90 Years Ago

(From the Oct. 25, 1935 issue of The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle)

A.Z.A. Chapter No. 2, which has the distinction of being the second oldest chapter in the country, will observe international A.Z.A. Day Sunday October 27, with a radio program in the morning and a program in the afternoon at The Center. Leanard Belove is chairman of the observance. The afternoon program will be presented at 3:30 pm. In the studio room of The Center. Harry Friedberg, local Zionist leader, will be guest speaker. Nate Stein will give the invocation and benediction and David Minkin, Aleph Godol of the chapter, will talk on “A.Z.A. Scrapbook,” a resume of the past year’s activities. A musical program will feature William Klein, vocalist, and Bob Schultz. Accordionist, both members of the A.Z.A. Chapter 200. The radio program, arranged by Lester Peltzman, will be heard at 10 a.m. over W9XBY. Mr. Klein and Mr. Schultz will give musical numbers and Leonard Belove and Jack Sokolov will speak. Other participants are Morton Dunn, announcer, Barney Goldberg and Melvin Bayless. A.Z.A. alumni are urged to attend the A.Z.A. celebration. The public is cordially invited.

30 Years Ago

(From the Oct. 20, 1995 issue of The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle)

Brett Kaplan and Aaron Zitron are pioneers. They’re the first two student-athletes from Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy to play sports for college-level teams.

Brett, 18, and Aaron, 19 are 1995 graduates of Hyman Brand. They are also former teammates – on the Academy’s basketball team, the Rams.

Now the two are gearing up for their first season of playing basketball for their college teams.

This year Brett will play for the Eagles of Edgewood College,  a school of about 1,900 students located in Madison, Wisc.

And Aaron will play for the Braves of Ottawa University. The school has about 550 students and is located in Ottawa, Kan., about a 45-minute drive south of Kansas City.

Brett, 6 feet and 165 pounds, played junior varsity for the Tams in eighth grade and ninth grade. He played varsity ball, mostly as a guard, from 10th through 12th grade.

His stats are impressive.

During the Rams’ 13-game season last year – Brett’s senior year – he averaged 20 points a game. He also sank 44 three-pointers during the season.

“He exceled in his outside shooting, and he established school records for most three-pointers in a single game (nine),” says Bob Hennecke, who coaches the Academy’s varsity basketball team.

Brett’s growth as a player impressed Hennnecke, who is also the sports program director for the Jewish Community Center. “He was someone who improved his level of play every year, whereas a lot of players will hit a plateau. He showed significant improvement every year,” Hennecke says.

“He became a real leaders among the players … He always exhibited an enjoyment for the game, excitement about being in practice.:

Brett – the son of Dr. Rick Kaplan and Ilene Kaplan – joins an Edgewood Eagles team that has won four consecutive  Lake Michigan Conference Championships. Last year, the Eagles were 20-8 and won the LMC tournament, advancing to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. The Eagles are now playing exclusively in NCAA Division III.

Brett came to Edgewood, he says, because, “I wanted to play basketball in college, and this the place I had the opportunity to do that.”

Edgewood game Brett a scholarship in the form of loans and grants (NCAA Division III schools can’t give athletic scholarships.)

Three schools showed strong interest in Brett’s talents: William Penn College in Oskaloosa; Iowa; Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio; and Edgewood.

In fact, the coach from William Penn came to the Academy to pay a visit to Brett. In doing to, the coach became the first college sports recruiter to ever make a trip to Hyman Brand.

Growing up in Kansas City, Brett led an active Jewish life. He was raised attending Kehilath Israel Synagogue, where he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah. Brett belonged to BBYO groups, first Hatikvah and later AZA Chapter 2. He also attended Camp Ramah – a Conservative Jewish summer camp in Wisconsin – for two years. This past summer, Brett worked on the camp’s sports staff, teaching basketball to all age groups.

Brett’s getting along well at Edgewood. “I like the people, everyone’s real nice. The teachers are great, they’re real helpful,” he says. “The coaching staff has been real helpful. The classes are like the Academy – it’s (the school) real small. It’s not like I’m getting lost.”