Excitement has been building at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. Set to open Friday for a four-month showing is an exhibition titled “For Liberty: American Jewish Experience in WWI.” Expectations are the highly acclaimed exhibit will be widely viewed.
“This exhibit will appeal to all our visitors and not just our Jewish visitors,” said Doran Cart, senior curator at the National WWI Museum. “This is truly an American story.”
Anyone looking for an ideal place to “plotz” for lunch should check in with Bill Fromm. The well-known Kansas City advertising whiz and entrepreneur will cheerfully and proudly direct you to his new Jewish deli.
Now open in the Crossroads Arts District is Broadway Deli, by its self-stated definition “A mostly Jewish deli in a mostly not Jewish city.” Of course matzo ball soup is on the menu. So too are bagels with lox and cream cheese, corned beef hash, potato latkes, noodle kugel and kosher pickles. (A whole kosher dill costs a mere buck.) And what’s not to like about sandwiches named “What Am I, Chopped Liver?” and “Noah’s Ark” the latter featuring “Two Of Every Meat We Have.”
HAPPY RETIREMENT LINDA RUBIN — On Sunday, June 24, more than 250 parents, former CDC students and staffers showed up at The J to give their best wishes to Linda Rubin as she embarks on retirement. Rubin was a teacher in The J’s preschool for 30 years, specializing in pre-K for a large chunk of that time but also leading the early learners in art class and “ruach.”
We were lucky enough to enroll our oldest in the CDC when he was just 18 months old and I’ve been able to call her my friend ever since. I figure in 30 years she’s taught a minimum of 450 students at The J alone — counting the children she taught during the school year as well as summer camp. That doesn’t include the hundreds of children she taught in religious school and Hebrew school over the years throughout the community including Congregation Beth Torah and those she has tutored for Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
Sunday’s retirement party featured many photos of students from over the years, a beautiful sweet table and wonderful speeches by J President and CEO Jim Slyter, CDC Director Machaela Whelan and the guest of honor herself. Those attending were thrilled to send hearty mazel tov’s Rubin’s way and to catch up with each other.
We know you loved all your kids Linda, and are happy to see the love come back your way!
KANDER ANNOUNCES PLANS TO RUN FOR MAYOR OF KCMO — On Sunday Jason Kander officially announced his plans to run for mayor of Kansas City. At this time Kander is thought to be the only Jewish candidate in the eight-person field. Kander served as Missouri’s secretary of state for a single four-year term from 2013-2017. Before that he represented a part of Kansas City in the Missouri State House of Representatives beginning in 2009 and served in the U.S. Army. In 2016 he lost a hard-fought battle to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.
The nonpartisan primary election takes place on April 2, 2019. The top two candidates with the most votes will advance to the general election on June 25, 2019.
ISRAELI FLAG REPLACED — A bridge on the Country Club Plaza — Kansas City Sister Cities International Bridge located at Ward Parkway at Central Street — features the flags of the 13 sister cities to Kansas City, Missouri. Since the Israeli city of Ramla is one of those cities, the Israeli flag is typically flying on the bridge.
One day last week the Israeli flag went missing and some members of the Jewish community were more than a bit concerned, and those concerns were reflected on Facebook. On Wednesday, June 20, a non-Jewish member of the community contacted KC Parks & Rec and inquired about the missing flag. He was told the city had not removed the flag and only does so when one is in need of cleaning or repairing. He was told the flag would be replaced as soon as possible.
The Chronicle also contacted Parks & Rec and by Thursday afternoon I was simply told “the flag has been replaced.” The story caught the attention of Fox 4’s Melissa Stern, who aired a report on July 21, noting a Parks & Rec employee told her “this is very unusual and hasn’t happened before.” To hear Stern’s full report, visit fox4kc.com and search Melissa Stern.
CALL FOR YARN — Gerry Trilling wants your yarn remnants …you know, all those partial skeins left from a hat, scarf or sweater (or intended ones) stashed away in shopping bags. The fiber artist only wants yarn that hasn’t already been knit and unraveled. (Previously used yarn is hard to work with.)
