Overwhelming response

To the thousands — yes, thousands — of you who joined us at the First Annual Kansas City Kosher BBQ Festival, we want to offer a genuine, meaty thank you on behalf of the Vaad HaKashruth and the entire volunteer committee. The response from the community was overwhelming. There is no other word for it.

We are incredibly grateful to Temple B’nai Jehudah, the Torah Learning Center, Kehilath Israel Synagogue, our sponsors, to the dedicated teams who tended their smokers all night long, and to all the supporters who came to cheer them on and, yes, wait in line for delicious kosher brisket, ribs and burnt ends. We look forward to learning from the experience of this first-ever event, honing the details, building on this amazing outpouring of enthusiasm, and growing the festival into a Kansas City tradition — like BBQ itself.

Rabbi Mendel Segal
Executive Director/Rabbinic Coordinator
Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City

Dr. Jason Aaron Sokol
Chair, Kansas City Kosher BBQ Competition and Festival
Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City

Debbie Sosland-Edelman
President, Board of Directors
Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City

Don’t discount Koch

In response to Gloria Schlossenberg’s virulently hate-filled letter, your readers should know that David H. Koch is a founder of a charitable institute — the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. The Koch Institute emphasizes basic research into how cancer is caused, progresses and responds to treatment. The Koch Institute has identified five areas of research that it believes are critical for controlling cancer: developing nanotechnology-based cancer therapeutics, creating novel devices for cancer detection and monitoring, exploring the molecular and cellular basis of metastasis, advancing personalized medicine through analysis of cancer pathways and drug resistance and engineering the immune system to fight cancer. This is tikkun olam, i.e., repairing the world.

As to Mitt Romney, I regard him as a decent man and I am happy he chose Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate. He’s got my vote.

Marc Birnbaum
Overland Park, Kan.

Be careful

The real problem is not the presidential candidate but rather the do-nothing Congress. We keep electing the same incumbents over and over again. It is time to enforce term limits and to make provisions for non-multi-millionaires to have an equal and fair chance to run for office.

All the negative campaign tactics you will see are designed to push your buttons. Insist on a campaign of substance. This week both sides are playing the race game while thousands more lose their jobs and homes.

Seems like anything goes. Whites for Romney would be racist. Jews for Romney would be interesting although there are not too many of us. In the meantime people in the United States are starving, losing their jobs and homes, people remain unemployed and the people in Congress are counting their millions.

Our leadership does not understand that gas prices are now back to high levels, the climate has changed, rivers are at all-time lows, glaciers are melting and genocides are occurring throughout the world, especially in Syria, on a daily basis. Both sides are to blame.

This message is not meant to be part of the continuing propaganda circus but rather a stern warning that our planet is in danger.

Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg
Edison, N.J.

QUESTION: I understand that at this time of year the shofar is blown every day at weekday morning services. I thought the shofar was just blown on Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur. Can you explain this tradition?

ANSWER: There has been a tradition that is at least a thousand years old that the shofar is blown very briefly in daily weekday morning services for the entire month prior to Rosh Hashanah. The purpose of the shofar being blown is to remind people that the High Holy Days are approaching and that one should start thinking about repentance, spiritual repair of our souls and all that this holy season is all about.

Obviously we do not blow the shofar on Shabbat — even when it is Rosh Hashanah — so we do not blow the shofar on Shabbat during this month of Elul that precedes Rosh Hashanah. There is an additional tradition that even though we blow the shofar every weekday during this month, we do not do so on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. There are several reasons for this custom. One is that on Rosh Hashanah morning we recite the prayer thanking G-d for letting us reach this season, the Shecheyanu blessing, and if we had blown the shofar every single day, why is one thanking G-d for reaching this season to blow the shofar since we did it the day before? So, the rabbis decided that there should be at least a one-day gap when the shofar is not blown so that that the blessing has some meaning. One is not even supposed to practice blowing the shofar on the eve of Rosh Hashanah.

There are different traditions between the Ashkenazic and Sefardic world as to how many notes and which notes of the shofar are blown during this month. The Ashkenazic version is the shortest, it is just four notes. The Chassidic and Sefardic world blow generally speaking 10 to 12 notes daily.

