Archived News

The newest member of the faculty of the University of Kansas’ Department of Political Science as an assistant professor in the area of Israel studies, Rami Zeedan, Ph.D., could himself be a topic of Israel studies. The native Israeli is a member of the Druze community of Daliat al-Carmel; a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, where he earned the rank of major; and a graduate of the University of Haifa, where he earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate, the last two degrees earned while serving his country.
Such is the world of Israel and its citizens: complex, contradictory and complicated.

JET Express, the volunteer driver program offered through Jewish Family Services, is marking its 10th anniversary of getting older adults who no longer drive to the places they need to go. Hundreds of older adults in the Kansas City area are able to get to the doctor’s office, grocery store, entertainment, religious institutions or visit friends, thanks to this program. Volunteers are able to drive when it meets their schedule thanks to the user-friendly and flexible program.
While JET Express is an efficiently run program, there is one “speed bump” of sorts — demand is outpacing supply! There are more requests for rides than the number of volunteer drivers to meet the need. With the hope of recruiting more drivers, JFS staff set out to produce a new driver recruitment video.

HANUKKAH AT THE KANSAS STATE CAPITOL — Once again the Chabad rabbis in Kansas are organizing a Hanukkah celebration in Topeka at the Kansas State Capitol. It will take place at 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3. The address is 300 SW 10th St. in Topeka. Kansas Lt. Gov. Tracey Mann is expected to attend as well as other state dignitaries. Those in attendance will be treated to a reception following the program, which will include a candle-lighting ceremony and feature Hanukkah delicacies including latkes. Transportation from Overland Park to Topeka will be available. Reservations are requested by emailing . For more information, contact Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel at or Rabbi Mendy Wineberg at .

CHEERS TO A WELL-EARNED RETIREMENT — After 32 years serving in a variety of roles, including teaching in the Polsky Religious School and serving in multiple administrative roles for Congregation Beth Shalom’s clergy and staff, Jill Goldstein retired on Nov. 2.
Goldstein is not 100 percent retired. She will continue to work with the B’nai Mitzvah families part time to ensure they have a smooth journey from the time their children’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah date is chosen through the day they become valued members of Beth Shalom’s minyanim. On Saturday, Dec. 8, Goldstein will be honored on her retirement at a special Shabbat and Kiddush following service that begin at 9:30 a.m. in Goldsmith Hall.

LOCAL EXPERT ON ‘60 MINUTES’ — Fans of “60 Minutes” may have recognized the name Scott Shuchart on the Nov. 25 broadcast. Shuchart was a senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties from 2010 to 2018. He is now a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
If you missed the program, go to cbs.com and search for “The Chaos Behind Donald Trump’s Policy of Family Separation at the Border.” Shuchart is a graduate of The Pembroke Hill School, Harvard, Oxford and Yale Law and the son of John and Stevie Shuchart, who are members of Congregation Beth Torah. He was also interviewed on the PBS News Hour on Nov. 26 and wrote an op-ed published Oct. 25 in the Washington Post titled “Careless cruelty: Civil servants said separating families was illegal. The administration ignored us.”

RADIO HANUKKAH FOR 2018 — This year, SiriusXM will air “Radio Hannukah” on channel 77. Beginning at 2 a.m. CST on Friday, Nov. 30, and running until 2 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, the radio station will feature an extensive collection of Hanukkah-themed music, including contemporary, traditional and children’s selections, as well as daily reflections and prayers related to the holiday. Devoted Radio Hanukkah listener Maury Kohn hopes to hear his favorite, “Hannukah in Santa Monica” by Tom Lehrer. Don’t know it? You can find it on YouTube and give it a listen.

ANOTHER 18 UNDER 40 LEAVES KC — Our cover girl for the 2016 Guide to Jewish Life 18 Under 40 edition, Melissa Stern, is leaving the area. A reporter at Fox 4, her last day “working for you” will be Dec. 6, according to her Facebook page. After spending seven years in the Midwest, five of those here in K.C., she’s heading back to the east coast. Her next stop is reporting for CBS in Atlanta starting in December. She writes on Facebook, “Gonna miss this place so much, but so excited for the next chapter!”

