11-10-22 Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, Volume 102 Issue 23

jewish chronicle

Jewish War Veterans work year-round to remember, assist those who served

By Lacey Storer Assistant Editor

As our nation prepares to celebrate Veterans Day, there’s a group in our Jewish community that works to hon or, remember and help veterans every day.

Jewish War Veterans, a national organization, started as the Hebrew Union Veterans Association in 1896, after the Civil War. The organization was started in part to fight the percep tion that Jews weren’t doing their part in defending our country by serving in the armed forces.

JWV is the oldest continuous veter ans organization in the United States, older than the Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Locally, Jewish War Veterans MO-Kan Post 605 has been around since after World War II, established on March 20, 1948. Founding members included Chester Kaplan, Louis Pelofsky, Irving Pelofsky, Dr. A.L. Kushner, Al Jacobs, Ralph Cohn, Ben E. Pener and Albert A. Levin.

Greg Quinn, a member of Post 605 since 2015 who serves as the post adju tant, says the group plays an important role in representing Jews in the armed

forces.

“It shows that the Jews support the United States through serving in the military,” he said, “and we’re setting an example for people who are not aware of us.”

Post 605 meets on the first Tuesday

of each month at the Jewish Commu nity Campus. During the pandemic, the group made the transition to virtual meetings for six months. Bill Green berg, Post 605 commander, said it was important for members to continue their meetings, even if it was virtually.

“I didn’t think the organization would survive if we just quit,” he said. “And then, when everybody felt comfortable coming back, when The J opened up to have meetings again, we immediately went back because I think it’s important for these guys to actually physically see each other.”

In addition to providing social in teraction and camaraderie for its members, Post 605 serves several func tions. It funds and supports scholar ships for college students, including its own scholarship awarded to college students who are relatives of Post 605 members (living or deceased). Individ ual members of the post also help fund Johnson County Community College’s Pay It Forward Student Veteran Schol arship, which is given to a veteran stu dent each year.

Post members attend funerals of fellow members, and even act as pall bearers in some instances, according to Quinn. Post members also make ap pearances at various events through out the year, including the Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony at the Ko rean War Memorial and the Holocaust

New HBHA school rabbi crafting unique curricula, classes

By Sam Kricsfeld Editor

Rabbi Aaron Philmus,

Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy’s new school rabbi, strongly believes in the value of the natural world in Jewish educa tion. Since August, Rabbi Philmus has been teaching middle and high school classes at HBHA while simultaneously working with all grades and teachers as the school’s rabbi.

Previously the senior rabbi at Tem ple Torat Yisrael in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Rabbi Philmus’s first few months at HBHA were “very excit ing, exhilarating and challenging.” His classes and beliefs put the Earth and God’s creations first and foremost as a way to directly connect with Judaism.

Now in Overland Park, Kansas,

Rabbi Philmus began as school rabbi at HBHA with the goal of taking “the seeds [of the Torah] that have been ly ing dormant and giving them life and germinating them.” He has learned many aspects of working at a day school and developing class curricula on the job.

“As a pulpit rabbi, I wasn’t teaching classes every single day,” he said. “I’m kind of a perfectionist, and I would tend to spend a lot of time working on some thing for one week as opposed to this ex perience, which is teaching three class es — and they are new subjects for the school. There’s no existing curriculum.

“We’ve been teaching these subjects for thousands of years,” he continued. “You would think that there’s [certain curricula] existing, but not really. The

more I talk to Jewish educators from other schools, they say the same thing: ‘Yeah, I had to kind of create it from scratch.’”

Rabbi Philmus’s educational philos ophy and views on Judaism are at the forefront of his teaching. He also be lieves in the importance of personal be lief and connection, rather than blind tradition.

“I want to provide opportunities for people — particularly young peo ple — to explore [religious] questions themselves and not just sort of accept and take what we’re trying to teach them from the past,” he said. “Judaism should be forward-looking, it should be countercultural, a force that looks to the future… [We should] strive to be more true and authentic on a personal level

Members of Jewish War Veterans Post 605 met Kansas Governor Laura Kelly at the State of Kansas Holocaust Commemoration this past April at the Kansas State Capitol rotunda in Topeka.

Rabbi Aaron Philmus

Sam Kricsfeld

Editor

& Business Manager

samk@jewishkc.org

Lacey Storer Assistant Editor

laceys@jewishkc.org Questions

LISTENING POST

Giving Machines are back in Kansas City

Giving Machines are vending ma chines that let you “buy” a specific need, such as chickens or goats to help families around the world or school supplies for children here in Kansas City. Items start at $3 and go up to $300. This year, Jewish Vocational Service is one of the organizations benefiting from the machines.

Rabbi Javiar Cattapan of Congre gation Beth Torah, along with Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas and other local leaders, will be at the Grand Unwrapping of the 2022 Kansas City Giving Machines. The event will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 12 p.m. at Crown Center Square.

The Giving Machines will be available in Kansas City from Nov. 16, 2022, until Jan. 2, 2023, at Crown Center Square be low the Ice Terrace, near the entrance to Sea Life Aquarium and Legoland.

More information is available at giv ingmachineskc.org.

Kansas City Current soccer team condemns antisemitism

Kansas City Current, the city’s professional women’s soccer team, tweeted a statement condemning an tisemitism and supporting the Jewish community.

“The Kansas City Current views any antisemitic action and behavior as deeply disturbing and completely against all our Club represents,” the tweet read. “We proudly and unequiv ocally stand with the Jewish com munity. We ask our supporters and Current community to join us in soli darity by using our collective voice to raise awareness and make an impact.”

Kander to deliver keynote Jason Kander, a Jewish Kansas City native, re tired Army officer, Afghanistan vet eran, best-selling author and former Missouri secre tary of state, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Veterans Voices Writing Project (VVWP) celebration.

Each year VVWP, publisher of Vet erans’ Voices magazine, produces this event to honor veterans whose prose, poetry and visual art appeared in the year’s three issues. In his latest book, “Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD,” Kander chroni cled his battle with PTSD for years af ter leaving Afghanistan.

The event will be at 2 p.m. on Satur day, Nov. 12, at the National World War I Museum and Memorial. It will also be streamed at veteransvoices.org. This year’s program will also include rec ognition of veteran contributors who won awards for their Veterans’ Voices submissions throughout 2022.

For more information, visit veter ansvoices.org.

Service of Spiritual Renewal set for Dec. 4

The Service of Spiritual Renewal for Hanukkah will be at 2 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 4, in the Social Hall of Village Shalom, 5500 W. 123rd Street in Overland Park.

Jewish Community Chaplain Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick; Lezlie Zucker, mu sic coordinator for Congregation Beth Torah; and Rabbi Mark Glass from Con gregation BIAV will lead this service.

The service is hosted by The Jewish Chaplaincy program under the auspic es of Jewish Family Services. Individu als planning to attend the service in person must wear masks regardless of vaccination status. Masks will be pro vided for participants who need them.

RSVPs are required by emailing chaplaincy@jfskc.org.

A grand gala

Mazel tov to JCRB|AJC Kansas City for hosting a successful Human Rela tions Event. The organization raised more than $400,000 to support its anti semitism and community programs. The event, which was held in the ball room of the downtown Sheraton Hotel, drew nearly 500 guests.

Lifelong civil rights activist and civ ic leader Alvin Brooks was honored at the event with the Henry W. Bloch Hu man Relations Award.

Chairing the event were U.S. Repre sentative Emanuel Cleaver, II, Shirley Bush Helzberg, Leo Morton, Robert J. Reintjes, Sr., and Adam P. Sachs.

BELOW: The JCRB|AJC board of directors at the organization’s Human Relations Event.

National Hadassah Educators Council co-chair to speak at local Hadassah gala

Karen Bloom, co-chair of the new ly-forming National Hadassah Educa tors Council, will speak at the Hadas sah Greater Kansas City 5th Annual Touch of Red Gala honoring Hadas sah-affiliated educators on Saturday, Nov. 12, in the JCC Social Hall.

Bloom, of Oakland, California, cur rently serves as the Vice President of Membership for the Hadassah Cen tral Pacific Coast Region. Bloom is Rebbetzin of Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland. Her passion for Israel is shared by her husband and has been passed down to their two sons.

Bloom received a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, followed by her teacher certification at the Uni versity of Cincinnati. Her career has included teaching math in Hamilton and Cincinnati, Ohio; Tarrytown, New York; and Barrington, Rhode Is land. She currently teaches math at Piedmont Middle School in Piedmont, California.

Her favorite quote, “I don’t teach math, I teach kids,” reflects her mis sion and leads her to be involved with students not only as their teacher but also as co-advisor of several clubs such as No Place For Hate Club (a project of the ADL), Safe Space Club (supporting LGBTQ+ people), Jewish

Club (co-sponsored with the local NCSY leadership), Mathletes, and Safe School Ambassadors (a Project of Community Matters). Bloom also volunteers with community groups related both direct ly and indirectly to her work.

Active and retired Hadassah-affili ated teachers who identify themselves as educators and have taught at any level from preschool to adult in either a Judaic or secular classroom were wel comed to attend and be honored.

Co-chairs Marian Kaplan (mkha dassah@gmail.com) or Rita Shap iro (rshapiro@hadassah.org) can be emailed for additional information about the event.

Jason Kander

Karen Bloom

Acclaimed Author Series brings Dr. Adam Stern to Jewish Community Center

eral publications including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical As sociation and The American Journal of Psychiatry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stern appeared on CNN as a psychiatric expert.

“We could not be more excited to have launched our second season of The Acclaimed Author series,” shared Ethan Helfand, The J’s Director of Jewish Experiences. “This year, we’re thrilled to be welcoming a new slate of authors to share different stories, per spectives, and ideas about what it looks like to live, think, and experience Jew ishness in new and innovative ways.”

While each of the Acclaimed Author Series programs are free, registration is required at thejkc.org/aas.

the connection between his Holocaustsurvivor grandfather and his career on the court in “By the Grace of the Game.” Additionally, the series will welcome Kansas City’s own Jason Kander to dis cuss his recent book “Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD” and journalist Emily Tamkin to discuss “Bad Jews: A History of American Jew ish Politics and Identities.”

The Acclaimed Author Series is made possible through a partnership with the Jewish Book Council that works to bring communities like Kan sas City stories, authors, and books that expand the way we think about Jewish identity and culture. These pro grams are also made possible through the support of the Sam Schultz Jewish

Book Fair Fund.

