For 23 travelers who recently spent 10 days in Israel eating and drinking, climbing and floating, learning and connecting, a new community has emerged. It is a microcosm of the Kansas City Jewish community and of the wider North American Jewish community and worldwide Jewish community — it’s a group of people who care deeply about one another, who share in joy and sadness and who come together around the common thread of a shared history, faith and peoplehood.

This group of 23 emerging leaders will gather tonight for the first time since returning to share stories, photos and reflections of a travel experience that was much more than just a sightseeing trip to Israel. For some members of the group, this was their first visit to the Jewish homeland; others had not been since they were teens some 20 years ago. A few have more recently led trips of students or adults, but have done so without the companionship of friends or spouses.

“It was such a great experience for me to be able to go on a trip like this as a participant,” says Jay Lewis, executive director of KU Hillel. “I knew I was going to have a lot of new experiences because of the group of people I was going with.”

This journey allowed the group to experience Israel together — examining the past that unites them, experiencing the bustling and complicated present, and looking at the possibility of a pluralistic, multicultural, peaceful future.

Salute to a new flag

You are all very well aware of the tragic shootings in Overland Park at the JCC and Village Shalom on Sunday April 13, so I won’t repeat what you know. What you may not know is that within minutes of the shootings and the apprehension of the “person” purportedly responsible, our Post sponsored another event at 3 p.m. at nearby Congregation Ohev Sholom.

In spite of the very dicey weather (we already had calls asking to postpone), and then frantic calls on cell phones about the shootings that just occurred, we decided “Let’s Roll.” Twenty minutes before the 3 p.m. scheduled start, the rain suddenly stopped. Ten minutes before the start, the sun came out and stayed out until 15 minutes after we finished.

We (eight of us in uniform), three Boy Scouts, the President of Ohev Sholom and two Scout Leaders (observed by a Prairie Village police officer) did something that decent, law-abiding citizens do in the face of hatred, violence and terrorism ... we retired an old, tattered U.S. flag and raised a new U.S. flag on the flagpole, saluted, recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem.

I was very proud that we did this, especially to show the Boy Scouts something that they will surely long-remember and appreciate.

Sheldon Turetsky, Commander

Jewish War Veterans MO-KAN Post 605

By David T. Rudman, M.D.

Guest Columnist

Each of us feels our own relationship with the tragic shootings that occurred last week on our Jewish Community Campus. Some of us were actually there when it happened. Some of us had just left the Campus, or were on our way there. Many of us easily could have been there. Some of us knew the victims. And as we hear what loving people they were, and are inspired by the grace and faith of their survivors, we all probably wish we had known them.

This is my story: I had just returned from a trip to Germany as part of the Konrad Adenaur Foundation/American Jewish Committee Exchange, which annually brings 10 American Jewish leaders to Germany for a week of high access meetings with government officials, diplomats, journalists, professors and religious leaders. We were there to foster American-German, and German-Israeli relations and discuss anti-Semitism, right-wing extremism and the state of Judaism in Germany. It was enlightening, depressing and uplifting at the same time. And it was timely; just hours after my return, a hate crime was committed in my own backyard. 

By Yahav Barnea

Guest Columnist

Recently, I had the opportunity to discuss Parashat Vaykrah at Congregation Beth Torah. This particular Torah portion talks about the Temple and the custom of sacrifices. The priests are trying to educate the people to not just make sacrifices for G-d out of obligation, but to make these sacrifices with good intention and a pure heart. 

The idea of giving and donating has been a common idea in Judaism for many years and is still relevant. We are asked to give to our congregation, our local community and our global Jewish community in which Israel is a major part. But how can we give with intention and pure heart when we don’t have that clear connection? How can we give when we don’t know or don’t have a personal relationship with the receiving side?

Crazy just ‘is’

I think it would suffice to say that we’re all in a state of shock over the recent hate crime that rocked the entire fabric of our community, in fact that of the entire world. Right now we share a lot of deep sadness with those families directly affected, holding them in our thoughts and prayers. Events as such leave us grieving, feeling insecure and questioning in utter disbelief why/how this all could have happened. But, you can’t expect to be able to reason/rationalize with an irrational person. Crazy just “is.” Indeed, it’s all so incomprehensible! Quite the contrary, however, it was Albert Einstein who was once quoted to say, “The eternal mystery of the world IS its comprehensibility.”

