Pictured are KU students along with Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel as they place Mezuzot on the doorposts of their new apartment.

The pencils are sharpened, the whiteboards freshly polished and you can sense the crispness in the air as a new semester begins at the University of Kansas. This year the feeling is very unique as this time everything is totally different.

 

The pandemic, social media, hate online, economic dislocation and physical disruption have come together to create new challenges for the community. 

By Faygie Holt
JNS

The pandemic, coupled with the rise of anti-Semitism and the ease of social media to delegitimize Jewish pride and Israel, is creating a perfect storm that the Jewish community must battle, say leaders.

A shot from the KC Cares interview with KC Royals General Manager Dayton Moore (center), KC Cares co-host Bobby Keys (left) and Bigus (right) at The J during Dayton’s annual C You in the Major Leagues Foundation summer camp.

 

The KC Cares Show has published over 400 podcasts promoting local nonprofits for free. The weekly podcasts are currently about 20 minutes long. One of the people making this possible is Ruth Baum Bigus, an active KC Jewish community member.

Jewish Family Services Food Pantry Director Jo Hickey (left) and Executive Director & CEO Don Goldman (right) took Kansas City Missouri Mayor Quinton Lucas through the agency’s Brookside pantry location last fall. Lucas will be part of the upcoming Friends of the Family virtual event Sept. 10.

Life can be challenging — whether it is personal or financial issues, a health crisis or the natural aging process. So far, 2020 has thrown a curve ball at many of us with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jean Zeldin

The board of directors and council of advocates of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education are hosting a virtual reception to honor retiring Executive Director Jean Zeldin for her 26 years of service. The event will be held on Thursday evening, Aug. 27, and will be an online gathering celebrating MCHE’s growth over the last quarter century under Zeldin’s management.

Exterior view of the new Independent Living Apartments from 123rd and Nall. (Courtesy)

 

The first resident to officially call Village Shalom’s new Independent Living Apartments home moved in on Friday. That moment has been years in the making. Village Shalom broke ground a little over two years ago — July 2018 — on this project. Planning began over five years ago though.