The group that some have dubbed the hottest new band in Jewish music is coming to Kansas City May 22 for a Lag b’Omer concert sponsored by the Torah Learning Center and the Jewish Community Center. (For more information, see below)

The band was started in 2005 by brothers Bentzi and Shmuel Marcus. That’s when its debut album, “Tracht Gut,” which is Yiddish for think positive, was released. They have played hundreds of shows across the globe, including at Lincoln Center in New York, American Airlines Arena in Miami, Universal Studios Citywalk in Hollywood, Hong Kong, Montreal and South Carolina.

“He is lead singer and I am lead guitarist,” Bentzi Marcus said.

8th Day also includes drummer Jason “Rosy” Rosenquist, bassist and Grammy nominee Phil Bynoe, and klezmer specialist Leo Chelyapov, who plays keys and horn.

Marcus described 8th Day’s sound as “very eclectic, klezmer-funk-rock band.” Lyrics are sung mostly English with some Hebrew and Yiddish mixed in.

“We have a very wide range of influences. Since we grew up in a very musical family we were exposed to a lot of music,” he said.

Marcus said that brother Shmuel, who is also a Chabad rabbi in Los Alamitos, Calif., was always a very talented writer. The group came together after Bentzi started getting serious about music.

“He (Shmuel) wrote poetry and I started putting his lyrics to chords and making songs. Our brother Chaim, who owns an advertising agency, pushed us to record and helped us produce our first recordings,” Marcus explained.

The first recording was a four-song demo, produced by Chaim.

“It started to make its way around and word of mouth spread about our little project,” Marcus said. “I remember walking in the old city in Safed, Israel, when I was in yeshivah there, and I heard our song playing from one of the houses!”

The Marcus brothers were raised in a “very Chasidic home” in California where their parents are Chabad emissaries. Marcus said he and his brothers always wanted to inspire people through music.

“But at the same time it was all about reaching out to others and bringing joy to our neighborhood. We were taught that if one was given talents and skills, they must use them to spread positivity and to promote good things,” he said.

Marcus said the name 8th Day is significant because it is transcendent, or higher than nature.

“The number seven represents nature, routine, mundane. Eight is beyond, supernatural. (Through our music) we are given the ability to transcend our boundaries and achieve great heights no matter the challenge,” Marcus said.

He said 8th Day’s current album “Chasing Prophecy” is the band’s best album “production wise” to date.

“We worked with some amazing engineers and producers, which helped us get a really good sound. We have also grown a lot as a band so, I think, the songwriting matured a lot, and each song stands on its own. The style of songs range from Middle Eastern, rock, folk/country, jazz/blues. It’s got everything. The reactions have been amazing so far, thank G-d, from the album. Our music video for the song

“Ya’alili” got close to 500,000 hits in under two months.” You can hear the song on http://my8thday.com.

TLC’s Rabbi Simcha Morgenstern thinks people will be in for a surprise if they come to the concert.

“When people think of Chasidic music they generally picture an old bearded man with a violin. I want people to see Chasidic guys playing cutting-edge music who are totally hip and can rock the house!” Rabbi Morgenstern said.

“Shmuel and Bentzi show today’s Jewish youth that one can remain true to their heritage yet still remain cool,” the local rabbi continued.

Marcus thinks people who come to the concert will get their money’s worth.

“They are in for the show of a lifetime! We don’t pull any punches when it comes to live shows,” Marcus said.

8th Day

Torah Learning Center and the Jewish Community Center present 8th Day

Date: Sunday, May 22

Where: Lewis & Shirley White Theatre

Time: Doors open at 5 p.m., concert begins at 5:30 p.m.

Advanced tickets are on sale now by calling (913) 948-2200, e-mailing or visiting www.torahkc.org. Tickets will also be sold at the door.

For someone who grew up poor in Western Massachusetts, there’s nothing like watching a preschooler grin as an adult hands them a new book. For Harold Grinspoon, that poor boy who became an entrepreneur and real estate developer, “if you pride yourself on getting a return on your business, you also want a return on your investment in philanthropy.”

Grinspoon visited Kansas City last week to meet with the Jewish Community Foundation and to celebrate the success of PJ Library, a project he founded in 2005. It has expanded from Springfield, Mass., Grinspoon’s hometown, to more than 145 communities across North America. With matching dollars from the Jewish community, every month PJ Library sends Jewish books and music CDs to families of young children, ages 6 months to 8 years old.

The only requirement — a parent or grandparent needs to request the books! And there’s no charge to the family. More than 70,000 children are now part of this innovative project, with an additional 44,000 receiving books through their preschools in Israel’s Sifriyat Pijama program.