The perpetrator of this despicable hate crime is obviously a delusional individual that embraces a hate so intense, so consuming that he could justify to himself such heinous actions. As Jews, we believe that creation is based upon the practice of kindness, compassion and forgiveness toward everything — inside and outside ourselves — in everything we do: words, thoughts and actions. Forgiveness is not about excusing the misdeeds of others, but about letting go the negative emotion (i.e., anger) that we burden upon ourselves. The Talmud says that good deeds are their own reward and misdeeds are their own punishment. Our passion need be guided not by anger but by a desire for good; to extrapolate the good from within (evil) and let go of any negative emotions tied therewith.

As Jews, we practice kavanah — a continual awareness of the implications of everything we do; attuning our thoughts/words/actions toward a spiritual focus/awareness, an interconnectedness to all things rather than a materialistic/separateness. As such, we continue with our Seder, evermore reminded of our real connection to the events of our ancestors.

Dr.John Fasbinder

Lenexa, Kan.

Visibility doesn’t equal solid future

We have all remarked countless times how ubiquitous are Jews in the fields of business and finance, cultural arts and social services and charitable pursuits, and “what would this country do without us.”

More significant, however, is how many of these Jewish names are in the synagogue on even the High Holy Days or if there is any Jewish observation in their homes? Are they raising their children as Jews? 

What is the future of Jews in America? Will we prosper or even survive for a generation or two at the current rates of assimilation and intermarriage?

David Ben-Gurion had a vision for the Negev to be the future for the Jewish state’s growth and prosperity. A pioneer, he trusted in the Jewish people to transform a seemingly uninhabitable desert into a hub of creativity and innovation.

The Negev region covers more than 60 percent of Israel. Its heart, the critical organ that pumps life into the Negev’s acres of arid land, is Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). Through BGU, Ben-Gurion’s dream is being realized.

On March 7, I returned from a week-long mission to BGU, selected to join a handful of science and health writers to report firsthand on the newsworthy research, innovation and collaborations occurring at the university. The BGU research in areas of neurological science, the environment and high-technology has provided me with many stories, expert sources and insight into how Israel is exporting its technology from the desert to the world.

We met with BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi, the first woman president of an Israeli university. Before taking on her role, Carmi’s research included the identification of 12 new genes and the delineation of three new syndromes, one of which is known as the Carmi Syndrome.

“We are stationed in a unique way in Israel in that we have both academic and clinical staff working together intimately,” Carmi explained, noting that the BGU model of research for the sake of community improvement is one that has been recognized and adopted by leading universities around the world. She said she sees the school’s role not only as pivotal in the development of southern Israel, but in the progression and continued vitality of the entire State.

We met with Prof. Alon Friedman, who has made a dramatic discovery about the blood-brain barrier and its connection to the onset of epilepsy following brain trauma. We watched a demonstration by representatives of a BGU spin-off, ElMindA. The company’s Brain Network Activation takes cognitive-electrophysiology to a new frontier, unparalleled by any other test.

Two billion people suffer from brain-related disorders, including developmental problems (autism and ADHD, for example), neurological disorders (brain injuries, epilepsy), mental problems, and neurodegenerative disorders. ElMindA can assist in therapeutic interventions for nearly all of these problems.

We talked with two researchers who believe they have reliably identified new ways to improve diagnosis of autistic children based on biological and neurological testing and markers. 

Dr. Ilan Dinstein, a member of the Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, said his latest research indicates that even 20 or 30 percent of autistic patients can be identified based on MRI scans and/or EEG exams at the age of one, which he believes will revolutionize the field. Idan Menashe, a senior lecturer at BGU’s Department of Public Health, has collected data from more than 200 studies purporting 5,000 copy number variations that might be associated with the disease and managed to reduce that number to seven. A copy number variation is the number of copies of a particular gene in the genome of an individual. Evidence shows that such copy number variations can lead to patients with autism.

“Our study helped prioritize these regions, so doctors know where to look for these CNVs that might be associated with autism. … Now, we can use genetic diagnostic tools in addition to the typical psychiatric diagnosis, which increases the reliability of the diagnosis,” Menashe said.

I am very fortunate to have visited Israel nine times, and to have lived there for almost six years. But in all those experiences, I rarely took notice of the Negev or BGU — until now. 

The area has biblical relevance: Both Yitzchak and Yaakov lived in the Negev (Genesis 24:62; 37:1), it was to the Negev to which the 12 spies were sent to scout out the land of Israel (Numbers 13:22), among other references.

And BGU is Israel’s most dynamic university, a catalyst for growth and an engine of innovation to propel Israel further to the scientific forefront.

David Ben-Gurion believed that “those who searched for wisdom should go south.” Next time you are in Israel, head down to the Negev.

Maayan Jaffe is director of philanthropy at the Jewish Community Center and a regular freelance writer for Jewish News Service. Her work related to the BGU media mission can be read on JNS.org, in Autism Parenting and B’nai B’rith magazines, among other places.

