Volume 101, Number 15 www.kcjc.com April 15, 2021 3 Iyar 5781
jewish chronicle The KANSAS
CITY
New Reform Temple undergoing roughly $2.2 million renovation By Beth Lipoff Contributing Writer When members of the New Reform Temple decided it was time to renovate their building, the main thrust behind the project came from one goal: Making it accessible. Currently, the building has no elevators or handicapped accessible bathrooms, but that will all change with this new construction project. “Our primary philosophy is the issue of social justice, and how do you talk about social justice if you don’t have a building that is accessible?” said Rabbi Alan Londy. According to fundraising documents, the budget for the project is approximately $2.2 million. Although they’re starting to clear out some items from the building in preparation for the project, there isn’t a precise start date yet, because they’re hoping to raise 100% of the funds before getting going. Fundraising can be a challenge for a congregation with less than 300 families, but renovation committee chair Lynn Poskin said they’re roughly 90% there. Rising construction costs have been part of the issue. “We were hoping to start already, and that’s why we haven’t,” she said. The ideas have been in the works for two to three years, but the congregation started consulting architects last summer. The building, originally a Southwestern Bell telephone office, has remained largely the same since the congregation’s founding in 1967. In addition to the elevator and bathrooms, the project will also make the bimah accessible. Audiovisual upgrades will also allow for support to help anyone who is hearing impaired. “After the pandemic is over, we’re going to be doing hybrid programs forever. We’re never going to worship again without it being broadcast,” Rabbi Londy said.
The above renderings illustrate what the bimah and gathering space will look like once the renovation of the New Reform Temple in Kansas City, Missouri, is finished. Fundraising is about 90% complete. Looking ahead to the post-pandemic world, the rabbi is excited that there will be new areas where people can socialize. “We didn’t have a lot of gathering space, spaces where the congregation can get together and socialize. The renovation will provide that for us,” he said. Also part of the plan is redoing the sanctuary, which will face east and have new seating. The look will be less colonial, as it has been, and more contemporary. They’ll also be moving the office space and making other aesthetic changes. “I’m really excited about the openness of the gathering space and sanctuary. There will be a wall that will divide them, and then you can open that to make it all open,” Poskin said. “The wall of the bimah is going to be made out of this translucent onyx, and it’s going to get backlight, and it’s going to be beautiful.” For Rabbi Londy, the renovation is also a statement of the congregation’s intent to stay in Kansas City, Missouri. “We like where we are. Our synagogue is very committed to being where we are, to being in Kansas City.
We believe where we are is very accessible to many Jewish families who live in this area,” he said. That local pride also shows up in how the congregation has chosen to proceed, using both a Kansas Citybased architect, DRAW Architecture + Urban Design, and local artists for the new ark and ner tamid. The synagogue has already disposed of its old pews. Office manager Chris Fawley sold them on Facebook Marketplace. “I didn’t think anybody would buy one, but they went really quickly. Someone bought one to put in an old school bus he was renovating to be a motor home,” she said. A bride with no relation to the congregation bought 20 of them to use at her wedding. Rabbi Londy credits both Poskin and her committee as well as congregation president Tom Isenberg for getting the plan together. Tom and Carol Barnett also took charge of the renovation fundraiser. Although initial hopes were that the renovation could be done in time for the High Holidays, Rabbi Londy said he thinks that is unlikely at this point.
From Hate Comes Hope
SevenDays speaker will share his story of losing his daughters but finding a peaceful purpose By Lacey Storer Assistant Editor Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish has faced hardships that many of us could never imagine. He was born and raised in the Jabalia Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. He wanted to be a doctor from a young age and overcame poverty and violence to become the first Palestinian doctor to receive a staff position at an Israeli hospital. In 2009, he went through an unspeakable tragedy. Four months after losing his wife to cancer, Israeli shells struck his home in Gaza and killed three of his daughters, Bessan, 21, Mayar, 15, and Aya, 13, and his niece, Noor, 17. Instead of giving in to anger and hate, he called for tolerance and understanding and decided to dedicate his work to building peace and conflict resolution between Palestinians and Israelis. “I don’t want others to suffer or face
what I’ve faced,” he said. “I want them to learn from what I’ve experienced in life, to prevent it (from happening again).” Abuelaish wrote a book about his experience, “I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity,” and became internationally known as an educator and public speaker on peace and development in the Middle East, and an advocate for justice, health, and human rights worldwide. He’s been likened to Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi and has earned the nickname “Martin Luther King of the Middle East.” Abuelaish credits his strong faith for giving him the strength to overcome adversity. “Life is what we make it,” he said. “It stems from my faith that, in every bad thing, there’s something good.” Now a five-time Nobel Peace prize nominee, Abuelaish will be speaking
as part of the SevenDays Make a Ripple, Change the World events taking place April 13 to 25. He’ll share his story during a virtual event at 6:30 pm on April 22. The event will also include a panel discussion on promoting peace featuring Abuelaish, Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff from The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah and Pastor Adam Hamilton of United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. SevenDays is part of The Faith Always Wins Foundation, which was created following the murders of 14-yearold Reat Underwood, his grandfather Dr. William Corporon and Terri LaManno outside of Jewish facilities on April 13, 2014. “While our families will always remember, we are also healing and moving onward with passion,” said Mindy Corporon, Reat’s mother, Corporon’s daughter, and SevenDays Co-founder, in a press release. “Our passion is to help others through their own personal tragedy, to explore another faith and to find commonalities with their neighbor or co-worker through acts of kindness.” Abuelaish and Corporon met in 2019 and bonded over their similar experiences and how they responded, turning tragedy into action to help others.
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish “She is following the same path (as I am),” he said. Later in 2019, Abuelaish presented Corporon with a Courage and Inspiration Luminary Award at a gala for his Daughters of Life Foundation, which he established in memory of his daughters. “We want to expose (her) message,” he said. “The positive message, the inspiring, hopeful message is highly needed in our world.” See SEVENDAYS, PAGE 8