06-10-21 The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, Volume 101, Issue 23 by jewish-kc

Volume 101, Number 23 www.kcjc.com June 10, 2021 30 Sivan 5781

jewish chronicle The KANSAS

CITY

‘I got a complete change in world view’ Efforts of Overland Park teacher demonstrate power of Holocaust education, as Auschwitz exhibit is set to open at Union Station

By Jerry LaMartina Contributing Writer Lisa Bauman’s first glimpse of the German words “ARBEIT MACHT FREI” (“Work sets you free”) perched in wrought iron atop the front gate of Auschwitz enveloped her in a sinister silence. “There’s definitely an oppressive feeling that you get,” Bauman said. “There’s something in the energy, the air, the atmosphere — all of it. It just weighs you down. … From that point on, you can’t even talk. There are no words. There’s a hush.” Bauman is a lifelong Catholic and a teacher. She took that first trip to Auschwitz in 2007 with some of her students from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School in Overland Park, where she taught from 1989 until moving to Blue Valley West, her alma mater, in 2014. She returned to Auschwitz almost every year through 2014, always with Aquinas students. She also visited sites in Berlin and Prague, including other death camps. Bauman was at Auschwitz the day in 2014 when a white supremacist killed three people at Jewish institutions in Overland Park. None of the victims were Jewish. “You think about what might’ve happened if more people had stood up instead of being silent, which is a lesson I try to instill in my students,” she said. “Take action.” As an educator, Bauman has imparted those lessons through classes and student trips. And now similar teachings will be open to a broader audience with the opening next week of the Union Station exhibit, “Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.” Bauman hopes to work the exhibit into her curricu-

Lisa Bauman holds an autograph book at a 2012 dedication of a memorial to the Otto Wolf family (a hidden family who survived the Holocaust) that students donated in the forest of Trsice in the Czech Republic. Another teacher, Bonnie Sussman of Oakland, California, is signing the book. (Courtesy Lisa Bauman) lum and will encourage students to see it. The Holocaust was part of Aquinas’ required curriculum, so Bauman immersed herself in the subject. She used the late Elie Wiesel’s “Night” in teaching a course titled “Holocaust Literature: Putting Words into Action” in the mid-1990s. She took “words into action” for the course title from a poster she had gotten at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. It also read, “It’s not enough to be compassionate. You must act.” “I brought back that poster and it really became a theme for our freshman year, and it’s been my theme since then,” Bauman said. “It’s not enough to just feel, ‘Wow, that’s terrible that that happened way back

Lisa Bauman, middle, inspects a memorial in Trsice in the Czech Republic with other teachers during a trip in 2012. (Courtesy Lisa Bauman) then,’ but you have to take action and see the world around you and what’s happening today and do what you can in order to try to repair the world.” One year, her students got involved in a Holocaust Museum outreach project responding to the Darfur genocide. Her students wrote and sent postcards to See OVERLAND, PAGE 8

Everything you need to know about the Israeli government that will replace Benjamin Netanyahu By Ben Sales JTA After 12 straight years as Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu is losing power — and the government that’s about to replace him is remarkable in its own right. Netanyahu’s ouster is a huge deal on its own. Over the past decade-plus, as the country’s longest-serving leader, he has become nearly synonymous with Israel — shaping its foreign and domestic policy as well as its international image, and personally guiding its relationship with the United States. Over the past two years, his desire to hold onto power — even as he stands trial on corruption charges — along with

his opponents’ desire to oust him, have driven Israel’s political system into crisis. He has become so personally polarizing that a range of ideological allies turned against him — and are on the verge of replacing him. Now, Netanyahu’s opponents have announced that they have succeeded in defeating him. And when they get sworn in later this month, unless Netanyahu somehow manages to scuttle that, the government they form will itself break boundaries. It will be an unprecedented alliance of political right and left, Jews and Arabs, all dedicated to one goal: ending the Netanyahu era. At the same time, there are ways that, even under new leadership, Israel is unlikely to change.

Here’s what you need to know about Israel’s incoming government. NETANYAHU IS LOSING POWER: HOW WE GOT HERE. Israel has been trying and failing to elect a stable government for more than two years. And Netanyahu has come close to losing power before. But this time, it looks like it’s actually happening. A little background: Netanyahu seemed to have won Israel’s 2019 election, but his former partners deserted him and he couldn’t form a coalition. So Israel held another election. Then it held another. Then yet another. Each time, neither Netanyahu nor his opponents gained a majority. There was a brief interlude where the rivals came together to form a coalition to address the pandemic, but that fell apart pretty quickly. This time around, if Netanyahu’s opponents weren’t able to team up, Israel would have held a fifth election. Almost no one wanted that to happen, so Netan-

yahu’s rivals decided to put aside their vast differences and form a coalition with one goal: to get rid of him. The incoming coalition is a testament to how much Israeli politics has become about Netanyahu himself. Three of the parties in the incoming government largely agree with Netanyahu on policy. But they dislike him so much that they’d rather team up with the Israeli left than give him another term in office. This amounts to a political reset for the Jewish state. To have any real memory of Israel before Netanyahu’s current tenure, you’d have to have been born well before the iPhone was released. For more than a decade, Netanyahu’s personality and politics have dominated Israel. No longer. See HISTORIC, PAGE 10

MORE COVERAGE For additional news from Israel, including more information about the new government, please see Page 15

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June 10, 2021

local news

Kansas City-area leaders express support for the Jewish community amidst spike in antisemitism

By Mike Sherry Editor Faith leaders and elected officials from around the Kansas City area gathered June 3 to denounce the rise in antisemitism prompted by the recent conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. “Antisemitism is anti-democratic, anti-American, anti-human and thus has no place in our society,” said the Rev. Bob Hill, minister emeritus of Community Christian Church. “Antisemitic rhetoric and the violence it inspires is unpatriotic and utterly unholy and cannot be countenanced in any organization or by any community.” He added that he stood “with my Jewish brothers and sisters as they experience, yet again, another assault on their dignity and their humanity.” Hill was one of several speakers at the news conference, which was held at the Jewish Community Center. Among the Kansas elected officials present — joined by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Kansas City) and other local politicians — were Assistant Secretary of State Catherine Gunsalus and

Gavriela Geller, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee, speaks at a June 3 news conference where local faith leaders and elected officials denounced antisemitism. (Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City) state Sen. Ethan Corson (D-Prairie Village), who is Jewish. Also in attendance was the Rev. Vernon Howard, president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City and senior pastor of St. Mark’s Church in Kansas City, Missouri. The news conference came in the wake of a reported spike in antisemitic acts amid Israel’s 11-day conflict with Hamas. The nonprofit Secure Community Network, a homeland security and safety initiative of the organized Jewish community in North America, late last

month reported an 80% increase in antisemitic acts, fueled in part by disinformation on social media. Despite the cases of hate against Jews, Corson said the support provided by the wide range of speakers at the event gave him “a real sense of hope.” Kansas lawmakers, Corson said, operate from the viewpoint that “our region is at our best when everyone feels welcome.” Gunsalus said the gathering at the campus was a stand against those who want to normalize hatred against Jews. “We must continue to stand boldly against those who promote hatred and violence against Jews,” she said.

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How does the copier work?: Return to the office prompts all the emotions of starting a new job Who would have believed that re-entry into the workforce would be something we are grappling with today. Fifteen months out of the office, working virtually, and all of our interactions via Zoom became the way of doing business since the onset of the pandemic in March of last year. Now, we are changing the way we work again – going back to the office in a hybrid model. What is especially surprising are the challenges and apprehensions many of us felt. Although we did talk at length about our feelings prior to the opening, it was still a surprise to me how strange it felt. It was as if I was starting a new job with a blend of excitement, anticipation, anxiety and trepidation. I had a restless sleep the night before the opening thinking how things would go, how people would feel, what it would be like. As I got ready for the day, it took me extra time to dress – do my work clothes still fit? What shoes should I wear? Will the office be cold or hot? Everything caused me to pause and take a moment to think. I then started to pack up my files for the day, my laptop, phones, lunch, snacks. Did I have my keys, my mask, and would there be coffee made? I didn’t remember how to run the coffee machine!

As I left, my cocker spaniel looked at me with sad and quizzical eyes, not understanding where I was going. After all, I’d been in the house with her for over a year. As I entered the office I was greeted by our receptionist, who let me know there was coffee ready (whew!). The office looked like I left it back in March 2020, with neat piles of papers which I left thinking I’d be back in a week or so. Reading them over, I began to realize how long we were actually gone and how much things have changed while staying the same. I then proceeded to check things out – re-familiarize myself with where everyone sat – and glanced at the technology realizing it was like looking at it for the first time. How does the copy machine work, and how do I retrieve my messages on these new phones? I was able to turn on the computer but there were so many updates that it took almost all day to catch up. At least I had my laptop, although a new one was already sitting on my desk as the old one could not keep a charge. More challenges. Then the Tuesday/Thursday crew came in. It was so wonderful to see each other, however, it felt a bit awkward. Should we hug, take off our masks in our offices or when we entered someone else’s? All questions we needed to ask. We each were used to a different working style and space. We each had different comfort levels with interacting. We were used to being home in a

familiar space with kids, animals or partners. Some of us spent little time interacting with other people. When the initial awkwardness passed, it started to feel more familiar, and I think people relaxed a bit. However, I must admit when I went home that first night, I was thoroughly exhausted. The interactions and catch-up were fun, but tiring. I haven’t expended that much energy in a very long time. I know as the days pass, things will fall into place. I will know where my things are, which people are here on which days (half our staff is in on Mondays and Wednesdays, the other half Tuesdays and Thursdays with Friday optional in or out of the office). We will create new patterns of working together and gain more comfort in working with one another in person. So, it’s all good. Change is good. We’ve all learned a lot about ourselves these past fifteen months, and I believe we have a new appreciation for each other and the wonderful team spirit that we’ve been able to maintain through it all. We look forward to making new memories and conquering new horizons. We will move forward with the new wisdom we have gained during this trying time. I wish each of you an easy re-entry into our new way of life. Take it slow but engage in all the good things that await you. It will be worth the plunge! Helene Lotman is president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City

June 10, 2021

The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

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community news

CARnival to raise money for Jackson County CASA volunteer – just a heart for helping children, a background check, and training. The hours are highly flexible. While each case is different, a CASA volunteer usually spends about 10 hours a month meeting with the child, speaking with others involved, and attending meetings or

court hearings. For information about volunteering as a CASA, for tickets to attend CARnival for CASA, or to sponsor a CASA kid to attend CARnival for CASA, please visit www.jacksoncountycasamo.org or call Jackson County CASA at 816-984-8200.

