Yevgeniy Shenker was 3 years old when he came to Kansas City with his parents from Russia in December 1990. Twenty years later, as a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, he was severely injured serving his country in Afghanistan.

On Jan. 24, 2011, Shenker lost his left leg in an accident involving an IED. His mother, Larisa Shenker, said she doesn’t think they will ever know for sure exactly the details of the accident. His right leg, right arm and back were also severely injured.
Larisa said this isn’t the first time Geniy, as he is known by friends and family, has faced adversity.

“When he was younger he spent six months in jail and was kicked out of school. But he eventually graduated with a 4.0. I’m proud of what he’s done for the country and himself,” Larisa said.

Geniy joined the Marines following his graduation from Blue Valley High School in 2007. Larisa said the Marines has been good for Geniy, and she expects he will re-enlist for another four years soon.

Geniy’s recovery

To date Geniy, who turned 24 in November, has had more than 20 surgeries. The past three — in June, July and November — all were unexpected. Each time his mother has been there to help him and give him moral support.

“He can drive now because he can use his right leg,” Larisa reported.

Geniy faces another surgery this month. After he recovers from that, he will begin therapy to learn how to walk with a prosthetic left leg.

While not in the type of physical pain her son has had to endure, this past year has been painful for Larisa as well. After Geniy was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., the Marines flew Larisa and ex-husband, Geniy’s father Arkadiy Shenker, to be by their son’s side. Two months later, Geniy was transferred to Navy Medical Center in San Diego, commonly known as Balboa Hospital. He’s been in an out of that hospital since then. Larisa has been with Geniy through every surgery and recuperation period.

“I am so proud of him. His spirits are great,” said Larisa, who became a U.S. citizen in 1995. Geniy obtained his citizenship just before he joined the Marines.

Larisa expects Geniy will be in San Diego at least another six to seven months. When he’s not in the hospital recovering from surgery, he lives in an apartment off the base, with his mother. They go back and forth to the hospital regularly for medical and therapy appointments.

Economic woes

Now Larisa faces challenges herself. An assistant manager at Taco Bueno in Olathe, she took a leave of absence through the government’s Family Medical Leave Act following Geniy’s injury.

“The Marine Corps has paid for most of my trips back and forth over the past 11 months. I’ve been home maybe three or four weeks total during that time to help take care of my mother, Flora Kruglyak,” Larisa said.

She will run out of leave time at the end of January. Without a regular salary, she fears she will soon lose her home.

“I am proud of what my son has accomplished and I want him to have his home to come home to whenever he decides to come home,” she said.

Larisa readily admits she is having difficulty making ends meet. That worries her.

“I just want him to have his home here,” she repeated.

Starting kindergarten is certainly one of the milestones in any child’s young life. It’s a milestone for parents as well, and one that often scares them. In an effort to make this transition a smooth one for both parents and children, a panel discussion will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, at the Jewish Community Campus in the Heritage Center. The event is free and childcare is available. To learn about childcare, visit jcckc.org/youth-programs/childcare/.

The event is co-sponsored by the KC Jewish Preschool Director’s Council, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and The PJ Library. The panel features pediatrician Michael Blum, D.O., HBHA kindergarten teacher Nicole Hollingsworth and Betsy Low, LSCSW, child and family therapist at Jewish Family Services.

Maxine Benson, director of Child Development Center programs for the Jewish Community Center, said the CDC started the program about six years ago as an informational gathering for Pre-K parents because “they would tell us how hard it was to leave the CDC.”

“Here we are like one big family and parents are involved with teachers,” Benson said. “Parents are worried about that transition to kindergarten where they are not so welcome into the classroom and the school will not be as interested in their opinions or input.”

Because that transition can be as difficult for the parent as it is for the child, Benson said CDC administrators thought an information session could address both aspects of transitioning to kindergarten.

“We wanted to make this as seamless for the parents as we made it for the children. We do a pretty good job about getting kids revved up about leaving preschool,” she said.

“Sometimes children still have difficulty adjusting because they are meeting lots of new children and new teachers. Sometimes it’s very, very different, but it was actually more difficult for some of the parents to make that transition,” Benson said.

“The program initially started not so much to ease the way for the children as it was to ease the way for the families. Children can pick up on all that anxiety … and they can start to think maybe this isn’t the great thing I thought it was,” she continued.

Benson thought the program was a good one, but described attendance as only so-so. But when she talked about it with other preschool directors, they thought it was a great idea.

“Judy Jacks Berman suggested it would be good to expand the program into a community program,” Benson said.

