Support Temple Israel

I read with interest your article on Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn in the Jewish Chronicle. (April 1, 2011)

My wife Karen and I were on a trip to Poland to discover my family roots. Rabbi Cukierkorn provide an unusual service in helping us track our family’s genealogy and helped working with Archive Researchers, who could read Cyrillic and tracked my roots to 1750 in Czestochowa, Poland (formerly Russia).

Spending days driving with Jacques, we were able to hear some of his “visions” for his dream of creating Temple Israel. Jacques’ knowledge of Judaism is encyclopedic and he has strong desire to spread the faith. We have supported his efforts to work with Latin American communities, who have countrymen and woman who desire to convert to Judaism.

I am a “free market” economist and I believe competition is good for the consumer as it gives one more choices. It also makes the competitors improve their product. Therefore I am supportive of Temple Israel coming to the Kansas City area. We are currently members of The Temple, Congregation Bnai Jehudah in Kansas and Bnai Vail in Colorado. We will consider joining Temple Israel, as well, when it is formed.

We are longtime subscribers to your publication and enjoy reading it when we are in town.

Michael E. Herman
Kansas City, Mo.

Some of the most humorous tales in Jewish literature are the stories attributed to “The wise men of Chelm.” Jewish folklore considers the Jewish residents of Chelm fools. There are a lot of popular stories about their “smart”conduct.

For example: One Jewish Chelm resident bought a fish on Friday in order to cook it for Shabbat. He put the live fish underneath his coat and the fish slapped his face with his tail. He went to the Chelm court to submit a charge and the court sentenced the fish to death by drowning. When community leaders behave in a foolish way they are often equated with “The wise men of Chelm.”

Another anecdote is told about the occasion when the Chelemites decided to build a new synagogue. So, some strong, able-bodied men were sent to a mountaintop to gather heavy stones for the foundation. The men put the stones on their shoulders and trudged down the mountain to the town below. When they arrived, the town constable yelled, “Foolish men! You should have rolled the stones down the mountain!” The men agreed this was an excellent idea. So they turned around, and with the stones still on their shoulders, trudged back up the mountain, and rolled the stones back down again.

Growing up I wasn’t sure if Chelm even existed or why it came to be considered a bastion of “Jewish wisdom.” Chełm actually exists — it’s a city in Eastern Poland, near the Ukrainian border. Historically Chelm has been a stronghold of Chasidism and Orthodox Jewish culture. The myth of the Golem apparently started in Chelm, where a famous kabbalist, Rabbi Elija Ben Yehuda, is said to have created a creature of clay into which he breathed life by reciting magical spells that made him obey his orders. Much later this story was transplanted to Prague and the creation of the Golem was attributed to Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the Maharal of Prague. Chelm was a great city of Jewish learning, with many synagogues, Jewish courts and rabbinical academies. So, why was it considered a place of fools? Why did it have such a weird reputation? Because of Zamosc!

Chelm is located north of Zamosc. There was much rivalry between the two cities. Zamosc was also a great center of Jewish scholarship and in the 19th century was a focus of the Haskalah, the Jewish enlightment. The Yiddish writer I.L. Peretz, one of the fathers of Jewish literature, was born and brought up there. And so was the socialist leader Rosa Luxemburg. Followers of the Haskalah considerd the Orthodox Jews and especially the Chasidim to be hicks, retrogrades and much less intelligent than themselves. Since Maskilim (followers of the Haskalah) wrote books and novels for popular culture, rather than purely religious books, they managed to create the anecdotes and spread them around, thus crystallizing the image of the “wise men of Chelm.” Many stories and books have been written mocking the inhabitants of Chelm, the most famous one probably being by Yiddish writer and Nobel prize winner for literature Isaac Bashevis Singer. It is called “The Fools of Chelm and Their History.”

So, it becomes clear that the “Wise men of Chelm” are nothing but the result of literary license and the rivalry between different groups of Jewish intellectuals in Poland long ago. Yet this rivalry has yielded fun and entertaining literature for us, even today.

Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn is the spiritual leader of Temple Israel, Kansas City’s newest congregation.

Finally, Saudi Arabia and Israel have common ground for establishing a temporary strategic alliance similar in history to the one that existed during World War II between the Soviet Union and the Unites States against the Nazi regime. Both countries mistrust President Obama as a reliable ally as well as fear a future nuclear Iran.

Despite the major differences in values, and a history of enmity, it seems only rational that Saudi Arabia should seek the unthinkable and cooperate with the Jewish state in order to preserve its survival and political independence. Otherwise, the Saudis and the other Persian Gulf states will be the first victims of a nuclear Iran, without a capable, strong and reliable ally to come to their aid.

British Defense Secretary Liam Fox told the House of Commons in January that Iran may be capable of developing nuclear weapons by the end of 2012. By then the majority of U.S. and Western military forces will begin leaving the Middle East, and Israel will be the only remaining military power capable and motivated to militarily solve the Iranian problem. But Israel needs strategic cooperation from Saudi Arabia to succeed, including the right to fly over Saudi territory and emergency logistical support. Most importantly, Israel needs Saudi Arabia to delay any international or Arab plan to pressure Israel for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

While the world will be dangerously distracted and waste months on the Palestinian issue, Iran will be off the world radar and much closer to its goal.

The Saudis should be aware by now of the following truths:

First, Israeli leadership is more loyal to an Arab ally than President Obama. While Israel stood by President Mubarak, it took Obama three days to call for Mubarak, a long term U.S. friend, to leave office and to threaten him with cuts in foreign aid. It seems that Obama only confronts and abandons allies but prefers not to meddle in the internal revolts of enemies like Syria and Iran.

Second, continuing a state of war or a campaign of hatred and anti-Semitism against the Jewish state does not any longer guarantee an Arab regime’s political survival as witnessed by the revolts in Syria ,Libya and Yemen.

Third, Iran is the main danger to Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states, not Israel, as the WikiLeaks cables revealed when King Abdulla of Saudi Arabia repeatedly implored Washington to “cut off the head of the snake (Iran) while there was still time.”

Fourth, Obama will never advocate a military solution against Iran as we saw during the last two years from his futile policy of engagement and economic sanctions. Only Israel has the will, the self-interest and the know how to stop the Iranian menace. Israel demolished the nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981 and a Syrian reactor in 2007. After the United States withdraws most of its armies from the Middle East, Obama’s ideology will negate the resending of U.S. troops to eliminate the Iranian threat.

Fifth, establishing a Palestinian state is not in the best interest of Saudi Arabia or Israel. As previously happened after Israel withdrew its military forces from Gaza in 2005, Hamas will be able to take over the new state by winning subsequent Palestinian elections, as it did in 2006, or by militarily defeating the PA, as it did in 2007. Such a state would become another Iranian base, threatening Israel but also destabilizing Jordan next door and circling the Saudis from the northwest.

Instead of considering initiatives to rally the Western Countries, including the United States against the International recognition of a Palestinian state, the Israeli prime minister should look into creating new alliances, even with traditional enemies. As the Arab proverb says, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

Shoula Romano Horing was born and raised in Israel. She is an attorney in Kansas City and a national speaker. Her blog: www.shoularomanohoring.com.

QUESTION: Why does the seder on both of the first two nights of Passover have to start at or after dark? Also why do we use four cups of wine as well as a cup of Elijah?

ANSWER: The Exodus from Egypt took place in the dark of night. The seder is a reliving of that experience that we have been doing for thousands of years. Jewish law mandates that the seder take place at night as the Exodus took place at night.

Furthermore, Jewish law for more than a thousand years has required that the four cups of wine be consumed at night. The very first cup of wine is the Kiddush which is recited as the very first ingredient in the seder ceremony; therefore, the Kiddush has to be also recited after dark for one to fulfill the mitzvah or commandment of the four cups of wine.