Jewish Community Center Youth Triathlon set for June 27 The Jewish Community Center is excited to announce the return of the Youth Triathlon on June 27, after a hiatus due to the pandemic. The J’s Youth Triathlon is for kids from age four to 17 and allows youth to compete in a fun setting complete with food, music and a medal for every participant. The triathlon will take place at

the Jewish Community Campus, 5801 W. 115th St., in Overland Park, Kansas, and the grounds of the former Sprint campus, which adjoins The J grounds. The race is approved by/ certified by the US Triathlon Association. Competition begins at 7:30 a.m. For more information or to register, please visit thejkc.org/youthtri.

A dunk tank and pie-in-the-face activity will be among those at an upcoming fundraiser for Jackson County CASA. Jewish Family Services and The Giving Brick will be among the organizations participating in CARnival for CASA, a drive-through event that includes more than 20 activity booths, sweet treats and lunch for everyone in the car, a raffle, an optional nature walk or scavenger hunt, yard games, and lots of goodies to take home, including LEGO sets. Attended by both the public and the kids served by Jackson County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), this benefit will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 12 at Unity Village, 1901 NW Blue Parkway in Lee’s Summit. Everything is included for $60 per carload. CARnival goers will be able to take part in traditional carnival activities before having the option of hopping out of the car to take part in a scavenger hunt, walk a nature trail, play yard games including corn hole, Jenga, hula hoops and bucket pong, and enjoy lunch on the grounds. Some of the drive-through activities include a dunk tank, pie in the face, exotic birds, hula hoopers, jugglers, music, car bingo, Disney princesses, stilt walker, bubble machine, mascots, ring toss, car decorating station where volunteers decorate the car, photo booth, temporary tattoos, balloon twister and more. Kids will get to take home lots of goodies including sets of LEGO from The Giving Brick, a nonprofit that sanitizes and compiles used LEGO pieces into complete sets. JFS will distribute t-shirts and other items from its teen anti-suicide program, You Be You. There will be popcorn, cotton candy, f ’Real ice cream shakes, and boxed

lunches from Cosentino’s Price Chopper for everyone in the car. A raffle offers an opportunity to win gift cards to area groceries, restaurants and the Kansas City Zoo. This year, Jackson County CASA volunteers will advocate for the best interests of 1,250 children who have been removed from their homes for their safety because of abuse and neglect. The public is invited to sponsor CASA kids to attend CARnival for CASA as well as to take part in all the excitement of attending CARnival for CASA themselves. Many CASA kids have never attended a carnival and say that this day — when they get to just be a kid and forget their trauma for a time — is the best day of their lives. CARnival for CASA will raise funds to help recruit, train and provide ongoing support to Jackson County CASA volunteers. With support from professional staff, CASA volunteers work to provide critical information to judges, helping them make the best possible decisions regarding where the children should live and what medical, therapeutic, and educational services they need. Often, CASA volunteers are the single constant in these children’s lives as they navigate the court and foster care system. Kids who have a CASA volunteer are far less likely to be re-abused and far more likely to find a safe permanent home. They typically are also in the foster-care system for a shorter time and do better in school. More volunteers are desperately needed. There is no need for any special skills or education to be a CASA

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June 10, 2021

community news

JFS 2020 Gratitude Report highlights increased demand for services

Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City (JFS) has released its 2020 Gratitude Report, A Year of Extraordinary Caring, highlighting the explosive growth of the organization in meeting the needs of the community. All of JFS’s core services substantially increased, including: • KesherKC – 122% increase in clients who received social work support • Food Pantries – 99% increase in families helped • Mental Health & Education – 50% increase in counseling sessions • Older Adult – 55% increase in care management clients, with the Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care program impacting 512 people. The report also highlights other key outcomes – more than 10,000 people were assisted by JFS in 2020. “JFS never missed a step in serving our community,” said Don Goldman, JFS executive director and CEO. “We didn’t stop, and in fact, grew our services and organization significantly in the past year.” KesherKC provided social work support for 872 individuals. Seventy-two percent of JFS’s clients were enrolled in one or more of its programs. Approximately 745 individuals received financial aid totaling $878,374. The JFS food pantry, which has locations in Overland Park and Brookside, went from serving 759 families in 2019 to assisting 1,511 families in 2020. JFS did this while following COVID-19 safety protocols with touchless pick-up and delivery as well as hosting community food drives to meet the increased need. One in three of JFS food pantry families have pets, and JFS was able to provide their furry friends with sustenance too, distributing 555,134 pounds of pet food. Mental health issues jumped to the forefront of JFS’s focus. JFS provided 4,247 counseling sessions virtually to ensure the safety of the clients and therapists. The YouBeYou teen mental wellness and suicide prevention program continued to work with 16 schools in the metro area. JFS also launched an online Wellness Video Library pro-

viding the community with education and support. Older adults faced immeasurable challenges during the pandemic. Scores of volunteers reached out to older adults by phone through a new Calling Connections effort. Care packages were delivered, and care managers checked in regularly with clients to assure they had food, medications and a friendly ear to listen to their concerns. “We launched innovative programs such as our TechConnect pilot for isolated older adults and developed protocols to keep our clients especially safe,” Goldman said. Through its Chaplaincy program,

512 people received spiritual care, with more than 1,964 visits provided by JFS’ Jewish Community Chaplain or its team of Spiritual Care volunteers. “We could not have kept up with the extraordinary uptick for services if it had not been for extraordinary caring of the community. The generosity of our donors, volunteers and community partners provided us with the resources necessary to nimbly meet the increased calls for help,” Goldman said. Although all JFS services and programs were virtual or contactless, volunteers remained an important part of the organization’s success. More than 320 volunteers contributed 6,597

hours to the agency. While the report indicates 2020 numbers, the need for JFS services continues; the number of individuals being served by JFS is not decreasing. Individuals and families in Kansas City are struggling with food and financial insecurity and mental health challenges. Older adults are relying on JFS services to help them become more active and less isolated after a year of isolation. For many, life still seems overwhelming. “The challenges of 2020 have made us wiser, more resilient and better prepared to support individuals and families struggling with economic and mental challenges,” Goldman said.

Monthly kosher Shabbat curbside meals to go now available Skip the grocery shopping and the cooking and reserve a catered Shabbat dinner. Curbside pick-up offers a convenient “take and warm’’ kosher meal so you can enjoy a relaxing Shabbat. Meals are prepared by Ellenberg Experience Catering under the supervision of the Vaad Hakashrut of Kansas City. Meals can be ordered in quantities to serve one or more individuals

or a family of four. All food items are packaged in containers suitable for warming in the oven or transferring microwaveable items to a microwavesafe container before heating. Simple and clear heating instructions are included. Orders must be received by 11:00 p.m. on June 15. Meals will be available for pick up on June 18. Menu and

pricing can be found on the order page. Curbside pick-up takes place between noon and 1:00 at the Jewish Community Campus theater circle drive. Order your curbside Shabbat meal and pay online at rabbiskc.regfox. com/shabbat-meals-to-go-monthly. For questions or to inquire about confidential financial assistance, contact Annette Fish, Rabbinical Associa-

tion administrator/program director, by email at afprogram@aol.com or call 913-327-8226. Visit kcrabbi.org for additional information. This project is sponsored by the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City, in partnership with the J Heritage Center, Jewish Family Services, Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City and Jewish Federation.

June 10, 2021

The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

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community news

Lone Jack High School student is one winner of this year’s White Rose Student Research contest The White Rose Student Research contest, sponsored annually by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education, is open to students in grades eight

through 12. MCHE announced this year’s winners at an awards banquet last month. You can see a video of the event here

The Nazi Degenerate Art Exhibit opened in Munich in July 1937, filled with thousands of modern art pieces that somehow contaminated the Nazi idea of German “perfection.” This exhibit is one of many examples of how the Nazis sought to control German minds, alleging corruption by those they deemed “other.” As time went on, the Nazis escalated their campaign of propaganda to instill citizens with fascist corruption. The persuasive art techniques used throughout all forms of propaganda made them more effective and successful, with the seven elements of art (line, shape, color, form, space, value, and texture) appearing within each and every piece. Hitler and his Nazi regime weaponized these elements to persuade the masses to execute over six million innocent lives. After the shameful loss of World War I, Germany was in desperate need of unity. Not soon after, the Nazi party started releasing propaganda giving them the perfect scapegoat to blame for their troubles: the Jews. In order to effectively instill the German people with the idea that the Jews were a parasite, weakening their nation, they simultaneously developed the belief that the German people were superior, almost angelic. The vehicle used to communicate this concept was propaganda. One of the most important concepts that the Nazi party communicated in these pieces was the “perfect Aryan” family, including a mother, a father, and multiple children. Another idea the Nazis portrayed was that Germans’ spiritual honor lay within serving their Fatherland. Family roles in propaganda specified mothers caring for their children, often cradling a newborn child at their breast. The children were expected to be active members of the Hitler Youth, and the men were to work and serve to protect their families. The most compelling aspect in which they conveyed their message was the depiction of art within each piece of propaganda. The Nazis effectively used lighter tones and angelic features to make the German people feel like they were part of a superior race. The specific art styles included families with many children to promote women to keep reproducing the “perfect” genealogy. Combining images with messages of strong emotional language assisted Nazis in their scheme to rally the nation, with their strategic use of the seven elements of art alarmingly captivating to their audience. A horrifying component of Nazi propaganda is the attention to each minor detail, whether it be pamphlet, post card, newspaper, etc. Educated in persuasive propaganda, the Nazis used the seven elements of art, with each individual item possessing astonishing persuasive tendencies. One poster proved extremely powerful to the German eye, featuring an “Aryan” family casted in light and cream tones, giving them an ethereal appearance. This poster promoted birth and population growth, and it also encouraged those of model “Aryan” families to reach out to their local party organization for assistance if needed. Larger families would receive holidays, extra food, and help with the children at home. In this poster, a large eagle towers in the background, and its wings encompass the family, symbolizing the omnipresence of the Nazi Regime. The father protectively embraces and guards his family, and his son is featured at his side to represent the roles the men must fulfill. The mother, holding a newborn child in her arms with a

(https://mchekc.org/videos/mcheprograms/). The 2020-2021 contest theme was propaganda.

