JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER POOLSIDE CAFÉ OFFERS KOSHER DAYS — In its ongoing effort to be inclusive and welcoming, the Poolside Café at the Jewish Community Center’s (The J) outdoor pool will now be under KC Vaad supervision Sundays through Wednesdays. This is the first time the café has come under Vaad supervision, providing more options for everyone.
“Vaad supervision at our Poolside Café is something we’ve wanted to do for years, but being open on Shabbat always made it difficult to figure out a way to accomplish that,” said Barry Baumfalk, The J’s senior director of fitness, sports, aquatics and membership.
“While we’ve always strived to serve food with approved KC Vaad hechshers, having the supervision was still important to us at The J,” said Jim Sluyter, The J’s president/CEO. “We are so thankful to Rabbi Mizrahi for coming in and working with us to make this happen. We are excited for this summer and what it will mean for the J community.”
Hours at the Poolside Café are noon to 7:30 p.m. daily. J members can view the Poolside Café menu online at thejkc.org/pool.
MCHE SPONSORS SNEAK PEAK OF ‘THE SPY BEHIND HOME PLATE’ — Check out Aviva Kempner’s “The Spy Behind Home Plate” at the Glenwood Arts at 7 p.m. June 20, the day before the film officially opens to the public.
The Midwest Center for Holocaust Education is sponsoring the special showing of the first feature-length documentary to tell the story of Morris “Moe” Berg, “the enigmatic and brilliant Jewish baseball player turned spy.” Berg caught and fielded in the major leagues during baseball’s Golden Age in the 1920s and 1930s. But very few people know that Berg also worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), spying in Europe and playing a prominent role in America’s efforts to undermine the German atomic bomb program during World War II.
“The Spy Behind Home Plate” reveals the life of this unknown Jewish hero through rare historical footage and photographs as well as revealing interviews with an all-star roster of celebrities and other individuals from the worlds of sports, spy craft and history. Berg may have had only a .243 batting average during his 15-year major league career, but it was the stats he collected for the OSS that made him a most valuable player to his country during World War II.
Author and baseball historian Phil Dixon will introduce the film and provide unique baseball perspectives. Tickets can be purchased at mchekc.org or fineartsgroup.com. No passes or discounts are available for MCHE’s special showing of this film.
OPUS BREWING GETS NATIONAL PUB — I didn’t get far into my copy of Jewish National Fund’s B’Yachad Summer 2019 newsletter, which arrived in my mailbox last week, before I saw a headline featuring Opus Brewing, a name that looked familiar. It’s owned by Jason Barnett, a Shawnee native and former member of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah who made Aliyah in 2010.
The newsletter tells Barnett’s story about the successful craft beer he brews in the heart of Tel Aviv. We featured a short story about his craft beer in our Feb. 1, 2018, edition when he and another former Kansas Citian received grants from Nefesh B’Nefesh’s first Initiative for Zionist Innovation. I could not find the newsletter online, but you can learn more about the brewery by visiting opusbrewingisrael.com/homebase. The website is in Hebrew, but you can click it to be translated into English. Opus Brewing is not a brewery yet, but Barnet said in the JNF newsletter he hoped to establish a state-of-the-art nano brewery within the year and open a brewery in northern Israel within five years with the capability to distribute to worldwide craft beer markets.
“In brewing, I feel that I have found my calling. When I look in the mirror, I see a harmonious hodge-podge — an American, an Israeli, a soldier and a brewer.”