Obviously, there are exceptions to these rules — nursing home residents, ill individuals, people who have exceptional circumstances in their lives — all have leniencies extended to them by Jewish law.

I do find it rather ironic that individuals who can stay to the 13th or 14th inning of a ball game out at Kauffman Stadium until midnight or later find it inconvenient to stay up for a seder. This is a once or twice a year experience that should be performed according to the Jewish tradition that we have been observing for more than 3,000 years!

As far as children are concerned,  Jewish law over a thousand years ago was concerned about kids staying awake for the seder. So, instead of moving the seder to an early hour in violation of the tradition, the thought was to feed the kids a little early and then give them games to play so that they can really share the experience. Show me a child who does not want to stay up late at night anyway.

As far as the four cups of wine are concerned,  in Exodus, Chapter 6, G-d promises that He will take the Jews out of Egypt and redeem them and save them. In that narrative G-d uses four words to talk about the Exodus and His redemption of the Jewish people from Egypt. The rabbis then said that the four cups of wine represent those four terms of redemption that we find in our Bible.

There was some controversy about a fifth term which speaks about G-d then bringing the Jewish people into the land of Israel, their promised heritage. The final decision about whether to have five cups of wine or four was resolved as being four. But a fifth cup of wine, the cup of Elijah, would be utilized for that fifth term. Furthermore, since that fifth cup of wine represents being brought into the land of Israel and future redemption, Elijah is the perfect individual who heralds the coming of the Messiah and the final redemption as being the source of that fifth cup of wine.

When I read the article in The Forward (Blood and Boils and Beasts, Oh My! Telling the Story of the 10 Plagues, Without Scaring the Kids, published April 6, http://www.forward.com/articles/136789/#ixzz1JK7SOifV)

I thought I’d plotz: Now we’re supposed to be concerned about the 10 Plagues’ psychological effects on our delicate little tatelehs? I give you a few excerpts from this absurd piece:

“It leads me to wonder,” says Nussbaum. “Is it possible to engage with the Seder’s graphic illustrations of God’s might without leaving the kids emotionally or spiritually scarred?”

Oh, please. This is clearly an attempt to find a “fresh angle” to a festival about which — admit it — everything’s already been said.

“Some of the things [in the Haggadah] sound amazingly scary and awful,” said Miami-based psychotherapist and author M. Gary Neuman.

So now we’re consulting psychotherapists about the Haggadah’s effect on the kinder? Spare me.

Then we have psychologist Clark Goldstein helpfully advising parents to:

“…take their cues from their children, paying attention to the child’s age and disposition … If the child brings up concerns … address them. Try not to ask leading questions, like, ‘Does that section scare you?’ Let them lead with any concerns or questions they might have.”

Dear God. Was this quote lifted from some Parents’ Guide to Divorce or God Forbid, Death? Have we lost our minds? This is nothing less than a meshugah stop along the coddling continuum. Disturbing? We were shown “Night and Fog” at Hebrew School at age 9, and I don’t recall ever even considering approaching my parents about its, shall we say, disturbing aspects. And now we’re supposed to add “Possible Effect of 10 Plagues on Yankeleh’s Sensitive Psyche” to our list of 21st-century Parenting Concerns, underneath Exposure to Germs and Abduction by Sex Predator?

Later on, Neuman adds: “Seder’s focus ‘should be about the children, and connecting to them.’ ”

Says who? Actually, if I hear one more person say this, I’m going to throw myself into a vat of locusts. Let’s take a minute to realign our tires here: The Haggadah was compiled between 160 and 360 CE. Granted, the Mishnaic concept of “engaging children” is obviously light years from ours; and certainly no one wants to return to the days of Uncle Moishe or Zayde droning through the Haggadah so tediously that a vat of locusts would actually have been a relief from your boredom, but does that mean we have to go to the other extreme and turn seder into an episode of Sesame Street?

