MCHE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS — “I feel brown shirts breathing down my neck,” said actor Henry Winkler to a crowd of almost 500 gathered at Starlight Theatre to celebrate 25 years since the founding of the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education. Winkler, the son of Jews who escaped Nazi Germany and moved to the U.S. in 1939, added, “It is up to us to make sure that civility and sanity stays in the world.”
Winkler’s presentation did not dwell on the shooting that killed 11 Jewish people at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue the day before nor was it the theme of speeches given by the chairs, honorary chairs, etc., but the shooting was mentioned several times during the evening. As MCHE Executive Director Jean Zeldin pointed out, one of the lessons the Holocaust teaches us that is still relevant today is “when one group is targeted, we are all at risk.”
MCHE was founded by best friends Jack Mandelbaum and Isak Federman (of blessed memory) to keep the lessons of the Holocaust alive. A letter written by Mandelbaum, who is retired and lives in Florida, was read and it said, in part, he and Isak chose to focus on education because a brick and mortar building can’t talk. As the founders intended, the organization, through its staff, programming and volunteers, works tirelessly applying the lessons of the Holocaust to counter indifference, intolerance and genocide. The two honorary co-chairs — Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of President Harry S. Truman, and Mary Jean Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower — were chosen as representatives of two great men who did so much to help the Jewish people when the camps were liberated at the end of World War II and establishing the State of Israel. MCHE has good working relationships with both the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri, and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas.
MCHE estimates fewer than 50 survivors now live in Kansas City. To those in attendance and to those who could not be there in person, Zeldin said, “You teach us, you humble us, you inspire us. Tonight we honor and celebrate you.”
Even under the unfortunate shadow of the rise of hate in our world, it was indeed a wonderful celebration showcasing an organization whose work is not done and deserves the support of the entire Kansas City community.
VOTING WORDS OF WISDOM — Our own Harry S. Truman had this to say about voting: “It’s not the hand that signs the laws that holds the destiny of America. It’s the hand that casts the ballot.” Kansans can vote now, either by mail or advance voting. All registered voters in the metro can vote beginning at 6 a.m. in Missouri and 7 a.m. in Kansas on Tuesday, Nov. 6. VOTE!
MITZVAH GARDEN HARVEST — Mitzvah Garden KC has completed its harvest for the year and its garden yielded 12,600 pounds. It truly takes a village of volunteers to produce this bounty, including Chair Ken Sonnenschein, Garden Planner Chuck Luchen, Volunteer Coordinator Gay Handler and Orchard Steward Greg Raymond for all they did to make the garden so productive this season. Some volunteers have already planted all the garlic, wheat and barley crops to get ready for next season. In addition, Morris “Moshe” Leibschutz configured the water capture system, “Project Matar,” in a way that it could be winterized without antifreeze. A tip of the sun hat to all those who spend time working on this throughout the year to make this one of the community’s jewels.