Support Temple Israel

I read with interest your article on Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn in the Jewish Chronicle. (April 1, 2011)

My wife Karen and I were on a trip to Poland to discover my family roots. Rabbi Cukierkorn provide an unusual service in helping us track our family’s genealogy and helped working with Archive Researchers, who could read Cyrillic and tracked my roots to 1750 in Czestochowa, Poland (formerly Russia).

Spending days driving with Jacques, we were able to hear some of his “visions” for his dream of creating Temple Israel. Jacques’ knowledge of Judaism is encyclopedic and he has strong desire to spread the faith. We have supported his efforts to work with Latin American communities, who have countrymen and woman who desire to convert to Judaism.

I am a “free market” economist and I believe competition is good for the consumer as it gives one more choices. It also makes the competitors improve their product. Therefore I am supportive of Temple Israel coming to the Kansas City area. We are currently members of The Temple, Congregation Bnai Jehudah in Kansas and Bnai Vail in Colorado. We will consider joining Temple Israel, as well, when it is formed.

We are longtime subscribers to your publication and enjoy reading it when we are in town.

Michael E. Herman
Kansas City, Mo.