By Rabbi Moti Rieber

Guest Columnist

Recently the issues of free speech and academic freedom have been prominent in the news and in our conversations. In response to a heartfelt but intemperate tweet from a KU journalism professor, the Kansas Regents came up with a social media code which seems to many to be unduly restrictive and, frankly, ill-thought-out. 

This issue led me to think about the Jewish attitude toward free speech. The best example of Judaism’s support for free inquiry is, I think, the Talmud — that compendium of argumentation that is the very source of our post-biblical religion. Throughout its volumes, rabbis from different regions and even different generations argue about what exactly is the meaning of this or that law, or word, or practice, or story. 

There is even a character in the Talmud who is described as a heretic — a former rabbi who has fallen into sin — but who is also considered to be the teacher of the great Rabbi Meir, who continues to learn from him even in his fallen state. 

To me, the verse that speaks to this most directly is from Tractate Eruvim: “A divine voice came and said, ‘These and these are the words of the living God, and the law is according to the House of Hillel.’ ” To me this is saying, as long as we’re struggling from a place of love and honest striving, our words are godly. 

That’s why I’m so disturbed by the limitations on speech that I see growing in Jewish communal institutions when it comes to the issue of Israel. Many Jews are concerned, as am I, about the direction the government of Israel is going — its endless expansion of settlements, footdragging on the peace process with the Palestinians and attempts to undermine President Obama’s diplomacy with Iran. Now, you may disagree with me on some or all of these issues, but I would hope that you would recognize that I am certainly not saying these things out of a desire to harm Israel. 

Yet the national Hillel organization, in its efforts to make sure that Hillel continues to be supportive of Israel, has put forward speech codes that are so broad as to exclude not only opponents of Israel, but people who simply do not toe the party line — by, for instance, sponsoring testimonials from former soldiers, or advocating boycotting products from Israeli businesses based in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.  

Even so prominent an Israeli as Avram Burg, former speaker of the Israeli Knesset and scion of one of Israel’s founding families, was prohibited from speaking at the Hillel at Harvard because the event was being co-sponsored by a Palestinian student group. How can we make peace if we aren’t even allowed to talk to one another? 

I want to be clear: I do not and will not support academic boycotts. I think free speech and free inquiry are not only core American values — they are core Jewish values as well. Yet as with the KU professor, the problem is that when you restrict speech for what you consider valid reasons, you never know who is going to enforce those restrictions or what criteria they are going to use. You may intend to exclude only supporters of academic boycotts, and end up excluding Avram Burg. 

At the very least I would say, we do no service to Israel if we stifle those in our own community who are — rightly I think — concerned about the path it is on.

Moti Rieber serves as rabbi of the Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation.

In December I sat with 5,000 other Reform Jews and joined in an erev Shabbat service that was uplifting and heartfelt, musical and deeply engaging. It was a blast! … but for me the most poignant part of the service was one that was anything but joyful. I sat with eyes welling up with tears as I listened to Mindy Finkelstein tell her story.

When Mindy was 16 years old, in the summer of 1999, she was a Jewish camp counselor at the North Valley Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Los Angeles. That summer Buford Furrow drove to LA desiring to open fire at the Skirball Cultural Center, the American Jewish University and the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance. He had maps for these places in his car. But when he arrived at these Jewish locales, he saw their security and decided he needed a different target. Buford had five rifles, two pistols, 6,000 rounds of ammunition in his car. He later said that he wanted his shooting to “be a wake-up call to America to kill Jews.”

So where could he go now? While filling up his car with gas, he looked across the street and saw the JCC. It did not have security. The next morning Buford went in to the JCC with his Uzi-style semiautomatic weapon. At the same time that he entered through the front door, Mindy, with her class of preschoolers, was coming in through the back door. Buford opened fire — spraying at least 70 shots into the complex. Three children, a receptionist and Mindy were shot. It is surprising that more people were not hurt. Mindy was shot several times in her leg, and one of her campers was shot as well. Amazingly, all of the people at the JCC survived that day. Buford Furrow left the JCC, went to another neighborhood and opened fire at short range on a mail carrier — who died.

Mindy recuperated and has made it her life mission to work to reduce gun violence. I hope we will all join her in the fight to curtail access to guns — especially semi-automatic and automatic weapons — which NO average person needs in our society. On the very day that Mindy told this story to 5,000 of us, there was a shooting at a school and more school shootings have happened since. On average, 30,000 Americans are killed by firearms each year! Thirty Americans are murdered each day. With 88 guns per 100 people, the United States has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world. By contrast, Yemen, the No. 2 country, has 55 guns per 100 people. Israel, you might be interested to know, has only seven guns per 100 people.

