News

Chabad on the Plaza was broken into and damaged last week on the third night of Hanukkah.

In the wake of the United States military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the mass evacuation of Afghans this summer, Jewish Vocational Service of Kansas City is helping more than 180 Afghan refugees resettle in the Kansas City area.

Since it was established last year, one of the main goals of Jewish Experiences, a collaboration between Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and The J, has been to reach members of the Jewish community who have been underrepresented or marginalized. That includes members of the LGTBQIA+ community.

KU Chabad hosted 17 holiday programs over the eight days of Hanukkah. The celebrations ranged from a community Hanukkah celebration in downtown Lawrence, Kan., to a Menorah lighting at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka.

For more than two decades, KU Hillel has celebrated its community with an annual Rock Chalk Shabbat. During the pandemic, it transformed its usual 500-person event into a virtual Rock Chalk Shabayit, where their community welcomed the event into their bayits (homes).

Jewish Family Services assists many people in our community thanks to the hard work and support of both its staff and board of directors. Recently, several dedicated volunteers were tapped to serve as board officers, along with six new members joining the JFS board of directors.

Wanted: great designs by area high school artists (9-12 grades) to capture the daily themes of SevenDays Make a Ripple, Change the World. It’s part of the annual SevenDays button art competition, with design submissions due by midnight on Dec. 17, 2021.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City is excited to announce that it will be sponsoring local Jewish teen athletes and artists to participate in the 2022 JCC Maccabi Games hosted by the JCC of San Diego, July 31-August 5, 2022. 

Village Shalom is once again open to resident families and visitors. In-person weekly Shabbat services are hosted every Friday evening at 4:00 pm in the Appleman Synagogue.

The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art is the virtual venue for the Dec. 9 Learn, Laugh and Love program presented by Jewish Family Services and The J.