When the Kollel honors Ward Katz on Tuesday, Aug. 21, be prepared to be amazed. Yes you will be amazed at all the great things Katz has done for the community. But the entertainer is expected to blow your mind, or at least read it.

Marc Salem is a mentalist and a mind reader. The late Mike Wallace was skeptical of that description before he interviewed him several years ago on a segment of CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Then he saw him in action.

Salem didn’t disclose on the “60 Minutes” profile how he reads people’s minds and he doesn’t now, either, because “it takes away from the mystery.”

One of the reasons he reads minds so easily is because he’s an expert in reading body language. That’s also why he told Wallace it’s practically impossible to lie to him.

“We could all do it (read minds) if we used our observational skills better,” he told Wallace.

Whether he was playing as a child, working as a professor or performing, he has been doing some sort of mind games his whole life.

“I still consider myself a student of the mind, not a master,” he told The Chronicle in an interview last week.

On Aug. 21, Salem said people can expect to see “jaw dropping entertainment for the whole family where they’ll be amazed at the possibilities of the mind.”

“Nobody is ever embarrassed but I do guide and connect with people’s thoughts … not unlike a teacher or an advertiser or a psychologist or one who reads non-verbal cues, all of which I do,” he said.

But it’s all done in an entertainment context.

“If you want a lecture, come to one of my classes. This is an evening of entertainment,” he said.

But after the show, Salem will direct fans to his website (under the heading Read People and Detect Lies), where there is a bibliography of books he and others have written for those whose curiosity has been sparked to learn more.

Salem, who described himself as an observant Jew, said the show is a lot funnier than people imagine ahead of time when they think of mind reading.

“If I do have a sixth sense, it’s my sense of humor. And I also think when they leave they will be seeing the world a little bit differently. They’ll see that their own perception has changed and the way that they view the world will be a little bit different as they view the world will be a little bit different as they view non-verbal communication. I think the show becomes a metaphor for how to see life.”

Salem earned a doctorate in developmental psychology from New York University and taught college psychology for two decades at the University of Pennsylvania and at Manchester University in England. He still teaches on occasion, most recently last year, but does not mix teaching with performing.

“When I teach I’m very serious about it so I don’t work and perform at the same time. I’m on an unlimited leave of absence, but in my soul I’m a teacher, so I miss it a lot,” he said.

As an entertainer he has performed around the world, astounding and entertaining millions. His show “Mind Games” concluded two extended runs on Broadway to both critical and popular acclaim. The Sydney Opera House, the Edinburgh Festival and Singapore’s Esplanade have also hosted extended runs of “Mind Games.”

Salem can be considered a jack of all trades. In addition to being an academic and a performer, he’s a producer, has written books and worked in television. He has helped lawyers with jury selection and trained police departments in nonverbal communication techniques, emphasizing information retrieval and reliance on intuition.

“I do what I enjoy doing, which thankfully is stuff that is interesting to me and sometimes to other people,” Salem said.

In television he was a director of research at Sesame Street for 10 years, studying the development and nature of the mental process. He was also involved in several episodes of the series “Lie to Me” which aired on the Fox network from 2009 to 2011.
Salem said while it might seem that academics and entertainers are on two different ends of the spectrum, he doesn’t see it that way.

“Marshall McLuhan, the media theorist, once said anyone who thinks there is a difference between entertainment and education doesn’t know the first thing about either. Every television show, whether they want to or not, has a curriculum built into it, and every curriculum has an element of entertainment built into it, not that a teacher has to be a big bird, but if it is boring pedantry then you’re not going to capture people’s imaginations or their minds,” Salem said.

Salem said there’s not that much difference between what he does when he teaches and when he entertains.

“There both standing in front of a group of people being pretty much myself and telling them what’s on my mind and what’s on their mind. I believe that a good teacher can teach anything,” he said.

“If one is dull and boring, one will shut them off, particularly as time continues to go on,” he continued.

Salem, who provided Purim entertainment at KU Chabad in Lawrence earlier this year, said Jewish groups are his “tzedakah of choice.” He doesn’t limit his charity work to Jewish groups, performing for a wide assortment of charitable causes.

But don’t get the impression that Salem only performs for charitable events and small groups.

“Ninety percent of my work is legitimate theater and corporate. Then there’s my tzedakah work,” he said.

An Evening of Celebration and Magic

The Community Kollel of Kansas City will present Ward Katz with the 2012 “One Nation” award, given to those with a commitment to Jewish learning and community involvement on Tuesday, Aug. 21.
The evening will begin with a gourmet sponsor’s dinner at 6 p.m., followed by a brief tribute and presentation to Katz that begins at 7:30 p.m. Marc Salem will follow the award presentation with his mind games, which are expected to both amaze and baffle the audience.
To register for this event online, visit www.kckollel.org. Patrons may also call Rabbi Binyomin Davis at 913-481-5842, or email for reservations.