For many years when I taught the laws of shofar and the laws of the month of Elul in my synagogue or elsewhere in the community, I always made reference to the fact that the Code of Jewish Law that discusses the tradition of blowing the shofar during this time of year stated that there are congregations that blow in the evening during the month of Elul. I have been in hundreds of synagogues over the years and never have seen that and it seemed rather odd. We never blow the shofar at night. The only time we even come close to that is at the end of Yom Kippur as the day is drawing to a close and the fast is ending and it is the last second of twilight when we blow the one blast ending the fast.

A number of years ago one of my congregants who was saying Kaddish had asked me for synagogues to attend during business travels. He was going to be in New York where it is obviously easy to find a synagogue. Knowing where his meetings were going to be, I sent him to the Spanish and Portuguese synagogue. When he returned he told me that he saw something really strange. He then explained that at the end of Ma’ariv service the shofar was blown. So apparently that tradition is being kept at least in the Spanish and Portuguese community.

There are so many areas of Jewish law where local traditions and customs prevail. For example, unless one is vegan, observant Jews eat meat or fish at every Shabbat or festival meal. The blowing of the shofar during the month of Elul for the 29 days prior to Rosh Hashanah certainly falls into this area and a variety of customs prevail as to how and where in the services the shofar is blown. However, every Traditional, Orthodox and Conservative synagogue around the world does blow the shofar daily during this period of time.

“Thin Threads: Real Stories of Hadassah Life Changing Moments” edited and compiled by Stacey K. Battat and Ellin Yassky (Kiwi Publishing, August 2012)

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Hadassah, the organization solicited “Hadassah life changing moments” — true, inspirational stories from its members on how the organization touched their lives — and chose 100 to include in a centennial book.

Each story, according to editor Stacey K. Battat, was chosen because it “wove an original and colorful thread into the tapestry of Hadassah women.”

The foreword is by journalist and long-time friend of Hadassah Ruth Gruber. She writes that she, too, is celebrating her centennial year and she recalls writing about Hadassah nurse Raquela Prywes for an article that later became her book, “Raquela, Woman of Israel.”

All of the stories reflect “a powerful life change.” Stories were included from a wide crosssection of women from across the country. The book is illustrated with archival and contemporary photographs that portray Hadassah’s positive impact on the lives of the Jewish people and the organization’s important role in Israel, including through the Hadassah Medical Organization, which includes two university hospital campuses in Jerusalem.

Among the contributors is Marian Kaplan from Overland Park, the current president of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of Hadassah who will attend the Centennial National convention with others from the chapter in October. She writes about how her life changed at the age of 57 after reading an article in Hadassah magazine about a St. Louis nurse and how Hadassah subsequently entered and impacted her life in many ways.

In addition to the book, a special web edition of a Centennial Storybook of quick videos of additional stories not in the book, is available live by accessing http://www.hadassah.org/site/c.keJNIWOvEIH/b.7914503/ and scrolling horizontally to Storybook. 
(Editor’s note: This reviewer has an entry that will be included on the online version.)

The book showcases the many ways women have connected to Hadassah through the years. Those include hospital or medical stories; Israel, Zionism and aliyah stories; philanthropy stories; and Young Judaea stories.

And what stories they are! Of special interest are personal stories related to Youth Aliyah — the Jewish organiztion founded in Berlin in 1933 initially to rescue Jewish youth by sending them to Palestine. Henrietta Szold supervised the activities in Palestine and it subsequently became a project of Hadassah. There are also memories of Holocaust survivors; many young women relating how they were taken to Hadassah meetings as youngsters by their mothers; a woman who met Henrietta Szold; the role of Young Judaea in their lives; women who became nurses; first trips to Israel; personal connections to the hospital; Jews by choice and their connections to Hadassah and reflections of a number of “senior” senior citizens.

Whether or not you are a member of Hadassah or are acquainted with any of the contributors, this inspirational book should be a must read before or during the High Holy Day season.

Sybil Kaplan, who now lives and works in Jerusalem, has been an active member of Hadassah for 25 years. She has served as president of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of Hadassah, president of the Great Plains Region and was a member of the National Board of Hadassah for six years. She is now active in Hadassah-Israel.