The Grinspoon Foundation provides 60 percent of the cost to send a package containing a book or CD each month to participating families. Local donors and foundations provide another $40 per family. Greater Kansas City’s PJ Library project has more than 65 percent of the eligible families on board. Rosalie Eisen, PJ Library’s national community development director, who accompanied Grinspoon here, attributes that high percentage to successful community cooperation and generous donors.

“This younger generation wants to see community organizations cooperating,” she explained, noting that here local synagogues and organizations, the Jewish Community Center, and the Jewish Federation submit names so families can be “invited to participate.” And local donors have been extremely responsive; unlike other Jewish communities, there’s no waiting list for families who want to participate in PJ Library.

The invitational approach is obviously working. According to Grinspoon, “this is not just about books — it’s about building community.” With an intermarriage rate of more than 50 percent, Grinspoon and other Jewish philanthropists look to creative ways to engage young Jews who are detached from the organized Jewish community. “Only 28 percent of interfaith families raise their children Jewishly,” he added. But PJ Library is not just aimed at them.

Karen Gerson, local coordinator of PJ Library, related a story about a young observant family who rejected the offer to join — until she heard her friends talking about the books they were reading to their toddlers. “She was amazed,” Gerson added, “because she thought she had all the books her kids needed. She signed up immediately.”

One local parent has been raving about the program since its inception here four years ago. “My husband’s great aunt and uncle signed our son up for the program when he was born,” said Tracy Shafton.

“Our daughter just turned 3 and we signed her up as soon as she was born.”

The Shafton kids are not the only ones who get excited every month when they get their books or CDs in the mail.  Another PJ Library parent, Todd Schemel added, “These enriching books … are a wonderful way to snuggle up and end a day together in a meaningful way, exploring a Jewish perspective on how to live life. These books create so much excitement when they arrive and always inspire good conversation for us, too.

Eisen said they’ve collected more than 44,000 thank you letters from kids and their families. “A military family in Italy wrote to say as the only Jewish family in his small town, PJ Library has made a difference in helping them maintain their Judaism,” she said. But they’ve also received e-mails from Jews in large cities who, for one reason or another, weren’t involved with their local Jewish community. “PJ Library turns bedtime moments into Jewish moments,” Eisen added, no matter where the family lives.

“My husband and I think the program is extremely important,” added Shafton. “I think the biggest challenge my generation will face within the Jewish community is probably how to maintain and cultivate our Jewish identity. In my opinion, the PJ Library program directly addresses that challenge. We feel very fortunate to have the program here in our community.”

“Our donors are very supportive,” Gerson added. The local brochure boasts a long list of donors, both part of the Jewish Community Foundation and from the Jewish community at large. She sees it as a win-win for everyone. “It’s an easy sell to donors and it’s collaborative.” The initial letter from the PJ Library states that it’s “a gift” and Gerson, as well as Eisen and Grinspoon agree that: “you never know when this gift will open doors for recipients.”

Gerson also gave credit to her group of “12 amazing volunteers who plan PJ Library programs throughout the year.” In fact, there’s one coming up next month: “PJ in the Park”, scheduled for 10 a.m. Sunday, June 5, at the Austin Harmon Park, 7727 Delmar in Prairie Village.

So what’s next for Harold Grinspoon? His foundation has already given away more than $72 million, and not just for PJ Library. Taking inspiration from the Container Corporation of America, which last century produced posters of great American quotes enhanced by art, Grinspoon envisions doing the same with Jewish quotes. “We hope to send 12 quotes, suitable for framing, to PJ Library families. And we’ll make larger versions available to synagogues and Jewish institutions,” he said.

Both local and national PJ Library staff and volunteers are working on keeping “graduates” of the program involved. PJ Library’s publisher, Marshall Cavendish, will launch an exclusive line of children’s books for the general public. A “PJ Library Goes to Camp” series has been introduced and “PJ Library Goes to School” is being piloted in six communities. “We get it next year,” added Gerson with a smile.

For more information or to register a local child for PJ Library, call Gerson at (913) 327-8143 or e-mail her at . To learn more about PJ Library, visit www.pjlibrary.org.

It was a trip to Israel as part of the Helzberg Fellows program that was the final step in Greg Azorsky’s decision to start a new business where he would design and sell Israeli themed T-shirts.

He calls the company Meshugge Shirts and explains on his website exactly why he decided to start the business.

“When I found the same T-shirts in Israel in 2008 that I saw in 1979, I thought it might be time to create some new ones.”

When you talk to Azorsky, you can get more details.

“When we were in Israel as part of the Helzberg group, we would go to places and could not find souvenirs we wanted to buy.”

So he started thinking about designing his own T-shirts. That’s not too big of a stretch since he is also the owner of Recognition Plus, a business in Independence, Mo., which makes promotional products, awards and custom apparel. So he already knew how to make T-shirts from his experience in this business.