A year after Sandy Hook most people agree that we need to reform gun legislation but pro-gun lobbies have made that very difficult, but not impossible.

As Sarah Brady, wife of former press secretary James Brady), put it, “We have cracked down on library books, cell phone calls, fertilizer purchases and wearing shoes in the airport, but we have done almost nothing (at the state level) to make it harder for either a terrorist or garden variety armed robber, or young person to get their hands on a handgun.”

Is this a religious issue? It is! Our religion urges us to get involved in creating a more just and compassionate world. This is a rallying call of Judaism. Deuteronomy urges “justice, justice you must pursue.” Leviticus commands “do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds.”

We as an American Jewish community have often been a voice for reason and activism in the political arena. We have not been afraid to speak out strongly for causes we felt were important. And we HAVE been effective. Now is a time to join our voices to those of others around the United States who are looking for ways to reduce gun violence. You can go on to the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center’s website (rac.org) to learn more about advocacy on this topic. We should not turn a blind eye to the violence. I hope we can work together and with others to reduce the bloodshed.

Rabbi Debbie Stiel is the rabbi of Temple Beth Sholom in Topeka, Kan. This article is adapted from a sermon she gave on Dec. 20, 2013. It was originally published in the congregation’s February newsletter to members.

In December I sat with 5,000 other Reform Jews and joined in an erev Shabbat service that was uplifting and heartfelt, musical and deeply engaging. It was a blast! … but for me the most poignant part of the service was one that was anything but joyful. I sat with eyes welling up with tears as I listened to Mindy Finkelstein tell her story.

When Mindy was 16 years old, in the summer of 1999, she was a Jewish camp counselor at the North Valley Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Los Angeles. That summer Buford Furrow drove to LA desiring to open fire at the Skirball Cultural Center, the American Jewish University and the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance. He had maps for these places in his car. But when he arrived at these Jewish locales, he saw their security and decided he needed a different target. Buford had five rifles, two pistols, 6,000 rounds of ammunition in his car. He later said that he wanted his shooting to “be a wake-up call to America to kill Jews.”

So where could he go now? While filling up his car with gas, he looked across the street and saw the JCC. It did not have security. The next morning Buford went in to the JCC with his Uzi-style semiautomatic weapon. At the same time that he entered through the front door, Mindy, with her class of preschoolers, was coming in through the back door. Buford opened fire — spraying at least 70 shots into the complex. Three children, a receptionist and Mindy were shot. It is surprising that more people were not hurt. Mindy was shot several times in her leg, and one of her campers was shot as well. Amazingly, all of the people at the JCC survived that day. Buford Furrow left the JCC, went to another neighborhood and opened fire at short range on a mail carrier — who died.

Mindy recuperated and has made it her life mission to work to reduce gun violence. I hope we will all join her in the fight to curtail access to guns — especially semi-automatic and automatic weapons — which NO average person needs in our society. On the very day that Mindy told this story to 5,000 of us, there was a shooting at a school and more school shootings have happened since. On average, 30,000 Americans are killed by firearms each year! Thirty Americans are murdered each day. With 88 guns per 100 people, the United States has the highest rate of gun ownership in the world. By contrast, Yemen, the No. 2 country, has 55 guns per 100 people. Israel, you might be interested to know, has only seven guns per 100 people.

A year after Sandy Hook most people agree that we need to reform gun legislation but pro-gun lobbies have made that very difficult, but not impossible.

As Sarah Brady, wife of former press secretary James Brady), put it, “We have cracked down on library books, cell phone calls, fertilizer purchases and wearing shoes in the airport, but we have done almost nothing (at the state level) to make it harder for either a terrorist or garden variety armed robber, or young person to get their hands on a handgun.”

Is this a religious issue? It is! Our religion urges us to get involved in creating a more just and compassionate world. This is a rallying call of Judaism. Deuteronomy urges “justice, justice you must pursue.” Leviticus commands “do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds.”

We as an American Jewish community have often been a voice for reason and activism in the political arena. We have not been afraid to speak out strongly for causes we felt were important. And we HAVE been effective. Now is a time to join our voices to those of others around the United States who are looking for ways to reduce gun violence. You can go on to the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center’s website (rac.org) to learn more about advocacy on this topic. We should not turn a blind eye to the violence. I hope we can work together and with others to reduce the bloodshed.

Rabbi Debbie Stiel is the rabbi of Temple Beth Sholom in Topeka, Kan. This article is adapted from a sermon she gave on Dec. 20, 2013. It was originally published in the congregation’s February newsletter to members.