By Ruth Baum Bigus
Special to The Chronicle
We’re living in very divisive times with the negative tone of rhetoric at an all-time high. Conversations centered around the pressing issues of the day are often heated and discerning fact from fiction is more challenging than ever.
By Jane Martin
Special to The Chronicle
Staying safe in your COVID bubble is a wise move, but can leave many of us feeling bored, unstimulated or disconnected from our community. Enter MeltonKC, powered by HBHA, with a wide selection of 2020-21 courses to engage, connect and offer thought-provoking material. All while keeping students safe through virtual class sessions (MeltonKC classes will remain virtual until it is safe to return in person).
As soon as it became apparent that the pandemic would not subside before the High Holidays, B’nai Jehudah staff, led by Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff, began working on ways to make this a special time, where congregants could gather (virtually, or physically distant in person) together as one community.
Barbara Unell, author and social entrepreneur, will receive the Honorary Nursing Alumna award from the KU Nurses Alumni Association on Friday, Oct. 2.
KU Hillel brought together Jewish students in a safe fashion to start 5781 in style (and good health). They held their annual Rosh Hashanah service — the first major in-person holiday service they have hosted during the pandemic. It was so important to KU Hillel to offer High Holidays experiences in a safe manner for students and staff because now more than ever, connecting with each other offline is crucial.
PJ Library of Kansas City is hosting “PB & PJ,” a peanut butter and jelly drive benefitting the Jewish Family Services food pantry. The goal is to collect 1,000 pounds of food to match the generous $1,000 donation made by the Polsky Family Charitable Foundation.
Menu for your mind
The Sarah Peltzman Educational Series consists of three educational units from 10 to 11 a.m. beginning Thursday, Oct. 15, sponsored by Congregation Beth Shalom Sisterhood through Zoom. The cost is $15 per unit or $36 for all three and is open to the entire Jewish community of Greater Kansas City. The fee for couples is $40 and includes all three units. Each unit (lasting four class sessions) will be followed by a fifth session with a “guest speaker.”
The holiday season is usually marked by families coming together to enjoy special meals, prayer and time-honored traditions. But this year things were different with the global pandemic restricting many in-person events. For Jewish college students who cannot be at home with their families, this holiday season can be even more challenging and lonely. With the support of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and many other benefactors, Chabad at KU aimed to provide a home-away-from-home holiday experience where Jewish students celebrated these days of awe in a safe but joyful manner.
Everyone is invited to safely join a benefit celebration of 35 years of CASA of Johnson & Wyandotte Counties’ volunteers making a difference in the lives of thousands of abused and neglected children. The virtual Hops & Barley Ball: Cheers to 35 Years will be streamed beginning at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, and can be viewed on an ongoing basis.
HBHA, with its cyclical learning model, rotates between one week of in-person learning and one week of virtual learning, continues to seek creative ways to safely educate its students during in-person weeks. From Hebrew lessons to PE to social studies, HBHA teachers are working outside time into their daily class schedules to allow students to safely learn while also getting fresh air and mask breaks throughout the day.