“Meshugge means crazy,” his website states. But his T-shirts are not crazy. In fact business is slowly growing.

“It has been an evolving business,” Azorksy said. “I started as an accounting major and then on to law school. I stopped practicing law in 1994, and slowly have been teaching myself about this business.”

He started with a company called Audio Visual Graphics, which did CD/DVD graphics. But as that business declined, he looked for something else and bought Recognition Plus in 2004.

He designed the logo for the Jewish Arts Festival, and that started his mind working on other design ideas.

Last year, 2010, was the birth of Meshugge Shirts. He had been working on design ideas for a while. But it was not until last year’s Yom HaAtzmaut celebration that he actually had T-shirts with five different designs to sell. By the Jewish Arts Festival, he had eight designs.

Now, in time for the Lag b’Omer celebration, which will be held 7:30 p.m., May 22, at Leawood’s Gezer Park, he will have many more designs including a T-shirt designed with the sculpture at the park on it.
He has three types of T-shirt designs: vintage shirts that use designs bringing up visions of the founding of Israel; modern shirts with sayings that he thinks of, and state shirts.

His first T-shirt had the “.il” that is at the end of an Israeli website. He thought this would be a good indication of Israel. After reading the book, “Start-Up Nation,” and learning about how Intel is one of Israel’s largest private employee, he came up with the “Israel Inside” design. His ideas for shirts continue to grow, and now he has more than 20 designs.

“I think that the shirts are very creative,” said Lilach Nissim, the Israeli shlichah to Kansas City who proudly owns one of the shirts. “It is a possibility for the community to say how proud they are to be Jewish and proud of the state of Israel.”

“It is fun for me as Israeli to see people from the community wear those shirts,” she added. “It is like a ‘private joke’ among Jews, and it’s great.”

He also makes T-shirts in college colors with the name of the state in Hebrew letters. Usually someone asks if he has a shirt for a certain state, and then he makes one. A friend asked for Texas, so he came up with several designs. But he does not use any college logos or designs.

Currently Meshugge Shirts does most of its business online through his website (www.Meshuggeshirts.com) and Facebook page. He’ll also sell shirts at a local event, such as the Lag b’Omer picnic. His dream is to open a store in Israel, but he doesn’t know when that will happen.

He is also looking at putting other art or designs on items, since he has the capabilities to do this in his business. And he has been speaking with Jewish artists to put their designs on T-shirts as well.

“I am pleased with the reaction I am getting,” Azorsky said. His business has more than 200 fans on Facebook. The majority are teenagers, who are not yet buyers. But he is hopeful for the future.

MADAME PRESIDENT — We extend félicitations (congratulations) to Cyprienne Simchowitz, who has just been elected to a two-year term as president of the Alliance Française de Kansas City. Simchowitz, an international business consultant and an attorney who owns CYSIM International, is a native of Paris, France, and has lived in Kansas City for 28 years. AFKC is an organization dedicated to the appreciation of the French language as well as Francophone culture, history and art. The Alliance provides opportunities for members and interested people of the area to get together on a regular basis to exchange ideas as well as increase their knowledge of the Francophone world.

FROM MAMA’S KITCHEN — Congregation Kol Ami recently published “Memorable Recipes,” a cookbook to raise funds for the Reform congregation featuring 152 treasured recipes all contributed by congregants. Committee member Anita Hampshire said many of the recipes were “handed down from our mothers” while others are favorites that the cooks picked up here and there through the years. The book sells for $15 and can be purchased at Kol Ami, 7501 Belinder in Prairie Village or at the 42nd Annual Symphony Designers’ Showhouse gift shop until May 22. It’s located at 1000 Westover Road in Kansas City, Mo. For more information contact Kol Ami at (913) 642-9000.

DIPS AND DIVES — Congregation Beth Torah member Randal Strong-Wallace opened an exhibit for roller coaster lovers last week, which runs through May 28 at the Blue Djinn Gallery. It features working models of the five roller coasters from Kansas City’s World of Fun in 1980, plus a special exhibit of photographs. A meet the builder reception will take place Sunday, May 15, from noon until 5 p.m. If you miss this exhibition, you can catch another exhibit at Union Station beginning June 1. The gallery is located at 1400 Union Avenue in Kansas City, Mo. The exhibit runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. For more information visit www.docsnyderprints.com or call (816) 518-4649.

