Goldie’s Gifts, a project run by the Chabad House of Greater Kansas City, is undergoing some changes. The program’s chairs, Barbara Frager and Denise Ellenberg, are searching for people who will underwrite a holiday, or holidays, in exchange for naming rights.

So Goldie’s Gifts, which provides holiday goodies to homebound seniors in the metro area, could be called Sarah’s Smiles, or Barbara’s Baskets, in memory of or in honor of a person designated by the donor. Regardless of what it’s called, the gifts are delivered five times a year to more than 250 homebound seniors in the area prior to Rosh Hashanah, Chanukah, Purim, Passover and Shavuot.

“Our mission is to try to reach isolated Jewish seniors and give them a taste of the holiday,” Frager said.

The program started three years ago with a donation to Chabad House. The anonymous donor asked that the funds be used for senior services. These funds now need replenishing, and the new donors will be given the option of changing the program’s name for whatever holiday the funds are designated for.

Ellenberg estimates it takes $1,000 a holiday to pay for most of the celebratory baskets. It costs about double that amount — $2,000 — for Passover.

Originally, Frager said gifts were delivered to about 150 people. But through word of mouth and relationships made with senior-living facilities across the area, Frager said they expect to deliver about 300 baskets for Purim.

“If we had enough money and volunteers, I think there are 1,000 people in the area that could and should be getting gifts,” Frager said.

Each holiday basket during the year contains battery-operated candles and literature about the holiday. Except for Passover, Ellenberg said each basket contains challah. Purim baskets will contain hamantaschen, juice, snacks and a piece of fruit. A typical Passover basket will include matzah, fruit and macaroons. Gift cards to help supplement other holiday or personal needs are usually included as well.

It takes about 15 volunteers to prepare the baskets. Ellenberg said students are really helpful and can receive community service hours if they help stuff baskets for the project. Adult drivers are also needed to deliver the baskets.

Ellenberg said some of the seniors enjoy chatting with the delivery drivers.

“I spent 30 minutes visiting with a woman the last time we made deliveries,” Ellenberg said.

“Often times these gifts bring back pleasant memories to these people,” she added.

Other people enjoy the gifts but don’t want to visit. Organizers don’t even know the names of some of the people they deliver baskets to.

“Because of HIPAA privacy rules, a facility usually can’t tell us who we are delivering to. They may tell us they have 10 Jewish residents and we just leave the baskets at the front desk and they are delivered to the resident by a staff member,” Frager said.

Frager and Ellenberg said recipients are grateful for the gifts.

“I’ve had people say to me, ‘Why me?’ I say why not you,” Frager said.
Ellenberg said many of the recipients are lonely and don’t have much, if any, contact with family or anyone else.

“They don’t call JFS because they don’t think they are really in need. But they are in spiritual need for human contact,” Ellenberg said.

Anyone interested in donating money for Goldie’s Gifts, or who can volunteer in any way, should contact Blumah Wineberg at 913-940-1113. Or contact Chabad House at .

Kansas City Mayor Sylvester “Sly” James made his first visit to Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy on Thursday, Feb. 24. The Kansas City Mayor is being honored by HBHA at the upcoming annual Civic Service Award Celebration. James entered the Jewish Community Center rotunda to greetings from HBHA board members, student council members and many curious students.

One of the first students to welcome the mayor was third-grade student Brianna Katz. She promptly told him that she had a petition to stop puppy mills and asked if he would sign it.

James’s visit was appreciated by President of the HBHA Board of Trustees Eric Kaseff, who said, “We wanted to honor him as he is a strong supporter of education in Kansas City. We wanted to give him a feel of what our school is like and show him the high value of education we offer at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy.”

After the reception, James moved on toward the lower school. A strong supporter of the arts, James made a quick stop in the art room to look at the students’ work and chat with HBHA Art teacher Kelly Reichman. James praised the school for its work in education as that is one of his main focuses for the city as a whole.

Senior Jacob Mehari who was photographing the mayor’s visit for the yearbook, said, “Mr. James was very friendly and interested in the interworkings of HBHA. It impressed me to see how much he cared. He elaborated on his love for his job and he seems to be a trustworthy man that I am glad to see as the mayor of Kansas City.”

“The mayor was great with all the little kids. He seemed like a very personable guy as he was not only shaking hands with students, he had little personalized conversations with each and every one of them,” said senior Shoshanna Margolies.

James toured the lower school hallways stopping at a few science projects before going into the fourth-grade classroom for a question-and- answer- session with the students.

After his visit, James seemed impressed with Kansas City’s only Jewish day school. “The quality of education [at HBHA] is something to be proud of. [Mr. Haas] is doing a wonderful job here, the students who graduate from [HBHA] will have an advantage over many other students in the Kansas City area,” he said.

