HOLY COINCIDENCES — It was a week of chance meetings for Devra Lerner when she recently travelled to Israel for her niece’s Bat Mitzvah. As she checked into Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem, the first person she ran into was Jonathan Edelman, who was just leaving Israel to return to Kansas City for his cousin Leah Sosland’s Bat Mitzvah.
Later Devra met with former HBHA teachers Ilana Dickman and Na’ama Nagar, and Wendy Claster, the mother of four HBHA graduates for a reunion. They were talking about HBHA as they enjoyed a hummus dinner in a small restaurant on Diezengoff, when a woman from another table approached them and asked if they were from Kansas City. “Yes,” was the response. “Were you talking about Hyman Brand?” was her follow-up question. “Yes. And who are you?” the group questioned. “I’m Diane Fields.” She is the wife of Rabbi Phil Fields, a past headmaster of HBHA. The women learned the former headmaster, his children and grandchildren all have made aliyah to Israel.
Finally, while at the King David Hotel, Devra and her brother-in-law, Dr. Speedy Zweiback, ran into the Hon. Daniel B. Shapiro, the American Ambassador to Israel. Hailing from Champaign, Ill., he recalled his days as a youth-grouper in MoVFTY.

GOVERNMENT BLESSINGS — Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life at KU believes we were blessed with an extra day last week on Feb. 29. He was determined to make that gift worth its value, so he accepted the honor of serving as Chaplain of the Day at the State of Kansas House of Representatives. At the invitation of Jewish Rep. Lana Gordon of Topeka, he gave the invocation as the legislators prepared to begin their day. It included in part, “Beloved G-d, bless the members of this House of Representatives and guide their deliberations, that they may govern this great state with wisdom and justice, grace and compassion, bringing honor to your name and your blessing to humankind.” Describing the experience, Rabbi Tiechtel told me, “As the State of Kansas boasts a vibrant and growing Jewish presence, there is no doubt that having a prayer recited by a representative of the Jewish faith is a great way of expressing our Jewish pride and presence in the Sunflower State.” Amen!

ROCKCANROLL FOOD DRIVE — During the month of March, “rockCANroll,” a non-profit hunger relief organization that collaborates with rock concerts, schools, corporations and individuals to collect healthy and nutritious non-perishable food for distribution to local food pantries, will be partnering with Manischewitz in a nationwide effort to collect food. Yachad: The Kosher Food Pantry and Congregation Beth Torah have signed on for this special project. During the month of March, you’ll see a food collection bin made to look like a Manischewitz soup can at Beth Torah. Deposit donations into these special bins and Manischewitz will match donations by sending kosher canned goods to Yachad! Visit www.rockCANroll.org for more information.

WOMEN IN THE ARTS — The exhibit “Vanguards and Visionaries: Kansas City Women in the Arts” will continue through April 21 at The Leedy-Voulkos Art Center (2012 Baltimore, Kansas City, Mo. 64108) in celebration of the UMKC Women’s Center’s 40th anniversary. This exhibit honors some of the local women artists who have been instrumental in shaping the visual arts landscape of Kansas City. Featured artists include two Jewish artists — Rita Blitt and Shea Gordon-Festoff — as well as Philomene Bennett and Janet Kuemmerlein. These four women have all made a strong impression on the visual arts in Kansas City for the past four decades. Each of these seasoned artists was asked to select another artist whose work she feels embodies the same artistic voice that she has. Exhibiting side-by-side with these artists will be Jane Booth, Cheryl Toh, Karen McCoy and Jessica Kincaid. In keeping with the Women’s Center’s 40th Anniversary theme, “Telling Our Stories for 40 Years,” the “Vanguards and Visionaries” exhibit celebrates the woman’s voice in the visual arts — its past, present and future.

For many teens summer provides the opportunity to relax and sleep in, but 17-year-old Jessica Mielke takes a different approach to the break from school.

Jessica, a senior at Free State High School in Lawrence and a member of Congregation Beth Torah, volunteers on Tuesday and Friday mornings at the Jubilee Café. The Jubilee Café provides hot breakfasts free of charge to Lawrence residents at 7 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday. She started volunteering at the café in 2006 as part of her mitzvah project prior to her Bat Mitzvah.

Her mitzvah project was the step that connected Jessica to a community that, she said, she looks forward to working with and serving every summer.

Jessica is one of many teens and projects featured by authors Diane Heiman and Liz Suneby in their book, “The Mitzvah Project Book: Making Mitzvah Part of Your Bar/Bat Mitzvah … and Your Life.” (For more information on “The Mitzvah Project Book,” visit the website online at www.mitzvahprojectbook.com.)

Heiman said she has noticed a trend in the last decade for youth to include a mitzvah project as part of their Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The mitzvah project can be any social action activity that helps others.

Heiman said she and her friend Suneby decided to join forces to create a book that would help students create mitzvah project ideas that fit each student’s personality.

The book includes examples of mitzvah projects from adolescents, such as Jessica, throughout the country.

“What is great about the book is it’s not prescriptive it’s aspirational,” Suneby said.

The book provides ideas for projects that students can use as a springboard to create their own unique mitzvah projects.Heiman said the idea for the book came from Suneby’s love of Mitzvah Day, an initiative where congregants partake in single-day mitzvah projects throughout the country.

