Around third grade is when teachers start asking you what you want to be when you grow up. Typical third-graders would say that want to be an astronaut or an actor, something along those lines. Third-graders have
As president of the Missouri Kansas chapter of Grandmothers Against Gun Violence, I am disappointed that Grandmothers Against Gun Violence was not mentioned in the article published in the Aug. 29 issue of The Chronicle about the new Kansas chapter of the Brady Campaign. Susan Blaney is not only co-founder of the Brady Campaign Kansas chapter, she is also co-founder with me, as well as vice president, of our local Grandmothers Against Gun Violence chapter.
Susan has been in constant contact with the Brady Campaign staff for a long time, and was instrumental in getting the chapter set up in Kansas. In fact, Blayney is the one who recruited Harold Koch, Paul Temme and Loren Stanton to join her as charter members — and without her efforts, the chapter would not be here. These three men are also members of Grandmothers Against Gun Violence, and the statistics cited in the article all came from the our chapter’s March 2014 meeting.
Judy Sherry
President
Missouri Kansas Chapter,
Grandmothers Against Gun Violence
Many of us think of Israel as the melting pot of the Jewish people, as the one place where Jews of every color, nationality
Over the years on more than one occasion my family and I had the great privilege of visiting the Beit Halochem Center in
On Saturday, Aug. 23, the New York Times published an ad signed by about 300 Holocaust survivors, their direct
In response to the letter written by Sheila Sonnenschein and Rev. Mary McCoy of the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council (Aug. 14), I wonder if it has also come to their attention that pogroms against Jews are
For decades, structures have existed that created and sustained Ferguson, Missouri’s, damaged relationship with its police. They have quietly worked their magic, and brought about the shooting of Michael Brown.
I can’t help but find a correlation between Muslim migration into Europe and other non-Muslim countries and the rising clamor of anti-Semitism in those countries. Hamas instigated violence in Gaza, knowingly using civilians as shields for their missiles, and there has been an outcry from around the world condemning Israel for protecting itself. It seems to me to be a well-orchestrated sequence of events where Hamas’ action and Israel’s reaction has resulted in certain sections of the world immediately pouncing on Israel rather than on the perpetrators. As Muslims get stronger in traditionally non-Muslim countries, I am very afraid that things will get worse, not just for Israel, but for Jews everywhere. Israel and Jewish communities around the world need to go on a massive public relations offensive to remind the world that Israel is the victim and not the world’s greatest enemy.
Shel Roufa
Leawood, Kan.
It has come to the attention of the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council that an official of the Kansas Republican 3rd Congressional District Committee recently issued a highly-prejudicial and inflammatory anti-Muslim statement on Twitter. As shocking as the tweet itself, the Kansas Republican Party has disavowed any responsibility for “public statements of private citizens” and has refused to issue an apology for the since-deleted tweet or to remove the official from his post, although the official himself has since resigned.
In these days of shootings and tension, both locally and internationally, there is no excuse for such irresponsible language and incitement, in particular from officials of civic and political organizations. Interfaith dialogue is important for the purpose of learning and healing. No “conversation” or communication against any religion is acceptable, as its only purpose is to spread hatred and misunderstanding.
The Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council deplores bigotry in all forms and calls on all citizens to always keep in mind how thoughtless language can lead to reckless behavior and to act with compassion in all communications and endeavors.
Sheila Sonnenschein, convener
Rev. Mary McCoy, co-convener
Greater Kansas City
Interfaith Council
We had only been in Israel for eight hours, but I knew I was home.
Anti-Semitism is a worldwide problem that is getting worse, especially overseas. Our best protection is education, making living conditions better for others and swift eradication of extremist Islamic factions. We can