Alternative opinions needed

I would like to thank Harold Sader and Sandra Levin for their comments on the “special report” on President Obama published in the Aug. 2  issue of The Jewish Chronicle on behalf of the Kansas Heartland Chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition. It would behoove this newspaper not to pander to Republican demagoguery or at the very least publish a corresponding article stating an alternative opinion whenever the newspaper engages in election politics. For the record, I will be voting for President Obama.

American foreign policy is no different today than it has been post the 1967 Six Day War in which Israel recaptured, by a war it did not choose, Judea and Samaria. I would like to remind my Republican soul-mates that in the waning days of the Clinton administration, Israel was prepared to abandon most of our ancestral home land, to include dividing our capital, Jerusalem, for the sake of peace. Only the foolishness of what is now referred to as “Palestinians” stopped this from occurring. Lest we forget, the majority of us approved of this plan (yes, we were holding our noses) in the name of peace. The fact remains that whatever cold peace occurs between Israel and her hostile neighbors, that peace will resemble, in some fashion, the plan that was proposed by then President Clinton and Prime Minister Ehud Barack.

There are many other issues that need to be examined in regards to the upcoming presidential election, the economy and healthcare   for all being two of them. Hopefully, The Jewish Chronicle will publish alternative opinions side by side with those promulgated by the local chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Charles Megerman
Overland Park, Kan.

Stick with Obama

So Mitt Romney went overseas for a week and visited three countries. Now he calls himself a statesman. What a fraud and what a joke.
Let us be careful who we vote for in the next election. We don’t want the ultra right wingers heavily financed by the Koch brothers to run our country.
As for me I’m sticking with Obama.

Gloria Schlossenberg
Overland Park, Kan.

Binocular Vision: New and Selected Stories (Lookout Books, 2011)

Edith Pearlman’s collection of short stories, “Binocular Vision,” was selected as the best work of fiction of 2012 by the National Book Critics Circle. Although this 76-year-old author has been winning awards for her fiction since the beginning of her career, she is virtually unknown to the general reading public. This is truly a shame.

“Binocular Vision” consists of 34 short stories, each of which is a small masterpiece, and many of which have won individual prizes. Many of the stories are set in the fictional Boston suburb of Godolphin, a community reminiscent of Brookline where Pearlman makes her home. However, there are also stories set in Latin America, in middle Europe and three particularly moving stories that follow a middle-aged American Jewish woman. In the first story, set in London, she works with a Jewish agency, assisting with the resettlement of refugees from Europe and children from the kindertransport. In the second story, she is in a European DP camp for Jewish survivors after the war; and in the final story, she is living in New York, now married to the man who recruited her for all these acts of charity.

Each of Pearlman’s stories creates real characters, people you know and care about. Often her protagonists are lonely individuals seeking some small relationship with a fellow human being. “How to Fall” introduces the second banana in a newly popular TV comedy revue. He has one fan, but that is enough to give him a reason to continue.

Another story features a retired gastroenterologist dealing with her own diagnosis of cancer. In another, a little girl, given a pair of binoculars, spies on her neighbors but gets their story entirely wrong. In what may have been, inadvertently the funniest story — and Pearlman’s stories are not funny, but insightful and moving — a weekly congregation get-together called “Torah study” is actually a weekly poker game.

Perhaps one of the most memorable stories is “Vaquitqa” about the Jewish Minister of Health in an unnamed Latin American country. The Minister survived the Holocaust in Czechoslovakia, hiding in a barn with only a cow for companionship. She knows the regime in her country is getting dangerous and she expects to be arrested any day — hoping she will only be deported, not executed. In the meantime she continues to run her ministry and worry about the health of the citizens of the country.

In sum, this exquisitely written collection of stories is like a necklace of beautiful jewels. Each story reflects the light in a different way. Each story radiates different colors. Each character the reader encounters reminds you of someone you may have known slightly and wished to know better. Reading these stories gives you an opportunity to get to know characters worth knowing.

Andrea Kempf is a retired librarian who speaks throughout the community on various topics related to books and reading.

No ‘buyer’s remorse’ for voting for Obama

David Seldner and Margie Robinow, representing the Kansas Heartland Chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition, recently forwarded a “special” report to The Chronicle in opposition to the re-election of President Obama. The thrust of their “report” was that President Obama was not a strong supporter of the State of Israel. I, as a moderate Jewish democrat, believe that not so “special” report deserves a response .That response is most clearly delivered through a letter authored by Alan Dershowitz which was recently published in the Jerusalem Post.

