What do you get when you take 14 women from diverse Jewish backgrounds, many of whom do not know each other, and send them on a 10-day trip to Israel together? An entirely new perspective and an amazing sisterhood!

I felt blessed to be able to return to Israel this summer with the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project (JWRP) with the support of our local KC Kollel. JWRP was founded in 2008 with the goal of inspiring and empowering women “to change the world.” The flagship program is the 10-day mission trip to Israel — in five years, more than 2,000 women from over 40 cities and seven countries have traveled to Israel and taken this journey together.

As I look back on the trip, I struggle to put into words the experience and impact it has had on my life. The journey really began here in Kansas City with our city leader, Bracha Schulgasser. With her guidance, we came together as very different people with different goals — but with one mission — to learn and to bring this knowledge back home.

As we left Kansas City, we joined women from across the United States and Canada. We traveled to Northern Israel — the eyes and ears of the nation, as our trusted guide, Patrick, explained. The excitement overpowered any perceived jetlag, and we dined on delicious salads, vegetables, appetizers and fish at the beautiful restaurant Decks. Then we danced into the night! This was the start of “sleep is for when you get home” mentality.

The following day, we traveled farther inland to kayak the Jordan River and then on to Safed. Two of the four holy cities in less than 24 hours! Wow. The spirituality in Safed is almost palpable. Walking the steps — the many, many steps that our ancestors walked before us, is somehow grounding. We again had an amazing dining experience before heading back to the buses and continuing farther toward the “bellybutton” — Jerusalem.

As we arrived in Jerusalem (evening two in Israel!), music began playing on the bus and we watched as the city came into view. There is a beautiful mixture of old and new and of history and future. We settled into the King Solomon Hotel for the remainder of our time. The hotel is wonderful. We all noticed a mezuzah on every room door frame. The following morning, we walked to the Old City and to the Aish HaTorah Building. As we glanced out the back window, we stared at the Kotel in awe. We had a wonderful introductory lecture on the power of prayer, and then we went to the Kotel. For some of us, this was the first time; for others, it was a return to a safe place. For all of us, it was a humbling moment to stand where so many other Jews have stood for thousands of years and offered their prayers.

These first two days were the appetizers for the rest of the week — we continued to have amazing teachers, classes that spilled over into the evening when we were dining and shopping together on Ben Yehuda Street, and chesed projects that inspired us to bring home a better way to treat people and to find ways to help people in our own neighborhoods.

The classes built up to Shabbat. During the day on Friday, we learned about the mitzvah of making challah — and some great new ways of rolling the dough. We spent some time in the shuk bargaining and absorbing Israeli culture in the pre-Shabbat hours. As we were ushering in Shabbos, we were offered a safe place to keep our phones, etc. I decided to give mine over to the safety of the bag — this was the first time in many, many years that I can remember being without a phone. As scary as I thought it would be (“what am I forgetting and who’s trying to reach me?), it was truly liberating. I was completely free to be in the moment. All of the women joined in song and dance near the Wall — arms and voices linked. We were joined by soldiers, by young women participating in Birthright, by visitors. We were a sisterhood and we were welcoming Shabbat. Dinner was, of course, amazing. We were joined by lone soldiers and heard amazing stories of their experiences and their journeys.

As the week was drawing to a close, the experience kept growing. We traveled to Masada where two of the women from Kansas City were given their Hebrew names. What an honor to be able to be there with them. Mazel tov!

It is almost impossible to explain the impact of the daily experiences during this trip — the overriding message to me was that everything we do matters — even the little things. It is not all or nothing. If we all make an effort to do one thing every day and teach it to our children, we are making a difference. We will empower and change the world.

If you have the chance — if you get an email or see a flyer about this trip in future — please think about the opportunity. It will amaze you. And gentlemen, there is a special trip on the horizon just for you! Seize the opportunity. It will give you new perspective, and it just may change your life.

Thanks for a job well done

This is to thank Betty Kalikow for all of her dedication and hard work that she gave to our Jewish community for so many years.

Betty catered many of our Jewish celebrations, weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Brises and even more fabulous meals. (Not only for the Jewish community, her calendar was always filled with caterings and she even authored a cookbook). Betty was one of the foremost caterers in Kansas City.

She did such a wonderful job at each and every one of these occasions, no matter how many people she had to cater for, nor how hard the event was, not even if she had multiple caterings on the same day. Betty raised three children at the same time she worked tirelessly all of those early years, and did many of her caterings with her loving husband Al by her side. (I don’t think he helped cook, but he did endless duties at the actual event!)

