A dedicated young leader, two community programs and two local educators will be honored as part of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s 81st Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17.
The featured guest speaker is Ari Shavit, New York Times bestselling author of “My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel” and a senior correspondent and member of the editorial board at Haaretz, Israel’s oldest daily newspaper.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the White Theatre at the Jewish Community Campus and the entire community is invited to attend. It will also include the installation of new board members and will conclude with a Vaad-supervised dessert reception.
Community Program of the Year Award winners are:
• Machane Jehudah: Creating a fun and exciting learning environment for children has always been a challenge. The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah has done just that with Machane Jehudah, its two-week camp-style experience filled with friends, fun, projects, singing, praying and learning. The program continues throughout the year with monthly experiences for the whole family to enjoy, learn and grow together. In combination, the Machane Jehudah summer and family programs meet the educational requirements for B’nai Jehudah. The program has successfully created an experiential learning environment that meets curricular expectations.
• Shabbat Around KU: Inspiring college students to convene their Jewish friends for Shabbat dinners has resulted in participation by more than 2,200 students. KU Hillel established the Shabbat Around KU program to empower student leaders to engage their peer groups in Jewish life by inviting them to a Shabbat dinner at their home, apartment, residence hall or Greek house. The impact is being felt on campus as Shabbat Around KU hosts report that they have increased Jewish self-confidence and Jewish knowledge as a result of their participation in the program. The long-term impact will be significant as this program strives to serve as a bridge to keep young adults engaged in Jewish life.
In addition to these awards, The Dan Fingersh Young Leadership Award will be presented to an outstanding young leader in our community. Netta Krashin and June Crane will be recognized as the Jewish Federation’s Teachers of the Year. The Annual Meeting will include the installation of new board members that include: Steve Bernstein, Herb Buchbinder, Liz Hjalmarson, Amanda Palan and Howard Weiner.
The event is free to attend, but reservations are required. For more information, go to www.jewishkansascity.org or call Cheri Anne Winkler at 913-327-8103.