My Favorite Jewish Hot Spot!
By Ellie Frager
At the J.C.C in
Depending where you are, The J.C.C can be loud or quiet. At the pool area, you can hear the kids screaming on the waterslides, people kicking and splashing, and people socializing. In the lobby, you can hear phones ringing, people talking with their indoor voices, and other people typing. With that description in mind, you can probably tell that the pool is noisy and the lobby is quiet.
The pool, again, is a great example for some smells. It smells like chlorine. Also, you can smell delicious kosher meat being cooked from the eating area.
At the J.C.C, you can taste the best challah ever! It’s freshly homemade every Friday at the J.C.C. Also, you can taste ice cold soda, Ice Cream, and really good hot dogs.
The Wii remote at the kids workout place is probably the best texture at the J.C.C. I also like the edges of the water slides and the ropes on the lily pads, even though you can sometimes get rope burn. The J.C.C in
The family that plays together
When Caryn Mandel moved to the Kansas City area to attend The University of Kansas Medical School in 1988, she joined the Jewish Community Center.
"I was involved in the JCC in Omaha, Neb. since I was a little girl," Mandel said. "So naturally I joined when I moved to Kansas City."
Caryn knew the benefits of belonging to The Center, and was happy to have a place to work out, to meet people, and for her children to attend a Jewish preschool.
While it is not uncommon for many couples to meet their significant others at The Center, very few can say they have been married at The Center.
"At the time, my now-husband and I both sent our children to the CDC (Child Development Center)," Mandel said. Caryn and her husband, Rob, decided to hold their wedding where they met, in the CDC with all the children.
"This was a second marriage for both of us, and we wanted to keep the wedding low-key," Mandel said. "So we brought in a rabbi and a cantor to the Shabbat service held in the CDC on Fridays."
As a part of the wedding service, each child at the CDC designed a small square of fabric to make a chuppah. "Over 100 guests at our wedding were under the age of 5."
her three children, Jeri Ann, Spencer and Joie Beth.
"I retired to stay home with my kids, but I wanted to give back," Mandel said. "I've always had a passion for kids and sports, so I helped organize the Youth Triathlon at The Center."
The now annual triathlon, held on the last SUnday in June, raises money to fund youth programming, especially for health and sports activities, at The Center. "I thought there was a huge need for youth programming at The Center at the time. I love that stuff and kids' health and fitness is a huge, timely, topic."
The triathlon, one of the premier youth sports events in the city has become a big part of what the Center for Health and Human Performance does for the community. It is one way The Center is able to showcase its facility for many families across the region.
Mandel is not the only one in her family involved at The Center. Her husband and children have also embraced The Center and its activities with the same enthusiasm.
"We spend a lot of time during the summer using the pools. We think they're the coolest pools in town," Caryn said.
All three of Mandel's children have attended Barney Goodman camp, and Rob started a morning swim group that now boasts over 20 members. For the Mandel family, The Center is a central part of their lives.
"When I was little, I did most of my activities - swimming, gymnastics, soccer, everything sports related - at the JCC in Omaha," Caryn Mandel said.
So, of course, the transition to The Center in Kansas City was an easy and welcoming one.
"Being a member of The Center is like being at home for me," she said.
Previously published in The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle in the October 24, 2008 issue
Love of the Center goes back many years
By Barbara Bayer, Special to The Chronicle
Sally Slabotsky once described her relationship with the Center as a "love affair." As with most "affairs," the relationship has been life changing.
"The Center became my home away from home. It introduced me to a myriad of good friends," she said. "It developed my physical being and brought enjoyment to my life that I can't begin to measure."
In time, that measurement begins when Slabotsky was a teen. She remembers congregating there on Sunday afternoons with her friends.
"We would mix in such a way that everyone seem to know each other from different high schools," she said.
In fact, after she became engaged to her future husband, Gordon, they had their engagement party on the roof garden of the Linwood location.
Married with three young children, Slabotsky said they sent their children to preschool at the Center and spent time relaxing at the pool. While they were at the pool her son Scott, who was 3 at the time, asked her why she never ventured into the deep end. So, she was inspired to take swimming lessons.
That opened a new world for Sally. She met the Center's phys ed director, Howard Banchefsky, who encouraged her to play volleyball and aerial tennis. In fact, she played on a traveling co-ed volleyball team representing the Center.