Jewish Experiences (JEX), a collabo ration between Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and The J, aims to find ways to bring both the Jewish people and Jewish organizations of Kansas City together to find new and innovative ways to live, learn, and think Jewishly. JEX seeks to empower people to be engaged in their Jewishness and strive to engage those who have not previously been en gaged in our community, helping them live a Jewish life that is authentic and meaningful to them.

More information about Jewish Ex periences can be found at thejkc.org/ jewishexperiences/ or by contacting program director Ethan Helfand at ethanh@thejkc.org.

On Thursday evening, Nov. 17, the community is invited to attend the third event of The J’s Acclaimed Author Se ries presented by Jewish Experiences, a collaboration of Jewish Federation and The J. Dr. Adam Stern will dis cuss his book, “Committed: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training.” This program is in partnership with Jewish Family Services. Sondra Wallace, JFS’ Director of Mental Health Programs, will serve as moderator.

Stern, an assistant professor of psy chiatry at Harvard Medical School and the director of psychiatry at BIDMC’s Berenson-Allen Center for Noninva sive Brain Stimulation, tells what it’s like to be a doctor tasked with heal ing the mind. The book brings readers along during Stern’s residency as he and his fellow doctors work rounds in psychiatric wards, grapple with impos tor syndrome, navigate their personal lives, and experience love and loss.

Stern has written extensively about his experiences as a physician in sev

Stern’s presentation follows two programs: First, an event featuring Northwestern University Professor of History Dr. Deborah Cohen discuss ing her new book, “Last Call at the Hotel Imperial.” The program was co-sponsored by the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education and moder ated by its Director of Education, Dr. Shelly Cline. The second program featured author Gabrielle Glaser dis cussing her book, “American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow His tory of Adoption”. This program was presented in partnership with The Priya Fund, a program of Jewish Fam ily Services that supports local Jewish couples struggling with infertility and the National Council of Jewish Wom en-Greater Kansas City Section. Ellen Portnoy served as the moderator.

In March 2023, readers will have a chance to interact with and hear from four more authors who will join the community in person. Authors will include Jean Meltzer discussing her romantic-comedy novel “Mr. Perfect on Paper” and former professional bas ketball player Dan Grunfeld discussing

JFS requesting Thanksgiving meal kits for food drive

Jewish Family Services is partner ing with the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City for its monthly drive-up communitywide food drive on Sunday, Nov. 20. JFS is asking do nors to put together a Thanksgiving Meal Kit.

While JFS is happy to accept any shelf-stable food or personal care items, for the most needed items for November, we are asking donors to as semble Thanksgiving meal kits. The meal kits consist of one box of stuff ing, two cans of pumpkin pie filling or canned fruit filling, two cans of green beans, one can of mushroom soup, one bag/box of mashed potatoes, two cans of sweet potatoes/yams, two boxes of macaroni and cheese, one bag/box of rice, one roll or cornbread mix, one jar or packet of gravy, and one package of French-fried onions.

The drive will be from 10 a.m. to noon in the front circle drive of the Jewish Community Campus. Other drop off options include:

• Weekdays at the JFS donation bar rel inside the lobby of the Jewish Community Campus, 5801 W. 115th St., in Overland Park, during busi ness hours.

• Every Tuesday, noon to 2 p.m., in designated barrels in front circle drive of the Jewish Community Campus, and JFS at 425 E. 63rd St. in Brookside

Those wishing to donate at JFS’ Brookside location can do so by ap pointment by calling (816) 333-1172.

Purchases can also be made through the “JFS Pantry” Wish List through Amazon. A link to the Amazon Shop ping List can be found on the homepage of the JFS website, www.jfskc.org.

Questions can be sent to foodpan try@jfskc.org.

community news and celebrations

PrayerWorks celebrates 25th anniversary, offers prayer service to Kotel

and breathe deeply with guided imag ery. We meditate. The power of prayer, in a strictly scientific sense, is its abil ity to calm an agitated spirit.”

Prayers to the Kotel

Beth Shalom Sisterhood Prayer Works recently celebrated its 25th anni versary with a gathering at the home of PrayerWorks Facilitator Rickie Haith. Haith has been the facilitator since its inception in November of 1997.

PrayerWorks is a group of people who believe in the power of collective prayer. It was created under Toba Maslan’s ad ministration as the Beth Shalom Sister hood’s president, and Elisa Pener was community service vice president.

Due to the pandemic the past twoand-a-half years, sessions were held on Zoom. Participants of the Zoom ses sions were invited to the anniversary celebration. Unfortunately, those from out of the city could not attend, but they could be involved in the sessions because of the accessibility of Zoom.

Haith said that in the stressful cli mate we live in today, PrayerWorks helps to relieve tension and is good for your health as we get in touch with God on a spiritual level.

Rabbi David Glickman and Hazzan Tahl Ben-Yehuda believe PrayerWorks is an asset to Congregation Beth Sha lom, its Sisterhood and the commu

nity. Rabbi Glickman attended the cel ebration as he has done in the past. He expressed the importance of a group like PrayerWorks, citing studies show ing that there are health benefits from prayer and maintaining a religious life. He expressed the importance of prais ing God in PrayerWorks sessions for many blessings and not only asking for healing prayers.

In addition to being the Prayer Works facilitator, Haith is a past presi dent of Beth Shalom Sisterhood, and a former vice president of International Women’s League for Conservative Ju daism. As a consultant and trainer, she has led healing services in 10 states and at a Women’s League International Convention.

PrayerWorks has been used as a model for other sisterhoods and has received awards from Women’s League for Conservative Judaism, Beth Sha lom Sisterhood and N’shei Chabad.

“At PrayerWorks, we pray for others who need physical, emotional, spiritual healing, for peace and for ourselves,” Haith said. “We read psalms, discuss and study important topics. We relax

In honor of PrayerWorks’ 25th an niversary, Rabbi Glickman suggested that PrayerWorks offer to send anony mous prayers to the Kotel in Jerusa lem. Michele Cole is the chair for the PrayerWorks Kotel anonymous prayer program.

The anonymous prayer opportunity allows those who can not physically go to Jerusalem to send a private prayer to the Kotel. There is no charge to send a note.

Those wanting to send a prayer can do so at docs.google.com/forms/d/ e/1FAIpQLSciyTD54gW-rlU-UXVEz9 IKwSUbq2XRm7f6TdI8khBgBqpoaQ/ viewform.

Questions about PrayerWorks KC or the prayer sending can be sent to prayerworksangelskc@gmail.com.

Isabella Grace Kroll

Isabella Grace Kroll, daughter of Jessica and Aaron Kroll, will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022. The family are members of Con gregation Beth Shalom.

Bella’s grandparents are Marcia Karbank and Patti Kroll. Her siblings are Madelyn (10), Victoria (7) and Emilia (4).

In addition to playing volleyball, basketball and soccer, Bella enjoys rid ing on her longboard. In her free time, she also enjoys drawing and painting.

For her mitzvah project, she de cided to participate in the Waifs Day Out program at Wayside Waifs ani mal shelter. Bella visits the shelter and takes a dog out for two-hour field trips which include car rides, walks in the park and “pup-cup” treats. She loves to help the dogs get a break from “shelter-life” and give them love and attention. Bella and her family (along with some aunts, uncles and cousins) teamed up to raise money and walk in Wayside Waifs’ “Strutt With You Mutt” 5K in Sept. 2022.

Sarah Abigail Gold

Sarah Abigail Gold, daughter of Brodie and Daniel Gold, will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, at Congregation Beth Shalom.

Sarah’s grandparents are Barba ra Herman of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and Risa Gold of Manalapan, New Jersey. Her siblings are Jacob and Hannah.

Some of Sarah’s hobbies are horse back riding, theater and singing.

Sarah loves to celebrate birthdays. For her mitzvah project, she part nered with Jewish Family Services to provide dozens of “Birthday Party in a Bags” for kids who may not have otherwise been able to have cake or get a present on their birthday. She wanted to ensure that everyone is cel ebrated and never forgotten on their special day.

Additionally, she volunteered with JFS to deliver Hanukkah gifts and Rosh Hashanah meals.

Submit your celebrations to The Chronicle at kcjc.com!

Bat Mitzvah

Bat Mitzvah

Pictured are attendees of the PrayerWorks 25th anniversary celebration. Standing (from left) are PrayerWorks Facilitator Rickie Haith, past Beth Shalom Sisterhood President Toba Maslan, Dion Lutzk, Nata Scharf, Glenna Markus, Rene Goldman, and Joel Markus. Seated (from left) are Arlene Shalinsky, Carol Goldstein and Linda Lessner.

Community families initiate the greening of Sheffield Cemetery

By Martin Rosenberg Special to The Chronicle

Sheffield Cemetery has received a green vanguard of newly planted rose bud trees along a 1,000-foot city rightof-way adjacent to one of the city’s old est Jewish burial grounds, and it could well be the harbinger of a much broad er environmental push.

Three trees were planted last week along 6200 Wilson Avenue, in Kansas City, Missouri, flanking the entryway to Sheffield near the cemetery’s newly refurbished chapel.

The trees were planted to honor the memory of Matilda Rosenberg, Peter Shemitz and Charles Megerman by their families.

Significantly, those plantings could well be just the opening round of tree placements.

The Kansas City City Council in coming months will be considering a Public Improvements Advisory Com mittee (PIAC) grant request to plant an additional 25 trees along Wilson and Belmont Boulevard, which flanks Shef field Cemetery on its western side. The grant request was initiated by the fam ily of Matilda Rosenberg.

Members of the community, partic

ularly those living in Kansas City, Mis souri, or a history of family living with in the city, are urged by the family to contact two city council members rep resenting the Sheffield Cemetery area on the city council to support the grant application — PIAC Request No. 400715, now under active review. The council members are Fourth District Council man Eric Bunch and District At-Large Councilwoman Katheryn Shields. Both can be reached by mail at City Hall at 414 E. 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. Alternatively, emails should be directed to eric.Bunch@kcmo.org and katheryn.shields@kcmo.org.

Some congregants of Congregation Beth Israel Abraham Voliner, the Or thodox synagogue that owns the cem etery, remember that decades ago there were trees along Wilson Avenue that disappeared over the years as a result of bad weather and tree decline.

Now, however, with a new generation of families using the cemetery, there is heightened interest in greening the area to help screen nearby industrial complexes and soften the clamor of long freight trains that frequently rumble by.

At the same time, the government of the city of Kansas City is putting

JFS asks for support for annual Hanukkah Project

Jewish Family Services is preparing for its annual Hanukkah Project. JFS, with the help of the community, will use its Hanukkah Project to help more than 300 individuals and families in the com munity who are facing challenges. (This year, Hanukkah begins on the evening of Sunday, Dec. 18.)