This article was originally published in The Academy Voice, the student newspaper of HBHA and is reprinted by permission. HBHA’s 46th Civic Service Award Celebration will be held Sunday, April 1, at the Sheraton kanas City Hotel at Crown Center.

Joseph Hammer likes school so much, he’s decided not to leave. Hammer, 18, wants to pursue a career in elementary education.

Every Wednesday, you’ll find him working as a madrich teaching assistant at Congregation Beth Shalom’s Polsky Religious School, where he discovered he really enjoyed working with children. His particular assignment is looking after the religious school teachers’ children, who range in age from 1-year-old to about 7 years old.

“It’s very fun because you can see the kids grow and watch them learn new things,” said Hammer, who is in his fifth year as a madrich. “It’s important for kids to respect the teacher, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job (teaching) what is right and what is wrong in the classroom. Everybody follows directions, and they’re just really good kids.”

Patti Kroll, the school’s director of education, says she trusts Hammer to look after the kids with no adult supervision.

“Joseph has decided to pursue a career in education, and he absolutely has the temperament, the good intuitive sense of what to do with kids and how to keep them productively occupied,” Kroll said. “I trust him so implicitly to make good decisions, to have a well-controlled group of children … I think he’s been a superb role model.”

Hammer makes sure the kids have a structured and fun afternoon.

“We start at 4:30 and have free play, then we have snack time — usually it’s pretzels or a healthy snack. If it’s nice out, we usually go outside and play on the playground, and we go to the playroom every day,” he said. “They’re always in such a good mood, and they always smile when you have a bad day. It’s good to be around them, because they make you so happy.”

Hammer, the son of Linda and Steve Hammer, has also worked in the Child Development Center at the Jewish Community Center as a leader in training for a group of 4-year-olds at the summer camp.

Next year, Hammer plans to attend the University of Kansas and major in elementary education. In addition to his experiences at Beth Shalom, Hammer has already gained some classroom experience through the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program at Blue Valley North.

“It’s basically a program … where you can experience a job, so in college, you don’t have to try to figure (your career) out,” he said.

His particular program, Teacher Education 2020, focused on using technology in the classroom, such as Smart Boards, an electronic student response system and laptop computers.

“The kids coming in are much different than before … they have all this technology. It’s important to create a classroom that engages students in learning and (uses technology),” he said.

Another part of the program is classroom observation; Hammer observed a second grade class as well as sixth and seventh-grade math classes.

“(The second grade class) was probably my favorite one, because they’re fun to watch. I like little kids better — it’s easier to deal with them, and it’s more fun to see how they learn and process things,” he said.

Hammer is also an Eagle Scout in Beth Shalom’s Troop 61, has earned the Presidential Service Award for the last four years and is a member of the National Honor Society.

For his Eagle service project, Hammer decided to make a walking path at a Salvation Army facility. He and other Scouts worked together to make the project a success.

“It was a big area … 100 feet by 95 feet. We cleared brush and trees and designed a walking path and put benches to create a nice area for families,” Hammer said.

Kroll said that Hammer’s service-oriented personality and skill working with kids has impressed her for a long time.

“I knew he was an exceptional young man from his years in school, and I honestly hoped he would (go into education) ... I was very pleased we were able to give him a starting point and that it’s something he has chosen to pursue in college,” Kroll said. “I think when he takes something on, his commitment and his follow-through are superb. I’ve seen that through Scouts; I’ve seen that in the school. He’s responsible. He’s reliable.”

Three former members of the Greater Kansas City chapter of NCSY recently had a brief reunion in Jerusalem for the purpose of this story for The Chronicle. Ari Wolf, Davida Rosenthal and Blake Berkowitz are all taking part in different gap year programs in Israel. (At least one other Kansas Citian, Jonathan Edelman, is also in Israel for this school year.) The three students were excited to see each other since they are based in three different parts of the country — Ari lives in the Golan Heights, Davida is in Beit Shemesh and Blake is in Jerusalem.

Ari Wolf

Ari, the 19-year-old son of BIAV members Andy and Cara Ernstein and a 2011 graduate of Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, is in Israel for the fifth time. He first came to Israel on a family visit when he was 7. He took another family trip a few years later. In 2007 he visited again along with the HBHA freshman class trip. In 2010 he went to Poland and Israel on the March of the Living.

For this gap year, Ari chose a unique program based on Moshav Avnei Eitan in the Golan Heights. It’s located 30 to 45 minutes south of Katzrin, the Golan Heights capital.

Ari explains that the Leadership Yeshivah Academy is an English-speaking program for youth thinking about going into the Israeli army as well as for youth “that want to improve certain aspects of themselves like leadership skills.”