"We had a great time and made fabulous friends," she said.
In addition, she also started taking a body mechanics class and began playing tennis. All of which, she said, invigorated her.
"I suddenly had an abundance of energy and it continued on a daily basis," she said, noting that she still plays tennis and walks, sometimes as much as 4 miles a day.
Her involvement at the Center led to an invitation to join the board of directors in 1948. She was one of the very first women to take a seat on the board and many years later, in 1999, she was elected president.
Shortly after her election, she said even as a woman "of years," taking on such a leadership position was a natural occurrence.
"For many years women have been in the background and have been window dressings. If more women exercise their abilities and showcase them in different areas, then people will see we have something to offer," she said at the time.
Perhaps the greatest gift she has given the Center, then and still today, is her ability to raise money.
"I've always felt that the Jewish Community Center was in need of money and it's never been a problem for me to ask people to donate money," she said. "Just recently I was playing bridge and I asked a couple of women for $1,000 donations and they agreed.
"Asking people to support the JCC is probably my calling in life," she continued.
Her grown children, including Scott, have been inspired by Sally's devotion to the Center.
"She has been like the Energizer bunny being tireless in her efforts to help the Center over the past 50 years," Scott Slabotsky said. "I have tried to follow her lead when I started my fundraising efforts when I created SportsNite 17 years ago and when I started raising money to build the Lewis and Shirley White Theatre."
Sally said all the fundraising efforts through the years have been necessary to keep the Center a vital institution, one that helps people develop their minds and bodies and helps cultivate "everlasting friendships."
She's happy to know she's been able to contribute to the Center's vitality over the years.
"You just know the Center will be there for people for years to come!"
Previously published in The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle in the September 19, 2008 issue
How The Center Impacted the Lives of Erica & David Bush
By Barbara Bayer
Jonathan Bush can’t remember not being a member of the Jewish Community Center. That’s because Jonathan, who will soon become a Bar Mitzvah, has been hanging out at The Center since he was a little tyke attending preschool at the CDC. Jonathan’s mother, Erica Bush didn’t belong to The Center when she was young. But she did spend a lot of time there. "We were there several times a month," she said. "My sister and I took swimming lessons there, we saw Kiddie Kapers there, we attended BBYO meetings there ..."
Erica liked being at The Center. During that time she grew to believe that The Center is the place to be if you want to be active in Jewish life. "I knew I wanted The Center in my life when I was an adult," she said. So after Erica married David Bush in 1990, she suggested they join The Center. "I wanted us to be members because to me it was a way of supporting Jewish communal life. So we made a commitment to help support the Jewish community," Erica said.
The Bushes commitment to The Center grew when they chose to enroll Jonathan in the CDC.
"There are other Jewish preschools, obviously, but the CDC is a great Jewish school," Erica said. "The synagogues and temples also weren’t able to meet my schedule and The Center was the only one that had the extended hours that I needed." Erica was very impressed by the CDC staff. "When I took the tour of the CDC, I fell in love," Erica said. "I just couldn’t wait to get him in."
Now an assistant secretary on The Center’s board of directors, the CDC PTO was where Erica first became a Center volunteer. Even though Jonathan and younger sister, Rebecca, have outgrown the CDC, the Bushes have continued to enjoy a large variety of Center activities. "I know that my children are safe and well cared for in any program that they participate in," Erica said. "I have always felt that no matter what the program, the staff really gets to know our kids, cares about our kids and even cares about our entire family. Being at The Center has helped Jonathan and Rebecca establish their Jewish identities," she continued. Because the Bush children feel safe at The Center, Erica feels comfortable allowing them, especially Jonathan, to meet up with friends at The Center when she won’t be there. "If he needs something, there’s always somebody at the desk or an adult he knows that he can go to for help. They feel safe there and they can be active and have social opportunities at the same time," Erica said.
Now that he’s older, Jonathan is looking forward to spending more time in the CHHP and hopes to be an LIT and eventually a counselor at a Center camp.
"I can’t imagine The Center not being a part of our life," Erica said. "It has offered something for all stages of our family’s life and I’m sure it will continue to do that."
Family has fond memories of the Center
By Barbara Bayer, Special to the Chronicle
The Jewish Community Center has always played a part in the lives of Ed and Ellen Rose. To make sure the Center continues to have an impact on future generations of their family, they are investing in its Capital and Endowment Campaign. As part of the legacy they will leave to their children and grandchildren, one of the basketball courts will bear their name.