There are two ways people can sup port JFS’ Hanukkah Project:

• Adopting a family or individual for one or more JFS recipients: Those interested should fill out an “Adopt a Recipient” interest form on the JFS website. JFS will send them the re cipient’s list, and the adopter shops at their convenience. The drop-off for unwrapped gifts will be from Nov. 28 to Dec. 7 at JFS’ office at the Jewish Community Campus.

• Giving gift cards: Gift cards allow in dividuals and families to choose items for themselves, shop for groceries, or surprise a family member. Those in terested can make a financial dona tion to JFS, and it will purchase the gift cards for them. Donors can donate online or mail or deliver checks to JFS offices at the Jewish Community Campus or at JFS’ Brookside office at 425 E. 63rd St., Kansas City. Checks should include “Hanukkah Project” in

the memo line. Gift cards should be do nated in $25 increments. The donation deadline is Nov. 28.

The JFS Hanukkah Wrap Party will be on Sunday, Dec. 11, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the social hall of the Jewish Commu nity Campus. Volunteers are needed to wrap and later deliver gifts to clients. Registration for the wrap party will be posted on JFS’ website soon.

Any questions about the Hanukkah Project should be emailed to holiday@ jfskc.org. More information about JFS can be found at jfskc.org.

heightened emphasis on rapidly ex panding new tree planting initiatives to combat climate change and roll back the problem of “heat islanding” in the summer, when poor neighborhoods largely devoid of tree cover experience measurable increases in temperature as the result of the lack of shade.

Forest Decker, director of Kansas City, Missouri, city government’s Neighborhood Services Department, said, “Additional emphasis is being placed on tree planting along several fronts and by multiple departments.”

In response to an email, Decker wrote, “In my Neighborhoods Depart ment, we just awarded $125,000 in Re Build KC grants for tree planting. We will also be working with Bridging the Gap on execution of those grants. We are also working with the Missouri Department of Conservation on some cost share funding for planting vacant spaces.”

He continued: “As the former City Forester for KC, I assure you I’m look ing at every opportunity to plant trees and further that section of our Climate Action Plan.” Decker said that Kansas City city manager Brian Platt “is very supportive of these efforts, and we’re lucky to have his help on this…”

Planting trees has become an in grained Jewish act, particularly with the advent of the Jewish state of Isra el. An astronomical 250 million trees

have been planted in Israel since 1900.

“It is the only country in the world that ended the 20th century with more trees than it had in 1900,” according to Aardvark Israel, an organization that works to strengthen the bonds between young Jews worldwide and Israel.

The act of tree planting locally is uniquely personal to the three families who just planted three trees at Shef field Cemetery.

Adam Shemitz said shortly after the passing of his father, “If he knew it was his last day on earth, he would plant a tree.”

Charles Megerman spoke openly with friends about his deferred wish to take up gardening in retirement.

One of Matilda Rosenberg’s most cherished novels was “Overstory,” by Richard Powers, an imaginative ex ploration of the possible sensibility of trees. She loved caring for the seven trees she and her husband planted around their home, including a linden to remind them of Brooklyn, a Japa nese maple evocative of a family adven ture in Japan and a ginkgo, which the couple admired on their honeymoon in the Pacific Northwest.

Martin Rosenberg is a Kansas Citybased journalist and creator and host of the U.S. Department of Energy pod cast, Grid Talk, www.smartgrid.gov/ gridtalk.

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Three rosebud trees were planted by three BIAV families near their synagogue’s Sheffield Cem etery last week. The trees, planted on Kansas City, Missouri curbside right-of-way, were placed by a squad with the Heartland Tree Alliance of Bridging the Gap, which is under contract with the city for such plantings. (Photo courtesy of Bridging the Gap)

The Miller sisters helped their parents shop for gift cards for Jewish Family Services’ Hanukkah Project.

important dates

Friday, November 11 (Veterans Day)

Light Shabbat candles at 4:49 p.m.

Beth Torah’s Beit Midrash with Todd Stettner All are welcome to join Congregation Beth To rah on Veterans Day to celebrate Shabbat and learn with Todd Stettner, a local Civil War buff. The eve ning will include Erev Shabbat Services (the only part being livestreamed), catered dinner from Crazy Good Eats, and Keeping the Faith: Judaism at the Front with Todd Stettner. Stettner will share how the Union and Confederate soldiers practiced Ju daism, the origins of Jewish Chaplaincy, and more. Visit beth-torah.org to learn more and RSVP. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 12 (Parashat Vayeira)

Shabbat ends at 5:48 p.m.

B’nai Jehudah Havdalah at WWI Memorial Meet Rabbi Brazner at the base of the WWI Me morial above the WWI museum entrance. Veterans will be honored as attendees welcome the new week at Havdalah. Bring your own lawn chair. 6 to 6:30 p.m.

Monday, November 14

JFS Mindful Monday

JFS offers a weekly mindfulness experience, anchored in science, to enhance overall well-be ing and meet challenges of everyday life. Sondra Wallace, MSED, JFS YouBeYou, and Mental Health Coalition Coordinator, and Julia Grimm, LMLP, JFS Therapist will lead the sessions. Registration is re quired at jfskc.org. 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Trivia Night benefiting Parkinson’s Program ming at The J

Join host Nick Haines from KCPT for an evening of trivia from the 1960s-70s.There will be three rounds of trivia with one winner per round and a grand prize winner at the end. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Proceeds will help to fund the Par kinson’s Programming at The J. Register by Nov. 12. at thejkc.org/events. Contact Dawn Aronoff, daw na@thejkc.org, with any questions. 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, November 15

Five Steps to a Better You at B’nai Jehudah (Class 4)

The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah is part nering with The Mussar Institute to host Five Steps to a Better You, a course offered only to the Kansas

City Jewish community. Learn to become a better version of yourself through the ancient Jewish wis dom and practice of Mussar in this 5-week course. Register at ttcbj.com/fivesteps22. 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, November 16

BIAV Parasha Shiur

A weekly Parasha class with Rabbi Mark Glass at Congregation Beth Israel Abraham & Voliner. Vir tual — contact the BIAV office at 913-341-2444 or assist@biav.org for more information or the Zoom link. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

JFS Grief and Loss Support

The ongoing support group is for individuals griev ing from the death of a loved one. The group pro vides an opportunity to address issues of loss and grief within a Jewish spiritual context. The program is co-facilitated by Lauren Glass, LCSW and Rabbi Mark Levin. Register by contacting Molly McGurk, LCSW - JFS Director of Mental Health Services at 913-3278298 or mmcgurk@jfskc.org. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Thursday, November 17

JFS Parenting Skills Workshop

Join JFS for a free Parenting Skills Workshop, “Caring Through Play” featuring Kerry Scott, JFS Clinical Manager and Therapist. JFS is partnering with the Kansas City Public Library and PJ Library for this program. The program will take place at the Plaza Branch of the Kansas City Library, 4801 Main St., Kansas City, Missouri. This program is de signed for adults. For more information, email Jodi Perelmuter, JFS Family Life Education Director, at jperelmuter@jfskc.org. 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Acclaimed Author Series: Dr. Adam Stern

The community is invited to experience the next author in The Jewish Community Center’s (The J) Acclaimed Author Series presented by Jewish Ex periences, a collaboration of Jewish Federation and The J. Dr. Adam Stern will discuss his book, “Com mitted: Dispatches from a Psychiatrist in Training”. This program is in partnership with Jewish Family Services and Sondra Wallace, JFS’ Director of Men tal Health Programs will serve as moderator. This program is free, but registration is required at the jkc.org/aas. 7 p.m.

Friday, November 18

Light Shabbat candles at 4:44 p.m. Saturday, November 19 (Parashat Chayei Sarah)

Shabbat ends at 5:44 p.m.

Sunday, November 20

JFS Food Pantry Community Drive

Jewish Family Services, in partnership with the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City, will host its monthly drive-up communitywide food drive in the front circle drive the Jewish Community Campus. Visit jfskc.org for more information. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Monday, November 21

JFS Mindful Monday

JFS offers a weekly mindfulness experience, anchored in science, to enhance overall well-be ing and meet challenges of everyday life. Sondra Wallace, MSED, JFS YouBeYou, and Mental Health Coalition Coordinator, and Julia Grimm, LMLP, JFS Therapist will lead the sessions. Registration is re quired at jfskc.org. 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Tuesday, November 22

Five Steps to a Better You at B’nai Jehudah (Class 5)

The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah is part nering with The Mussar Institute to host Five Steps to a Better You, a course offered only to the Kansas City Jewish community. Learn to become a better version of yourself through the ancient Jewish wis dom and practice of Mussar in this 5-week course. Register at ttcbj.com/fivesteps22. 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, November 23

BIAV Parasha Shiur

A weekly Parasha class with Rabbi Mark Glass at Congregation Beth Israel Abraham & Voliner. Vir tual — contact the BIAV office at 913-341-2444 or assist@biav.org for more information or the Zoom link. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Friday, November 25 (Rosh Chodesh

Kislev Day 2)

Light Shabbat candles at 4:40 p.m.

Saturday, November 26 (Parashat Toldot)

Shabbat ends at 5:41 p.m.

Monday, November 28

JFS Mindful Monday

JFS offers a weekly mindfulness experience, anchored in science, to enhance overall well-

being and meet challenges of everyday life. Son dra Wallace, MSED, JFS YouBeYou, and Mental Health Coalition Coordinator, and Julia Grimm, LMLP, JFS Therapist will lead the sessions. Reg istration is required at jfskc.org. 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Wednesday, November 30

Beth Shalom Sisterhood PrayerWorks

Join a group for collective prayer for those in need of physical, emotional or spiritual healing. Rickie Haith facilitates the group over Zoom every month under the auspices of Beth Shalom Sister hood. Call Haith at 913-341-8707 for the Zoom link, information or to leave a name for healing. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

BIAV Parasha Shiur

A weekly Parasha class with Rabbi Mark Glass at Congregation Beth Israel Abraham & Voliner. Vir tual — contact the BIAV office at 913-341-2444 or assist@biav.org for more information or the Zoom link. 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Friday, December 2

Light Shabbat candles at 4:38 p.m.

Saturday, December 3 (Parshat

Vayeitzei)

Shabbat ends at 5:39 p.m.

Sunday, December 4

Pre-Hanukkah Service of Spiritual Renewal

Join Rabbi

Rudnick, Lezlie Zucker, and Rabbi Mark Glass at Village Shalom to share traditional and contemporary prayers, songs, and readings in preparation for the upcoming Ha nukkah season. All are welcome, and masks are required. RSVP to chaplaincy@jfskc.org. Include your name, number in your party and email ad dress. More information can be found at jfskc. org/event/pre-hanukkah-service-of-spiritualrenewal. 3 to 4 p.m.

