Never can say goodbye

Sad but exciting news came last week from Rabbi Hyim Shafner, who has served Bais Abraham Congregation since 2004. In a letter to congregants, Shafner explained he would be leaving St. Louis this summer to become senior rabbi at Kesher Israel, a Modern Orthodox congregation in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. 

Shafner, 48, will be the successor to the synagogue’s former spiritual leader, Rabbi Barry Freundel, who was arrested 2½ years ago for secretly videotaping women in Kesher Israel’s mikvah. Rabbi Avidan Milevsky has been serving on an interim basis since July 2015.

“The Bais Abraham community is unique in its warmth and the unity of its members. I know it will continue to shine this light to our people who so need it and I hope to help add to that light,” Shafner wrote. “I believe that once I am someone’s rabbi, I am always available to them whenever they need me, even after many years.”

Shafner is married to Sara Winkelman, director of Nishmah, a program for women and girls operated by the St. Louis Jewish Community Center. The couple has three children, ranging in age from 15 to 19.

In a letter to the Kesher Israel congregation that was shared with JTA, shul president Elanit Jakabovics described Shafner as “humble, genuine, spiritual, and healing,” as well as “sensitive to the needs of his community and thoughtful in his approach.”

Shafner said he plans to work closely with the Bais Abe board to determine how to sufficiently cover the synagogue’s needs if there is an interim gap without a full-time rabbi as the congregation searches for a new one. 

Prior to Bais Abe, Shafner served eight years as the campus rabbi at St. Louis Hillel at Washington University. He and his wife also spent a year working with the Jews of India, where he served as a community rabbi for the Jews of Mumbai.

Freundel, 64, was arrested in October 2014, and began serving a 6½-year sentence in May 2015 after pleading guilty to 52 counts of voyeurism.

Congrats to NJT

The New Jewish Theatre took home two St. Louis Theater Circle Awards Monday night, bringing its total number of wins to seven since the awards were first begun in 2013. 

“Old Wicked Songs,” which NJT performed March 17-April 3, 2016, earned the theater company Outstanding Production of a Drama, while Lavonne Byers, who starred as the title character in NJT’s one-woman show, “Golda’s Balcony,’ took home Outstanding Actress in a Drama. That show was performed Oct. 6-30.

“Theatre is such an important way to tell and share our stories. That’s why we do it — not for the awards and accolades,” said Kathleen Sitzer, executive director of NJT. “Nevertheless, when we receive such significant awards, it validates the work we do. I am humbled and honored that NJT received these prestigious awards. It says our stories are important.”

A crowd of about 300 gathered for the fifth-annual awards ceremony, which honors productions and performances from 2016 in St. Louis professional theater. Thirty-three awards were handed out, divided into categories for musicals, drama, comedy and, for the first time, opera, which previously had been part of the musicals category.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis had the most wins with nine, including seven for its musical production of “Follies,” which kicked off its 50^th anniversary season in September.

The bread of affliction gets a facelift

Add to the growing list of why didn’t I think of this idea first: designer matzah. 

Ashley Albert and Kevin Rodriquez, both 44, met at a Jewish summer camp in North Carolina as kids, 30 years ago. About 20 years ago, Albert had an idea for updating matzah, making the Passover staple of unleavened bread so delicious that Jews and non-Jews alike would want to eat it year-round.

Unfortunately, she says, no one seemed interested until a couple of years ago when Rodriguez bit, so to speak. 

He was looking for a career change, so he began experimenting with recipes in a kosher kitchen while Albert started sketching out packaging and branding for what the two decided to call “The Matzo Project.”

Fast-forward to present day and the rollout of their “surprising delicious” matzah flavors, including salted, cinnamon and sugar and everything. The latter adds a dash of paprika and chili flakes to a blend of poppy, sesame, minced onion, garlic and salt and is fabulous topped with a shmear of goat cheese.

The three flavors are available in kosher (but not kosher for Passover) matzah and matzah chips. Next up, says Albert, will be an all-natural vegan matzah ball soup mix. Equally enticing is the packaging, which features a bubbe in sunglasses asking the age-old question: “Would it kill you to try something new?” 

Unfortunately, the closest specialty store selling the products is The Better Cheddar in Kansas City. But all items are available at matzoproject.com.

Write this way

For 14 years, the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center (HMLC) has held a national art and writing competition dedicated to the memory of the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust and in honor of the grandchildren of its sponsors, Dr. Ira (of blessed memory) and Judith Gall. The thing of it is, in later years, there have been relatively few entries from Jewish students in St. Louis.

“The contest has really expanded to the point where we receive entries from all over,” said Dan Reich, curator at HMLC. “But we haven’t gotten as many local Jewish entries as we would like.”

The good news is that it’s not too late for local Jewish students to enter. Basically, the contest asks creative middle and high school students to express — by writing a poem, newspaper article, story, play or essay — the difficult and inspiring lessons of the Holocaust. Winning entries in each division will be awarded cash prizes and will be displayed at the museum.

Entries will be judged on content, originality and quality of expression and accuracy. If students prefer, they can enter the art contest and create a sculpture, drawing, photograph, painting, poster, collage or five-minute video or DVD. The work will be judged on creativity, excellence and content.

Entries must be received by the HMLC no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 7 (postmarks not accepted). Forms can be downloaded at HMLC.org/ArtandWriting. For more information, contact Reich at [email protected] or 314-442-3714.