He learned about the program from Ari Solomont, who is the brother of family friend and BIAV member Adina Glass. Solomont lives at Avnei Eitan and works with Yeshiva University helping young people find Israel programs.

“I chose it because it’s not a typical yeshivah program, and there is a lot of focus on skill sets and improving yourself as a whole, not just learning skills,” Ari said.

Of the group of 17, about half intend to join the Israeli army at the end of the program, so in addition to daily classes, they learn military skills or krav maga in the evening. (Krav Maga is a noncompetitive self defense system developed in Israel which focuses on real-world situations.)

Another special aspect of the program, Ari reported, is each young person is adopted by a moshav family where they go on Shabbat. That allows the participants, “to better understand Israel culture and learn Hebrew.” (A moshav is a cooperative agricultural community of individual farms.)

“My family are farmers. They have two kids in the army and two others,” Ari said.

Since he hadn’t spent much time in the Golan Heights before this program, Ari feels he has gotten a new perspective on Israel.

“Now I’m getting the Israel experience. I’m living next to a bunch of cows! I’m learning the way the economy works and I’m learning a lot about the army,” he explained.

When Ari returns to the States, he may attend George Washington University, where he is currently enrolled.

Davida Rosenthal

Studying at a girls’ seminary for a year is a lot different than Davida Rosenthal’s six other trips to Israel. The 18-year-old HBHA graduate and daughter of BIAV members Dr. Howard and Brenda Rosenthal visited the Jewish state four times with her family.

She also took part in HBHA’s class trip when she was a high-school freshman and was a member of the 2010 March of the Living.

“We’ve been learning so much about Israel and how it became a state, I’ve gotten a different appreciation for being in Israel, and I really feel a part of the land and the future of the state,” she said.

This is partially due to the program at Machon Maayan, located in Beit Shemesh, a community that’s been in the news a lot recently that’s located 20 miles west of Jerusalem. Davida chose this seminary because it caters to women of all Jewish backgrounds. In addition a lot of NCSY graduates, including some of her friends from the youth organization, choose the program.

The program includes learning three days a week, volunteering two days a week and touring. Davida has volunteered as a big sister to an Ethiopian child and as a mother’s helper for a family that made aliyah from the United States, which has a new baby and a 2-year-old child.

The part of the program that excites Davida the most is day the group goes touring.

“One of my rabbis is a tour guide. He opens up the Tanach and reads when we arrive at a place. It makes it very real to learn and love Israel,” she said.

Her classes are quite varied and include The Joseph Story, Customs, the Laws of Shabbat, the Garden of Eden and Portion of the week taught in Hebrew.

Next year Davida plans to attend Stern College in New York.

Blake Berkowitz

Last week, just a few hours before he was interviewed for this story, Blake Berkowitz learned the program he was attending in Israel was shutting down. The 19-year-old Blue Valley West graduate, the son of Congregation Beth Torah members Susan and Jacob Berkowitz, was taking part in a program called Imadi through Hebrew University.

“This is a modern Orthodox program focused on Hebrew University classes, living in an apartment and night learning twice a week,” Blake explained.

Because the program is dissolving, Blake will be heading back to Kansas soon. He checked into the possibility of taking part in another program at Hebrew U, “but it won’t help me next year and the other options are more costly.”

Next year Blake is planning to attend Missouri Science and Technology University in Rolla, Mo. At the time of the interview, he was uncertain whether he would receive a tuition refund for Imadi’s second semester.

This was the third time Blake had been in Israel. His first trip was his junior year in high school when he participated in the TJJ, Jerusalem Journey program. Last year he came with his parents to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary and to check out gap year programs. But this semester’s experience was much different because he spent a longer time here.

“I got used to the Israeli style and Israel attitudes and that’s a cool experience. We lived in a nice, old neighborhood in a building that was once a bed and breakfast, so each bedroom had its own bathroom,” he said. There were six bedrooms and bathrooms in his apartment where seven guys and a madrich (leader) lived.

With this program, Blake said, “I had to focus on some studying and I made a lot of new friends. Before we found out our program’s problems, we had a really awesome trip to the south of Israel, hiked for four days, slept in tents and cooked out.”

Even though this was to be a year-long program, Blake says, “I’m sad about what happened, but I have no regrets about this year.”

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAY 102 — We are hearing more and more about centenarians living very healthy and happy lives. One of those centenarians is Gertrude Stern, who will celebrate her 102nd birthday on Feb. 27. We’re told she’s healthy, active, alert and vibrant. She even attends an exercise class twice a week and volunteers at a nearby church sewing once a week. Her family says she is “truly a marvel.” Enjoy your day, Gertrude!

