The words “toddler” and “retirement community” don’t often appear in the same sentence. But it was one small child’s good fortune to be visiting the Village Shalom retirement community with his grandmother on a recent afternoon. That, in combination with numerous other coincidences, may have helped to save his life.

Fifteen-month-old Garett Van Buskirk accompanied his grandmother, Bunni Glasberg, on a recent visit to Village Shalom. Glasberg had come for a meeting to plan details of an upcoming art opening at Village Shalom’s Epsten Gallery. She often babysits for her grandson, and was certain he would play quietly while the brief meeting took place.

Instead, Garett was a bit fussy and wanted his grandmother to hold him the entire time, Glasberg recalled. When the meeting ended, she headed for the main entrance, still holding Garett. She stopped briefly at the reception desk to chat with a friend who had just entered the building. “If I hadn’t stopped to talk to her,” recounted Glasberg, “I would already have been in my car. Garett would have been in his car seat behind me — facing backwards — and I never would have known what happened.”

As Glasberg stood in Village Shalom’s lobby cradling Garett in her arms, the baby had a seizure that caused him to lose consciousness, start twitching and then stop breathing. While he had been running a low-grade fever earlier in the day, his mother, Melisa Van Buskirk, and Glasberg (Van Buskirk’s mother) both attributed it to teething. They later learned it was the beginning of a double ear infection, and the seizure resulted from a sudden spike in the baby’s fever.

At that same time in nearby Rachel’s Café, a balance class for Village Shalom residents was under way. Rachel’s Café is not normally a venue for fitness-related activities, but on this particular day the all-kosher restaurant was still closed to the public following the Passover holiday. The balance class was using the space temporarily because of unwelcome paint odors from repairs to the pool in the Spa & Wellness Center where the class typically meets. Spa & Wellness Center staff member Daniel Stoner, the balance-class instructor, had made a spur-of-the-moment decision to relocate the class.

Being within direct sight of the lobby during the class, Stoner noticed the emergency situation the instant it happened. And because he is certified in all modalities of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and lifesaving, he approached the panicked grandmother at once to offer help. “I looked her in the eye and asked her, ‘May I have the baby?’” Stoner said. Apparently reassured by his calm request, she complied. “When I took him, he started having convulsions. I put him down on the floor, and he stopped breathing at that point. I started CPR.”

Simultaneously, Village Shalom’s receptionist, Beth Miller, dialed 911. She also signaled a couple of nurse’s aides to alert another employee, Redempta Kimani, a registered nurse, who was on duty in a nearby assisted-living area. Kimani quickly appeared and began to assist Stoner in administering CPR to the baby. “I continued the breathing,” said Stoner, “while she did the chest compressions. We continued that until the EMS (emergency medical services) got there.”

Besides being trained in CPR, Stoner said, he also happens to be a chaplain. He sensed the grandmother’s intense distress in the situation, and asked her what the baby’s name was. “I reminded her that hers is the only voice here that he recognizes, and if she would say his name, he would hear her and it would calm him.” Stoner knew it would calm Glasberg as well.

Shortly thereafter, Garett was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at nearby Children’s Mercy Hospital South. “The ER is only six months old,” Glasberg later noted, citing another serendipitous circumstance boding well for Garett. She met up with her daughter at the hospital, where they learned that Garett was already recovering and would have no ill after-effects from the incident.

Two days later, a healthier and much happier Garett returned to Village Shalom with his mom, grandma and a cake decorated with Garett’s picture — a small token of thanks to Village Shalom’s employees for their calm and quick actions in an emergency.

“It was by the grace of God that I was here at Village Shalom when it all happened,” Glasberg said. “Everyone was so caring and kind.”

Stoner shared Glasberg’s sentiments, adding his gratitude for his fellow employees. “We work as a team,” he commented. “When the EMS left, Redempta and I hugged each other. It all ended happily. And there’s even a cake!”

Congregation Kol Ami has put its building up for sale. The listing price for the 16,000 square-foot building located at 7501 Belinder Avenue in Prairie Village is $1.4 million. The Reform congregation purchased the building in the summer of 2005 from Zion Lutheran Church for $1.1 million.

Nadine Gordon, president of the 90-member congregation, said the board of directors decided to put the building up for sale because “it no longer meets our needs.” She declined to make any further comments regarding the sale or the congregation’s future.