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“We both really love Mitzvah Day,” Suneby said. “We just wanted to get more kids excited.”

Heiman said the concept of mitzvah goes beyond one day of service or one community project.

“I saw how volunteering for one day can inspire people to volunteer for more than one day,” Heiman said. “It’s about taking the first step.”

While working at Jubilee Café started out as a mitzvah project for Jessica, it has become a mitzvah lifestyle for her. She continues to serve at Jubilee Café in the summer, when many University of Kansas students are no longer in town. Jessica said she noticed a void of volunteers in the summer and was eager to help fill that need.

“I just do it in the summers and that’s when they really need people,” Jessica said.

Jessica arrives at the café, which is held in the basement of the First United Methodist Church, at 6 a.m. to help prepare the meal. Patrons are served from 7 to 8 a.m. Heiman said Jessica’s ongoing dedication stood out among the submissions for “The Mitzvah Project Book.”

“Her commitment to her charity wasvery mature, very admirable,” Heiman said. “She really made a difference.”

One of the unique things about the Jubilee Café is that, unlike many free meal programs, the café serves its patrons restaurant-style, as opposed to buffet-style, when there are enough volunteers.

The Jubilee Café has a full-service breakfast menu, which includes eggs, biscuits and gravy, hash browns and a variety of pancakes.

Jessica said working at the café gives her the opportunity to have conversations and really connect with the people she serves.

“It’s a really good time,” Jessica said.“You meet a lot of great people.”

Jessica’s family members have also volunteered at the café.

“It has been a wonderful experience for our family,” said Diane Mielke, Jessica’s mother. “Starting out I never would have imagined that she’d be doing this years later.”

Jessica will graduate high school this year, but she said she doesn’t plan to end her service at Jubilee Café.

“I’m hoping to continue doing it through the summers,” she said.

As for “The Mitzvah Project Book,” Jessica recommends the book to anyone looking for a mitzvah project of their own.

“It can definitely get ideas going,” Jessica said. “You should try to tie something to your project that you are passionate about.”

A new standing committee was established to bring together a select group of Jewish communal leaders from across the country to discuss the best ways to strengthen and build the Jewish community both nationally and throughout the world. The Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City has been invited to join this conversation, and has now taken a seat at what is known as the Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA) Global Planning Table (GPT).

The GPT is an initiative that plans to strengthen the way the Jewish community prioritizes and takes collective action to address Jewish needs worldwide. When the discussions are over, it is hoped that the GPT will provide a new structure and process for Jewish Federations and their partners to analyze the needs of the Jewish people in Israel and 70 nations across the globe, determine priorities and assess the impact of philanthropic giving.

The discussions officially got underway earlier this year. Jerry Silverman, president and CEO of JFNA, has explained that the planners are charged with the enormous undertaking of building and establishing their Federation’s strategies on both a local and global level.

“Planning is increasingly essential to effective fundraising. The work that planners do makes a huge impact on their individual communities and across Jewish Federations,” Silverman said.

Kansas City’s record in support of overseas needs is probably one of the reasons it was invited to the GPT, said Todd Stettner, executive vice president and CEO of the local Federation.

“In addition to Kansas City’s long history of serving on the national allocations committee — first ONAD ((the predecessor to the GPT), and now with the Global Planning Table — I think JFNA recognizes how much time and effort has been put into creating a truly relevant system to allocate Kansas City dollars to our Israel and overseas partners. Our process is in line with the JFNA and Global Planning Table process, in that we have areas of excellence that provide guidelines for the programs that we fund,” said Miriam Scharf, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.

As a member of GPT, Kansas City is a representative of the large intermediate Federations (Federations that raise between $4 million and $11 million annually). It qualified for an invitation to the GPT because it meets the requirement of giving at least 20 percent of the funds from its annual campaign to Israel and overseas needs.

“That requirement eliminated a large group of Federations,” Stettner said, “because the fashion these days has been to give lesser amounts overseas from the annual campaign than we did in the past.”

Kansas City raised $4.6 million through the annual campaign in 2011. Of that total, Stettner said Kansas City gave approximately 32 percent to Israel and overseas programs. An additional $1 million in supplemental campaigns was also raised in 2011 — that includes donations directed toward a specific special fund such as Joplin tornado relief or the PJ Library.
Like other communities, Kansas City has reduced the amount it has given to Israel and overseas needs over the years.

“Twenty years ago that figure was probably closer to 40 percent and 10 years ago it was about 34 percent,” Stettner said.

No decisions will be made this year. The various committees that make up the GPT will meet throughout 2012, sometimes in person and other times using technology such as video conferences and conference calls. New priorities are expected to be decided upon in 2013.

“The ultimate goal is to develop a system of how we look at — and address — the needs in the Jewish Federation system on a national level. But it obviously will not dictate what we do locally because that’s always going to ultimately be a local decision,” Stettner said.

Initial discussions will center on the dollars given to Israel and overseas programs and organizations. Stettner said this is not the first time the Federation system has attempted to come to a consensus in how it distributes funds to Israel and overseas concerns. That first effort, which came after the merger of United Jewish Appeal and Council of Jewish Federations, failed.