The sports facilities drew Ed to the Center as a kid. He fondly remembers that he was only 8 years old when he started hopping on the bus close to his home at 40th Street and Benton Boulevard to get to the Center on Linwood Boulevard. He continued going to the Center as a teen, playing basketball, baseball and joining AZA.
When the Center moved to its Holmes Road location, Ed joined the Men’s Health Club and played racquetball. Eventually, he was appointed to the board of directors and, later, the board of governors.
The Center’s sports facilities continued to play a role for the Rose family as Ed’s sons, Barry and Stephen, grew up. Today he is thrilled that his grandchildren — Jessica, Jake and Justin Rose — use the Center for fun and as part of their education at the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. Both Jake and Justin are members of the Center’s Maccabi Games team which will travel to San Diego this month, and Ed and Ellen will be there to watch them.
“We love coming to the Center, watching the children play, and kvelling a little bit. They’ve done well!” Ed said.
Ellen also grew up as an active Center member. She then worked at the Center for 35 years, retiring in 2005.
She started working at the Center at its Linwood location, following it to Holmes and then to its present location. Ellen worked in various roles for five executive directors — Sol Margolin, Ben Streltzer, David Belzer, Ellen Kort and Cary Minkoff — eventually becoming director of administration.
From the beginning, Ellen loved working at the Center. She even purchased a piece of its history — the original wooden switchboard — when it moved from Linwood to Holmes. Many years later, she still has it.
“My grandchildren love to play with it,” Ellen said.
Ellen said the Center is a “great place to work” and she enjoyed working with the various staff and board members through the years.
“Everyone loves working here. You can see by the staff’s longevity, no one ever leaves,” she said.
Ellen played a key role in two of the Center’s most well-known programs, the Jewish Arts Festival and SportsNite. SportsNite was an annual event that, she recalls, took six months to plan every year. Her contributions to the Center and SportsNite were recognized at the last SportsNite in November 2005, when the Center started a new scholarship fund in her name.
Her children and grandchildren also love being at the Center, and, even though she’s no longer there every day, she said the Center remains a “big part of our lives.”
“The Center is just a wonderful place for everyone of all ages to spend time,” Ellen said.
Supporting the Center
The Jewish Community Center is currently conducting a capital and endowment campaign. To date, the agency has received over $2 million in pledges toward a $5 million goal. Proceeds from the campaign will pay for program improvements and build endowments that will provide general support and ensure the future of top-quality programming in every department.
To obtain more information on how you can contribute to the Center’s Capital & Endowment Campaign, call Jill Maidhof, interim co-executive director, (913) 327-8077, or e-mail her at: jillm@jewishkc.org.
Previously published in The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle in the August 15, 2008 issue
Keeping the Center strong for future generations
By Barbara Bayer
Jeff and Sharon Mallin were members of the Center long before they even knew each other. Because they believe the Center has had such a huge impact on their lives, they feel it’s important that the Center continues to grow and be a strong presence for their children and future generations.
“I was practically raised at the Center on Holmes,” she said. “We were there every day in the summer, every weekend, and even now my mom uses the
Jeff said it was a place for him to go and hang out with his friends. As teens, both participated in the Center’s youth program, BBYO. That experience still impacts their lives.
“To this day I am friends with people that I met through BBYO,” Jeff said.
Jeff, who was the Center’s president from 2003 through 2005, credits BBYO with giving him the opportunity to start shaping his leadership skills. As a young adult he was invited to join the BBYO adult advisory board by Jeanette Wishna, of blessed memory. In fact Jeanette and Howard Jacobson, both former Center presidents, urged Jeff to volunteer at the Center. Following the example set by his parents, who spent years volunteering for an assortment of organizations, he decided to jump right in.
“There are a lot of good places to volunteer, but I like it that you can find all different kinds of people at the Center. I also think all the good the Center does is just great,” Jeff said.
Over the years
“The Center has great fitness classes and great teachers,”
The Mallins children have also given their service to the Center. Melissa, who is a junior at the
Jeff believes the Center has given him an opportunity to live and act like a Jew in ways that being a member of other Jewish organizations doesn’t.
“I love the fact that everybody comes together at the Center as a community, regardless of whether they are young or old, observant or not observant,” he said.
