The Jewish Heritage Foundation of Greater Kansas City has decided to continue its commitment to older adults, known as its Older Adult Grantmaking Program, for at least another five years, through 2017. The foundation plans to review this decision in three years.

The Older Adult Grantmaking Program was launched in 2006 to address the challenges facing Kansas City as the community continues to age. During the next 30 years the most significant shift in demographics ever to occur will take place as there will be more adults over the age of 65 than there are children under age 5.

A main goal of this initiative is to help ensure that older Americans don’t just add years to their lives, but that quality is added to those years. These grants are expected to enable older adults to age in place. JHF’s long-term objective is to educate and raise awareness for these issues and help Kansas City develop the resources necessary to build the plan and infrastructure to meet these challenges.

In just five years, Ellen Kort, JHF’s executive director, reports that JHF has become the area’s major funder in the area for older adult initiatives. During that time the foundation has given out more than $1.3 million in grants dedicated to older adult initiatives.

Board President Merilyn Berenbom said the board’s commitment to “bring laser focus to the reality of a rapidly growing aging demographic has been both challenging and gratifying.”

“It’s been challenging because the needs of seniors with long-term chronic illnesses are growing exponentially. It’s been gratifying because the Heritage Foundation is leading the way for collaboration within the region to effectively address these issues,” Berenbom said.

Others agree with Berenbom that JHF is leading the effort to develop the necessary resources to meet the challenges of an aging community in the Kansas City area.

“Any KC funder understands that JHF initiated this evolving movement in our region, which, otherwise, would not have happened,” noted Gene Wilson, a former senior vice president of the Kauffman Foundation.

He continued to say that Kansas City is now recognized as one of the top two or three engagement programs for older adults in the nation.

“While we wish we were accomplishing more in Kansas City to increase awareness and understanding of the broad implications of aging demographics, our peers nationally aspire to reach the levels of success and high standard we are setting here. The Jewish Heritage Foundation board can take full credit for that, because of its insight and its continuing financial support,” Wilson said.

JHF’s Senior Program Officer Cathy Boyer-Shesol pointed out that the first five years of this grant-making program has significantly raised awareness that aging is a critical issue facing the region. She said because of this, Mid America Regional Council has put this issue on its planning agenda.

“The many efforts and accomplishments experienced in the Kansas City area over the past five years — largely through grants made by the foundation — have resulted in Mid America Regional Council’s interest in developing strategic plans around caregiving, civic engagement, health services, housing and transportation/mobility. Results of this regional planning will guide the foundation’s next phase of older adult grant-making strategy,” Boyer-Shesol said.

The continued commitment

Kort said JHF decided to extend its commitment to older adults because it felt the effort was really just getting started.

“There was so much that we learned through the process the first five years that was not in place, that we felt we really needed to give it a more expanded time frame,” Kort said.

Kort said it didn’t take long to find out that while organizations had big plans for programs, such as in-home monitoring for seniors in the inner city, there was actually no structure in place to implement any of these programs.

“There was no coordinated effort in this city to put people who were interested in civic engagement together. So they really had to go back to ground zero and start with the infrastructure,” Kort said.

Progress has been made, Kort said, but just two years after the JHF initiative began, the economy took a nosedive.

“Funding older adults wasn’t as appealing to many foundations as it was in the good years,” Kort said.
Kort feels the project has momentum now.

“Other foundations are joining us and we need to see it through for another five years for sure. With the baby boomers coming and the silver tsunami, as more and more people turn 65, it’s much more apparent to folks that this is a real issue and a real concern in our community,” she said.

“We felt we had just gotten this started and it was not time to abandon it but rather to invest more resources in the project and to see if we can go forward. We did get an inkling of what could be, but it hadn’t happened yet,” she continued.

Kort said the amount JHF will be able to fund older adult initiatives over the next five years will depend, as always, on how well the foundation’s portfolio performs. No matter what, JHF will stick with the grant-making formula it came up with in 2006 that resulted in designating at least two-thirds of grant funds for Jewish organizations. The remaining one-third of grant funds are given to the general community, with 50 percent of that one-third designated for core agency support grants. The remaining 50 percent of that one-third is set aside for grants focused on older adults.

A history of giving

The Jewish Heritage Foundation was created in 1994 with the sale of Menorah Hospital to Health Midwest. Over the past 14 years, the foundation has dedicated itself to improving the quality of life to the citizens of the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area through its support of the area agencies who serve them.

During this time Kort pointed out that JHF has begun emphasizing the importance of funding programs for the elderly in the Jewish community as well.

“Hopefully the programs in the Jewish community and the general community feed off each other. We can be more than the sum of our parts if we combine what we learn in the Jewish community and in the general community. And there is some ‘shiddach’ (match making) that we are making between the agencies. In many senses the Jewish community is a model for the general community. Certainly in the way of its civic engagement and the whole Help@Home concept and JET Express transportation programs,” Kort said.

Referring back to its commitment to older adults, Kort noted that other agencies tend to fund projects for emergency services and needs for children because those projects sound more appealing.

“It’s not so sexy to fund older adults. But we feel this is our attempt at tikkun olam (repairing the world) because we need to be forward thinking in this area,” Kort said.

For now she doesn’t believe that people and organizations have been as responsive as the need indicates they should be when it comes to the needs of older adults.

“What we understand is that the community in general is not ready to handle the impact of an aging population on the community. We are trying to help in a very small way and perhaps others will take heed of this and come on board with us,” Kort said.

JHF announces 2011 older adult grants

The Jewish Heritage Foundation of Greater Kansas City announces that 14 Greater Kansas City area nonprofit organizations are recipients of grants through its 2011 Older Adult Grantmaking Program. The grants, totaling $230,765, represent the Foundation’s fifth round of annual investments over the initial five-year period through 2012.