Monday, December 5

JFS Mindful Monday

JFS offers a weekly mindfulness experience, anchored in science, to enhance overall wellbeing and meet challenges of everyday life. Son dra Wallace, MSED, JFS YouBeYou, and Mental Health Coalition Coordinator, and Julia Grimm, LMLP, JFS Therapist will lead the sessions. Reg istration is required at jfskc.org. 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

| Rabbi Doug Alpert | 913-642-9000 | kolamikc.com

DOWNTOWN MINYAN | Harzfeld’s Building, 1111 Main Street, Suite 900, Kansas City, MO 64105 | Volunteer-led | 816-471-1060 or 816-695-3930 | email firsttiger@aol.com

KEHILATH ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE | 10501 Conser, Overland Park, KS 66212 | Traditional | Rabbi Moshe Grussgott, Hazzan Aron Hayoun, Rabbi Emeritus Herbert J. Mandl, Ph.D. | 913-642-1880 | kisyn.org

TEMPLE ISRAEL | Meets at Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church, 9300 Nall Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66208 | Reform | Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn | 913-940-1011 THE NEW REFORM TEMPLE | 7100 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64114 | Reform | Rabbi Alan Londy | 816-523-7809 | thenewreformtemple.com

THE SHUL CHABAD OF LEAWOOD | 5051 W. 134th Street, Leawood, KS 66209 | Lubavitch| Rabbi Mendy Wineberg, Rabbi Schneur Perman | 913-205-9524 | facebook.com/ChabadLeawood

THE TEMPLE, CONGREGATION B’NAI JEHUDAH | 12320 Nall Avenue, Overland Park, KS 66209 | Reform | Rabbi Stephanie Kramer, Rabbi Caitlin Brazner, Rabbi Rachel Rothstein | 913-663-4050 | bnaijehudah.org

TORAH LEARNING CENTER | 8800 W. 103rd Street, Overland Park, KS 66212 | Lubavitch | Rabbi Benzion Friedman | 913-385-5770

Outside of the Kansas City area:

TEMPLE ADATH JOSEPH | 102 N. 17th Street, St. Joseph, MO 64502 | Reform | Rabbi Linda Steigman | 813-279-3179

TEMPLE BETH SHOLOM | 4200 SW. Munson Avenue, Topeka, KS 66604 | Reform | Rabbi Sam Stern | 785-272-6040 | templebethsholomtopeka.org

LAWRENCE JEWISH COMMUNITY CONGREGATION | 917 Highland Drive, Lawrence, KS 66044 | Non-denominational | 785-841-7636 | lawrencejcc.org

MANHATTAN JEWISH CONGREGATION | 1509 Wreath Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66053 | Non-denominational | 785-841-7636 | mhkjc.org

Jonathan

Grand Givers

“Kitchen cabinet”

Bagel makers

Art show

Tour of WWI exhibit

ABOVE: The middle school students at The New Reform Temple spent a Sunday morning at Mitzvah Garden KC, where they helped prepare the garden for the winter and next spring, as well as learning what the garden does for the wider community.

ABOVE: In late October, Congregation Beth Torah members and friends explored the Captured exhibit at the National WWI Museum and Memorial with Admiral Stanton Thompson, the highest ranking naval officer in Missouri.

ABOVE AND LEFT: The J’s Heritage Center’s Dorothy & Leonard Klein Art Show Opening Reception was held on Oct. 27. Pictured are artist Carlotta Burt with her family (above), who came to view her work that is on display; and a grand mother and grandson observing a wall of artwork created by the students in the Heritage Center’s art classes.

ABOVE: Congregation Beth Torah recently hosted its Bagel Making Pick-a-Party. The intergenera tional group learned how to make homemade bagels from Stephen Steigman. Pictured from left are Carol Ducak, Avital Falicov, and Noa Falicov with a sampling of the homemade bagels.

ABOVE: Dr. Helene Lotman, Jewish Federation president & CEO (center), appears with her “kitchen cabinet,” made up of Ward Katz, Alana Muller, Merilyn Berenbom and Stan Bushman. The kitchen cabinet convened throughout Lotman’s tenure at Federation to be a sounding board and to be of counsel to Lotman in her role leading the Federation.

NRT at MGKC

ABOVE, RIGHT AND BELOW: Kehilath Israel Synagogue’s annual Grand Givers event fea tured a kosher, four-course French meal pre pared by Chef Brian Aaron (pictured right). Guitarist Beau Bledsoe and the international artists of Ensemble Iberica (pictured below) provided music, and French wine selected by sommelier Aaron Fry was offered.

Jewish War Veterans supports veterans in need

from page 1

Commemoration at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka.

One of Post 605’s biggest focuses is its Holiday Gifts for Vets (HGV) pro gram, which was started in 2003 by post member Mike Katzman. (Katzman, a WWII veteran, is the oldest post mem ber at 102 years old.)

Pre-pandemic, post members would collect donations of essential items like toiletries, dental hygiene products, and clothing for veterans in the Kansas City area. The gifts were donated to vet erans (of any faith) at the VA centers in Kansas City and in Leavenworth, the St. Michael’s Veteran’s Center and the Veteran’s Community Project.

During the pandemic, COVID-19 re strictions prevented them from bring ing outside items to those communi ties. The post found a way to continue the program and switched to donating gift cards to the veterans; last year, the post gave out more than 400 gift cards. The post is in the process of securing donations and gift cards for this year’s HGV. The gifts are given out in the first weeks of December.

The

future of Post 605

Like many organizations, Post 605 faces the possibility of membership going down as current members pass away. However, the post has been suc cessful in recruiting, mostly by word of mouth among Post 605 members and those they know in their syna gogues.

“We are actually a pretty vibrant post,” Greenberg said. “Other posts are declining, and we’ve actually ex panded. We haven’t got hundreds, but we’ve had a raise in our population. And so I feel it’s a success.”

Greenberg said Post 605 has ap proximately 60 members at any given time.

Members of the community from any military branch can join the post. The group is also open to non-military members who can join as patrons. Some members spent a few years serv ing, and others made it their entire career.

Greenberg says he sees a long fu ture for Post 605 in the community.

“It will take a lot of energy to keep the post going, just as it will JWV as a whole to keep it going… but I’m kind of optimistic,” he said. “I think it’ll still go on for a while.”

Those interested in joining or learning more can email Greenberg at greenbergwilliam@hotmail.com. There is more information on the post’s Facebook page at facebook. com/JWV-605-113534657113204.

LEFT: The original chapter charter for Post 605 can be seen as part of the Jewish War Veterans exhibit at the Jewish Community Center.

Jewish community members provide support at Jackson County CASA benefit

A recent benefit for Jackson Coun ty CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) — which was founded as an NCJW program — received sup port from members of the local Jew ish community. Cocktails for CASA: A Night of Hope raised funds to benefit children removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect. The eve ning’s festivities and auctions helped raise more than $122,000 to recruit, train and support more volunteers to advocate for the best interests of chil dren under court protection.

In 1983, Jackson County CASA was founded as an NCJW program and was later spun off as an independent nonprofit. Jackson County CASA is one of the nation’s largest CASA pro grams. Its volunteers are expected to advocate for 1,250 children this year — about half the children removed from their homes for their safety in Jackson County this year.

B’nai Brith Bowling Scores

The following bowlers in the Sunday Morning Kansas City B’nai B’rith Men’s Bowling League achieved high scores at Ward Parkway Lanes on October 30 and November 6.

October 30

500 Series:

Brian Wright (209, 279, 204 — 692)

Willie Jones (217, 235, 224 –676)

Marion Potts (208, 176, 242 – 626)

Gary Friedman (201, 180, 181 –562)

Steve Baraban (189, 192, 178 –559)

Ron Rubin (188, 163, 197 – 548)

Scott Hecht (182, 161, 195 – 538)

Jeff Kivett (168, 180, 189 – 537)

Bruce Silverberg (159, 189, 186 –534)

Bruce W Parker (180, 189, 161 –530)

Michael Sokol (194, 153, 177 –524)

John Coleman (198, 178, 145 – 521)

Bruce Baraban (172, 194, 153 – 519)

Tom Balke (195, 160, 157 – 512)

Morty Rock (178, 160, 170 – 508)

170 Game:

Irwin Snitz (191)

Robert May (185)

Jerry Shapiro (177)

Steve Greenberg (176)

Bruce Singer (174)

Ted Simon (173)

Michael Altman (171)

Franklin Eldredge (170)

November 6

500 Series:

Willie Thomas, Jr. (195, 247, 244—686)

Steve Baraban (176, 190, 207—573)

Jeff Kivett (194, 184, 182—560)

Willie Jones (151, 208, 200—559)

Ron Rubin (173, 192, 193—558)

Michael Altman (184, 156, 199—539)

Morty Rock (191, 194, 134—519)

Steve Greenberg (116, 229, 173—518)

Irwin Snitz (162, 165, 189—516)

John Coleman (147, 161, 202—510)

Bruce W Parker (153, 178, 175—506)

Marion Potts (138, 221, 147—506)

Gary Gray (178, 167, 160—505)

170 Game:

Larry Katzif (195)

Ted Simon (190)

Bruce Singer (191)

Franklin Eldredge (187)

Scott Hecht (177)

Robert May (177)

Jeff Martasin (176)

Mark Newton (176)

Bill Sloan (176)

Christopher Eldredge (174)

If you are interested in bowling in a competitive, fun, social atmosphere, contact Tom Balke at 913-648-0326 or tombalke@everestkc.net.

Judges appoint CASA volunteers to the cases where children most need an advocate by their side as they navi gate the foster care and court systems. CASA volunteers — with ongoing sup port from professional staff — work to provide critical information to judges, helping them make the best possible decisions regarding where the children should live and what medical, therapeu tic, and educational services they need.

Jackson County CASA needs more volunteers to help advocate for chil dren. Volunteers do not need any spe cial skills or education — just a back ground check and training. A CASA volunteer usually spends about 10 hours a month meeting with the child, speaking with others involved, and at tending meetings or court hearings. Volunteer hours are flexible.

More information is available at jacksoncountycasa-mo.org or by phone at 816-984-8200.

The following are corrected scores from October 16.