VANDERSLICE FUNDRAISER — Art patrons par excellence Margaret and Jerry Nerman are honorary chairmen for The Vanderslice Committee of the Kansas City Art Institute’s Palette and Palate fundraising event set for June 2. The event will be held at the country estate of Dennis Hennessy, co-owner and co-artistic director of the New Theatre Restaurant. Jewish committee members include Joni Weiner, who is serving as co-chair of the silent auction. The evening’s theme is based on fine art and fine cuisine. Funds from the event will be used to support the oldest building on the college campus, Vanderslice Hall, which is listed on the national Register of Historic Places. For more information about the committee or the fundraiser, visit www.kcai.edu/vanderslice.

JWI PURIM STUDY GUIDE — Jewish Women International (JWI) has released the first in a series of study guides related to Women, Relationships and Jewish Text. “Rethinking Purim” is designed to spark new conversations about relationships by offering a fresh look at old texts. The guides are a project of JWI’s Clergy Task Force on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community, a group of prominent clergy committed to promoting Jewish responses and resources that end violence against women. Three more guides will be released in the coming year, each relating to a Jewish holiday. The guide is available for download, free of charge, at www.jwi.org/purim.

GOLDENBERG DUO FREE RECITALS — The brother and sister team of Susan and William Goldenberg will present a series of free recitals in March. Susan is a violinist with the KC Symphony. William is distinguished professor of piano at Northern Illinois University. They will present works by Handel, Rachmaninoff, Oscar Peterson, Gershwin, Grieg and Asian composers.

Tuesday, March 13, 7:30 p.m. at Grant Hall on the UMKC campus. For information call 816-235-2900 or visit umkc.edu.

Thursday, March 14, noon at Spencer Museum of Art-Central Court at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Call 785-864-4710 or visit www.spencerart.ku.edu.

Wednesday, March 15, 12:15 p.m. at Visitation Parish. Call 816-753-7422 or visit www.visitation.org.

Monday, March 19, 2:30 p.m. at Baker University School of Music in Baldwin City, Kan. Call 785-594-6451 or visit www.bakeru.edu.

Wednesday, March 21, 7 p.m. at Kansas City, Kan., Public Library. Call 913-551-3280 or visit www.kckpl.lib.ks.us.

CNN’S JERUSALEM BUREAU — I got a couple of calls last week asking if CNN fired all its Jewish employees in its Jerusalem Bureau. I checked with the editor of JTA New & Features, our national news service. He said it was not true and sent me to CNN’s webpage. This story is dated Feb. 11.
“In response to inaccurate reports, CNN has strongly denied since Friday (Feb. 10) rumors that it no longer employs Israeli Jews in its Jerusalem bureau.
The company has said:
‘CNN has recently reviewed its worldwide operations, an exercise we do regularly to ensure operational and technological efficiency in everything we do. As part of this exercise, we have reorganized the CNN bureau in Jerusalem.’
To counter misinformation reported on various websites, the company has confirmed:
‘CNN currently has seven employees working in CNN’s Jerusalem bureau, four of whom are Jewish. There is no basis in fact for these reports.’
‘Some website reports also state that CNN’s Jerusalem bureau chief is Arab, which is also untrue.’
‘CNN strongly rejects any suggestion that the reorganization in the Jerusalem bureau is in any way based on the small number of contract employees concerned being Israeli, particularly given CNN’s long history of working with locals in the region.’ ”

The board of directors of The New Reform Temple has recommended that Rabbi Alan Londy be retained as the congregation’s permanent rabbi. Rabbi Londy began serving the Reform congregation on an interim basis on July 1, 2011, while it searched for a permanent rabbi to replace Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn. In late December 2010 the congregation announced that Rabbi Cukierkorn’s contract would not be renewed and the congregation and the rabbi ended its professional relationship in April 2011.

Michael Grossman, NRT’s president, said the congregation’s membership will vote on this recommendation during a special membership meeting following Shabbat services on March 2. NRT expects to offer Rabbi Londy a three-year contract.

“When I came here my intention was to be the interim rabbi,” Rabbi Londy said early this week.

“As I contemplated my future, I felt that at this time of my life that even though I loved the interim work, I wanted to have a less nomadic life. So I began to do a rabbinic search as New Reform Temple was conducting its rabbinic search,” the 55-year-old rabbi continued.

Since Rabbi Londy was hired specifically as an interim rabbi, NRT was required to get special permission from the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Reform movement’s rabbinic organization that assists in the placement of rabbis to its member congregations, to offer him a permanent position.

Grossman reported that the search committee, led by Ann Darke, reviewed 12 applications for the position. It was during that time that NRT discovered that Rabbi Londy was seeking a “settled position elsewhere.”

Rabbi Londy said, “Eventually we mutually agreed that if I’m looking for a permanent pulpit and they are looking for a permanent rabbi, let’s explore if I can remain. And that’s what happened.”