JHF Older Adult Grant Program will extend for an additional five-year period through 2017.

The 2011 grant recipients include nonprofit organizations in the bi-state Greater Kansas City area and address critical areas including regional planning, transportation/mobility, and community connection. Several grants will support the capacity to help older adults continue living in their community, while other grants support the implementation of collaborative strategic plans to meet the anticipated demands of the increased number of older citizens.

Below is a list of the 2011 older adult grant recipients, the grant amount and a brief description of the program:

Vesper Hall — Blue Springs, Mo., $1,515: Senior Center Re-Accreditation expenses Parks & Recreation
Mid America Regional Council, $100,000: KC4 Aging Implementation Initiative
Nonprofit Connect, $5,000: Funder Affinity Group on Aging Issues
UMKC Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, $9,850: Mapping Access to Senior Services in Kansas City
UMKC Midwest Center for Nonprofit Leadership, $14,400: Continuation of implementation of the Framework for Senior Mobility

General Operating Support Grants in the amount of $10,000 were given to the following organizations that provide “on-the-ground” services to help older adults remain in their homes and involved in the community.

Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas
Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City
Kansas University Endowment Association
Metro Lutheran Ministry
Phoenix Family Housing Corporation
Platt Senior Services, Inc.
Shepherd’s Center of Kansas City Central
Shepherd’s Center of Kansas City, Kansas
Shepherd’s Center of the Northland
Westport Cooperative Services

In 2011, the Foundation provided $1,832,862 in grants which includes approximately $1.3 million in program and core agency support grants in the Kansas City Jewish community.

A complete listing of 2011 grants awarded is posted on the Jewish Heritage Foundation’s website, www.jhf-kc.org.

As a black Jew-by-choice, Jesse Newman knows all about different and diverse cultures. He has also always loved history. All the above led Newman to write “The Hated Outsiders: How Manifest Destiny Affected the Japanese and the Jews,” a book self-published this past summer through AuthorHouse.

“I have always loved history and read as much as I could. I studied all the history courses at KU, except for art history,” Newman said. “It was out of this love for history that the ‘Hated Outsiders’ came about.”

Newman wrote a paper in college that became the basis for this book. The book compares the similarities between Japanese and Jewish people and how they were both affected by the expansion of the United States. The book also talks about the connections between these peoples and black culture and American culture as a whole. The interconnectivity of all of these groups becomes a central focus in Newman’s book.

“I was attempting to fill in the pieces that had been left out of the history books,” Newman said. “I felt driven to write down these facts that a lot of people were not aware of.”

Newman explained that the histories of different, diverse cultures are often more intertwined than can be perceived with a quick glance at a text book. An event in one region can have a domino effect that changes the fortunes of another people in another part of the world.

For example, the successful slave revolt in the late 1700s in what is now known as Haiti against French forces made Napoleon lose hope of building a French New World empire. This led him to sell the Louisiana territory to Thomas Jefferson for well below market value. This more than doubled the size of the fledgling United States, and would increase its power. Subsequently, more slaves would be sent from Africa to work in the new, larger county.

“These details were left out of the history books when I was a kid,” said Newman, a historian who has also written two other books. “Either they were left out because teachers didn’t know them, or because they challenged the status quo.”

Parallel Cultures

In college, Newman converted to Judaism, and today he is a member of Kehilath Israel Synagogue. In 1969 it was unusual for a black man to convert to Judaism; however, Newman felt the teachings of Judaism best fit his world view because the racial (Jim Crow) segregation he grew up in was overwhelmingly oppressive.

“I loved the universalism of the Jewish thought process,” Newman said. “When I saw Judaism, I thought the universalism of the religion made it unique among world philosophies. And my studies pointed me to Judaism.”

He also began to see parallels between the Jewish and Black experiences in America.

“Jews have a tremendous history that has been left out of mainstream education in this country,” Newman said. “The same way that so much Black history has been left out.”

His interest in history began to take him down a path of researching the mysteries of marginalized peoples’ role in the creation of a world power.

“Knowing early American history, you see the pieces coming together,” Newman said. “Slavery was introduced in the early 17th century, and Jews came in at about the same time. Both groups changed the country more than anyone could have expected.

“There were two statements my professor made that changed my life,” he continued. “The first is ‘America is the least worst of any country in the world.’ The second was ‘Look at all the conflicts America is involved in from one of three standpoints, from the Bible, ethics or the constitution.’ These statements shaped how I began to look at history.”

Other Influences

Karate also influenced a young Newman. He began exploring Japanese culture more, including books contrasting Japanese and Jews.

“I read these things that others have written and thought I could do better,” Newman said. “I thought no one had covered the topic from both sides before.”

He first explored this topic in a paper at KU, called the “Successful Outsiders.” Newman renamed his paper and began his extensive research for this book in 1995.

“I began to find more and more, and the more I found the more excited I got,” Newman said. “The Jews had a huge impact on the Japanese, in this country and abroad.”

Some of his research led Newman to some surprising findings.

“You begin to weave together a history, such as Jews causing Japan to be a world power in the 20th century,” Newman said, “I always wondered why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Then I found a document that was recently declassified called “War Plan Orange: U.S. Strategy to Defeat Japan 1897-1945. You see that the aggression between the two countries has been going on a lot longer than you might think. And that America was at times the instigator.”

Newman said his research has amassed enough information for two volumes, so he is considering writing a follow up to this book with more focus on economics.

“I like looking at all of the pieces and at how everything fits together, and while studying these histories, you see so many pieces coming together. I hope I can add to this continually evolving history,” Newman said. “These manuscripts are meant to be a part of this historical record. That is their legacy.”