Cannot seder be lively and thought-provoking without having to dodge whizzing stuffed frogs and Styrofoam hail? In short, where is it written that engaging has to equal fun? Fun is what Purim is for. Fun is what birthdays are for. Not everything that occurs in the presence of children has to be fun.

The Haggadah tells of a solemn, dramatic event, and the telling thereof should be appropriately solemn and dramatic. One of the major themes is to “tell your sons [i.e., children] of the Exodus. I’d venture that the reason Seder is so central to Jews’ collective memory is precisely because of its solemnity and drama. Do we want our kids’ memories of Seder to be no more impactful than an afternoon at Discovery Zone?

Next, I looked up the product pictured with the article, Passover Ten Plagues Finger Puppets. Here’s my Amazon review thereof:

“...products like this are a turn-off for me. First of all, a basic ‘requirement’ for me to buy any Jewish-themed product is the inclusion of Hebrew. Where’s the Hebrew? So right away I’m not buying it. The other turn-off is that I’m loath to add anything to the seder that’s not already there, especially if it’s something cutesy. You can have a good time at seder and include the kids without turning it into a nursery school. This is pushing it too far in that direction for me.”

It’s not the commercial aspect to which I object; I’m certainly in favor of clever, enterprising innovation. But to purport to sell a Jewish product sans Hebrew? Veto from here: Hebrew is what held us together for more than 2 millennia in the Diaspora; I refuse to patronize any Jewish enterprise that omits it. Even if the recipient doesn’t know Hebrew — and I’m aware that most Jews don’t — the visual of the Hebrew words for the plagues does have its effect, however small, and does transform the product into something that if not holy, is special: It’s not just another toy in the kids’ collection.

To that end, I wrote to both companies to ask: Where’s the Hebrew? Perhaps if others followed suit, the manufacturers would be convinced to add it; certainly no one would be opposed to its addition, and who knows? It might even boost sales.

I’m not calling for a boycott, here; Lord knows there are more important products to boycott; I simply seek to call attention to the fact that Hebrew is not just another language: It’s our “brand,” without it, we become “generic.” And I’ll jump into a vat of locusts before I let 5,000 years of history go down the drain like so much chametz.

Yam Erez, formerly Miriam Reiz, is a Kansas City native now residing in Ketura, Israel.

A few weeks ago, Palestinian terrorists entered an Israeli family’s home and slaughtered most of them, including small children and a 3-month-old baby. That event shocked the state of Israel and was supposed to shock the entire world in its brutality, but TV networks around the world reported that attack in a shameful way. CNN talked about an “alleged terrorist attack,” and networks in Germany didn’t even bother to report the event at all. I was not surprised, knowing the media’s approach toward Israel; but it made me think about how terrorists organizations use the media in such a way that eventually causes incitement against Israel.

We are living in an era of free and fast Information. It is not always accurate but you can always find it. That tool is helping countries and organizations, but it also helps terrorist groups. They know that public opinion is very important in democracies. As I see it, there are three ways these groups use the media. One is directed at their own followers. The purpose is to gain legitimacy by sending the message that they are winning and getting good results. For example, the Hamas organization in Gaza teaches small children how to be Shahids (die a martyr death by killing Israelis) and spreads lies about Israel, including anti-Semitic messages. They want the people in Gaza to know that they need Hamas and that it’s the only organization that can save them.

The second way they use the media is against their victims. The goal is to spread fear so that the citizens of Israel will put pressure on the government to give up. Photos from Gaza of people celebrating after suicide attacks on Israel, or what Hamas is doing regarding Gilad Shalit, the kidnapped Israeli soldier are only two examples.

And finally, they use the media to rally world-wide condemnation of Israel. We see how Hamas presents the marine blockade on Gaza, which they claim is leaving the people of Gaza without food. But “forget” to mention that the people in Gaza get tons of food through Israel. They ignore the fact that more weapons and missiles have been shipped into Gaza from Iran, as we saw with the ship Victoria a few weeks ago. Palestinian organizations have succeeded in convincing the world that Israel is a ruthless country. All the Palestinians have to do is send a fabricated picture to a major newspaper of a child who died and say that it was done by the Israelis. By the time someone checks the authenticity of the picture, it has already became a symbol.