And, Betty got along with everyone, never letting someone else’s ill temper get the best of her. Betty always has a kind word to say, and the most wonderful attitude of anyone I’ve ever known.

Barbara Frager persuaded Betty to start a “real” lunch program for the Heritage Center around 15 to 20 years ago. The Heritage Center’s senior program could boast that they had a wonderful caterer to plan and implement their lunches Monday through Friday, and also the large luncheons that they put on for Rosh Hashanah, Chanukah parties, Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day ( to name a few). These luncheons always drew in a big crowd of at least 150 people, and everyone had such a good time at these festive luncheons. Between Barbara Frager making all of the senior crowd feel so needed and wanted and comfortable at these luncheons in the social hall by her calming demeanor and her special way of relating to all, and Betty’s wonderful chicken luncheons, the senior community felt very special due to Barbara and Betty.

Betty recruited me to work with her at the Heritage Center, and I learned so much from her about how to deal with catering issues, and many other “people” related things. I felt very fortunate to be able to work alongside Betty for five years. Nothing could get Betty to lose her temper, she always had a kind word and smile for her friends and even for those she didn’t know well.

I know that the Heritage Center has lost a wonderful caterer, and the Jewish Community Center owes Betty its very best wishes and a million thank yous for doing such a wonderful job for the Jewish community for more than 50 years.

Have a good retirement, you deserve it, and all who know Betty know she has so much energy she’ll probably fill her time with her good friends playing cards and traveling to see her out of town children.

Thank you from our entire community ... we are so lucky to know you!

Liz and Rick Kaplan

Leawood, Kan.

Leslie and I were recently reviewing our personal legal documents — wills, powers of attorney, health care directives, etc. A friend asked us a question, “Do your children have their own ‘durable power of attorney for health care decisions’ documents?

Leslie and I said no ... and then paused.

Both of us realized what this meant. If something were to occur to either of our children — both of whom are over 21 — we would have no legal say regarding their health care. It would be in the hands of the state.

Remember Nancy Cruzan and Terry Schiavo? (If you don’t, you search their names and read about them on the internet.) Nancy was a 25-year-old, Terry Ann a 27-year-old. While both were married at the time of their health crises, neither one had legal documents permitting family and/or friends to determine the direction of their health care. If they did, we would not know about their lives or their deaths.

Many of our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews (and friends’ children, grandchildren, etc.) are in those “in between” years of 21-30, where they are adults, yet still finding their own ground, still discovering their meaningful relationships. Perhaps they are still in college, in grad school, in their first or second jobs. Maybe they are dating or in a committed relationship, engaged, or even recently married.

What if the unimaginable happened and — tomorrow — your child was in a health crisis, unable to speak for him/herself? Who would be there to direct his/her health care?

You? Sadly, the answer is no.

While I am not an attorney, we were told unequivocally that absent legal documentation (a durable power of attorney for health care decisions, a health care directive or a living will), parents have no legal right to determine the health care for their child once s/he turns 21.

As a rabbi, I often counsel families regarding health care decisions. Many times, we sit and ask the question: “What would Sam have wanted in this situation?” “Would Sadie want to be on life support?” “Would Sara want us to take extraordinary measures?” Sometimes, the patient has shared his/her views. Often, s/he has not. Fortunately, no family I have helped had to contend with the state wanting one approach and the family wanting another. Equally fortunate, I have never helped a family that faced such decisions with a young person. But, it can happen. It does happen. And we need to protect our children’s desires.

So, this message is a plea: Have a conversation soon with your adult child (grandchild, niece, nephew) about this difficult topic. (Or forward this message to a friend and encourage them to have the conversation with their adult child, etc.)

In that conversation, encourage/assist your child to sit with an attorney and write a legal durable power of attorney for health care decisions. Your child has the right to determine who will make health care decisions if s/he is unable. Perhaps it will be you. Perhaps a grandparent. Perhaps a spouse. Perhaps a best friend. But your child — for your child’s own sake — needs to decide and create that legal document.

An equally important, and even more confounding document to write is a living will. For this is where a person says what s/he wants for her/himself if something were to happen and becomes incapacitated. Questions include: What situations would your child NOT want medical treatments to keep him alive? How does your child feel about organ donations, if something were to happen to her? Who will honor your child’s wishes most, to assure that his requests are carried out? (A good starting place with some reasonable questions to ask can be found at http://www.johncmartinlaw.com/articles/AHCDs.pdf. While it speaks about California, the questions raised are important regardless of where one lives.)