Jenna Jordan

This is the second of two winning essays published in The Chronicle. The first was published in our June 3 issue.

propaganda to outcast the Jews. Propaganda presented to the German public also used strong emotional language to convince Germans that Jews would “poison the German people spiritually and destroy it morally.” The Jewish people immediately felt the effects of the widespread hateful messages, and their persecution only escalated as they faced increasingly harsh treatment, culminating in their deportation to the killing centers in the East. Propaganda was the root of the abuse Jewish people experienced, and the Nazi Party fatally utilized elements of art to help this root grow into one of the most horrific genocides in history. Amongst the many forms of propaganda that helped fuel Jewish oppression and annihilation was the antisemitic cartoon titled “Vermin,” featured on the September 1944 cover of the horrifically antisemitic newspaper Der Stürmer. Germany neared the end of war, and most Germans grew tired of war and loss. The message accompanying the cartoon stated: “Life is not worth living, / When one does not resist the parasite, / Never satisfied as it creeps about. / We must and will win” (“Caricatures from Der Stürmer”). A large parasitic, caterpillar-like figure, featured in black and white, crawls across the globe, stereotypically alleging a Jewish goal of global domination. The insect’s face features a grotesque nose and hollowedout eyes, framed by sinister eyebrows. The pupil of the right eye is the sickle and hammer, with the other eye reflecting a dollar sign, suggesting that the Jews were behind communism and capitalism. A scratchy, rough texture to the image creates the illusion of an ominous threat. This cover intended to fill the German people with resolve, even as they were losing the war, desperately reminding Germans of what was at stake, even as most Jews had already suffered their fate in the killing fields across Europe. By creating an image with a dark artistry, the message urges Germans to fight exhaustively, even as their defeat was imminent. By using persuasive art techniques, the Nazis successfully convinced the German people to exclude the Jews, culminating in the destruction of millions of Jewish lives. When reflecting on the power of persuasion within propaganda, Eric Hoffer stated, “Propaganda does not deceive people; it merely helps them to deceive themselves.” Hoffer’s quote reveals that people will often go along with a message if it is convenient or beneficial to them. I agree with his quote because people have their own minds and free will, which may eventually reveal one’s moral compass and hidden narrative. Although it is difficult to fight against the common crowd, we must do our own research to find the narrative behind the message. If what we find is false, it is our job to speak up for the truth.

soft peaceful look on her face, is content in her role. Lastly, a little girl, facing the audience, brings true emotion of happiness to the picture. This piece is specifically meant to include those of the “Aryan” mold, giving its audience a sense of unity and solidarity with their nation. The encouragement of reproduction was to strengthen Germany’s future and proved itself effective. Mothers who had “child-rich” families had the potential to win the “Mother’s Cross,” with some even earning a gold-plated medal encrusted with diamonds for having twelve or more children. Even though the beautiful family image deemed itself perfect, it had a more sinister effect on those who were excluded. Critical to the Nazi Party’s unification of Germans, they needed a scapegoat to blame for Germany’s troubles, declaring Jews as their enemy. Propaganda such as antisemitic curriculum, pamphlets, and even postcards paved the way for escalating persecution. The horrific treatment of the Jews can visually be seen in the Thanks to the Jewish community for welcoming our care team into their countless antisemitic imhomes. ages prevalent in Nazi propaganda, depicting them as menaces to society. Dark images of Jews characterized them as repugnant, money-hungry, obese and even animalistic in some cases. Again, COVID 19: CDC GUIDELINES the Nazis used persuaINFO@CARINGCOMESFROMTHEHEART.COM OBSERVED sive art techniques in

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June 10, 2021

important dates Friday June 11 Candle-Lighting Time Tammuz 1, 8:27 p.m.

Saturday June 12 Beth Torah’s Sichat Shabbat Join Congregation Beth Torah to explore halacha (Jewish Law) of childhood and coming of age under the larger theme of Halacha of Life Cycle Events. Please email connect@beth-torah.org to request the Zoom link. 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Beth Torah’s Muzzle Tov Havdalah We are celebrating man’s / woman’s / person’s best friend: DOGS... and Havdalah! B.Y.O.D. (Bring Your Own Dogs) to Congregation Beth Torah’s Backyard for a blessing and a treat! We will also take a moment to remember our dogs who are no longer with us. This unique Havdalah experience will be streamed on our Facebook page (https://facebook.com/CongregationBethTorah) and our Virtual Sanctuary (https://beth-torah.org/virtualsanctuary). Please call the Beth Torah office for additional information (913-498-2212). 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Parkinson’s Revolution Ride Parkinson’s Revolution will take place across the country on June 12, 2021. Join us in-person on The J’s pool deck or virtually for a high energy ride that generates funds and awareness for Parkinson’s disease. We are carefully monitoring the ongoing public health concerns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and will be following local regulations to create an event experience that is fun, inspiring, and safe for our riders, volunteers, and staff. We can’t wait to ride together with one goal: beat Parkinson’s. Join us for this high-energy ride! If you can’t join us in person you can also register for a virtual ride and cycle from wherever you are! Cost: NO FEE | Donations welcome with perks at various levels. Ride Time Slots: 8 am + 9 am

Sunday June 13 Safe Sitter Prepare students in grades 6-8 to be safe when they’re home alone, watching younger siblings, or babysitting. After this course, Safe Sitter students will have gained safety skills, child care skills, first aid + rescue skills, and life + business skills. Location: Fitness+Sports+Aquatics Meeting Room 1 Class sizes capped for social distancing. Register early! Cost: J Members: $50 per child. Guests: $65 per child. 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Monday June 14 “Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away.” This exhibit opens at Union Station in Kansas City. This groundbreaking exhibition brings together more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs from over 20 institutions and museums around the world. Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. is the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the history of Auschwitz and its role in the Holocaust ever presented in North America, and an unparalleled opportunity to confront the singular face of human evil—one that arose

not long ago and not far away. For more information, see (https://unionstation.org/event/auschwitz/) Jewish Federation Golf Classic 2021 The Jewish Federation Golf Classic is back for its third year. Join us at Oakwood Country Club. To register, go to jewishkansascity.org/golf2021. 10:30 a.m registration. 11 a.m. to noon lunch. 12:30 p.m. shotgun start

Tuesday June 15 Yiddish Speaking Enthusiasts Group Meeting If you are interested in spending time with other Yiddish-speaking enthusiasts, this group site is for you. Not only is there a site full of interesting, fun, and informative subject matter but you will make connections with individuals with similar interests. Find out more about Fishl at derbay.org. Virtual (ZOOM) - Pre-registration Required. 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Beth Torah’s Multi-Access Song Session Join Lezlie Zucker to take a deep breath and sing some songs together, physically in Beth Torah’s Sanctuary and virtually via our Virtual Sanctuary (https://beth-torah.org/ virtual-sanctuary) and Facebook page (https://facebook. com/CongregationBethTorah. 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Wednesday June 16 JFS Grief and Loss Group The ongoing support group, which meets the first and third Wednesday of the month, is for individuals grieving from the death of a loved one. The group provides an opportunity to address issues of loss and grief within a Jewish spiritual context in a warm and confidential environment. The program is co-facilitated by Lauren Glass, LCSW and Rabbi Mark Levin To register for this support group contact Molly McGurk, LCSW – JFS Director of Mental Health Services phone: 913-327-8298 email: mmcgurk@jfskc.org. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. B’nai Jehudah’s Weekly Wednesday morning Torah study Start your day by delving into this rich and insightful text! Grab a cup of coffee and join our clergy for this always exciting exploration as we study the weekly Torah portion and learn from its many faceted lessons. Drop-ins welcome; no experience necessary! To participate, please contact Damien Timms, rabbiadmin@bnaijehudah.org for a link and access to the Zoom meeting. 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Conversation Cafe at the Heritage Center Join Bob Gast and his popular Conversation Cafe classes for a limited time. 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Thursday June 17 Bring Your Own Baby (B.Y.O.Baby) - Summer Session Join us every Thursday, from 10-11 am, for quality activities for babies in Kansas City. Classes are focused on exploring movement, music, storytelling, and more with your baby. Classes are recommended for children newborn up to 4 years. Summer Session will be a hybrid of in-person + ZOOM*. 12-Week Session: $40 for Members | $60 for Guests. Drop-In Class: $5 for Members | $8 for Guests. 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Learn, Laugh, Love: Containers with Style at the Heritage Center Artist and gardener, Karen Lyman will show you the latest tips and techniques to create fabulous containers beyond red geraniums and spikes. Based on the elements of fine design, she will present everything you need to know to make your next container garden a work of art. Lyman is a Johnson County Extension Master Gardener volunteer. She combines her art background and gardening knowledge to create many fabulous container gardens for herself and others to enjoy. Location: Virtual (Zoom). 1 p.m.

Friday June 18 Candle-Lighting Time Tammuz 8, 8:29 p.m. Kosher Shabbat Curbside Meals to Go Kosher Shabbat curbside “meals-to-go” will be available for pickup from noon-1:00 at the Jewish Community Campus theatre circle drive. Orders must be received by Tuesdays at 11:00 p.m. of the week ordering. Order your meal and pay online with a few quick clicks at (https:// rabbiskc.regfox.com/shabbat-meals-to-go-monthly). This project is sponsored by the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City in partnership with the J Heritage Center, Jewish Family Services, Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City and Jewish Federation. Shabbat in the Park We are REALLY excited to see you in person at one of our upcoming Shabbat in the Park events in Gezer Park (133rd & Mission Road). Our service will feature Noah Aronson and our B’nai Jehudah members and friends who will lead us in a musical celebration of Shabbat. Mark your calendars now as we sit together (yet physically-distant in our social pods) celebrating Shabbat. 6:00 p.m.

