SELICHOT — It was a busy weekend here in the Jewish community as more than 180 people along with our local clergy and members of the community choir attended Selichot services, sponsored by the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City Saturday night at Congregation Beth Torah. The service has been a community endeavor for many years and it continued in that tradition this year, with 10 rabbis and spiritual leaders conducting nine different study sessions prior to the worship service. The spirit of cooperation continued into the worship portion of the evening as more rabbis joined in leading the worship along with Cantor Sharon Kohn, Hazzan Rob Menes and Linda Sweenie, music director of Beth Torah.
GIVE TO UNITED WAY — The 2011 United Way of Greater Kansas City fundraising campaign is officially underway. Campaign leaders are asking those who can afford to do so to dig a little deeper this year to help those who are still struggling because of the sluggish economy. Campaign leaders announced Monday that the campaign is off to a great start. Sixteen companies who conducted early United Way employee campaigns this summer have raised nearly $6.7 million. Ron Howard, United Way’s PR director and a member of the Jewish community, reminded me that three agencies in the Jewish community are recipients of United Way funding:
• Jewish Community Center — $118,834
• Jewish Vocational Services — $120, 953
• Jewish Family Services — $183,111
The funds these three agencies receive come from allocations and designations from the fundraising campaign and United Way grant funding for community initiatives. This year United Way is also partnering with the Roasterie, which created a special "Live United" blend of coffee. The coffee is available for sale online at www.theroasterie.com/causes with 10 percent of the proceeds going to United Way. This year’s fundraising campaign is expected to conclude Nov. 18.
BABKA AT PANERA — Our friends at Panera have changed its menu to a more autumn theme to reflect the current season. Now, in addition to bagels there is another Jewish twist on the menu. Panera is introducing Chocolate Pecan Babka. Babka is the Polish name for grandma — and it’s also the name for the rich, buttery, yeasty bread that Eastern European immigrants brought to America in the 19th century. For Tom Gumpel, Panera Bread’s head baker and former associate dean at The Culinary Institute of America, the introduction of Panera’s babka is an opportunity to help spread the word about international breads — something he’s always been passionate about.
"Unless you’re from New York City or Chicago, or grew up in a Polish or Jewish family or neighborhood, most Americans might not know what a babka is," says Gumpel. "I’m excited to bring a personal favorite of mine into the homes of those who may not have otherwise experienced the intricacies of the babka." Panera Bread skilled bakers artfully create each babka with a brioche-type dough with a buttermilk flavor to craft sweet egg bread that is marbled with a chocolate-flavored filling and toasted pecans.
SHOFAR FACTORY — Rabbi Benzion Friedman has been helping people, mostly youngsters, make kosher shofarim for more than 20 years. Before the activity begins, he gives a short lesson about shofars. Here he shows what the horns would look like if they were still attached to the animal they came from.