As our children become adults, they go off into the world filled with optimism and joy. We wish to encourage them and support them in their dreams. Equally, though, we want to protect them. Perhaps one of the great gifts we can offer is to help them put into place a system to help them — to speak for them — if they are unable to do so.

It is unimaginable and horrible to contemplate a time when our children are incapacitated and unable to communicate their own health wishes. We and our children don’t want to confront those painful issues. No doubt that was what Nancy Cruzan and Terry Ann Schiavo’s parents thought, as well. I am confident they wished they had.

Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff is senior rabbi at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah. This column was first published in his weekly Bisseleh Bytes newsletter emailed to congregants.

Women of and for the Wall

If I ever had an iota of interest in or sympathy for the two-month old, grassroots, Orthodox, Women for the Wall group, (note the word for) it was totally destroyed when I had the opportunity to listen to its founders recently.

Ronit Peskin and Leah Aharoni, co-founders of Women for the Wall, claim to be dedicated to heritage and tradition. But they certainly need to be taught about lashon hara (evil tongue or gossip) as well as defamation and slander because that was exactly what they did in their tirades against the Women of the Wall.

In case you don’t know Women of the Wall wants to wear prayer shawls, pray and read from the Torah collectively and out loud at the Western Wall. The Orthodox Women for the Wall group is opposed to Women of the Wall’s mission.

The Women for the Wall claim the Women of the Wall “runs against the traditional approach and are trying to impose their wishes on people who come to pray at the Western Wall.”

The Women for the Wall do not seem to understand that they are doing precisely what they reject. They are, in fact, trying to coerce women who do not believe like themselves to follow a tradition that is not their tradition.

At the same gathering representatives of Women of the Wall Batya Kallus, vice chair, and Shira Pruce, public relations chair, calmly and professionally explained their purpose.

On Sunday, Rosh Chodesh, once again, as has been occurring for 25 years, the Women of the Wall gathered to attempt to pray in an all-women’s prayer group. A friend of mine who was there and attends these gatherings regularly, reported that the police cordoned off the haredi men who proceeded to yell “zonah” (Hebrew for prostitute) and other disruptive things; next to them, barricaded together were religious women who did not appear to be praying but were also yelling. “Ghettoed in” with metal barricades on all sides next to the religious women were the Women of the Wall, attempting to pray. Outside the barricades were police, shoulder to shoulder, guarding the women when they left the security of the pen.

The atmosphere was far from calm; some haredi men threw eggs at the women and the yelling never stopped.

The government continues to search for a solution resolving the controversy over female prayer at the Western Wall. Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, has called for the renovation of a respected site to make it accessible to non-Orthodox worshippers at all hours of the day.

Let’s hope cooler heads prevail and a solution is found soon.

Sybil Kaplan

Jerusalem, Israel

Thank you Alan Bram

This gem we call the Jewish Community Campus has served our community well since its opening in 1988. Since the creation of the Campus we have had the good fortune to have a premier facility manager in Alan Bram. I was fortunate to work with Alan when he came on board as he was initially officed at the Jewish Federation when it was located downtown. It was immediately clear to me that the Campus leaders back in the late ’80s recognized an extremely talented facilities’ manager when they met Alan. Their prescient decision to hire Alan has resulted in 24-plus years of real devotion to keeping the Campus as our community’s gem. Many of you probably aren’t aware that over the years Alan has been a consultant to other facilities around the country. His knowledge and expertise of how to run a complex and multi-purpose facility is rare. Alan’s dedication and commitment to keeping the Campus in such great shape has allowed our community members to work and play in a safe and well-kept environment. His selection of accommodating and knowledgeable staff has made the Campus the envy of all who visit here. Alan Bram is retiring and although he may not be physically present with us going forward as the Campus director, his influence and tender loving care of our community home will never be forgotten and for that we owe him much gratitude, appreciation and our collective thanks.

Shari Stimetz

Gladstone, Mo.

Scouting evolves, values persist

Recently, The Chronicle covered the decision of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to change its membership policies to no longer exclude gay youth. This is a long-awaited step in the right direction, which should be seen as evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

Many of us in the Jewish community actively participate in Scouting because it is a program proven to succeed in its mission to instill in youth character, citizenship and fitness. An independent (not commissioned by BSA) study from Baylor University*, utilizing the Gallup poll’s methodology, was released early this year entitled “Merit Beyond the Badge.” The Baylor study revealed that Eagle Scouts exceed societal norms in areas such as participation in health and recreational activities, connectedness to their families and community, community service activities, protecting the environment, planning and preparedness, goal orientation and respect for diversity, among others.

