The number 10 has more than its normal significance for the Downtown Minyan these days. It takes a minimum of 10 adult Jews to make a minyan, and this year marks the 10th anniversary a group of 10 has gathered downtown to pray every Monday through Thursday afternoon.
{mprestriction ids="1"}The group — who likes to call itself B’nai Bryant in reference to the downtown office building where it meets — begins its 11th year Nov. 1.
Paul Blackman and Max Jevinsky have made it their mission to make sure B’nai Bryant can make a minyan four days a week. Blackman said it all started in February 2004 after his father, and Jevinsky’s mother, both passed away.
The two men got to know each while saying Kaddish at morning Shacharit services and evening Mincha/Ma’ariv services at Kehilath Israel Synagogue. Both are attorneys who work downtown. When Daylight Savings Time was over, it became difficult for them to get out south in time for the late afternoon and evening service.
"We knew we would have to leave our offices at 3:30 or so," Blackman said.
The two men chatted about the problem and considered organizing a minyan downtown. They then approached Rabbi Herbert Mandl, who was K.I.’s senior rabbi at the time, with the idea. He told them it was permissible by Jewish law, but pointed out that cities with much larger Jewish populations had trouble sustaining a downtown minyan.
"I’m tickled pink that it worked," Rabbi Mandl said.
Blackman said he’s just feisty enough and stubborn enough to give the idea a try. Like Rabbi Mandl, Jevinsky was a little more pessimistic.
"I didn’t know Paul well enough at the time to know that saying that won’t work is the best way to get something done," Jevinsky said.
"Memories fade over time and Blackman doesn’t remember exactly how he found his original minyanaires.
"I think I started calling around to see who was in this area that might be interested," he said
At that time many of the participants worked in the Bryant Building or close by. Soon Blackman and Jevinsky started getting calls from others who were interested in participating.
In addition to providing a place downtown to say Kaddish, B’nai Bryant’s mission is to promote a Jewish presence in the central city. The minyan uses prayerbooks and a Torah loaned by K.I. For at least the last six years, Torah has been read on fast days throughout the year. The Megillat Esther is read when Purim falls Monday through Thursday. And a menorah shines out the Bryant Building’s window throughout Chanukah.
The minyan doesn’t meet on erev Shabbos or erev yom tov to enable the participants to get home to their families.
While they don’t meet on Fridays, they do have a celebration once a week.
"We break out a bottle of schnapps and a jar of herring and some crackers and have a little pre-Shabbat oneg. We call it Herring Thursdays," Blackman said.
Jevinsky said when the group first started, it didn’t have to do what he calls "minyan wrangling," looking for at least 10 people to make a minyan. If they didn’t have enough people that day, those who were there simply said, "OK, we’ll try again tomorrow." Blackman added that everyone there would still daven privately, not as a community.
But after a few years, Jevinsky said, "We didn’t want to just wing it every day and hope for the best because a number of these people were now coming from a distance."
Now they talk, text and email to find out who is attending.
"If we are going to run short, we can make the extra effort to fill the gap or let people know before they’ve made a trip down here that we’re not going to have a minyan. Over the last couple of year’s it’s become part of our late morning early afternoon ritual to get a handle on who is coming," Jevinsky said.
Some people have been with the group for 10 years and others are rather new. Overall, there are about 30 people on the minyan’s list. Some come every day, some come a specific day every week and others say "call me when you need me."
"We’re always trying to find new people to join us," Blackman said.
One of the minyan’s regular participants is Chabad on the Plaza Rabbi Yitzchak Itkin.
"It’s an honor and a privilege to be a minyanaire at B’nai Bryant, a special minyan that is also used by so many to say Kaddish," Rabbi Itkin said. "Mazel tov to all those that are dedicated and committed to ensuring its success!"
Bnai Bryant is the only minyan listed for Kansas City, Mo., on the website Go Daven. (Chabad House Center in Overland Park is listed for Kansas, although it is not the only congregation in the area that has a daily minyan.)
"It’s not uncommon for me to get a call from this list. We’ve had somebody from Australia. We get people from Brooklyn and other places who are traveling here who want the details on our minyan," Blackman said.
"Some are here for several weeks and some stop by on their way to the airport," Jevinsky added.
It’s a halachic minyan as a manner of practicality.
"You’re not going to drive away a Reform or an unaffiliated person if you have an Orthodox service, but if you don’t you’re not going to attract anybody who does need a halachically Orthodox service," Blackman explained.
Blackman said women are welcome at the service, but over the years only a handful of women have actually participated. If a woman does want to pray at B’nai Bryant, a ------------mechitzah----------- is erected.
Those who pray together also play together. Some years they take in a Royals game. Typically an anniversary dinner takes place, where Steve Ellenberg caters a kosher dinner, usually barbecue. This year’s celebration is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 8.
Tzedekah is a big part of what the group does as well. A pushke is at every minyan; donations are voluntary.
"The guys have been very, very generous over the years," Blackman said. Donations have been made to every synagogue as well as food pantries, Hillels, Friends of the IDF, Magen David Adom, disaster relief and a variety of other charities in the past 10 years.
For more information about the minyan, contact Blackman at 816-471-1060.{/mprestriction}