For the last couple of couple of years the two largest international Jewish organizations — Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) — have lobbied to save and/or increase their funding from local Jewish Federations. The current split nationally is about 75 percent of Israel and overseas funds go to JAFI while 25 percent of those funds go to JDC.

“There never has been a resolution of the split issue,” said Stettner, referring to the failure to come to a consensus years ago.

“However, there was a decision at that time that allowed Federations to begin to designate some monies to projects that they wanted to give to in Israel and overseas. We do that here.”

For many years, Kansas City has been funding specific projects in Bulgaria and Romania in Europe and Gezer and Ramla in Israel.

“What the Global Planning Table is going to do is allow us to continue that and also to broaden it,” Stettner said. “The key thing with the Global Planning Table is it will really look at all of the overseas needs, which you can compare to what we do locally both in terms of how we view our designated overseas dollars and what we give out locally.”

Stettner is referring to the process arrived at here in Kansas City several years ago when the Jewish Federation began funding programs instead of agencies.

“We look at the needs of the community and the programs that can meet those needs. We’re not looking at how much we can give one particular agency such as the Jewish Community Center or Jewish Family Services. We look at what is the need and what program is being done to meet that need and that’s how we fund. That’s what’s going to happen on the international level,” Stettner explained.

In other words, JAFI and JDC will have particular programs funded, with fewer dollars given to the agency itself for core purposes. Due to these expected changes, JAFI and JDC also have seats at the GPT so their opinions can be heard.

“We’re going to ask what are the needs in Israel and the former Soviet Union and South America, wherever there happens to be Jewish communities, and discuss how we are going to meet those needs. If JAFI has three programs that meet those needs and we think those are the most important, then we’re going to fund those. If JDC has several programs that meet other needs, we’re going to fund those programs,” Stettner explained.

Sharon Katz, SAFEHOME executive director, received the Juliene Maska Advocate of the Year Award from the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (KCSDV) during its ninth annual Safe Homes, Safe Streets reception in Topeka on Feb. 8.

“Sharon is an incredible asset to the work in Kansas”, says Joyce Grover, KCSDV executive director. “We are so fortunate to have her as a colleague.”

Since taking the helm of SAFEHOME in 1992, Katz has expanded services, increased revenue and raised the agency’s standing as a respected and valuable part of the community. Beginning with only a skeleton staff, Katz herself often answered the 24-hour hotline and oversaw critical shelter repairs, while also writing grants and meeting with community members and potential donors.

Under her leadership the past 20 years, SAFEHOME has seen tremendous growth in services, moving from simply providing emergency shelter to offering a whole spectrum of professional supportive services including education and prevention, professional counseling, a unique and effective transitional housing program, a staff attorney, on-site district court program, and healthcare advocacy — services that now serve 6,500 people per year.

“It is difficult to describe a person whose life and passion embodies the meaning of the words pioneer, visionary, dedication, inspiration and champion for victims of domestic violence,” said Don Curtis, president of the SAFEHOME board of directors.

At one time, faced with an outdated and undersized facility, Katz spearheaded the purchase, renovation and a $6.2 million capital campaign to move the agency into a state of the art domestic violence facility. When initial plans to purchase and build a new facility were foiled by people afraid to have a domestic violence shelter in their community, Katz did not lose heart and continued seeking other options, including the purchase and renovation of the former hotel that became today’s SAFEHOME facility as of August 2006.

“We at SAFEHOME, as well as throughout the state of Kansas, owe Sharon Katz a huge debt of gratitude for daring to commit herself to helping victims of domestic violence and dedicating her life to this cause,” said SAFEHOME Associate Director Janee’ M. Hanzlick.

Katz was delighted to be recognized by KCSDV.

“The idea of being an advocate is what I’ve always seen myself as. I may be the director, I may be the professional making sure everything happens, but what I really want to do is save women’s lives and help victims of domestic violence. That’s being an advocate and I was really honored by that,” Katz said.

Katz said the most gratifying thing about her tenure has been the growth and professionalism of the agency. Her biggest achievement to date may be spearheading the move to SAFEHOME’s current facility.

“This makes it so much more comfortable of a place for victims and their children,” Katz said.

When SAFEHOME acquired the new building, the agency anticipated it could accommodate 40 women and children.

“We thought it was as big as we’d ever need,” Katz said. “We still say that our limit is 45, but we accept victims and their children who are in danger beyond the 45 if there is no other safe option.”

Due to the economy, and a new procedure followed by police departments in Johnson County, SAFEHOME quickly began accommodating 45 on a regular basis. In fact SAFEHOME has accommodated as many as 57, “but that includes people sleeping on mattresses in the living room.”

“When people are in lethal situations or in severe danger, we take them in.”

Katz said SAFEHOME’s biggest challenge is finding ways to meet the needs of the larger numbers the shelter needs to serve. One reason those numbers are growing is the way police departments handle domestic violence incidents. At the urging of Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe, and with the assistance of SAFEHOME, police now conduct “lethality assessments” at the scene of domestic crimes. If it is determined, through a very short questionnaire, that the victim is at risk of becoming a victim of homicide, additional steps are taken.

