Opinions

Support without substance

I was appalled by Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg’s statement of support for Donald Trump as reported in the Debra Rubin article in the Dec. 31, 2015, edition of The Chronicle (“Rabbi for Trump” seeks “like”-minded Jews). All of his reasons for support are without substance. Just because Trump is the GOP frontrunner or has a Shabbat observant daughter are hardly reasons to support someone whose choice of language is inflammatory and derogatory. Trump’s views are certainly contrary to Jewish values.

“The Seven Good Years,” 

by Etgar Keret. (Riverhead Books, 2015)

“Lies, First Person” 

by Gail Hareven. (Open Letter, 2015)

“Thirst: The Desert Trilogy” 

by Shulamith Hareven. (Restless Books, 2015, originally published in 1996)

Israeli authors are not easily categorized. Etgar Keret is quirky, funny, weird and able to tell amazing stories in brief narratives that remain with readers long after the books have been read. Others like Gail Hareven develop characters who are the epitome of the unreliable narrator, but manage to engage the reader whether or not their stories are true or imagined. Shulamith Hareven, Gail’s mother, rewrites biblical stories of Genesis and Exodus from the points of view of rebels against the leadership of Abraham, Moses and Aaron. Three of their books have been recently published or republished for American readers.  

Don’t forget community’s first Jewish Book Fair

I was excited to read that Chabad House Center planned to initiate their first-ever Jewish Book Fair on Dec. 20. But I wanted to correct the article in The Chronicle that suggested this is the first Jewish Book Fair in our community. My mother, Gloria P. Gershun, of blessed memory, helped co-found the Annual Jewish Book Fair at the Jewish Community Center in 1994 and was active in its growth and support for many years.

Adapt to climate change

Elisabeth Kolbert, in an article titled, Unsafe Climates (The NewYorker Magazine Dec. 7, 2015) writes of climate conditions in Syria that allegedly have caused the displacement of large numbers of people. John Kerry has voiced a similar view that national insecurity in the Mideast is connected to climate change.

Repairing the world is something we think a lot about at the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City. So when Patricia Uhlmann, immediate past board chair of the Jewish Federation, and I were asked to visit medical clinics in Haiti with Heart to Heart International (HHI), it was an opportunity we couldn’t refuse.

Hanukkah is a special time to come together with family and loved ones to celebrate culture and tradition. The miracle itself. The candles … The presents!

I want to tell you about the land I call home now. I made aliyah in August of this year, becoming an official Israeli, an actual citizen (though I won’t have an Israeli passport for some time still).

Not all Syrian refugees are the same

I believe there is a big difference between European Jews before and during World War II — who were not just caught in a war zone, but were being actively persecuted — and Syrian-Muslims. These young Syrian Muslim men, who make up the vast majority of the would-be refugees, should be fighting for their country. These young men from Syria — and in many cases young women — should be trained to be the boots on the ground against, first, ISIS, and then Assad. They are caught in a war zone. They are not being persecuted for who they are.

A group of K-State, Mizzou and KU students all walk into a room together ... sounds like a joke right? Wrong! On a recent Friday evening in November, Chabad at the University of Kansas hosted tens of young college students for a delightful Shabbat dinner. On the surface it seemed like just another week at Chabad, but truthfully this was a unique blend of many different college kids from schools that are usually so far apart.

In the 1890s, as Jewish immigration to America was at a historical high point, opponents to admitting Jews to the United States were vocal and their message was clear: Jews posed a threat to the wellbeing of Americans. In newspapers, journals and on pulpits throughout the country, religious, political and intellectual leaders aired their concerns that Jews would come to dominate and destroy the American economy and even the American government itself, cheat Americans of their livelihood and shirk their duty as citizens. It was these fears, together with anti-immigrant sentiment about many other groups who were considered racially and/or morally inferior, that ultimately led the U.S. to pass immigration restriction laws that radically curtailed the number of Jews who could enter into this country seeking refuge and opportunity.