A REMARKABLE STORY — Betty Stern called me the other day, eager to share the experience she and her husband Erwin had at last week’s Yom HaShoah commemoration in Topeka. The couple always attend the Yom HaShoah commemoration held here every year, but did not know about the one in Topeka until they read about it in a recent Midwest Center for Holocaust Education newsletter.
They were pleased to learn that the keynote speaker in Topeka would be Nancy Sprowell Geise, author of “Auschwitz #34207: The Joe Rubinstein Story.” According to the author, in 2007, Rubinstein told her that he would never publicly share his experiences at Auschwitz and several other of the most notorious Nazi concentration camps. Five years later, he changed his mind and allowed her to write the book. She said when she began writing the story, she had no idea the impact it would have on her life as she immersed herself in Joe’s world and his remarkable journey of survival and triumph.
Because Erwin is a Holocaust survivor, friends recommended the book to the Sterns. They have both read it and are very impressed by it.
“Nancy Sprowell Geise wrote this book with such loving care and heart for Joe Rubinstein,” Betty Stern said.
“We highly recommend this book,” Erwin added.
The Sterns enjoyed hearing Geise’s presentation in Topeka and hope that she is asked to give a talk here in Kansas City sometime in the near future.
TRENDING ON FACEBOOK —There’s a photo of a travel charger plugged in upside down that is currently making the rounds on Facebook. On Tuesday morning it had more than 3,000 shares. It reads +Jews! and it is supposed to be iSmart, the company logo, upside down. I did a little checking. There is an iSmart charger with a very similar logo. But when you place the logo upside down, as seen in the accompanying photo, it isn’t exactly +Jews! It’s cute, but someone did a little photo wizardry to actually make it look like that. Thanks for sharing Andrew Starr!
AMY THOMPSON RUN FOR BRAIN INJURY — Several members of the Jewish community are involved with the 29th annual Amy Thompson Run for Brain Injury. The run is set to take place Monday, May 29, in and around Loose Park in Kansas City, Missouri. Proceeds benefit the Brain Injury Association of Kansas and Greater KC (BIAKS), the only non-profit in the area that provides referral and resource information, support group coordination, ongoing education for professionals working with individuals who have sustained traumatic brain injuries and prevention programming. Robin Abramowitz is the executive director of the association and Bev Jacobson serves as its development director.
The Amy Thompson run includes an 8K, 5K run/walk, race and a 2K Walk for Thought. The event finishes with the popular Kiddie Dash for youngsters 8 and under. The 8K and 5K courses are chip timed and the 8K is USATF certified; all participants will receive a finisher’s medal and a T-shirt. Runners, walkers, wheelchair participants and families are encouraged to take part in the events including music, refreshments and vendor displays. To register, visit www.amythompsonrun.org.