In a letter to members last week, Grossman said members of the search committee thought Rabbi Londy had done an excellent job as the interim, the committee decided to “approach him as a possible candidate for the settled position at NRT.”

After careful consideration the committee concluded that Rabbi Londy is the best choice for NRT.

“He has done an excellent job reuniting the congregation, improving procedures and making services more meaningful to members,” Grossman said.

One of the things that impressed NRT leadership is the way Rabbi Londy connected with members through focus groups. His goal was to gain a greater understanding of the congregation over the past several months.

“We believe the congregation will be able to build on its current momentum more quickly as a result of the continuity afforded by retaining Rabbi Londy,” Grossman said.

Following the formal vote scheduled to take place in two weeks, an installation ceremony will be planned. The ceremony is tentatively scheduled for a date in June.

Rabbi Londy attended a classical Reform congregation while he was growing up in Troy, N.Y. After graduating from Cornell with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Near-Eastern studies, he attended the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and was ordained in 1983. He also holds a Doctor of Ministry in pastoral counseling from Hebrew Union College in New York City and he has taken extensive courses at the Interim Ministry Network, the only national certification institute for international interim clergy, which is endorsed and recognized by the CCAR.

The first part of Rabbi Londy’s rabbinical career was spent serving Conservative congregations. He was the assistant rabbi of Beth El Congregation in Baltimore from 1983-1988; the head rabbi at Temple Israel in Orlando, Fla., from 1988-2000; and the head rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom in Smithtown, N.Y., from 2000-2006.

He returned to his Reform roots in 2006 when he became rabbi/rabbi educator at Temple Israel of the City of New York, where he served for five years.

Rabbi Londy and his wife Jane are the parents of two children. Their 24-year-old daughter lives in Israel. Their 21-year-old son lives in North Carolina and is an apprentice studying sustainable architecture.

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz has been chosen by Kehilath Israel Synagogue to serve as its next rabbi. Rabbi Yanklowitz will take over Aug. 13, when Senior Rabbi Herbert H. Mandl retires after serving the traditional congregation for 35 years.

K.I. President Steve Osman said the congregation’s board of directors unanimously approved the search committee’s recommendation to hire Rabbi Yanklowitz. The search committee was chaired by Geoff Friedman. Osman said K.I. is very excited to welcome Rabbi Yanklowitz to the area.

“We believe he will not only carry on the traditions followed for nearly 102 years, but revitalize and bring a new sense of spirituality to our membership,” Osman said.

Rabbi Mandl said he is very proud that Rabbi Yanklowitz will be his successor.

“He demonstrates not only tremendous enthusiasm and vigor, but a tremendous amount of maturity for his age. I wish him well in his future endeavors. May he grow from strength to strength,” Rabbi Mandl said.

Rabbi Yanklowitz and his wife Shoshana visited K.I. in early December. Since July of 2010, he has served as director of Jewish life and senior Jewish educator at UCLA Hillel in Los Angeles. The program serves approximately 3,000 students. He obtained his smicha (rabbinic ordination) from the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School in the spring of 2010.

The young rabbi and his wife are looking forward to moving here.

“After visiting communities around the country, we found that the warmth and generosity at K.I. was unparalleled. We are thrilled to be moving to Kansas City and to be taking on leadership at Kehilath Israel,” he said.

“My vision for K.I. is to build upon the rich traditions of the congregation and to expand as a mission driven congregation to inspire growth for each individual and family at the shul and to partner to further develop the broader Kansas City Jewish community,” he continued.

Rabbi Yanklowitz is originally from Highland Park, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. He attended the University of Texas in Austin and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communication studies with a concentration in business foundation, where he was an honors student.

He also holds a Master of Arts degree in leadership, moral development and psychology from Harvard University. Continuing his education, he earned a second master’s degree, this one in Jewish philosophy from Yeshiva University. He is currently a doctoral candidate in epistemology, moral development and developmental psychology from Columbia University.

Rabbi Yanklowitz has served internships at congregations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Boca Raton and Montreal. He has also served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army.

The rabbi is also founder, president and chairman of the board of Uri L’Tzedek. It is described as the Orthodox social justice movement.

In addition Rabbi Yanklowitz has served as a volunteer mission leader and educator. As such he has traveled to Israel; Ghana, Africa; Pune, India; Senegal, Africa; Thailand; Ukraine; El Salvador; France; Germany; Guatemala; and Haiti. In the United States he has volunteered with the San Diego wildfire crisis relief and provided assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Shoshana Yanklowitz is a nurse and the daughter of an Orthodox rabbi from New York.

Bestselling author, scholar and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) activist Jay Michaelson will be in Kansas City Tuesday, Feb. 21, to discuss his latest book, “God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality” (Beacon Press, 2011). The event begins at 7 p.m. at the LIKEME Lighthouse, 3900 Main Street, Kansas City, Mo.