Now in its third year as a community program, the preschool directors, along with HBHA’s Tamara Lawson Schuster and Karen Gerson of The PJ Library, have crafted the program to include a social worker, a pediatrician and a kindergarten teacher.

“I tell parents you are getting a million-dollar panel for free,” Benson explained. “We are able to give you a panel of knowledgeable experts from our community who present fabulous information, for free.”

For the past few years, HBHA’s Nicole Hollingsworth has presented the kindergarten teacher’s view.

“I encourage all Pre-K parents to attend this event as a plethora of information is shared to help them prepare their kiddo for kindergarten. This event also gives tips for the family as the transition to kindergarten can be a big change for all. A smooth kindergarten transition is key to a successful start to a child’s formal education,” Hollingsworth pointed out.

Benson said Dr. Blum gives an overview of where children should be physically when they enter kindergarten, as well as how to work out the kindergarten physical exam so that insurance will pay for it.

“He also talks about readiness from his standpoint and always addresses the question from a pediatrician’s point of view when to send the child ahead or make the decision to hold back,” Benson said.

The third piece of the programs comes from JFS’ Low. She will address “the common sense ways to get your child ready to make the move to kindergarten as well as ways parents can keep their anxiety level down,” Benson said.

“She provides wonderful tidbits of information that will make that first day a breeze and help a child get over the hump,” Benson said.

Benson said she always hears nice comments from parents who attend the program. It’s also a great way for the various preschools from different religious denominations to do something together.

“We can cull from the community the best of the best this way,” Benson said. “It shows the community working a collaborative effort as it should. We’re not there to sell our programs. We want to make this easy for the parents. It’s just a really nice program.”

In addition to Benson, Berman, Schuster and Gerson, the planning committee includes Stacey Belzer and Susan Goldberg, B’nai Jehudah Preschool; and Devory Wineberg, Gan Chabad.

Reservations are requested for the program, however walk-ins are also welcome. To RSVP or for more information, contact one of the sponsoring organizations.

One thing is certain about Mandy Patinkin — his Jewishness is part of every role he portrays.

“It’s who I am,” said Patinkin in a telephone interview from New York, where he is currently performing on Broadway with longtime friend Patti LuPone. The powerful performing twosome will bring their show, “An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin,” to Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts through Theatre League (Jan. 17-22) just days after closing the show on Broadway. (For ticket information call 816-994-7222 or visit www.theaterleague.com.)

“My Jewishness and humanness are intertwined,” Patinkin continued. “It’s rachmones and compassion for others. It defines my character. If Jewishness, you take away from who I am.”

Now 59, Patinkin got his theatrical start through the Jewish Community Center near his childhood home in Chicago. At the suggestion of his mother, the teenage Patinkin became involved with the Young Men’s Jewish Council.

“I wasn’t interested in school, and I got involved in a play and I found myself,” Patinkin said. “It was about telling someone’s story. ... It saved my life.”

After attending Kenwood High School, Patinkin landed in our own backyard at the University of Kansas. During his two years at KU, Patinkin appeared in “Man of La Mancha,” “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” and as Tevye the milkman in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”

“This is where I started,” Patinkin told AP. “This is the last place my father saw me perform.”

While at KU, Patinkin was chosen as Teen Angel in nationwide 7-Up commercial; he left Lawrence and relocated to New York to attend Julliard School of Drama. After Julliard, Patinkin performed with the Baltimore Center Theatre Group as well as in BBC Radio productions.

Patinkin has been back to KU on a few occasions, but won’t get the chance this time.

“I wish I had free time to visit my alma mater,” he said.

Patinkin has had a diverse career spanning the Broadway stage as well as film, television and recording. He won a Tony Award for the role of Che in the musical “Evita,” where he and LuPone first connected. Patinkin went on to tread the boards in such other shows as “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Falsettos” and “The Secret Garden.” His film roles have included “The Princess Bride,” in which Patinkin made the phrase, “prepare to die” famous, “Yentl” and “Ragtime.” The small screen of television took Patinkin’s signature voice and face to the masses through such roles as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger in the hospital drama “Chicago Hope,” for which he won an Emmy. Patinkin portrayed Special Agent Jason Gideon in the ensemble cast of the TV series “Criminal Minds.” Currently, Patinkin is in production of the Showtime series “Homeland,” playing Dr. Saul Berenson, a member of the CIA who is — of all things — the Middle East Division Chief emeritus.

Patinkin said all the characters he has played have been Jewish in one sense or another. He’s found all the roles he’s played — whether on stage or screen — to be compelling, however Patinkin is particularly enjoying this turn in “Homeland.”

Patinkin is excited about bringing this current show to Kansas City audiences in eight performances. It’s a show he and LuPone have been doing off and one for the past nine years.