OPEN WIDE — Chris Merriweather, DDS, a dentist in Overland Park, recently spent time in Jerusalem volunteering at the Trudi Birger Dental Clinic through a special program called Dental Volunteers for Israel. DVI provides free dental care and oral health education to thousands of needy children in Jerusalem every year, regardless of race and religion, thanks to the support from friends and visiting volunteer dentists from around the world. Volunteer dentists from around the world, together with their Israeli colleagues, perform between 1,000 and 1,200 treatments each month. To make a donation or to volunteer like Dr. Merriweather, visit http://www.dental-dvi.org.il or email .

Members of Congregation Beth Israel Abraham & Voliner take pride in calling their congregation a welcoming, caring and spirited Orthodox congregation. Its leadership wants more people in the Jewish community to experience that without worrying about financial obligations, so it’s throwing open its doors and offering free membership for a year to any Jewish individual, student, couple or family.

“Part of our mission is to inspire our members and all Jews in the community and we’ve found that getting people into the congregation is a great way to do that,” said BIAV President Andy Ernstein. “Everyone that comes here for a Shabbat, whether it’s a Friday night or a meal or Shabbat morning, constantly tells us what unique and wonderful experiences they had and we want to share that with more Jews across the community.”

The free membership package includes the following:

• Free High Holiday tickets for the new members’ immediate family

• Free Passover seder

• Free weekly youth programs and education, and

• Free adult education

Debbie Graham, BIAV’s membership vice president, said the congregation has decided to make the effort to expand its membership from both inside and outside the local Jewish community. In March, several members of BIAV’s membership committee traveled to New York to promote the Orthodox congregation and the Kansas City area at the Emerging Jewish Communities Fair sponsored by the Orthodox Union.

While many congregations are struggling with their operating budgets these days, Ernstein said BIAV can afford to offer these free memberships because the “offer is an investment in our future.”

“We are blessed to be in a relatively stable financial position such that we can make this investment and are already increasing programming each year. We are also making modest building renovations including our youth wing, kitchen, sanctuary entrance and the green footprint of our facility. We are confident that as individuals in the community experience what BIAV has to offer, the enthusiasm and vibrancy of our community, we will gain committed members who will be with us in the long term,” Ernstein said.

Every walk of life

BIAV currently has about 110 member units. Ernstein points out that while they often joke that BIAV is no longer “your grandfather’s congregation,” it reaches out and has a spot for people of every single age group. Members include singles, young families, empty nesters and seniors.

Young families have been particularly drawn to the congregation in recent years. Rabbi Daniel Rockoff, who joined the congregation three years ago, points out that there’s been a birth in the congregation every month since August. He and his wife, Ayala Zoltan Rockoff, a school psychologist, have been a part of that baby boom adding a second son to their young family recently.

“BIAV really spans the spectrum, from accomplished community leaders, to young adults, to families with young children. Our parking lot is lined with strollers every week,” Rabbi Rockoff said.

While the congregation is certainly Orthodox, it doesn’t turn people away if they are not strictly shomer Shabbat (Sabbath observant).

“My husband and I drive (on Shabbat) and I don’t feel different or left out in any way,” Graham points out.

“We’ve got Jews of every walk of life,” Ernstein added. “We’ve got people who attended yeshiva to those with virtually no Jewish education at all.”

For those who may be a little timid attending a Shabbat service at the congregation for the first time, Rabbi Rockoff said that members are more than happy to sit with visitors and lead them through the prayer book and show them the choreography of the service.

BIAV also keeps up with all the social media trends. It has a website, www.biav.org, and a presence on Facebook and Twitter.

Attractive programs

Both Ernstein and Graham believe non-members will be enticed by the variety of programs the congregation offers. The newest is called Perek in the Park, where Rabbi Rockoff honors the tradition of reviewing the chapters of Pirkei Avot between the holidays of Pesach and Shavuot. It is held at 6 p.m. on Shabbat at Brookridge Park.

“It was great to see a couple dozen kids playing and on the swings while we studied,” Ernstein said. In addition to Jewish study, there are social gatherings such as pizza and sushi nights and even basketball and yoga for men.

Most programs are congregant driven.

“If there’s a need or a want, we’ll do it,” Graham said.

Because the congregation has so many young families with children, Shabbat programs are offered for children of all ages, including adolescents.
“Everyone has something to do and they have friends here. It’s really a very vibrant place to be,” Graham said. Those programs including babysitting, a group for toddlers to Pre-K, a junior congregation for pre-Bar Mitzvah age and Shabbat B’Yachad for parents with tots under age 2.

For those who don’t choose to join during this membership drive, Ernstein noted that High Holiday services, which typically require congregational memberships to attend at other congregations except the Lubavitch ones, are free to anyone in the community who needs a place to worship.

The energy and passion of youth

Ernstein thinks the enthusiasm Rabbi Rockoff brings to BIAV is also a reason for people to check out the congregation.

