How did presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg happen to obtain a copy of local author Jan Sokoloff Harness’ book ‘Look Up’? It seems Terri Hale (left), the sister of a friend of Sokoloff Harness, is active on Buttigieg’s campaign. Hale loved the book and thought Buttigieg would appreciate its positive perspective and message, given his own approach to the campaign and life in general.Correction -- he caption for Congretation Ohev Sholom’s family Chanukah education program included a name that was mispelled. The correct information follows: Marilyn Cohen (from left), Avraham Bradhurst and Jeremiah Bradhurst play the Dreidel Game at Ohev Sholom’s Chanukah youth activity-centered, intergenerational education program recently. Future dates for ‘Let’s Celebrate and Teach Our Kids’ are Jan. 18, Havdalah kids’ evening, and March 29, Passover Intergenerational Education Day. Call Ohev at 913-642-6460 for more information.WE HAVE A BABY! — We join the rest of the Kansas City Jewish community in congratulating Tiferet and Brian Mayer on the birth of their son, Nathan Benjamin Mayer, on Jan. 4. We will introduce you to the little guy and his family in the Jan. 16 edition. As we do every year, Chronicle advertisers will welcome the first Jewish baby by showering his family with a variety of gifts!MISSOURI WELCOMES REFUGEES — On Dec. 31, 2019, Gov. Mike Parson announced his consent to initial refugee resettlement in Missouri in response to Executive Order 13888 signed by President Trump in September.“Our administration is thankful for President Trump’s leadership on this issue, and we look forward to working with the president and his administration to ensure the responsible resettlement of lawfully admitted and vetted individuals,” Gov. Parson said.JVS, which resettled 241 refugees from seven countries in 2019, welcomed the governor’s decision. “Last week, Governor Mike Parson agreed to continue welcoming refugees in Missouri and provide safe haven for those fleeing persecution,” stated the post on Facebook. “Please join us in thanking him for recognizing the contributions refugees make to Kansas City, and to communities across the state. We are thrilled to be able to continue our work helping refugees build new lives for themselves and their families.”JCRB|AJC also praised the governor on Facebook.“We are thrilled that Governor Mike Parson consented to allow refugee resettlement in 2020, a decision that reflects the best of Missouri’s values.“We were proud to join our friends at Jewish Vocational Service (JVS), Kansas City in advocating for welcoming refugees. The work they do to help new Americans benefits our entire region.“Amazing news to ring in the New Year!”WE HAVE ADDITIONS TO THE 2020 BAR/BAT MITZVAH LIST — Several young preteens were not included in the list of upcoming 2020 Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations published in the Dec. 26, 2019, issue of The Chronicle. They will each become a Bar Mitzvah at Kehilath Israel Synagogue.Jonathan Kosiborod, son of Mikhail and Elena Kosiborod, April 18, 2020William Waxman, son of Steve and Elizabeth Waxman, April 25, 2020Yonaton Rich, son of Adam and Jessica Rich, Dec. 13, 2020
Avi BrudoleyBy Jerry LaMartina Overland Park native Abraham “Avi” Brudoley is running in the U.S. election for the 38th World Zionist Congress as part of a student slate called Vision: Empowering the Next Generation, one of 13 slates in the election.Brudoley is 18. He graduated from Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy last year. He is taking a gap year and studying at Yeshivat Orayta in the Old City of Jerusalem and plans afterward to return to the U.S. to study business management at Yeshiva University, he said in an interview with The Chronicle.His mother and stepfather, Sherri Jacobs and Dr. Jonathan Jacobs; his grandparents, Rosalyn and Howard Jacobson; and his stepgrandparents, Drs. Judy and David Jacobs, are all active members of the local Jewish community.
Professor Marc GreenbergThe KU Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures and the School of Languages, Literatures & Cultures recently announced that Professor Marc Greenberg, director of the school, was awarded the 2019 prize “Ambassador of Science” by the Slovene Ministry of Education, Science & Sport on Nov. 20, 2019, in Ljubljana, Slovenia.Awarded annually, the Ambassador of Science prize recognizes individuals for excellence in research and achievements in their field of study. Dr. Greenberg was selected from a pool of six nominees in the Ambassador of Science category, recognizing his contributions to Slovene linguistics and promotion of the Slovene language. Dr. Greenberg is the first non-Slovene national to receive this award.
