Archived News

EXHIBIT OF LOCAL SURVIVORS — To mark the 80th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland and the beginning of World War II, MCHE is displaying portraits of local Polish survivors from its exhibit “Honoring the Past” (originally “Portrait 2000”). Located in the lobby gallery of the Jewish Community Campus, the exhibit runs through Sunday, Dec. 1. To hear testimonies by these and other local survivors, visit mchekc.org/survivors.

HY-VEE’S TASTE OF KOSHER NIGHT — Hy-Vee’s kosher department at 95th and Antioch is under new supervision. As the store’s kosher specialist, one of the first things Joan Fogel is undertaking is a Taste of Kosher Night, which will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18. It will feature food demonstrations by Steve Ellenberg, giveaways, coupons, kosher pizza, challah, lox, rugelach, lamb, whitefish and more. For up-to-date info, visit the Facebook page Hy-Vee in the Eruv.

‘FIDDLER: MIRACLE OF MIRACLES’ — A few weeks ago we published a JTA story about the documentary “Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles.” It will open here at AMC 20 in Leawood on Sept. 13 and be here, according to its distributor Roadside Attractions, “hopefully at least a week, maybe longer.” A documentary about one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals, it explains its creative roots in early 1960s New York, when “tradition” was on the wane as gender roles, sexuality, race relations and religion were evolving. If you missed the story, you can search for it on jta.org. 

LEST WE FORGET: ‘BIG SONIA’ — Tying in with the exhibition of LEST WE FORGET by Luigi Toscana at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, which opens Sept. 20 and concludes Oct. 6, Goethe Pop Up Kansas City is presenting a special free screening of “BIG SONIA.” Sonia Warshawski is one of the seven local survivors included in the LEST WE FORGET installation. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, at the UMKC Student Union Theater, 5100 Cherry St., Kansas City, MO. A Q&A with Toscana and Sonia’s daughter Regina Kort will follow.

DID YOU MEET HARRY TRUMAN? — If the answer is "yes," the Truman Library wants to hear your story! The Library is creating a video that will be featured in the museum’s new Truman exhibition that tells the story of Harry and Bess Truman’s lives once they returned to Independence, Missouri, following his presidency. The Library is seeking stories from individuals who had encounters with either Harry or Bess in Independence to help shape this narrative.

If you have a story to tell, go to the website trumanlibraryinstitute.org/local-memories-truman/ and complete the short form by Sunday, Sept. 22, describing your interaction with the president or first lady. Someone from the Truman Library will contact you if you are chosen to be featured in this video program, in an upcoming issue of TRU Magazine or on the TRU Blog.

CORRECTION — An incorrect caption was published in the Sept. 5 issue of The Chronicle in an article about a trip for teens to the AIPAC policy conference. The photo, with the correct caption, is below.

Becca Levine, director of youth and family programming at Congregation Beth Shalom (first row, far right), and Rabbi David Glickman (top row, far right) accompanied six teens to last year’s AIPAC annual policy conference. They are shown here with five members of that group and hope to take an even larger group to the conference in 2020. 

The mezuzah is the mitzvah mentioned in the Shema Yisroel, the special prayer Jewish people say twice daily. There are many laws describing exactly what a kosher mezuzah should be. A kosher mezuzah must be written by a learned scribe on parchment, just like a Torah scroll and tefillin. Many other detailed laws make the mezuzah kosher.

According to Jewish law, a mezuzah must be checked twice in seven years. However, many have the custom to have the mezuzah checked yearly, preferably during the month of Elul prior to Rosh Hashanah. A professional scribe checks the mezuzah to make sure that all its letters are intact. If even one letter gets erased or besmirched, the mezuzah needs to be repaired or replaced. A competent scribe can advise one what to do.

One place to have your mezuzot checked or to purchase new mezuzot is Chabad House Center. For more information, call or text Blumah Wineberg at 913-940-1113 or the Chabad House at 913-649-4852.

“They can’t afford to pay to pray with friends and family.”

That statement was part of a conversation a Jewish Family Services spiritual care volunteer recently recounted to Jewish Community Chaplain Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick. People often ask Rabbi Rudnick or a JFS volunteer where they can attend services if they are unaffiliated. The question comes up more often as the High Holidays approach, which begin this year the evening of Sept. 29. 

“In general I say you would be welcome at any congregation,” said Rabbi Rudnick in a recent conversation with The Chronicle. “But it gets trickier for the holidays.”

At the University of Kansas, both KU Chabad and KU Hillel offer services for students for the High Holidays. The same is true for similar organizations at college campuses across the country.

“It’s amazing to have our student community come together and celebrate the holidays,” KU Hillel Executive Director Suzy Sostrin said.