The National Jewish Committee on Scouting voted earlier this spring to support a resolution to allow the chartered organizations (sponsoring institutions of cub packs and scout troops) to determine their own membership and leadership standards to reflect the values of the chartered organization for their youth programming. That resolution did not make it to a final vote at the national BSA meeting this May. The resolution that was voted on by more than 1,300 Scouting volunteer delegates from throughout the country passed by a 61 percent to 39 percent margin, repealing the ban on gay scouts, but not on gay adults serving in a leadership role.

It took 13 years for Scouting to evolve from the Supreme Court decision supporting BSA’s right, as a private institution, to create its own membership and leadership standards, even if such standards were discriminatory. How long will it take BSA to evolve to the next step of inclusiveness among leaders, as well as youth, remains to be seen.

Scouting’s success for over a century in leadership and character development in our nation’s youth is hard to match. Today more than 2.7 Million youth participate in the Scouting program, while locally more than 35,000 youth are in the Scouting program. Scouting has and will continue to change as societal norms evolve. Meanwhile, many of us who are active in Scouting will continue to work from the inside for evolutionary change, trying to be patient and persistent as we continue to provide a proven program for today’s youth to achieve the values that their families and communities recognize in leaders.

*Jang SJ, Johnson BR, Kim Y, “Eagle Scouts: Merit Beyond the Badge”, Baylor University, 2013.

Norman Kahn, Member, National Jewish Committee on Scouting; Chair, Central Region Jewish Committee on Scouting; Former Chair, Heart of America Council Jewish Committee on Scouting

Joyful conversion process

I’ve always believed that when something is in our destiny, we just have to wait until it comes and then we must work hard to make that dream come true. That’s exactly what happened to me recently during my conversion process.

It was during Chanukah in 2012 that I met a Jewish Argentinian man who would help me more than anyone during the process. He also introduced me to Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn.

I still remember when I met Rabbi Cukierkorn. He was sympathetic, kind, reliable and pleasant. I chose him as my teacher.

After that came a series of long emails, where Rabbi Cukierkorn was always willing to help me. After a little less than a year, the rabbi told me I was ready for my conversion and he would come to Mexico for the ceremony. But I told him I wanted to travel to Kansas instead.

I flew for Kansas City on the 29th of Nisan. My conversion took place the next day. I was very nervous. Once inside Kehilath Israel Synagogue where the mikvah is located, we went inside the library to meet the members of the Beit Din — Rabbi Cukierkorn, Rabbi Paul Silbersher and Rabbi Scott White.

They asked me about many things I had studied with Rabbi Cukierkorn. After about an hour, I went to the mikvah.

Since the very first moment I entered the mikvah, I started to experience a very unique sensation. It was a mixture of euphoria and calmness. Everything was different. I felt joyful. It is something unexplainable with words. It was so beautiful and I’ll never forget it.

Following the mikvah, we headed toward the shul. There Rabbi Cukierkorn let me hold the Torah and Rabbi Silbersher started to sing. I must confess I’ve never heard a man sing with such intensity and so beautifully. I just can’t stop talking about the wonderful feeling it all provoked in me. I was finally converted!

The day wasn’t over yet. Rabbi Cukierkorn showed me around the Jewish Community Campus, we attended the Yom HaShoah service, he introduced me to his beautiful family and he gave me a few gifts in honor of my conversion.

The day of my conversion was only the second time in my life I saw Rabbi Cukierkorn. When I saw him that day, I felt as if I had known him for a long time. I will never forget his kindness and hospitality. Thank you rabbi!

Stephanie Ruiz Lack

Puebla, México

Imagine standing where your home once stood and looking around at your neighborhood and seeing nothing but pile after pile of rubble, bricks, insulation and remnants of the personal items that made up your life. Now, imagine that it is not only your neighborhood but also the neighborhoods to the left and the right, and in front and in back. This is the scene in Moore, Okla.

As Jews, especially, we are taught that all people are our brothers and sisters. It is with this spirit in mind that Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel of KU Chabad reached out to our community asking who would join him in traveling to Moore to help those in need. I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity that he gave me, my husband Jonathan, my sister Molly and nine others.