Drop-off your yarn and drop-in to see Trilling from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Epsten Gallery Monday, July 9, Tuesday, July 10, and/or Wednesday, July 11. While there, share you yarn stories with her. The community is also invited to join Trilling as she creates memory ponds with yarn during her residency at the Epsten Galley. She is interested in the intersection of memory and materiality and uses orphan remnants and the detritus of material culture in her art practice.
GOT A STORY IDEA? — Do you know something happening around town we should know about? Email me at .
HAPPY 70TH ANNIVERSARY — The Jewish War Veterans MO-KAN Post 605 is celebrating its 70th anniversary at 1 p.m. this Sunday in the Multi-Activities Room at the Jewish Community Campus (that’s by the White Theatre entrance). Operational since 1948, the Post has been active in the Jewish and general Greater Kansas City communities. From holiday gifts to hospitalized veterans, scholarships for youth, honoring the deceased at funerals and on national holidays, to participation in many community programs, the Post has been there.
Bill Greenberg, Post member and organizer of the anniversary celebration, said, “We invite everyone to join the celebration. Refreshments will be served, and we are pleased that the book, ‘For Those Who Served Our Country: A Tribute to Greater Kansas City’s Jewish Veterans,’ will be available.”
This special publication has been a two-year labor of love by the Post, the Jewish Community Foundation and the family of Aaron Braeman.
The book can be purchased by check, cash or credit card for $25 ($20 for veterans and their spouses/widows). It is a coffee-table quality book that every family should have to pass down to the next generation. Advance copies of the book have gotten superb reviews.
The public is invited to this anniversary celebration. For more information about the event, contact Greenberg at .
KCREP’S ROSEN TO PURSURE NEW OPPORTUNITIES — The board of directors of Kansas City Repertory Theatre announced late last week Dr. Eric Rosen, KCRep’s artistic director, will be departing the organization to return to New York, where he will pursue other projects. The board has named Associate Artistic Director Jason Chanos to interim artistic director and is conducting a national search for a visionary artistic director. Chanos will partner with current Executive Director Angela Lee Gieras to lead the organization in the interim.
“The board of directors at Kansas City Repertory Theatre is grateful for Eric’s many contributions during his 10 years of leadership. His artistic mastery has been instrumental in moving KCRep into its preeminent position as a producer of innovative classic plays and musicals and developer of new plays,” said Board Vice Chair Scott Hall.
Rosen, who is Jewish, will continue to work on some KCRep productions through the 2018-19 season. He said being at the helm of KCRep is among the greatest professional adventures of his life.
“I am immensely proud of the work we have done together,” said Rosen. “We’ve grown the company’s national profile, expanded our impact in the region, created facilities that are able to support the next generation of theater artists, and produced artistic work of the highest level of innovation and excellence,” he continued. “With the birth of our son, my husband and I decided to move closer to East Coast family and continue our careers there. I know KCRep is well positioned to continue its dynamic growth.”
ITINERARY REFERS TO OLD CITY JERUSALEM AS ‘OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES’ (JNS) — The itinerary of Britain’s Prince William in his visit to Israel will include a visit to the Old City of Jerusalem, which the document refers to as “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” a characterization that set off criticism in Israel.
Jerusalem Affairs Minister of Knesset Ze’ev Elkin called the reference “regrettable,” and said, “United Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for 3,000 years and no distortion in the tour itinerary can change that reality.”
Prince William will first travel to Jordan on June 24, arriving in Israel on a visit that will last until June 27, at which point “the program will shift to its next leg, the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” including a “short briefing on the history and geography of Jerusalem’s Old City from a viewing point at the Mount of Olives” on June 28.
According to the itinerary for the June 24-28 regional visit, William — also known as the Duke of Cambridge — will travel first to Jordan, followed by Israel on June 25-27.
Stops during the Old City visit may include the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Church of John the Baptist, though the official itinerary did not elucidate.
William will also meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin and make a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum.
(JNS) — The itinerary of Britain’s Prince William in his visit to Israel will include a visit to the Old City of Jerusalem, which the document refers to as “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” a characterization that set off criticism in Israel.
Jerusalem Affairs Minister of Knesset Ze’ev Elkin called the reference “regrettable,” and said, “United Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for 3,000 years and no distortion in the tour itinerary can change that reality.”