KU Hillel Senior Jewish Educator Rabbi Neal Schuster added, “It’s really important when students are away from home that they have someplace to go to celebrate and observe the holidays and be with their community.” 

KU Chabad’s Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel echoed those statements and said it offered holiday meals at no charge as well.

“Our goal is for every single Jewish student to feel the spirit and the joy of the holiday even while in college,” Rabbi Tiechtel said. “That is why we host the services and meals on campus to enable all to feel welcome and embraced.”

For more information about services at KU Hillel, contact Ira Kirschner at . For more information at KU Chabad, contact Rabbi Tiechtel at .

Watching a service streamed online is an option for those who don’t belong to a congregation or who are unable to attend services in person. While no local congregations are streaming services, there are several Reform and Conservative congregations across the country that provide that service.

Jewish Community Chaplain Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick believes the availability of streaming services has helped many people in our community.

“Sheldon Wishna, may his memory be a blessing, was a strong proponent of this because he had his own situation of being stuck inside for several months … and started getting connected on his tablet through one of the synagogues in New York City,” Rabbi Rudnick explained.

Through Wishna’s efforts, Rabbi Rudnick believes residents of some senior communities, including the Atriums and Town Village, have been connected to the holidays through online services.

One Conservative congregation that streams services is Temple Beth El in Springfield, Massachusetts, led by Rabbi Amy Walkk Katz, Ph.D. Rabbi Katz was an assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom and taught Melton classes here for several years.

Here are three streaming services you can sample:

Conservative — Temple Beth El, tbespringfield.org (click on the round button “Chapel Services Live” in the upper left corner.) Shabbat morning services are at 8:30 a.m. Central. Evening holiday services are at 5 p.m. Sept. 29 and Oct. 8. Morning holiday services are at 7:30 a.m. Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 9.

Conservative — B’Nai Jeshrun, bj.org/spiritual-life/live/ (click on Spiritual Life and then BJ Livestream). Kabbalat Shabbat is streamed at 5:30 p.m. Central every Friday; Shabbat Morning services are streamed at 8:30 a.m. every Saturday. Morning holiday services start at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 9.

Reform — Central Synagogue, centralsynagogue.org/worship/live_streaming. Erev Shabbat, 5 p.m. Central; 8:30 a.m. Shabbat. Holiday times not yet available. Contact the synagogue at 212-838-5122.

Jenna Paige Brofsky is excited for the opportunity to run for Ward 4 on the Fairway City Council against incumbent Adam Dolski. She feels her experience as an attorney, nonprofit board member, community volunteer and new mother would be helpful to the council.

“I’m very diligent and organized and as an attorney I’m used to being an advocate,” she explained. “I have the drive and the passion for public service. I’ve done a ton of pro bono work so I have that experience of giving back to my community and I have the professionalism to do the job well.”

This spring, a group of six teens attended the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) annual policy conference under the auspices of Congregation Beth Shalom. Now, the synagogue is looking to increase the group’s size for next year’s trip.

The program is open to any Jewish teen across the community, not just those who attend Beth Shalom. Becca Levine, director of youth and family programming at Beth Shalom, said she hopes this year’s group might be as big as 16 students.

Leavenworth resident Grant Greenberg joined in winning the gold medal as part of the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 15th European Maccabi Games in Budapest, Hungary, about a month ago.

Team USA beat Russia’s team for the gold medal in the Men’s Open Basketball category. Greenberg scored 8 points in that game and averaged about 15 points a game for the whole tournament, he told The Chronicle. The games were held July 29 through Aug. 7.

As part of the nationwide campaign, Wunderbar Together: Year of German-American Friendship, Goethe Pop Up Kansas City brings the international Holocaust remembrance project “Lest We Forget” to Kansas City in partnership with the National WWI Museum and Memorial. Opening on Sept. 20, this installation from German-Italian photographer and filmmaker Luigi Toscano will be exhibited on the Memorial Courtyard at the National WWI Museum and Memorial until Oct. 6, 2019.

PILGRIMAGE 1969 REUNION  —  Earlier this month 10 members of the 1969 Pilgrimage that spent seven weeks in Israel and Rome gathered for a 50 year reunion. Judy Belzer Weitzman, one of the organizers who now resides in Chicago, said they had a great time. “It was a hoot,” she said. “Lots of stories were told and it was fun sharing memories and catching up on what everyone has been doing for the last 50 years!” Of the 32 who were on the trip, nine were unavailable for the reunion, two are deceased and the whereabouts of the other 11 are unknown. If you know someone who was on that 1969 Pilgrimage, let us know and we’ll get everyone connected.

The group in 1969.