Archived News

“Tradition.”

“If I Were a Rich Man.” 

“Sunrise, Sunset.”

The legendary songs and characters of “Fiddler on the Roof” return to Kansas City in a brand new production by Spinning Tree Theatre. Directed by Michael Grayman, with choreography by Andy Parkhurst and featuring a cast of 23 actors, dancers and singers, the musical will be performed Wednesdays through Sundays from April 23 to May 10 at the Just Off Broadway Theatre. This is Spinning Tree’s final show of its fourth season, and celebrating the 50th anniversary of a classic seemed like an appropriate way to close the curtain on 2015. 

Goodman JFS of Broward County (GJFS) has selected Jacob Schreiber as the organization’s new CEO. Schreiber’s appointment is effective May 1. He comes to South Florida after serving as president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City.

An $11.7 million renovation of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City will showcase the internationally celebrated Marion and Henry Bloch Collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Art, which will go on permanent view in Spring 2017. The collection was showcased during the 2007 opening of the Bloch Building and bequeathed to the museum under the leadership of Director Emeritus Marc F. Wilson in 2010. The art will be integrated with the museum’s European collection, a project that is the result of a thoughtful planning process and strategic initiative. The renovation of galleries begins this summer on the Plaza level of the Nelson-Atkins Building. 

PRESERVING THE MEMORY — As the community has done for 56 years, we remembered the Holocaust at the Jewish Community Campus Sunday afternoon. The photo at rigtht doesn’t nearly depict the emotion of the event, attended by approximately 550 people and only a handful of survivors. It marked the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the 72nd anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and the 42nd anniversary since the Memorial to the Six Million, now located on the grounds of the Jewish Community Campus, was dedicated.

A year ago I never thought I would have fun on April 13, 2015, the first anniversary of the shootings at the Jewish Community Campus that took the lives of William Corporon and Reat Underwood. Soon after there was another  shooting at Village Shalom, where  Terri LaManno was murdered. Even a week ago I had doubts that I would enjoy the events of the day. I did and so did thousands of others. That, my friends, was by design, and I think a very good design indeed.

Peter Max has enjoyed a life in art. From the swinging ’60s when he broke out, to the current “age of media” where he is enjoying putting together retrospective exhibits, from his iconic pop art designs commemorating Woodstock to the 2013 unveiling of Max’s design for the cruise ship Breakaway and the new Marilyn series, Max has been recognized as one of the most popular painters in the world. His vibrant trademark colors are instantly recognizable and his paintings have been featured in fine art museums and on national magazine covers.

It was the day before Passover — April 13, 2014 — a day many people in Kansas City, Jewish and not Jewish, will always remember.

Three people — Reat Griffin Underwood, William Corporon and Terri LaManno — were murdered that afternoon. Reat and his grandfather were killed in the parking lot outside the Jewish Community Campus on their way to attend the Jewish Community Center’s KC SuperStar auditions. LaManno was outside of Village Shalom where her mother lived. Frazier Glenn Cross Jr., also known as Frazier Glenn Miller, who is accused of the murders and is being held pending trial by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, has said publicly he intended to kill Jewish people. Ironically, the victims were not Jewish.

April 13, 2014, changed everything. Since the tragic shootings at the Jewish Community Campus and Village Shalom that day, the entire community has been grappling with how to turn a violent act of hate into a positive expression of kindness and unity.

Sabina Skolnick loves the sport of lacrosse and she loves Israel. She had the privilege of combining those loves over last winter break when she played on the Israel’s U-17 National Development Program Women’s Lacrosse Team. Late last month she learned she will be a member of the 38-player roster for the Israel women’s national team, which will compete at the 2015 Federation of International Lacrosse U-19 World Cup and International Festival of Lacrosse, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from July 23-Aug. 1. Sabina will arrive in Scotland a week prior to the tournament to train with her team.

Rabbi Mark Borovitz has faced his own journey dealing with addiction, and it was his faith that guided him through it to come out stronger on the other side. Now he travels the country letting others who are dealing with these issues know that things can get better. On April 13 he will be in Kansas City as the keynote speaker at First Call’s Annual Community Gratitude Luncheon. The luncheon is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Rabbi Borovitz, who lives in Los Angeles, attends 10 to 15 such events a year, and says he is always grateful for the opportunity.