Kol Ami is being represented by David Block and Max Kosoglad of Block & Company, Inc., the exclusive agent for the building and property. It sits on 3.49 acres and features five creative classrooms, a large social hall, worship space, kitchen and an outdoor playground.

The congregation currently leases space in the building to three tenants — Mercy Church, Kansas City Autism Training Center and a Montessori school. Gordon said the congregation has leased space to tenants for at least three years.

Kol Ami began holding worship services and programs in the building in the late summer of 2005 after minor repairs were completed following its purchase. The congregation was established in 2003 and met in a variety of locations before establishing its permanent home in Prairie Village.

Americans like to think they live in a diverse country. And, of course, they do. But, as Hana Bendcowsky put it to a captive audience of about 100 the evening of March 27 at Avila University, think of having more than a dozen different religious and ethnic sects — divided among roughly 7 million people in all — living and trying to coexist in a space not much larger than the greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

“It’s very hard to have dialogue,” said Bendcowsky, program director at the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations. “The situation makes it very hard. Both sides (Jews and Palestinians) see themselves as weak and the minority.”

It’s difficult, but not impossible. Bendcowsky, a Jew from Jerusalem, has made it her life’s work to reach out to people of all religions and engage them in interfaith dialogue. That’s what she was doing during a whirlwind two-day visit to the Kansas City area, where she dined with Avila University President Ron Slepitza, Ph.D., Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee Executive Director Marvin Szneler, Director of Interreligious Affairs at JCRB|AJC Rabbi Alan Cohen and others and spoke at Avila and two other schools in the area before whisking off to her next engagement.

Bendcowsky’s visit was made possible by the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest and co-sponsored by Avila University, Rockhurst University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

As Bendcowsky told her audience, she grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family. She knew nothing of any religions other than Judaism until she took a course in the New Testament at Hebrew University, the foremost university in Israel, where she eventually earned a Master of Arts degree in comparative religion. She said she didn’t meet her first Christian until she traveled to Jerusalem.

“I learned that Christianity was so connected (with Judaism) — in its culture, literature, music and politics,” Bendcowsky said.

The history behind the Jews’ migration to Jerusalem following World War II and the Holocaust made it difficult for Jews to trust or open themselves to Christianity, Bendcowsky said. Her Hungarian mother, a Holocaust survivor, felt as though she had to cross the street any time she approached a church in Jerusalem. She never knew why. For many Jews, the image of the cross brought back haunting memories and conflict.

Bendcowsky said there were two major topics that needed to be dealt with in engaging in interfaith relations. The first is dialogue. The difficulty there, she said, is that the two main groups — Jews and Christians — constantly argue about which group is the majority and which is the minority.

“We Jews know how to be the minority,” she said. “But we have to learn how to be a majority.”

“Christians in Jerusalem are wrapped up in victimhood. They don’t want to hear about the problems of others, the difficulties of the Jews.”

The second aspect is the century-old conflict of who gets to occupy the Holy Land. Opportunities to meet, talk and iron out differences are scarce, she said.

“It seems like there’s no hope,” Bendcowsky said. “But, of course, there is hope.”

That’s where her work comes in. Bendcowsky said she tries to promote peace and dialogue wherever she can. She leads tour groups in Jerusalem. She also moderates classes and encounter groups. Twelve schools for young children in the city — six Christian, six Jewish — talk with students constantly about identity and respecting differences. The center where Bendcowsky works also produces booklets in Arabic and Hebrew about the Christian community.

“It’s not enough just to tolerate the other, but to respect their differences,” Bendcowsky said. “The morality of a society is in how it takes care of the minority.

“All over the world, we still have a long way to go. We’re not going to change the world, but a lot of different little things can make a difference.”

Seventeen-year-old Gavri Schreiber has achieved a lot in his life, but he’s quick to credit the contributions of others for his success.

A junior at Blue Valley North, Gavri is the vice president of BBYO’s Kansas City Council.

“I feel like I’m one of the senior members who’s there to help kids,” he said. “What I like about BBYO is that it’s a cooperative effort. It’s not one single person.”

Gavri, a member of Congregation Beth Torah, tries to help BBYO internationally as a member of the BBYO International Leadership Network.

In addition to making a guide for starting new chapters, Gavri and his cohort in the network made a programming guide for BBYO chapters.