When time permits, Jim Sluyter, president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center (The J), gets a chance to get away from his desk and stop by various programs. Here he checks out Noodles’ hot wheels at the Pooch Palooza Fashion Show and Benefit that took place Dec. 17. Noodles attended the benefit with owner Lisa Rockley Cline representing Petey’s Playhouse Pet Services. The event featured 22 ‘celebrity’ dogs with their humans.DO WE HAVE A FIRST JEWISH BABY? — As I write this it’s still 2019, but by the time you read this we might have 2020’s first Jewish baby. In case we don’t, here’s a reminder of what we do every year:The Chronicle will shower the family of the first Jewish baby of 2020 with prizes. The Chronicle’s First Jewish Baby contest is limited to residents of the five-county Greater Kansas City area (Jackson, Clay and Platte in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte in Kansas), and the birth must take place in Greater Kansas City. For the purposes of this contest, The Chronicle accepts either the traditional definition of a Jewish child — one born to a Jewish mother — or the Reform definition of patrilineal descent, i.e., the father but not the mother is Jewish, and they have decided to raise the child as a Jew.To report the birth of a Jewish baby, call Chronicle Editor Barbara Bayer at 913-235-4474 or email her at as soon as possible after the child is born, preferably the day of the birth. Be prepared to provide contact information for the baby’s parent or parents. A winner may not be declared immediately, and it could take as long as 24 hours after the initial contact with The Chronicle. A hospital statement attesting to the delivery must be presented, if requested, showing birth after 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2020. The parents must agree to be interviewed and photographed along with the baby for a story in the newspaper to be awarded prizes.WONDERFUL JEWISH WEBSITES — Reading through the Temple Beth Sholom (Topeka) Bulletin, I came across a list of recommended Jewish websites. You might want to check these out and let us know if you find others to share. Also, check out Rabbi David Glickman’s suggestions regarding online learning and podcasts on page 18.aklim.org: Aklim means climate in Hebrew. This is a new Jewish climate change website with both scientific and Jewish theological information.shiva.com: This website has a lot of traditional Jewish information about sitting shiva and Jewish traditions about death, burial and mourning.hadar.org: Here you will find wonderful divrei Torah about the weekly Torah portion. It also has Jewish music and other good offerings.hebcal.com: This calendar gives you the Hebrew date for any date on the Gregorian calendar. You can also find the date for any Jewish holiday — past, present or future. It also has links to many sermons on the Torah portions.CorrectionThe article published in the Dec. 26, 2019, issue incorrectly stated when Sam Devinki was first appointed to the United States Holocaust Museum Memorial Council. He was appointed the first time in 2003 by President George W. Bush, not in 1993.
‘Latke Road’ by Danielle Freiden is the People’s Choice Award winner for 2019. (Denise Elam)A string art menorah by sisters Aviya and Noya Matta won the Judges’ Grand Prize in the 2019 Chanukah Art Contest. (Denise Elam)This year there were two winners chosen in the 23rd-annual Chanukah Art Contest, sponsored by Chabad of Leawood, The Jewish Community Center (The J) and The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle. Danielle Freiden’s “Latke Road” painting (shown at left) won the first ever People’s Choice Award, chosen through online voting by members of the Kansas City Jewish community. A string creation of a menorah, submitted by sisters Aviya and Noya Matta, won the judges’ grand prize. Each grand prize winning entry was awarded a $100 gift card. Judges also chose first-place winners in the three age divisions.All the entries are on display in the glass gallery in the lobby of the Jewish Community Campus until Jan. 3.
Sam Devinki (second from left) was sworn in for his second term as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council (USHMC) earlier this month in Washington, D.C., by Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas (third from left). USHMC Chair Howard M. Lorber (far left) and USHMC Vice Chair Allan M. Holt (far right) are also pictured.Sam Devinki’s family paid a terrible price during the Holocaust.About 100 of his family members perished at the hands of the Nazis — seven aunts and uncles, two grandparents and an unknown number of cousins. Thankfully, his parents, Fred and Maria Devinki of blessed memory, survived the Holocaust.In 1993, Devinki traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the opening of the United States Holocaust Museum. Ten years later in 2003, President George W. Bush appointed him to the United States Holocaust Museum Memorial Council for a five-year term. This year, President Donald Trump appointed him to serve on the council for another five-year term.