Prince William will first travel to Jordan on June 24, arriving in Israel on a visit that will last until June 27, at which point “the program will shift to its next leg, the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” including a “short briefing on the history and geography of Jerusalem’s Old City from a viewing point at the Mount of Olives” on June 28.
According to the itinerary for the June 24-28 regional visit, William — also known as the Duke of Cambridge — will travel first to Jordan, followed by Israel on June 25-27.
Stops during the Old City visit may include the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Church of John the Baptist, though the official itinerary did not elucidate.
William will also meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin and make a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Judge David Stras, a former Kansas Citian who is believed to be the second Jew ever to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit and the first to serve on the Minnesota Supreme Court, was sworn in on the Eighth Circuit court on May 18, 2018, by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Stras is 43 and lives in Minneapolis. He was born and raised in Wichita and lived in the Kansas City area during his sophomore and junior years while he attended Blue Valley North High School. He also attended and was confirmed at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah during that time.
The Tzofim (Israel Scouts) Friendship Caravan is celebrating over 40 years of bringing song and dance performances filled with excitement, energy and friendship to North America and will be in the Kansas City area the first week of July. Besides two performances at the Jewish Community Campus July 10, they will also perform at The H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation (Camp Lone Star) in Osceola, Missouri, and the Theodore Naish Scout Reservation in Bonner Springs, Kansas.
The Israel Scout Federation is the largest youth movement in Israel and counts about 90,000 members. Founded in 1919, the Tzofim claims to be the oldest co-educational Scouting organization in the world. The friendship Caravan is coordinated through the Friends of Tzofim organization and has been visiting the Kansas City area for many years.
On June 3, Jewish Community Foundation fund holders and their families gathered at the 1900 Building for a special program titled, “Where Money Meets Meaning: A Conversation About Your Family’s Charitable Values.”
Guests enjoyed brunch refreshments and the ambience of the event space before the program began with a warm welcome from Foundation board of trustees President Irv Belzer. Honorary co-chairs Ron and Susie Goldsmith and Michelle Goldsmith shared the importance of philanthropic discussions within their own family and then introduced special guest speaker Adina Schwartz of 21/64.
Schwartz is a speaker and consultant who works with individuals, families and organizations on multigenerational engagement in philanthropy through the national firm 21/64. This firm evolved from a program of the Andrea & Charles Bronfman Philanthropies into an independent nonprofit practice that provides multigenerational advising, facilitation and training for next generation engagement.
Schwartz led the group in an interactive conversation about generational observations and explained how significant historical events and conditions have shaped the attitudes and behaviors of every generation from the Traditionalists, or Silent Generation, to Generation Z, which includes those born between 1995 and 2015. Schwartz emphasized the importance of understanding these generational perspectives when having enriching conversations about values, money and legacy with family members of different ages.
The audience was invited to participate in an engaging exercise using “Exploring Giving” cards, a tool created by 21/64 to assist in meaningful intergenerational discussions. The participants paired off with members of different generations and practiced asking questions to learn about the other person’s charitable values and interests. Guests were able to take the cards home to continue the conversations with members of their own families.
“Our family has shared the Exploring Giving cards with our siblings and parents and have set up a time to meet via FaceTime to begin the discussion of philanthropy with the entire family,” said event attendee Karen Gerson. “Our son Gilli is going to lead these sessions and we are going to come to an agreement of where we want some funds to go as a family.
“In addition, Gilli has begun to realize the importance of saving a percentage of his money earned, as well as gifting a percentage to an organization that he feels passionate about.”
Lauren Mattleman Hoopes, who in addition to serving as the Foundation’s executive director is also a 21/64 certified facilitator, thanked attendees and welcomed them to contact the Foundation for further assistance engaging their families in philanthropic conversations. She informed the audience that the Foundation’s highly qualified staff can craft customized, creative strategies for any family’s unique circumstances.
For more information on engaging your family in charitable giving, contact the Jewish Community Foundation at 913-327-8245 or .
Anyone unfamiliar with JewishGen.org has an opportunity to learn about this important tool for Jewish family history researchers.
Nolan Altman will present “Understanding JewishGen.org” at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 24, at the Central Resource Library, Carmack Room, 9875 W. 87th St., Overland Park. The program is sponsored by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Kansas City, Inc.