A New Foundation

Newman continues his pursuit of bridging cultures as the founder and chairman of the Japanese Cultural Arts Foundation. The Foundation is planning to open a new center in Olathe. He hopes a groundbreaking will take place in 2013.

The concept of the Japanese Cultural Arts Foundation and Asian Conference Center is authentic Japanese buildings and gardens on a 40-acre location, and will promote a greater understanding, friendship and cross-cultural exchange between Japan and other Asian nations and the United States.

The Center will feature libraries, museums, exhibition spaces, classrooms, gift shops, restaurants and theaters. The formal gardens will also include the traditional Japanese tea house. For more information on the Japanese Culture Arts Foundation, log onto the www.jcaf.org.

To order “The Hated Outsiders” or any of Newman’s other books, visit www.jessenewmanbooks.com.

“This is a story that needs to be told,” Newman said. “Someone needed to bring this information to the public. I hope I will be one of the first.”

Will the phone ring Jan. 1? Will it be as late as Jan. 9? The staff of The Chronicle always wait and wonder when the phone will ring, or in recent years when the email will come, asking if their child could possibly be the first Jewish baby of the year.

If you know someone who may qualify as the first baby of 2012, call Chronicle Editor Barbara Bayer at 913-951-8425 or send an email to . The family of this year’s first Jewish baby will win a variety of prizes and will be featured in an upcoming issue of The Chronicle.

Ironically, the first Jewish baby, or in one case babies, was born on the same day each of the past three years. All four babies were born on Jan. 9.

Twins Hannah and Nick Small were born Jan. 9, 2009. They are the children of Lisa and David Small. David Small is now the president of MetroMedia, the parent company of The Chronicle.

Leo Covitz was born the following year, Jan. 9, 2010. Now almost 2, he is the son of Amy and Jeff Covitz.

“It was great to win prizes,” noted Amy Covitz.

“We stayed at the InterContinental hotel on our anniversary and Leo’s bris was completely catered,” she explained. That year one prize was a one-night stay at the InterContinental hotel on the Plaza and another business provided pastries and hor d’oerves, which were served at Leo’s bris.

Last year Emma Furey was born prematurely on Jan. 9, 2011. She is the daughter of Amy Ravis Furey and Brian Furey. Little Emma spent three weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. She weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces and as she prepares to celebrate her first birthday, mother Amy Ravis Furey estimates she weighs about 16 pounds now.

“She is crawling and pulling up, right on track for almost 1,” Emma’s mother reports.

The Fureys also enjoyed a one-night’s stay at the InterContinental.

“Brian and I were able to get away just after my birthday for a concert and a night’s stay and we had a great time. There is nothing more appreciated than an uninterrupted night of sleep. Thank you for a great gift,” Furey said.

The prizes for the 2012 first Jewish baby, all provided by Chronicle advertisers, can be found on pages 14 and 15.

CHANUKAH AT THE CAPITOL — Levi Parkhurst, a junior at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, entertained at Cedar Crest, the official governor’s mansion of the state of Kansas, at a pre-Chanukah celebration Monday, Jan. 19. Representatives from Chabad House Center of Kansas City, Chabad on the Plaza and Chabad at KU, traveled to Topeka, Kan., for the party, which was also attended by Governor Sam Brownback and his wife, Mary. Levi played “Ma’oz Tsur” (“Rock of Ages”) on his violin during the ceremonial lighting of the Menorah and entertained later with another piece.

CHIEFS FAN RECOGNIZED — Gary Friedman has been a KC Chiefs season ticket holder since 1963. You often see him on NBC Action News when the station wants to interview a die-hard Chiefs fan. Through sickness and health (Gary is a cancer survivor!) he has cheered his Chiefs on hoping this would be the year they would win another Super Bowl. His loyalty hasn’t gone unnoticed as other fans and the Chiefs recognized Friedman not once but twice this season. Twice this month Friedman and his wife, were invited on the field for pregame festivities and featured on the Arrow Vision score board. As the HyVee Fan of the Game honoree, the Friedmans were awarded two roundtrip tickets to fly anywhere in the continental United States on United Airlines. Then on Dec. 18 the Friedmans were featured as one of the six nominees for the Tony DiPardo Fan of the Year Award. That award honors the spirit and enthusiasm for which DiPardo, affectionately known as “Mr. Music,” was best known. The winner was announced at the final home game last weekend and unfortunately Friedman didn’t win the big award, but he said the whole experience was great. “It was an amazing year for me to have both honors and being on the Arrow Vision twice this year,” Friedman said. While the Chiefs won’t be going to the playoffs again this year, we join Friedman’s cheering section. Go Chiefs!

SUCH A MENSCH — A regular reader wants us to know about the special work Pam Reiz does for the Russian community. Last week she organized an annual Chanukah party, as she also does for Purim and Pesach. “The parties couldn’t take place without the love and dedication Pam has for the group,” the reader pointed out. Every year she has someone help her make flyers in Russian and single handedly prepares a homemade feast of latkes, jelly doughnuts and all the accompaniments. Then she shleps it all over to Santa Fe Towers (where a large percentage of elderly Russian Jews live) with holiday paper goods and her hot plate to re-warm everything. She does this after putting in her time as a full-time geriatric nurse. “When Pam walks in, everyone in the lobby lights up, and starts calling ‘Pammy, Pammy.’” In addition to the meal, Pam provides everyone with his or her own menorah, candles, bags of gelt, Chanukah literature in Russian and dreidels, all sponsored by Chabad House. Reiz also visits these residents several times a month on her days off. You may remember her son, Rabbi Yudell Reiz, was just featured in an article in The Chronicle a couple of weeks ago.

The artistic skills and creativity of the children in the Jewish community continue to amaze the judges of the annual Chanukah Art Contest sponsored by The Chabad House Center and The Jewish Chronicle. This year more than 20 children submitted entries. The grand-prize winner of the contest, now in its 15th year, is Nina Kulikov. Nina entered a white ceramic chanukiyah.