Saturday June 19 Beth Torah’s Virtual Sichat Shabbat This Shabbat, join Congregation Beth Torah to explore halacha (Jewish Law) of childhood and coming of age under the larger theme of Halacha of Life Cycle Events. Please email connect@beth-torah.org to request the Zoom link. 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Saturday Night Out - Welcome Back Summer Welcome Back Summer with a Saturday Night Out! Kids can come play in the J Clubhouse while parents enjoy a night out. We will go swimming, have a pizza dinner, do themed activities and watch a movie. 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Monday June 21 Heritage Center movie The Heritage Center at The J offers a movie matinee with the Tom Hanks film “News of the World.” Free. preregistration required. 1 p.m.

Tuesday June 22 Holocaust Landscapes Camps like Auschwitz were only one of the many landscapes where the Holocaust was enacted and expe-

rienced. In this Zoom talk, Tim Cole of the University of Bristol situates the place of Auschwitz within the wider geography and chronology of a genocide that was constantly on the move as it first moved east, and then west, and then east again across Europe. Presented by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education and Union Station Kansas City in support of the exhibition Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away. 2 p.m. Yiddish Speaking Enthusiasts Group Meeting If you are interested in spending time with other Yiddish-speaking enthusiasts, this group site is for you. Not only is there a site full of interesting, fun, and informative subject matter but you will make connections with individuals with similar interests. Find out more about Fishl at derbay.org. Virtual (ZOOM) - Pre-registration Required. 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Wednesday June 23 Safe@Home from The J This program is designed for students in grades 4-6 to prepare them to be safe and to care for themselves when parents are away for short periods of time. Location: Fitness+Sports+Aquatics Meeting Room 1. J Members: $25 per child. Guests: $32 per child. 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Thursday June 24 JFS Nurses Virtual Support Group Join a group of your peers along with a JFS licensed clinical professional and a registered nurse for: safe and confidential space, peer support, and coping skills. To join this free support group, email: nursespeersupport@ jfskc.org. The group meets virtually the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Bring Your Own Baby (B.Y.O.Baby) - Summer Session Join us every Thursday, from 10-11 am, for quality activities for babies in Kansas City. Classes are focused on exploring movement, music, storytelling, and more with your baby. Classes are recommended for children newborn up to 4 years. Summer Session will be a hybrid of in-person + ZOOM*. 12-Week Session: $40 for Members | $60 for Guests. Drop-In Class: $5 for Members | $8 for Guests. 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Friday June 25 Candle-Lighting Time Tammuz 15, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday June 27 Youth Triathlon For children Ages 4-17, with age-appropriate groupings The Youth Triathlon in Kansas City at The J provides a fun and healthy opportunity to help children stay active this summer. By combining swimming, biking and running in one sport, participants benefit from wellrounded fitness workouts, enhancing their endurance and strength, and having a lot of fun! This J event is a fun way for children with wide ranges of experience, from novice to serious athlete, to participate individually or as part of a 2-3 person team. You won’t want to miss food, music, fun and an award for every participant! 7:00 am - 12:00 pm

Outside the Kansas City area:

June 10, 2021

The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

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spotlight 4 Rabbis Log Onto Zoom...

Vaccination Station ABOVE: JFS is partnering with KC Care Health Center to get more clients and community members vaccinated. Shown here at the JFS Brookside East office during a recent vaccination event are: (L-R) Maggie Haghirian, Director of KesherKC; Laura Gilman, Director of Older Adult Services; and Brittani Rhoades, Food Pantry Manager.

ABOVE: It’s a blast from B’nai Jehudah’s past! Rabbis Daniel Kirzane, Neal Schuster, Alexandria Shuval-Weiner and Sarah Smiley came together for a surprise (virtual) sermon that will air during B’nai Jehudah’s Erev Shabbat service on June 11. Join B’nai Jehudah in person or virtually on Facebook Live @ttcbj or vimeo.com/bnaijehudah. In-person attendance is limited; please RSVP for in-person attendance (RSVPs required). The RSVP link is available at bnaijehudah.org.

BELOW: The new splash pad at The J was open for use throughout the past week, including during a member family movie night at the pool. The outdoor pool is operating with a capacity limit of 200 currently. The J’s website, thejkc.org, provides a live capacity count families can check before heading to the pool.

O TLIGHT SPO PHOTOS FROM RECENT JEWISH COMMUNITY EVENTS

GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY

SUBMIT A PHOTO: Have a photo of a recent Jewish community event you would like to submit? Email the image and a suggested caption to laceys@jewishkc.org Please write spotlight photo in the subject line.

Splish Splash

BELOW: In the picture at left, Engoma Fataki, Jewish Vocational Service Young Professionals Board member, and Kirsten Parker, JVS Global Table To Go committee member, along with Sara Gonsher and her son, Kyle, in the picture on the right, volunteered as part of JVS’ Global Table To Go fundraiser. On Monday evenings throughout May, supporters could pick up meals from local refugee and immigrant-owned restaurants, such as Mediterranean Market.

Takeout Tzedakah

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The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

June 10, 2021

local news

Overland Park teacher has made Holocaust education a priority for more than two decades from page 1 then-President George W. Bush about saving Darfur. Through the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education (MCHE), Baum invited Holocaust survivors to speak to her Aquinas students, which “was life changing for me.” The survivors usually wanted the students to ask questions and would pose with them for photos. “It was powerful,” Bauman said. “The kids always responded. Tears, hugging, the survivors giving them personal messages (such as) ‘You can do this. Whenever you’re feeling down about something, you have the strength inside you. If I can do this, you can do this. Go out into the world and fight against hatred and make sure this never happens again.’” Speaking to the students was also hard on the survivors because of the trauma they had suffered and how it had changed their lives, she said. They often had trouble sleeping the night before and took days to recover afterward. “I still have students who I’m in touch with from decades ago who … say ‘Your class changed my life; this class was the best thing I ever did,’” Bauman said. Charlie Sullivan’s life was one of those changed by a trip to Europe with Bauman during his junior year at Aquinas in 2009 and again in her Holocaust class his senior year. He is 29, grew up in Olathe and now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “Mrs. Bauman is very big on action,” Sullivan said. That translated to “How do you take this information and integrate it into your life?” That question prompted him, as an undergraduate studying mechanical engineering at the University of Nebraska, to do research with the school’s history department on the long-term effects of Holocaust education. Later, while studying for a master’s degree in computer engineering at the University

of Texas at El Paso, he volunteered at a Holocaust museum near his home. “I got a complete change in world view,” Sullivan said of the European trip and Bauman’s class. “It has made me develop an understanding of the capabilities of humans and what kinds of things make things like the Holocaust possible. … There probably isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t have some sort of thought that is related to that. … It’s painted how I view politics, relationships, everything.” While teaching at Aquinas during the 1998-99 school year, Bauman did a one-year fellowship at the Holocaust museum. It included one summertime week learning about the Holocaust at the museum, along with talks presented by historians and other teachers. As part of the fellowship, teachers worked the Holocaust into their curriculums or did a project with their students. Bauman and her students built a website with information the students learned about the Holocaust. Bauman made a PowerPoint presentation from a photo slideshow a Holocaust museum teacher had been presenting at workshops. She and another fellow, a history teacher, applied for a museum grant and created the PowerPoint together, with “the lens of English and history.” Then they made it into a CD-ROM and mailed it to teachers all over the country. Stephen Feinberg oversaw that project as the fellowship’s supervisor. He recently retired and lives in Minneapolis. He also has a Kansas City connection with Jean Zeldin, former executive director of the MHCE; they worked together on a traveling exhibition that came to Kansas City. Feinberg said he saw something special in Bauman during her fellowship, that her literary and historical knowledge made her an “outstanding teacher.” “It was fairly clear to me very early on that Lisa combined exceptional aca-

Students taking part in a Holocaust Study Tour gather near the entrance to Auschwitz. (Courtesy Lisa Bauman) demic and organizational abilities with outstanding personal skills,” he said. Bauman’s fellowship also qualified her to travel regionally to instruct other teachers how to teach the Holocaust in one-day workshops at universities, which she did from 2005 through 2013. At Blue Valley West, Bauman teaches English and a global education course titled “Global Citizens: Awareness to Action.” She incorporates the Holocaust in those classes. She also received a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Program grant in 2019. Bauman also has taught at Baker University since 2014. She teaches a course for graduate students in education called “Fostering Conscientious, Courageous Global Citizens,” which instructs them how to teach about the Holocaust. Bauman was born and raised in Lawrence and lives in Overland Park. She is a member of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Mission. She received a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in secondary education from Saint Mary College in Leavenworth (now the University of Saint Mary) and a master’s in education, teaching and leadership from the University of Kansas. She and her husband, Boyd Bauman,

Overland Park teacher Lisa Bauman finds a page from a book of all the people murdered at Auschwitz of victims that share her last name. (Courtesy Lisa Bauman) have five children, ages 8 to 34. Bauman wants to further research her husband’s surname. She found records from the late 1800s that show his family had spelled it Baumann. She suspects that, from fear of antisemitism, his family might have dropped the final “n” in their name to make it appear less Jewish. Her husband’s grandfather was a member of the Apostolic Christian Church. “Whether or not there is Jewish ancestry, people were afraid of repercussions if people thought they were Jewish, and they might’ve had a hard time,” Bauman said. “I think it’s sad that to this day, anti-Semitism is such a problem, and that people have to be afraid for their religious identity. … “Jewish kids do have to be careful,” she said. “Not just Jewish kids but lots of kids, based on identity. That’s also part of why it’s important to study this history.”