He is also pleased that as a leader of the Center he’s played a part in showing the general community what being a Jew is all about.
“Jewish people care about all people and care about community. So what do we do at the Center? We care for our children. We care for our seniors. We take care of our health and grow culturally. And we don’t do this just for the Jewish people but for the whole community. I’ve always felt that is an important part of the Center’s mission.”
The Weinberg Family
My wife Gail and I clearly remember when our autistic son, Blake, was of age to go to camp. We desperately wanted the same kind of socializing experience for him that our other two sons had in the summers through soccer and camp. We also wanted a Jewish experience that we knew would be valuable in helping develop his Jewish identity. “Normal” camps found it difficult to deal with Blake because of his limited ability to communicate and be understood. His sensitivity to noise and his difficulty socializing normally were also barriers.
The JCC, and only the JCC, was there to provide a Jewish camping experience that helped him reach his potential and gave him a sense of his Jewishness that still provides him comfort today. We would pick Blake up from camp and he would be in the middle of a group of singing kids and included as if he was one of the gang. He still sees kids today that come up and say “Hi Blake, I was in camp with you”. The JCC supplied trained people to allow Blake to feel a real part of a wonderful camping experience. Later, as he aged out of the JCC camp, he was able to attend the URJ Kutz camp in
The Velaquez Family
My family’s history at the Center goes back for generations. My grandfather, Frank Morgan, played basketball in the building on Linwood and my grandmother, Skipper Feingold, taught at the CDC and ran the Barney Goodman Camp for years. In moving back to Kansas City, it was important to me for my children to have a similar experience and I think The Center is an integral part of that.
My daughter, Mia, attends the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, while my son Avi just graduated from the CDC. My youngest daughter Marley is currently at the CDC. My husband, Javier, and I love the CDC. When I drop off my kids they immediately feel safe and comfortable there. The Center has always been a safe, good place to go. It gives you a base and a connection wherever you are. - Erika Velaquez
Center brings two hearts together
By Barbara Bayer, Special to the Chronicle
The Jewish Community Center changed Herb Fishman’s life.
A native of South Philadelphia, Herb came to Kansas City to visit his parents, who had moved here, shortly after he was discharged from the Army Air Force in November 1945 following World War II. He never intended to stay here.
“I always planned to go back East where all my friends were,” Herb said.
Two days into his visit his cousin, Marshall Geller, invited Herb to attend a USO dance being held at the Center. Herb went to the dance, still wearing his uniform, where he laid eyes on Beverly Herschman. Herb’s life was never the same again.
Beverly was attending a sorority meeting in the building on Linwood Boulevard that night.
“The Center seemed to be the meeting place for all the organizations. All the Jewish people just gathered there,” Beverly recalled.
Once Herb saw Beverly, he wanted to meet her. Marshall advised him that Beverly was promised to Marshall’s brother.
“Marshall’s brother was still serving in Germany. He had frozen feet he suffered from the Battle of the Bulge,” Herb said.
That didn’t stop Herb from asking Beverly to dance, and they got along well. So Beverly invited Herb to be her guest at the Turkey Trot, a traditional Thanksgiving party. The pair continued to date, marrying in 1946. Needless to say, Herb never returned to the East coast to be with his friends.
One of the first things Herb did when he decided to stay in Kansas City was to join the Center. He also joined the Nu Sigma fraternity.
“We used to go to the Center for our meetings. All of our social activities revolved around the Jewish Community Center,” Herb said.
Beverly and Herb have been married 62 years now, and the Center has always remained a part of their life.
“I don’t know of anything more important, except the synagogue (Kehilath Israel), that we’ve been affiliated with over the years,” Herb said.
“The Center by golly was the center of our social activity for many years,” he continued.
Beverly said the Center is still a part of the couple’s social life.
“We enjoy going to the productions at the Lewis and Shirley White Theatre,” she said. “It just brings another element of joy to the Center.”
And, Herb said, the pair continues to use the Center’s fitness facilities.
“I use the gym, too,” Beverly said. “It helps keeps me moving.”
In recent years, Herb said it’s been important to him to support and provide funds to help pay for state-of-the-art improvements for the fitness facilities.
“It’s a great way to help other people as well as myself,” Herb said.
Beverly said they are proud to be members of the Center.
“It’s a beautiful place,” she said.
“It’s run well and we expect it to be here for many, many years. We will continue to support it and see it grow,” Herb said.