“I think he and his wife bring the energy and passion of youth. But they also seem to have the wisdom and thoughtfulness well beyond their age, and it’s a great mix,” Ernstein said.

The rabbi’s contract has just been extended another three years and, Ernstein said, “we hope he is here for much, much longer.”

Rabbi Rockoff enjoys the synagogue as well, calling the members “a very special group of people.”

“I’ve been in many other synagogues around the country before I came here, both visiting as well as in various employment statuses. There are wonderful people in every place but there is very much a special spirit that exists at BIAV that I and my family appreciate ourselves. I think people in the congregation appreciate it and people who visit it appreciate it. We want to share that with others in Kansas City who may be interested.”

When it’s time for an assistant pulpit rabbi to move on to his next opportunity, he usually has to move hundreds of miles away. But when the time came for Rabbi Neal Schuster to leave The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah a couple of years ago, he got lucky and didn’t even have to move his family into a new home. Instead he drives about 70 miles round trip to serve as the rabbi/senior Jewish educator for the University of Kansas Hillel in Lawrence.

(For information about the adult education class at the Jewish Community Center, see below.)

As a member of the Hillel programming team along with Executive Director Jay Lewis, Malinda Kimmel and Carly Brown, he said he works within lots of different contexts. Those include being an educator and an adviser. He truly loves all the aspects of this job.

“I really love what I’m doing. I’ve said more than once this is the kind of work that I became a rabbi to do. I’m very happy,” Rabbi Schuster said.

He finds his work with students both interesting and exciting. He’s led students on Taglit-Birthright Israel trips during winter break the past two years, and even though he’s lived in Israel, those trips have made an impact on his life.

“You get to see Israel through the eyes of those seeing it for the first time,” he said. “It’s also amazing that a place like KU is bringing a full busload of 40 students to Israel. It’s definitely a sign of the strength of the Jewish community here,” said the Seattle native, who lives in Overland Park with his wife, Tamara, and their three children.

In an advisory role, he works with students both individually and in small groups. His work with students, he said, is fun, interesting and exciting.

“The one-on-one conversations and the small groups are both very powerful because you get to connect and interact with the students on a deeper level in a lot of ways. You really get to see an impact that you are having in their lives,” he said.

He especially loves getting to know the students, and hear their own personal stories. In fact that was one thing that drew him to “this work” in the first place.

“When kids go away to college, it’s a mystery to most people what happens there. I have this opportunity to really see into that in a very powerful way,” Rabbi Schuster said.

The teacher

While he’s not the only rabbi in Lawrence — there’s also Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel at KU Chabad — students visit with him both for pastoral reasons as well as educational ones.

“Sometimes students have Jewish questions they want to talk to me about or they want to discuss a personal issue they are dealing with,” Rabbi Schuster said.

“Other times they come for academic help. Sometimes they want input or advice about a paper. Sometimes they want to interview me. And they don’t want help with exclusively Jewish classes, which is kind of fun,” he continued.

This year he actually taught a class through the university as well, called “The Story of the Talmud.” He’ll be condensing that semester-long class so it can be presented for adults at the Jewish Community Center beginning May 16. (For more information, see box)

The course is framed as the story of the Talmud versus a typical intro class because Rabbi Schuster thought it would be an interesting way to approach the material.

“At one end of the timeline we have the emergence of the Torah and the biblical text. At the other end we have the emergence of these phenomena that are the Talmuds. The question really is what happened in between? How did we get from the Bible on one hand to this absolutely unique collection of texts of this utterly unique literature at the other end of the timeline? We also discussed what has happened since, how it has been used and understood over the ages,” he said.

Teaching the class in KC is a way for Rabbi Schuster to maintain his connection with the community.

“I’ve always loved the teaching that I’ve done in Kansas City and the timing works out right now for me to do it. I really enjoy teaching this course and I think it is something the people in Kansas City will enjoy as well,” he said.

Developing Jewish adults

Besides building a strong and robust Jewish life on the KU campus, Rabbi Schuster pointed out that KU Hillel’s other main mission is to develop Jewish adults.

“One of the challenges of that is that we don’t get to see the extent of our successes until several years down the line. But that just makes it that much more important for us to maintain those connections and relationships when students leave school,” he said.

He explained that oftentimes students will turn to Hillel staffers for advice or guidance, whether it’s for a job search or a new community. No matter what, Rabbi Schuster said, “we become a very important part of their lives.”

In the short time the rabbi has been with KU Hillel, he said he has developed many personal relationships with the students. So his heart feels a little tug as the seniors prepare to venture out on their own.

“It’s kind of sad to see them go but it’s also very exciting to see them going off to somewhere to do something.”

