The invitations are out! Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy staff and volunteers, including Marla Duck, development assistant HBHA (from left), Marcia Karbank, co-chair of the Civic Service Award Celebration, Jennifer Paul, Renana Abrams, CSA assistant and Phyllis Abrams, came together last week to stuff invitations for the school’s Civic Service Award 50th Anniversary Celebration, which happens on Monday, April 11, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. This special anniversary event will honor Blanche and Neil Sosland for their dedication and ongoing support of the school since its beginnings. Featuring beautiful music by the Kansas City Symphony and delicious kosher food, catered by Lon Lane, it will be an evening to remember. For more information contact Kerry Cosner at 913-327-8156, or go to www.hbha.edu.
IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL — Next month the School of Education of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem plans to honor the memory of the late Professor Seymour Fox. While Fox never lived in the Kansas City area, he is related to all of the Leskys in the area, who “are very proud of his achievements.”
This week Congregations Beth Shalom and Ohev Sholom began holding a joint minyan three days a week at the Appelman Synagogue at Village Shalom, where this photo of Rabbi Scott White (left) and Rabbi David Glickman was taken.
Over the years the Kansas City Jewish community has become known for its cooperative endeavors. In that spirit, Congregations Beth Shalom and Ohev Sholom have agreed to join together for morning minyan three days a week at Village Shalom. The Conservative congregations will pray together for Shacharit services on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Two Arab-Israeli teenage girls stabbed a security guard near the Ramla central bus station on Thursday, Feb. 4. Many Kansas Citians are familiar with Ramla as the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City provides funding for several programs in the area.
SMILE, YOU’RE ON CANDID CAMERA — The focus of our spring Jewish Life magazine is on teens who recently became a Bar or Bat Mitzvah here in the Kansas City area.
Photo by Scott Fishman Rabbi Beryl Padorr (far left), shared vision coordinator at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, gave the closing benediction at the Home Blessing of the Mitzvah House this past Sunday, Jan. 31.
“The Jewish community should be extremely proud.”
Led by Barry Kaseff, the local Jewish community banded together to build a “Mitzvah House,” for Heartland Habitat for Humanity. Mark Naster, Heartland Habitat’s director of corporate and foundation relations, announced the coming together of an entire Jewish community “has not been done by any other Habitat affiliate in the country.”
It has been almost two years since a senseless hate crime took the lives of Dr. William Lewis Corporon, his grandson Reat Griffin Underwood, and Teresa LaManno. On April 13, 2014, Dr. Corporon and Reat were killed in the parking lot of the Jewish Community Campus where Reat was to audition for a singing competition; LaManno was killed in the parking lot of Village Shalom where her mother lived.
The cast of Spinning Tree Theatre’s production of ‘13’ includes Samuel Wise (front row, from left), Joshua L. Holloway, Cael Kuhn, Emerson Pereira, Janie Carr and Allison Banks. Middle row: Holly Jackson, Darcie A. Hingula, Jordan Haas, Katie Hulla, Libby Terril, Sheridan Mirador and Callie Fabac. Back row: Jackson Berland, Jared Berlin, Fisher Stewart, Jackson Tomlin, Jake Bartley and Devyn Trondson
Thirteen is that uneasy, angst-filled and shaky time of life when one tries hardest to fit in while one’s body is filling out. As one 13-year-old recently posted as her status, “So far, being 13 is like one long extended pimple.” For most Jewish kids, approaching or turning 13 also means becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
Social anthropologist and photographer Frederic Brenner has been photographing Jewish communities in over 40 countries for more than 25 years. His photographs will be on display at The J through Feb. 29 and Brenner will speak at The J on Feb. 23.
Ruth Margolies, rebbetzin emeritus of Congregation Beth Shalom, recently celebrated her 90th birthday with friends at Village Shalom. Those celebrating include Betty Brand (from left), Toba Maslan, Carol Goldstein, Evelyn Gibian, Gitta Azorsky, Rene Goldman, Debra Rubin, Dolores Sosnow, Berenice Haberman, Sandi Rozen, Rickie Haith and Ruth Margolies (seated).
SECURING RELIGIOUS RIGHTS FOR ISRAEL’S LIBERAL JEWS — On Sunday, the Reform and Conservative movements, with the pioneering efforts of Women of the Wall, won — after 25 years — a place for liberal Jews to pray at The Wall (see related stories on page 6 and 22). This praying area will not be under the auspices of the Israeli Chief Rabbi, and as such constitutes government recognition of Reform and Conservative Judaism in Israel for the first time.
