Letters to the Editor

Thank you Louis Memorial Chapel

Last week we held the funeral for our mother, Judy Cooper, of blessed memory.

One of the best memories we have taken with us from this is the incredible way we were treated by everyone at Louis.

No head of state could have been made to feel more comfortable and/or important. They anticipated every need and took care to make sure all was handled perfectly.

Thank you all, you are to be commended. You weren’t just doing your jobs; you exemplified what it means to care about your chosen careers and the people with whom you come in contact.

Stand with us

The Boycott, Sanctions, Divestment (BDS) movement is an existential threat to Israel, according to Rabbi Daniel Gordis who spoke so eloquently about this threat at this week’s AIPAC Kansas City Israel Action Forum. Yet, the BDS movement has not received the attention it deserves from the Jewish community. There is one international organization, Stand With Us, whose focus is to “challenge the misinformation that often surrounds the Middle East conflict.” Stand With Us proactively addresses the BDS movement through education, resources, speakers, conferences and campus activism. The organization uses the Internet very effectively to spread its positive message. I urge those who care about the survival of Israel to “friend” Stand With Us on Facebook and to check out its website, www.standwithus.org. Stand With Us is about grassroots involvement; with just a few clicks you can make a difference on this critical issue.

Appalling support

Recently you published an announcement about Boy Scout Shabbat services to be held on Feb. 26 and Mar. 12. In my opinion, the sponsorship of Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops by Beth Shalom and Kehilath Israel, respectively, for the Kansas City Jewish community is a stain on what I had believed was the community’s commitment to universal human rights, opposition to all types of discrimination, and tikkun olam.

Since 1991, openly homosexual individuals have been officially prohibited from leadership positions in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). And if a Scout admits to being a homosexual, the Boy Scouts’ policy is to instantly terminate his association with the BSA. Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that the BSA can ban gays, members as well as leaders, from being involved in Scouting (notably supported by Orthodox Jewish organizations), I am appalled that local Jewish institutions continue to support as organization that blatantly, albeit legally, discriminates against gay males. By excluding gay men from leadership positions, gay teenagers are denied the opportunity to be mentored and counseled by positive gay role models.

Both the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis have adopted formal resolutions endorsing civil rights for gays and lesbians, including same-gender civil marriages, and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism issued a statement calling on Jewish families and congregations to sever ties with BSA, calling the BSA policy incompatible with the organization’s beliefs. Nationwide, many Jewish congregations across religious movements have severed ties with the BSA because of its discrimination. However, there is a paucity of Jewish organizations, nationally and locally, that have stood up in support of equality in Scouting.

Are we not all created in the image of God and deserving of equal treatment? Although as U.S. citizens we have the right of free association, should local Jewish institutions be associated with the BSA, which practices institutional discrimination? I am extremely disappointed that the local Jewish community and two sponsoring congregations continue to support an association that practices hate.