“It’s a figurative journey of two souls both spoken and unsung,” Patinkin explained. “It’s a concert format but it’s not the usual fair. It’s designed to be very entertaining. There are some familiar big show tunes and some that aren’t so familiar. Most importantly, it’s with my dear friend Patti LuPone. We love each other dearly and it’s a celebration of our lives.”

Theatre League Executive Director Mark Edelman has been promoting shows for 35 years, during which time he estimates he has used the words direct from Broadway at least 10,000 times. This particular show may represent the most direct path a show coming from Broadway to Kansas City has ever taken.

“I don’t’ think I’ve ever presented a show as direct from Broadway as ‘An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin,’ because that show is closing on Broadway on Jan. 13 and opening at the Kauffman on Jan. 17, four days later. It’s pretty tight,” Edelman said.

How does Patinkin keep a show that was conceived nine years ago fresh for audiences who have never seen it?

“We keep changing it, too,” Patinkin said. “When you pick the right material you keep it fresh.”

And there are stretches of time when the pair doesn’t perform together.

“I long for it when I’ve been away from it like a vitamin” he said.

Patinkin has a life beyond the footlights. Happily married to actress/writer Kathryn Grody, Patinkin enjoys his family time which includes sons Isaac, 29, and Gideon, 25.

“My older son is getting married,” said Patinkin, pride welling up in his voice. “It’s on his time clock. I hope it’s before I die,” he said with a laugh.

Gideon, a singer and songwriter, has his first CD coming out.

“Every now and then my youngest son performers with me and I love it, but he’ll be in New Zealand rolling out his CD,” Patinkin said.

Patinkin will continue doing concerts through the end of March, take personal time in April and in May, it’s back to filming the Showtime series, which takes place in the post 9-11 world of terrorism. He likes the role of Berenson, a mentor/father figure to the lead character CIA Agent Carrie Mathison, played by Claire Danes. Patinkin describes the series as a psychological thriller.

“It has some very serious questions about who are the terrorists,” Patinkin said. “It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life … These writers thrill me. It’s extraordinary and I’m a very extraordinarily lucky man to be part of it.”

Lisa Payne doesn’t see herself as an extreme couponer. But she does believe she knows quite a bit about being thrifty, and she’s sharing her expertise with anyone who wants to listen one Sunday morning a month at Congregation Beth Torah.

On top of that, she will present “How to Stretch a Dollar,” at 11 a.m. two consecutive Sundays, Jan. 22 and Jan. 29. A columnist and author of “Once Upon A Garage Sale…,” Payne will discuss ways to spend less money and boost your household’s bottom line. Topics will include garage sales and “extreme couponing.”

Payne came up with this idea to share her couponing expertise, and help others at the same time, as she thought about Schmooze & News, a gathering held every Sunday religious school is in session at Beth Torah. After family services, adults schmooze and catch up with friends, often while reading various Sunday newspapers.

“I was hoping and am working toward this being a ‘mitzvah’ time, a time when people can do a good deed with the ads in the Sunday paper,” Payne said.

How can people do this? Payne gives several examples.

“They can leave the coupons that they do not want for their own use for the use of others in the community,” she explained.

“We can strategically buy things with these coupons, especially when using the coupon will make the item free or 50 percent or more off its usual cost.”

Another way people can do a mitzvah is to leave recently expired coupons — just a month or two out-of-date — at Beth Torah.

“Those will be given to military families through www.operationexpiration.net or other agencies,” Payne said. “The overseas commissaries will allow the use of expired coupons as long as they are between 60 and 90 days old.”

There’s a box in the ulam (foyer) for the donations. It’s helpful if the coupons are already cut and divided into two categories: food and non-food. Payne will cut and separate the coupons if necessary. Then she will package them and send them off to help military families.

Payne, who has only been doing this since October, uses her own money to mail the coupons once a month. But anyone can do it.

She said she has taken on the cause because she figures most people won’t actually send them off themselves. But they may take the time to drop them off if they are going to the synagogue.

“I often send about 300 at one time,” she explained.

But she hopes this cause gains momentum.

“I am not intending this to be a one-man show. I really want to make this a community effort,” she said.

She says she personally uses coupons, along with purchasing and conducting garage sales, because she believes “if you don’t spend money on some things, then you will have money for other things.”

Payne may be more interested in the current coupons than the expired ones. Besides sending these along to the military, they can be used to purchase items right now that are needed by such organizations as Harvesters or battered women’s shelters. She is able to use the expertise she has gleaned to get the good deals like you see on TV shows to help these organizations. Then she donates those items to charitable organizations.