The tragedy is that Hamas is doing such a “good” job of manipulating the media that people rarely want to hear what the Israelis have to say or, are interested to learn about the good things that Israel is doing for the world.

We tend to forget the meaning of fighting terror, and how different it is from a “regular” war. In fighting terror, civilians play a crucial role, especially if the country that suffers that terror is a democratic country.

In order to avoid being influenced by the information that is given to the media, often from the terrorists’ perspective, we have to learn more about the issues and events. Information today is like fast food. We need it here and now to satisfy the need to always know what is going on. But like fast food, it is not always “made” from the best ingredients, or in our case, the truth! In order to make up our minds about current events, we need to work harder to make sure that information is based on fact. One suggestion is to read articles from the Israeli media, too, in order to understand both sides. Two good sources are Ynet or Haaretz online.

We see the successes of the Palestinian organizations, especially in a lot of American colleges and universities. There, many anti- Israel groups are using aggressive methods to explain their perspective. They organize rallies that demonstrate against speakers from Israel. Unfortunately many Jewish students find themselves dealing with that challenge in addition to others. We have to ask ourselves if our children are ready to handle these issues. Do they have the tools to cope with the situation?

In order to give teenagers (grades 10-12) the facts and strategies to respond to “Israel bashing,” the Jewish Federation, AIPAC, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, JCRB/AJC, KU Hillel and JSU will sponsor a workshop on from 7 to 9 p.m. April 7 at the Jewish Community Campus. Our goal is to prepare them for the reality of anti-Israel activities on some of our campuses. Together we can show them a different side than what they see in the media, so that they can make up their minds about the situation based on the facts.

For more information about this event, contact me at (913) 327-8124.

My Purim was extremely memorable. Perhaps not totally in a good way, but memorable nonetheless. I spent Purim in Poland, together with some friends, who were seeking their Polish Jewish heritage and visiting their ancestral shtetlach, as well as searching archives for family documents.

On the Eve of Purim, we were in Czestochowa. The tourist information office led us to a “Jewish cultural Association” that still existed in town. I immediately called and spoke to a nice lady that could not speak English. My polish was incipient, so I had the bizarre experience of holding a conversation in Yiddish over the phone with a fellow Polish Jew, while walking the streets of Czestochowa. It was weird to think that in the last 60 years very few conversations in the Yiddish language have happened there.

There are today only 30 elderly Jews left in Czestochowa, down from almost 30 thousand in 1939! It turns out that they were not meeting for Purim for two reasons: they were not religious, nor were they able to get a minyan. The lady was also sorry but she had no idea where I could get a hamantaschen in Czestochowa. That conversation left me very sad and reminded me of an article written by my co-author, Bill Tammeus, who said that the Jewish memories in Poland today are mostly of absence.

Still bent on getting a hamantaschen, we decided to try our luck the next day in Krakow, our next destination. Krakow is a Jewish Epcot Center of sorts for Europe. Europeans go to Kazimierz to observe and experience a Jewish past that doesn’t exist any longer. Whereas the Nazis murdered the overwhelming majority of the city Jews (there are fewer than 200 left), almost all the institutions were left intact. In Kazimierz there are seven synagogues left, as well as several other ancient institutions such as schools, mikvahs, cemeteries, etc. In order to fulfill the tourists’ needs for “authentic Jewish food,” there are also about 10 “Jewish” restaurants. In these restaurants non-Jewish Klezmorim play Klezmer music while non-Jewish waiters serve non-Jewish patrons Jewish food cooked by non-Jewish cooks. Judaism and Jewish culture are not a living and breathing, changing and adapting entity as we know it, but rather something static, frozen in time. Jewish Culture is a sort of folkloric entity meant to be appreciated and enjoyed apart from Jews, mostly because they are not there any longer.