The Story of the Talmud’

Four classes taught by Rabbi Neal Schuster will be held from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. on Mondays, May 16 and 23 and June 6 and 13. Register online by visiting www.jcckc.org or call Gail Odgers at (913) 327-8002. Those interested in receiving e-mails regarding the Department of Adult Jewish Learning should also contact Odgers.

Tamara Schuster has a framed quote on her desk at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, where she is the director of admissions, which describes her overarching goal in nearly every aspect of her life. The quote, from the Jewish Outreach Institute, reads: “I pledge to reach out and welcome everyone interested in finding Jewish meaning and community, wherever they may be on their journey.”

“I think it goes back to my family moving so much,” she explained. “My dad was in management with Avis Rent-A-Car. I lived in five states by the time I was 12. The one constant in my life was the synagogue. It was one of the first things we connected to wherever we lived. ”

Schuster was starting eighth grade when her family settled in San Diego, where the synagogue and all it offered — preschool, religious school, B’nai Mitzvah, confirmation and youth group — remained the constant around which her life revolved.

Right before her senior year at San Diego State University, after spending the summer as a CIT adviser at a Reform Movement camp, she announced her plan to change majors from fashion merchandising to religious studies. “When I realized that my avocation should be my vocation, people wanted to know what took me so long,” she said.

From LA to KC

Schuster spent the next year in Israel and two more at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, graduating in 1992 with double master’s degrees in Jewish education and Jewish communal service, leading to a job as director of education at Temple Beth Torah in Ventura, Calif. At Beth Torah, she received a phone call from Neal Schuster.

“Neal and I had grown up going to Camp Swig in Saratoga, Calif., and had a summer romance when were on the staff together in 1987,” she said. “But we were young and went our separate ways for eight years.”

Meanwhile, Neal, who was from Seattle, had gotten a job recruiting high school students to go on Israel trips sponsored by the Reform Movement. In 1995, he was relocated to Los Angeles and was calling rabbis and educators to set up meetings to promote the Israel program.

“Is this the Tamara Lawson who I went to Camp Swig with so many years ago?” he asked upon reaching her. They were engaged soon after they started dating, married in May 1997, and left for Israel a few weeks later for Neal’s first year of rabbinical school. Ordained and named assistant rabbi at Congregation B’nai Jehudah, the couple moved to Kansas in 2003.

Once settled, Schuster was offered the opportunity to serve as the director of the Genesis program for interfaith couples that had been launched by the JCC’s Department of Adult Jewish Learning under Rabbi Amy Wallk Katz. “The Genesis program intrigued me,” she said, “because so much of my work in Reform congregations had been with interfaith couples and their children.”

For Schuster, one of the most satisfying outgrowths of Genesis was the Jewish Outreach Institute Mother’s Circle program for women who are not Jewish but partnered with Jews and committed to raising their children Jewish. “What I loved about it was offering these remarkable women a program just for them as a ‘thank you’ for giving the Jewish community the “gift” of their children, as well as seeing the connections women made with each other,” said Schuster, who had lobbied for the program to be brought to Kansas City. She and several former participants still get together on a monthly basis to learn and support each other.

The glue that unifies

Whether it’s Genesis and the Mother’s Circle or the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, the common thread for Schuster is a passion for bringing women together across affiliations and backgrounds to celebrate and appreciate Jewish learning.

Schuster dates her first involvement in the Jewish Federation back to college when she served as the campus chair of fundraising for the United Jewish Appeal (now Jewish Federations of North America), the umbrella organization of Federations. She remembers the trip to Israel with other campus leaders as her first extended encounter with all streams of Judaism.

In the fall of 2003, Schuster attended B’not Kehillah, the Federation’s leadership program for young women sponsored by Women’s Division, and was excited shortly thereafter to participate on a Yad b’Yad program panel of Jewish professionals speaking about their Jewish journeys. This year, she helped plan the Tu b’Shevat Seder.

Yad b’Yad is Women’s Division’s educational series, now in its 17th year, that provides opportunities for all women in the Jewish community to come together to explore Jewish values, texts and culture. Schuster has served on the Yad b’Yad steering committee for the past three years and is also active on the PJ Library committee. Additionally, she recently joined the youth committee of Congregation B’nai Jehudah.

With three young children and her job at the Hebrew Academy, Schuster finds time for the Federation, she says, because it’s the “glue that unifies our entire Jewish community. It’s a place where Jews of all denominations, observance levels and backgrounds can be comfortable, learn about the community, connect and give back.”

In other words, for her, the Federation makes the perfect partner in pursuit of that goal she keeps framed on her desk — to reach out and welcome everyone interested in finding Jewish meaning and community, wherever they may be on their journey.