“I think it’s important to buy things for those who don’t have the time, money or resources to do it themselves,” Payne said.

Payne decided to share what she knows with others because of what she had learned attending CCO meetings at Beth Torah. CCO is the acronym for Communities Creating Opportunities, a grassroots community organizing effort to bring together the congregation and make systemic change in what matters most to our congregants. Through these meetings Payne had learned that many people are struggling financially due to the bad economy.

“I thought this was a good opportunity to explain couponing and being thrifty,” she said.

“It’s important when people are having trouble making ends meet that they feel in control. Couponing is a good way to help control expenses,” she continued.

Kelly Somberg, a member of the congregation’s social action and CCO committees, came by to help Payne cut coupons one Sunday morning in December.

“CCO is just a very small part of this,” Somberg said. “But this is a good way to be supportive of others in these hard economic times.”

Payne’s couponing has certainly helped her budget.

“I’ve learned how I can purchase many things for free. By studying the Walgreen’s and CVS advertising circulars, I was able to get two pages of items for free,” she explained.

“I am not an extreme couponer, but it is fun when the cashier says the total will be one penny,” she continued.
She urges people to be knowledgeable before they shop.

“WalMart always matches prices. And there is really only one place in this city that double’s coupons, and that’s Hen House. But you really need to know your prices at the stores to see if the coupon is worth it,” Payne said.

Payne isn’t sure how much time she spends couponing every week. She estimates she spends one to two hours organizing her coupons and another one to two hours shopping. But she points out once again this project is not just about her.

“I’m hoping this develops into something bigger than me. I am hoping for a community of like-minded people to get together and shop and share tips,” she said.

Finally, through her two classes in January Payne said she can help individuals learn how to save money themselves through couponing.

“Saving money is always a smart choice and allows people flexibility and control over how they spend money,” she said.

The Jewish Community Center has announced it plans to add classrooms to its Child Development Center.

The JCC will take over the space in the lobby of the Jewish Community Campus that was formerly used as a library by the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. HBHA gave up that space when it redesigned the area it occupies prior to the beginning of the current school year.

Schreiber said in March the JCC will initiate a construction project to build three new classrooms. The project will include a brand new Pre-K suite as well as enhancements to the existing CDC space.

“This is a rare opportunity for an additional 50 children, ages 2 to 4, to get a coveted spot in our top-rated early childhood program, which has been sold out with a waiting list for over 20 years,” said JCC Executive Director Jacob Schreiber.

Schreiber said the project will be complete by August, before the 2012-13 school year begins. The CDC is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and has earned five stars in the Quality Rating System. It serves children ages 12 months and walking through Pre-Kindergarten in both full-time and part-time classes.

CDC’s enrollment currently stands at 176 students, which Schreiber said is capacity. He expects the additional classrooms will increase enrollment to 226 students, filling three 2-year-old classrooms, three 3-year-old classrooms and four Pre-K classes.

Letters have already been sent to those on the CDC waiting list regarding the school’s expansion.

“We expect to fill quite a bit of our new spots from our waiting list,” Schreiber said.

He suggests anyone wanting to save a spot for next year or learn more about CDC enrollment in general contact Maxine Benson at 913-327-8051 or .

Schreiber said the JCC is currently raising funds to help pay for this expansion.

JOKE OF THE WEEK — Our joke of the week come’s directly from the Torah Learning Center’s weekly email blast:
Little Michael and his family were having dinner at his Bubbe’s house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Michael received his plate, he started eating right away.
“Michael! Please wait until we say our blessing,” said his mother.
“I don’t have to,” The boy replied.
“Of course, you do,” his mother insisted. “We always say a prayer before eating at our house.”
“That’s our house,” Michael explained. “But this is Grandma’s house and she knows how to cook!”

COVER GIRL — Congregation Beth Torah member Shelby George, a senior at Blue Valley North High School, was recently featured on the cover of The Cheer Leader Magazine. In that same issue she was featured as a “rising star” and was also a nominee for Cheerleader of the Year. Shelby is a BVN Cheer Captain this year and in the magazine’s profile she said she loves “the feeling of being out in front of the lights competing with all of my teammates and sharing together what we’ve worked so hard for.” Shelby is the daughter of Vicki George and Bill George. Mom Vicki reports that, alas, she was not voted Cheerleader of the Year.