She won an iPad2, provided by Chabad House.

“The submissions were outstanding. They were the best I’ve ever seen,” said one seasoned judge.

Rabbi Mendy Wineberg, who as program director of The Chabad House organizes the contest every year, said you can see by looking at the entries that the children understand the spirit of the Festival of Lights.

“This contest gets them thinking about what Chanukah really means, not just the material aspect of the holiday,” Rabbi Wineberg said.

Isaac Decker wins the K-4 division, submitting his creation “Dreidel Bird.” Molly Emanuel McGlynn’s “Tree of Life-Light” is the upper division winner for grades 5-8. Both of these winners will receive a digital camera, also courtesy of Chabad House.

The winning entries

Nine-year-old Nina Kulikov, the daughter of Vicky and Andre Kulikov, is a member of Kehilath Israel Synagogue and is a fourth-grade student at Trailwood Elementary School. She said she chose her design, titled “Miracle of Lights,” because she wanted something simple “that wasn’t too fancy but would represent the miracle of lights.”

A student of artist Nicole Emanuel, Nina used porcelain, paint and wood to make her chanukiah. It features the two faces of God (one on each side) and four figures which represent the Jewish people celebrating the miracle of lights

Nina created the chanukiah by sculpting the porcelain clay and having it fired. Then she painted the wooden base white and glued the individual pieces to the wood. She chose to leave her creation white and unglazed, and even chose to use white candles, for what she calls a more dramatic effect.

She’s thrilled she won an iPad for her creation.

“I’m excited to see all the different apps that I can use,” Nina said.

Molly Emanuel McGlynn, the 10-year-old daughter of Nicole Emanuel and Luke McGlynn, is a fifth-grade student at Briarwood Elementary School and is the upper division winner. Molly said she chose the theme of her entry, “Tree of Life-Light,” because she’s “always been into earthy things.”

“I would take walks in the woods and my room has the same theme as my project,” Molly said. “I just thought it would be a good idea for a menorah.”

Molly originally tried to craft her tree out of cardboard and wires, but said she couldn’t get that to work. Then she decided to ask her mother for some clay.

“Before we put the clay in the kiln, I poked holes with wires so I could put the leaves in the fired clay,” she said.

Molly made the tree leaves out of tissue paper and chose LED candles for the flames, which are supported by the leaves on the tree.

Isaac Decker, a 9-year-old fourth-grader at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and a member of Congregation Beth Shalom, came up with the idea for his “Dreidel Bird,” after listening to a song by the same name by the Macaroons. (It can be found on YouTube or at www.macaroons.com.) The song is about a dreidel with wings that lives in a nest.

Isaac, the son of Lainie and Jim Decker, said he used clay, plastic and wooden dreidels and a piece of wood from the woodpile to make his project. He entered the contest because he “wanted to let people see my art work.”

Being totally honest, he added, “I also wanted the prize.”

Judges noted that a variety of materials were used to create this year’s entries. Besides clay, entries were made from crayon, paint, beads, food, recycled materials and Legos.

Entries on display

For the first time, all the entries are on display in the lobby of Village Shalom and will remain on display until the conclusion of Chanukah. Entries will be returned to Chabad House and can be picked up there until the end of January. For more information, contact or call 913-649-4852.

Visitors will get a chance to view all the outstanding pieces of art. A framed series of photographs submitted by Avi Brudoley, a fifth-grade student at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy is just one entry on display.

“I like that you can see the dreidel spinning. You can tell a lot of time was spent on this,” one judge said.

Sydney Seigle, a fourth-grade student at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehdudah, submitted “Chanukah in the Heartland Menorah,” which used cans of food as the base. She noted on her entry form that she planned to donate the materials to Yachad: The Kosher Food Pantry following the conclusion of Chanukah.

“This young lady was thinking about more than just winning a great prize when she made her creation,” one of the judges commented.

Blumah Wineberg of The Chabad House visited with a parent one day as an entry was dropped off.

“She said she can’t ever get her child to do art except for this contest. She said he starts thinking about what he’s going to enter in June. That is really impressive,” Blumah Wineberg said.

If it’s Chanukah, it’s time for Rabbi Margolies to celebrate a birthday. He was born 90 years ago on Dec. 25, 1921, which was also the first day of Chanukah, in Jerusalem. So he celebrates his birthday on the Hebrew date, Kislev 25. He tells a story that he did not realize that his birthday was what many in the world know as Christmas day until he was a small boy in school, after his family had moved to the United States and had settled in New York.

Rabbi Margolies came to Kansas City in 1961 to serve as the senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom. He served as senior rabbi until 1986, when he took on the title of rabbi emeritus. In 2000, he said he became a rabbi because “American Jews needed and still need teachers and guides.”

His family and those in the Kansas City Jewish community indeed believe he has been a beloved teacher and guide through the years, as evidenced by these birthday wishes below. If you wish to send a birthday wish to Rabbi Margolies, email it to or mail it to Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, 4210 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 314A, Fairway, KS 66205. The messages will be forwarded to Rabbi Margolies.

May you follow in the footsteps of our great and revered leader Moshe Rabeinu and live to be 120.
Ruth Margolies, wife

“For many, many years, Rabbi Margolies shared his brilliant insights as a columnist for The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle.
His thoughtful opinions were unequivocal, and sometimes controversial. We loved every word of what he wrote, whether we agreed with him or not.

The Chronicle is not the same without his voice. We are pleased to wish him a happy 90th birthday.

And many, many more.”

