Volume 102, Number 21 www.kcjc.com October 13, 2022 18 Tishrei 5783
jewish chronicle The KANSAS
CITY
Noa Dovrat welcomed to Kansas City as community shalicha The Jewish community welcomed Noa Dovrat to Kansas City in September, as she began her time as the newest Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) community shalicha (Israeli emissary). Dovrat joins the Jewish Experiences team, a collaboration of Jewish Federation and The J, and will work closely with Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, KU Hillel and many other Jewish organizations and synagogues in the Kansas City area. She will also help engage the Israeli community locally while cultivating relationships with the entire community on the topic of Israel. “We are excited about having Noa in our community to further connect us with the Jewish homeland and its culture,” said Derek Gale, Jewish Federation vice president and chief operating officer. “While Zoom helped us keep in touch these past couple of years, there is no doubt we’ve missed both an Israel emissary presence and gathering in person as a community for Jewish and Israel-related programs, learning and celebrations. We are thrilled to invest anew in further building and deepening the connection between Kansas City and Israel, especially for our young adults.” Even before arriving in Kansas City, Dovrat began making connections with
Noa Dovrat, community shalicha, during her service in the Israel Defense Forces. youth in the community, visiting with KU Hillel students on a trip to Israel this past summer. “We are thrilled that Noa will be a part of the KU Hillel professional
team,” said Suzy Sostrin, executive director of KU Hillel. “She has already made a huge impact on our student community by joining KU Hillel on our Birthright Israel trip this summer and at our Israel Shabbat, which started Hillel’s strong Israel-related programming this semester.” Noa will be working with KU Hillel’s senior Jewish educator, Avi Blitz, to create programs about modern and historic Israel. “We cannot wait to have her join us weekly on and off-campus to meet our students,” Sostrin said. Ethan Helfand, director of Jewish Experiences, explained a few of the important reasons why the community will benefit from having a shalicha. “First and foremost, Noa provides an opportunity for our community to see, learn and experience Israel through the eyes of an actual Israeli,” he said. “She also provides an opportunity for conversation — we recognize that Israel can be a complicated topic, and while our job as a community is not necessarily to tell people how to feel, it creates opportunities to engage in conversation, think about how we program, and talk about Israel’s role in our community and in our own lives. “Finally, Noa has the opportunity
to educate people who don’t have any previous experience or relationships with Israel. She can build relationships through helping others learn about Israel’s culture, food, music, history, literature, travel — while she is not responsible for representing the totality of Israel, she absolutely can help find ways to engage people through her own lived experiences.” Having recently finished her army service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Dovrat, 22, comes from a military family. “My dad was a pilot, my mom was an officer in the paratroopers,” she said. “My eldest sister was an officer in the [Israeli] Air Force, and my other sister is a pilot, which is considered to be a very high position for a woman.” When it came time for her to enlist though, Dovrat wanted to set her own path. “I didn’t want to go into the Air Force,” she said. “I didn’t want to be someone’s daughter or sister. I wanted to make my own way, so I went into combat engineering.” Her position was as an explosives instructor in charge of educating 200 soldiers. Dovrat signed
See NEW, PAGE 8
Jewish Federation makes an impact in Israel By Lacey Storer Assistant Editor Many people know that Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City supports not only our local Jewish community but also communities worldwide, working with organizations and agencies in Romania, Bulgaria and, of course, Israel. What most people might not realize is that Jewish Federation actually has a staff member on the ground in Israel. Hannah Soltz is Federation’s Israel representative. A native Israeli, she works with all the programs — 21 in total — that Federation funds in Israel. Her role is more than just monitoring and reporting back that the money allocated to these programs is being used properly. She provides insight on the changing needs in Ramle, which pro-
grams are working, any changes in local municipal priorities, if there are different programs that should be considered for funding, and more. Soltz recently visited Kansas City for the first time since the pandemic began. During her time here, she met with Federation lay leaders, participated in a community study collaboration task force meeting, and was able to work with the members of Federation’s Israel and Overseas subcommittees in person as they reviewed allocations requests and made recommendations for funding. “After the last couple of years only being able to connect on Zoom, it made a big difference to have her here in person,” said Andi Milens, Federation’s Senior Director, Community Building. Soltz works with Federation’s part-
nership community of Ramle, a relatively small community in central Israel that sits between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Ramle is a “mixed city” — although the majority of its 80,000 residents are Jewish (approximately 75%), there is a strong Israeli Arab presence, including Muslims and a smaller Christian population. Working in a mixed city can present challenges, Soltz said. Ramle is also not a wealthy city, and opportunities for residents can be limited. “Growing up in Ramle, your future is not very bright, unfortunately,” Soltz said. “But the more chances you give [a] child, the better chances he will not be out on the streets. He’ll get a good education, and later on, be a fruitful citizen.” Many of the programs and organizations Federation supports — which
Inside Book Corner JFS High Holiday food drive continues HBHA to honor Alan Edelman JFS Volunteer of the Month KU Hillel announces Rock Chalk Shabbat
Hannah Soltz, right, Jewish Federation’s Israel representative, with Andi Milens, Federation’s senior director of community building, during Soltz’s recent trip to Kansas City.
See FEDERATION, PAGE 8
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Celebrations Calendar and congregation directory Spotlight Obituaries
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