While searching for my hamantaschen in Krakow, I visited every single restaurant and saw in their menus “exotic” food items such as Purim Chicken (some sort of chicken with many items that made the dish very colorful), and Purim tea (with some kind of alcoholic beverage mixed in — I guess to fulfill the mitzvah of getting drunk on Purim). Finally, after an exhaustive and frustrating search, we found one place called Klezmer Hois, that served hamantaschen year-round. It was frustrating for us that while we were so excited to finally find a place that served hamantaschen, the restaurant staff failed to understand what the big deal was. They serve them year-round and were not aware of the holiday of Purim, nor of the connection between hamantaschen and Purim. To end this sad saga of the hamantaschen quest, they were expensive, hard and just horrible tasting.

The next day after my return to Kansas City, I ran to the Hen House in hopes of getting at least one decent hamantaschen. Luckily, the friendly Mendel was there to direct me to the last three packages left. I bought all of them. It felt good to be back home, and they were delicious!

Israel faces formidable challenges

Last Wednesday, many members of our community heard a young Israeli talk about the on-going campaign to delegitimize the state of Israel, and what American Jews should do about it.

In a distinctly Queen’s English, Sgt. Benjamin Anthony (a member of the Israeli Defense Forces reserves) shared with the audience his experiences, which included being on the receiving end of anti-Semitic physical attacks in the United Kingdom, to making aliyah and defending Israel as a member of her armed forces.

Anthony’s message couldn’t be clearer; the state of Israel is facing a formidable challenge. Her enemies have expanded their destructive efforts to cyberspace, educational institutions and the minds of future decision makers, politicians and legislators.

He reminded those present at his lecture that since the establishment of the state of Israel the Jewish Diaspora does not suffer from the fear of pogroms, forced exile or religiously motivated imprisonment. However, this freedom is not guaranteed. Anthony recounted how European Jews are experiencing the scourge of anti-Semitism once again.

His formula to counteract the demonization of Israel in American campuses is simple. Anthony advised all of us to teach Jewish history to our youngsters, from kindergarten to 12th grade. He strongly suggested that we should promote the learning of our Jewish history in synagogues, temples, community centers and in our homes. By this he means not only the history of biblical times, but also modern history, all the way to current events. The purpose of this task is not only to learn the numerous lessons that we can apply to today’s challenges, but also to strengthen our backbone.

When visiting Jewish audiences, Anthony often hears, “You are preaching to the choir.” His response, “Perhaps, but the choir is not singing.”

Well said.

Eduard de Garay
Overland Park, Kan.

Confronting prejudice from within

I was truly saddened to read the letter entitled “Appalling support,” in the March 11 edition of The Chronicle, which condemned Beth Shalom as “a stain” for sponsoring Boy Scout Troop 61, and for celebrating Scout Shabbat in my synagogue.

It is sad that the writer did not ascertain the full set of facts before denigrating our institution and our children’s celebration of their Judaism within Scouting.

As recently as two weeks ago I reaffirmed directly, formally and in person to the new Scout executive for our region that “We oppose the policy against homosexuals. We consider it bigoted and wrong. The day that policy is enforced in this area or against our Troop will be the day we tear up our charter and reject our role as a chartering organization. We will continue to work to overturn that policy in the days and years ahead.”

In response, we have been repeatedly told by Boy Scouts that the local packs and troops operate according to their own local policies on this issue. Our policy is open to all adults and youth, regardless of sexual orientation, which I believe to be a creation of God.

What was the event that provoked this criticism? On “Scout Shabbat” we celebrated our boys who have earned their Religious Emblems in Judaism. Their emblems had everything to do with their Judaism, as observed in service to others. When the writer criticized that celebration, he demeaned a ceremony of Jewish pride among our youth.