SEARCHING FOR COUSINS — Jack Heller, a resident of Tampa, Fla., and a retired professor of music, is searching for relatives he believes may be in Kansas City. Many years ago he had an uncle who lived in Kansas City who had two daughters. Heller’s uncle’s name was Sollie (Hirsch) Pohl (changed to Paul). Sollie died of a fatal heart attack in 1960. Heller remembers Sollie’s daughters’ names as Merrie Lee Paul and Deborah Ann Paul. If you know anything about these ladies, Heller would love to hear from you. He would be especially thrilled to have a conversation with Merrie Lee and/or Deborah Ann. Heller can be reached at 813-975-5711 and .

UNICORN FUNDRAISER — The Unicorn Theatre (which has been led by Producing Artistic Director Cynthia Levin since 1980) and radio station 90.1 KKFI will hold a “Blues on the Block” fundraiser at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, at the theater on the Jerome Stage. The fundraiser will feature music from Shannon and the Rhythm King Band, Crosseyed Cat and Rich Berry. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show and there will be free BBQ and a cash bar. To purchase tickets, call Unicorn Theatre at 816-531-PLAY (7529), ext. 10, online at www.UnicornTheatre.org or in person at the box office located at 3828 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64111.

“Kosher Jesus” by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, Gefen Publishing House, $26 hardcover, January 2012.

Jerusalem — Shmuley Boteach is not only a very fast-speaking rabbi, but he is very charismatic, knowledgeable and engaging and one of the world’s leading relationship experts. His 26 books (including the best-seller, “Kosher Sex”) have been translated into 20 languages.

MediaCentral, the Jerusalem resource agency for foreign journalists, recently invited the rabbi to speak about his newest book, his first published in Israel. Rabbi Boteach was in Israel on a private visit.

The rabbi declared that this book is “the true story of Jesus the Jew.”

“Christianity is perceived as an enemy of the Jewish people, personalized in Jesus, who became a diety,” he declared. “I wrote the book to create the theological bridge between Christians and Jews.”

He said some Jews even feel it is inappropriate to mention the name of Jesus in a synagogue. “Most Jews are deeply suspicious of the relationship with Christians.”

On the other hand, he asked if Christians know the Jewish Jesus. Christians have to discover the Jewish Jesus who was teaching Jewish values.

The rabbi explained that Jesus was a man who felt the rabbis of his time were hypocrites and Judaism was corrupt. He asked, why then did the rabbis want Jesus dead? Because he allowed people to pick wheat on the Sabbath, they did not know he was a Torah-observant Jew all his life, he predicted the destruction of the Temple, he claimed to be the messiah and he claimed to be divine, calling himself the son of man and referring to G-d, as my father.

“There was nothing blasphemous so who wanted him dead? The Romans wanted Jesus dead.” The rabbi also questioned why the Romans were not mentioned in the New Testament and why is Pilate white washed. “They were the brutal occupiers, mass murderers.”

Rabbi Boteach admitted “Christians will not accept everything I wrote in this book but everything he (Jesus) taught came straight from Jewish sources.” For example, he pointed out sources of Jesus’s “Sermon on the Mount,” from Psalms 35 and 24, and Lamentations 3.

“Christianity is an extension of Judaism. Jews can accept him as a teacher and martyr,” he said.

“This is why Jews are easy prey for missionaries — if you don’t know what Jesus said about Jews in the New Testament.”

“I expect there will be a lot of resistance to this book,” said the rabbi, “but the research was very compelling…. Christians don’t have to reject the divinity of Jesus. We can look at Jesus in different ways. This is my rendition of the Jewish Jesus.”
Summarizing the book, he said, “This is a serious and honest look at the Jewish Jesus by a well-known rabbi which leads to an honest conversation.”

At times during his presentation he digressed from the topic of his book. For example, he mentioned Mel Gibson, whom he characterized not as an anti-Semite but as the “Jew hater” and his “blood libel film,” “The Passion of the Christ.”

But he did praise evangelicals for their stalwart support of Israel. He noted that over the past 30 years there has been a change no one could have predicted — that being a new political alliance between the Jewish community and the Christian evangelicals. “The Jews are not sufficiently appreciative of the Christian evangelicals,” he said.

When Jewish professionals gather in discussion of The PJ Library, a program that provides free, high-quality Jewish children’s literature and music to families across the continent on a monthly basis, the Kansas City version of The PJ Library is almost always mentioned as a model.

The PJ Library is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and is made possible through partnerships with philanthropists and local Jewish organizations. In Kansas City it is supported by the Jewish Federation. All families raising Jewish children in the Kansas City area from 6 months of age through age 8 are welcome to enroll. The program is offered free of charge.

Karen Gerson, director of informal education for CAJE, the educational arm of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City, said one of the main reasons the program is so successful here and talked about nationwide is because it is very collaborative. That collaboration has helped ensure high enrollment.

