Herb Buchbinder (right), and his wife, Bonnie, have been involved with KC SuperStar from its inception, join The J’s Executive Director and CEO Jim Sluyter at a reception for donors.
Ask The J’s Board Chair Andrew Kaplan about KC SuperStar and he’ll tell you two things: It’s all about the kids and it’s a big event.
This is the 10th anniversary for SuperStar, an “American Idol” style competition that awards $22,000 in scholarships to the most talented high school singers in Kansas City. It regularly attracts more than 200 local teens, each vying for the $10,000 first place Edward and Ellen Rose Scholarship.
Leadership Tomorrow interns pose with founder Irv Robinson at the program’s grant presentation luncheon. Eleven Jewish college students participated in the summer internship program offered by Jewish Federation.
Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s Leadership Tomorrow program recently wrapped up its sixth year. Eleven Jewish college students spent the summer working with nonprofit organizations across Kansas City, gaining real-world work experience, personal and professional development, and valuable mentorship and networking.
Growing up in Iran, there were parts of Dr. Sima Goel’s childhood that were idyllic. She remembers making wine with her family, helping her mother and siblings prepare for Shabbat and the large celebrations held in their garden.
As she got older, political unrest began to take its toll on Iran. At age 13, Goel was protesting in the streets against the Shah’s oppressive rule. After he fled the country, the new Ayatollah Khomeini regime took control and quickly proved to be much more oppressive and dangerous.
In 1979, the regime passed a law requiring every female to wear a hijab. The head-to-toe coverings were hot and hard to move in. Stories circulated of men on motorcycles who would throw acid on the face of anyone not wearing the hijab properly.
Life in Iran became harder and harder for Goel. She was blacklisted by her school and lost access to education, and eventually was forced to go into hiding. Goel’s mother, seeing that life was not going to get better for her daughter, encouraged her to flee and connected her with smugglers who could get her out of Iran.
It was a harrowing journey across the deserts of Iran and Pakistan, walking for miles through calf-high sand, hiding from thieves and rapists and constantly fearing for her life. She eventually made it to Canada, arriving penniless, unable to speak English or French and not knowing anyone other than her two sisters who had fled Iran with her.
Goel will share her experiences at the Jewish Federation Women’s Philanthropy annual meeting, Wednesday, Aug. 28, in the Jewish Community Campus Social Hall.
“Sima’s story is a powerful one, and very inspiring,” said Heidi Atlas, who is co-chairing the event along with Taly Friedman and Joyce Hess. “It will make you appreciate all the freedoms we often take for granted.”
“We’re so happy that Jewish Federation has the opportunity to bring the women in our community together to hear Sima’s message,” added Laurie Goldstein, director of Women’s Philanthropy. “As Jewish women, we can all identify with her story of strength and resilience.”
While crossing the dessert, Goel promised herself that — if she survived — she would write her story. Her memoir, “Fleeing the Hijab: A Jewish Woman’s Escape from Iran,” was published in 2015.
Annual meeting attendees will receive a signed copy of the book and have the opportunity to get a personalized message from Goel after the program. In addition to her presentation, the evening includes a Vaad-supervised dessert reception and will honor incoming and outgoing Women’s Philanthropy board members.
The Women’s Philanthropy annual meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28, in the Jewish Community Campus Social Hall. It is open to the entire Jewish community. Tickets are $36. To guarantee you receive your signed book at the event, reservations need to be made as early as possible. Registration closes Aug. 23. You can register at jewishkansascity.org/women19 or by calling 913-327-8107.
Brooke and Elle McGrath play in the new expanded green space of The J’s Child Development Center.
It’s done!
The expansion of the Child Development Center’s outdoor playground at the Jewish Community Center has been completed, and the children love every inch of it.
The playground renovation was part of several enhancements to the center, which is the daytime home to 200-plus children attending the early childhood program. The playground includes new, natural green-space encouraging children to explore outside of the formal classroom.
Research has shown that children learn best through play and the CDC is committed to providing children with an environment that fosters play, free thinking, imagination and developmentally appropriate growth.
The project also included the addition of a front desk and receptionist area within the CDC’s main entrance off of the front lobby of the Jewish Community Campus. This is now the only outside entrance to the CDC, with friendly staff to greet both preschool families and visitors. It also enhances security for the preschool. The additional parking spots and added sidewalk space will create a safer environment for children and families to enter The J.
There are also more parking spaces available for those who use the CDC.
With the “official” start of preschool this month, the CDC still has a limited number of full- and part-time spaces available in its 3-year-old and pre-kindergarten classes for this fall. Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the CDC provides an inclusive environment that helps children develop in a loving and caring environment.