Dershowitz quotes Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak that he could “hardly remember a better period of American support and cooperation and similar strategic understanding than what we have right now.” Dershowitz goes on to emphasize that, under Obama, the U.S. has worked “hand in hand with Israel in developing the Iron Dome, David’s Sting and Arrow Defense capabilities.” The president also has approved the sale of F-35 stealth fighters to the Israeli Air Force as well as the U.S. conducting large military exercises with Israel and coordinated intelligence operations with Israeli Secret Service. And, of course, American foreign aid to Israel has continued at record high levels.

President Obama visited Israel during his last campaign and stood in Sderot while lethal rockets were being hurled from Gaza by Hamas. He understands the peril that Israel lives with every day and that the first duty of every government is to protect its citizens. He has said that he expects Israel to do just that and supports its right to do so. Clearly the greatest threat that Israel faces today is from Iran and its plans to develop a nuclear arms capability. President Obama’s policy is clear — we will not permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons even if military action by the United States is required should ratcheted up sanctions and diplomatic pressures not be sufficient.

Beyond President Obama’s unadulterated support for Israel, Dershowitz points out the many accomplishments of President Obama that advocate for his re-election. He has brought us the first meaningful healthcare legislation in recent decades; he has appointed excellent judges to the Supreme Court; he has upheld and advocated for women’s and minority rights; he has eliminated the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy; and he has maintained the wall of separation between church and state. Further he has saved the automobile industry and hundreds of thousands of jobs and he killed Bin Laden. He has continued to successfully wage war against terrorism while ending the war in Iraq and winding down the war in Afghanistan.

These are only some of the reasons, along with his unending strong support of the State of Israel, why rational thinking Jews should vote to re-elect President Obama.

Harold Sader
Prairie Village, Kan.

Disgusted with Chronicle

I no longer subscribe to The Chronicle but have been reading it online. I am disgusted by the recent diatribes you have been publishing about President Obama and his administration. I never see anything on the left as hateful as what the right wing of the Republican Party puts out there.
You should know that there are many view points and I disagree with those you have been publishing. I certainly would not renew the subscription I had for more than 40 years.

Sandra Levin
Kansas City, Mo.

Knowledge is quite empowering. And it is an especially powerful and at the same time humbling feeling to have the responsibility to carry that knowledge home in hopes of relaying information for the greater good.

Last month we had a unique opportunity to visit Odessa, Ukraine, and Israel. Joining us on this trip and helping us bring the message back to the Kansas City Jewish community were Beverly Jacobson, Women’s Division director, and Gail Weinberg, director of Financial Resource Development at the Jewish Federation. We were also joined in Odessa by Trudy Jacobson, president-elect of Women’s Division, and her husband, John. The mission was designed for campaign chairs and directors of The Jewish Federations of North America.

We are excited to inspire our community by way of the information we have learned, and the great work we have witnessed from this mission.

One of our partner agencies, the JDC, has excelled at accomplishing so many programs in the way of rescue, relief and revitalization of Jewish life. In Ukraine, from feeding the hungry and helping the unemployed to supporting families with special needs and funding Jewish education, the Joint Distribution Committee has helped create meaning for their Jewish identity. Now, they have hope for a brighter Jewish future for their children. We were fortunate to experience all of these levels of support on the CCD Mission.

During our three days in Odessa, we supplied staples to the elderly and learned about the needs of families at risk through the Hesed welfare services. We learned through translators that numerous individuals are just now finding their Jewish roots. We learned of the World ORT schools, which teach Jewish children about cutting-edge technology, right alongside their Jewish studies.

We experienced the new Jewish Cultural Center where renewed Jewish life comes alive each day. Holocaust survivors and Righteous Gentiles shared their historic journeys. Poignantly, at Odessa’s Holocaust Memorial, our afternoon was ushered in by a rain storm and ended after the Yizkor ceremony. It was an afternoon we will never forget.

In Israel, our partner agency JAFI opened our eyes to the work they do in Israel to ensure that any Jew who comes to Israel from anywhere in the world can receive help to feel at home, once they arrive in Israel. With this support in acclimating to life in a new country, our fellow Jews have a great opportunity to be productive members of Israel, ensuring a strong future for the entire state.