Tamara Lawson Schuster

Born in Miami, 1966
Patrick Henry High School, San Diego, 1984
San Diego State University, B.A., Religious Studies, 1989
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles, M.A., in Jewish Education, M.A. in Jewish Communal Service, 1992
Married to Rabbi Neal Schuster, 1997
Lives in Overland Park
Children: Eliana, 10, Ayelet, 8, and Judah, 5
Recent Reading: Bon Appetit and Cooks Illustrated Magazines
Favorite Movie: “Singing in the Rain” or “Mary Poppins”
Favorite Jewish Food: latkes (she’s a vegetarian)
Trips to Israel: Five (including two year-long stays)
Pets: Oscar the dog, and 2 guinea pigs, Cinnamon and Kevin
Synagogue Affiliation: Congregation B’nai Jehudah

Readers of the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, who present the ad on Page 6 of this week’s edition, will be able to view the “Diana, A Celebration” exhibit at Union Station for just $15 on Tuesdays, May 10 and May 17. Regular admission for the exhibit is $18-$23.50. The exhibit will be on display through June 12.

The discounted price is good all day both days. The exhibit opens at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m.

On these days only, and with the ad, Chronicle readers will receive a complimentary audio wand tour.

In addition Chronicle readers are invited to attend an English tea, served at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. A full menu, for $17.50 per person plus service fee and sales tax, is served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The menu includes full teas and coffee as well as salads, petite sandwiches, English cheeses, grapes, berries and assorted British biscuits.

A light tea is served from 2 to 4 p.m. Besides tea and coffee, the menu includes an assortment of scones served with sweet butter, clotted cream, marmalade and preserves. The light tea sells for $10 per person plus service fee and sales tax. A 48-hour advance reservation, including payment, is required for the teas. For reservations, call (816) 765-4707.

The award-winning exhibition Diana, A Celebration, chronicles the life and work of Diana, Princess of Wales. This is a rare and final opportunity to see this exhibition before it leaves North America to return to the Althorp Estate. The exhibition presents the life and humanitarian work of one of the 20th century’s most remarkable women through nine galleries containing 150 objects — ranging from her royal wedding gown and 28 of her designer dresses to family heirlooms, personal mementos, paintings and rare home movies and photos. The exhibition is on loan from the Althorp Estate, the Spencer family’s 500-year-old ancestral home.

Tony Cook, marketing and public relations manager for Union Station, said the visitors should reserve about an hour for the tour.

“Enjoying tea along with the exhibit should be a very enjoyable experience,” Cook said.

For more information about the exhibit, visit www. unionstation.org/diana.

QUEEN OF GIVING — Nordaunian AZA held its annual Matzo Ball Saturday night. After being crowned queen in 2010, Meryl Engle dedicated her philanthropic efforts to Head for the Cure. She chose the charity because brain cancer was all too familiar to her and many of her friends. She worked with her uncle, Jim Engle, owner of James Engle Custom Homes, to build a house and donate the profits to HFTC. Meryl personally worked to engage a plethora of subcontractors to provide their services and supplies at no cost or at a reduced cost. In some cases, subcontractors even contributed a donation. During Saturday night’s festivities, she presented a check for $57,365 to HFTC. Meryl is the daughter of Teala and John Engle.

Kara Kahn, a freshman at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and the daughter of Fred and Sherri Kahn, was presented the 2011 crown.

CHAI CELEBRATION — The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education will honor the Jewish community’s Holocaust survivors in celebration of its 18th anniversary on Thursday, Nov. 3, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The evening will feature a performance by musical legend Marvin Hamlisch. More information regarding this grand night of entertainment and celebration will be available soon!

SAVE THE DATE — Matisyahu, known as an American Chasidic Jewish Reggae musician, is coming to Crossroads KC at Grinders on Thursday, July 7. Stay tuned for more information.

MOTHER’S DAY RADIO — Ron Zoglin and Deborah Shouse recorded two Mother’s Day stories that were aired on Jabulani Leffall’s Central Standard yesterday (Thursday, May 5) on KCUR-FM, 89.3. We’re told the recordings can also be accessed on the station’s website, www.kcur.org.

AEPi ROCK-A-THON — The Alpha Epsilon Pi Jewish fraternity at the University of Missouri-Columbia recently held its annual Rock-A-Thon raising more than $80,000 for The American Cancer Society. That’s the the largest amount raised by this bi-annual fundraiser to date. This year’s rocker, Lenny Goldman of Buffalo Grove, Ill., rocked for 63 consecutive hours. Kansas Citian Jeff Mallin was the fraternity’s rocker 30 years ago. In support of the event his mother, Beverly Mallin, quit smoking when her then college-age son stood up after completing the 63-hour-rocking-marathon. Jeff Mallin stopped by to support the event again this year and to visit his son and Beverly’s grandson, Zach, a freshman member of AEPi.