“I think those and other things are going to be helpful resources for everybody to help strengthen BBYO across the country,” he said. “I was very fortunate to get selected (for the network); I feel like it’s given me an opportunity to help people with BBYO outside of here in Kansas City.”

Although he has only lived in Kansas City for three years, Gavri has also served as the Nordaunian chapter secretary and vice president. Gavri moved here with his parents, Jewish Community Center Executive Director Jacob Schreiber and Edna Levy, and his siblings from Atlanta in 2009.

“It was really tough to start. I didn’t know very many people, and I was also transitioning from a Jewish middle school to a public high school,” he said. “I think my family really helped me a lot, and the community was really welcoming. I kind of laid low for a bit (when I arrived) and relied on my family and the community, and that helped me transition.”

One of his favorite programs with BBYO in Kansas City was a paintball event that raised money for brain cancer charities.

“I really think that the nice thing about the organization and the Jewish community is that people are really, really open and welcoming,” he said. “People here are often able to put their egos aside, and I think that’s what helps make the community strong. I feel like that’s something that should be celebrated. I feel fortunate to work within this framework.”

Gavri was also one the first four teens to participate in the JCC Recollections project, a program where teens speak with older members of the community about their life experiences.

“We each interviewed … a few people and created a video to get funding and support for Recollections, and once that happened, we contacted lots of our friends and expanded it,” he said.

Gavri said the program has blossomed, with 20 teams of teens interviewing every Sunday.

“I give the credit to my dad. It was his vision that started Recollections. I’m lucky to be his son and be one of the people chosen to start the project,” he said. “I enjoy listening to stories from older people and being put in a place where people can not only share their stories but their outlook and life and their advice and wisdom.”

Howard Jacobson, former president of the JCC and the Jewish Federation of Kansas City, said he is impressed with Gavri.

“He’s a very insightful young man,” Jacobson said. “He understands what adults are saying. I teach classes at University of Missouri, and I don’t get the same response from business students as I get from him.”

Activism is also on Gavri’s resume, an interest sparked by a trip to the Schusterman High School Summit for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

“At the summit, we learned a lot about the current issues facing Israel … It ended with us going to Capitol Hill and lobbing our congressmen,” he said

At school, Gavri excels generally but made a particular mark when he won third place in desktop application programming at the Future Business Leaders of America’s 2011 national competition.

Jacobson said Gavri’s desire to help others will serve him well in the future.

“He does things all the time for other people, and he won’t take credit for them. Parents say he is a great influence on their kids,” Jacobson said. “He really is pushing people to do community service projects, but it’s never ‘I;’ it’s always ‘we.’”

SAVING TORAHS — Last week we told you that funds have been set up to help victims of the recent tornado in Wichita. We neglected to tell you a great human-interest story we heard from Eileen Garry. She has a good friend in Wichita and she called him last week to make sure all was well with him following the stormy weather. Her friend, 90-plus-year-old Mel Shaffir, informed her that he, and his Conservative synagogue Ahavath Achim Hebrew Congregation, were OK. He told her that just in case the synagogue was in the path of tornadoes, members took the precaution of placing the synagogue’s Torahs in a portable ark that Mel crafted himself years ago, and then moved the ark with the Torahs in it to the basement. Shaffir was thrilled that the members protected the Torahs.

HELPING VICTIMS PART 2 — In addition to the Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation, our local Jewish Federation is also collecting funds to help with the disaster recovery and rebuilding, in the wake of nearly 100 tornadoes that struck hundreds of homes and workplaces in Kansas Saturday, April 14. Although no Jewish institutions were damaged by the tornadoes, the local Jewish community in Wichita was deeply impacted by the storms’ destruction. Some Jewish community members live in or near the path of the tornadoes, and an employee of Ahavath Achim Hebrew Congregation lost her home, cars and most of the family›s personal belongings. Funds raised in KC will go to the Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation in Wichita, which is working with the Salvation Army to provide immediate help throughout the community and aid for long-term rebuilding. Last year, through the Jewish Federation network across North America, Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and Jewish Federation of St. Louis raised more than $250,000 to help Joplin tornado victims. To make your online donation, go to jewishkansascity.org, and click on the Wichita Tornado Relief link. Contact Gail Weinberg, director of financial resource development, at 913-327-8123 to make your donation via phone, or send in a check to Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, 5801 W. 115th Street, Suite 201, Overland Park, KS 66211, Attn: Wichita Tornado Relief Fund. One hundred percent of donations to this fund will go directly to helping tornado victims.