The programs that our Jewish Federation and its partner agencies conduct to instill a love for Israel among our young adults is quite exhilarating. A number of programs are in place for such a task. For those of you who know a Birthright Israel participant, you may have heard about the life-changing experiences they experienced during their 10-day trip. We got to experience it first-hand, meeting up with some Birthright participants during their trip. We visited with this group of young Jewish travelers as they expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to unite and experience Israel. They were traveling through Israel alongside Jews from all over the globe, and their energy was contagious. We left our visit with them with a sense of hope for resurgence in our collective interest for our Jewish homeland.

It feels great to help others; it feels great to see others become successful and have new purpose for a positive and fulfilling Jewish life.

Though many needs in Kansas City are being tended to by the Jewish Federation — which sustain and enhance our own lives in many ways — our fellow Jews around the world are still seeking help for a new lease on life.

The job is daunting.

The job is rewarding.

The job is always going to be challenging.

As campaign co-chairs, we are hopeful because Jewish life in Kansas City is quite unique. We are a community that has come together in so many wonderful ways. And we believe we can come together for the 2013 campaign and accomplish our goal. We want to grow Kansas City’s commitment to sustaining and enhancing Jewish life at home and around the world, and we ask you to help.

Our campaign committee would love additional participation in the coming year. We would be thrilled to speak with anyone who is interested in volunteering their time or their resources to further the cause of Jewish community.

Please call the Jewish Federation office if you would like to speak to any of us about our travels and about how you can make a huge difference in the lives of others. You can reach us at 913-327-8100, or visit us online to learn more at jewishkansascity.org.

Polly Kramer is co-chair of the Jewish Federation General Annual Campaign. Sandy Passer is co-chair of the Women’s Division Annual Campaign.

Editor’s note: The following is an essay written by Jonathan Hermanson, the winner of the 2012 Margolis Scholarship Contest sponsored by B’nai B’rith’s Kansas City Lodge #184. Thirteen contestants competed for the $2,000 prize.

Sheltered in Johnson County’s Blue Valley School District for 18 years, it is hard to imagine in what situation anti-Semitism could be encountered. But within the past year or so, I’ve encountered three situations that have opened my eyes to how quickly misguided deeds can unravel relationships, and how my actions — both positive and negative — make a difference.

On the eve of my 17th birthday, my world was rocked, and instantly, within a few mind-altering moments, I found myself in a situation that has helped me begin to understand the importance of good relations between Christians and Jews.

It was “Christmas in January.” This was the theme our high school rival, Blue Valley Northwest, planned as their theme for our late January basketball meeting in 2011. It was supposed to mean that the BVNW student body dressed in holiday apparel. When we asked, “why?” they responded with a smug attitude, “because you’re Jewish.” While my school, Blue Valley North, has probably the largest amount of Jewish students, the number only peaks at about 10 percent in some  graduating classes. Our counterparts from BVNW made it seem as if the entire student body at North was Jewish. This was just the beginning of their ignorance and unfortunately, some uninformed and hurtful actions.

The Christmas sweaters didn’t bother me, but the night of the game, some Northwest students entered the gym hailing Hitler as they walked with extended arms and stiff legs as if to resemble Nazi soldiers. For me, along with many of my Jewish and non-Jewish friends, the night was no longer about the basketball game. It became personal. As the game concluded, the Northwest student “Hitlers” marched proudly into the parking lot.

By then, my blood was boiling. I found the nearest disrespecting offender, threw a hard right jab and tossed him against the hood of an innocent bystander’s car. The kid was scared out of his mind, and I found myself yelling, “DO NOT DO THAT!” He got the message, sulked to his car, and exited the parking lot.

When my parents learned of the incident, they weren’t sure how to take it. In part, they were proud of me for standing up to such blatant prejudice. But more so, their message was, “This isn’t the way to solve prejudice!”

I walked away from my first encounter with anti-Semitism with conflicting feelings. In this ugly encounter, it became apparent to me that we do not live in a world where everyone gets along. Some are arrogant and disrespectful enough to insult people on no true grounds. But, while the “Hitlers” were wrong, so was I. And in my misunderstanding, I likely bruised a kid’s chest. I was very lucky nothing further came of the incident.