David Wheaton, one of the event sponsors and a member of Congregation Kol Ami, said Michaelson’s book and the discussion of it here “could not be more timely and relevant in our current social/political/religious landscape.”

“Harmful rhetoric and misconceptions in the public arena intensify the pain and suffering of LGBT people, their families, friends and congregations. The consequences are sometimes tragic as revealed in the continued reports of forced conversion therapies, bullying and teen suicides. The dialogue, respectful scriptural analysis and new perspectives presented in Jay’s book can help guide LGBT people, congregations and clergy toward dignity, compassion and justice,” Wheaton said.

The discussion and reception is being sponsored locally by Kol Ami and Jewish Family Services. Nationally Michaelson’s book tour is also being sponsored by the Forward; Nehirim (“lights”), a national, nonprofit and nondenominational organization Michaelson founded which builds community for GLBT Jews, partners and allies; and Zeek Media Inc., a nonprofit organization founded by Michaelson in January 2002, which publishes the online magazine Zeek: a Journal of Jewish Thought and Culture.

Michaelson, who lives in upstate New York and grew up in a Conservative Jewish family, is the author of four books and 200 articles on religion, sexuality and the law, and a leading religious advocate for sexual minorities whose work has been featured in the New York Times, NPR and CNN. Michaelson holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Yale Law School, a Master of Arts degree in religious studies from Hebrew University, a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Sarah Lawrence, and a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia where he graduated magna cum laude. He is currently completing a doctorate degree in Jewish thought at Hebrew University.

In publicity for “God vs. Gay,” Michaelson writes that “At this moment, there are people who are contemplating ending their lives because they believe their sexuality to be a sin, a flaw in the fabric of their soul, or perhaps a curse from God.”

In the book, Michaelson makes the case that religious people should favor gay rights because of religion, not despite it. Weaving in his personal coming out story, he speaks to those who struggle to reconcile their faith and sexuality. Michaelson re-examines Scriptures from the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament and argues that homosexuality is not only natural, but put in stark religious terms, sexual diversity is part of God’s plans.”

He explains that the main argument of “God vs. Gay” is that while there are a tiny handful of ambiguous and limited verses that talk about same-sex intimacy they are subject to interpretation. He also notes that homosexuality is not specifically mentioned in the Bible because that concept wasn’t invented until the 19th century.

“You can take a narrow interpretation, such that they apply to hardly anyone today, or a broad one, such that they ban everything LGBT. So, the question is, which interpretation do you choose to take?”

Michaelson said to give an honest answer to that, you have to ask what fundamental values weigh into this decision.

“In the book, I go through a dozen or so which compel us to take the narrow reading: values like love, the importance of relationship, justice, honesty, integrity and so on. Overall, the weight of these religious traditions — including a literal reading of the Bible, if that’s how you want to read it — is clearly on the side of full equality and inclusion,” he said.

He decided to write “God vs. Gay” because he felt “we’re at a unique moment of opportunity right now.”

“Because of the increased visibility of LGBT people in the media, the changes in law in some places, and the continued effort by some on the political right to use gay rights as a scare-tactic, this is a defining civil rights struggle of our times. It’s clear to most people that the stereotypes about gay people are no more true than racist stereotypes or sexist stereotypes. At the same time, we have to have a deeper conversation about these issues than the ones often going on in our public sphere,” he said.

For Michaelson, the book is personal as well as political.

“A lot of people, myself included, were raised to believe that religion and sexual minorities were incompatible — that it really is God versus Gay. Personally, I chose the ‘God’ side for 10 years, repressing my sexuality and cutting myself off from other people. Even when I finally gave up, I still thought that coming out would be the end of my religious life. In fact, it was the beginning,” Michaelson said.

The response to his book has been very warm, he said.

“I’ve met dozens of parents of gay kids who are sincerely trying to understand their religious traditions on this issue. I’ve met lots of non-religious people who have never been exposed to this material except through the lens of the bigots. And I’ve met a few hecklers. Overall, it’s been really gratifying to me to see how this work is already having an impact,” he said.

Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun magazine, praised the book.

“Michaelson shows that ‘God versus gay’ is a myth and that our shared religious values favor equality for LGBT people,” Lerner said.

Like many soldiers, Jack Krashin was only 18 years old when he was drafted into the U.S. Army after he graduated from high school in 1943. Sixty-nine years later, he still proudly speaks of his service to his country, and daily feels the effects of it.

Krashin’s 1943 Army photo is one of 400 photos of soldiers from the Midwest that has been placed on the Wall of Honor that will be featured, along with the exhibit “Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War,” which opens Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, in Skokie, Ill. (See box for more information.) His photo is one of five included on the opening event’s invitation. He is the only representative on the Wall of Honor from Kansas and the metro area.