Steve Rose, publisher, Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

Papa (Morris Margolies) is undoubtedly one of the greatest inspirations in my life. By witnessing his actions and engaging in conversation with him, I have absorbed an unbelievable amount of knowledge as well as learning the morals by which one should live. The world is certainly a better place because of him; we should all aspire to be like Papa.

Jacob Margolies, grandson

Papa taught me everything I know about Torah and Judaism. He has been an inspiration to me for my entire life.

Shoshana Margolies, granddaughter

Special wishes on your 90th birthday for a year of good health and intellectual prowess for which you are so renowned.

Fondly,
Rabbi Herbert and Barbara Mandl.

Mazel Tov Rabbi, friend, scholar, teacher, spiritual and communal leader. Since 1961 you have been a treasured resource in the greater Kansas City Jewish and general community. Elinor and I toast you on this special birthday.

L’Chaim,
Gustave Eisemann, M.D.

While my tenure at Beth Shalom has spanned more than 20 years and includes many recollections, what stands out are the weekly study sessions that we shared for a number of years. We learned Midrash together and I greatly benefitted from these weekly hours of study and the insights I got both from the text and Rabbi Margolies’ insightfulness. They were rewarding sessions. “Ad meah v’esrim” — “until 120!”

Rabbi Alan Cohen

I would like to wish my father-in-law a happy birthday from his “buddy,” Deborah (Salkov).

Dear Grandpa,

Happy birthday and happy Chanukah! What a milestone! Although we cannot be there to share this special birthday with you in person, I have very fond memories of past birthdays and Chanukah’s shared with you. In fact, one of my first memories of lighting the menorah was at your house with our family, you and grandma. I always looked forward to our holidays spent together singing songs, playing games, learning, and sharing good food. Recalling sitting on your lap during an enthusiastic round of benching still makes me smile, thinking about our many learning sessions spent together still gives me inspiration. To that end, I cannot thank you enough for being not only my teacher and mentor, but also my loving, caring grandfather. Sharing dvrei Torah and giant hugs, deep thoughts and silly jokes, I feel truly blessed to have grown up just a short drive away from my grandparents. My family joins me in wishing you a very happy birthday and Chanukah. We love you, Grandpa.

Love,

Your granddaughter, Rachel, grandson-in-law, Ari, and great-grandchildren, Leora, Ezra, and Adina

To my Abba, my friend, my teacher. I am the luckiest daughter in the world to have you as my father. Your passion for Torah and justice has inspired me every day of my life. Mazel tov on reaching your 90th birthday. I love you Abbale.

Your loving daughter,
Malka (Margolies)

I had the unique opportunity for most of my growing years to attend a classroom of one with my father as teacher. As I was the only child of my parents to attend public school exclusively from grade one through 12, Dad was the singular source of my Jewish education and he tirelessly poured his soul into the effort to teach me Torah, Jewish history, halachah and literature. I am ever grateful to him for the Jewish knowledge that I still retain today and for his constant love and devotion as my father.

Jonathan Margolies, son

Rabbi Morris Margolies had a profound influence on me and many of my contemporaries who grew up at Beth Shalom. Having lived through the turbulent 1960s, we wrestled with many issues — Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, the Six Day War, the search for meaning and identity. If you did not have an inspiring spiritual guide through this chaos, you generally ended up dropping out of Jewish life, and many did. But listening to Rabbi Margolies make sense of the events of the day and relate them to Jewish values, clearly influenced us in profound ways. Rabbi Margolies taught us to stand up for what is right and pay attention to the needs of every individual. Everything I have tried to do in my professional and personal life has been motivated by what this man gave me during a most impressionable time in my life.

Alan S. Edelman, associate
executive director, Jewish
Federation of Greater Kansas City

Wishing my Uncle Murray, better known to many in the community as Rabbi Margolies, a very happy birthday! He has always been a special uncle to me, present at so many meaningful life events for me — including officiating at my wedding and at the Pidyon Haben of my son. I even remember what he spoke about at these moments because he took care to choose words of Torah and tradition that were pertinent to my life. When my father passed away suddenly, he and my aunt took pains to plan their flight so it would coincide with ours and took time to comfort us along the way. I remember well the first words of his eulogy to my father, What a useful, useful life!, and those words resonate with me to this day, 20 years later. In all my interactions with my Uncle Murray, he has always taken the time not only to teach me, but to listen to me, and occasionally to learn from me as well. He has shown me and my husband (a weekly participant in family Shabbat shiurim) and children by his own example how to live a joyful, thoughtful, committed and purposeful Jewish life. Happy 90th birthday to my Uncle Murray, whose love for his family, his community and his tradition is reflected back to him so resplendently on this special day.

From his niece and nephew, Shari and Michael Sokol, and our children, Alexander, Felicia and Amanda

Dear Abba,

Thank you for the love and passion you put into rearing your daughter, my wife. Also thank you for embracing me and the love you have showered on our son, Gavriel. Mazel tov on your 90th birthday and we hope to celebrate many more with you. Love from your son-in-law.

Walter Scott

You have done a beautiful job of transmitting your Jewish teachings and traditions to your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Your legacy will continue to thrive and live on in each successive generation.

Diane Margolies

Dear Rabbi Margolies,

You have been our teacher, mentor and a beloved friend. You have celebrated with our family on every major occasion. You have given us strength in times of sorrow. You have inspired us to learn and develop in our Jewish knowledge.

We are thrilled to be able to celebrate you as a Nonagenarian!!

We pray God will bless you with many more years to share with your family, friends and community. You are deeply loved.