A new museum in New Orleans puts the family histories of Southern Jews on display By Jonah Goldman Kay JTA Janis Rabin’s family emigrated from Poland, eventually settling in Bogalusa, Louisiana. For years, she and her relatives had kept memories and stories of their family’s Jewish experience to themselves, or shared them casually with friends. So when Rabin entered this city’s Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience the day it opened to the public, she was moved by seeing her family’s history represented more formally. “I look at the museum and it is such a beautiful representation of what it means to have your roots, your identity validated,” she said. Like Rabin, many of the visitors on the museum’s opening day May 27 were Southern Jews themselves, eager to find evidence of their family lore or share artifacts with an unusual collection designed to bring relics of Southern Jewish life out of the region’s closets and attics. Unlike Jews in the North, who largely congregated in urban centers, Jews who settled in the South spread out across the region’s small towns and cities. The museum features large Jewish communities in New Orleans and Atlanta alongside lesserknown, but equally vibrant, places like Dumas,

Arkansas, which had several Jewish mayors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It also highlights the fact that Southern Jews often found careers as traveling salesmen, moving from one town to another. In the center of the museum’s first room stands a peddler’s cart filled with the wares they might have sold. The piece connected with many of the visitors, who related it back to their own family’s origins. “My relatives were merchants and shop owners,” said Martin Covert, whose family came to New Orleans in the late 1800s. “The parts where they talked about commerce … really resonated with me.” That’s exactly the point, said Anna Tucker, the museum’s curator. The South is a massive region and each community had a unique experience. So rather than set a singular narrative, Tucker used familiar objects to tell a specific story. “If you didn’t know the story behind them, a lot of the artifacts here would just look like an everyday object,” Tucker said. “But once you start listening to the conversations around it, then you’re like, ‘wow, this is so much more.’” The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience is the product of more than three decades of concerted work to preserve the heritage of South-

ern Jewry. When Macy Hart started collecting artifacts from small Jewish communities in the South in 1986, it was out of necessity. As Jews in the South gravitated toward cities, these rural communities were at risk of being forgotten. As a last-ditch effort, community leaders would ask Hart to take their ritual objects and Judaica. There are also more unorthodox items in the collection, including a prosthetic leg that once belonged to a Russian Jewish immigrant who settled in Lake Providence, Louisiana. For years, the collection was displayed at a small museum at the Reform movement’s Jacobs Camp in Utica, Mississippi — a town of fewer than 1,000 people, a 45-minute drive southwest of Jackson. After the museum closed in 2012, the 4,000 items in the collection were put into storage. But people continued to donate artifacts even as the collection languished out of sight. In 2017, a group of prominent Jewish lay leaders launched a $10 million fundraising campaign to move the collection to New Orleans, home to some 10,000 Jews, and give it a new, permanent home. The museum’s three galleries now occupy part of a nondescript downtown building. It’s a small space, approximately 9,000 square feet, though the museum has plans to expand as its collection grows.

June 10, 2021

The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

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national news

Biden administration supports replenishing Iron Dome after Gaza conflict By Ron Kampeas JTA A Biden administration official said the U.S. government supports restocking Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system after it was depleted by last month’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Dozens of House members from both parties have said they would push Congress to appropriate funds to replenish the system should Israel make the request. Israel’s defense minister, Benny Gantz, was in Washington, D.C. last week reportedly seeking $1 billion for Iron Dome. In addition to Iron Dome funding, the acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, Joey Hood, said last week that the Biden administration also would seek “equality” for the Palestinians. President Joe Biden separately told Gantz on June 3 that the United States expects Israel to ease the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. “During the conflict, we saw the Iron Dome system, which our nations developed together, save the lives of countless civilians,” Hood said June 2 at an online forum organized by the Israel Policy Forum, a pro-Israel group

that advocates for a two-state outcome. “The president is clear about this administration’s support for replenishing the system for Israel’s ability to defend itself in the future.” Hood’s statement came a day before the one-day visit by Gantz, who was meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Axios reported this week on the $1 billion request by Gantz. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., who is Jewish, spearheaded a letter to Austin urging him to fulfill any such request. “We ask that you continue urgently engaging with Israel on this request, and that you please report to Congress regarding Israel’s needs as soon as possible,” said the letter, which was signed by 55 House members of both parties. It noted that in 2014 after an IsraelHamas war, Congress appropriated funds to replenish Iron Dome, and said it was ready to do so again. “Please work closely with Congress to expeditiously fulfill this request,” the letter said. At least one member of a vocal cohort of left-wing Democrats who want

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2021. (U.S. State Department Photo by Freddie Everett) Biden to cut aid to Israel said she would oppose any such appropriation. “My colleagues are rushing to give the Israeli military another billion dollars to fund apartheid, meanwhile our education system, our health care system, our housing system all remain underfunded,” Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said on Twitter. “Our communities need that $1 billion. Send it to us instead.” Hamas fired about 4,500 rockets into Israel during the conflict last month, with about 1,500 heading for built-up areas. Iron Dome intercepted more than 90% of the rockets headed for those areas. The Biden administration in its Is-

rael-related rhetoric has moved to emphasize “equality” for the Palestinians. Hood in his statement to the Israel Policy Forum mentioned equal treatment for the Palestinians at least three times. “The United States supports equal measures of security opportunity and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” he said. Sullivan said in a statement after meeting with Gantz that he had “highlighted the importance of ensuring that immediate humanitarian aid is able to reach the people of Gaza.” “The Biden administration is determined to restore aid to the Palestinians that President Donald Trump had all but cut to zero,” he said. Hood also called on Israel and the Palestinians to avoid provocations, among them settlement building and paying compensation to families of terrorists. “We believe it’s critical for Israelis and Palestinians to refrain from steps that exacerbate tensions and undercut efforts to advance a negotiated two-state solution such as annexation of territory, settlement activity, demolitions, incitement to violence and providing compensation for individuals imprisoned for acts of terrorism,” he said.

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page 10

The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

June 10, 2021

global news

Historic coalition set to take power in Israel

from page 1 THIS IS THE FIRST COALITION IN ISRAELI HISTORY TO INCLUDE AN ARAB-ISRAELI PARTY. There have been left-right coalitions in Israel before. But to reach a majority of Israel’s 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, the anti-Netanyahu alliance is doing something truly unprecedented in Israeli history: It is inviting an independent Arab-Israeli party to join the governing coalition. That hasn’t happened before for a few reasons: Although Arabs make up 20% of Israel’s citizenry, Israel’s largest political parties, on both the left and right, didn’t see Arab parties as legitimate political partners in a Jewish state. Arab parties, likewise, did not want to be seen as granting legitimacy to Jewish governments. And often, the policy differences between Jewish and Arab parties were vast. But seven decades after Israel was founded, things have changed. Arab leaders have been more vocal about demanding a say in the way their country is governed. And the ongoing stalemate has given Arab parties a chance to be kingmaker. Faced with the prospect of losing power last year, Netanyahu (who once attacked the very idea of Arab citizens voting in elections) said he’d be willing to partner with Raam, an Islamist Arab party. That legitimized the idea of including Arabs in Israeli coalitions, and now, Raam is set to join Netanyahu’s rivals, and give them the slimmest of majorities. Arabs have almost always been represented in Israel’s parliament. But now, for the first time ever, an Arab party will have an active say in Israel’s government.

IT IS A NARROW — AND UNWIELDY — COALITION OF RIGHT AND LEFT. The coalition is unified on the goal of ousting Netanyahu, but it’s divided on pretty much everything else. It will contain eight different political parties, an unusually large number even in Israel’s famously tumultuous politics. And it will have the smallest possible majority in parliament, so to get anything done, every single member will have to agree. To reconcile the different factions, the coalition will have two prime ministers: Naftali Bennett, who heads the right-wing Yamina party, will serve for two years and change. Then Yair Lapid, the leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, will take over for about the same amount of time. Both of them head historically small parties. Yesh Atid only has 17 seats (as opposed to the 30 held by Netanyahu’s Likud party). Yamina will have a paltry six seats. But this unorthodox arrangement is the only way to keep everyone in the coalition happy. It’s unclear how long this coalition will last. Previous ones that were more ideologically coherent have fallen apart quickly. THE NEXT PRIME MINISTER, NAFTALI BENNETT, WILL BE THE FIRST RELIGIOUS ZIONIST TO LEAD ISRAEL. But no matter how long he serves, Naftali Bennett will earn the distinction of being the politician who replaced Netanyahu. He’s a staunch right-winger, often further to the right than Netanyahu, who opposes Palestinian statehood, supports West Bank settlement expansion and has vowed to pursue a hawkish defense policy. He will also be the first religious Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu has

become a reliable ally of the haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, parties, but personally he is secular, just like all of his predecessors. Bennett identifies as Orthodox and wears a kippah. His ascent is a sign of the growth, and growing influence, of religious Zionists in a state founded by secular Jewish socialists. Bennett will also be the first Israeli prime minister born of American parents. Like Netanyahu, he speaks fluent, basically natural English. When he worked in the tech world, before entering politics, he spent time living in New York. THE CONFLICT IN ISRAEL AND GAZA CAME CLOSE TO QUASHING THIS COALITION — AND ALSO MAY HAVE ENCOURAGED IT. Before fighting broke out between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the same coalition appeared to be coming together. But the conflict in Gaza, and interethnic clashes in Israel, threatened to derail it. Party leaders did not negotiate as rockets were flying. Mansour Abbas, the leader of the Raam party, froze talks with Lapid. Bennett said that he would no longer partner with the alliance of Netanyahu opponents. Then, soon after the sides reached a ceasefire, everyone seemed to return to where they had been before the fighting started. Bennett wrote a long Facebook post bashing Netanyahu. Abbas renewed negotiations. Lapid began signing coalition agreements with other parties. It may be that the fighting, after almost stopping this coalition in its tracks, ended up giving it even greater urgency. The government will not include any haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, parties. But it will still be mostly Ashkenazi and male. There are a lot of ways Israel’s incoming government will be different.