WEBSITE CONTAINS LIST OF HOLOCAUST VICTIMS’ ASSETS — The State of Israel’s Ministry of Justice is providing a list of Holocaust victims’ assets that have been transferred to Israel’s administrator general for management or that the administrator general has received information about from the Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims’ Assets Ltd.
The list is available on the Ministry of Justice’s website (http://www.justice.gov.il/Units/ApotroposKlali/Departments/ApotroposKlali/giloi/Documents/List01.pdf) and on the company’s website (http://www.hashava.org.il/assetList/#.W_LeeuhKjIV). Requests for restitution of an asset to its rightful heirs also can be submitted on the company’s website.
The list and method to request restitution are required by the Holocaust Victims Assets Law (Restitution to Heirs and Endowment for Purposes of Assistance and Commemoration), 5766-2006.

Congregation Beth Torah’s scholar in residence, Ron Wolfson, will be talking to clergy, staff, the board and the congregation about relational Judaism and what a relational synagogue would be like.
Wolfson is the Fingerhut professor of education in the Graduate Center for Jewish Education at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles.
He will work closely with the board and staff members the mornings of Dec. 6 and 7 on building connections, which he sees as three tiers: building a stronger connection to the Jewish experience itself; connecting to the representatives of the community; and connecting to each other.

Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue. Chicago’s Mercy Hospital. A Kroger grocery store in Kentucky. Jewish facilities in Overland Park. Austin’s in Olathe. in Olathe.
What do these places have in common? All these locations were the sites of acts of hate resulting in the murders of innocent people — including four here in the metro area.
Our world continues to be bombarded with these hateful acts yet one Kansas City area organization is determined to make a difference through acts of kindness and interfaith dialogue. It is The Faith Always Wins Foundation (FAWF), an organization with three pillars — Interfaith, Kindness and Workplace Healing.

“Tomorrow they are going to chop off my head.”
This is how Leon ‘Lee’ Levin begins “Memoirs of a Traitor,” one of the two books he published this year. “Memoirs of a Traitor” came out in June. His fifth book, “The Exodus Diary,” was published in October.
All five of Levin’s books are historical novels. A historical novel aims to keep the facts true, while adding the thoughts and emotions of those involved, occasionally adding a character as well.

Phyliss and Robert Bernstein and their adult children, Steven, Susan and David, are known throughout the community as enthusiastic supporters of many local causes and charities. One of their all-time favorites is Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City.
Now, in recognition of the family’s loving support and ongoing loyalty, the Ronald McDonald House on 25th & Cherry, one of three adjacent to Children’s Mercy in the Hospital Hill area, has been officially named The Bernstein House.

Dr. John Lantos, director of the Bioethics Center at Children’s Mercy Hospital and professor of pediatrics at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine, was honored with the William G. Bartholome Award for Ethical Excellence at the recent National Conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in Orlando, Florida.
The Bartholome Award recognizes an individual who has significantly impacted public discussion of ethical issues in pediatric medicine. Lantos presented a talk at the AAP Convention on “Ethical Problems in Decision Making in the Neonatal ICU” in conjunction with receiving the prestigious award.

Rabbi Beryl Padorr is seeing a dream come true and at the same time is making history.
Last week Congregation Ohev Sholom congregation co-presidents Adam E. Miller and Mike Silverman announced Rabbi Padorr has been chosen to serve as the Conservative congregation’s next senior rabbi. She will succeed Rabbi Scott White who is retiring from the pulpit when his contract expires in the summer of 2019.
When she takes over Aug. 1, 2019, Rabbi Padorr will become the first female to serve as a senior congregational rabbi in the greater Kansas City area.
(It should be noted there are two rabbis in the region who are the sole spiritual leaders of their congregations — Rabbi Debbie Stiel at Temple Beth Sholom in Topeka, and Rabbi Linda Steigman at Temple Adath Joseph in St. Joseph.)