“The officer will turn to the victim and say ‘I am afraid for your life. I have this cell phone here and I am calling SAFEHOME right now and I really want you to talk to someone there.’ So the last six months of 2011 we averaged 70 additional calls a month because of that.”

Katz said the new approach is making a difference for a large number of victims, who are either agreeing to a follow-up call or coming in to speak with a SAFEHOME staff member.

“We are continuing to save lives, but it’s been very difficult for us to keep up with it staff wise and space wise,” Katz said.

Katz is honored to work with these women and that she, and the agency, has been recognized for its works.

“I just hope we’ve saved a lot of lives.”

For the second year in a row, Conservative Congregations Beth Shalom and Ohev Sholom will celebrate Purim together. New this year is the location, and the addition Congregation Kol Ami.

The gathering takes place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 7, at Ohev’s Asner Hall. It begins with a special Mincha service, followed by a light Israeli-style nosh — including hummus and pita bread — and a full Megillah reading. The evening will conclude with a Jewish musical revue featuring members of the three congregations.

Ohev Rabbi Scott White said all three congregations have played an equal role planning the service and the festivities. All are also encouraging their members to come in costume.

“It’s all about collaboration,” he said. “All three will have equal leadership roles in the evening as well, as far as prayer, reading in the Megillah and providing music.”

As for adding a Reform congregation to the mix, the Conservative rabbi simply said, “Purim is Purim.”

“There’s not a Reform way of doing it or a Conservative way of doing it or an Orthodox way of doing it. I don’t think it’s a reach for Kol Ami to be joining us,” Rabbi White said.

Kol Ami’s spiritual leader Doug Alpert said the congregation was looking forward to joining Ohev Sholom and Beth Shalom to celebrate Purim and “contributing our wonderful music to celebrate the chag.”

“It’s a great pleasure to have worked with Rabbi White and Rabbi Cohen, and both communities,” Alpert continued. “This is an easy, comfortable and rewarding collaboration for me personally.”

Rabbi White said the music that evening should be a treat.

“All three congregations have some musical talent among the congregants and that certainly applies to Kol Ami. They’ve got a musical troupe over there,” Rabbi White said. “They are far more than guests; they are playing a central role in the program itself.”

Rabbi White said the tone of the Purim holiday is very freilich, very happy, so the music that evening will be upbeat and danceable.”

Michael Davidson is not your typical yeshivah student in Israel. Michael says he studies as much as any other yeshivah student but most don’t take the time to do much exercise. Davidson has been running since June, preparing to run in the March 16 Team Lifeline Israel marathon.

Taking a break from his daytime studies, Davidson said he learned about the race while waiting at a Jerusalem bus stop. Now in his second year at Ohr Somayach Yeshiva, a yeshivah geared to English-speaking young men 18 to 25 years of age, he said

“I called Team Lifeline and told them I wanted to run and raise money and then looked them up online.”

The 2010 Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy graduate said the idea that this organization helps kids who have life-threatening illnesses appealed to him, so he decided to run in the race. He studies eight hours a day and since June has been running.

‘I wasn’t really a runner before; I ran a little but not seriously,” said the son of Bradley Davidson and Marcee Davidson.

“I love it. I run at night and listen to music. It’s just me in Jerusalem and I’m just racing against myself,” said Davidson, who will soon celebrate his 20th birthday.

As the 26.2 mile marathon draws closer, Davidson reported he’s been able to run that distance twice.

“I’ve been working really hard on this all year,” he says.

Davidson, who grew up attending Kehilath Israel Synagogue and later BIAV, says he will be running in memory of his grandfather, the late Richard Bratman.

“Zayde always drove me to strive farther for the things that are important,” Davidson said. Bubbe Joyce Bratman visited him in Israel last summer along with his mom Marcee and his sister, Ariella.

Davidson has set a goal to raise $1,000 from donations for TeamLifeline Israel. Anyone wishing to sponsor Davidson can do so on his marathon profile page: http://www.teamlifeline.org/israel/my/michaelthegentleman.

Davidson’s father, Bradley, will be in Israel in March and plans to run the 10 kilometer portion of the race for those who prefer to run a shorter distance.

“My grandfather, Marvin Davidson, used to run marathons when he was in his 60s,” exclaims Davidson.

“Running is one of my passions,” he continued. “and I like learning Gomorrah and making sushi!”

This is Davidson’s last year at Ohr Somayach. Next year he plans to attend Lander College in Queens, N.Y.

Team Lifeline Israel

Since 1987, Team Lifeline Israel has raised funds for Chai Lifeline. Chai Lifeline’s mission is to restore the light of childhood to children whose innocence ended when life-threatening or lifelong illnesses were diagnosed.

Through programs that address the emotional, social and financial needs of these seriously ill children, their families and communities, Chai Lifeline restores normalcy to family life and better enables families to withstand the crises and challenges of serious pediatric illnesses.

One of the most popular customs for Purim is to drown out the name of the villain, Haman, with a noisemaker. In Hebrew, the noisemaker is called a ra’ashan; in Yiddish, it is a gragger.

The origin of this custom comes from the Book of Exodus 17:4: “For I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the Heavens.” Haman’s ancestors were Amalekites.

