Attack off base

I would normally be reluctant to take issue with my long-time acquaintance Sol Batnitzky in print, but the extreme sarcasm of his letter in your Aug. 4 issue, referring to the “so called Kansas City Jewish Chronicle,” demands a response. Dr. Batnitzky is upset at The Chronicle for its failure to report on a theater telecast of a concert by the Israel Philharmonic. To begin with, this was a telecast, not a local event. Furthermore, it is possible that The Chronicle was not made aware of the event.

On a number of occasions, I have contacted The Chronicle on behalf of the Lyric Opera or Civic Opera when there was a Jewish angle, and the editors have always provided coverage of the event, including a recent half-page article (including a photograph) when an Israeli-born singer starred in a Lyric production. From my experience, Dr. Batnitzky’s attack was way off base.

Stu Lewis
Prairie Village, Kan.

Setting the record straight

In a recent article about Jewish Employment Services program, the Jewish Heritage Foundation was inadvertently omitted as a funder. Throughout the years, Jewish community funders (the Jewish Heritage Foundation, the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation) have been instrumental in the success of this program, which provides career counseling and job placement assistance to members of the Kansas City Jewish community who are unemployed or underemployed.

JVS also wishes to clarify information that appeared in the Aug.11 Jewish Chronicle about the JVS Baltimore Ave. Dime Store staying open for First Fridays. The article read that we stay open until 9 p.m., but we actually close at 8 p.m. or before as to not conflict with Shabbat. We are only open late in the summer months.

Joy Foster
JVS Executive Director