Dr. David Rudman became actively involved in the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee more than 10 years ago because he was interested in building bridges and is passionate about Israel, two of the things JCRB|AJC stands for.
Roman Polonsky, director of The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Russian Speaking Jewry Unit, will be in Kansas City Monday, May 19, to provide an important briefing on the impact of the Ukrainian crisis on that Jewish community. He will speak at 7 p.m. in the Social Hall at the Jewish community Campus.
For the second consecutive year, teens across the globe will join together to make their communities and the world a better place. Jewish teens from Kansas City will join that effort when they gather Sunday, June 1, for J- Serve: Jewish Teens Serving Kansas City. Teens in grades nine through 12 will have the opportunity to fulfill the Jewish values of gemilut chasidim, (acts of loving kindness), tzedakah (just and charitable giving), and tikkun olam (the responsibility to repair the world). They will meet at The Mitzvah Garden of Greater Kansas City, a community gardening project that raises produce for those in need.
“When I interviewed for this job, I told the search committee that I never thought I would be able to work full-time doing something that I loved and that really had a place in my heart. At the time I felt like it would really be a privilege to do that, and I still feel that way.”
Marcia Rittmaster loves her job. But after 17 years at the helm of Congregation Beth Torah’s NATE accredited Weiner Religious School, and, even more, working with the congregation’s youth group, she has decided it’s time to retire. But don’t take that as meaning she is stepping away from the Beth Torah community.
Those who have traveled to Israel as part of a Taglit-Birthright trip often say it’s an experience they will never forget. Statistics show that those who have a Birthright experience will most likely be more immersed in Jewish Life. Liz Levy and a group of her friends are a perfect example of that.
Levy, who went to Israel on Birthright in 2005 when she was a freshman at the University of Kansas, thought it would be fun to organize a Shabbat dinner during Sukkot for a group of her friends about a year and a half ago. The group of about 30 people have been getting together monthly on Shabbat or a Jewish holiday ever since.
As twins, Max and Sam Sosland have attended the same school together, the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, their entire lives. While they both plan to attend Harvard University, this is the last time they will formally be in the same class. That’s because Sam plans to start his studies at Harvard in the fall whereas Max plans to be based in Israel, taking part in the Kivunim gap year program.
The sons of Josh and Jane Sosland, Max and Sam will be following in their father’s footsteps when they travel to Cambridge, Mass., to begin their studies at the oldest institute of higher learning in the United States. Sam, who hopes to become a doctor someday, plans to concentrate on history and pre-med classes. Max is not yet sure what he plans to study.
UNICORN HONORS LEVIN, SETS 14-15 SEASON — The Unicorn Theatre announced recently that its recent fundraising campaign was successful, allowing the theater company to purchase the building that serves as its home. In addition the Unicorn’s board of directors and staff decided to celebrate Producing Artistic Director Cynthia Levin and her unweaving leadership for the last 35 years by renaming The Mainstage to The Levin Stage. The official name change will take place with the opening of the 41st season.
Congregation Beth Torah was the first congregation in the area to regularly invite parents to join their students for a bagel breakfast and family worship before the start of religious school classes every Sunday. The Reform congregation and its NATE accredited Weiner Religious School is now introducing a new digital Hebrew program, the Aleph Bet Program, which will replace the traditional midweek Hebrew classes beginning this June.
The Alpeh Bet Program is a collaboration between Beth Torah and Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. Students will work with private tutors, hired and coordinated by HBHA, and study with them beginning approximately 18 months before their Bar or Bat Mitzvahs. Besides the lessons tailored by the tutors to meet the student’s individual learning style, students will work with an online program called Let’s Learn Hebrew Side-by-Side (www.letslearnhebrew.org).
In addition to dropping its midweek Keshet program, Beth Torah is adding a new component to its Sunday morning religious school called Hebrew Through Movement. A Hebrew specialist will join the religious school faculty and will visit classrooms every week to play Hebrew games and bring special spoken Hebrew activities to the students.
Late Friday afternoon, April 25, Jewish Community Center President and CEO Jacob Schreiber sent an email to members, and media, updating them on the progress of the building’s security upgrade.
As reported in the April 24 edition of The Chronicle, Jewish communal leadership has been actively engaged in discussions with local authorities including the Overland Park Police Department, as well as national security experts including the FBI, Homeland Security and the Secure Community Network of national Jewish organizations, to pinpoint additional ways to best safeguard all who visit the Jewish Community Campus.
Zalman Kohen, vice president and chief operating officer at Summit Custom Homes, was featured in the March 2014 issue of Professional Builder in the magazine’s “40 Under 40” list. As described by the article, the 40 individuals who made the list “represent the next generation of leadership and innovation in home building.”
Kohen is a “very talented and dedicated executive, and is absolutely deserving of this award. He certainly is representative of the next generation of leadership and innovation in home building,” commented Summit’s President and CEO Fred Delibero.
Professional Builder received more than 100 submissions for this year’s awards.
“When selecting candidates, we primarily look for impressive and concrete accomplishments, such as contributions to noteworthy revenue and company growth, integrating new systems or technologies that reduced cost, and giving back to the community,” said Kyle Clapham, Professional Builder’s managing editor.
In 1995, when he was 15 years old, Kohen and his family immigrated to the United States and the Kansas City area from Uzbekistan, an independent republic that was part of the former Soviet Union until 1991.
“My uncle was the one who sponsored us and the Jewish Family Services provided us some assistance initially,” said Kohen, a member of BIAV.
