$1.00 The KANSAS CITY Volume 91, Number 27 www.kcjc.com July 1, 2011 jewish chronicle Experience the magic of hot air balloons at Olathe festival By Barbara Bayer thought something like this should be Editor done here in Kansas City. “Nothing of that caliber had ever Who doesn’t love watching a hot air been done here,” she said. balloon sail through the sky? The sky So she started investigating balloon will be filled with beautiful hot air bal- festivals, discovering that every state in loons of all colors, shapes and sizes the country has at least one. next weekend, July 8, 9 and 10, when “I found out they even have them the second annual Great Midwest Bal- in places like Iowa and Reno (Nevada) loon Fest launches at the Great Mall of where the weather isn’t necessarily the Great Plains in Olathe. better than what we’ve got,” Small said. Spearheaded by Robbie Small and It took less than a year for the Smalls her husband, Steve Small, who serve to get the first balloon fest off the as the festival’s executive directors, ground. It was held last year in south- GMBF’s organizing committee also in- ern Overland Park and almost 50,000 cludes several members of the Jewish people attended the inaugural event. community. Proceeds from the festival Last year’s event was big and fun, will benefit three local charities — Hos- but Small said they learned a lot from pice House of Olathe Medical Park and it. She said this year’s festival will be Noble Cause U.S.A. Foundation, Olathe even bigger and better. Mayor’s Christmas Tree Fund (which The most notable change is the site benefits SafeHome, Salvation Army, — the Great Mall of the Great Plains in Sunflower House, CASA, Olathe Spe- Olathe. cial Olympics, Catholic Charities and “It has terrific access. It’s right off others). Food donations will benefit I-35 and exit 215, which is 151st Street,” Harvesters. Small said. “We have been raising money from Parking will be easier this year as sponsors to cover all the expenses so well, with thousands of paved parking we’re hoping that by the time the gates places located at the mall as well as sat- open, whatever we take in we can give ellite sites where free shuttle service directly to the charities,” Small said. “It will be available. (See box for detailed all depends on the attendance, but we information Page 14). are hoping to donate thousands of dol- It begins at 3 p.m. Friday, July 8, and lars to charity.” continues through 11 p.m. when the PHOTO BY BEN MCCALL The presenting sponsors are Block last band stops playing. An early morn- Among the attractions being offered at the Great Midwest Balloon Fest July 8, 9 and 10 at and Company, Deffenbaugh Industries, ing balloon launch will take place at the Great Mall of the Great Plains are hot air balloon rides and tethered balloon rides. Farmers Insurance Group, Ferrellgas, 6:30 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City, US mornings. Early birds will be treated to Bank, Olathe Medical Center, Radio free Krispy Kreme donuts and Parisi Disney and Time Warner Cable. coffee. The field will re-open to the public BALLOONING IN KANSAS CITY at noon on Saturday and Sunday. It will stay open until 11 p.m. Saturday night Small has attended the world’s and will close following the last launch largest hot air balloon festival, held Sunday at about 6:30 p.m. in Albuquerque, N.M., several times Weather permitting, Small said they while visiting her daughter who lives there. She enjoyed it tremendously and see Great, page 14 page 2 The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle July 1, 2011 Th e KANSAS listening post CITY jewish chronicle a tradition since 1920 By Barbara Bayer, Stephen F. Rose Chairman Editor [email protected] David Small JOIN US AT URBAN TABLE President — Urban Table, a new restaurant [email protected] opening in Corinth Square on July Barbara Bayer 19, is offering the chance for 50 Jew- Editor ish Chronicle readers to sample the [email protected] breakfast or lunch menu for free on Sunday, July 17. The first 20 readers Marcia Horn Montgomery to e-mail Judy Lanes at jlanes@me- Community Editor tromediapublishers.com will receive [email protected] a reservation for two. (Don’t forget Amy Cohn to tip your server!) Judy will e-mail Advertising Manager the 20 lucky readers with all perti- [email protected] nent information. The restaurant is owned and operated by Bread & Barbara Lewis Godfrey Butter Concepts, the group behind Account Executive BRGR Kitchen + Bar, and is dedicat- [email protected] ed to serving good food to good peo- Judy Lanes ple at a reasonable price. It is located Account Executive at 8232 Mission Road in Prairie