B’nai Jehudah’s chapel has been dramatically reimagined. The ark is now flanked by walls of Jerusalem stone; the interior of the Star of David in the ceiling is painted in a spiritual night blue with lighting in its center representing the 12 Tribes of Israel. Stained-glass windows now grace the walls near the ceiling, adding to the room’s spirituality.
The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah plans to rededicate its renovated building at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 27, on Shabbat Chanukah, coinciding with the congregation’s annual 180 Menorah Celebration. Musician Noah Aronson will join B’nai Jehudah’s tefillah team for this special service. When B’nai Jehudah opened its building at 124th and Nall Avenue in Overland Park 20 years ago, it was designed as a school and called the Learning Center.
Remember the telephone game? Here’s a refresher: First, a group of people form a line. One person whispers something into another’s ear.
Then that person whispers it into a third person’s ear. And so on. The last person gets the whispered message and then says it aloud to the group. Everyone hears — and oftentimes laughs — at how the message changed from the original. This process of hearing things and then changing what was heard has special significance for composer Yotam Haber.
Local Jewish author Jonathan A. Fink has an ambitious goal: to write a series of 10 books in 10 years, all of them about spirituality.
Fink has published two of those books and written the third, which is in the editing phase. His second book, “The Baseball Gods are Real Vol. 2: The Road to the Show” (Polo Grounds Publishing LLC, 2019), follows “The Baseball Gods are Real: A True Story about Baseball and Spirituality,” published in 2018. In the second volume, Fink continues recounting his travels along his spiritual path, starting with his midlife crisis and his new, daily practice of yoga, meditation and a vegan diet, which “helped me to find a new, better direction in my life”; introduces readers to baseball devotee Joe Perrin, his friend and colleague at Satya Investment Management LLC, which Fink founded; and tells stories of various baseball personalities and events.
The phrase “the show” commonly refers to the major leagues. Fink refers to the road to the show “as a metaphor for the road of life,” he writes in the book. “We are all on the road to ‘The Show,’ symbolic for achieving our goals in life, whatever they may be.” In an interview with The Chronicle, Fink said: “If we do our jobs right in life, we keep extending the goalposts” along to path toward personal goals. “The show is both the goal and the process of getting there,” he said. Fink is Jewish and a member of Kehilath Israel Synagogue. He became a Bar Mitzvah in his hometown of Merrick, New York.
He was raised in a Reform Jewish family that attended synagogue twice a year, but he was an atheist until age 40 — “first a cynical and sarcastic atheist and then angry, because I saw hypocrisy among religious leaders and their devoted followers.” “Just because organized religion has disappointed us doesn’t mean you can’t have a relationship with God and the Holy Spirit,” he said. “The Trinity in Catholicism is quite similar to spirituality in other religions. Karma (is comparable with) musar in Judaism, the energies of the world balancing out, repeating themes until you can grow.”
His appreciation for Judaism and for family are “very strong,” he said. “I take great pride in being a Jew, and I care very much about the plight of the Jewish people,” Fink said. “I consider myself a Jew but I’m not religious. The difference between religion and spirituality is that religion is based on dogma; spirituality is based on experience. I absolutely believe in God.”
Fink incorporates multiple beliefs and traditions in his approach to spirituality. He believes in reincarnation. Judaism informs the ideas in his books mainly through the Ten Commandments, as does Christianity. “If everyone lived like Jesus — the Golden Rule — this is what the Ten Commandments embody,” he said. His relationship with Judaism has evolved along his spiritual journey, and he has “a lot more respect for Judaism through this process.”
Fink has sold several hundred copies of his first book. He has written a third book, “The Music Gods are Real Vol. 1: The Road to the Show,” and it’s in the editing phase. He also has chosen titles for his planned fourth book, “The Baseball Gods are Real Vol. 3: The Religion of Baseball,” and fifth book, “The Music Gods are Real Vol. 2: The Religion of Music.” Fink’s ‘The Baseball Gods are Real Vol. 2’ continues baseball as metaphor for life, spirituality Fink is 45. He and his wife, Regina, and their 16-year-old daughter, Kayla, and 13-year-old son, Nate, live in Leawood.
They have lived in the Kansas City area since 2012. Fink received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tulane University and a master’s in business administration from the Bloch School of Business at the University of MissouriKansas City. The one thought he wants readers of The Chronicle to take with them is: “Your thoughts manifest in your physical reality, so be optimistic.”