Altman was bitten by the “genealogy bug” when he was inspired to write his family history in 1996 in memory of his mother.
As coordinator for JewishGen’s Holocaust Database and the JOWBR (JewishGen Online Worldwide Burial Registry) projects, he works with volunteers from around the world helping to grow both databases for the benefit of family members and researchers.
He has made presentations and conducted computer workshops at the IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies) annual conferences in the District of Columbia, New York City and Chicago. He continues to present his “How to Document and Research Your Family History” seminar to adult and continuing education classes as well as university Holocaust and European history classes.
Altman has had articles published in Avotaynu, Dorot, Sammbaum, Shemot and the FEEFHS Journal. He is a board member and treasurer of the JGS of Long Island, where he coordinates its Yearbook Project and is also a member of the JGS of New York.
For more information, contact Richard Rosenstock, 913-302-1246 or .
For the past six years, Tori Luecking has called KU Hillel home. After participating in Hillel as a student intern for four years and working as the engagement associate for two years, Luecking is leaving KU Hillel to take on the role of communications director for Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis.
The KU Hillel staff has cherished the past six years with Luecking and they are confident in her ability to serve the Jewish community in St. Louis.
“This past year working with Tori has been such a joy,” said Leah Swartz, KU Hillel program director. “I’ve known her since she was a freshman and it has been so wonderful to see her grow into an engaging and confident Jewish professional.”
Luecking has been significantly involved in KU Hillel from the moment she arrived on campus as a freshman in 2012. As an undergraduate student leader, Luecking was a coordinator for KU Hillel’s Freshman Engagement team and ran Hillel on the Hill, KU Hillel’s annual event to expose prospective high school students to Jewish life at KU.
She also served on KU Hillel’s Strategic Leadership Team and as one of the student representatives on KU Hillel’s board of directors. Luecking also participated in KU Hillel’s Leadership Mission to Israel and the first Eastern Europe Leadership Mission to Bulgaria and Romania.
As the full-time engagement associate, Luecking developed an innovative strategy for connecting with new Jewish students on campus. Luecking and her team of 16 engagement interns have built relationships and managed the KU Hillel student database of more than 500 Jewish KU students.
“New, exciting and sometimes intimidating, college is the time when young people engage in self-exploration and self-definition,” Luecking said. “They meet new people, undergo social and academic challenges, and ultimately aim to better understand themselves. As an engagement associate it has been my privilege to accompany Jewish students on this journey.”
Luecking has also planned and hosted dozens of events designed to foster relationships between students, their peers and the KU Hillel staff. She has supported the development team in grant writing and reporting and staffed two Birthright trips, providing more than 80 KU students with a once-in-a-lifetime Israel experience.
Additionally, Luecking wrote the Student Spotlight blog for KU Hillel over the past year. The Student Spotlight highlights the amazing talents and passions of Jewish students in Lawrence.
“Writing the Student Spotlight has proven to be an excellent engagement tool,” Luecking said. “The interviews I conducted before writing encouraged students to open up, discuss topics they were interested in and ultimately build a relationship with me and the organization. It’s something that I hope will continue flourishing at KU Hillel.”
Melanie Edwards will be joining the KU Hillel staff this summer taking over Luecking’s position as the engagement associate. She will also be participating in the Hillel International Springboard Fellowship. Edwards graduated from KU Hillel in 2017 and helped Luecking with several programs while she was a student and one of Luecking’s interns.
“Melanie is one of the most welcoming and kind people I have worked with,” Luecking said. “She fully embraces the Hillel approach to hachnasat orchim (welcoming of the guest) and I am extremely confident in her ability to take on this role and continuing to make engagement at KU Hillel thrive.”
After a nine-month search, Kehilath Israel Synagogue has hired Rabbi Moshe Grussgott as its next senior rabbi. He will join the congregation on August 1.
Rabbi Grussgott replaces Rabbi Jeffrey Shron, who left the congregation to make aliyah in October 2017. The traditional congregation’s rabbi emeritus, Rabbi Herbert Mandl, has been serving as interim rabbi.
K.I. President Marty Gorin made the announcement in an email to members June 6, writing “Rabbi Grussgott will bring knowledge, experience, compassion and enthusiasm to our congregation and community.”
