Israel in Crisis If you have not done so yet, please join our Israel Aid Tzedaka Campaign.  We have raised $1400 dollars, but we are still short of our goal of $5000 in order to sponsor a busload of teenagers.  Please help us reach our goal as a community. We have extended the deadline to Monday. There are several events taking […]

Dear BIAV Family,   We hardly had time to mourn the deaths of Naftali, Eyal, and Gilad before Israel was thrust into battle with Hamas.   I would like to share a story I read about Gilad.  When Gilad became Bar Mitzvah, his one request was to visit R. Yitzchok Grossman of Migdal Haemek, so […]

I write this message as rockets continue to fall throughout Israel.  We have been saying Tehilim at each service in shul to pray for the safety of Israel’s residents and the IDF. For resources for what we can do to help, visit http://www.ou.org/life/israel/crisis-israel-can-help/, that includes Tefillot, shiurim, Tzedaka portals, as well as opportunities for political […]

To my BIAV Family, I am out of town visiting family but I did not want to let a Shabbat go by without connecting with all of you and sharing some words of Torah, some words of nechama (comfort) and of reflection. Deep in our hearts we grieve the deaths of three Israeli teenagers, Gilad, […]

    This week we were all distraught day in day out with the kidnapping of the three Israeli teenagers, Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, and Eyal Yifrach.   Each one is a well-rounded teenager, involved in activities both mundane and lofty.  They have such futures ahead of them.   We take life for granted until we […]

This weekend will be an exciting one at BIAV!  We are hosting Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz, world renowned author and speaker.  Rabbi Tatz has authored many popular books including Living Inspired and the Thinking Jewish Teenager’s Guide to Life that we give to Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrants. On that note, we are also celebrating […]

Last Shabbat my family traveled to Omaha to spend the weekend with our friend and colleague Rabbi Jonathan Gross, of Beth Israel Synagogue.  It was Rabbi Gross’ farewell weekend after ten years of service as he now moves on to a position in Baltimore. Rabbi Gross and family were regular visitors to KC, and we […]

Earlier this week I attended the AJC World Forum in Washington DC.  The AJC (American Jewish Committee) advocates for Jews around the world, addressing issues relating to anti-Semitism, Israel, and justice.  I am a member of the board of our local JCRB-AJC chapter in Kansas City, and I was proud to represent our city alongside […]

This past Tuesday night I was in Willamsburg, NY to participate in a Rabbinic Panel at the dinner for an organization called Mikvah USA.  Our community Mikvah benefited from the generosity of Mikvah USA as part of the gorgeous renovation. I was asked, along with three other Rabbis, to share with the donors and attendees […]

This past week I attended a very important seminar presented by the Genetic Jewish Disease Consortium.  It is an umbrella organization representing a number of organizations that work with assisting in the research, treatment, and prevention of Jewish Genetic Diseases. This new initiative seeks to provide education about this important issue. One of the presenters […]