Upon further reflection, the incident could have been completely avoided if there had been open dialogue from the start. The BVNW students had a misinterpreted theme from the start. Dressing up like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer in itself is not anti-Semitic. But surely, there should have been an educated adult who understood the rationale behind the Christmas wear and perhaps could have opened a dialogue to further relations. In my situation, because my “dialogue” after the game was limited and disrespectful, I took extreme measures “to fix the problem.”

That night, I went home and lay in bed for hours, trying to weigh the pros and cons of my actions. I knew that what I did was wrong. I understood that I should have tried to talk to the kids who were being idiots in the parking lot. Perhaps, if I would have talked to them and tried to get them to understand how their actions were hurtful, the next incident of prejudice and misunderstanding that this time made local news, wouldn’t have happened.

This year, BVNW opened a pep assembly with a series of skits to get the student body motivated to play BVN for the Kansas 6a “game of the year.” In one of the skits, some students at Northwest portrayed Blue Valley North by doing the Hora. (Ironically, the student who choreographed the skit was Jewish.) In reality, I don’t think this was an attempt of anti-Semitism, but just a way to rally the student body in a way they could relate to our school — “as a bunch of Jews.” Nonetheless, it was the wrong message. Our student body vice president caught wind of this and took it to 41 Action News. The news blew the incident way out of proportion and Twitter and Facebook exploded with reactions from the North and Northwest corners of Blue Valley.

Throughout this incident, the problem of misinterpretation and misunderstanding really never got resolved. If there had only been an open dialogue between Northwest, North and 41 News — talking about what is acceptable, what they plan to do, consequences of actions, etc. — perhaps we could avoid future missteps. I’m not sure we’re at that point yet.

It is baffling to me that problems keep arising for the same reasons. It is not that Northwest students hate North students because North students are Jewish, but that Northwest students (and maybe their teachers) don’t have a real understanding of how their actions could be misinterpreted. Maybe our “politically correct” society, where we have to be careful not to upset anyone, has gone too far, but without any respect, teaching, or open dialogue between Christians and Jews, or for that matter any groups of people who may not understand one another, bad relations in the form of misunderstanding and hurt feelings will reign in the background.

Some of us learn better than others. My most recent experience of prejudice happened while I was in Mexico with a number of my classmates on a spring break trip. While we were there, some friends and I encountered some students from Germany. One of my “well-meaning” classmates, who will soon enlist in the Marines, very loudly said in front of the Germans, and to his Jewish friends, “Dude, they’re Nazis, but I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I’ll protect you from those Nazis.”

My Jewish friends and I were mortified. Yes, we were a little bit scared because we didn’t know how these kids from Germany were going to react to the statements, but more so, we were taken aback at how prejudiced and insulting our friend had been “on behalf” of us. This time my rational sense took over my fear.

Upon hearing my friend make these statements, I stepped in and began to talk to these two young men on our behalf, making sure they knew we did not think they were Nazis. I had now experienced where misinterpreted information leads, and did not want anything bad to happen to my friend who was acting on my behalf. Nor did I want to offend some innocent Germans. To ease both my friend and the Germans, I introduced myself, including my religious background. The Germans understood our friend’s misconception, and everyone went on their merry way. Because of good communication and a dialogue, I was able to relate to these two “Deutchmen.”

In reality, all of these misconceptions stem from beliefs that came about years ago. Religion should be held for a spiritual realm. Jews can have their spiritual beliefs and Christians can have theirs, but the differences should not affect relationships in the present, where there are so many real problems that we can work together to solve.

Ultimately, my experiences over the past year have taught me that relationship-building happens one person at a time. In my first encounter, I worked against building a good relationship. The second time, even though I wasn’t directly involved, I believe the situation got out of hand because people got outraged even before a conversation could have taken place. Finally, in Mexico, I learned that keeping cool and opening a dialogue allowed for a potential misunderstanding to be defused. As small children, we were taught to respect one another. But as we grow up, we sometimes forget this virtue. In order to develop good relations between Christians and Jews, one at a time, we must try to remember those childhood teachings with each individual interaction.