RENOVATING THE MIKVAH — The Kansas City Community Mikvah is currently being renovated and modernized and funds are currently being raised to pay for it. Mikvah USA is providing a grant that will match all funds collected, up to $50,000. Ayala Zoltan Rockoff said even though the renovations are not yet complete, the mikvah already looks more beautiful. “We anticipate reopening in several weeks. We are inching closer to our financial goal for this grant, but are not there yet. Making sure that we reach this amount will ensure that the mikvah does not incur a deficit for completing these important updates.” She said the fundraising deadline to receive matching grant money is May 1.

The mikvah is truly a community institution, and is used by all denominations of Jewish Kansas City for conversions, ritual immersion, brides, tours and the immersion of utensils before use in kosher homes and catering facilities. The mikvah is maintained by volunteers with support from Kehilath Israel Synagogue, but receives no operating funds from the synagogue. Besides funds for the renovation, money is needed to pay for regular cleaning, maintenance, supplies and important repairs. The mikvah is a 501(c)(3) organization, so donations are tax-deductible. Make checks payable to the Kansas Mikvah Association and mail to: Jessica Kalender Rich, treasurer, Kansas Mikvah Association, 9747 Slater, Overland Park, KS 66212.

ANOTHER MEDIA STAR — Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy junior Slater Sousley is featured as an up and coming teen in the most recent 435 South Magazine. The magazine notes that Slater has displayed his art at HBHA art shows and entered work in the RAVSAK National Jewish Art Contest. Last summer, at the age of 16, he was approved for early admittance for adult art classes at the Kansas City Art Institute.

“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children — one of those is roots, the other, wings.”
— Hodding Carter

Often, the most significant things — the treasures that surround us — come into focus only when pointed out by others or by a camera!

Case in point: Meet “Grandma” Sonia.

Sonia Warshawski, 86 years young, may just be one of Kansas City’s most popular Jewish personalities. She’s often recognized on the street by clients of her tailoring shop (Marilyn Maye is a loyal fan) which is tucked into a basement corner at Metcalf South Shopping Center. Her culinary prowess for creating annual holiday specialties is lauded by friends and family. Her indefatigable energy for shopping — and schmoozing — is legendary.

Lately, however, Sonia has added a more personal, powerful and public feather to her cap. She and daughter Regina Kort have been visiting local middle/high schools, churches and other organizations to share the heartfelt, horrific stories of Sonia’s teenage years spent in the Majdanek and Auschwitz concentration camps. For future generations, Sonia has said, it’s a way of giving back and never forgetting.

Enter: Granddaughter Leah.

Based in Seattle, 33-year-old Leah Warshawski, with partner and fiancé Todd Soliday, are freelance producers/directors whose clients include Microsoft, Amazon, Starbucks, National Geographic and television shows such as “Lost.” (The team is currently working on a documentary about the “Hillywood” Film Festival in Rwanda.)

Growing up (mostly) in St. Louis, Leah saw her extended family frequently, but it was a pilgrimage to Sonia’s 85th birthday celebration in Kansas City that inspired her to begin filming the story of the woman she calls “her hero.”

“Everyone in our family (including Sonia) has always felt that she needs her own show. Funders and audiences are looking for ‘character-driven’ documentaries, and Sonia is one of the most interesting characters I know. I have always wanted to do this but now we have a limited window while Sonia is still healthy and strong enough to go into work every day,” Leah said.

“I’ve not been impressed with recent documentaries about the Holocaust and survivors. I feel it’s time to make a different film that younger generations can relate to. What is out there now — at least for educators — is very clinical. Why not make something that makes you laugh and want to be a better person after you’ve watched it?” she continued.

Ironically, Leah’s maternal/paternal grandparents did not willingly elaborate on their Holocaust experiences until the late 1970s when the floodgates — and memories — were unlocked through audio recordings of seven family member survivors (parents, in-laws, aunts and uncles). The interviews, shepherded over three years by Sonia’s son, Morrie, serve as stark and chilling testaments to the power of the human spirit.

“As a parent, I wasn’t sure at the time if any of the family history was truly ‘sinking in’ with our two young daughters. Now, with a film in tow, I realize I should have known better!” Morrie said.

