly what Kanter and Rabbi Schulgasser would want for the 16 members on their mailing list. An average of eight to 12 people attend each event.

“Each of the participants look forward to the events that we plan,” Kanter said.

“We vary the events from month to month hoping to spark the interest in a variety of settings. The participants all enjoy learning more about their Jewish faith.”

“I think it gives them a sense of belonging,” she added.

Malashock would agree.

“Ken loves to go. This has really enhanced and continued his religious studies,” she said. “He was not able to find a situation where he could learn when he was younger. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s 10 years too early. Now there is so much more experience, as well as ideas to help him.”

“We are dedicated to doing a fun program with Jewish content,” Rabbi Schulgasser added.

Both Kanter and Rabbi Schulgasser hope that others will join the group. “I think there are other individuals in the Jewish community who would benefit from our program and enjoy the many activities that we offer,” said Kanter.

“I would recommend this program for others, 1,000 percent,” Malashock said. “I am thrilled it is here.”

Ahoovim is supported by both the Kansas City Kollel and the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City. Ahoovim does give information to the synagogues to be passed along to families who might be interested.

For more information about Ahoovim, contact Nan Kanter at 913-486-1881 or .