In addition Krashin’s bio is one of 44 that will be used in a Facebook and Twitter campaign publicizing the exhibit. Krashin’s information will be featured the week of March 7 according to Arielle Weininger, the museum’s chief curator of collections and exhibitions.

When asked about his Army service, the 86-year-old Krashin said in a soft-spoken voice that he is simply proud to have been able to completely perform his combat duties during hard-fought battles.

During the two years Krashin fought in World War II, he earned a Bronze Star, the combat infantry badge and was wounded. As a member of the 30th Infantry Division, he sailed for Europe in February 1944 and served in France, Belgium during the famous “Battle of the Bulge” and Germany. He was discharged in the fall of 1945.

Krashin was a “bazooka man,” the man who fired the rocket propelled anti-tank weapon. He thinks it’s ironic that they chose the “shortest, smallest guy” to carry it.

The bazooka rested on Krashin’s right shoulder whenever he knelt to fire it. The weapon was loud and sat next to his right ear. His hearing loss — he now has a cochlear implant to help him hear better — is attributed to the loud noise the bazooka made when fired.

“We had no hearing protection like they have today. They just said here’s your bazooka, go shoot some Nazis,” he said.

Krashin was awarded for his bravery in battle with a Bronze Star Medal. His Combat Infantry Badge recognizes the fact that he personally fought in active ground combat while an assigned member of an infantry unit in World War II. After he was wounded by shrapnel in battle, he was also awarded a Purple Heart.

The Bronze Star was earned following a battle on Crucifix Hill where his squad leader was injured, and presumably killed. The squad needed to be led back to safety and Krashin was trusted with the task because he was an assistant squad leader.

“Our squad leader was listed as missing in action and never found,” said Krashin, a member of the local Jewish War Veterans chapter. “Two others were also decorated for heroism that day besides me.”

He remembers having a huge “adrenaline rush” that day.

“It put my whole body out of control. I didn’t know where to turn, to run or hide,” he said. “But I didn’t think that I could be a casualty or be captured. From then on I just tried to get the Germans.”

He was injured in another battle while his unit was on the front lines in Germany.

“We were ordered to move back due to a counter attack,” he explained. “A whole group of men instantly took off for the main line and left me there.”

Krashin was alone and didn’t want to run the risk of being captured. So he didn’t move for a while.

“At that point all hell broke loose, mortars and artillery were flying. When I was able to find the others, some flying shrapnel struck me in the leg,” he explained.

After he was wounded, he was able to run until he found a vacant fox hole.

“I jumped in it and put a tourniquet on my leg using my bandolier (ammunition belt) and tightened it using my bayonet,” he said.

He eventually passed out and woke up in the dark. He doesn’t know how long it took before a medic found him.

“I was surprised they found me. They treated me with a sulfa drug and a couple of guys carried me to the aid station,” he said.

Krashin was sent to a hospital in Belgium, where he had surgery. When he first got to the hospital and his dog tags were being checked, the soldier greeted him by saying “hello Lantzman.” That’s Yiddish for a Jewish person from the same area you are.

The injury didn’t send him home, however. After he recovered from the surgery, he joined a postal unit in England.

“It was a break for me. I couldn’t stand the cold anymore,” he said.

But before Krashin left Germany, he was often used as an unofficial interpreter when the unit was in a town or village.

“He knew Yiddish so he could run interference with the population,” Fannie, his wife of 60 years, said.

Even during this mild Kansas City winter, today Krashin is always cold. He suffered frost bite on his hands from the cold conditions he faced all those years ago in Europe.

“That’s from sleeping on the cold ground,” he explained. In addition, it’s because the coats they were issued weren’t nearly warm enough for the conditions.

After his Army service, Krashin attended the University of Missouri and then went into his father’s wholesale jewelry business.

He later worked for himself for about 10 years and then worked in retail jewelry stores. He is now retired from the jewelry business after a 60-year career.

The Krashins are members of BIAV and are active at Chabad and the Torah Learning Center. They have four children, 11 grandchildren and “4.5 great grandchildren.”

“The fifth is due in May,” Fannie said.

Skokie exhibit information

Kansas City resident Jack Krashin is one of 400 people whose photos will be showcased on the Wall of Honor when the exhibit

“Ours to Fight For: American Jews in the Second World War” opens in Skokie, Ill. The traveling exhibit, which was created and is circulated by the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York, opens Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. It will be on display through June 17. For more information, visit www.ilholocaustmuseum.org or call 847-967-4800.

“Ours to Fight For” explores and celebrates the achievements of Jewish men and women who were part of the American war effort on and off of the battlefield. In their own voices and through their artifacts, letters and photographs the “Greatest Generation” tells the stories of what the war was like for all its participants, and for Jews in particular. Approximately 500,000 Jews served in all branches of the U.S. armed forces during the war and 52,000 were decorated for bravery.