On the early-morning ride to Moore we were giggling and laughing as we would on any other road trip. The second we turned into the affected areas, the van went silent. We took in everything around us and the dramatic impact of it all.

The Oklahoma City Chabad facilitated our volunteering. When they took us to the neighborhood we would be assisting, they told us that these people have lost everything and we are here to do whatever they may need us to do. Jonathan, Molly and I went off in one direction by ourselves and set off to see whom we could help. As we walked down 13th Street, looking at lot after lot of former homes, we saw an elderly woman standing with another man. We approached her and told her that we were there to help her if needed and how sorry we were for her losses.

Diana shared with us her experience during the tornado. She was already being cared for by hospice prior to the tornado and her brother was with her on that day. Just like many homes in Oklahoma, her home did not have a basement. So Diana and her brother laid in the bathtub, using blankets and pillows as protection. After the tornado passed, the only walls left of the house standing were the ones around the bathroom. Diana passed out from the trauma of the tornado, but she saw the tornado pass over her home and saw a man caught up inside it screaming. There is just no way he could have survived, she told us.

Diana’s family had already been clearing away at the rubble that had been her house for the past 10 days, but they asked that we help because they were still desperately looking for a bag with her medications and the family Bible. We searched for hours. At one point, Jonathan located the stand that the family Bible had been sitting on. Her brother said that is the closest they will likely get to see of the family Bible that had been around for generations. He said he thinks the Bible went up to heaven.

That day there were so many volunteers, with groups of every faith and race, who came from across the county and across the world to assist the residents. There was even a group of Israeli volunteers who had been there since very soon after the tornado.

Seeing this level of devastation shows how quickly our lives can change. As we gathered our group together to leave, we all felt somewhat distraught at how little we had done compared to how much there is still yet to be done. But every brick moved is one brick closer to the people of Moore being able to start their lives again. We saw evidence of this even in a tree that although it had been shred away, the life within it was starting to bloom again on its branches, just one week later.

I felt such pride in our Jewish people and particularly the Chabad community of both Oklahoma City and KU for taking the initiative to assist Moore. The Oklahoma City Chabad has been down in Moore every day since the tornado hit talking to people, giving out teddy bears to children, gift cards to families, moving debris and whatever else was needed of them. It didn’t matter who these people were, Jewish or not, we were all children of G-d in that moment and we all depend on each other. We all wish that devastations like this will not happen again, but this is not G-d’s plan. We cannot question why these things happen but we can instead give of ourselves to make the burden even the slightest bit easier for those who must endure it.

Rebecca Katz, an attorney with Cohen, McNeile and Pappas, P.C., is a member of Congregation Beth Torah and Kehilath Israel Synagogue. She and her husband Jonathan are the parents of a young son, Sam.

Shavuot speaker explicit, not vulgar

Mark Wasserstrom is an old friend. But I can’t concur with the observations in his letter to The Chronicle last week (May 23), wondering if the subject matter of Rabbi Steve Greenberg’s keynote session at the all-night Shavuot study session at Kehilath Israel was appropriate.

Rabbi Greenberg is the first (and, I believe, only) openly gay Orthodox rabbi. His discussion was an examination of the various commentaries concerning the rationales for the biblical verses on sex between men found in Leviticus. The session was very well attended, with perhaps 200 people present. Perhaps Mark arrived a few minutes late, because at the very beginning Rabbi Greenberg warned the audience that some of the discussion would be explicit so if that made them uncomfortable they could leave before he began. As I recall, nobody did. Parts of the subsequent discussion were indeed explicit, but not vulgar. The biblical passages under discussion are about specific sexual acts. At the time they were set down there was no real understanding of homosexuality as a sexual orientation. For the (presumably) heterosexual writers of the Torah this was only about specific sexual acts that men might engage in. Under the circumstances, it is difficult to discuss those passages without being explicit about the actual things that are proscribed. That’s especially the case when discussing these passages in an Orthodox context, as Rabbi Greenberg does, because the verses can’t simply be overlooked or deemed out-of-date as other Jewish denominations might do. They have to be analyzed and distinguished if there’s to be a way to reconcile them with our modern understanding of sexual orientation as an intrinsic component of a person’s G-d-given nature.

