Shabbat Blessings We gather via Zoom at 6:45 p.m. this coming Friday, July 26, for Shabbat blessings and a little Torah. This is always a wonderful time to be together in community, to share the ritual of making Shabbos and have Shabbat dinner at home. Click here for the Zoom link.
Kol Ami Event Family Gathering Our next family gathering takes place 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. this Saturday, July 27, at the Loose Park Sprayground. Please let Julia, director of engagement, know if you can attend so she can get enough snacks, engagement@
Upcoming Kol Ami Event Resting in Mindfulness Class Save the date for this beginner-friendly class taught by Julia Billquist from 2 to 3 p.m.Saturday, August 3, at All Souls. The class will be an hour of various mindfulness-based practices, including gentle movement, guided meditations, and ways to self-connect and access a grounded and rested nervous system. Upcoming Community Event
Tisha B’Av We have the opportunity to be part of the community-wide observance of Tisha B’Av, at 8:15 p.m. Monday, August 12, at Congregation Beth Shalom (142nd and Lamar, in Overland Park). This important fast day includes beautiful mournful music, readings, study and discussion. Rabbi Doug will be participating in the service. Click here for more info and/or to register (for in-person or virtual participation). We Wish Mi Shebeirach A complete healing of mind, body and spirit:
Sondra Levy Atherly Robert Clinton Kenneth Dantzler Renée Dietchman Harriet Greenwald Karla Jacobs Rabbi Sally Priesand Jean Shifrin Melvin Michael Slater
If you would like a name to continue to be listed or if you have a new name to include, please send an email to healing@kolamikc.org.
Rabbi's Week in Review
I had a great blog just about to go in the hopper this week. But in our present environment, decades of history seem to be compacted into weekly occurrences that change the calculus and, at the very least, make previous intended missives if not irrelevant, at least beside the point.
Tiny Pop Tabs Loom Large By Julia Patterson, director of engagement
In Judaism, we seek to live intentionally, and Kol Ami member Alan Lubert does just that as the community relations manager — and “pop-tab head honcho” — at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City (RMHC-KC).
Most canned beverages have pop tabs (as do cans of soup, fruit, pet food, tennis balls). While these pieces of aluminum are small, they add up to a monumental mitzvah. In 2023 alone, Alan oversaw the collection of 11 tons of pop tabs, which were recycled, keeping aluminum out of landfills and raising more than $15,000 for RMHC-KC.
Alan stands inside the "pop-tab shed" after a large donation of six copy-paper boxes filled with tabs. He awaits a third pickup this year from Advantage Metals, the recycling company. The shed already holds 10 tons of tabs since the last pickup.
RMHC-KC provides crucial services to families staying at one of the three Ronald McDonald Houses in Kansas City, near Children’s Mercy Hospital. Families who have a seriously ill child are welcome to stay in one of the organization’s 91 bedrooms, which are available cost-free for days, or sometimes months. Alan says there is always a need for support — and always a waiting list.
If you’d like to contribute to Alan’s RMHC-KC project and start collecting pop tabs, please gather them in a Ziploc bag or easy-to-empty container and bring them with you to services. We’ll have a collection box available at All Souls.
If you are interested in volunteering with Kol Ami on a project in support of RMHC-KC and/or visiting its houses, please let me know at engagement@kolamikc.org, and I will keep you updated on plans. In the meantime, you can donate money or learn more about the organization and its pop-tab program by clicking here.
This Week's Torah Portion
Parashat Pinchas (Bamidbar/Numbers 25:10-30:1) The Parashah continues a narrative from the end of last week; Pinchas effectuates vigilante justice, killing both Zimri and Cozbi with a spear for the ostensible crime of an Israelite cohabiting with a Midianite. While Pinchas’ action is seen by some commentators as laudable, rewarded by G-d with a Brit Shalom, a Covenant of Peace, others see this Covenant as a means to address the emotional trauma experienced by Pinchas in confronting his own violent action. This is a reminder that when we send soldiers off to war, it comes at not only a physical price but also an emotional one.
Our mailing address is: Congregation Kol Ami 4501 Walnut Street ℅ All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church Kansas City, MO 64111