The voices are drawn from more than 400 interviews conducted with Jewish servicemen and women throughout the country.

“Ours to Fight For” powerfully illustrates what it was like to be American — and Jewish — in a time of war.

History can be buried, but that doesn’t mean it must be forgotten.

That is the opinion of photographer and preservationist Bruce Mathews and the numerous volunteers and local citizens who have been working to preserve Elmwood Cemetery. The cemetery covers 43 acres in the heart of Kansas City, and is the final resting place for many city founders, 12 former mayors and many others who have made a significant contribution to the development of Kansas City.

A 2-acre tract in the southwest corner of Elmwood Cemetery is owned by The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah. Buried here are many of the Jewish Kansas Citians that influenced local history.

“These are Jews that worked in the community,” said Andrew Kaplan, B’nai Jehudah’s president. “Anyone who questions if Jews were involved in the development of this community just needs to learn about the names found here.”

Mathews has made it his mission to preserve the entire cemetery, including B’nai Jehudah’s section, helping to organize upkeep and restoration efforts. He believes the contributions made by those interned in Elmwood are crucial in understanding the present Kansas City.

“These are some of the people that gave us the Kansas City spirit,” Mathews said. “That spirit may have taken a hit in recent years, but it is coming back as strong as ever. These people helped create that unique spirit and here we can preserve their memory.”

The Jewish section has received a helpful boost in the form of several sizable donations from Mary Davidson Cohen and her foundation. Her grandparents are buried in Elmwood.

“Mary has a warm spot in her heart for the cemetery,” Kaplan said. “She has given $5,000 over the last five years and she just recently gave another $6,000. She has been a great supporter.”

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this beautiful park-like setting was designed by George Kessler, designer of Kansas City’s parks and boulevard system. The cemetery first opened in 1872. Because of its age, the cemetery was sorely in need of repairs and attention when Mathews took charge of the project.

“The work is never-ending,” Mathews said. “The grass was so tall, it hid many of the graves. Trees were overgrown. The people that have helped here are not afraid of work.”

Mathews expresses his gratitude to all of the people that have helped and volunteered their time.

“Not just one person does all this work,” Mathews said. “It is done by a lot of people coming together.”

Several local Boy Scouts have given a lot of time to the project recently. One Eagle Scout, Rodrigo Gonzalez, raised more than $600 to buy new headstones for six unmarked Jewish graves in the cemetery. Gonzalez personally placed the stones to give these unnamed individuals a proper burial. Though Gonzalez is not Jewish, Kaplan is inspired by his example.

“That is the real definition of the righteous Jew,” Kaplan said. “Doing something for someone out of respect and in appreciation of other people.”

Many Boy Scouts were able to complete their Eagle Scout certification thanks to their work at Elmwood.

“It’s a life-changing event for some of these young men,” Kaplan said. “And watching them do this for complete strangers, you get a bit choked up.”

In addition to the Eagle Scouts, several historical societies have been very active in restoration efforts. Volunteer opportunities are available the fourth Saturday of every month. Elmwood receives no government funding and relies on the volunteer assistance.

Mathews’ personal dedication to Elmwood, and the hard work of many others, has resurrected the cemetery from a run down and decaying spot, to a beautiful and peaceful setting.

“I have appreciated this opportunity to give back to the city and do community service, and I wanted to make the most of it” Mathews said. “And on top of that, here is a chance to learn a lot about the rich history of the city. It’s a great situation that I am very pleased about as more and more people become involved.”

For more information on Elmwood Cemetery go online to www.elmwoodcem-kc.org. There you can learn about the Family History Project as well as how to volunteer to help the cemetery.

The history of Elmwood is detailed in the book, “Elmwood Cemetery: Stories of Kansas City,” written by 24 authors and compiled by Mathews.

“It meant a lot to be able to put the history together,” Mathews said. “I doled the parts out to 24 great people in the community to work on this and they did a fantastic job. We are in our second printing now, and excited to get more copies out.”

The book is available at all Kansas City booksellers and on the Barnes & Noble website, bn.com.

More about Elmwood

“Everyone that has a street named after them is buried here,” said photographer Bruce Mathews, referencing the many familiar names found on the tombstones at Elmwood Cemetery.

To see a list of those buried in Elmwood, go online to www.elmwoodcem-kc.org. Individuals are organized by profession in easy-to-navigate sections.

Also on the website visitors will find a cemetery map, pricing information and the Family History Project and family photos. If there is a belief that a family ancestor is buried in Elmwood, there will be information on their birth, marriage history, biographical sketches and death date and location. This section is continually being updated all the time.