500 Series:

Brian Wright (169, 205, 289 – 663)

Ron Rubin (171, 246, 244 – 661)

Steve Greenberg (189, 192, 211 – 592)

Bruce W Parker (213, 194, 171 – 578)

Scott Hecht (193, 162, 201 –556)

Mark Newton (183, 168, 205 – 556)

Jeff Kivett (175, 170, 210 – 555)

Ted Simon ( 177, 233, 142 – 552)

Bill Sloan ( 212, 178, 159 – 549)

Marion Potts (165, 178, 198 – 541)

Irwin Snitz (156, 186, 195 – 537)

Bruce Baraban (157, 197, 179 – 533)

John Coleman (164, 192, 161 – 517)

170 Game:

Kent Verden (190)

Michael Altman (183)

Michael Sokol (181)

Jerry Shapiro (179)

Scott White (179)

Gary Friedman (179)

Bruce Silverberg (178)

Franklin Eldredge (178)

Jewish attendees at the Jackson County CASA benefit included (from left) Bradley Friedman, Taly Friedman, Peter Beren, Sarah Beren, Karen Glickstein, Don Swartz, Ed Fried, Jackson County CASA Board Member Sandi Fried, Julie Levine and Terry Levine.

KU Hillel celebrates Sukkot and Simchat Torah with students

Sukkot and Simchat Torah celebra tions and programming followed the High Holidays for KU Hillel students in 5783. KU Hillel also put up a sukkah on its patio and used it for programs.

Suzy Sostrin, executive director, said that after fall break, when stu dents returned to campus, “[KU Hillel] launched into exciting Jewish learn ing surrounding [Sukkot and Simchat Torah]. It is important as a pluralistic organization to give our students many different ways to experience Jewish traditions.”

KU Hillel staff arranged the build ing of the sukkah during the Unit ed States Women’s National Soccer team’s game against England. To keep with the theme, British snacks were provided. Avi Blitz, Senior Jewish Educator, is British-Israeli, and dis cussed his home team’s chances while building the sukkah with fans of the U.S. team.

“KU Hillel is the students’ home away from home, because they can not build and decorate sukkahs at the dorms and apartments,” Blitz said. “They enjoyed coming to Hillel to

shake the lulav.”

Following the sukkah’s set up, KU Hillel held daily programs and events inside it. During Wellness Wednesday — a weekly drop-in time for students to come to KU Hillel to destress and do activities — the students were able to hang out in the sukkah and have bowls of homemade matzah ball soup.

“Wellness Wednesday is such a great part of my week, and getting to spend it in the sukkah was so special,” said Ella Atlas, a sophomore. “I enjoy hanging out with my friends at Hillel, and the soup was a great treat.”

That night, the Drink Like a Grown up program took place with sangrias in the sukkah for all the seniors over age 21 to enjoy. Led by Avi Blitz, this class infuses Jewish learning and conversa tions. Blitz shared stories about Suk kots all over and facilitated a discus sion on traditions with students.

“Drink Like a Grownup also gives our seniors time to discover their own Jewish traditions that they will take with them after graduation,” Blitz said. “I enjoyed having this evening together in our sukkah.”

To conclude the week of Sukkot at KU Hillel, the S’mores Havdalah event had students getting together

for a student-led Havdalah service and then making their way next door to the HERE apartments to be in its hot tub and eat s’mores.

After the weekend, KU Hillel started everyone’s week with Torah Scrolls and Sushi Rolls to learn more about Simchat Torah while eating some sushi together.

“I love the creative events Hillel has been providing,” said Hannah Smuck ler, a sophomore. “There’s always a different audience that comes along to each one, which is a great way to meet people I didn’t know before and make new Jewish friends.”

After the sushi, everyone gathered around to roll out the Torah and learn more about the holiday.

“I loved learning more about the Torah and understanding more about Simchat Torah,” said David Marx, a se nior.

KU Hillel’s largest Shabbat of the year, Rock Chalk Shabbat, was held on Friday, Nov. 4, in Lawrence, Kansas. Community members, alumni, parents and friends of KU Hillel joined for a Shabbat dinner, services and dessert.

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KU Hillel students unroll the Torah while celebrating Simchat Torah.

HBHA school rabbi focuses on nature and spirituality in Judaism

from page 1

for each of us and not just be… copying the ways of what our parents did.”

Next semester, Rabbi Philmus will teach the core elective class “Introduc tion to Earth-based Judaism.” He plans on going with the class to locations such as Mitzvah Garden KC to have ex periential education beyond studying the Jewish texts.

Rabbi Philmus’s own Jewish path started as he grew up in New Jersey. His father was the president of the local Conservative synagogue, and though the family wasn’t “super observant,” they were deeply involved.

While studying at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Rabbi Phil mus began to dig deeper into his Jew ish roots and his connection with the Earth. He earned a bachelor’s degree in natural resources/conservation, but he gained even more knowledge from his initial awakenings to the spiritual world through nature. In addition to ecology, he studied indigenous cultures such as the Native Americans and Ab origines of Australia. Through these studies, he discovered self-isolated meditations, later realizing that Juda ism’s form of it is called hitbodedut

“I didn’t know that it was called [hit bodedut] at that time, but I was spend ing a lot of time in nature by myself, observing in wonder of the wisdom of Hashem and creation, and connecting with the spiritual power of the ele ments of nature and different plants and animals,” Rabbi Philmus said. “I started to really feel like there was something mysterious and greater than myself.”

Rabbi Philmus became a wildlife ecologist while further developing a drive to learn more about Judaism.

“In time, I started to feel like I wanted to have a cultural container that was my own, to not be talking al ways about other people’s traditions,” he said. “I realized that in order for me to actually dig deeper into the roots of our tradition and to teach, I need to learn more. I knew I loved teaching Torah. I knew that I loved working with people of all ages.”

Already considering rabbinical school, an additional impetus for Rabbi Philmus to choose to go was the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York City.

Rabbi Philmus’s father and brotherin-law both had offices in the World Trade Center’s twin towers. Thankful ly, his father was not in his office that day, and his brother-in-law escaped the building before it collapsed.

“The whole experience of seeing how religion could be twisted to do something so horrible and destructive made me think, ‘It’s not enough just that I’m an environmental educator.’ I

need to really learn more so that I can be out front and be a leader in my own community to show that religion can be a force, it’s meant to be a force, and it will be a force for healing in the world, even though people often see it as the cause of the problems in the world,” Rabbi Philmus said.

Rabbi Philmus attended and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, and subse quently worked at synagogues in San Francisco, California; Newtown, Penn sylvania; and East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

As senior rabbi in East Greenwich, Rabbi Philmus lived at the synagogue’s parsonage and developed a small na

ture center in which to teach. He and his family tended to multiple goats, chickens and ducks during their eight years there.

“I eventually felt that working in a small synagogue was just limiting for me,” Rabbi Philmus said about his decision to turn to teaching. “I was only seeing the kids once a week — if I was lucky — and in very short, little bursts of time. And so the thought of working in a day school where I could really have daily interaction with the students and also go deeper with them because they’re learning more Torah and Hebrew and history was a really exciting opportunity for me.”

HBHA’s current head of school,

Adam Tilove, knew Rabbi Philmus; Ti love had been head of a Jewish school in Rhode Island, not too far from Rabbi Philmus in East Greenwich, and the two had worked together before. When learning about Rabbi Philmus’s desire to work at a day school, Tilove recom mended he apply to HBHA. (Tilove was not on the board in charge of determin ing who would be hired for the school rabbi position.)

HBHA, its students, staff and fami lies have impressed Rabbi Philmus. The variety of Jews doesn’t affect the greater value of Ahavat Yisrael (love of fellow Jews), he said. He uses the metaphor that the Jewish people are one body with many different organs to serve many different functions.

“They have to work together in or der for the body to be healthy as a whole,” he said. “HBHA is like a little miniature Israel.”

Rabbi Philmus lives in Overland Park with his wife, Valerie, and their three children: Sophie (15), Aeden (12) and Mae (3). He describes the city as a great place to raise a family and having a strong Jewish community.

“I love that this community here is not just fragmented,” he said. “Yes, each group has their own thing, but they very much see themselves as part of a greater community. They work together in many ways that I don’t see happening in other parts of the coun try. That’s really special.”

New meal plan from KU Chabad helps students keep kosher

KU Chabad is now offering Jewish students at the University of Kansas a kosher meal plan. Students who sub scribe to the plan receive twice weekly kosher dinners to-go. The meals are heavily subsidized by donors, and scholarships are also available for those who qualify.

“College life means independence. For many students, it is their first time away from home and the chaperonage of their parents,” said Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel, co-director of KU Chabad. “With that independence comes a heavy dose of responsibility. Their schedule, homework load, and eating arrange ments are wholly in their hands.”

Jewish college students who come from kosher homes are now responsi ble to provide their own food. Keeping kosher in Lawrence, especially on the KU campus, is difficult, and some stu dents felt they could no longer uphold the standards they grew up with.

“A few students confided their ko

sher troubles to me,” says Rabbi Tiech tel. “It was heartbreaking. I knew we would have to do something to address this major need.”

“Kosher food is such an integral component of Jewish life,” said Ne chama Dina Tiechtel, co-director of KU Chabad. “Kosher food warms the soul. It’s a privilege to provide such an im portant need for our Jewish students.”

“It’s definitely a challenge keeping kosher in college, but Chabad’s ko sher meal plan is amazing and helps make that possible for me,” said Adina Thompson, a freshman from Skokie, Il linois. “And the food is really good — I look forward to my meals every week.”

“It’s so nice to be able to know that I have a hot kosher meal ready for me after classes and not having to find, pre pare and then clean all the dishes and food I need to make a kosher meal in college,” said freshman Daniel Israeli, a freshman from Overland Park, Kansas. Nechama Tiechtel said that the

“goal at Chabad is to ensure that the needs of the students are be ing met. As the demand for ko sher food grew, it became evi dent that hot nu tritious kosher meals are not an extra, but a real necessity. We look forward to this program ex panding to mul tiple meals a day in the future.”

KU Chabad now serves dozens of meals every week and are eager to help more KU Jewish students in search of kosher food. Any one interested in learning more about the new kosher meal plan at KU can visit JewishKU.com/KosherMeals.

ABOVE LEFT: Rabbi Aaron Philmus leading a service as a crowd of heritage turkeys watch on. (Screenshot from @thechickenrabbi on Instagram)

ABOVE RIGHT: Rabbi Aaron Philmus with a baby deer that wandered into his backyard at his homestead in Rhode Island. In the background is one of his goats. (@thechickenrabbi on Instagram)

KU student Adina Thompson enjoying a kosher meal from the new KU Chabad kosher meal plan.

JNS

ADL, BBYO youth group initiative to help youth tackle antisemitism

The Anti-Defamation League and BBYO (formerly known as the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization) have formed a partnership to provide students in the United States and internationally with the skills they need to respond to Jew-hatred.