Think about our loyalty to America: Despite institutional prejudice in many areas of American governance, I remain a proud American fighting for justice from within the system. I supported our troops before during and after “Don’t ask, don’t tell” and publicly opposed any prejudice in the armed forces. I do not reject America for this policy, but seek to improve it through my positive and determined participation. I feel the same about Boy Scouts.

Ultimately I believe that the values of the Scout oath and law — to do one’s best, to do one’s duty to God and country, to help other people at all times and to keep oneself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight will win out over all prejudice within the system. I plan on continuing to try to make that happen from within.

In a pluralist society, the real test is whether you can get along with peaceful people with whom you disagree. That is the essence of pluralism and democracy. As a rabbi and as a father, I have found Boy Scouts to be an excellent environment for that basic lesson.

Rabbi Robert Tobin

Congregation Beth Shalom

Rabbi Tobin is senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom and Institutional Head, Troop 61, Boy Scouts of America

“What is Tribefest?” the woman on the elevator asked me as she quizzically examined my conference name tag. “Ummm, it’s a young Jewish leadership conference” I replied uncertainly. “What’s that all about?” the man seated across the poker table from me asked upon glancing at my badge. “Well, you see, it’s a celebration of Jewish music, art and culture” I stammered. “Sounds like an excuse to go to throw a big party” the man laughed in reply.

The truth is that “Tribefest,” officially billed as “an entertaining, interactive and educational celebration for more than 1,500 Jewish young adults (ages 22-45) from across North America” over the course of three days in Las Vegas, was all of those things … and more. Designed to attract young Jews to the Federation, the conference was created with my generation’s multi-tasking, iPhone-addicted tendencies in mind. In other words, the idea was seemingly to throw as much programming at attendees as possible with the hope that something would connect.
Thus the opening event included speeches from perhaps the most eclectic group of Jews ever assembled, including: a beat-poet, a congresswoman, an Israeli counterterrorist and former child actress. This “opening ceremony” was immediately preceded by nine (nine!) simultaneous breakout sessions which one could choose to attend covering topics as diverse as: interfaith families, Israeli entrepreneurship, Jews in American politics and a film about unconventional Judaism titled “Punk Jews.” Just as the “Sin City” marketing campaign implies — it really was possible to create your own adventure.

And for someone with a short attention span such as myself — someone who has bounced from city to city (New Orleans to Chicago and back home to KC) and from career to career (from business and accounting to medical school) — I found this to be a good thing. Upon arrival I was most excited about hearing from author Ben Mezerich (author of the book upon which the Oscar-nominated film “The Social Network” was based) and NFL team owners Mark Wilf (Minnesota Vikings) and Jonathan Kraft (New England Patriots). Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, my attention quickly drifted elsewhere. I wandered into a session titled “Adapting to Israeli Culture: An Inside Look From the Heart of Tel Aviv” which inspired me to inquire about the Federation’s “National Young Leadership” trip to Israel this summer. I found myself chatting with young entrepreneurs as they excitedly discussed their attempts to launch companies to rival Groupon and JDate. And I found myself mesmerized by the talent of Israeli “hip-hop violinist” Miri Ben-Ari as she performed a short set at an evening entertainment event.

All of which was fun and interesting but I, along with many other attendees, was still confused about what the event’s unifying message was. At least I was before listening to the dynamic and poignant speech delivered by Alina Gerlovin Spaulding which recounted how contributions to the Federation enabled her family’s emigration from an oppressive Eastern European nation to the United States. Gerlovin Spaulding spoke movingly about how her father — a former USSR Olympic hopeful — was near-death after a career-ending injury until the Federation stepped in with financial assistance and preserved his life and a future for his family. It underscored the fact that yes, although we all traveled to Las Vegas partly (or mostly) to have a good time, we were also there to take part in something bigger and more important. We were there to, in some way — any way — make a connection with an organization that can literally save lives. Mission accomplished, Tribefest.

Greg Herman traveled with six other young adults from Kansas City to the Jewish Federation of North America’s Tribefest, which took place March 6-8 in Las Vegas.