“We have almost 70 percent of our 6-month through age 8 group of kids enrolled in the program. Depending on the day we have around 650 enrollees and we have about 1,000 children that fall within this age group. It’s really unheard of to have this big of a number engaged and involved in this program,” Gerson said.

Here in Kansas City The PJ Library is popular not only with families with young children, but with their grandparents and aunts and uncles as well. As it begins its fifth year here in March, it has also developed a very devoted committee of volunteers who are ambassadors representing the area’s congregations as well as the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and the Jewish Community Center’s Child Development Center.

Twice a year those ambassadors will check the list of members in that age group with the list of PJ Library enrollees. Anyone not on The PJ Library list will be contacted in some way by the ambassador. That could mean anything from a personal phone call from the ambassador, a message of some type from a professional in the organization or simply a flyer about enrolling in the program.

“We really work hard to make sure that all those that are engaged and involved in synagogue or preschool life here in Kansas City are given the opportunity to take part in PJ Library. Other cities don’t have a system in place where professionals work together as closely as we do here. Our system works well here because we all see that a community program like this is a win-win not only for the community but for the individual institutions as well,” Gerson said.

There’s even a member of the committee who is what Gerson calls “under engaged,” meaning a person who is not a member of a congregation. That person serves as PJ Library’s liaison with those who do not have children enrolled in a Jewish preschool or are members of a synagogue.

“In the past we have never publicized the program in the secular world. We have recently brainstormed some things that we can do there, also. So that person’s role is also to work to get the word out about PJ Library in the secular world,” Gerson said.
In addition to the monthly books and CDs that are mailed from the national headquarters, Kansas City’s PJ Library sponsors several programs throughout the year. Last year those programs took on a collaborative spin as well and the plan is to continue that direction in 2012. For instance this Sunday’s concert featuring Sheldon Low is being co-sponsored by all the Jewish preschools.(See below for more information.)

“That helps us in a number of ways. First of all, preschool teachers and the preschool professionals will be there. Parents and children always like to see a familiar face at events. They also really help promote it and they want their families to be there and it makes it more community minded when we have the backing and support from the congregations and institutions,” Gerson said.

This year PJ Library will continue its partnership with HBHA’s My First Book Club.

“It’s monthly on Wednesday afternoons for 3- to 5-year-olds to help promote the Academy and see what life is like as a kindergartner there. PJ Library books, PJ Library activities and a snack are provided there as well,” Gerson said.

The newest program this year is being coordinated with The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.

“In January we’re starting PJ in the Ark. B’nai Jehudah has a beautiful ark in the library where the program will take place. There will be three opportunities on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. where any 2-year-old to pre-K child, whether they are B’nai Jehudah members or not, is welcome to attend a story time and art activity and snack, all using PJ Library books,” she explained.

Another popular PJ Library program takes place in February for grandparents or grandfriends and children ages 2 to pre-K. It’s planned by a committee comprised of grandmothers and their daughters.

“It’s an opportunity for grandparents to have special time with their grandchildren and for the parents to have a couple of hours on their own,” Gerson said.

This program will be held at Kehilath Israel Synagogue. For the past four years most, but not all, of the programs were held at the Jewish Community Campus.

“We’re trying to get out there and showcase the community to families with young children,” Gerson said.

Sheldon Low performs PJ Library concert Sunday,  Jan. 8

Sheldon Low will perform a concert aimed at children ages infant to age 8 and their families on Sunday, Jan. 8, in the Social Hall at the Jewish Community Campus. Doors open at 3:45 p.m., the concert begins at 4 p.m. and is expected to last an hour. It is free and open to the community. Second grade students from the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy will join him for a few songs.

Low is considered the newest face in Jewish music performing rock concerts, Shabbat Services and leading artist-in-residency weekends in Jewish communities throughout the United States. During the past three summers he has performed at a variety of Jewish summer camps throughout the country and frequently appears on stage with Jewish rock musician Rick Recht. He has released two albums, “On One Foot” and “It’s All Challah to Me.”

While his professional bio says he was born and raised in St. Louis, Low did live in Kansas City for a while and actually attended the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy for a couple of years when he was very young.

“It’s really nice to be able to bring back a professional entertainer who has roots here,” said Karen Gerson, director of informal education for CAJE, the educational arm of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.

Gerson said Low’s style is very similar to Recht’s, who is a popular entertainer who played to a large PJ Library crowd last January.

“We’re really excited that we are able to provide two family-friendly concerts in a row that are intergenerational. We’re noticing that grandparents and aunts and uncles are attending these big events and everyone is welcome,” Gerson said.

