Once upon a time Gevura Davis was called Lauren and wanted to be editor of The New York Times. Today, when she thinks about her goals, she’s reminded of what one of her favorite rabbis said: “To be a Jew and live Judaism is to try to take care of as many people with your one precious life that you can, starting with yourself, your family and your community.”
“I had some character building Jewish experiences that led me in this direction,” said Davis, “starting with quitting my cheerleading squad because my evangelical coach wanted everyone to go to church together. Then I went to and worked at a Reform Jewish summer camp and later Camp Ramah.”
At Emory University, Davis enrolled in Deborah Lipstadt’s class around the same time Lipstadt was sued for libel by a Holocaust denier. “I had a moment in her class when I thought, wow, this is the world I was born into. What am I going to do about it?”
These experiences propelled Davis to Hebrew University in Jerusalem for what she thought would be a year. But, as she puts it, “I fell in love with the Zionist dream.” Davis went back to Emory for one semester, graduated a year early, made aliyah, became a fully observant Jew, and committed herself to making the world a better place.
Back in Israel, she attended a center for advanced women’s studies, met her husband, Rabbi Binyomin Davis, and had her first child, all by age 22. The couple moved to Kansas City in 2007 to serve the Kansas City Kollel, a group of scholars who study and teach Torah in classrooms, board rooms and one-on-one study.
Much in common
Davis recalls participating in Jewish Federation programs as something fun to do with her children and to meet new people. She was hesitant at first to attend Women’s Division B’not Kehillah leadership program because she didn’t know anyone else and had just had her third baby a few weeks earlier. She ended up enjoying it so much she went through the program a second time and, after joining the Young Women’s Council, came up with Yehudit, the group’s new name, which means “of the tribe of Judah” and recalls the heroine of the Chanukah story.
“We all share our struggles and joys in life and have so much in common,” she says. “I really love getting to know different women and people I would never come in contact with if not for the Federation.
“The bottom line is that the Federation helps several thousand people a year who are really in need. When I help strengthen the Federation, I feel like I’m helping to strengthen them. I also realize that if I want strong institutions to be here for my children, I need to roll up my sleeves.”
Kollel rebbetzin
As the wife of a Kollel rabbi, Davis’s volunteer roles blur a bit. For the Kollel, on average, she hosts 100 people a month in her home. She also spends many hours helping her husband make sure the Kollel programs are well marketed, well attended and well executed.
“One of the Kollel’s goals is to bring the community together through Jewish living and learning,” she said. “What I call ‘down-to-earth spirituality.’ ”
In February, Davis taught a class for Women’s Division’s Yad B’yad Series on the three “women’s mitzvot.” She also organized a sold-out challah baking program jointly sponsored by Yehudit, B’not Or Hadassah and the Kollel and makes herself available to provide a hands-on challah-baking class for groups of three women or more in their home or hers.
Her most recently commitment, and one she is “extremely excited about,” is helping a group of women go on a learning and leadership mission to Israel sponsored by the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project. Those interested in learning more about it can contact her at .
Davis’s primary commitment is to her four young children, but she’s also involved as a parent at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, serves on the board of Congregation BIAV, has a part-time job as administrator of Kehilath Israel Synagogue’s religious school, and is in the process of applying to go back to school for a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in nonprofit administration.
“People often say to me, ‘Aren’t you tired,’” she said. “I feel such a strong debt of gratitude for being born in this generation. So one of my philosophies of life is to use my energy to be happy doing as much good as I can.”
Gevura Davis
Born in Atlanta, 1981
Wheeler High School, Marietta, Ga., 1999
Emory University, B.A., Judaic Studies, 2002
Married to Rabbi Binyomin Davis, 2003
Lives in Overland Park
Children: Baruch Mordechai, 7; Ezriel, 5; Temima, 3; and Rochel Leah, 15 months
Recent Reading: CNN website, books on parenting and health
Favorite Movie: “Pay It Forward”
Favorite Jewish Food: Matzah balls
Trips to Israel: Lived In Jerusalem for six years
Synagogue Affiliation: Congregation BIAV