Happy 90th birthday, Rickie and Edward Haith

Grandpa, I love you so much! I look forward to planning your 95th birthday party (and many more after that!). You are the best grandpa ever and thank you for teaching me the game of baseball.
Love,

Gavriel Scott, grandson

We are so pleased to be able to wish Rabbi Margolies a very Happy Birthday on the occasion of his 90th. Rabbi Margolies was “our rabbi” at Congregation Beth Shalom for almost a quarter century and he remained active as our teacher, spiritual mentor and friend long after his retirement. An inspirational community leader, he never hesitated to take unpopular stances when he thought that was the right direction to pursue. He provided important support to the founders of the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy during the crucial and often very difficult period before the school opened and his was the key role in the creation of its high school. An extraordinarily learned scholar both in Jewish and secular subjects, he is always eager to teach and to challenge us continually to expand our breadth of knowledge. Our wish for you, Rabbi, is bis a hundred und zwantzig.

Blanche and Neil Sosland

We pay tribute to our colleague and teacher, Rabbi Morris Margolies, as he reaches age 90, a number denoted in Hebrew by the letter Tzadee, the first letter in the word Tzadik, a righteous person. For half-a-century, ever since Morris and Ruth brought their family to Kansas City, the name Margolies has stood for the centrality of righteousness in the Jewish heritage. Record and age now fit in perfect harmony. Mazel tov!

The Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City

A memory: Two or three days after Yom Kippur 1973. A standing-room-only crowd in Beth Shalom’s Sanctuary, the atmosphere fraught. Israel is getting trounced. Is this it? Rabbi Margolies steps to the lectern, anticipation in the air. He instills hope — more than hope: faith. As only he could. Israel would live. Mazel tov to my teacher, Rabbenu Moshe, as he reaches 90.

Rabbi Harry “Scott” White, Congregation Ohev Sholom

Dearest Rabbi,

Wishing you good health and strength on your 90th.

Betty Brand and family

During the 10 years I’ve worked for The Chronicle, by far the most controversial pieces we have published were Rabbi Margolies’ columns. They were sure to stir people up — whether you agreed or disagreed with him. He generated a lot of Letters to the Editor!

I loved typing in those columns each week. I found them enlightening, informative, educational and very interesting. And about 99.9 percent of the time I completely agreed with the great rabbi.

Each week he would drop off his hand-written piece for me to transcribe. People would ask me why he didn’t just email them. I told them he did not have nor would he ever have email; that’s just the way it was. Although, I admit I had to call him occasionally to help me out a little with a word or two here and there.

When he brought his column in each week, he would usually stay awhile and visit. The Chronicle staff had some pretty interesting conversations during those times on a variety of subjects, and I truly miss seeing him come walking in to our office every Monday or Tuesday.

I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Rabbi Margolies until after his retirement, but certainly wish I had known him when he gave his Torah classes. I’ve heard so many people say how much they learned from those classes. But I am fortunate to have several of his books, which I very much enjoy.

Have a great 90th birthday, Rabbi!

Marcia Horn Montgomery, community editor, Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

Strike up the music — there’s a new performing arts group in town. The Kinnor Philharmonic, a new Jewish-themed symphony orchestra, will make its debut New Year’s Day with a 3 p.m. concert at Congregation Beth Torah.

The 45 to 50 members of the orchestra include “men and women, people from all sorts of backgrounds, some professional musicians, some semi-professional. We have people who have played for a long time but who may have a different vocation other than music,” said Christopher Kelts, Kinnor’s music director.

The latter group includes Kinnor’s president of the board Robin Onikul, who has played violin in the Kansas City Civic Orchestra for 14 years and was chair of their board for 10 years. Onikul is also head of pediatric dentistry at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

The philharmonic has both Jewish and non-Jewish members and likewise will not play exclusively Jewish music. However, their goal is to structure concerts around Jewish themes.

Onikul likens it to an old advertisement for Levy’s Rye Bread: “You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy this music and this experience,” she said.

Kinnor also accepts high school students with sufficient musical skill. One already in the philharmonic is violinist Levi Parkhurst, who attends the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy.

The orchestra’s upcoming performance centers on the traditions of the Viennese arts scene in the late 1800s, in which Jews were a vital part of the mix. In addition to some Strauss polkas and the Blue Danube Waltz, there will be a selection of Broadway tunes from Fiddler on the Roof and the music of Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.

In July, the philharmonic will perform a concert entitled “From Ellis Island to Kansas City” showcasing music of the American Jewish experience.

“There’s a Jewish backbone running through it. We’re playing Strauss polkas — they’re not Jewish, but we’re bringing in the vibrant history of the Viennese Jews at that time,” Onikul said.

She started seriously thinking about creating the philharmonic when the Jewish Community Center built the White Theatre.

“That’s when the impetus started. It just took a while to percolate into reality. We have the musical theater series; it would be nice to have a concert series,” Onikul said. “Now that the (Kansas City) Symphony doesn’t come down to Yardley Hall, people who don’t get downtown don’t have a place to hear symphonic music.”

Kelts, a member of Congregation Ohev Sholom, has the musical bona fides to lead the artistic direction of the group. An assistant professor of music and director of orchestral studies at Washburn University, Kelts is also the music director and conductor of the civic orchestra and has a doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s conservatory.

Making the orchestra friendly to the Jewish community was important to Onikul and Kelts.

“Our rehearsals and concerts do not conflict with Shabbat and festivals. Everyone in the Jewish community could attend our concerts — everyone from Chabad Lubuvitch to the most reform of Jews,” Kelts said.

The new musical group has gotten local backing. In-kind donations from businesses such as Spin Neapolitan Pizza, Panera and Royal Liquor, combined with monetary support from several groups in the Jewish Community Foundation, including Louis and Frances Swinken Supporting Foundation and the Earl J. and Leona K. Tranin Special Fund. Onikul said Kansas City Strings has also been very supportive of their efforts.

“I would hope that this group becomes a part of the artistic fabric within the Jewish community, and that means support on all levels — people coming out to enjoy our music and people who believe in our mission to promote Jewish education and love for symphonic music,” said Kelts.

