Opinions

A member of the Korean War Veterans Association in Overland Park (Chapter #181), David Epstein, 84, is proud for his armed service in South Korea between April 1953 and February 1954. He has collected boxes full of albums containing photos, binders with certificates of appreciation and medals he received from the Korean government, and copies of Graybeard Magazine published by National Korean War Veterans in Washington, D.C.

On Yom HaShoah, Mizzou Jewish students and Hillel staff read names of Holocaust victims in the center of campus. While one student shouted names and ages as loud as she could, other students handed out information about the Holocaust and the Yom HaShoah observance to those passing by. A young woman approached a table with additional information to talk to me. She looked up and pointedly asked, “How can I be an ally to Jewish students on this campus?”

The mantra for this century is to “stay active” as we age. For earlier generations, the “retirement” years meant sitting around and staying close to home, but no more!

Israelis, not Americans, know what’s best for Israel

Oh no, not again! Once more, J-Street-type thinking raises its repugnant head, as outlined in The Chronicle’s front page article. Susie Gelman and Robert Sugarman, identified as “heavyweights,” are proposing to use their influence to propel Israel into a two-state solution.

Something has gone wrong when a major university permits an entire academic department to disseminate anti-Semitism. That the department in question is a “Peace Studies” department makes it even worse.

Survival is an enduring Jewish principle, one that we celebrated during Passover, and soon will rejoice on Israel’s Independence Day. The trajectory of the Jewish journey was very much on my mind as I recently traveled with an American Jewish Committee (AJC) delegation to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. For an American Jew, troubled by daily reports of rising anti-Semitism, radical Islamic threats, and endless assaults against Israel, it was heartening to have highly positive experiences in each of these countries.

Spring — when nature itself seems to reawaken — is a time for renewal. Indeed, Jewish tradition teaches that Passover is a holiday of rebirth, a second new year. So it’s probably a good idea to spruce up your bookshelf (or e-reader or audiobook app), no? Here are eight Jewishy suggestions to rejuvenate your reading.

(Editor’s note: These are the opening remarks Rabbi Neal Schuster presented at the Yom HaShoah Community Holocaust Commemoration Sunday, May 1, at the White Theatre.)

What does the Passover seder have to do with this year’s theme of Survivors’ Journeys and their arrival in Kansas City?

Thanks for the support

The Jewish Community Foundation-Friends of Sheffield are most appreciative of the article in the April 21st edition of the Chronicle on the completion of our “Restoring Honor Campaign” for Sheffield Cemetery.

For 13 years I have been taught many aspects of Jewish life and Jewish history. Living a Jewish life and learning from Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, I became confident in my Jewish education. As I got older, Holocaust studies was integrated into our education. We read testimonials, the facts, the numbers. We even meet with survivors and heard their stories of triumph.