There are also plenty of ways it will be the same. Like every prime minister not named Golda Meir, the next leader of Israel will be an Ashkenazi Jewish man. And in certain ways, the government will be less diverse than previous ones. Although it will include an unprecedented number of parties, all but one of those parties is led by a man. None of the parties are led by Mizrahi Jews, or Jews of Middle Eastern descent. And none of the parties are haredi, after six years in which haredi parties were given control of Israel’s religious affairs. On the one hand, that means this government could reform Israel’s religious policies, perhaps reducing funding to haredi institutions, requiring haredi men to enter Israel’s mandatory military draft, or liberalizing Israel’s Jewish conversion and marriage systems, which are controlled by the haredi Chief Rabbinate. On the other hand, the coalition is so narrow and fragmented that it may be hard to pass any major legislation. DON’T EXPECT ANY BIG MOVES ON ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE. On that note, don’t expect this to be the government that makes peace with the Palestinians. Bennett opposes Palestinian statehood, as do other members of the coalition. Likewise, the leftwing and Arab parties will likely block any attempt to annex parts of the West Bank. Other governments have come in with policy platforms or an ideological program. Because this one came together to oust Netanyahu and end a political crisis, it will have accomplished its goal the moment it gets sworn in. What happens next is anyone’s guess.

Russian-Israeli tennis player Aslan Karatsev reaches French Open mixed doubles final (JTA) — Perhaps it’s beginner’s luck: Russian-Israeli tennis player Aslan Karatsev, playing mixed doubles for the first time, has reached the finals of the French Open with partner Elena Vesnina. Maybe not: At the Australian Open in February, Karatsev had an amazing run, reaching the semifinals before losing to the eventual champion, Novak Djokovic. That was his first Grand Slam tournament in singles or doubles. Karatsev and Vesnina now have their sights set on playing mixed dou-

bles at the Tokyo Olympics starting next month. Karatsev, 27, was born in the North Caucasus region of Russia. His maternal grandfather is Jewish, and he moved to Israel when he was 3 years old. He left at 12 and said the Israel Tennis Association’s lack of funding was a major factor pushing him to leave. His mother and sister remained in Israel. Karatsev will be representing Russia in singles at the postponed Olympics due to his ranking, No. 26 in the world as of May, and he reached out to his fellow Russian Vesnina, 34, a

women’s doubles champion, about the possibility of competing in the mixed doubles draw. “We spoke before the tournament, like two months ago, and I asked her to try to play mixed with me,” Karatsev said. “I was asking her if she wants to play mixed because it’s a good opportunity to play [in the] Olympics together. She has a good experience. She’s had a great career in the past [and] she continues right now after she stopped for two years.” (Vesninia stepped away from tennis after giving birth to her daughter in November 2018.)

“I was honestly surprised when I saw the message from him,” Vesnina joked. “He texted me in February. He was like, ‘Oh hey, do you want to play mixed with me at the French?’ And I was like, ‘Aslan, it’s only February!’” That text has paid off: Karatsev and Vesnina defeated the third-ranked Dutch team of Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhoof, 6-4, 6-1, in the semifinals on Tuesday. They will face American Desiree Krawczyk and Brit Joe Salisbury in the finals today. Karatsev lost in the second round of the singles draw.

Toy Movement and Peres Center distribute gifts to Arab and Jewish kids in Jaffa (JNS) The Toy Movement, a philanthropic initiative founded by Canada’s largest children’s toy and entertainment company Spin Master, distributed toys this week to Arab and Jewish children at four nursery schools in Jaffa, in partnership with the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation. The children, whose neighborhoods were recently the scene of intercommunal tension and violence, each received a toy from Spin Master’s “Paw Patrol”

range, one of the world’s most popular toy brands. Odette Levy, the mother of one of Spin Master’s founders, was on hand alongside Efrat Duvdevani, director general of the Peres Center, to hand out the toys at two local kindergartens. The Toy Movement resolved to do something positive and constructive for the children of Jaffa and their parents, who in recent weeks have seen their neighborhoods at the center of

acute tension and violence between Arab and Jewish residents. In fact, it aims to expand this collaboration, turning the distribution into an annual event. The movement prides itself on community engagement, and for bringing joy to children in times of conflict and difficulty. In 2014, it shipped thousands of toys to children in Israel and the Gaza Strip during the summer war. The initiative has also previously donated toys to

underprivileged Bedouin and Druze communities in Israel. Further afield, it shipped toys to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and has donated toys in Jordan, Mexico, Turkey, South Africa, Nicaragua, Iraq, Canada, Uganda, Colombia, Kenya and Lebanon. The Peres Center, based in Jaffa, has worked to foster positive relations between diverse communities in Israel and beyond for more than two decades.

June 10, 2021

The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

global news

With new at-home paramedic service, Israel’s national ambulance service becomes telemedicine pioneer By Michele Chabin JTA JERUSALEM – The elderly grandmother had a fever and felt weak, despite the antibiotics her family doctor had prescribed a couple of days earlier for a urinary tract infection. Instead of feeling better, she was getting worse. That’s when her worried family made an urgent call to Magen David Adom – Israel’s national emergency medical service — so she could receive prompt medical attention and be transported to the hospital for treatment. When MDA’s emergency medical personnel arrived at the woman’s apartment, however, her home became a makeshift medical clinic. One EMT accessed her medical history and the medications she was taking on the tablet he carried. Another checked the woman’s vitals and examined her for obvious signs of pain or infection. To the surprise of the woman’s family, the first responders then video-chatted with a physician trained to work with MDA paramedics and EMTs. Under the physician’s guidance, they performed a series of tests, including an electrocardiogram and a urine test — the latter to determine whether the patient still had an infection. Using telemedicine technology, the paramedics transmitted the test results to the doctor. He, along with the first responders, concluded that the woman was in good health overall but that the antibiotic she had been prescribed earlier wasn’t working. “Instead of ordering her to the hospital, the physician prescribed a stronger antibiotic and sent the order electronically to her local pharmacy for her family to retrieve,” said Anat Gilgal, MDA’s paramedic supervisor for Israel’s central Sharon region. “Furthermore, the woman’s family doctor received all the information we collected during the house call, so he can provide follow-up care.” Most importantly, Gilgal said, “she was able to stay home, in the comfort of her home, instead of the hospital’s emergency department.” The encounter is emblematic of a cutting-edge, pilot telemedicine program Magen David Adom launched in October. The Community Medicine Initiative is significantly reducing the number of patients sent to the country’s overcrowded hospital emergency rooms. In one review of some 1,000 patients who called for an ambulance, 70% were deemed well enough to be treated by health care professionals outside a hospital setting. (As Israel’s national ambulance service, Magen David Adom handles all calls for ambulances received at the national emergency hotline, 101.) Prior to the pilot program, every one of those patients would have been transported to the hospital unless they refused transport. The pilot, which is being funded in part by Israel’s Health Ministry, is serving the Yarkon and Sharon regions of central Israel. All the patients are mem-

bers of Maccabi, the second largest of Israel’s four national HMOs. Starting in mid-June, Magen David Adom will significantly ratchet up the program, expanding it to Israel’s entire central region and Jerusalem. “This will free up innumerable hospital beds and ambulances for other Israelis who need them and save the government and health care system millions of shekels,” said MDA’s chief of staff, Uri Shaham. “It will also keep many patients at home where they’re most comfortable recuperating, and ultimately provide better medical care for thousands of Israelis.” The program, which could reduce the number of patients requiring hospitalization by as much as one-third, allows paramedics and EMTs to perform EKGs and test a patient’s blood-oxygen saturation, lung capacity and blood pressure, and to examine the patient’s ear, nose and throat. Once the information is transmitted to a doctor, the on-theground team and doctor jointly assess whether the patient should be transported to the hospital by ambulance. Although MDA came up with the idea several years ago, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that finally convinced the Health Ministry that keeping nonemergency patients at home was better for both the patient and Israel’s overburdened medical system, said Dr. Refael Strugo, MDA’s medical director. “It’s better medicine,” Strugo said. “If the world was taught anything during COVID, it’s that it is better to treat patients, and especially the elderly, in their home environment.” Many geriatric patients experience physical, emotional and cognitive decline when hospitalized, Strugo noted. Hospital-acquired infections, disorientation, falls, undernourishment and being improperly medicated all can take a toll. “Hospitalization is actually a death penalty for many geriatric patients,” Strugo said. “Therefore, if a patient has a medical problem that can be diagnosed and treated at home, it benefits everyone.” Israel’s hospitals are notoriously overcrowded. While the population is growing rapidly — now at some 9.3 million citizens — the government’s investments in hospital expansion have failed to keep up. In 2019, Israel had three hospital beds per 1,000 people compared to 4.7 beds per 1,000 in other Western countries on the OECD index. Israel also had fewer nurses: 5.1 nurses per 1,000 people compared to an OECD average of 8.8. Health systems all over the world are searching for better ways to provide high-quality medical care while lowering the rate of emergency department visits and hospital admissions. This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with American Friends of Magen David Adom (AFMDA), the largest supporter of MDA worldwide. MDA is Israel’s national ambulance, blood-services and disasterrelief organization, as well as Israel’s representative to the International Red Cross.