For the first time ever, Congregation Beth Torah will play host to an American Library Association touring exhibit. “A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs,” will be on display for six weeks from Wednesday, Jan. 11, through Thursday, Feb. 23, in the congregation’s foyer. The exhibit highlights the lives and works of Jewish American popular music composers from 1910-1965. It is free and open to the public.

To launch the exhibit, the community is invited to Beth Torah for a concert, “What Makes it Jewish: A Musical Revue,” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14. This evening of song will celebrate the work of the composers highlighted in the exhibit. The concert will feature Beth Torah Music Director Linda Matorin Sweenie, the Beth Torah choirs, ensembles and soloists performing American classics from Gershwin, Berlin, Bernstein, Rodgers & Hammerstein and many more. There is no charge for the concert.

Sweenie said Beth Torah learned about the exhibit about a year and a half ago. The Reform congregation discovered that organizations were being given the opportunity to host the traveling exhibit, which is underwritten by grants from numerous sources including the Charles H. Revson Foundation, The Righteous Persons Foundation and The David Berg Foundation.

“The Beth Torah Adult Education Committee approached me about working with them to submit a proposal, and we were one of 55 organizations nationwide chosen to host it. Most of these 55 locations are either libraries, universities or Jewish community centers. Beth Torah was the only synagogue that was selected as a host venue,” Sweenie said.

Along with hosting the exhibit and the concert, Beth Torah will offer three adult education sessions associated with the exhibit. Sweenie will lead these sessions.

The first will be a walk-through of the exhibit the day after the kick-off concert, on Sunday, Jan. 15. The second is Wednesday evening, Jan. 25, and will be about how traditional Jewish melodies influenced the composers’ music. She said the last session on Wednesday evening, Feb. 15, will cover how Jewish ethical teachings were infused into the lyrics of the songs.

Sweenie said the exhibit itself will showcase both photos and information.

“It will feature information about composers like Rodgers and Hammerstein, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern. It will include information about their backgrounds and how their Jewish heritage informed their music and changed the face of popular music in America,” Sweenie said.

Sweenie is very excited about the Jan. 14 concert.

“It will feature great music from the composers featured in the exhibit, performed by the Beth Torah choirs, instrumental ensemble and soloists. We’ll also include some fun surprises,” she said.

A Fine Romance

The American Library Association’s traveling exhibit, “A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs,” will be on display at Congregation Beth Torah from Wednesday, Jan. 11, through Thursday, Feb. 23. The exhibit will be open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will be closed Tuesdays and Saturdays.

A concert to kick off the exhibit, “What Makes it Jewish: A Musical Revue,” will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday evening, Jan. 14, in Beth Torah’s sanctuary.

Beth Torah Music Director Linda Matorin Sweenie will lead “The Insider’s Tour,” at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 15. She will treat visitors to inside information and little known facts about the composers and music highlighted in the exhibit.

“Jewish Musical Influences on American Popular Music,” scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, will answer the question: What makes that music sound Jewish? Sweenie will explain how melodies and music from traditional Jewish music and holidays influenced Jewish American composers and songwriters highlighted in the exhibit.

The final special event associated with the exhibit is “Jewish Themes in American Popular Music.” Sweenie will explore how Jewish themes and values are reflected in the work of the composers highlighted at the exhibit and how Jewish experience informs the lyrics and subject matter of so many of their songs. It takes place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit Beth Torah’s website, www.beth-torah.org or contact Linda Matorin Sweenie at 913-498-2212 or .

Notice anything different about Kansas City’s theater scene lately? Theater League is once again producing shows here.
Blue Man Group headlined Theater League’s return to the area in mid-December. Its next big show is “An Evening with Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin,” at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Jan 17-22. For ticket information call 816-994-7222 or visit www.theaterleague.org.

Kansas City native and Theater League Executive Director Mark Edelman is happy to be presenting Broadway shows again in his hometown. He founded Theater League in 1976. It is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, community-based performing arts organization dedicated to the development of professional theater, both as a cultural and an educational resource. Serving its constituent communities by producing and presenting Broadway musicals, plays and new works in local performing arts centers, Theater League has more than 30,000 members who subscribe to its cultural offerings in eight cities across the country.

Edelman and Theater League produced Broadway shows here for almost 30 years. Then Broadway Across American, a big dog in the theater industry, became interested in the area, and outbid the local non-profit organization for the privilege of producing shows at the Music Hall in 2006. Theater League’s last season here was 2006-2007.

“I had pushed renovating the Music Hall because the theater was not capable of accommodating shows like ‘Wicked’ and some of the big things that were coming out. I probably pushed a little hard and I think I irritated some people with the city,” Edelman said.