Rabbi Greenberg is an attractive and appealing speaker, with a fine mind and a great sense of humor, and in my view he did an outstanding job discussing a sensitive topic that has too often been avoided in our synagogues. I would note that there were no children in the audience. If a group of adults can’t discuss the mitzvot about sexual behavior at 10:30 at night, when can we? Nobody walked out of the session and quite a few people clustered around Rabbi Greenberg at the end of the session to ask questions or follow up on things he had mentioned earlier. Judaism contemplates every aspect of existence, including our sex lives. It therefore has to be appropriate to discuss traditional Jewish views of sexual morality to understand how they may apply in our own day. Obviously, Rabbi Greenberg wasn’t able to cover all that in a 90-minute session, but he certainly gave everyone in the audience many things to think about. And isn’t that the whole purpose of a Torah study session?

Rob Montague

Overland Park, Kan.

Amazing entertainers add to special Mother’s Day

Every mother is special. Many believe that, but few people or groups care enough to put their words into action. On May 10, some generous individuals produced a free Mother’s Day Concert that rewarded mothers with beautiful words and first rate music.

I took my mother to this event, which was arranged and organized by harpist Michael O’Shiver at the Jewish Community Center. This program, which was sponsored by the Heritage Center, would not have been possible without the other amazing entertainers: Max Berry, Denny Osburn, Ronny Reed, Ray Zarr, Donald Cox, Horace Washington and Ricky Anderson. Finally, I would like to shine a light on an exceptional singer, Patricia “Princess” Lyons-Cox. She is more than an entertainer, she is a musical wonder!

All people there, including my mother, were spellbound by the show. Afterward, my mother and I dined at the Heritage Center, which designed a fancy Mother’s Day lunch complete with cucumber sandwiches, chocolate strawberries and fancy pastries.

In addition to mothers, I feel that benefactors and professional organizations that spread good cheer for these special women should also be celebrated! Thanks to all!

Renee Franklin

Overland Park, Kan.

“All the generations before me donated me

bit by bit so I might be erected here in Jerusalem

all at once, like a house of prayer or a foundation for charity.

It binds. My name is my donors’ name.

It binds.

I must change my life and my death

day by day, and so fulfill all the prophecies

they prophesied about me. So they do not become a lie.

It binds.”

This excerpt is taken from the poem “My Name Is My Donor’s Name,” by renowned Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai. I am a big fan of Amichai’s poetry … and have been for several years. I believe he catches glimpses of universal human truths, not just of Israeli existence.

During my stay in Kansas City, I have been asked several times to speak about what life is like in Israel as a young woman. I have been asked to give perspective about why I choose to live in Israel every day; why I am choosing to move to Jerusalem after finishing my year as emissary in K.C.; and what I have learned from being here. This poem reflects my feelings about living in Israel. It catches my truth in the most beautiful way.

When Amichai writes “All the generations before me donated me bit by bit,” I feel that he is talking about me. I’m a sixth-generation native Israeli on my father’s side. My great grandfather’s father, Rabbi Michel Hacohen, came to Jerusalem from Lithuania in the 1840s. Upon his arrival, he found the Jewish quarter isolated and poor, its residents living off of donations and just barely surviving. Rabbi Michel didn’t settle for this harsh reality. He returned to Europe to study the art of print, and returned to Jerusalem to open the second Hebrew newspaper.

After publishing several newspapers, he joined forces with six peers and bought the land that was to become “Nachalat Shiv’aa” (Land of seven), which was the third neighborhood outside the old city walls.

You see, Israelis have always been and always will be creative entrepreneurs. That is something I think defines Israeli character. Think about where we live, and what we have been forced to overcome ever since the first aliyah came to Israel, in the late 19th century: hostile neighbors, swamps, disease, constant war, no natural resources. My great grandfather did not have a choice. It was either re-invent yourself, improve your surroundings by thinking outside the box, or cease to exist. It was relevant in 1840 and it is still relevant today. Being an Israeli means you always have to be creative, plan ahead while living today because who knows what will happen tomorrow?

Rabbi Michel’s great grandson, my grandfather Eliezer Cohen, served in the Palmach (elite underground unit prior to the IDF), and together with my grandmother Nechama, built Kibbutz Erez on the northern Gaza border in 1949. My aunt was the first child born on the kibbutz.

My grandparents on my mother’s side, Arye and Zmira Granit, were Holocaust survivors from Poland and Belgium. My grandfather escaped to eastern Russia during the war, and later became one of the first Israeli pilots.

Both sets of grandparents fought for a Jewish state, for a safe homeland for the Jews. One side of my family survived the darkest period of time for the Jewish people; the other was born in Israel and didn’t think twice about picking up the gun and fighting. It was the only way to survive. This is my history, these are my roots. “My name is my donors’ name, it binds.” It does bind. Who am I to ignore my heritage and my past? My family has fought to build Israel and protect it, my job is to continue their way.