For more information about the CDC, call Director Machaela Whelan at 913-327-8051 or email her at . Information can also be found on The J’s website, thejkc.org/cdc.
Martha Gershun and Shirley Goldstein together in Omaha in 2017.
IF YOU’LL BE IN OR AROUND OMAHA SOON — A new exhibit in Omaha focusing on immigration rights has a Kansas City connection. The Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights is sponsoring a multimedia exhibit at the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Criss Library highlighting the impact of Shirley Goldstein’s and the Omaha Jewish community’s activist work on behalf of Soviet Jewish emigres from the 1970s through the 1990s. Martha Gershun is the niece of Shirley Goldstein, who passed away in 2017.
The exhibit, titled “Shirley Goldstein’s Immigration Rights Legacy: Operation Exodus in Omaha,” includes a selection from Goldstein’s archival papers as well as oral histories collected from Soviet Jewish emigres who settled in Omaha and community members who participated in Operation Exodus. The exhibit runs through Nov. 10.
LEADERSHIP TOMORROW — I had the pleasure of attending the Leadership Tomorrow closing luncheon recently. During that time, the 11 Leadership Tomorrow interns presented grant proposals for funding special projects at three nonprofits: SAFEHOME, Farmer’s House and The Grooming Project. I was very impressed by the professionalism of the presentations. The 11 Leadership Tomorrow interns worked for several nonprofits, including a few in the Jewish community: The J, JFS, JVS and Menorah Heritage Foundation. In the past, The Chronicle has even featured the athletic prowess of one intern and the artistic talent of another who was a Hanukkah Art Contest winner! This is a program coordinated by Jewish Federation. If you know college students who may be interested in such an internship, check in with Jewish Federation in November. To learn more about what they did this summer, see page 4.
EL PASO STRONG — I remember being surprised at the number of cards and letters sent to the Jewish Community Center and Village Shalom following the April 2014 tragedy. I heard of a way this week where members of our Jewish community can pay that kindness forward. Two teachers in El Paso, Texas, are suggesting people mail postcards to them to help their students understand there are plenty of good people in the world. In a Facebook post they write, “As teachers, we may only be able to say so much. We think concrete messages of support would help us calm some fears.” Send these cards to E. Flores, Hillside Elementary, 4500 Clifton Ave., El Paso, TX 79903 and Teresa Garrett, Tom Lea Elementary, 4851 Marcus Uribe Dr., El Paso, TX 79934. #ElPasoStrong.
MIZZOU SAMMY FINAL REUNION SET — If you’re a Sammy alumnus of Mizzou’s Sigma Rho Chapter, you won’t want to miss out on the chapter’s final reunion planned for Oct. 11, to be held in Jack Fingersh’s backyard in Prairie Village. The fun starts at 6 p.m. Marv Fremerman tells us there’ll be free food and libations. Wives or significant others are welcome. Contact Fremerman to make reservations at .
SAM MATIER ELECTION UPDATE — Sam Matier was defeated in his bid to seek a seat representing Ward 4 on the City of Merriam’s City Council in the April 6 primary election. He finished in third place behind incumbent Bob Pape and challenger Staci Chivetta, making him ineligible to move on to the general election.
JCRB|AJC AMONG ORGANIZATIONS CALLING ON U.S. GOVERNMENT TO MEET REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT GOALS (JTA) — Some 167 national, state and local Jewish organizations have called on the U.S. government to meet the refugee resettlement admissions goal for this year.
The goal for fiscal year 2019 is 30,000, a historically low figure.
A letter signed by the organizations was delivered to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Aug. 7. The signers cross the religious and political spectrum.
“The United States has historically distinguished itself as a beacon of hope and as a safe haven for those who most need it,” the letter says, noting that the global refugee population reached a record 25.9 million in 2018.
It points out that for nearly 40 years, the refugee admissions target averaged 95,000 per year, with actual admissions averaging about 80,000. The Trump administration set the 30,000 ceiling for 2019.
“Resettling zero refugees in the U.S. in FY2020 would effectively gut the refugee resettlement program, violate our values as Jews and Americans, and abdicate the American promise of freedom and opportunity,” the letter also says, calling for the previous refugee target of 95,000 to be restored.
“As Jews, we know all too well what happens when people fleeing for their lives have nowhere to turn. Our parents or grandparents, neighbors or community members once faced a similarly callous and unwelcoming world, with fatal consequences.”
In a Facebook post Aug. 8, JCRB|AJC wrote it was “proud” to be among the organizations to sign the letter. In Kansas, the Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation also signed. No local organizations from the Missouri side of our community signed the letter. Go to jewishpublicaffairs.org to see the entire letter and the national and local organizations that signed it.
Rabbi Aron Rubin and his wife, Leia, and son, Eitan, arrived here last week.
