Ever since I was a young child and took my first trip to Israel, I knew that it held a special place in my heart. I did not know quite what it was at the time, but I knew that I had to return at some point. My family and I took our second trip to the Holy Land for my younger brother’s Bar Mitzvah, and I left with that same feeling inside of me.
When I first came to town in 1997, Jewish Kansas City was thriving. All the major shuls were filled with families and children who were dedicated and committed to their respective synagogues. There were at least 150 B’nai Mitzvah each year, and after school religious programs had high enrollment numbers. Each synagogue ran many successful programs and events, both religious and social, and the JCC membership was predominantly Jewish.
The itenerary of Jewish Federation Women’s Mission 2017 included a graffiti art tour in Tel Aviv. Shown here are Phyllis Carozza (front row, from left), Lori Ravis, Diane Ravis, Marge Schlosberg, Diane Davidner, Beth Liss, Michele Kaplan and Janey Goodman. Back row: Federation’s Financial Resources Director Lisa Schifman, tour guide, Lisa Bernard, Sandi Fried, Federation President and CEO Dr. Helene Lotman, Jenny Isenberg, Lynn Poskin and Amy Ravis Furey.
A little over a year ago, Lisa Schifman, financial resource development director at Jewish Federation, approached me to chair a trip to Israel for the women of Kansas City. I was excited as I have seen the energy that mission trips bring back to a community.
Once again, I am happy to say “todah rabbah” to the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City for sponsoring the Passover Meals prepared by Cathy Levin and her “chefs,” as well as the culinary staff at Brookdale.
Yom HaZikaron is the national Remembrance Day observed in Israel for those who have fallen in defense of the country since 1860. As of May 2016, that number was 23,447.
More than half a century after the Holocaust, I found myself on the steps of the Kahal Kadosh Shalom Synagogue, built in 1577 in Rhodes, the largest of Greece’s Dodecanese islands.
April 22 marks Earth Day, which has been celebrated worldwide since 1970. It is celebrated in more than 192 countries every year. I would suggest that bringing a more specifically Jewish consciousness to Earth Day will help us deepen our commitment to practices that help and don’t hurt God’s creation.
