Archived News

People make aliyah for a variety of reasons. When Lara Portnoy moved to the Jewish state in January 2013, it was very important to her to find a way to promote a better society there. For the past 10 months she has been doing just that, working in the External Relations and Development Department of the Peres Center for Peace. As we went to press this week, she was on her way to Kansas to spend some holiday time with her family and share a bit about the good works of the Peres Center. While she’s visiting she will speak at Kehilath Israel Synagogue on Sept. 26 during Shabbat services to a group of students at the Accelerated Schools of Overland Park and to at least one other private interfaith gathering.

HOFFMAN TO BE HONORED BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD — Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri will celebrate its 80th anniversary on Oct. 16 at “THE event,” to be held at Pennway Place at Studio Dan Meiners. Co-chairs of “THE event” are Sharon Hoffman, Kristin Amend, Sandy Geduldig and Ursula Terrasi. During the evening, Lizz Winstead, co-creator of “The Daily Show, will share special remarks. With a nod to its founding in 1935, entertainment will be provided by The Count Swingin’ Orchestra, featuring Count Basie Orchestra guitarist Will Matthews and Basie Band vocalist Chris Murrell. Sharon Hoffman will receive the PPKM Champion Award and Harry S. Jonas, M.D. will receive The Suzanne E. Allen Lifetime Achievement Award. To be a part of “THE event,” visit http://theevent.ppkm.org/.

Village Shalom strives to be a place to nurture the physical, emotional, social and spiritual well-being of every individual served by the continuing-care retirement community. One of its six core values is to provide the assurance of a comfortable home and safe haven for all who are in its care.

A lot of people took a financial hit during the “Great Recession” that began in December 2007 and continued into mid-2009. Robert Bloch counts himself as one of those people and readily admits he did everything wrong when it came to managing his personal stock portfolio. Among other things, he said he was a nervous investor who sold stocks when he should have kept them.

Congregation Beth Torah is one of 10 Reform congregations in North America selected to participate in the newly formed Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Community of Practice dedicated to exploring ways of Creating Connected Communities of Families with Young Children. This URJ Community of Practice (CoP) is a congregational networking group for Reform congregations without early childhood centers that are seeking to discover new ways to engage young families in congregational life.

ROSH HASHANAH PARODY — Matt Rissien is at it again, putting together another one of his Jewish holiday video parodies. This one is called “Honey I’m Good (Apples and Honey are Good)” to the tune of Andy Grammer’s “Honey I’m Good.” If you haven’t had a chance to view it yet, go to YouTube and search for Matt Rissien. You’ll be able to see the newest video as well as all his other Jewish holiday favorites.

“We want to make things better for everybody … not just the Jewish community.”

It’s been a long 18 months for Ken Sigman, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City’s chairman of the board, and others who manage or work at The J. It all began the day before Passover, April 13, 2014, when two people — William Corporon and his grandson Reat Underwood — were killed outside of the Jewish Community Campus. They were on their way inside the building so Reat could audition for KC SuperStar, the “American Idol” type singing competition for teens that is The J’s largest fundraiser. After speeding away from the Campus, Frazier Glenn Cross Jr. (also known as Frazier Glenn Miller) drove to Village Shalom where he killed Terri LaManno in the parking lot of the nursing home where LaManno’s mother lived.

Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy’s 2016 Civic Service Award gala will be held in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the school and the extraordinary support the school has enjoyed from two of its founders — Blanche and Neil Sosland.

Singer-songwriter Shelley Fisher’s stirring one-woman show, “The Hebrew Hillbilly®: Fifty Shades of Oy Vey!” opens the 2015-16 season at the Jewish Communnity Center of Greater Kansas City — The J. It will be presented for one night only, at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12.

The Jewish Community Center has selected its interim President and CEO Jim Sluyter to fill the position permanently. The appointment was approved by the The J’s board of directors on Thursday, Aug. 27. Slyter, who is not Jewish, was chosen from a pool of 35 candidates and three finalists who were vying for the position that became open when Jacob Schreiber resigned in January.