“Surveys have shown that Jewish students increasingly are experienc ing antisemitism at home, in their communities and online at frighten ing levels,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “We need to prepare Jewish students to be able to understand the drivers of modern antisemitism and the ways by which they can respond safely and effectively when hate mani fests in their lives.”

As part of their collaboration, the ADL will train teenage members of BBYO on how to understand and re spond to antisemitism. The two organi zations will also open a joint incidentreporting site for teens to report acts of antisemitism and bias.

Additionally, experts from both groups will create a resource for par ents and educators to use when ini tiating discussions on antisemitism and hate, while being mindful of the mental-health challenges facing teens today.

Matthew Grossman, CEO of BBYO, said, “As Jewish teens around the world face increased antisemitic ha rassment and hate speech in their schools, communities and on social media platforms, having the tools to understand and respond to antisemi tism is vital.

“BBYO has a long history of sup porting young people in the fight against hate in all forms, and as anti semitism grows and its sources evolve, this partnership with ADL is an ideal way for us to continue supporting our teens as they navigate the tides of in tolerance,” he continued.

BBYO, a pluralistic youth group, has some 70,000 members and 725 chapters in 60 countries.

JNS

Biden calls Netanyahu for the first time since election win

Six days after Benjamin Ne tanyahu’s Likud Party won a par liamentary elec tion, U.S. Presi dent Joe Biden called him on Monday, Netan yahu announced on Twitter.

Netanyahu stated that Biden congratulated him on his elec tion victory and said the alliance be tween the two countries is stronger than ever. Furthermore, Netanyahu told Biden that peace agreements with additional nations are possible while dealing with the Iranian threat.

Netanyahu’s spokesman said the conversation lasted eight minutes, and that Biden said, “We are brothers; we will make history together….My com

mitment to Israel is unquestionable.”

The call from Biden came after Brit ish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak con gratulated Netanyahu.

French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Netanyahu on Sunday. Netanyahu has also been congratulated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zel enskyy and Indian Prime Minister Nar endra Modi, among others.

Thank you to all members of our community who've served.

HAPPY VETERANS

Day!

Then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, March 9, 2016. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

national and global news

As sales of antisemitic film promoted by Kyrie Irving skyrocket, Amazon comes under pressure to remove it

By Asaf Elia-Shalev JTA

As the antisemitic book and film that NBA star Kyrie Irving promoted on social media continues to occupy best-seller lists on Amazon, the e-com merce giant has come under pressure from Jewish groups to remove the titles from its website.

The company is now considering adding a disclaimer to the film, accord ing to The New York Times.

The Anti-Defamation League sent a letter Friday to Amazon on behalf of itself and Irving’s team, the Brooklyn Nets, calling on the company to either remove the “virulently antisemitic book and related-video” or to label them with a note about their offensive content.

“The book and the film are designed to inflame hatred and, now that it was popularized by Mr. Irving, will lead directly to the harm of Jews,” the let ter reads, according to The Washing ton Post. “These views aren’t different viewpoints on history, they are out right antisemitic hate. They amplify longstanding antisemitic tropes about Jewish power, greed and claims that Jews control the media.”

On Monday, another major Jewish

group, the American Jewish Commit tee, asked Amazon to address the issue by removing the book and film.

“Effectively combating antisemitism requires corporate leaders to recognize what antisemitism is and take firm ac tion to confront it,” AJC CEO Ted Deut ch said in a statement. “Amid the con troversy surrounding Kyrie Irving’s sharing of a film filled with antisemitic tropes and Holocaust denial, it is criti cal that Amazon act quickly to remove this blatantly hateful material.”

A little over a week ago, Irving posted a link to the Amazon page for “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” a documentary based on a book by the

Israeli researchers improve chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer patients

Israeli researchers have developed a treatment that may enhance the effi cacy of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients, Tel Aviv University reported.

Researchers found that they can re duce the risk of lung metastasis follow ing chemo from 52% to 6%. (Metastasis is the process whereby cancer cells spread to other parts of the body.) They achieved this by adding an anti-inflam matory agent to the chemotherapy.

“While effectively killing cancer cells, chemotherapy also has some undesir able and even harmful side effects, in cluding damage to healthy tissues,” said Prof. Neta Erez of the Department of Pa thology at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, who led the study.

“The most dangerous of these is probably internal inflammations that might paradoxically help remaining cancer cells to form metastases in dis tant organs. The goal of our study was to discover how this happens and try to find an effective solution.”

The researchers, employing an animal model, discovered a previ ously unknown mechanism whereby the chemotherapy generates an in flammatory response, which sets off a chain of events that actually helps grow metastatic tumors.

“In this way, the chemotherapy, ad ministered as a means for combating cancer, achieves the opposite result,” Erez said.

The researchers then developed a way to combat this: chemotherapy with an inflammation inhibitor.

Researchers from her group includ ed Lea Monteran, Dr. Nour Ershaid, Yael Zait and Ye’ela Scharff, in collab oration with Prof. Iris Barshack of the Sheba Medical Center and Dr. Amir Sonnenblick of the Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Center.

The paper was published in Na ture Communications. The study was funded by ERC, the Israel Cancer As sociation, and the Emerson Cancer Research Fund.

same name. The film has since become a bestseller, topping all documentaries on Amazon Video. On IMDb, the Ama zon-owned popular movie database, the film now has 370 reviews. A snapshot of the title’s page from February shows it had only eight reviews at the time.

Meanwhile, the related book was the 78th best seller overall on Amazon and 2nd in the Christian Education catego ry as of Monday.

“Hebrews to Negroes” focuses on the idea that the true descendants of the ancient Israelites are modern-day African Americans and that today’s Jews fraudulently claim that ancestry. It also contains a series of other anti semitic claims, such as that Jews con trolled the American slave trade.

Irving rejected the criticism he at tracted after posting a link to the film and remained defiant following his sus pension from the Nets for declining to say he had no antisemitic views. Even tually, however, he apologized for pub licizing the film, saying he is “aware of the negative impact of my post towards the Jewish community and I take re sponsibility.”

The Nets want Irving to take a series of steps before allowing him to return to the team, including meeting with

Jewish leaders and the ADL.

As long as the film stays on Amazon, the company continues to collect half the purchase price, distributing the oth er half to the filmmaker. Some people are calling on the company to donate its proceeds from the book and film to groups that fight the spread of hate.

“It’s irresponsible to make mon ey from such a toxic book,” Alvin H. Rosenfeld, director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary Antisemi tism and a professor at Indiana Univer sity, told The Washington Post.

Amazon’s guidelines for filmmak ers distributing films on the company’s platform say that “all titles undergo manual and automated reviews,” which are meant to catch copyright violations or sexually explicit content as well as “derogatory comments, hate speech, or threats specifically targeting any group or individuals.”

The company’s policy for booksell ers says Amazon can remove “offen sive” content. It also says that it will al low a broad range of views to be aired.

“As a bookseller, we believe that pro viding access to the written word is im portant, including content that may be considered objectionable,” the policy says.

Jewish Agency chairman presents plan to strengthen ties with world Jewry

JNS

Israel Defense Forces Maj. Gen. (res.) Doron Almog, chairman of the executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel, on Sunday presented his new plan to build stronger connections be tween Israelis and world Jewry.

Addressing hundreds of Diaspora Jewish leaders from around the world in a meeting in Israel with the organi zation’s Board of Governors, Almog said his plan will deepen connec tions between Israel and world Jewry through “joint activities.”

These include building ties between Israeli and Jewish students study ing in Israel, connecting young Jews throughout the world with Israel’s high-tech sector and linking Israeli families living abroad with Jewish families in their areas.

“The flagship program that we will promote together focuses on strength ening connections between us; to deepen Israel’s relationship with every Jew, every Jewish family and

every Jewish community around the world. We must not lose any of them,” Almog said in a statement put out by the Jewish Agency.

Almog said that young Israeli emis saries will be given an expanded role amid rising anti-Semitism and the an ti-Israel efforts of the Boycott, Divest ment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

He noted that thousands of Israelis living abroad could take part in the plan, from former IDF officers to aca demics.

Almog also said that The Jewish Agency will work with the Israeli gov ernment to recognize Diaspora Jewish communities in official Israeli state ceremonies.

The plan will also help those who’ve already immigrated to Israel through cooperation with cities, government ministries, and businesses.

Volunteer programs to “adopt” new immigrant families and help immi grants learn Hebrew were also men tioned.

The Amazon logo displayed on a smartphone.

(Illustration by Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

JNS

John Mellencamp condemns antisemitism as his Jewish lawyer is inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

By Philissa Cramer JTA

As Kanye West extended his antise mitic spree by tweeting about Jewish agents in Hollywood, the rocker John Mellencamp took the stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and said this about his longtime lawyer: “Allen is Jewish.”

The line began an impassioned speech about the importance of nonJews standing up for Jewish people at a time of antisemitism and anxiety for many of them, especially as white su premacists have taken up West’s com ments as a rallying cry.

Mellencamp was speaking on behalf of Allen Grubman, a prominent music industry attorney who was being in ducted because of his efforts to strike agreements that let artists retain cre ative rights over their work. Onstage Saturday night at the Microsoft The ater in Los Angeles, Mellencamp em braced his longtime friend and called him a “true mensch.”

“Allen is Jewish, and I bring that up for one reason: I’m a gentile, and my life has been enriched by countless Jewish people,” said Mellencamp, whose songs

“Jack & Diane,” “Little Pink Houses” and “Hurts So Good” were hits in the 1980s.

“I cannot tell you how [expletive] important it is to speak out if you’re an artist against antisemitism,” Mel lencamp went on. “I don’t give a [ex pletive], I don’t care [about people’s identity]. Here’s the trick: Silence is complicity. I’m standing here tonight loudly and proudly with Allen, his fam

ily and all of my Jewish friends and all of the Jewish people of the world.”

Grubman is among a cohort of Jew ish attorneys and executives who sit at the top tiers of the entertainment indus try. He has represented Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, who sued him in 1992 for not disclosing that he was working for both Joel and his record label. (Joel dropped the law suit after the label paid him $3 million.)

Newsweek called Grubman “perhaps the music industry’s wealthiest and most powerful attorney” in 2001, and a 1998 Los Angeles Times profile said he had “octopus-like grip on the upper ech elon of the pop music world.”

Born and raised in Brooklyn and now in his 80s, Grubman said last week that he was proud of what he had ac complished in the music industry, pep pering in the Yiddish that he has used throughout his career. (“Life is 80% mazel and 20% brains,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1998, using the Yid dish word for luck.)