“I think my Mom thinks we were not paying attention, but we were,” said Leah. “When I was 12, I transcribed some of the oral histories — that was my first time listening to the stories of Sonia and John (Warshawski). The strange thing is I feel like people in our family really didn’t want to talk about it. I’m sure it was too painful, so we got little glimpses of it but never any of the full stories. Or maybe I just never asked. Maybe I was too scared to know the full story.”

“It’s different hearing the stories as an adult. You look at this tiny woman and listen to what she went through — and the details — and it’s hard. It always makes me think about Dad and how it must have been difficult to grow up with parents who survived. I hope that we can do justice to Sonia by making a film about her. We also want to make sure that her stories are not forgotten, and film seems to be the best way to do that for now,” Leah said.

Filming, editing and most important, securing the necessary funds, is slated to take approximately two years to complete. Footage from two of five scheduled trips to Kansas City, including one just last week, is in the can. The documentary is estimated to cost $500,000 and is targeted to high-end media markets such as HBO and PBS.

“Our film is a personal, tragic and timely documentary profiling a unique character from a dying generation,” said Leah.

“Standing tall at 4 feet 8 inches, Sonia is the only local survivor who is still speaking to groups on a regular basis. Her enormous personality and fragile frame masks the horrors she once endured. At age 15, she watched her mother disappear behind gas chamber doors. Her teenage years were a blur of concentration camps and death marches. On liberation day, she was shot through the chest but miraculously survived. Her story has become her purpose.”

“Grandma Sonia is the ultimate survivor, a bridge between cultures and generations. Our film interweaves her past and present life using first-person narrative and stories from her family and friends — full of humor, love and what we affectionately call ‘Sonia-isms.’ Along the way, we learn valuable life lessons from a woman you can barely see over the steering wheel, yet insists on driving herself to work,” Leah said.

“Her story must never be forgotten.”

For more information about the film, email Leah at .

Evy Simon Warshawski is a performing arts consultant and arts writer based in Napa, Calif. She met her husband, Morrie, in Kansas City when they both were members of AZA and BBG. They will soon celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary.

Rabbi Vered Harris, Congregation Beth Torah’s education rabbi, will become the pulpit rabbi of Congregation Temple B’nai Israel in Oklahoma City on July 1. Rabbi Harris informed the congregation in the summer of 2011 that she would be making a change.

Last month Beth Torah announced the hiring of Rebecca Reice, who will be ordained in May, as the congregation’s new education rabbi.

Rabbi Harris came to Beth Torah in the summer of 2000, immediately following her ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. She also earned her Master of Arts degree in Jewish education in 1998 from the Rhea Hirsch School of Education, and was awarded the title of Reform Jewish Educator in 2002.

Temple B’nai Israel is a Reform congregation with approximately 300 households. It is the only Reform congregation in Oklahoma City and is the larger of the two synagogues in town.

“It is a warm and inviting congregation, with a dedicated staff and friendly, enthusiastic, volunteer-minded membership. Their invitation to elect me as their next spiritual leader is an honor, and I look forward to the challenges and blessings to come,” Rabbi Harris said when the news became official last month.

Beth Torah’s Rabbi Mark Levin said Rabbi Harris has been at the congregation for more than half its life and made an “inestimable contribution” to it as well as the larger Kansas City Jewish community.

“She will be missed greatly, but we are very pleased to see her move on to being able to lead a congregation and bring all her many talents to another Jewish community,” Rabbi Levin said.

Oklahoma City’s B’nai Israel, which was founded in 1903, is a congregation that has had steady rabbinical leadership. Rabbi Harris will be only the fifth rabbi in the congregation’s history, and in its first 100 years the congregation had just three rabbis serving it with no lapse in rabbinical leadership.

“Their tradition of long tenures reflects the stability of the congregation and their history of healthy relations with the rabbi,” Rabbi Harris said.

Serving as the congregation’s only rabbi will be a new experience for Rabbi Harris, and one she is looking forward to.

“I’ll get to have more one-on-one relationships based on congregants’ varied interests and spiritual journeys, as well as do more pastoral counseling and life-cycle events,” she explained.

“I’m looking forward to more interfaith work, to being present in the larger faith and secular communities as a voice of Judaism, to exploring the social justice and educational opportunities in a new city, to getting to lead services and lead the religious cycle of a congregation … lots of rabbinical “fun stuff” that is different than what I’ve done at Beth Torah,” the rabbi continued.