Edelman said he now knows he “unreasonably assumed” that since Theater League had produced shows at the Music Hall for 30 years, it would just be logical to stick with what works.

“But that’s not how it works in politics,” he said.

It certainly wasn’t a happy experience for him, but as he puts it, “you go on.”

The Theater League did just that. By then it had expanded to seven other cities — Mesa and Phoenix in Arizona; Santa Barbara and Thousand Oaks in California; South Bend, Ind.; Toledo, Ohio; and Wichita, Kan. — so the organization concentrated all its efforts in those places.

Kauffman opens

While the Music Hall continues to be the exclusive domain of Broadway Across America, as the Kauffman was being built Edelman saw an opportunity to begin presenting shows here again, where he has maintained his permanent residence. The Kauffman was already committed to the symphony, the ballet and the opera, but that still left three or four weeks in the year for other events. Edelman went after those dates.

Not only did he make an agreement with the Kauffman Center, he chose to seek out his old adversary, Broadway Across America, and suggested the two organizations present a season together.

This is not an official partnership because Broadway Across America is a for-profit company and Theater League in not for profit. As Edelman explains it, Theater League is cooperating on a Broadway series combining Broadway Across America’s presentations at the Music Hall and Theater League’s shows at the Kauffman.”

He thinks the arrangement works.

“This gets the Broadway subscriber to come over to this brand new gorgeous theater at the Kauffman to see shows that are a little more esoteric than the Music Hall. The Music Hall is the place for the blockbuster like ‘Jersey Boys’ and ‘Wicked’ and the Kauffman is the place for more intimate, but still very successful, Broadway productions,” he said.

Edelman believes the union has been successful so far.

“We increased the subscription count that Broadway Across America had by 60 percent in this first year. So I think everybody is happy with how it went,” Edelman said. “Of course our patrons are also getting a world-class theatrical experience at the Kauffman, which I’m sure was a big part of the attraction.”

He’s excited about this whole inaugural season at the Kauffman, especially “Million Dollar Quartet,” (March 20-25) and “Next to Normal,” (June 5-10).

“ ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ closed on Broadway but is re-opening in New York. It’s about a night in 1956 when Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash all got together in the Sun Records in Memphis. It’s about their relationship and they sing all these great songs. These guys are so talented and they sound like the young versions of these four guys and it’s just a rollicking good time,” he said.

The Kauffman portion of the Broadway season closes with “Next to Normal,” which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2010.

“It is in fact a musical about a somewhat dysfunctional family,” Edelman said. “I know that sounds sad, but it’s gripping, it’s funny, it’s certainly poignant and it’s true to life and that’s one of the important things about the theater. It’s a great show.”
He said it certainly wasn’t a happy experience to get that call when he learned Theater League was not getting its contract renewed at the Music Hall. But overall it’s been fun to do what he does. He’s also really enjoyed the challenge of presenting at the Kauffman this season.

“It’s like opening a mini new business for us. The bottom line is always the same. Are we enhancing the quality life in these communities with theater? Are we contributing to the experience of living in a place by providing this resource? If we can say yes to that, it’s the same great experience.”

Theater League’s beginnings

Edelman has always enjoyed theater and started out in the business young, first as a volunteer assistant stage manager for The Barn players, “moving around sets and props” and being a part of the JCC’s old Resident Theatre’s production of “Our Town” in 1977. As a performer, he played in his high school rock band, Changin’ Times. He continues to play on occasion with Guns ‘n Charoses along with his brother, Alan Edelman, the associate executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.

While in college as an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis majoring in theater, he started promoting plays and concerts.

He continued to stay active in the theater community while he attended law school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. During that time he put on concerts and speeches at the Music Hall. The first show he presented, in 1976, was “National Lampoon Lemmings,” an Off-Broadway revue which sold old.

“I remember partying with the group at the apartment I lived at, at 44th and Walnut. The cast was Chevy Chase, John Belushi and Chris Guest,” Edelman said.

About that same time he had spent a summer in New York volunteering for Lawyers Volunteer for the Arts.

“I was interested in not just the law but also arts organizations, not-for-profit law and the performing arts. That segued into founding a non-profit organization called Theater League,” he said.

Edelman said the first Broadway show Theater League produced was “Grease” in 1977 at the Lyric. Its first full season was 1977-78.

“The keystone of that season was a three-week engagement of ‘The Chorus Line,’ which was somewhat unprecedented not just for Kansas City but for the road, the touring markets around the country. ‘Chorus Line’ marked a renaissance in the life of the road and the new trend to create subscription audiences after the model of symphonies and opera and ballet. I was there at the beginning,” he said.