Volume 101, Number 14 www.kcjc.com April 8, 2021 26 Nissan 5781
jewish chronicle The KANSAS
CITY
Unique Johnson County Museum Passover exhibit to run until May 1 By Beth Lipoff Contributing Writer For years, the only holiday showcased in the Johnson County Museum’s All-Electric House has been Christmas, but at the end of March, that changed. The 1950s home is set up for a seder through May 1. The new display came from discussions where museum staff were considering “what other communities were here in Johnson County in the 50s and 60s and what would they celebrate,” said Anne Jones, curator of collections for the museum. “… Passover’s a family celebration. It makes sense to have it set up in the 50s house.” To create the display, Jones asked Abby Magariel, educator/curator of the Michael Klein collection at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, for help. “We formed it together based on the objects that we have in the Klein collection. I approached it knowing the AllElectric House is this fantastic artifact, and I was thinking about how a family would celebrate Passover in such a house,” Magariel said. Ultimately, the collection lent the museum two seder plates, one created by local artist Irma Starr in 2009, and one done by Israeli artists Avraham and Pnina Gofer in the 1960s. Nearby is a 1960s
A new display at the Johnson County Museum’s All-Electric House features a table set for a Passover seder. (Johnson County Museum) haggadah featuring watercolors painted by artist Ben Shahn in the 1930s. It was Magariel’s suggestion that the museum use those ever-present Maxwell House Coffee haggadot on the table. In addition to the items from the Klein collection, which are under glass beside the house, the Passover table also features B’nai Jehudah’s own seder plate and Elijah’s cup alongside the Manischewitz wine. The museum has had a Jewish exhibit once before, in 1994 or 1995, Jones said, but it wasn’t a holiday-specific one. She said the research from that exhibit
also helped inform this one. “It’s not anything big or major in terms of number of items, but I think just having it in the museum and having it as part of the house for us is significant in the sense we’re trying to reach out to other communities and partner with organizations to talk about other community histories that are out there,” Jones said. Jones has been trying to find ways to incorporate the experiences of many different ethnic and religious groups into the larger narrative of the county’s history that the museum presents.
“I think Jewish visitors to the museum will appreciate seeing a Jewish family represented in the All-Electric House. It’s always welcome to find Jews and Jewish traditions represented in places where they are not typically represented,” Magariel said. Although it doesn’t get into too much detail, the exhibit’s informational panels do address the restrictions Jewish people faced in finding housing in Johnson County, specifically mentioning the Kroh Bros., whose 1945 restrictive covenant for the Leawood Estates excluded anyone who had one Jewish grandparent. Magariel and Jones both expect that the exhibit will be interesting to many groups of people, not just Jewish visitors. “I think that anybody approaching the exhibit will be engaged by the seder table and interested to see the formal place settings. They’ll find it a familiar one. No matter their religion, families always gather around a meal,” Magariel said. “That happens all the time. That’s universal. That’s something I think anybody will find familiar and comforting.” The Johnson County Museum, 8788 Metcalf Ave., is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors 60 and older and $4 for children ages 1-17. The Passover exhibit will be up until May 1.
Proud to serve as a SevenDays Kindness Youth Leadership Team Ambassador By Ian Hammer Contributing Writer It was April 13, 2014. The air was unusually stale that Sunday, low-hanging clouds darkening the sky, making the humid midday hour seem later than it was. Mama was in the kitchen preparing for the upcoming Passover seder. I heard a gasp and, fearing she had knocked over the matzo ball soup, ran to check. Soup safe, I noticed her ashen face and asked, “What happened?” No response. The next voice I heard was from a local news anchor: There had been a shooting at our Jewish Community Center. The perpetrator: a white supremacist; the victims: the son and father of a family friend — plus another victim at Village Shalom. In answer to such a hateful act, in 2015, SevenDays
was born — designed solely to spread kindness and interfaith understanding. Not willing to let bigotry silence me with fear, I was drawn to SevenDays. Early on, I worked on teen programming, such as an interfaith workshop designed to teach about other faith traditions, which drew approximately 100 youth. Later, the Kindness Youth Leadership Team (KYLT) was formally established. Naturally, I applied. High school students from throughout the Kansas City metro comprise the team.Though we come from different backgrounds, geographies, experiences, and faith traditions, we are collectively interested in making our world a better place. Together, we seek to generate ripples of kindness throughout the community. And, we have a lot of fun doing so! Plus, as Judaism compels us to engage in Tikkun Olam — to repair the world
— I feel a deep sense of responsibility to contribute in this way. It’s no wonder that, in addition to myself, several other KYLT ambassadors, namely Caroline Haines, Kate Levinson, Emma Sandler and Zoe Sher, identify as Jewish. Through monthly meetings, planning committees, service projects and other activities, ambassadors have access to adult mentorship and have the opportunity to help shape SevenDays experiences during the year. I am especially proud to have helped organize our annual Kindness Walks, bringing together thousands of participants each year, for which I worked with my adult mentors, Bill Bergersen and Dave Stine, and was responsible for course mapping and logistics. Plus, this year, in partnership with my adult mentor, Len Losen, I had the fun responsibility of selecting our official Kindness Walk t-shirt and face mask! All registrants will receive one of each. It feels great knowing that I am playing a role in bringing together our community. My involvement in SevenDays and, specifically, my role as a KYLT ambassador, has educated me about the perspectives and experiences of others, and helped me establish friendships
Ian Hammer with people different from myself. It’s been a privilege to have access to and be able to share SevenDays tools, resources and experiences with friends, family, classmates and others. I’ve come to understand the importance of promoting social justice and believe that change is possible when people come together. Ian Hammer, 17, is a senior at Blue Valley West High School. He is the son of Alana Muller and Marc Hammer and is a member of Congregation Beth Shalom.