FEDERATION TO HELP
SOUTHERN U.S. — The Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City has opened an emergency relief fund to provide aid and support to the victims of the more than 100 tornadoes that ripped through the Southern U.S. earlier this week. In conjunction with the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), and the Birmingham Jewish Federation, we are working to support relief efforts.

Credit card donations may also be made over the phone by contacting Gail Weinberg at (913) 327-8123. Donations may be mailed to: The Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, Att: Tornado Recovery Fund, 5801 W. 115 St., Suite 201, Overland Park, KS 66211.

Jerusalem native Lilach Nissim arrived in Kansas City in early November as the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s fourth Israeli shlicha (Hebrew for female emissary). Her main job here is to educate Kansas Citians about Israel. Twice in the course of the next two weeks she’ll have a chance to give people a taste of Israel at citywide events — Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day) and Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day).

Many Kansas Citians know all about Yom HaAtzmaut, which will be celebrated here on Tuesday, May 10, at Kehilath Israel Synagogue. For years the local Jewish community commemorated Yom HaZikaron, which honors IDF soldiers and civilian victims of terror attacks, at the very beginning of the Israel Independence Day festivities. But a few years ago Kansas City’s Israeli community, which numbers about 20 families, and the Israeli emissary decided the solemn occasion deserved to be marked separately. This year that service takes place Sunday, May 8 (see below).

Nissim said Yom HaZikaron is a very, very important day in Israel. It’s also something that is really hard to explain to Americans because there really isn’t anything like it here. In her opinion, the only thing she can compare it to here are ceremonies that commemorate 9/11.
She believes Yom HaZikaron continues to be important because Jews are not done fighting for a Jewish state.

“This day is something that is not taken lightly even today, 63 years after the establishment of the state. It is something that we are still fighting about.And people are still giving their lives so that we can have a Jewish state of Israel,” she said.

Nissim said everyone in Israel understands the importance of the day.

“Everybody knows people that gave their lives for the country. Everybody’s brothers and fathers and friends and neighbors (were in the army). My brother nearly died in the army several times,” she said.

“For us the day is something very, very personal and it makes us appreciate freedom and what we have,” she said. “We understand people are giving their lives for a cause, and that cause is not only military. It is for us to be better people, for the country to be more successful and more moral. We don’t want them to die in vain, so this is a very big issue in Israel.”

The most important message Nissim hopes to convey to people when she talks about Yom HaZikaron is that the day should not be important just in Israel.

“Soldiers are fighting for the Jewish state. And the Jewish state is something that belongs to the entire Jewish people, whether they live in Israel or not. I really want people to understand this is a significant day for all Jews.”

The commemoration

Nissim explained that Yom HaZikaron is “our annual reminder of the price we have to pay to live in Israel, to have a Jewish state.”

That is why Yom Hazikaron is always scheduled a day before Yom HaAtzmaut.

“It combines the sorrow and happiness of living freely in a Jewish state,” she said.

In Israel Yom HaZikaron begins at 8 p.m. with the blare of a siren.

“Everybody stops what they are doing and stands in silence for 1 minute. The next morning, at 10 a.m. another siren blasts for 2 minutes. Again, everyone stands together to remember and honor the soldiers and civilians. I cannot explain it in words … it is a kind of solidarity that I haven’t experienced anywhere else.”

Nissim said people in Israel stop what they are doing when the sirens blow no matter where they are.

“On this day in Israel, people stop their cars in the middle of the highway, to get out and stand in the middle of the road in silence. There are no television commercials that day, no funny things on the radio. The only things you hear are stories about the soldiers and civilians who died, and songs written about them.”

Nissim said she is from a strong Zionist family. Her father served in the army for 28 years. She and her siblings also served. Before she came to Kansas City, she worked as a youth coordinator and manager of a youth center for children at risk in missile-torn Sderot.

“Daily, I saw children and adults missing limbs from rocket attacks when I lived in Sderot. It made it easy to understand the truth about life … how fragile it is.”

Nissim encourages all members of the community, whether or not they have attended a Yom HaZikaron service before, to experience this year’s memorial service.

Yom HaZikaron

Organizers hope about 300 people will attend the memorial service, which takes place at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 8, in the Jewish Community Campus Social Hall. In addition to the service, which will include songs, stories and Officer Amit Fisher, an IDF soldier currently based in Leavenworth, Kan., attendees will have a chance to view photos, stories and letters from fallen soldiers, and light a remembrance candle in honor of the many who have died.

For more information about the Yom HaZikaron service, go to www.jewishkansascity.org or call Lilach Nissim at (913) 327-8124. It is sponsored by the Israeli Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and the Israel emissary.

“It is an honor to remember the many Israelis who have given their lives to protect their country.”