“I tried to move the leverage from the labels to the artists,” he told Vari ety. “And I feel I was pretty successful doing so, which took chutzpah.”

It was not the first time that Mel lencamp had publicly taken a stand to support Jews: Early in his career, he used the stage name John Cougar at the encouragement of his manager.

“His whole explanation to me was that Mellencamp was first of all a German name, and he was Jewish,” the singer told GQ earlier this year. “And I kinda understood that point.”

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Attorney Allen Grubman, left, and rocker John Mellencamp speak onstage during the 37th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Los Angeles, Nov. 5, 2022. (Amy Suss man/WireImage)

obituaries

Laurence “Larry” Alan Polsky, 71, of Leawood, Kansas, died Oct. 26, 2022, sur rounded by his family. He was born July 20, 1951, in Kansas City, Missouri, to the late Norman and Elaine Polsky.

Larry graduated from Shawnee Mis sion East High School. He attended Out ward Bound survival school during the summers. He became a staff member and saved the life of a coworker who had fallen off the top of a waterfall. Larry pulled the injured coworker from a pool of water and ran two miles to phone for help.

Larry studied to become a diesel me chanic at North Central Kansas Tech nical College before volunteering at Kibbutz Sarid in Israel during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. He later graduated from the University of Kansas with a BA in Business.

Larry went to work for his father at Fixtures Furniture following gradua tion. He earned No. 1 salesperson hon ors by selling the company’s first $1-mil lion chair order. Larry left Fixtures to run his own table company, Surface Technologies Inc. He operated the com pany for more than 40 years.

Larry traveled across the globe, in cluding stops in Asia and Eastern Eu rope. He loved annual trips with family to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, best. The years where his bonus daughter, Elisa Recht, and her family were able to join were especially meaningful to him. Lar ry loved to go to the Jewish Community Center to exercise, play racquetball and schmooze. He was a lifelong member of Congregation Beth Shalom and enjoyed going to his morning services, particu larly for “Larry Polsky Monday.”

Larry’s family and friends were his greatest passion. He married the love of his life, Ellen Ginsburg, daughter of the late Sidney and Roz, in 1977. He deeply loved his three children, Renée, Jennifer and Joseph, and the family’s many dogs. Larry’s greatest joy was becoming “Pops” to his six grandchil dren. He grinned from ear to ear when they stuck their finger in their mouth and “popped” it out as a way to formally greet him.

Larry’s wonderful sense of humor and kind temperament enabled him to find friends everywhere he went. He was a beloved father, son, brother and friend, a community leader and a dedi cated businessman. But more than any thing, he wanted to be remembered as a “good guy.” All who encountered him knew that to be more than true.

Larry is survived by his wife, Ellen, of 45 years; daughter and son-in-law Renée and Larry Silver; daughter and son-in-law Jennifer and Adrian Salazar; son Joseph Polsky; bonus daughter and son-in-law Elisa and Rick Recht; grand children Nathan, Elaine and Sophie Sil ver and Noah, Eliana and Sydney Sala zar; bonus grandchildren Kobi and Tal Recht; brother and brother-in-law Steve Polsky and Mark Oliver; sister Karen Kent; sister-in-law Janey Goodman; brother-in-law and sister-in-law By ron and Gerri Ginsburg; cousins Mark Horowitz, Dennis Horowitz and Robert Broudy; and many loving nieces and nephews. Larry is preceded in death by parents Norman and Elaine Polsky; brother Joel Polsky; parents-in-law Sid ney and Rosalind Ginsburg; sister-inlaw and brother-in-law Sharon and Jim Greenwood and Stanley Goodman.

Funeral services were held on Oct. 28. 2022, at Louis Memorial Chapel, 6830 Troost Ave. followed by burial at Mount Carmel Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and Con gregation Beth Shalom.

Selma Dreiseszun

toward her degrees, she worked in mul tiple positions at UMKC, including as an administrative assistant in the English Department (eight years), Engineering Department (two years), the Music Con servatory (two years) and as a Produc tion Assistant for KCUR Public Radio for two years.

For entertainment, she enjoyed play ing bridge and mah jongg, bird watch ing, making pottery and knitting. Her true passions were her rose garden, family genealogy and collecting music boxes.

Selma is survived by her three sons, Justin (Anita), Howard (Molly) and Neil (Marjie); two grandchildren, Nathan and Robin; two great-grandchildren, Lincoln and Parker; and many stepgrandchildren, step-great-grandchil dren, nieces, nephews and cousins. She is predeceased by her parents, Fanny and Henry Walker; brother Warren Walker; sister Iris Chaikin; and aunt Mary Rothberg.

A graveside service was held at Mt. Carmel Cemetery on Nov. 9 with Rabbi David Glickman of Congregation Beth Shalom officiating. Louis Memorial Chapel handled the funeral arrange ments.

In lieu of flowers, memorial dona tions may be made to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.; Linda Hall Library in Kansas City, Mis souri; or the public broadcasting sta tion of your choice. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to her many kind caregivers, wonderful friends, and magnificent neighbors who always were there for Selma.

Selma was an enthusiastic, warm, and loving person. She never held back her expressions of love and affection and never lost her curiosity and appre ciation of the world around her.

for North Kansas City.

Surviving are her life partner, Steve Alexander, of the home; two sisters, Mina Dell Lacey of Belton, Missouri, and Dixie Atchison (Gerald) of Clinton; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, Eugene Wirsig and Lyle Wirsig.

Graveside services were held Nov. 7, 2022, at the Englewood Cemetery in Clinton. Services are under the direc tion of the Bradley & Hadley Funeral Home in Clinton.

Condolences may be left online at bradleyhadley.com. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Ameri can Heart Association or the Alzheim er’s Association, and these donations may be left in care of the funeral home.

Rose Lee Weisberger

Selma Dreiseszun, 96, of Kansas City, Missouri, passed away on Nov. 7, 2022, in the family home where she lived for 68 years, surrounded by family.

Selma was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Henry and Fanny Walker on Dec. 23, 1925. When she was three years old, her family moved to Kansas City. She at tended Paseo High School and gradu ated in 1942. While there, Selma was instrumental in starting the Zeta Kappa Jewish sorority. Her sorority sisters be came lifelong friends who met regularly to share their life experiences. She was the last surviving member of this group.

Selma was an active mother before beginning her professional career. Dur ing her sons’ early school years, she was a den mother for four years and was active with the PTA throughout their schooling. During the summers between 1960 and 1977, she was Direc tor and Instructor for the American Red Cross Swim Program at Prairie Village Pool in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. Sel ma also worked as a Crew Leader for the U.S. Dept. of Commerce in the 1970 and 1980 U.S. Census. She earned a degree in Sociology from UMKC in 1975 and was a master’s candidate in social psychology. She became a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society in 1972. While working

Ruth Ann Roth

Rose Lee Weisberger, 82, a cherished mother, grandmother, sister, and a life long resident of Kansas City, Missouri, passed away on Nov. 1, 2022, at Research Medical Center. A graveside service was held Thursday, Nov. 3, at Kehilath Israel Blue Ridge Cemetery located at 1901 Blue Ridge Blvd, Independence, MO 64052. Kindly contribute to Hadassah Greater Kansas City or Disabled Ameri can Veterans in lieu of flowers

Rose Lee is survived by her husband of 59 years, Eugene Weisberger; son Robert Weisberger; daughter Deborah (Rick) Geivett; grandchildren Allison (Grant) Kobza, Jessie Geivett; sister Madeline (Abbott) Zolotor; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and neph ews, and cousins. She was so excited to meet her first great-grandchild due in the spring.

Ruth Ann Roth, 79, of North Kansas City, Missouri, passed away Wednesday evening, Nov. 2, 2022, at the North Kan sas City Hospital.

She was born Nov. 12, 1942, in Clin ton, Missouri, the daughter of Leo Her bert Wirsig and Mattie (Tally) Wirsig.

Ruth worked as a hairdresser for several years. She then owned and oper ated Occasions Catering for 38 years in Kansas City, Missouri. She was a mem ber of the Congregation Ohev Sholom in Prairie Village, Kansas, and several different ladies’ social groups. In her spare time, she enjoyed her flower gar den, even receiving Yard of the Month

Rose was preceded in death by her parents, Martin and Gertrude Jerwick; and sisters, Sandra Jean and Barbara Steinberg. Rose worked at Western Auto for 26 years until their corporate office closed. Afterwards, she returned to the IRS, where she started her career, until her retirement in 2020. Rose’s coworkers at the IRS and Western Auto appreciat ed how she organized most work events and parties. She was well-known for her many hats that she decorated and coor dinated with every outfit.

She belonged to Kehilath Israel Syn agogue until she married and moved to Congregation Beth Shalom before re turning to K.I. Rose Lee was a life-time member of Hadassah and a member of Beth Shalom Sisterhood.

Laurence “Larry” Alan Polsky

Born in St. Joseph to Morris L. and Jeannette (Reicher) Rosenthal, Rob ert was a lifelong St. Joseph resident. He grew up surrounded by a large and loving family. He graduated from Cen tral High School in 1954 and attended University of Missouri where he was a member of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity.

Robert was a fixture in the communi ty. He was a past president of both Tem ple Adath Joseph and Shaare Sholem Cemetery, and a member of Moila Shrine Temple and the Lovers Lane As sociation. As part of the Missouri West ern State University Foundation, he was instrumental in securing the funding for Spratt Stadium. For more than 20 years, he was a trustee of the Hofheimer Trust, an organization responsible for distributing more than $200,000 annu ally to local charitable organizations.

As a young man, Robert began his career in the family business, Stevens Hat Company. He went on the road, calling on customers and learning the hat business. Many of his customers became friends, and he developed a work ethic that was unmatched. He met Cathie at the factory, and they were married for 57 years. Stevens Hat Company became Stetson Hat Company and, after retiring, he began a new career at Brown Transfer & Storage.

At age three, Robert became fascinat ed with cars, and that passion never wa vered. From a fire engine and ’49 Cadil lac to many cars in between, he kept his cars immaculate and usually spent Sat urdays washing them in the driveway or winning trophies in area car shows. At tending the Barrett-Jackson auto shows in Phoenix was always a special treat. He proudly participated in the Apple Blossom Parades in his 1931 Lincoln and often drove Missouri Western State University president Dr. Robert Vart abedian in the homecoming parades in his 1962 Mercury convertible. He drove many newlyweds, including his daugh ter Dana and son-in-law Brian, away from their nuptials. Up until recently, he still enjoyed taking rides in the con vertible, sporting a Hemmings baseball cap and Ray-Bans.