Vil- [email protected] lage. We’ll tell you more about Urban Table in a few weeks. Until then you Mike Bennett can check it out at urbantablekc.com Rabbi Craig Lewis Production Director and on Facebook and Twitter. [email protected] of Prairie Village. One more Heather Swan ANOTHER RABBI ON THE Special Sections Editor MOVE — Rabbi Craig Lewis, a Kan- HAPPY FOURTH —The Over- Friday Chronicle [email protected] sas City native (Shawnee Mission land Park Rotary will host its 20th East ‘93 and KU ‘96), is returning to Annual Star Spangled Spectacular Next Friday, July 8, will be the last the Midwest to assume the pulpit of in Corporate Woods Monday, July time The Chronicle will be published Delivery Problems? Congregation B’nai Jeshurun (the 4. Several Jewish people are on the on Friday. Papers will begin appear- Call (913) 951-8425 Or e-mail South Street Temple) in Lincoln, planning committee. Admission is ing in mailboxes on Thursday, July [email protected] Neb. Having received ordination free. All purchases made the day 14. from the Hebrew Union College Cin- of the event benefit four charities: This delivery change is resulting Published every Friday by cinnati campus in 2008, Rabbi Lewis Down Syndrome Guild, Headstart of in a deadline change for items being spent the last three years serving as Shawnee Mission, Overland Park Ro- submitted for publication. Any news assistant rabbi at Congregation Shir tary Club Foundation’s Youth Lead- or social items you want published Ha-Ma’alot in Irvine, Calif. During ership Institute and SAFEHOME. — including Bar/Bat Mitzvah an- his tenure there he performed a va- Food and beverages will be available nouncements, event articles, cards 4210 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 314A riety of rabbinic functions, includ- beginning at 4 p.m., live entertain- of thanks, calendar items, photos for Fairway, Kansas 66205-2532 ing worship, Torah study and life ment begins at 5:30 p.m. and the fire- the Snapshots page — are due in our Chronicle Offi ce: (913) 951-8440 office by noon Thursday, the week Facsimile: (913) 674-5379 cycle events. He also taught in the works should light the sky around Website: www.kcjc.com religious school and worked closely 9:30 p.m. The rain date is Tuesday, before you want it published. That E-mail: [email protected] with the youth groups, the broth- July 5. For more information, visit means if you want something in our erhood and the congregation’s se- the Star Spangled Spectacular web- first Thursday edition, please make ©2010 MetroMedia. All rights reserved. niors’ group. Upon their arrival in site at www.starspangledspectacu- sure The Chronicle editorial staff has Lincoln, Craig’s wife Jennifer will lar.org. it no later than noon on Thursday, PUBLISHER NOTICE be the art studio program manager July 7. (That’s just six days from to- The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle (ISSN 0022-8524) for Resources for Human Develop- day, Friday, July 1.) We will produce (USPS 290140) is published weekly throughout the year, ment, a non-profit agency that serves our paper on Tuesdays, deliver it to plus one special edition in July and another in September, by disabled adults. Their 3-year-old son the U.S. Postal Service on Wednes- MetroMedia, 4210 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Suite 314A, Eden is excited to explore his new days so it will arrive in your mailbox- Fairway, Kansas 66205-2532. Subscription $54.95 per Correction year in area (includes sales tax), $64.95 per year outside pre-school and to grow up closer to es on Thursdays. In last week’s article on the Israel Don’t hesitate to call us if you have the area. Periodicals Postage paid at Shawnee Mission, his saba (grandfather), aunts, uncles, pilgrimage reunion, Debbie Kersh- Kansas Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Kansas and cousins in Kansas. Craig is the questions at (913) 951-8425. You can City Jewish Chronicle, 4210 Shawnee Mission Parkway, enbaum Haith’s maiden name was son of Stuart and Hilary (z”l) Lewis also send us an e-mail us at chroni- Suite 314A, Fairway, Kansas 66205-2532. misspelled. [email protected]. July 1, 2011 The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle page 3 BRGR 6211JL41 4C X 10” page 4 The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle July 1, 2011 Long journey leads to rabbinate for KC native By Barbara Bayer ally understanding with any depth the Editor meaning of the approach to Judaism,” he said. Ten years ago Steve Burnstein’s son With three degrees in tow, he began died when he was just six months old of working at Congregation Beth Torah as a genetic disorder.