As a teacher, I learned some lessons

Two years ago, on my second day as Israel Shaliach (emissary) at the Jewish Federation, I attended a Federation board meeting. I was impressed to find out about all of the different programs that connect Kansas City to Israel. I remember thinking, “Wow, they think of Israel much more than Israelis think about Jews in the U.S.”

After spending two years in Kansas City, working with synagogues, religious schools, and local agencies, I continue to be impressed with the strong connections to Israel. Looking back, I am amazed at how much I learned about Jewish life outside of Israel. You have a strong Jewish community, rich with cultural, spiritual and social events throughout the year.

Amidst all of this is a strong tie to Israel — this was made obvious to me in two ways: through the sheer numbers of community-wide programs we have in Kansas City and through personal conversations I’ve had with many of you in the community who are strong supporters of Israel.

Israel is a complex country. During my stay in Kansas City, we lived through many important events, including the operation in Gaza that occurred earlier this year, the more recent Israeli elections, and the negotiations toward the freedom of Gilad Shalit. But your interest didn’t end with current events. I learned that Israeli culture was equally important to you through your active participation in the educational events I brought to the community, including a pop culture class through Hebrew High, Hebrew conversation classes with young adults and Israel history classes for adults.

Among the many things I feel fortunate about is working with a variety of committed volunteers on programs such as Yom HaZikaron, Yom HaAtzmaut, and the monthly Israel Movie Club. These programs were successful thanks to the support of you, the community members. It was made very clear to me that the Kansas City community feels Israel is an important part of life as American Jews.

I continued to be impressed about how eager everyone seems to be about Israel during my travels outside of Kansas City. I was privileged to travel and speak with congregations outside of Kansas City, such as in Topeka and Manhattan, Kan., and St. Joseph, Mo. Traveling to smaller communities and giving them a chance to learn more about Israel really made me feel proud to be here as a shaliach.

I came as part of the Jewish Agency For Israel (JAFI) a partner of the Jewish Federation. When you support the Jewish Federation, you provide direct support for JAFI’s shaliach program in Kansas City and other communities around the world. I thank everyone at the Jewish Federation and in the Kansas City community for affording me this opportunity to live here, work here and get to know you all.

This fall, a new Israeli, full of new ideas and a lot of energy, will arrive to serve this community as the shaliach. As you did with me, I hope you welcome this new person with open arms and continue to forge the connections we’ve worked to create between Kansas City and Israel.

Goodbye party
To wish Nir farewell, the Jewish Federation invites you to a community-wide open house/dessert reception at the Jewish Community Campus Galleria (outside the Lewis & Shirley White Theatre) on Sunday, May 31, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Reservations are requested for this free event. To RSVP, go to www.jewishkansascity.org, or contact Amy Rosenfeld, at (913) 327-8145 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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