Jonathan Hermanson graduated in May from Blue Valley North High School and will be studying biochemistry this fall at Tulane University in New Orleans. He is the son of Phil and Jackie Hermanson and the grandson of Marian Hermanson and Esther and Warner Bergh of Des Moines, Iowa.

Lack of judgment

I was saddened and shocked by your decision to print a letter — by an out-of-towner, no less — comparing President Obama to Adolf Hitler. There are some ideas which defy all the laws of decency and civility, and this is one of them. Is there no respect left for the office of the presidency?

Although you might argue that a letters column should be a free forum for your readers, I am sure there are boundaries which you would not cross. I doubt you would print a letter defending the blood libel or the authenticity of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” nor would you print the “f” word because some writer chose to include it in a letter. Comparing an American president to the worst mass murderer of all time is equally offensive and demonstrates a disturbing lack of judgment on your part.

Stu Lewis
Prairie Village, Kan.

Reprehensible comparison

I am shocked and disheartened to read the letter from Leonard Moss, M.D. in the July 27 issue. It is one thing to be opposed to President Obama’s re-election ... but to allude to Nazi Germany and Hitler in a Jewish publication is simply reprehensible. People of good will can disagree on issues, but using demagoguery as a tactic is disgusting.

I am ashamed of him for writing such a diatribe, and rather disappointed you would see fit to print it.

Judy Sherry
Kansas City, Mo.

This past June, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel to attend the General Assembly and Board of Governors meetings of The Jewish Agency for Israel. As a representative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, I have the honor to sit on the Jewish Agency board of governors, which brings together leaders from our devoted Jewish family from around the world to discuss and create solutions to address the biggest challenges facing our Jewish community here in Kansas City, in Israel and around the world. The Jewish Agency for Israel is a primary overseas partner of the Jewish Federations, and it was inspiring to see the commitment of representatives from Jewish Federations, religious movements and various other institutions which form the board of governors — a round table of the “Jewish collective.”

During the four days of meetings, we visited several regions of Israel to see Jewish Agency programming firsthand. Many of these programs are supported by Jewish Federation funding, and it was thrilling that the Jewish Agency chose to highlight Ramla, our partner community, for one of the site visits. It exposed a larger audience of Jewish leaders to the difficulties largely immigrant communities face and the successes we help make possible through our support of The Jewish Agency.

Our group visited the Net@ program, supported by Kansas City Jewish Federation, and we heard wonderful stories about how this critical program bridges the “digital gap” that forms between Israelis on the socioeconomic periphery and those in more affluent communities. It also brings together youth from Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze communities to share in learning valuable computer skills and performing community service work.

After our meeting with them, the Net@ kids then led us on a scavenger hunt through the city’s market. This was truly a marvelous experience on so many levels. The warmth we felt from these high school students, the kinship they share with one another, and the pride they have in their community proved — beyond any politics — that kids crave friendship and thrive on common goals regardless of religion or ethnicity. Kids just want to have fun, and they — along with a group of adults from three continents — had lots of it.

Another thrill was meeting a community of “lost Jews” from the town of Iquitos in the Amazon Jungle of Peru. This community descended from Jewish businessmen pursuing the rubber trade. As the rubber trade collapsed, the community deteriorated and was “lost” for several generations until a charismatic leader inspired them to formally reclaim their Jewish heritage — to which they still held. The community chose to make a new beginning in Israel, the land of their forefathers, and with the assistance of the Jewish Agency for Israel and Jewish Federation, more than 400 have now settled in Ramla with another 200 olim (immigrants) arriving this September.

These brave individuals have embraced the challenges of a new language, culture, job training and learning about Judaism — in many cases — for the first time. Their commitment to Judaism was inspiring, and I was proud that our Jewish Federation and The Jewish Agency for Israel have and will continue to support and assist the Iquitos community and all communities of immigrants in Israel. They, and their children, must be able to take their place as the next generation’s builders of the Jewish state.

I want to thank the Jewish community of Kansas City and the Jewish Federation for supporting The Jewish Agency for Israel as it continues to confront the central challenges of the Jewish people. And, as I think back to my meeting with the Jews from Peru — a meeting facilitated in Spanish, Hebrew and English — I can only think: “Welcome to Israel, where every Jew has a home.”

In addition to serving on the Jewish Agency For Israel’s board of governors, Karen Pack is a past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.