Around the 9th century, it was customary for European Jews to take flat stones or wooden paddles on which Haman’s name was inscribed and beat them together when Haman’s name was mentioned, in the reading of the Megillat Ester. It was also popular to write Haman’s name on the soles of their shoes and then stamp their feet when his name was read, thus erasing his name.

Some form of gragger has been used since the Middle Ages, primarily among Ashkenazic Jews. Today, the traditional gragger looks like the Hebrew letter dalet, a horizontal piece made of wood or metal with a rotating cylinder or tongue attached to a vertical handle, which, when turned, makes noise.

The custom of using a noisemaker during the reading of the Megillah is more recent among Sephardic Jews.

One also finds graggers decorated with illustrations from the Book of Esther, plastic with clapping hands, and designs in wood and metal. School children often make other containers of paper or metal and fill them with beans, so when they are shaken, they make noise. In Kansas City, some congregation are using boxes of macaroni and cheese as noisemakers and then donating them to food pantries.

Whatever gragger you use for Purim, just make sure you do it loud and often, for in each generation, a Haman has arisen to live among us!

Neshama Carlebach, soul singer and leading superstar in Jewish entertainment will take the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8, at the White Theatre. Joining Carlebach at Congregation Beth Shalom’s Polsky Concert will be Rev. Roger Hambrick and members of the Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir. The 90-minute concert, which is free and open to the community, will be performed without intermission.

Carlebach is continuing the legacy established by her father Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. His deep spirituality and love of all humanity filled every song he wrote and touched every person he encountered as he changed the face of Jewish music. Neshama Carlebach deeply moves and entertains as she sings her father’s incomparable melodies and her own inspiring original compositions.

Carlebach’s seventh recording, Higher & Higher (Sojourn Records/Sony) is supported by the robust voices of the Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir, a Bronx-based African-American congregation. They’ve been touring together for the past few years.

Her most recent recording, “Every Little Soul Must Shine,” was commissioned by PJ Library, an organization that sends out books and CDs to Jewish families, including those in Kansas City, to strengthen Judaism in the home. The CD features songs in both Hebrew and English. It also features songs by her father as well as several songs by Tom Laverack and Mark Ambrosino, founders of Carlebach’s record label Sojourn Records.

The Jewish Exponent’s entertainment reporter Michael Elkin describes Carlebach as “a vision of verve and spirit on stage. It is a heavenly performance that Neshama Carlebach stages, an appropriate and triumphant tribute to her father.”

The San Francisco Jewish News also gives Carlebach a favorable review, saying “… Neshama Carlebach has emerged as one of the premier female singers in the genre of jazz/pop Jewish soul music. If that sounds like a big fish in a small pond, it is. But the daughter of the late Jewish mystic and music legend Shlomo Carlebach certainly inherited both the DNA and the pipes to dominate the field. Indeed, one need not even be Jewish to love the music of Neshama Carlebach, though after hearing her sing, one might want to be.”

The Polsky legacy

The second family legacy represented by the concert is that of the Polsky family.

Since 1995, the family of Isadore and Rachel Polsky has been paying tribute to their memory through a series of innovative educational and artistic events. Those events have been enthusiastically received not just by the members of Beth Shalom, but by the greater Kansas City community. The Neshama Carlebach concert is the 12th installment in the series.

The Polsky Jewish Enrichment Series, a part of the Rabbi Morris B. Margolies Center for Adult Jewish Studies of Congregation Beth Shalom, is funded by the Isadore and Rachel Polsky Endowment/Beth Shalom Foundation, provided by Elaine Polsky, Karen Polsky Kent, Larry and Ellen Polsky and Steve Polsky.

Harold Kaseff is the chairman of the event’s planning committee, which includes Rabbi Alan Cohen, Norm Levitan, Elaine Levine, Rod Minkin, Larry Kalender, Joan March, Berenice Haberman and Rhea Salasche. For additional information, call Levitan at 913-647-7283.

‘NEW’ NIGUN — After what it terms a “too long hiatus,” The Nigun Orchestra is back with a new name, the ‘Nu’ Nigun Orchestra. Its next gig with new featured singer Rabbi Simcha Morgenstern will take place March 8 at the Torah Learning Center. Joining Rabbi Morgenstern are Steve Max on clarinet, Leslie and Jerry Pollock playing piano and drums, Rick Huyett on bass and Mel Prezant, the trumpeter who also serves as the orchestra’s director. The Purim party will begin with Megillah reading at 5 p.m. followed by the celebration at 5:30 p.m. Cost for the event is $20 for adults and $10 for children (11 and under) or $60 per family. To register call 913-890-3811 or visit purimshtetl.eventbrite.com.

LITERARY TEENS — Two Jewish teens — Shawnee Mission East junior Rachel Franklin and University of Kansas freshman Blaire Ginsburg — are among those featured in the latest edition of elementia, the Johnson County Library’s teen literary magazine. Rachel, a member of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah and the daughter of Renee and Phil Franklin, has been published several times in the magazine. She wrote two free verse poems that are published in this issue — “The Parasite Lives and Grows” and “The Difference Between Simile and Self-Medication.” Blaire is the daughter of Byron and Gerri Lyn Ginsburg. This is the second time she’s been published in elementia. She also has two poems published in this issue, “Story of the Stone” and “Who We Are” She is a member of Congregation Beth Shalom and active in KU Hillel. Eight issues of elementia have been published since the fall 2005. Those ages 12-20 are eligible to submit original prose, poetry and illustrations for elementia. Content of the first eight issues is available at www.jocoteenscene.org/elementia. For more information about elementia, or programs for teens call (913) 826-4600.

MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY — “The Songs of Comden and Green” opens this weekend and runs through April 1 at Quality Hill Playhouse. Particularly known for their comedic skills, Betty Comden (born Elizabeth Cohen) and Adolph Green (the son of Hungarian-Jewish immigrants) wrote lively songs, librettos and screenplays that were praised by critics as “bright, gay, witty and engaging” (The New York Post) and “extraordinarily inventive” (The New York Times). Director and arranger J. Kent Barnhart has brought together Lauren Braton, Molly Hammer and Cary Mock to bring to life the humor, energy and joy of the best songs from the duo’s six-decade long partnership, including “Just In Time,” “One Hundred Easy Ways,” “I Can Cook Too,” “New York, New York (It’s a Helluva Town),” the revue’s title song “Make Someone Happy” and more. For ticket information, contact 816-421-1700 or visit www.QualityHillPlayhouse.com.

JEWISH APPS — I was reading a story in the Jewish Week (www.thejewishweek.com) about the top Jewish applications of 2011 (Feb. 23, 2012) and I learned there is an entire website geared toward Jewish apps, www.jewishiphonecommunity.org. According to the website, it was founded in 2010 with the goal of making it easy to find Jewish mobile applications. The Jewish iPhone Community was established to create a virtual community of those that use mobile devices with any kind of Jewish applications. Jews of all affiliations — religious or secular, Orthodox or Reform or Chassid — who are looking for a friendly e-community built around traditional Jewish values will find something here. You can visit the Jewish iPhone Community to discover the latest and best iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android and BlackBerry Jewish apps available today. The site will also feature product reviews, troubleshooting help, updates and links to new apps, along with the latest media and technological news. The website tells you what apps are out there in such categories as art, audio, Chassidut, food, games, Hebrew, holidays, Kabbalah, library (Jewish themed iBooks), Midrash, made in Israel, organizations, prayers, Talmud, travel and Yiddish … to mention just a few.

A rivalry between two schools in the Blue Valley School District has turned into a controversy over what is good clean fun and what is anti-Semitism. On Jan. 27, Blue Valley Northwest students performed a skit pre-approved by school officials that some Jewish students at BV North believe was anti-Semitic. Three weeks later the controversial skit was aired on television. Following the broadcasts social media sites, including Facebook, exploded with public comments.

District officials, including the Superintendent Tom Trigg, Ed.D., have apologized for the skit.

“Please know that we are working extremely hard on this situation. On behalf of the district, I apologize that the situation occurred,” emailed Trigg to a Jewish parent who contacted him with concerns.

“You can assure [your child] that our administrative team is working to be sure this type of incident does not happen in the future,” he continued.

The skit

Students perform skits as part of Spirit Week activities before school at BVNW. Students attendance at these activities is optional. One of the skits on Friday, Jan. 27, featured junior boys — including one Jewish student — dancing the Hora. They sang “Hava Nagila” and then lifted one of the boys up — as they would at a Jewish celebration such as a wedding or Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The skit’s music was stopped during the assembly when administrators deemed it inappropriate. Many parents and students believe the dance was poking fun at BVN’s large Jewish population. It should also be noted that a Jewish student was in the skit and helped plan it.

According to an article titled “Spirit Week Dances Disqualified,” written by BVNW student Linley Sanders and posted to the BVNWnews.com website, the official school media of BVNW, Principal Amy Murphy, Ed.D., noted that the junior class skit was disqualified for Spirit Week prizes because it included anti-Semitic activities. (Excerpts of the article may be found below. The entire article can be found at www.bvnwnews.com.)

The video of the skit had also been posted on the BVNWnews.com website, but was taken down sometime Wednesday, Feb. 15, after students and parents in the Jewish community complained about it. Marvin Szneler, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee, called the school district to relay the Jewish community’s concerns and their wish to have the video removed from the website.

“The school district told me they had to consult their attorney due to a Kansas freedom of the press act. They needed to get legal permission to take down the video that the students put up, which they did,” Szneler said.

Szneler is concerned that the public did not get the entire story if all they know is what they saw on the televised KSHB news report.

“When the video was on TV and in emails, it did not include the story noting that the dance was disqualified because it was anti-Semitic,” Szneler said.

In addition, BVNW’s Murphy said the KSHB news report incorrectly stated that the students changed the skit from what was approved in the first place.

Anti-Semitic tweets

Szneler originally discovered there was a problem between the students at the two schools when parents called him early last week to report anti-Semitic tweets coming from BVNW students. So he contacted district officials about the tweets.

“It is my understanding that the district called the parents and the students connected to the tweets and asked them to take them down. As far as I know, all the students complied with the request,” Szneler said.

