Steve & Jeannette Shawl

STEVE & JEANNETTE SHAWL

'We support the LJCC because it was life changing for us.

When we moved to Lawrence in 1972, we were a mixed marriage and had decided not to decide anything in terms of religion. But, around 1973/4 our daughter came home from daycare and asked what a “church supper” was. She wanted to go to a “church supper!” At that point we made our first visit to the LJCC, and the rest is history!

We do not remember any details from the earliest years, but we clearly met lots of people and started making friends. The blintz brunch, which took place throughout the small original building, was an amazing event. Eventually, our involvement increased. We each served on the Board and helped organize and work on the Blintz Brunch. Through LJCC connections Steve served on the KU Hillel Board.

 When Frances and Floyd Horowitz left Lawrence, Jeannette felt it was important for the community to continue the Horowitz tradition of an annual Rosh Hashanah open house. So along with the generosity of Leni and Neil Salkind & Dinah and Fred Lovitch, the tradition continued from 1991 until 2008. 

A major change occurred when the LJCC hired a part-time rabbi… Rabbi Judith Beiner. Her presence, along with the loss of longtime member and Lawrence Public Library colleague Mary Paretsky, influenced Jeannette’s decision to formally embrace Judaism. Following her bat mitzvah, Jeannette continued to participate in High Holy Days Torah chanting…a practice she has continued in Tucson to this day. Thanks to the LJCC, even Steve’s knowledge and interest in Judaism increased to the point of being a Tucson synagogue board member and a decade-long member of a Talmud group.

Yes, the LJCC made a difference in our lives. We wish to do what we can to help it be there for others in the years to come.

With gratitude and appreciation,

Steve & Jeannette Shawl

Lawrence residents from 1972-2005