The idea of a Jewish-themed orchestra is new to the Midwest, according to Onikul.

“We are really excited about this,” she said. “It’s a unique thing; the only places that have something similar are on the East Coast and in LA, but I don’t think there’s any in the Midwest.”

Kinnor’s inaugural concert

The Kinnor Philharmonic will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1, at Congregation Beth Torah. Tickets are $18; or $12 for those under 12 or over 60. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance by calling (913) 469-0759.

In Jewish households, cooking often brings mothers and daughters together. That especially occurs at holiday time. So Bonnie Rabicoff, the host of “In the Kitchen with Bonnie,” decided to have her mother, Ida Mour, in the kitchen with her for her holiday show this year.

“I learned to cook from my mother and she hers. Together we have three generations of knowledge,” Rabicoff said.

This episode of “In the Kitchen with Bonnie” is a departure from the norm. Usually the show is produced at the restaurant of the celebrity chef and the chef does the cooking.

“We discuss the chef’s journey, his or her inspiration for cooking, plating it … all things about food,” Rabicoff explained.

The show highlights food products, preparation, presentation, beverage pairings, a behind-the-scenes chat with the chef and features a celebrity taster. The show, which has been on the air for about a year and a half, has featured such local celebrities as Michael Stern and Bryan Busby.

In fact, Rabicoff, who serves as the producer as well as the host, said this will be the first time the show has ever been produced in her kitchen.

“The production team and the staff will be the tasters for this episode,” she said.

Mour is proud of her daughter, noting that “she calls me every day. She’s a fabulous cook.”

The 85-year-old Mour, who is a Jewish educator, is happy to be helping her daughter with this episode.

“Potato latkes are very healthy. They’re just eggs and potatoes, not a bunch of junk. They are so luscious and were used in those days for sustenance. Potatoes were very important in their diet,” she explained.

Mour, who described herself “as a pretty good cook” as well, pointed out that food is important to the Jewish people.
“We don’t have a holiday without food,” said Mour, who has taught religious school at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, Kehilath Israel Synagogue, Congregation Beth Shalom and the old Community High School. A member of B’nai Jehudah, she still tutors Torah and chanting to Bar and Bat Mitzvah students.

Before the actual cooking demonstration begins, Mour will tell the story of Chanukah. She said she will explain that the holiday is really a celebration of religious freedom.

“It’s a festival, not a holy day,” Mour said.

The Rabbicoff-Mour potato latke recipe is old fashioned and simple. It uses ground potatoes, eggs, onion, salt, pepper, baking powder and matzah meal or flour.

“It’s not the ingredients, it’s the technique,” explained Rabicoff. “And we don’t use schmaltz anymore, like my grandmother did, but the flavor is just as good.”

The pair will demonstrate the technique on the television show. But it’s not a technique Mour particularly loves these days.

“I won’t grind the potatoes. You grate them, and I’ll make them,” she said.

However, Rabicoff said she has made more contemporary versions of potato latkes.

“Besides onion, we have used scallions. The little specs of green give it a little brighter flavor. We’ve used shredded potatoes and green onions to give it a bright, fresh taste,” Rabicoff said.

The family has always favored serving the latkes with sour cream, not applesauce. To make that more contemporary, they have added chives to the sour cream mixture.

While this show will feature family, a celebrity will also be included in the “At Home for the Holidays” special. Tyler Florence will share a sweet potato casserole recipe.

Rabicoff has worked in television for more than 20 years. Before beginning the show, she spent 11 years as the vice president of development for KCPT Public Television. Prior to her work at the station, she was the director of marketing for The Barstow School where she founded and coordinated “The Barstow School Organic Farmers’ Market and Chef Series.” Her career began administering social services for youth at risk under Mayor Richard Berkley’s Youth Council.

About ‘In the Kitchen with Bonnie’

The episode of “In the Kitchen with Bonnie” featuring Bonnie Rabicoff’s mother, Ida Mour, will be broadcast Dec. 25, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. This multi-media “foodie” series can be seen on education television channels in the Kansas City metro area and at www.inthekitchenwithbonnie.com website. A complete schedule of show times can be found on the website. The show is available on the Time Warner and Comcast cable systems in both Kansas and Missouri and Surewest in Kansas.

The one-hour broadcast of “In the Kitchen with Bonnie” can also be heard on Radio Bach Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. (1660 AM, 96.5 FM in HD and streaming on the Web at RadioBach.com). It can also be heard at 7 p.m. Sunday evenings on KMBZ (NewsRadio 98.1 FM, NewsRadio 980 AM and streaming on the Web at KMBZ.com).
The entire series is available on the “Show Archive” page at www.inthekitchenwithbonnie.com.

Yosef Silver enjoys food — eating it, preparing it and sharing it with others. He enjoys it so much that he recently started writing about it on his own blog. (A blog is defined as a website containing a writer’s experiences, observations, opinions, etc.) The blog’s focus is on kosher, local and affordable home-cooked meals.

While he’s been writing less than five months, his blog, “This American Bite,” (www.thisamericanbite) is already nominated as a Best Kosher Food Blog by the Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine and website (www.joyofkosher.com). Voting is taking place now and continues through Jan. 11 on the Joy of Kosher website. The winner will be announced Feb. 1 in the magazine and on the website.

As of early Tuesday morning (Dec. 20), more than 50 blogs had been nominated, including Silver’s. He had accumulated more than 133 votes and ranked in the middle of the nominees. The top vote getter had more than 1,200 votes. Attempts to reach the magazine regarding the prize package for the winner were unsuccessful.

Silver is not just a newcomer to blogging, he is also a newcomer to the Kansas City area. He and his wife, Daniella, moved here with their young son, Ethan, who will be 2 in February, this past summer. He said they found Kansas City by accident in the summer of 2008.