Parents and students are also upset about a couple of BVNW students who did a Nazi salute while at a basketball game against BVN at BVNW in 2011. District officials told Szneler those students were immediately disciplined by administrators.

Szneler said the local JCRB|AJC continues to be concerned about incidents, particularly anti-Semitic remarks between students.

“I wish students would report these to the school and to JCRB|AJC, so that action can be taken. I am convinced the Blue Valley School District has a zero tolerance for this, and will take action to explain there are consequences for this behavior, and work to eliminate them,” Szneler said.

He’s also very concerned about social media, which is difficult to control.

“If the inappropriate rhetoric is diminished in the schools by the reporting of it, hopefully that rhetoric will decline in student social media as well,” he said.

Teachable moments

BVNW and the Blue Valley School District are taking steps to continue diversity education with students, including being respectful of individual differences, a district spokesperson said this week.

BVNW Principal Murphy said this week that she hopes they are now at a point where they can move forward.

“We are reviewing our processes and building bridges,” she said.

Murphy said a previously scheduled diversity activity took place on Thursday, Feb. 16. That activity leads up to the diversity assembly, which also was already on the calendar, and takes place March 1.

In addition, she said BVN and BVNW are making arrangements to have the schools’ newspaper staffs work together on a joint article about the importance of diversity. Plans are to publish the article in April because it was too late to accomplish this goal for the next edition of each newspaper, which publish this week. Neither school publishes an issue of the newspaper in March, due to spring break.

Murphy said administrators are still brainstorming other ways to build bridges, including coordinating a joint Uni-Town between the schools.

“It’s an opportunity to bring a small group of 50 kids together. It’s a lock-in and they spend about 24 hours together to work on stereotypes and breaking down the walls associated with stereotypes,” she explained.

The Uni-Town event would take place next year, possibly between football and basketball season.

“We want to do something immediately with the kids, but we think there’s an ongoing opportunity here to continue to educate our kids,” she said.

Murphy said BVNW has tried to find ways to turn this negative into a positive and find ways to grow from this. In that spirit, she is grateful that the community has reached out to support the school.

“We’ve had a longstanding relationship with the JCRB. Judy Hellman worked with us in the past as has Marvin (Szneler). They immediately have reached out to say how can we help you to plan some additional diversity activities, not just between North and Northwest, but in our entire community,” Murphy said.

Student reactions

Senior David Tauber became the face of BVN Jewish students when he was interviewed by KSHB on Wednesday, Feb. 15. However, he wasn’t the one who contacted the television station. As a member of the student newspaper staff, he was in the newsroom when the reporter requested a Jewish student to interview.

David thinks the television station treated him fairly, and he stands behind the comments used in the story.

“There’s always been a rivalry, hatred between Northwest and North, but when you turn to denigration, something’s not right,” David told KSHB. “Kids are upset about that.”

David told KSHB reporter Syed Shabbir that he was most upset about the video.

“They showed this off. They put this online. Their newspaper published it. They showed it off to everyone. They were proud of what they did. That’s the problem,” David said.

David described the day following the television interview as an “up and down day,” something he didn’t foresee before he spoke to the reporter. He discovered that many students at BVNW were angry about his comments and sent him hate mail.

“I think they are making much more out of it than it should be,” he said.

At his own school, David said he was treated with nothing but kindness from all the students — Jewish and non-Jewish.

There are students at both schools who feel the situation has been blown out of proportion.

“It was Northwest sprit week and it was supposed to be funny. We’re huge rivals,” said a BVN Jewish student who did not want to be identified. “If it was truly mean spirited, I don’t think the Jewish kids there would stand for it.”

“I think the Heil Hitler situation last year was much worse,” the student added.

Scott Altman, a sophomore at BVNW, said he’s heard disturbing things in the halls since the first television report aired. He believes it has “sparked more anti-Semitism.”

“The other day I heard a kid say a second Holocaust wouldn’t be such a bad thing right now,” Scott said. “I think some students don’t realize there are Jews at Northwest, or else they just don’t care.”

Hannah Dolginoff was one of the students interviewed by KSHB for the second story which aired Feb. 16. She told reporter Zach Techlenburg that while the skit may have gone too far, her school is one of acceptance.

“I’m Jewish … and in my four years here, I’ve never once been offended by anything my peers have ever said or done,” Hannah said.

Disturbing slurs

The situation was really becoming a hot topic last Wednesday night and spurred a discussion in a class taught by Rabbi Vered Harris at Congregation Beth Torah. The class includes students at a variety of schools, not just BVN and BVNW.

“Most disturbingly students shared slurs and threats they have heard at school and school functions. The statements they reported include things like: ‘You should have all burned in the ovens,’ Heil Hitler’ (with a Nazi salute) and ‘You’re a Jew’ (in a derogatory tone),” Rabbi Harris said.

She is concerned that all of the students in the room were aware of such hateful language and actions, but none of them said they had ever reported it to teachers or administrators.

As Szneler of the JCRB|AJC noted earlier, she urges students and parents to report these slurs and actions.

“The Blue Valley School District does not know about the vast majority of incidents our students have experienced because our children mostly either ignore the statements or decide to handle it on their own,” Rabbi Harris said.

