REVISITING HISTORY — Larry and Sally Gordon revisited history and reunited with an old friend as part of a recent trip.
The Gordons, along with couples Dan Braum and Rita Myer and Barbara and Steve Stras, recently cruised the Northeast United States and Canada, visiting Newport, Rhode Island, Boston, Portland, Maine, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Quebec City and Montreal. The group spent two days prior to the cruise in lower Manhattan.
A visit to the Statue of Liberty was on the agenda. Sixty-seven years ago, in 1951, a young Sally Pape saw Liberty Enlightening the World for the first time when she emigrated from her native Great Britain with her parents Leonard and Esme Pape and her brother David. The family sailed to the United States aboard the S.S. Mauritania.
Besides seeing Lady Liberty, the Gordons also reunited with Lt. Col. Nadeesh Fernando of the Sri Lanka military. In 2008, under the auspices of the People to People Program, the Gordons sponsored then-Major Fernando and his family as he spent a year at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Fernando gave the group a personal tour of the United Nations where he is temporarily assigned.
A HANUKKAH HOUSE OF YOUR OWN — If you love craft projects and always thought you might want to put together a gingerbread house with a Jewish flavor, you can try this one. This Hanukkah House Kit was in stock at the Costco on Blue Valley Parkway on Nov. 11. A quick Google search shows it is available online at several retailers including Bed Bath & Beyond. That search also produced a YouTube by Anthony and Daniel that shows the prebuilt gingerbread houses have been available since at least 2016. Good luck decorating and don’t forget Hanukkah begins in 17 days!
MISSOURI HOUSE DISTRICT 15 UPDATE — Following the August primary we learned a racist, anti-Semitic Republican had won the Republication primary for the Missouri House District 15. The candidate, Steve West, did not win the general election. The incumbent, Democrat Jon Carpenter, won another term with a vote total of 9,261. West garnered 5,398 votes. (See related story, page 7)