JVS LOOKING FOR STORIES — Jewish Vocational Service of Kansas City (JVS) is preparing to celebrate 70 years of service. Founded in 1949 to aid Holocaust survivors and servicemen and women returning from World War II, Jewish Vocational Service has a proud history of service in Kansas City.
JVS now helps diverse individuals and communities, including refugees, immigrants and people with disabilities, become thriving members of the community through its Workforce Development, Community Integration and Health & Wellness programs. JVS’ mission is to engage, encourage and empower people to achieve social, cultural and economic integration, believing all people have intrinsic worth and dignity and all people can flourish with support.
JVS will celebrate its 70th anniversary with its eighth annual Global Table Fundraiser event April 19. For this momentous event, JVS is searching for stories of individuals or families it has served in the Kansas City community since it opened its doors in 1949. If JVS has provided support of any kind to you, a friend or a family member, they would love to hear from you. Support could include employment services or refugee resettlement aid as a Holocaust survivor or upon arriving from the former Soviet Union, among many other forms of assistance.
Contact JVS’ marketing department at or 816-629-8943 with your story or any related information so they can share your story.
JVS’ eighth annual Global Table Fundraiser will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, April 19, at The Abbott Event Space, 1901 Cherry St., Kansas City, Missouri. You can purchase tickets or learn more about sponsorship at bit.ly/2CVQKqL.
HALLMARK CHANNEL SET TO OFFER HANUKKAH MOVIES FOR FIRST TIME — Boy was I wrong last week about Hallmark’s Hanukkah movie. In fact, there are two Hanukkah movies this year! Here’s what I hope is the correct scoop, from one of our syndication partners.
(JNS) — The Hallmark Channel will premiere its first two Hanukkah-themed movies next month in honor of the eight-day Jewish holiday, which this year starts Dec. 22, the New York Post reported Nov. 13.
“Our audience is very vocal, and they tell us when they’d like to see more of something,” said Michelle Vicary, Crown Media’s executive vice president of programming. “We’ve heard over the years that they would like to see [a Hanukkah movie] if a script came in that we liked. And that happened this year — twice.”
The first film, “Holiday Date,” airs Dec. 14 and follows Brooke, a woman who experiences a breakup shortly before a trip to introduce her boyfriend to her family for Christmas. She instead goes home with Joel (played by Jewish actor Matt Cohen) who will pose as her boyfriend. Since he has never celebrated Christmas, drama, of course, ensues.
“Unfortunately, they have not discussed if he knows all the traditions,” Vicary said. “As the family becomes more suspicious whether he knows how to celebrate, our two leads begin to fall for each other.”
The second Hanukkah movie, “Double Holiday,” airs Dec. 22. It’s about a Jewish woman named Rebecca whose Hanukkah plans are disrupted when her boss asks her to team up with her rival to plan their office holiday party together.
Vicary said about the characters, “They learn that while the traditions and celebrations are different, the feelings of holiday and celebration and family and togetherness are the same.”