STANDING ROOM ONLY — Sunday night’s fundraiser for Friends of Sheffield, presenting Ed Asner as “FDR” was a smashing success by all accounts. Friends of Sheffield President Rickie Haith announced to the crowd that they turned away patrons that evening because the White Theatre was full. Even more exciting was the announcement that the group, which was incorporated in 2003 to restore honor to the burial sites at Sheffield Cemetery, reached its fundraising goal and will begin work this summer renovating the chapel so that it can once again be used for funerals and meditation. Asner was wonderful in his portrayal of FDR and he told the crowd following his performance that he was impressed by the cemetery that he visited earlier in the day and “what you are doing to take care of the cemetery is a marvelous achievement.” He also said he exults in being a Kansas Jew and in his Kansas friends and family who made him “more clever than I was supposed to be.” Rickie Haith was presented with an award that evening by the Friends of Sheffield board and the fundraising committee for her selfless dedication in making sure those who went before us are honored appropriately.
ATTENTION 1977 PILGRIMS — A reunion is in the works for members of the 1977 K.C. Youth Pilgrimage to Israel. It will be held Saturday night, Aug. 4, at the home of Jim Gerson. Organizers are still missing contact information on a few participants. If you have not received any official information regarding the reunion, or know someone who was a member of the group and you want to make sure he/she is getting the proper info, send email addresses or other contact info to Rachel Krantz at or Sandi White Fried at . The group left K.C. almost exactly 35 years ago on June 27, 1977.
A PAT ON THE BACK — We hear a lot of stories about how lazy and self-centered teens are today, but the following is just the opposite. Judy Lanes, a friend and colleague of mine here at The Chronicle, was at the Jewish Community Campus last week preparing for the Friends of Sheffield fundraiser. She needed to shlep a lot of items into the building and she asked if anyone could lend her a hand. While a lot of teenage boys chose to ignore her, Corey Minkoff stepped up to help her out. So here’s to Corey for helping out another member of the Jewish community while hanging out at the Campus. We hope others notice the fine example you are setting!
JEWS IN THE NEWS — Kansas City native Rabbi Sarah Bassin was recently featured in a report aired on Southern California Public Radio. The Chronicle reported last year that she was ordained by the Reform movement and is executive director of NewGrounds|A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change in Los Angeles. As her position might suggest, she believes in the need for greater Jewish and Muslim dialogue. The story was done by Ruxandra Guidi on June 8 and it’s called “Jewish temple and mosque collaboration seeks to become a national interfaith model.” The entire story has been posted on the Muslim News Digest website, www.muslimnewsdigest.com. Look for it under the June 15 date.
JEWS IN THE NEWS PART II — The Topeka Capital Journal featured Adam Karol in its Sunday, June 17, edition. Adam grew up in Topeka and is the son of Rabbi Larry Karol, a K.C. native who served as the rabbi at Temple Beth Sholom for many years. Adam lives in New York now, works full-time for the Union for Reform Judaism, and is part of the singing duo Adam Karol and the Hotness. They specialize in old-school and rhythm-and-blues music. You can read the whole story online at cjonline.com. The headline is “Topeka natives making mark in New York.”
JOKE OF THE WEEK — Every week I read the congregation and organization’s various email blasts. Here’s another joke of the week, borrowed with permission from the Torah Learning Center’s weekly email:
A Jewish man calls his mother in Florida. “Mom, how are you?”
“Not too good,” says the mother. “I’ve been very weak.”
The son says, “Why are you so weak?”
She says, “Because, I haven’t eaten in 38 days.”
“Mama,” the man says, “that’s terrible! Why haven’t you eaten in 38 days?”
The mother answers, “Because I didn’t want my mouth to be filled with food if you should call.”