There is a famous Israeli saying by Yigal Alon (a former IDF chief of staff), “A nation that does not remember its past has a poor present and its future remains unknown.” Every Israeli is either an immigrant or came from an immigrant family. Whether from Europe, India, Northeast Africa or America. Israel is a country of immigrants.

We must all remember where we came from and what we had to endure before Israel became a known fact 65 years ago, and a safe haven to this day for Jews throughout the world.

However, Israel is not only a safe haven, a place to go to in times of need. It is a living and breathing reality for 8 million of its citizens. And life in Israel is complicated and isn’t always easy. In the fall, I will begin my first year at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Due to my army service (I was an education officer for three years in the IDF) and work as an emissary, I am starting school at age 23.

As a native Tel-Avivian, it is not an obvious choice to pick up and move to Jerusalem (imagine a native New Yorker moving to Kansas City!). Jerusalem is a beautiful, breath-taking city. It has been the heart of three religions for thousands of years, and to this day it isn’t peaceful. Housing is expensive, and so is life in general. Social and religious pluralism issues are not to be ignored either. In a recent survey, there has been a negative immigration from Jerusalem. Less than one-third of students who graduate university in Jerusalem choose to relocate due to work and social life. Living in the holy city certainly isn’t easy.

But then again, being an Israeli isn’t easy or comfortable. People ask me what I’ve learned in Kansas City. I think I’ve been giving the opportunity to gain some perspective and see Israel through other people’s eyes. This has been very interesting and thought provoking. Some memorable moments include:

• Learning KC has eight (now seven) young adults from this community who chose to make a life-changing decision and join the IDF as lone soldiers.

• Watching school children write letters to soldiers and thanking them for protecting the Jewish people.

• Witnessing an Israel Independence day celebration in Manhattan, Kan., where there is a Jewish community synagogue without a rabbi.

• Meeting people who read the media and are outraged over the discrimination against Israel that is everywhere they look.

I have been privileged to learn so much about Jewish life from this community. I learned not to take Israel for granted. I have a much better understanding now of why Israel is a home not just to its 8 million citizens, but also to millions of Jews around the world. Why it is so important that we keep these connections alive.

I have learned over the past few months that Judaism and “Israeliness” are not two separate things. And I think that in a way, there are many Israelis such as myself who are looking for a way to become more Jewish (and not necessarily observant). You can find evidences all around Israel, from the newly appointed Knesset members to the secular yeshivas. And after having all of these interesting and inspiring experiences, I must go back to Israel and engage in social change by tapping into Israeli society.

So why am I going back? Because Israel is my home and because I wish to join my friends and peers who want to make a change. Now, before it gets too late.

I believe that Israel is at a crucial state in its existence. We have built a true wonder in 65 years, a state and homeland we can all be proud to call our home. Israel is a leading country that has made and continues to make endless contributions to the world.

After accomplishing Zionism and its original intention, we are at a point where we must decide what we want our country to look like. How do we remain a Jewish and democratic state? How do we achieve true peace with our neighbors and within our borders?

We are on a long journey, and we are yet to see its end. My experiences as an emissary have taught me to keep my mind and heart open. But one thing I do know: being an emissary makes me want to keep fighting for a better and safer Israel, and I encourage you to do the same. I hope you will join me in continued support of Israel as a united Jewish peoplehood.

Ophir Hacohen is the fifth Israeli emissary for the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City since the program began here in 2003. The Jewish Federation hopes to welcome a new emissary to the community in the fall.

Graphic discussion inappropriate for holiday

On the evening of May 14, I joined the study program at Kehilath Israel Synagogue to welcome Shavuot. There was a good audience of between 200 and 300 people for the keynote address.

Unfortunately, the guest speaker chose to discuss the physical aspects of homosexual experience in graphic terms. Based on a sense of modesty, I felt that Rabbi Steve Greenberg was out of line to discuss private body parts in the sanctuary. His format was to review four rationales for the prohibition in Leviticus prohibiting a man laying with another man.

After framing three traditional approaches in a manner in which he could ridicule them, he came up with a strained linguistic interpretation of the Hebrew verb to theorize the only prohibition was to use sex as a way to humiliate another person. In effect, he was standing the text on its head to glorify a caring relationship between two men.