As Beth Torah’s education rabbi, her schedule revolved around midweek Hebrew school, TAG for older students and religious school on Sunday. Her new position will bring with it a shift in her priorities.

“I’m looking forward to the rhythm of Shabbat and readjusting so that my calendar is more centered around Shabbat, life-cycle and pastoral care,” Rabbi Harris said.

While the rabbi usually has a say in the educational life of her congregation, Rabbi Harris will no longer be making curricular or faculty decisions at Temple B’nai Israel. In fact, B’nai Israel has two educators on staff. One is a part-time midweek Hebrew school director. The other is the full-time director of the Inter-Congregational Sunday School, a joint effort of B’nai Israel and the Conservative Emanuel Synagogue.

“One of the many fun connections between the Kansas City and Oklahoma City Jewish communities is that before she went to rabbinical school Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner (assistant rabbi at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah) served as the educator in Oklahoma City who first brought together the synagogue and the temple for the ICSS,” Rabbi Harris noted.

Rabbi Harris said it is very bittersweet for her family — she and husband Benjamin have three daughters — to leave Beth Torah and the Kansas City Jewish community.

“The fact that all three of our girls were born here gives us ties to the community in a way that we never could have anticipated. We are surrounded by people who have watched our daughters grow, who love our children and who have helped us to raise them. That’s really hard to lose,” she said.

Rabbi Harris is no stranger to moving and in her lifetime has lived in California, Israel, Germany and Ohio before settling in Kansas. So she is excited for her children to experience things people learn by moving.

“I learned a lot from the moves that I had to make. I think it contributed to my resiliency as an adult and to me having a wider perspective on the world. I’m very excited for them to see the world through different eyes. It will be great for them to make new friends and to learn what they can do in a new setting. But it’s tough. It’s exciting and challenging at the same time,” Rabbi Harris said.

She is grateful that the Harris family has already been welcomed by B’nai Israel with open arms.

“Each of the older girls has already met somebody who will be in their grade in their new schools. They’ve already met adults who have embraced them and welcomed them. While we’re leaving an amazing community here, we also feel like we are walking into arms wide open, welcoming our family,” she said.

Say shalom to Rabbi Harris

Congregation Beth Torah is planning a weekend of events Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2, to give the congregation and the community the chance to wish Rabbi Vered Harris luck in her new position in Oklahoma City.

Festivities begin at 6 p.m. erev Shabbat, June 1, with a nosh honoring Rabbi Harris. It will be sponsored by the Beth Torah board of trustees. Shabbat worship services follow at 6:30 p.m. and the celebration will continue with the Oneg following worship.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, June 2, a Women’s Havdalah Mini-Retreat: Listen to Our Voices will take place at Beth Torah. Dessert will be served. RSVP to Maureen Salz at .

To honor Rabbi Harris, a special poetry collection in the Beth Torah library will be created. Donations are needed to help stock the shelves with poetry books. Checks should be made out to Congregation Beth Torah; note that the donation is for the poetry collection.

In August 2011, Tom Patterson, a member of Congregation Beth Torah, lost his very brief and difficult battle with pancreatic cancer. In an effort to help others in Patterson’s family — his wife Wynne Begun and his children Mallary Smith and Michael Patterson — created PanCURE, an organization dedicated to increasing awareness of pancreatic cancer and raising funds for pancreatic cancer research in hopes of finding a cure for the disease.

PanCURE’s first fundraising event is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, April 29. JazzBEATS will provide a sampling of Kansas City’s world class jazz and trendy food scenes. The event will be held at the Just Off Broadway Theatre, located at 3051 Central Street in Kansas City, Mo. Renowned jazz performers Hermon Mehari & Diverse, The Joe Cartwright & Duck Warner Duo and Millie Edwards & Michael Pagán will perform. Tickets are available at www.pan-cure.org or by calling 913-327-8245. Donations are also being accepted and can be made through the website or by calling 913-327-8245.

Finding a cure

Begun is heading this organization and the fundraiser because she firmly believes “somewhere right now there is researcher that is on the verge of changing the course of this disease.”

