HANUKKAH AT THE KANSAS STATE CAPITOL — Once again the Chabad rabbis in Kansas are organizing a Hanukkah celebration in Topeka at the Kansas State Capitol. It will take place at 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3. The address is 300 SW 10th St. in Topeka. Kansas Lt. Gov. Tracey Mann is expected to attend as well as other state dignitaries. Those in attendance will be treated to a reception following the program, which will include a candle-lighting ceremony and feature Hanukkah delicacies including latkes. Transportation from Overland Park to Topeka will be available. Reservations are requested by emailing . For more information, contact Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel at or Rabbi Mendy Wineberg at .
CHEERS TO A WELL-EARNED RETIREMENT — After 32 years serving in a variety of roles, including teaching in the Polsky Religious School and serving in multiple administrative roles for Congregation Beth Shalom’s clergy and staff, Jill Goldstein retired on Nov. 2.
Goldstein is not 100 percent retired. She will continue to work with the B’nai Mitzvah families part time to ensure they have a smooth journey from the time their children’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah date is chosen through the day they become valued members of Beth Shalom’s minyanim. On Saturday, Dec. 8, Goldstein will be honored on her retirement at a special Shabbat and Kiddush following service that begin at 9:30 a.m. in Goldsmith Hall.
LOCAL EXPERT ON ‘60 MINUTES’ — Fans of “60 Minutes” may have recognized the name Scott Shuchart on the Nov. 25 broadcast. Shuchart was a senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties from 2010 to 2018. He is now a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
If you missed the program, go to cbs.com and search for “The Chaos Behind Donald Trump’s Policy of Family Separation at the Border.” Shuchart is a graduate of The Pembroke Hill School, Harvard, Oxford and Yale Law and the son of John and Stevie Shuchart, who are members of Congregation Beth Torah. He was also interviewed on the PBS News Hour on Nov. 26 and wrote an op-ed published Oct. 25 in the Washington Post titled “Careless cruelty: Civil servants said separating families was illegal. The administration ignored us.”
RADIO HANUKKAH FOR 2018 — This year, SiriusXM will air “Radio Hannukah” on channel 77. Beginning at 2 a.m. CST on Friday, Nov. 30, and running until 2 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, the radio station will feature an extensive collection of Hanukkah-themed music, including contemporary, traditional and children’s selections, as well as daily reflections and prayers related to the holiday. Devoted Radio Hanukkah listener Maury Kohn hopes to hear his favorite, “Hannukah in Santa Monica” by Tom Lehrer. Don’t know it? You can find it on YouTube and give it a listen.
ANOTHER 18 UNDER 40 LEAVES KC — Our cover girl for the 2016 Guide to Jewish Life 18 Under 40 edition, Melissa Stern, is leaving the area. A reporter at Fox 4, her last day “working for you” will be Dec. 6, according to her Facebook page. After spending seven years in the Midwest, five of those here in K.C., she’s heading back to the east coast. Her next stop is reporting for CBS in Atlanta starting in December. She writes on Facebook, “Gonna miss this place so much, but so excited for the next chapter!”
WEBSITE CONTAINS LIST OF HOLOCAUST VICTIMS’ ASSETS — The State of Israel’s Ministry of Justice is providing a list of Holocaust victims’ assets that have been transferred to Israel’s administrator general for management or that the administrator general has received information about from the Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims’ Assets Ltd.
The list is available on the Ministry of Justice’s website (http://www.justice.gov.il/Units/ApotroposKlali/Departments/ApotroposKlali/giloi/Documents/List01.pdf) and on the company’s website (http://www.hashava.org.il/assetList/#.W_LeeuhKjIV). Requests for restitution of an asset to its rightful heirs also can be submitted on the company’s website.
The list and method to request restitution are required by the Holocaust Victims Assets Law (Restitution to Heirs and Endowment for Purposes of Assistance and Commemoration), 5766-2006.