Nobody in the audience protested. Nobody in the audience got up and left. I was frozen in a moment of disbelief about what I was witnessing. The only reaction that I noticed was that one older acquaintance quietly picked up a copy of a Bible and was pursuing his own study rather than listening to the address.

The annual Shavuot study night provides the community the opportunity to bring in a speaker of national reputation. Last year, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin provided an example of the power and inspiration to be gained from a visiting scholar. While Rabbi Greenberg may represent a voice that is important to a small element of the Jewish community, the choice of him as a keynote speaker wasted the opportunity to bring in a speaker of far wider appeal. I hope that the leadership of our community chooses future speakers more carefully.

Mark D. Wasserstrom

Kansas City, Mo.

Claims Conference corrupt

An anonymous letter sent to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany’s Frankfurt office in 2001 identified five cases where restitution was approved for ineligible claimants. I have the guts to say they are a bunch of thieves.

I am a child of Holocaust survivors. For years I have yelled and screamed that there has been hanky panky going on while Holocaust survivors were denied their due. How stupid are we not to protest? A lot of people belong in jail.

Holocaust survivors are going without food and medicine while the thieves play with their funds. If you agree with me, speak out. I call on all Holocaust survivors and their children and grandchildren to demand retribution now. I am not afraid to speak out.

The Claims Conference in my opinion is corrupt or at least inept. Soon the Holocaust survivors will all be dead. How much more money will be stolen?

Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg

Edison, N.J.

“The Book Of Job: When Bad Things Happened To A Good Person” by Harold S. Kushner. (New York: Schocken) Also available in Nook and Kindle editions.

“Human beings are meaning-makers. We want to be reassured that we live in a stable, orderly world.” It is this world view that inspired Rabbi Harold Kushner to express his theology in the widely popular “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” reflecting his personal struggle to reconcile his theology with the tragically short life of his son, who suffered from a rare genetic disorder. Much of the theology expressed in that book was based on the Kabbalah of Isaac Luria and on the book of Job. In his latest book, “The Book of Job: When Bad Things Happened to a Good Person,” he returns to the latter with the goal of making this difficult book of the Bible accessible to the modern reader.

Primarily Rabbi Kushner’s book consists of a chapter-by-chapter explication of the much-misunderstood biblical work. He is correct, I believe, in his assertion that Job is an adaptation of an old folk tale, in which the author “took the venerable, pious Fable of Job, turned it inside-out, and gave us the theological masterpiece we know as the book of Job in the Bible.” Unfortunately, people with a casual knowledge of the book know only the fable; how else would the phrase “the patience of Job” have become part of our language? The recent film “A Serious Man” was supposedly based on the story of Job, but it considers only the fable, not the actual thrust of the book as a whole. Kushner’s one omission is his lack of attention to the final chapter, which returns to the fable, providing a conventional happy ending. Personally I believe that the author did so with a wonderful sense of narrative irony, which many readers miss because we associate such irony with modern literature and not with works written thousands of years ago.

As Rabbi Kushner points out, all but three chapters of Job are an extended poem which to a great extent “leave the fable behind.” Satan’s wager with God is never referred to again. It seems that his assertion that “it makes far more sense to read the poem as a challenge to, and a rejection of, the theology of the fable” is the only way to look at Job. I especially liked his insight into the voice from the whirlwind episode: “Until now Job’s understanding of God has been strictly theological, based on what people had taught him, and he had problems reconciling those teachings with the facts of his life…. But now he has met God, and meeting God is very different from being taught about God…. Job has evolved from the realm of theology to that of religious experience, from discussing God to encountering God.”

My one disagreement with Rabbi Kushner’s approach is with his explication of Chapter 40, in which he writes “Behemoth is the Primal Life Force that gives people the energy to do things and to have an impact on the lives of other people for good or ill” and Leviathan is “the agent of chaos,” the force of natural law. This fits well with Kushner’s philosophy, that free will and natural law are essential components of the universe. Personally, I agree with this theology, but after re-reading Chapter 40 three times, I cannot see these views reflected there. In this instance, I believe that Rabbi Kushner has superimposed his own views onto the biblical text, creating a sort of modern Midrash. He is of course free to do so, but he should have made it clear that he has moved from objective interpretation to his personal theology.

Given this one caveat, nevertheless, I would recommend this book highly. More than any other book of ancient wisdom (with the possible exception of Kohelet/Ecclesiastes), the book of Job has the power to speak to serious people in the 21st century, and as far as I know, no one has explained it as clearly and directly as Rabbi Kushner has in this volume.