Israeli Scouts return to Kansas City Sunday

Get ready for some song and dance — the Israeli Scouts are coming back to town. The Israeli Scouts Friendship Caravan Te’ena will perform at the Jewish Community Campus Sunday afternoon, June 21. As the event takes place on Father’s Day, all fathers will be admitted for free. (See below for details.)

Kansas City isn’t the caravan’s only stop. The Israeli teens will be coming from New York and heading to Tennessee after they leave here.

Each year, a fresh group of Israeli teens splits into different caravans to tour North America. A challenging selection process yielded 40 teenagers to tour in four caravans this year. Teens must be able to sing, dance, speak English well and be willing to tour for three months. After their tour, most will begin their mandatory Israel Defense Force service.

“Their mission is to bring Israel closer to here. It’s part of a scout troop; they’re part of Israeli Scouts from when they’re young,” said Karen Gerson, director of informal education for CAJE at the Jewish Federation. “They’re very happy and lively kids, and they really come here because they want to share Israel with us.”

All 10 of the teens in the Te’ena caravan are Jewish. They travel with two adult chaperones.

“The Israeli Scouts is a youth movement that’s non-political and non-sectarian,” Gerson said. “They probably see more of North America than any of us Americans see.”

They will sing in Hebrew, English and Yiddish, and many of the tunes will be familiar to the local audience, Gerson said.

“They bring up kids onstage to dance with them and dance in the aisles,” said Gerson, who has helped bring the scouts here four times already.

Nir Gad, who recently finished his term here as the Israeli emissary of the Jewish Federation, also worked on planning the event. Gerson said Gad took the lead on planning this year’s program, and she hopes to involve the next emissary in future Israeli Scout programs.

Gerson said one the scouts stay with local families while they’re here.

Jennifer Levinson hosted a scout last year and is eager to do so again this year.

“I thought this would be a really good thing for my family to do … Why not bring a piece of Israel into our home?” Levinson said.

She and her two daughters, 5-year-old Kate and 7-year-old Molly, listen to the music CD produced by last year’s scouts at least once a day. They also keep in touch with the scout they hosted last year, even though she was with them for just two days.

“I had no idea what the impact was going to be,” Levinson said. “I want to encourage more families, especially with younger children, to volunteer to host because it’s such a great experience.”

Levinson said Kate and Molly have become much more interested in Israel since they met the scouts last year.

The scouts are also scheduled to perform at the First Baptist Church of Raytown, Mo., on Sunday, but details have not yet been finalized. Pastor Paul Brooks, who has worked closely with the Jewish community on interfaith programs such as The Gathering, is the spiritual leader of that church.

Gerson said more than 200 people attended last year’s Israeli Scout performance. The Jewish Federation, the Israeli emissary of the Federation and CAJE are sponsoring the event.

“It’s really a very energetic, feel-good afternoon. It’s a great way for families to come and spent time together,” Gerson said.

Israeli Scouts perform
The Israeli Scout caravan will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 21, at the Lewis and Shirley White Theatre at the Jewish Community Campus. Tickets are $3 at the door, but admission is free for fathers and for children younger that 2.

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