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The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

June 10, 2021

global news

Top evangelical leaders to Mike Evans: Support for Israel remains ‘steadfast and eternal’ By Sean Savage JNS Several top evangelical Christian leaders reiterated their steadfast support for Israel in the wake of an open letter from a prominent evangelical Christian leader who castigated Yamina Party leader Naftali Bennett over his support for a government to replace Benjamin Netanyahu. “Christian Zionists have had a relationship with every Prime Minister since [David] Ben-Gurion. That will not change,” Christians United for Israel spokesman Ari Morgenstern told JNS. In an expletive-laden open letter, evangelical leader Mike Evans, the founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Prayer Team, berated Bennett for “betraying” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and threatened to withhold evangelical Christian support for Israel. “Don’t ever call yourself a defender of Zion. You’re not,” wrote Evans. “You betrayed the very principles that a generation gave their blood for and died for. You want to be in bed with the Muslim Brotherhood and leftists. God have mercy on your soul. You’re a pathetic, bitter little man so obsessed on murdering Netanyahu that you’re willing to damage the State of Israel for your worthless cause.” He went on to say that he will “fight” Bennett on every step, saying “we gave you four years of miracles under [former President] Donald Trump and this is how you show your appreciation- shitting on our face. How dare you!” “To say I’m disgusted with you is an understatement. You should hang your head in shame,” said Evans. His was far from the only opinion on the subject. Laurie Cardoza-Moore, the host of “Focus on Israel” Christian television program and president of Proclaiming Justice to the Nations, said “evangelical Christian support for Israel is eternal. The Bible does not change. PJTN will stand on what is biblically expedient, not what is politically correct.” However, she added, “while we do not involve ourselves with internal Israeli politics, it is of great concern that any government in the Jewish state would be reliant on the Muslim Brotherhood. It is of great concern to the future of the Land that G-d calls His!” In a press release, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem said that its support for Israel remains “steadfast and anchored in timeless biblical

Rabbi Tuly Weisz, CEO of Israel365, and Donna Jollay, Israel365 director of Christian Relations, plant a tree in the Jewish neighborhood of Hebron. (Israel365)

Supporters of CUFI at the 2019 “Night to Honor Israel” at Pastor John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. (CUFI via Facebook)

principles,” and is not contingent on who is leading Israel at any particular time. “After going through four divisive elections, the year-long corona crisis, the recent conflict with Hamas, rising global anti-Semitism, the latest denigration of Israel in U.N. forums and the ever-looming threat of a nuclear Iran, the Israeli public right now needs to be hearing that evangelical Christians stand in solidarity with them, regardless of who is leading their nation,” said ICEJ president Dr. Jürgen Bühler. “No one should doubt that pro-Israel Christians around the world have great respect for Benjamin Netanyahu and his many accomplishments as Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. But we do not detect any widespread move among evangelicals, in America or worldwide, to stop supporting Israel if he is replaced,” he emphasized. “In fact, Israel has been gaining millions of new Christian friends around the globe over the past decade, and we fully expect that trend to continue.” Meanwhile, in response to Evan’s open letter, Rabbi Tuly Weisz, who runs the website Israel365, called for a new relationship between evangelical Christians and Jews in the background of a new Israeli government. In his letter, Weisz expressed the sense of shock and horror he felt when reading Evans’ harsh and

vulgar letter, unbefitting a self-defined friend of Zion. “A defender of Zion is someone who puts his life on the line for the Jewish people … someone who thinks day and night about Israel’s security, as Naftali Bennett has done. And let me tell you who is not a friend of Zion. Someone who literally takes out ads and billboards, calling himself the ‘largest evangelical leader in the world,’ and then publicly attacks, threatens and delegitimizes Israel’s democratically elected prime minister,” he wrote. Weisz assured that Christian Zionists remain firmly behind Israel: “The Christian Zionists with whom I am in daily contact are unconditional in their love and support for Israel, based on the biblical commandment to bless Israel and love the Jewish people. It is inconceivable that Mike Evans would defy the word of God in the name of the 100 million Christians he purports to represent and threaten to revoke that support.” “The time has come for us to forge a new, meaningful rabbi-pastor relationship, where we work together as true friends of Zion to support Israel in a multitude of ways,” he said, calling on “every proIsrael pastor in the world to contact me personally because I want to work directly with you to create a new form of Christian support for Israel, built on real relationships with real Jews.”

Aliyah minister earns Begin Heritage Center’s award for Israeli leadership (JNS) Minister of Aliyah and Integration Pnina Tamano-Shata was granted the 2021 Begin Award for Israeli leadership. Pnina Tamano-Shata has helped paved the way for many women and was appointed to serve as the first member of the Ethiopian community in the Israeli government. Her national accomplishments have been seen in the fields of aliyah, absorption and optimal integration. She was lauded for years of activity in the struggle for the advancement of social equality and against injustices for disadvantaged commu-

nities, with a focus on the Ethiopian community. “For me, to stand here in this moment and receive the Begin Award for Israeli leadership, as a granddaughter and descendent of the spiritual leaders, the Kessim of the Beta Israel community, is a huge honor,” she said. “Former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin,” she continued, “knew then that the Israeli government’s most important mission is not only to build a country but also to build a strong, cohesive and united society.

“Begin’s historic legacy was the way he connected between the different parts of Israeli society and the Jewish nation, and this is also my mission as a public representative; to act for unity in the nation, to continue promoting aliyah and optimal integration, to fight against racism for the disadvantaged communities and to bring them to the front of the decision-makers’ table.” The minister and Knesset member was awarded the prize in a festive ceremony at the Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. It took place within the framework of a two-day

focusing on Begin’s lasting legacy as one of Israel’s founding fathers and central aspects of his leadership. The symposium also features the new film about Begin, “Upheaval,” in which Tamano-Shata is featured. “Begin’s sentence from 1977— ‘Bring me my brothers, the Ethiopian Jews’—is ingrained in my memory forever,” she said, noting that he was the first prime minister that “saw us as brothers and sisters that must be part of the 12 tribes that return to Israel, and in this way, broke through barriers that were delaying aliyah.”

June 10, 2021

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The most comprehensive exhibition on Auschwitz featuring more than 700 original objects.

Exhibition Opens June 14 Tickets at UnionStation.org An Exhibition By

Community Partner

Presented By

Supported By

Hotel Partner

Media Partner

We are pleased to announce a speakers series associated with the exhibition. These online and live events are free and open to the public but require pre-registration. Schedule, additional information and registration are available at UnionStation.org.

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The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

June 10, 2021

commentary

3 reasons why Israel’s presidential election matters By Daniel Elbaum The Jewish Agency for Israel There is nothing like waking up to the news that one of the main people who hired you was just elected president of Israel. That was precisely my experience on Wednesday, when The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Chairman of the Executive Isaac “Bougie” Herzog was elected Israel’s 11th president. For the typical nonprofit organization, losing a CEO would not be a cause for celebration. But at The Jewish Agency, although this news is somewhat bittersweet for us, we understand that Herzog’s election marks a historic moment for Jews around the world. Many American Jews may not pay attention to this election, but they should. Here are three reasons why. A UNIFYING FIGURE After four elections, it is perhaps an understatement to say that Israel is divided politically. Yet 87 of 120 Members of Knesset (MKs) of all backgrounds chose to support Herzog, marking the

largest victory in any presidential election in Israel’s history. At its finest moments, the role of president of Israel has been a unifying force. With continued political uncertainty, the Covid pandemic and a recent war with Hamas, the need for a president to bring Israel together has never been greater. Witnessing this type of consensus from the Knesset is exceedingly rare. By comparison, Israel’s last presidential election in 2014 was decided by a thin margin (with 63 MKs voting for the winner) in a runoff. Herzog will provide Israel with a unifying figure at a time when the country needs that arguably more than ever. HARMONY WITH WORLD JEWRY With a ton of respect and reverence for his predecessors, Israel has never had a president more in tune with the concerns of American and world Jewry. Herzog has visited our Jewish Federations, prayed in our synagogues, and listened to and shared our concerns, including during his numerous tours of global Jewish communities as leader of

The Jewish Agency. His U.S. roots go even deeper, as he attended a Jewish high school in New York City before studying at Cornell University and New York University. Now, Herzog brings his warm and longstanding connection with world Jewry to the Israeli presidency, a development that will undoubtedly influence the government’s policies toward issues prioritized by Jews worldwide. We won’t always be happy with the outcome, but we will have no doubt that the president of Israel understands our concerns in a deep and profound way. The Knesset’s overwhelming support for Herzog’s presidential candidacy sends an unmistakable message that the values he championed at The Jewish Agency – from strengthening the Israelglobal Jewry relationship to supporting diverse streams of Judaism — strongly resonate with the Israeli legislature. A PEOPLE PERSON It may sound cliché, but like his predecessor President Reuven Rivlin, character matters — especially in politics, where human decency often feels elu-

sive. As I learned when I joined The Jewish Agency almost three months ago, nearly every single person I have met has a special “Bougie Herzog story.” Whether he is checking in on a relative in Israel or taking an extra moment to make a person feel heard and appreciated, Herzog has always embodied the words of Maya Angelou, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” The enormity of the margin of Herzog’s victory in the Knesset pays eloquent tribute to his ability to connect with people of all backgrounds and beliefs. His election represents a watershed moment of unity for Israel and the Jewish people. I am going to miss working with him, but I take comfort knowing The Jewish Agency’s work connecting Jews around the world to Israel will have a friend, ally and partner in the president’s office. Tagline: Op-Ed by Dan Elbaum, head of North America at The Jewish Agency for Israel, for The Times of Israel.

Having a ‘hybrid’ bar or bat mitzvah? Here’s how to involve virtual guests. By Holly Lebowitz Rossi JTA Fully virtual bar and bat mitzvahs are, happily, no longer a necessity in many places. Whether you are including a few people in an IRL event, or even hosting a small crowd in, say, your backyard, most families are still likely to have guests who are only able to attend — or are only comfortable attending — a bar or bat mitzvah via a virtual platform like Zoom. Does this scenario have your head spinning? Fear not! You don’t need to plan two separate events. But you do want to include your on-screen guests in the ceremony and celebration so everyone can feel fully present on the day. Start with these tips to involve every guest in your family’s milestone day. INCLUDE VIRTUAL GUESTS IN PHOTO MONTAGES If you are showing a video montage of photos or video clips — or celebrating with a “virtual hora” — invite your online guests to send materials ahead of time. Try to share the finished products while the virtual guests are still “there” at the celebration. You can also ask guests to send photos of themselves attending the bar or bat mitzvah virtually for an album afterward. SEND “MITZVAH BOXES” Gather items from the event, and send or deliver them to the doorsteps of the virtual guests as care packages. You might include a kippah; a printed

table visits by the hosts and guest of honor can help your virtual guests feel seen and included. Just as you’d stop by each table at an in-person celebration to visit with your guests, plan a specific time to “stop by” the Zoom room to greet and thank those who have dialed in. USE THE CHAT FUNCTION AS A VIRTUAL GUEST BOOK

By Gabe Friedman (JTA) program or a prayer guide; candy or treats; plus any party favors you are giving in-person guests. You can even include a set of Shabbat candles so they can add their light to your family’s joy. PROTECT EVERYONE’S VIEW Test-run your tech setup to know for sure that the virtual guests can see and hear the proceedings without blocking the view of your in-person guests (or vice-versa). Take into consideration camera locations, as well as sound equipment like microphones and speakers when mapping out your ceremony and celebration plan. If you have a complicated setup, you might want to hire an audiovisual company to help.