The name he chose for his investment management company — Satya — means “truth” in Sanskrit. “The show” for Fink is inseparable from his search for truth. He uses baseball as a vehicle for that search because “baseball chose me.” “It has inextricably weaved through my life since I was a kid,” he said. “It just seemed like baseball kept popping up. As goes baseball goes America.”
The Rules of The Baseball Gods:
1. No ball playing in the house.
2. No talking about a no-hitter during a no-hitter.
3. Never try to hit a home run. If you try, you will ground out, pop out, or worse, strike out.
4. Never give up, never give in.
5. Respect your umpires, coaches, teammates, the other team, your parents, your siblings, the game of baseball, and most importantly, yourself.
6. No negative thinking. If you think you will make an error, you probably will.
7. No sore losers. Learning how to win is not as important as learning how to lose.
8. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
9. No excuses. Take credit for a good play but also responsibility for a bad play.
10. Play to have fun and for the love of the game.
—Excerpted from “The Baseball
Gods are Real Vol. 2: The Road to the Show,” by Jonathan A. Fink (Polo
Chabad has been giving out free menorahs at Hen House on 117th and Roe.
FAVORITE HANUKKAH MEME — I’ve seen it all over the internet in the past few weeks and I wish I knew how to credit this — “Imagine if your cell phone was at 10% and it lasted eight days. Now you understand Hanukkah.”
HANUKKAH MUSIC — SiriusXM’s Radio Hanukkah begins tomorrow, Dec. 20, on channel 788. It features an extensive collection of Hanukkah music, including contemporary, traditional and children’s Hanukkah selections. We’re told this year it is streaming only. Thanks Maury Kohn for the information. But don’t fret if you aren’t a subscriber to Sirius XM. Thanks to Kveller.com, I discovered you can find Hanukkah songs for free on Spotify. It takes just a few minutes to sign up for it. The first song I heard when I clicked on Hanukkah songs is Adam Sandler’s “The Hanukkah Song.” It was so “funnukkah” to hear that song, but if you are more of a traditionalist, you can hear instrumentals of “Ma’oz Tzur” and the blessings, Carole King’s beautiful “Chanukah Prayer” and The Barenaked Ladies singing “I Have a Little Dreidel” and “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah,” among many other choices. Check it out. I had the best luck just searching Hanukkah songs. Remember this is on free Spotify. You don’t have to enroll in the premium service to listen to these songs.
LATKE TIPS — Thanks to the Vaad and Ellenberg Experience Catering, here are a couple of tips for making latkes: • To achieve the best results, make sure your latke batter isn’t too wet. Squeeze out excess juices from the shredded potatoes. • Add an onion to get that savory flavor in your latkes. • Put a quarter of your shredded potatoes into the food processor to mince and add this back to your batter. Your latkes will have a little more body.
MORE VAAD HANUKKAH NEWS — Did you know the Krispy Kreme located at 105th and Metcalf is kosher and dairy (not CY). During Hanukkah they will have a special blue and white design on glazed and jelly donuts. Fluffy Fresh donuts near 103rd and State Line on the Missouri side is also kosher dairy (not CY). They sell out quickly, Vaad Executive Director Rabbi Yitzchak Mizrahi said, so get there early or order in advance. He asks that you mention you are a kosher customer.
FREE MENORAHS — Chabad House Center is offering free menorahs in an innovative approach to spreading the custom of lighting the menorah in celebration of Chanukah. You can find menorahs placed on the big menorah outside the building on Indian Creek Drive, you don’t need to go inside to get them. Chabad has also been giving away menorahs at a stand inside Hen House at 117th and Roe. If you need a free menorah or want more information, contact Blumah Wineberg at 913-940-1113.
CHANUKAH ON ICE — Chabad is hosting its annual Chanukah on Ice party from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29, at the Ice at Park Place. Skate to Chanukah music and enjoy hot cocoa and fresh sufganiyot. Join the lighting of the 6-foot Menorah with music and singing. Admission is free; $10 to skate.
CHAG URIM — In the category of you learn something new every day, last week, through Congregation Beth Shalom’s weekly e-newsletter, I learned that Hanukkah is called “chag urim,” meaning holiday of light. Thank you Beth Shalom for enlightening me!