Previously published in The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle in the July 18, 2008 issue
The Levin Family
What impact has The Center had on us? We don't even know where to begin! When the current JCC was being built, we were co-chairs of the Membership/Marketing committee and gave tours in hard hats! That started our "careers" with Center volunteerism culminating with the Center Board of Directors. After a total of 18 years on the board, we are both now on the Board of Governors. 
The Jacobson FamilyI owe my life to Jewish Community Centers, because my parents met at a JCC in Indianapolis when they were both working at the pool! What’s funny is that years later, I met my husband Richard at the Center here in town. We were part of that crazy group of people who work out at 5:30 in the morning. I was taking my shoes off, and I guess Richard found that amusing because he started teasing me about it. Actually, I don’t find it so coincidental that both my parents and I met our future spouses at a Jewish Community Center—it just makes sense. Our Center is just the kind of place where people feel really comfortable and form lasting relationships…I’ve taught a class in Sports and Fitness, now the Center for Health and Human Performance for 13 years, and I see it happening all of the time.
Especially with kids! This is just the best, best, BEST place for our children Jaden and Jackson. I can’t begin to express how happy they are in CDC—We owe a big THANK YOU to the Center. - Ali Jacobson
Center makes big impact on family's activities
By Barbara Bayer, Special to the Chronicle
At a glance The Jewish Community Center is currently conducting a capital and endowment campaign. To date, the agency has received over $2 million in pledges toward a $5 million goal. Proceeds from the campaign will pay for program improvements and build endowments that will provide general support and ensure the future of top quality programming in every department.When Trudy and John Jacobson moved to Overland Park 18 years ago, a friend gave them a membership to the Jewish Community Center. It quickly became the “center” of their lives.
“There is absolutely nothing to compare to the Jewish family atmosphere at the Center,” Trudy said.
John enjoys playing racquetball and using the fitness facility. But children’s programming had the biggest impact on the family after they enrolled their young son, Joe, who was about 3 years old then, in the Child Development Center.
“I think the youth program is terrific and it laid a wonderful foundation for our son. I’ll never forget it,” John said.
As Joe got older, he started playing sports at the Center — T-ball, basketball, baseball and soccer.
“We continued to enroll Joey in just about everything, including camps at the Center every summer,” Trudy said. “He made a lot of his friends there; he learned to swim there; he learned karate there.”
The Jacobson family became more and more immersed in activities at the Center. John even coached some of Joe’s sports teams.
“The Center programs really laid the foundation for Joe’s Jewish life, his academic life and his athletic life,” John added. “The Center played an extremely important role in our family.”
Since those days of taking Joe to school, Trudy began using the fitness facility as well, and now she spends almost every day of her life there.
“We belonged to country clubs in the past, but we made the decision we would join the Center, and that’s our country club,” Trudy said.
She said the Center became the center of everything she was about for a number of years. She took adult-education classes and was a member of the second graduating class of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School.
Trudy’s love of physical fitness led her to become involved with various committees. She eventually chaired the sports and fitness committee and was invited to take a seat on the board of directors. She served nine years and is now a member of the board of governors.
“Sports and fitness became my passion, and I was offered the opportunity to work with some of the brightest, most capable people I could ever have imagined. I have been involved in a lot of civic organizations before, but never in an organization with so many caring, intelligent people, and I just thrived on it,” Trudy said.
Trudy is especially proud of chairing the Kadima I committee. Among its accomplishments were the improvements to the Waterama outdoor pool area, which debuted in the summer of 2004.
Both Trudy and John feel the Center itself is a major force in Johnson County and the Jewish community.
“I think we all have to be grateful for such a wonderful facility and the people that originally put it together. We have a responsibility to keep it going. It’s a strong part of our heritage,” John said.
Previously published in The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle in the June 20, 2008 issue
The Glaser Family
The Reif FamilyThe JCC, now more than ever, is such an essential part of my family's life. From the Center for Health and Human Performance and all its amazing state-of-the-art equipment to the safety of leaving my two-year old in a safe and gentle environment to meeting friends at the outdoor pool, the Center is the place we depend on to exercise, socialize and identify with the Jewish community.- Loren Reif
The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City
5801 W. 115th Street, Suite 101Overland Park, KS 66211
913-327-8000, Fax: 913-327-8040
www.jcckc.org