ASSIGN HONORS TO VIRTUAL GUESTS There are many ways to honor guests at a bar or bat mitzvah, from aliyah blessings before and after the Torah reading, to English readings during the service, to the blessings over the wine/juice and challah (kiddush and motzi). Ask a combination of in-person and virtual guests to honor your family by participating in the service. Be sure you and your inperson guests can hear the Zoom participants through an adequate sound setup. THINK OF ZOOM AS A “TABLE” TO VISIT The time-honored tradition of

Leave open the chat function in your virtual platform before and after the service to enable your virtual guests to leave messages of love and congratulations, share special memories with the bar or bat mitzvah child, and otherwise mark their presence at the milestone moment. Let your guests know ahead of time that you’ll be saving the chat as a virtual “guest book” to print as a treasured keepsake. SET A CLEAR TIME EXPECTATION Your celebration might last for several hours — but Zoom calls should not. While you can of course leave the meeting open for anyone who wants to hang out and watch the in-person fun, set an expectation with your virtual guests that you hope they will attend the service and stay for a greeting or any other special events early in the celebration, but that you are not asking them to spend the whole day in cyberspace.

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The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

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global news

Coalition agreements revealed as Israel prepares for new government

(JNS) Just days before Israel’s 36th government is expected to be sworn in, the coalition agreements signed by its constituent parties were revealed on Monday night by Channel 12. The documents include proposed changes to the country’s basic laws, designed to prevent Yamina Party leader Naftali Bennett from bolting the new government and ensure that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot again serve as premier. One of these laws would require a former prime minister to wait four years before running for any office, including that of a Knesset member. Another would ban politicians facing criminal indictment from serving as prime minister. Netanyahu is standing trial in three separate criminal cases. Netanyahu’s Likud Party was quick to criticize the proposed law. “After Bennett deceived his own electorate by transferring votes from right to left, only to appoint himself prime minister with six mandates, he is now proposing laws that don’t exist in any democracy in the world, with the aim of disqualifying Prime Minister Netanyahu from running for Knesset and thus taking down the right-wing leader,” the party said in a statement. The agreements also forbid Bennett from joining any other government if the coalition is brought down in a vote of no-confidence. Under the agreements, the new government will be led by Bennett for 27 months, after which Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid will take over as premier. It will be among the largest governments in the history of the state, with 28 ministers and six deputy ministers, though smaller than the 35th government with its 36 ministers. The 36th government will be first to include an Arab party, Ra’am, an Islamist party associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Its agreement with the Bennett-Lapid government mainly revolves around illegal construction. According to the documents, Israeli enforcement with regard to illegal building will be frozen until 2024, and the destruction of illegally built homes in the Negev will be suspended for nine months. The party has also extracted a promise from Bennett and Lapid that

Yamina Party leader Naftali Bennett gives a press conference at the Knesset, May 30, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) they will request the cancellation of illegal-construction fines. Ra’am will also be given a deputy minister slot in the Prime Minister’s Office, and party chairman Mansour Abbas will receive a discretionary $1.5 billion fund for special projects on which he personally signs off. The agreement with the Meretz Party includes advancing LGBTQ rights, including the issue of gay marriage, and also public transportation on Shabbat. The Yisrael Beiteinu Party, headed by Avigdor Lieberman, has won an agreement to push a civilmarriage law to codify the status of couples who don’t want to be married by the rabbinate or other religious authorities, and the establishment of an egalitarian prayer section at the Western Wall. The party will also

receive a Cabinet portfolio unifying the ministries of agriculture, the Negev and the Galilee. The Labor Party has asked for the establishment of a “Department of Jewish Renewal” within the Diaspora Affairs Ministry to handle issues related to the acceptance of the Reform movement in Israel. New Hope’s Gideon Sa’ar will serve as justice minister and deputy prime minister. He will focus on splitting the position of Attorney General into two parts and preventing the Palestinian takeover of Area C in Judea and Samaria. Benny Gantz of the Blue and White Party will continue on as defense minister, and will also serve as deputy prime minister. He will establish a government committee to investigate the Mount Meron disaster, the April 30 tragedy during a religious festival in which 45 were killed.

For first time ever, Israel receives seat on UN Economic and Social Council (JNS) For the first time ever, Israel was elected on Monday to serve on the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). “An incredible achievement for Israel at the U.N. today being elected to ECOSOC! Thank you to the 154 states that voted for us & all our diplomats who made this happen,” Israeli Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations Gilad Erdan tweeted on Tuesday, along with a video clip expressing the same sentiment. “Choosing Israel is recognition of our innovation & creativity, which benefits all nations of the world!” The ECOSOC, one of six main bodies at the United Nations, focuses on international economic and social matters. Eighteen countries other than Israel were elected to the 54-member body, and each will serve a three-year term. ECOSOC decisions are reached by a simple majority, each member having one vote. Israel’s election to the world body came less than three weeks after Erdan

The United National General Assembly. (YouTube) walked out of a session of the General Assembly at which Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki accused Israel of committing war crimes and “deliberately massacring children” in Gaza during “Operation Guardian of the Walls.” “Anyone who speaks here today and does not condemn Hamas terrorism

clearly and unequivocally, and fails to distinguish between the war crimes of this terrorist organization and Israel’s self-defense, chooses to strengthen extremist forces and encourages terrorist groups to use civilians as human shields and harms the chances for peace,” Erdan said upon returning to the assembly hall.

obituaries ARNOLD J. WASSERSTROM Arnold J. Wassertrom, 76, died on May 16, 2021. He was born on May 16, 1945, to Judge Solvert M. And Ruth A. Wasserstrom. A graduate of Southwest High School, he attended Boston University and Washburn University. He was a lifelong student of Spanish and the Bible. He loved bowling, and all 10 pins started dancing for him as soon as he threw the ball. His wife Charlene predeceased him. He is survived by brothers Mark Wasserstrom and Richard Wasserstrom. Private burial services will be in Topeka, Kansas. The family suggests contributions to Temple Israel of Overland Park, Kansas, or Kansas City Hospice.

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The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle

June 10, 2021

culture

Lin-Manuel Miranda and my German-Jewish grandma both made ‘the Heights’ what it is By Steve North JTA Several years before skyrocketing to superstardom with “Hamilton,” LinManuel Miranda wrote the music and lyrics for the exuberant Broadway musical “In the Heights.” In the last act of the stage production, a salsa-flavored celebration of the Latino community of Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood, a sign for “Rosario’s Car and Limousine“ service is taken down. Beneath it is the faded word “Bäckerei,” German for “bakery.” It is the only reference in the play to the heyday of another immigrant group that settled on Manhattan’s northern tip: German-Jewish refugees and Holocaust survivors, about 20,000 strong. When Miranda spoke to The Jewish Week in 2008, he said he wasn’t aware of the German-Jewish presence when he wrote the first draft of “In the Heights” as a Wesleyan University sophomore. “But the summer after I wrote it,” he recalled, “I got a job at the Manhattan Times. I started writing articles, and I learned a lot about the history of our neighborhood. I saw that even if there were no Latino people in Washington Heights, it would still be a classic immigrant community, given the large numbers of German and later Russian Jews.” The multiple Tony Award-winning show, which ran on Broadway from 2008

to 2011, has now gone Hollywood, with the film version making its COVID-delayed debut on Friday. It’s a good time to remember Washington Heights for what it was and is, and the role it still plays in the New York Jewish narrative. While I never lived there, my mother’s German-Jewish family did following their escape from Nazi Germany in the 1930s, and after some years living in the East Bronx, just across the Henry Hudson Bridge from the Heights. I spent my childhood visiting my grandmother and her sister at 812 W. 181st St., along with countless other relatives in the surrounding area. A typical day might include a stroll down the block to Gruenebaum’s bakery for lebkuchen and water challah, as well as a stop at Bloch and Falk for kosher aufschnitt (cold cuts). Along the way we’d pass friends sitting outside on folding chairs reading the German-language Aufbau newspaper or bouncing grandkids on their knees and reciting “Hoppe hoppe, Reiter” (Hop, Hop, Rider!). In a 2020 exhibit titled “Refuge in the Heights,” the Leo Baeck Institute in Manhattan recalled how the neighborhood in the shadow of the George Washington Bridge was, for German and Austrian Jews fleeing the Nazis, “fertile ground upon which to build new lives.” “In the Heights, refugees saw familiar names and faces, German-speaking businesses and clubs, and Jewish institutions established by those of East-Eu-

The author’s grandmother, Jenny Bachenheimer, stands outside her Washington Heights building in 1978. (Steve North) ropean descent who had made their way uptown in the years prior,” according to the exhibit. “By the end of the 1930s, approximately 37 percent of Washington Heights was Jewish, most Germanspeaking.” The area long had a Puerto Rican and Cuban component, but the large influx of Dominicans beginning in the mid-1960s turned Washington Heights into “Quisqueya Heights” — an indigenous name for what became the Dominic Republic. While many of the older Jewish immigrants stayed put, their children and

grandchildren joined the Jewish exodus to the suburbs. Slowly the Bachenheimer and Nussbaum families were replaced by the Benitez and Nunez clans. Synagogues closed, the Aufbau gave way to the Dominican Times News and it became easier to score an empanada than a Sachertorte. The late Dr. Steven Lowenstein, author of “Frankfurt on the Hudson,” the definitive book on the German-Jewish culture of Washington Heights, told me in 2008 that the population change was a prime example of “ethnic succession.” “It’s a cyclical thing,” explained Lowenstein, a distant cousin of mine who grew up in the Heights, “and in general, memory of the previous ethnic group fades quickly. In this case there was much hostility to the German Jews at first from the Irish population, but fewer problems between the Jews and Hispanics. They didn’t mix a lot, but there never was that much tension.” The tension in recent decades has been sparked by the area’s gentrification, which is pushing out Dominican families who have lived there for generations. Many young Jews are again calling the area home, either attracted (for a time) by affordable rents or the proximity to Yeshiva University. Miranda captures the dreams and frustrations of this barrio in transition in music and words filled with warmth and pride, and it all seemed strangely familiar to me when I first watched the play. That didn’t surprise him.