Ben Mondry is the winner of the 2021 KC Lodge #184, B’nai Brith essay contest, which encompassed more than 50 area schools, churches, synagogues, and youth groups. The Blue Valley North graduating senior received $2,000 and will be attending the University of Kansas in the fall. His essay is below:
As smallpox ravaged Europe in the 16th century, Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, a prominent rabbi and famed kabbalist, grew exasperated with his community’s unwillingness to show sufficient caution in the face of the disease.
I cannot sleep. One thought passes throughout the night. I, a 2G (second generation), am only a few years younger than the youngest Holocaust survivors. Who will be the voices of the Holocaust when we are gone?
It is very surprising that Dean Henry Abramson, a much respected historian, especially of Jewish history, could be so utterly wrong in his article in the Chronicle of July 15 advocating Critical Race Theory (CRT). His misreading of Jewish law and tradition cannot be attributed to lack of knowledge.
When Nazi tanks surrounded Warsaw, my father related in a rare moment of frustration, the Jews were in shul arguing over who should get “shishi” (the honor of being called up third to the Torah).
Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City’s local allocations process is an intensive, deep dive into our local programs that are requesting financial support. The financial contributions made to the annual campaign support this venture.
(JTA) — The ancestry of the son of a Jewish refugee in the Democratic Republic of Congo has emerged as a flashpoint for a political crisis that is threatening the integrity of the massive African country.
Anyone teaching the past by skipping over the unpleasant parts isn’t teaching history. They are engaged in propaganda.
Editor’s note: The following is reprinted from a recent email sent by Rabbi Sarah Smiley to the B’nai Jehudah community.
I’ll never forget one of the most memorable basketball games I ever played in.
