Appreciating a wonderful evening
Thanks to Sheldon Wishna, arrangements were made for JBS’s closed-circuit TV production of the Kol Nidre service to be broadcast at Brookdale Leawood. There were about 15 “senior orphans” who watched the service.
As one of the “senior orphans,” I thought you should know we were spellbound for the entire two hours! We enjoyed the ambiance of the Temple, the warmth of the head rabbi, the speaking and singing voice of the Korean rabbi and the local cantor’s ability to engage the congregation. There are really no words adequate in either the English or Hebrew language to express our most sincere appreciation for a wonderful evening.
Todah rabah! May you be inscribed for a perfect 5776.
Patsy Dunn Shanberg
Leawood, Kansas
Gun situation out of control
I read Robert Cutler’s response to Ellen Portnoy’s article in The Chronicle shortly before learning about the tragic shootings in Oregon. I was deeply annoyed with his predictable support of gun control arguments. He clearly refuses to accept what Portnoy was trying to convey, and what President Obama echoed in his heartfelt statement after the horror in Roseburg.
It is interesting that the sheriff of the county where the tragedy occurred in Oregon is an ardent opponent of gun control. In view of the carnage that has visited his home area, I imagine he’ll rationalize the reason for the tragedy, much like Robert Cutler and other gun enthusiasts do. However, the majority of Americans recognize that the gun situation in our country is totally out of control, and their arguments are no longer acceptable to our citizens’ safety.
I, like so many others, am so tired of this issue, and the inaction of our legislators. If our congressmen refuse to do anything about protecting our citizens, than maybe it’s really time to amend the Constitution. I’m not in favor of restricting people’s access to guns legally, but for those who harbor arsenals and automatic weapons that is something we can’t continue to accept in our society. We’re the only “advanced” nation that has this problem, and I am confident in believing that we’re not the only country that has citizens with mental health issues.
Carole Plesser
Prairie Village, Kansas
Doing nothing is no longer an option
The recent letters in The Chronicle regarding the rights of gun owners compel me now to respond. No one in the movement to curb gun violence rejects the right of gun owners to own guns, UNLESS they are domestic abusers, convicted felons, people with severe mental illness or other individuals identified as potential threats to themselves or others. We are all well-aware of the Second Amendment — though imagine our forefathers did not envision the proliferation of guns in America today. Nor did they envision that their support of an armed militia, which was the clear interpretation until the 2008 Heller decision by the Supreme Court inserted the word INDIVIDUAL, would be abused as it is today.
Besides the horror of the mass shootings, which we see with depressing regularity, there is an average of 92 gun deaths DAILY. That number includes seven children and teens. Data shows children are more likely to be killed by a gun in the home than anywhere else. A woman’s chances of being killed by her abuser increase more than seven times if he has access to a gun, and the myth that having a gun in the home makes you safer is proven false by the fact that it is 22 times more likely for a gun to be used to kill or injure in a domestic homicide, suicide or accidental shooting than to be used in self- defense.
I could quote statistics all day, and the NRA and gun rights folks would quote them right back. The reality is we do have a gun problem in this country, related to the culture of violence and the abundance of guns (one for every man, woman and child in this county.) It is clear we need a better system of background checks without loopholes. For those who say that many slip through these checks, as the Oregon shooter did, that does not mean we shouldn’t try to do something, since doing nothing can no longer be an option. Data has shown since the Brady Bill mandating background checks was passed in 1993, more than 2.4 million attempts to purchase a firearm have been blocked. Law-abiding citizens need not fear background checks, but we owe it to our children and grandchildren to work harder to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people, so they can be safe at home, at school, and in the community.
Judy Sherry
President
Grandparents Against Gun Violence
Mean-spirited characterization
Gratuitous would be a charitable way to characterize Benyamin Korn’s pot-shot at J Street (“A different take on Ann Coulter, Sept. 24). Mean-spirited is more apt. Please reconsider printing dreck like this.
Rabbi Scott White
Congregation Ohev Sholom
Opposing anti-Muslim rhetoric
Following recent remarks made by presidential hopeful Dr. Ben Carson that he “would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council (GKCIC) would like to remind the greater Kansas City area that we stand in solidarity with our Muslim friends, and are deeply saddened by these xenophobic and anti-Muslim statements.
Dr. Carson’s remarks are not an isolated sentiment. Another presidential candidate, Donald Trump, also recently refused to rebuke or correct a supporter at a town hall meeting who said “We have a problem in this country. It’s called Muslims. ... How do we get rid of them?” These incidents remind us of the urgent need for more education and engagement about world religions and culture in the Greater Kansas City area to dispel lack of understanding and bring an end to divisive rhetoric.
Today, we invite you to join the GKCIC in focusing our words, thoughts and deeds on promoting peace, inclusion and acceptance. Art Chaudry, GKCIC community adviser, reminds us, “We must stand united against hate speech. The foundation of interfaith dialogue is advocacy of tolerance and an embrace of diversity. We need to be strong against efforts to marginalize and paint a whole community with a broad brush of stereotyping and negativity. Let’s do the right thing in standing firm against Islamophobia.”
Barb McAtee, Baha’i Faith director of the Interfaith Council, says, “It is hurtful, anti-American, divisive, and should not be part of political debate.” McAtee further cautions that “...media who give airtime to these speakers and their hateful rhetoric are simply contributing to the problem.”
The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council celebrates the gifts of religious pluralism in our city because it is a celebration of the interconnectedness of all life. Whatever our individual faith traditions, we simply can’t imagine being separate. … We can’t imagine our lives without each other. We are growing a sustainable, pervasive culture of knowledge, respect, appreciation, and trust amongst people of all faiths and religious traditions in the greater Kansas City community.
The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council (GKCIC) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, which has a board of directors that strives for inclusiveness. The Council is comprised of faith directors, as well as at-large directors, who belong to 22 distinct faith philosophies represented in the greater Kansas City area. Working through directors, alternates, advisers and friends, the Council strives to provide engaging and educational programs about the many diverse faiths and traditions represented in Greater Kansas City by joining religion, spirit and community. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council takes no position on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for office.
Rev. Mary Gibson McCoy
Convener/chair
Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council