Robert took great pride in his lawn. It wasn’t unusual to see him mowing the yard in the tie and dress shirt he wore at

work all day. Well into his 80s, he walked along the Parkway and down Ashland Avenue, never missing the opportunity to stop and say hello to a friend. Always a gentleman, he knew how easy it was to brighten someone’s day with a visit, phone call or card. He took extra care to call on friends who were ill or recuper ating. He was a very kind man who will be missed by many.

Robert was preceded in death by his wife, Cathie, in July 2021. Survivors include his daughters Maggie Ross of Platte City, Missouri, and Dana Camp bell (Brian) of the home; grandchildren Brad Staples (Kendal), Zachary Ross, Josh Campbell and Samantha Camp bell; great-grandsons Clayton and Reed Staples; brother James B. Rosenthal and many loving family members and friends.

The family will be forever grateful to Robert’s caregivers, Tammy, Kim, Melanie, Helen and Pam. They are self less, patient, creative and loving. Most importantly, they helped him know he was never alone. A heartfelt thanks to Sarah, Laurie and Shelli with Mosaic Life Care Hospice.

Farewell services and a public livestream were held Oct. 31 at Meierhof fer Funeral Home & Crematory. Inter ment was at Shaare Sholem Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Noyes Home for Children, Mosaic Life Care Hospice or the Alzheimer’s Association. An online guest book and obituary are at www.meierhoffer.com.

wood film career, her theatrical person ality endured throughout her entire life.

The epitome of vivaciousness, she was also hilarious, good-natured, and amenable to new things — even trying white water rafting with her grandchil dren at 80 years old.

She and her husband, Walter Har vey Jacobs, M.D., moved to Kansas City in 1959, where they raised their three children.

Blessed with great organizational skills, a wonderful public presence and creativity, she was often recruited to lead organizations and events and became the auxiliary president of Menorah Medical Center as well as the auxiliary president of the American College of Gastroenter ology when her husband was the orga nization’s president. She also was on the board of the Florence Crittenton Home and active with United Cerebral Palsy.

Dorothy deeply loved Lester L. Dun can, her second husband, and they had a wonderful two decades together, divided between Kansas City and their home at the La Quinta Country Club where she was active in the Boys and Girls Club of Coachella Valley and was honored by the City of La Quinta for her work.

Dorothy was a fantastic cook best known for her incredible brisket and someone who always encouraged her children to invite their non-Jewish friends to her Passover Seder to learn about Jewish traditions.

Although she lived most of her life in her beloved Kansas City, she was still a New Yorker through and through who loved her Schrafft’s coffee ice cream and, even in her 80s, could still navigate her way around the streets of Manhat tan so fast that even her grandchildren couldn’t keep up.

She adored her many dear friends, her dogs, babies, old black-and-white movies, playing tennis at Oakwood Country Club, traveling the globe, root ing for the KC Chiefs and a good party.

Jacobs Newman (Mark) of Chicago, Illi nois. Grandchildren: Jonathan (Eli) and Gregory Jacobs; Bryce Caster; Jocelyn Caster Oberg (Alexander); Stephanie Dickstein (Joseph); Melanie Leifman (Michael) and great-grandson, Gavin Dickstein. She also leaves behind her dear “adopted KC family” – the Helz bergs, Lenks, Rudnicks and Strausses.

Her family thanks the incredible staff at Belmont Village in Westwood where she resided the past five and a half years and charmed the hearts of many.

Any donations may be made to Ev erychild Foundation, P.O Box 1808, Pa cific Palisades, CA 90272. Please desig nate “In Memory of Dorothy Duncan.” Details of service and burial at Mount Moriah are pending.

Mark Jerome Klein

away in Los Angeles, California, follow ing complications of ulcer surgery on Nov. 3, 2022.

She was the cherished only child of Shirley (née Vollberg) and Jacob Kaplan. Her father, a Manhattan attorney, was a student at CCNY when Jews were exclud ed from fraternities, motivating him and seven of his friends (“The Octagon”) to found Sigma Alpha Mu (“the Sammies”), which spawned chapters on college cam puses throughout North America.

Dorothy, known for her beauty throughout her life, inside and out, was an alumnus of Erasmus Hall High School where she was named the “Class Actress” in her yearbook. She attended NYU and worked as a runway model in Manhattan for several years before becoming a junior girls fashion buyer at Macy’s in Herald Square. Although her parents adamantly discouraged her from pursuing her dream of a Holly

She also had a remarkable memory for the people and events of her life and always had a great story to share, such as when she was four and her parents brought her along to see the legendary fan dancer, Sally Rand. As she told it, she stole the show when she screamed, “Look Mommy – that lady is naked!”

But most central to her personal ity was her incredible maternal nature. No woman ever loved her children or grandchildren more deeply than she, and she always made sure they knew it. They all survive her: Dr. Andrew Jacobs (Elizabeth) of Kansas City; Jac queline Jacobs Caster (Andrew) of Pa cific Palisades, California; and Joanne

Mark Jerome Klein, 90, of Overland Park, Kansas, passed away on Oct. 26, 2022, in Lenexa, Kansas.

Mark was born in Kansas City, Mis souri, to Robert and Fay Klein on Sept. 19, 1932. He went to South West High School and graduated in 1950. He went on to earn a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Missouri, an LL.B. in Law from the University of Missouri, Kan sas City, and an LL.M. in Taxation from New York University. He worked as an attorney in his own law practice for over 40 years, served in the United States Air Force as an attorney and continued in the United States Air Force Reserves, where he achieved the rank of Colonel. He was also a life-long member of Kehi lath Israel Synagogue.

Mark excelled at math, enjoyed read ing long historical fiction, cheered for the Kansas City Chiefs, and was accept ing of people from all walks of life. He specialized in franchise law and was es pecially committed to ensuring that the rights of franchisees and small business owners were protected. He published articles in franchise magazines and

Robert Reicher Rosenthal

Robert Reicher Rosenthal, 86, passed away peacefully at his home in St. Jo seph, Missouri, on Oct. 26, 2022.

Dorothy Joan Duncan

Dorothy Joan Duncan, 91, passed

journals and was quoted as an expert in franchising in publications such as the Wall Street Journal.

While Mark had a detailed business mind, one of his favorite roles was be ing a grandpa who the grandkids called “Papa.” As Papa, he specialized in play ing a game his grandchildren called “swing swing” where he would swirl and toss them gently in the air and catch them in his sturdy arms. His kids and grandkids also loved Papa’s funny voic es, great impression of Donald Duck, and silly songs.

Mark is survived by his children, Robert Klein of South Elgin, Illinois, Barbara Cutler of Overland Park, Sama ra Klein of Overland Park, and Melissa Klein of Dobbs Ferry, New York; his grandchildren, Jacquelyne Vaughan, Alexis Cutler of Overland Park, Sarah Klein of South Elgin, and Lyla Wallen of Dobbs Ferry; and his brother Rich ard Klein of Houston, Texas. He is pre deceased by his sister, Elaine Sklar, of Los Angeles, California.

The funeral was held at Louis Memo rial Chapel at 6830 Troost Avenue, Kan sas City, MO, on Oct. 30, 2022, with Rabbi Moshe Grussgott of Kehilath Israel Synagogue officiating. Burial followed at Sheffield Cemetery, 6200 Wilson Avenue, Kansas City, MO. Louis Memorial Cha pel handled the funeral arrangements.

Memorial donations may be made on his behalf to either Kehilath Israel Syn agogue, 10501 Conser, Overland Park, KS 66212 (or kisyn.org/donations) or Inclusion Connections, 2073 E. Santa Fe, Olathe, KS 66062 (or ickc.org).

Lois Mae Kruglick Gettleman

tleman. Lois and Sam were married on June 6, 1960, after dating for just three weeks. It was truly love at first sight, and a real blend of families. They raised four children together: Cindy Gettleman Price, Jeffrey Gettleman, Bradley Gettle man, and Laurie Gettleman Greenfield.

Lois loved her family and was an extremely devoted mother. The Gettle man house was always open to anyone and everyone. Lois would prepare food constantly for her growing children and their friends. The pool parties after sports were always the biggest hits. She would make her famous cheese crisps and have the whole football team gather, making them never want to leave.

great-granddaughter. She was the best grandmother in the world. Her grand children were the light of her life.

Lois is preceded in death by her be loved husband, Samuel Louis Gettle man; her son, Jeffrey Gettleman; sonin-law, David Price; brother Burton Kruglick; and sister Gloria Lederman.

Lois Mae Kruglick Gettleman, 85, of Phoenix, Arizona, passed away on Sept. 27, 2022. She was born the third child of Mary and Joseph Kruglick in Chicago, Illinois, on Jan. 16, 1937.

Lois was a daughter, a mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, but most importantly, everyone’s friend. She is already missed dearly by those who knew and loved her quick-witted and loving spirit.

As a young girl, Lois attended school in Chicago. She later met her beloved husband of 56 years, Samuel Louis Get

After the children were grown, Lois and Sam moved to San Diego, Califor nia, to do something different. She be came an owner of Fox Office Products in Pacific Beach. Lois was a natural businesswoman who loved making longlasting friendships with her colleagues. Lois always had a story and knew the scoop in the best way.

After living in San Diego for 20 years, Lois and Sam decided to retire back in Phoenix. She lived in Arizona un til January of 2022 and then moved to Leawood, Kansas, with her youngest daughter, Laurie, and gracious son-inlaw, Michael. It really was the best last eight months of her life. She was able to see her grandchildren, great-grandchil dren, and children often. Lois even was always up for a good interview from her

She is survived by her son, Bradley Gettleman (Jody) of Paradise Valley, Ar izona; daughter Cindy Gettleman Price of Phoenix; daughter Laurie Gettleman Greenfield (Michael) of Leawood; and six beautiful grandchildren, Heather Price Nana, Ginna Price Ronis (Chad), Jessica Gettleman, Rachel Gettleman Wayner (Jonathon), Jeffrey Greenfield, and Mat thew Greenfield. The cherry on top were four great-grandchildren, Nicole Nana, Tyler Nana, Eva Nana and Sam Ronis, plus many nephews, nieces and cousins.

The family expresses their great gratitude. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to The Phoenix Chil dren’s Hospital or the Humane Society due to her love of children and animals.

Matthew Weiner stone unveiling

The stone unveiling for Mat thew Weiner (Oct. 4, 1973, to Jan. 30, 2022), son of Stan and Mary Weiner, will be at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, at Mt. Car mel Cemetery, 5529 Ditzler Ave, Raytown, MO 64133.

Jewish Federation Annual Meeting