The average life expectancy after diagnosis with metastatic pancreatic cancer is just five to seven month. Begun said Patterson battled the disease for only five months before he lost the fight. During his illness and following his death eight months ago, she has learned a lot about Pancreatic Cancer. Though pancreatic cancer is relatively rare, it remains the fourth leading cause of cancer death. Of the 44,000 patients diagnosed this year, only 6 percent will live for five more years.

Begun said she has learned the reason pancreatic cancer is so deadly is because it is very hard to detect and there are currently no screening tests available. Once most of the symptoms appear, the disease has progressed too far to be cured.

Some of what Begun has learned surprised her, especially the number of Jews who have been affected by the disease. Jews of Ashkenazi descent have a higher incidence of pancreatic cancer than the general population due to mutations that can occur within the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

Although many Jews are familiar with the relationship of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations to breast and ovarian cancer, scientists at Johns Hopkins are currently researching these genetic links to pancreatic cancer. They have found that Ashkenazi Jews who harbor a BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation may have a 10-fold increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Other hereditary syndromes can contribute to increased risk for pancreatic cancer as well. Those include hereditary pancreatitis, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, familial malignant melanoma and pancreatic cancer (FAMM-PC) and Lynch syndrome. In addition to the genetic syndromes life-style factors such as smoking and high fat in the diet appear to contribute to the development of the disease.

If a person has a first-degree relative with pancreatic cancer, his or her risk of developing the disease is much higher than the average person’s risk. The National Institutes of Health estimates that the risk of developing pancreatic cancer is increased four to five times for a person with one first-degree relative with pancreatic cancer, six to seven times for a person with two first-degree relatives, and 32 times for a person with three first-degree relatives with the disease.

Begun also discovered that the statistics for pancreatic cancer survival have not changed over the past 25 years while the breast cancer survival rate has steadily improved.

“The estimated five-year survival rate for breast cancer is about 88.5 percent, compared to the overall rate of 6 percent for pancreatic cancer patients. Significantly less research funding is available for early detection and treatment of pancreatic cancer,” said Begun, who also serves as education and outreach coordinator of the local affiliate of Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Network. Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Network is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit whose mission is to provide education, advocacy and patient support for everyone diagnosed with the disease.

She noted that the overall incidence of pancreatic cancer is much lower than that of breast cancer — 44,000 cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed each year, compared to 215,000 breast cancer diagnoses. That means that there are fewer survivors to advocate for more funding.

“Early detection may be difficult because symptoms often do not appear until the disease is advanced. According to the Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Network, the search for the cure for pancreatic cancer is about where breast cancer was in the 1930s and the major deterrent is the low level of funding,” Begun said.

Patterson was a Jew by choice and did not carry the genetic mutation. But it’s still important to Begun that Jewish people become more aware of their risks for pancreatic cancer.

“The alarming statistics and the higher incidence in the Ashkenazi Jewish population means Jews must understand this disease and advocate for early detection, research and effective treatment options,” she said.

That’s also one reason Begun chose to raise funds to support pancreatic cancer research.

“Tom believed his only hope for survival was research. He truly felt that the key to this disease could be found. We lost Tom but we are committed to raising funds and creating hope for those who will face the diagnosis,” she said.

All the donations and net proceeds from PanCURE’s JazzBEATS fundraiser are being managed locally by the Jewish Community Foundation and will be forwarded to Pancreatic Cancer Advocacy Network.

Kansas City, Kan., native Ed Asner will be inducted into the Kansas Hall of Fame on June 15 in a ceremony at the Great Overland Station in Topeka. Wichita native Jim Lehrer, executive editor of the PBS Newshour, will serve as master of ceremonies.

That same weekend Asner will also perform his one-man show “FDR” at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 17, at the White Theatre on the Jewish Community Campus in a benefit for Friends of Sheffield.

Others being inducted as laureates in the Kansas Hall of Fame this year include George Washington Carver; Nancy Kassebaum Baker; Cyrus K. Holliday; William Allen White; The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway; and Alfred “Alf” Mossman Landon.

Asner became a beloved addition to millions of households through his character, Lou Grant. First on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” and then as the star of the spinoff “Lou Grant Show,” Asner’s cantankerous newsman possessed courage and integrity. He is the only actor to have won an Emmy in both drama and comedy for the same character. He has, in fact, earned six Emmys — more than any other actor — and five Golden Globes. Today’s generation will recognize him as the voice of Carl Frederickson in the 2009 Disney Pixar animation UP, which was the first animated and 3D film to open the famed Cannes Film Festival 2009, and won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2010.  A graduate of Wyandotte High School, Ed, now 82, maintains close ties to his Kansas roots. He has served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and is an outspoken advocate for many causes, often championing the disenfranchised.