“School districts and JCRB|AJC being made aware of problems can help determine strategies to take in combating ignorance and raising expectations,” she continued. “Remember the Blue Valley motto is ‘Education Beyond Expectations.’ Perhaps you agree with my expectation that our children’s education include both tolerance and respect.”

The parental view

BVN parent Sandi Fried is upset that BVNW students have mocked the Jewish population at BVN two years in row. She finds that absolutely inexcusable.

Linda Sander, the parent of a BVNW graduate and current student, said the dance and the situation that developed around it upsets her on many different levels.

“However, neither of my children have had any problems at the school. It is a great high school where my kids feel at home and received a rewarding education. Unfortunately, a few can make a negative impression on the whole,” Sander said.

Rabbinic voices

At least two other rabbis have commented publicly about the matter. Rabbi Alan Cohen, interim rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom, said in a KSHB news story Thursday, Feb. 16, that he believes the dance was meant to be light hearted.

“More often than not, from these kinds of experiences that have occurred it’s usually done out of ignorance, done out of insensitivity,” Rabbi Cohen said.

He hopes this can be a learning experience for the students.

Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, appeared on KSHB’s midday newscast Friday, Feb. 17. He also sent an email to the Reform congregation’s members on Friday afternoon. In it he stated:

“I believe that the skit — as innocent as it may have been intended to be — was at best ill-conceived, ignorant and naive. And regardless, it exposed the ugly underbelly of a problem in our community.

“I wish to be clear: this is NOT about BVNW or BVN. It is about our community and how we treat and talk with one another.”

He wrote that he doesn’t believe anti-Semitism is running rampant in the Kansas City area.

“However, these issues exist because there is a lack of sensitivity and understanding within the community … Some have dismissed the video as ‘merely’ trash talk. However, trash talk is equivalent to trashing someone’s personal faith or culture ... and we would hope that no one would approve of that.”

He believes the local school districts are getting mixed messages from the Jewish community.

“Plenty of Jewish students have said this is no big deal. Some have said that they talk that way about themselves so why shouldn’t others. On the other side, some students have been very upset and feel that they themselves have been attacked. So, part of the responsibility lies with us, ourselves,” Rabbi Nemitoff said.

He encourages members of his congregation to model the values of holiness and common decency.

“May each of us model these values for others, and not engage in ‘trash talk’ about ourselves or about others,” he said.

He suggests parents communicate respectfully and clearly with school administration whenever someone “talks trash” about any individual and/or their unique culture or faith.

The Reform rabbi said congregants should be proud of their own culture and faith. He also believes it’s OK to continue to support one’s school and promote healthy, friendly competition.

“But, take care to recognize that words and actions hurt in ways that are often difficult to reverse,” Rabbi Nemitoff said.

Excerpts from BVNW Spirit Week article

An article in the Blue Valley Northwest student newspaper reported that three dances were disqualified from earning Spirit Week prizes. One was the dance causing controversy in the Jewish community performed by a group of junior class boys. The following is excerpts from the article “Three Spirit Week Dances Disqualified,” reprinted by permission from Blue Valley Northwest High School.

“Our hope is, if [a dance is] too inappropriate, we’re going to cut it,” [Principal Amy] Murphy said. “Probably, on Friday, we should have cut the juniors…”

Junior Zach Somberg, a participant in the dances [who is Jewish], said in the article that the intention of the dance was purely humorous, but in retrospect, the group recognizes they made a poor decision.

“Our intent was not to point at Jewish culture, but more to point at North, but in pointing at North, we pointed at Jewish culture,” Somberg said. “We made a poor decision on a touchy subject, and we apologize to anyone we offended at North or Northwest.”

Another member of the dances, junior Oliver Graham, said the group was not trying to offend anyone with the dance, but wants to apologize to the students and school if they did.

“Looking back, I can see how it would be offensive, and I wish we would have thought about it more, but at the time we just kind of went with it and made a poor decision,” Graham said.

Murphy said class sponsors are the people directly responsible for approving the dances after students create them. She said she did not see the version of the junior’s dance that was practiced, despite being near where the dance was being shown to junior class sponsor Erin Pearson.

“I think they thought I saw it when they were showing [Pearson],” Murphy said. “The problem was I was running in and out… and I wasn’t paying any attention, and I’m kicking myself now because had I stopped and watched it, I would have said, ’You can’t do that.’”

According to Somberg and Graham, the version of the dance that the juniors performed for spirit week was the same one they showed Pearson for approval. Somberg said he believes she did not realize the full implication of the dance, and does not blame her for it getting approved.

He said the juniors were prepared for that part of the dance to not be approved by their sponsor, but added that they should not have included it in the first place.

Pearson was approached to comment on the events, but refused to comment on why she approved the dance.

Murphy said she wants the students to understand specifically why the dances were disqualified so they understand the boundaries for future spirit week dances. She said she is working with the class sponsors to come up with a list of written guidelines for dances so it is very clear in the future what the actual rules are.

“We want to make sure that people have a good time, people are appropriate, but people are safe,” Murphy said. “….We want to come up with some pretty, not specific, but detailed enough (guidelines) so the kids understand the parameters of the dances, but not nitpicky enough that it takes all the fun out of it.”