The Community Kollel of Kansas City has hired Rabbi Aron Rubin as its new part-time rabbi. He succeeds Rabbi Shaya Katz, who left Kansas City in June after almost three years with the Kollel. Rabbi Rubin will not only work for the Kollel, but he also will teach in the Matmidim program at Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and spend some time as a rabbinic intern at BIAV. He started “learning the lay of the land” earlier this week, according to Kollel Board President Jerry Bernard.
Earlier this summer, the Community Kollel of Kansas City published “Pearls of The Parsha,” edited by Rabbi Shaya Katz.
Kollel Board President Jerry Bernard described the book as “a collection of some of the things that Rabbi Katz taught or wrote about during his three years with the Kollel of Kansas City.” Rabbi Katz left the community in June to become a pulpit rabbi in Oak Park, Michigan.
“It’s easy, digestible, one- or two-page reads for each parsha,” Bernard explained. “It gives some thought-provoking questions and ideas, and it’s designed for anyone who has an interest in anything Jewish, such as Jewish philosophy and Jewish custom. It’s not a book that scholars will study in a yeshiva.”
He added the book “was sponsored in large part by people who have benefitted from and who are fans of the Kollel. It turned out really well.”
The book is available for purchase on Amazon. All proceeds from book sales go to the Kollel, a nonprofit supported by donations and grants.
Tikkun-KC Executive Director Larry Myer (far left) with Congregation Beth Torah volunteers who helped demolish the interior of a house at 3532 Indiana in preparation for Tikkun-KC to transform it from blighted to beautiful as the first step in renovating the block.
There is only one resident on the entire 3500 block of Indiana but that is about to change thanks to Tikkun-KC, a nonprofit dedicated to renovating blighted urban housing for deserving homeowners. On Sunday, July 28, more than 20 volunteers from Congregation Beth Torah (CBT) helped to demolish the interior of the house at 3532 Indiana in preparation for a total renovation that will transform the blighted property into affordable housing.
For 75 years, Jewish Community Relations Bureau|AJC has worked to fight anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry, and to build bridges of understanding throughout the Greater Kansas City community. Amidst a troubling increase in hate crimes and anti-Semitic incidents in our country, JCRB|AJC is meeting this challenge by fostering friendships between faith and minority communities, advocating to our elected officials, and working with civic, law enforcement and educational leadership to ensure a strong, secure and inclusive Kansas City.
JCRB|AJC’s mission mirrors the values of two men who have led by example, sought justice, and worked to make our community a better place: Herb Kohn, and Henry W. Bloch, of blessed memory.
JCRB|AJC will present Kohn with the prestigious Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award at a gala 75th anniversary celebration on Sunday, Nov. 24, at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center.
Serving as 2019 Dinner chairs are community leaders Irv Belzer, Greg Graves, Irv Hockaday and Jan Kreamer. They have planned a gala evening to honor Kohn, as well as to celebrate JCRB|AJC’s enduring legacy. The 75th anniversary theme is “Generations of Justice,” as JCRB|AJC honors the lessons of the past, and recommits to a future of pluralism, inclusion and security for all.
Kohn practices corporate, business and banking law at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLP, and is a former member of the firm’s executive committee. He has served as chairman of Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Kay Barnes’ transition team in 1999, the Mayor’s Charter Review Commission in 2000, of Shalom Geriatric and Convalescent Center, of the United Way Professional Group, of the Missouri Gaming Commission, and of the Missouri Cancer Commission.
He served on the executive committee of the board of trustees for the Truman Presidential Museum & Library and is the past chairman of the board of trustees for the Kansas City Art Institute. He is a lifetime member of the Missouri Boys State executive committee, and also served as its director. In the past, his service also includes being a member of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City and the finance committee of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and a former director of the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Foundation. He currently serves as chairman of the Blue Ribbon Task Force studying Kansas City pension plans. He was twice voted “Best Rainmaker in the City” for his successes at bringing business to our area.
Kohn is also a passionate and very accomplished photographer, whose works can be seen in his law firm’s offices and have been displayed at such locations as Truman Medical Center, MOBank, the Truman Library and Union Station. His dedication to the arts was spurred by his wife, Nancy, who told him, “You are interested in the arts.” “So I got involved,” Kohn said. His real pride, however, is in his wife, their two children and five grandchildren.
“JCRB|AJC is proud to present Herb Kohn with the Henry W. Bloch Human Relations Award, and to add his name to the list of previous Award honorees, to whom we owe our great respect and appreciation, and who have set an example for our agency’s current and future endeavors,” said JCRB|AJC Executive Director Gavriela Geller.
For information about the dinner, email or call 913-327-8127.