Beth Fager, Hall of Fame coordinator, said the Kansas Hall of Fame was started as a way to honor great Kansans and to share their achievements and values with people across the nation.

The gala event features a cocktail reception, dinner, program and entertainment. For ticket information, call the Great Overland Station at 785-232-5533.

A ‘TODAY’ STAR — Susan Stiffelman, who grew up in Kansas City and now lives in Malibu, Calif., was interviewed on NBC’s “Today” on March 15. Her book, “Parenting Without Power Struggles” was republished by Simon & Schuster, and was just released. Susan, the daughter of Lorraine and Lester Stiffelman, was confirmed at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah and is a graduate of Shawnee Mission East. She has been to Kansas City many times for presentations, including two well-attended seminars for Jewish Family Services and one for the preschool teachers at Beth Shalom’s Rose Family Early Childhood Education Center last spring.

SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY — This coming week is an exceptionally busy week for citywide activities. The first is the annual Yom HaShoah memorial service Sunday, April 22, at the Lewis and Shirley White Theatre at the Jewish Community Campus. This year’s service commemorates the 69th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and the 49th anniversary of the dedication of Kansas City’s Memorial to the Six Million. This moving service begins at 1:30 p.m.

Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s memorial day honoring fallen Israeli soldiers and civilians, is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24 at the White Theatre. Israeli Officer Oren Zini, who is currently studying in Leavenworth, Kan., will speak about the significance of Yom HaZikaron and about his experiences in the Israel Defense Forces. Prior to the service, which is free and open to the community, the movie “Beaufort” will be shown in Conference Room C at the Jewish Community Campus.

Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, falls this year on Thursday, April 26. It will be celebrated from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom at 143rd and Lamar. The communitywide event features children’s activities, Israeli food and entertainment, and is free. Food is available for a nominal fee.

All these events are free and open to the community and each is important and significant to the community in a number of ways. I know being out three times in one week is a struggle for me personally, but I urge you to do your best to make it to as many of these events as you can.

WICHITA TORNADO RELIEF —Destruction from tornadoes that struck Wichita and the surrounding area last weekend has prompted an outpouring of support from Jewish Federations and concern from Jews around the country. The Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation has opened the Wichita Area Tornado Relief Fund to provide emergency funding to the victims of the tornadoes on April 14.

Tornadoes destroyed many homes and businesses throughout Kansas with Wichita being the hardest hit. the tornado destroyed about 100 homes in the Oaklawn area before damaging more homes as it moved out of town. While no one died in Kansas, many will need help rebuilding after losing everything.

According to the MKJF, neither of the two synagogues in Wichita were damaged by the tornado.

The MKJF will be working with the Salvation Army in the rebuilding efforts. To help, tax-deductible donations can be made securely through the website, mkjf.org (make sure to enter “Wichita Area Tornado Relief” in the designation box) or mail a donation to The MKJF, Attn: Wichita Area Tornado Relief Fund, 400 N. Woodlawn Ste. 8, Wichita, KS 67208. This fund will be open through May 15.

HONOR THY MOTHER — Jewish Women International (JWI) is once again honoring the 30,000 women spending Mother’s Day, which is Sunday, May 13, in battered women’s shelters through its Mother’s Day Flower Project. JWI’s Mother’s Day Flower Project delivers hope — both in the bouquets and beauty products JWI sends to 200 shelters across the United States on this special day, and through initiatives, supported by Flower Project proceeds, that work every day to educate communities, empower women and break the cycle of abuse. More than 70 synagogues and organizations have signed on to help raise awareness and funds for this important cause. OPI Products, Inc. is joining JWI this year in delivering bouquets and beauty products to the shelters. For each $25 contribution to the project, JWI will send a Mother’s Day card to any woman the donor chooses, thanking her for the inspiration to help women in need. This year’s card features original artwork created for the 2012 Flower Project by artist, author and illustrator Connie G. Krupin. To learn more about this project, or to make a donation and send a card, visit www.jwi.org/fp or call 800-343-2823.