“We spent six weeks here as directors of a summer program for the American Jewish Studies Service, building homes with Habitat for Humanity and living on blow-up-beds on the floors of Ohev Sholom,” he said in a recent interview.

“We went back home to Jerusalem and we really missed everything about Kansas City. So once our son was born we decided we wanted to move back to the States, and once we made that decision we decided we wanted to make it work in Kansas City,” Silver said.

He feels that Kansas City has a strong Jewish life and people in other parts of the country don’t know that.

“My blog gives a little extra exposure to the New Yorkers and Californians that think there is no Jewish life between the coasts. The other bloggers that have been nominated hail from large Jewish population centers — I want them to see and hear about life in Kansas City,” Silver said.

Silver grew up in England and lived in Israel for five years. His wife is from Los Angeles.

“There’s no place we would rather call home than Kansas City,” he said.

Because he likes both writing and food, he decided he would blog about it.

“My primary motivation was I would cook and then I would want to make the same thing again and I wouldn’t remember what I made. So I started jotting down what I was cooking. Then friends started asking me for recipes and it just seemed like a natural progression to post it on a blog,” he said.

Silver doesn’t know how he got nominated, but he assumes a reader nominated the blog. The Joy of Kosher website has featured one of his posts in the past and has asked him to write again later this month.

He is excited about the nomination.

“It’s nice to be recognized so early in the adventure. I haven’t been doing this very long and I feel like it’s an endorsement. I get a lot of satisfaction sitting at the table and entertaining people and watching them enjoy a meal and this adds on to that. I get to entertain with food through the Internet,” he said.

Before the nomination, which happened about two weeks ago, his blog was getting about 50 views a day. Last week he said that had jumped to about 200 views a day.

“Now those aren’t necessarily unique people, but it is growing week by week and people are subscribing,” he explained.

He said his wife is a good cook also.

“My wife also writes for the blog now and again. Some of the recipes there are hers,” he said, including one of the most popular, a chocolate avocado mousse.

“The dessert is very good and it’s very popular.”

The Silvers keep a kosher home and are members of BIAV. They also try to eat organic and locally produced food.

“Especially since our son was born, we’ve been very conscious not to give him processed food. A lot of the recipes on the blog are produce based. I don’t buy packages and I don’t buy things that are pre-made. It all has to do with feeding our son nutritious food and I think I reflect that in my recipes,” he explained.

He believes his approach to food, and his blog, has helped him through a weight-loss journey he began when he moved here.

“I’ve lost 23 pounds since May and people at my Weight Watchers meetings are enjoying the blog and talking about it,” he said.

“I feel like the blog helps me be accountable. I want to demonstrate that you can eat good food and eat really well and still reach a goal of a healthier weight.”

A fan of the podcast “It’s an American Life,” he came up with the name “This American Bite,” while listening to the show.

“I was playing with names and I thought this has a ring to it, ‘This American Bite.” That’s a little spin on buying local food, buying American food. I thought it really had a good ring,” he said.

He hopes people continue to enjoy the blog.

“I also welcome any feedback. If there’s a dish people would like me to make I would be happy to and I welcome people to follow me on Facebook. I have a Facebook page with the blog and you can also get my blog post by email.”

SAD NEWS — Kenny Hilton, the caretaker for The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah’s Rose Hill Cemetery, died Sunday, Dec. 17, following a brief struggle with cancer. Jeanne Kort Adler, the congregation’s executive director, reports that Hilton was a second generation caretaker of Rose Hill and worked in the cemetery and funeral industry for 38 years, most of which he spent at Rose Hill. She said he was known for the care and professionalism he brought to work each and every day. “His loss will be felt throughout the B’nai Jehudah family,” she continued. An email to B’nai Jehudah members noted that Hilton worked as an employee of the congregation longer than any other person on staff. Rabbi Nemitoff said he “was there for hundreds — if not thousands — of B’nai Jehudah families, as we mourned and buried those whom we cherished. With quiet dignity and professionalism, he was there to help us perform the final act of chesed (loving kindness) for our loved ones.” The funeral was expected to be held at 1:30 p.m. today (Thursday, Dec. 22) at Louis Memorial Chapel. A complete obituary may be found at www.louismemorialchapel.com.

MEETING DIGNATARIES — As members of the international press corps in Israel, our own Sybil Kaplan and her husband, Barry, were invited to the Foreign Ministry for an evening of appetizers and schmoozing. They met Israel’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon, who hosted the evening along with Deputy Director General for Cultural and Scientific Affairs Raphael Gamzou. They also had a chance to talk with diplomats from Sri Lanka, Honduras, Kenya, Argentina, Phillipines, Mexico and China. They even spoke to a man from Moscow, who took the time to learn Hebrew before he came to Israel. Kaplan said “it isn’t often that one gets invited to a social evening at the Foreign Ministry, so we were eager to attend.” By reading her notes, it sounds like the Kaplans were not disappointed.

IF I WERE A RICH MAN — As I hum the song I’m happy to report that “Fiddler on the Roof,” the Broadway smash and Tony Award winning musical that has captured the hearts of people all over the world, will be on stage two nights in January at Johnson County Community College.
The production will be presented at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, and at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, at the Carlsen Center’s Yardley Hall. Tickets, which are $50 and $40, are available at the college box office at 913-469-4445 or on line at jccc.edu/TheSeries.
Audiences will see Jerome Robbins’ original Broadway direction and choreography, starring veteran actor John Preece in the role of Tevye. Preece has performed in “Fiddler on the Roof” more than 3,400 times. More than 1,700 of those appearances were in the role of Tevye. This production marks Preece’s 10th national tour of “Fiddler on the Roof.”