DELEGATION RETURNS FROM AIPAC — More than 80 Kansas Citians joined 14,000 Israel activists from around the country at the annual Policy Conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C., where speaker after speaker noted: “The snow may have shut down the capital, but it didn’t shut down AIPAC!” Attendees heard from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Secretary of State John Kerry, members of Congress, and last year’s Israel Action Forum keynote speaker, David Horovitz, founder and editor of the Times of Israel. In addition to the large contingent from this area, KC-area students attending college out of town were among the more than 2,300 students at AIPAC this year. The local delegation spent an afternoon lobbying members of Congress from Kansas and Missouri. Some met with Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, and his newest staff member foreign affairs legislative aide Trent Sterneck, son of Frank and Robin Sterneck. For the second year in a row, AIPAC secured appointments with all 100 senators and all 435 members of the House of Representatives.
STAYING ANOTHER YEAR — We learned this week that Yahav Barnea, our Israeli emissary, will be spending a second year of “shlihut” in our community. Yahav has been very active in the community, visiting synagogues and organizations and is in the midst of planning a Yom HaZikaron commemoration and a Yom HaAtzmaut celebration. She’s been getting rave reviews, including from us, and we are thrilled she will be here with us another year!
WAS QUEEN ESTHER A VEGAN? — Elaine Levin, Congregation Beth Shalom’s executive director, provided some Queen Esther trivia in the congregation’s newsletter. Here it is:
“I am sure that you know Queen Esther as the heroine of Purim, the beautiful woman that the King of Persia chose to marry, the woman who begged the king to save her people from Haman’s wicked ways, but did you know …that Queen Esther was probably our first known vegan, that the “Queen Esther Diet” that is still used by many today was based on her food choices.
The Midrash tells us that Queen Esther survived on a diet of legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds because kosher food in the palace was non-existent. Don’t forget, meals in that era were extremely gluttonous with meats piled high as a symbol of wealth. She became a vegan by her choice and by her strength of character. Esther refused to give up the laws of kashrut. She was a woman to be admired, not only for her outward beauty, but for her inner beauty as well, a woman who stayed true to her convictions in the midst of the turmoil that swirled around her. Truly, a woman to be appreciated.”
JEWISH AGENCIES HELP FUND AGING IDEAS BOOK — Do you hope to stay in your current home as you grow older and/or your needs change and evolve? Do you want people of all ages and abilities to be able to comfortably visit your home?
KC Communities for All Ages, an initiative of Mid-America Regional Council, and the First Suburbs Coalition have developed a “Community for All Ages Idea Book” to provide homeowners and others with ideas on how to renovate homes and neighborhoods to better meet the needs of current and potential residents who desire to age in place. The “Idea Book” provides information on assessing your home for livability and visitability, home maintenance, housing options, assistive technology and financing options.
“Idea Books” are free and may be picked up at Jewish Family Services offices at the Jewish Community Campus, or the Missouri location, 9233 Ward Parkway, Suite 125, Kansas City, Mo. Idea Books may also be accessed online at www.kccfaa.org.
The “Communities for All Ages Idea Book” was made possible by support from the Jewish Heritage Foundation of Greater Kansas City and the WJ Brace Charitable Trust, Bank of America, Trustee.
For more information contact Cathy Boyer-Shesol, project manager, KC Communities for All Ages, 816-701-8246, or Dawn Herbet, director of Older Adult Initiatives, Jewish Family Services, 913-327-8239.
UMB GETS BLITT SCULPTURE — Barkley, the advertising agency for UMB, surprised its client on its 100th anniversary by presenting it with a sculpture it commissioned from Rita Blitt. “Confluence” was unveiled on Monday. Blitt said, “I am honored to have created this sculpture to recognize UMB. Lasting relationships, like that between UMB and its customers and communities, are to be celebrated and cherished.” The sculpture is on display at the UMB office at Union Station.
ON BLUE VALLEY’S COVER — Elizabeth Appelbaum, Ph.D., a retired math teacher, is featured on the most recent cover of Blue Valley Today, the school district’s magazine mailed to all district patrons. She organizes an after-school math club at Overland Trail Elementary. She says volunteer work keeps her young. “When you retire, you still need a sense of purpose and sociability,” said Appelbaum in the magazine article. “I enjoy sharing my many years of experience with the young students of Blue Valley.”
A CHILLING AND AWE-INSPIRING STORY — Rabbi Mendy Wineberg passed along this interesting tale that I also saw posted on Facebook Wednesday night. The original post is on DansDeals.com, owned and operated by a man with KC ties. It seems there is a Jewish man who was supposed to be on that ill-fated Malaysia Air Flight 370 that took off on Saturday, March 8, and has disappeared without a trace (as of this Tuesday writing). To make a long story short, the man’s travel agent is an Orthodox Jew who does not schedule travel for his clients on Shabbat. The travel agent told the traveler if he wanted to book that flight, he would have to book it himself. But the traveler changed his mind noting, “I reconsidered, you are right I should be more observant, I’ll manage without that day in Kuala.” So the travel agent booked him on a Friday morning instead of that ill-fated Saturday flight. Following Shabbat, the Israeli travel agent read this email from the traveler. “I cannot stop thinking about this. This is a true miracle for the books. You are a true life saver….” The travel agent replied, “I am so happy for you! Not I am the life save. God and Shabbat were your life savers. You owe them something.” Dan the blogger goes on to say, “It’s not often we hear a story like this. It’s been 103 years since rose was save from the devastation of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire thanks to observing Shabbos. And now it was Andy’s turn. Prayers go out to the families of those still missing.”
JEWISH RUSSIAN ABOARD MISSING AIRPLANE — (JTA) — One of the passengers aboard the Malaysian Airlines plane that vanished is a Jewish Russian national.
Nikolai Brodskii, 43, of the Siberian city of Irkutsk, appears on the missing plane’s passenger manifest. He is a husband and father of sons aged 17 and 11.
Rabbi Aharon Wagner, a Chabad rabbi for the region, contacted Brodskii’s family after learning that he was on the plane, the Times of Israel reported.
Brodskii, a scuba diving instructor, had traveled to Bali, Indonesia, for a diving vacation. He was returning to Russia on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, the Times of Israel reported, citing Vitaly Markov, first secretary of the Russian embassy in Malaysia.
The flight, with 239 passengers on board, disappeared Saturday, March 8, while flying over the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam.
