OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Pieces of Judaica on display at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah in Overland Park greet visitors and members of the synagogue as they walk through the front doors.
The countless items were carefully curated by the donor and namesake of the collection, Michael Klein.
Some objects dating back thousands of years are a part of the living Jewish history the world is witnessing today.
Abby Magariel is The Michael Klein Collection’s first educator and curator.
“Using the collection to explore and to visualize these lives and these histories helps us to put today’s events into context. We didn’t arrive at this moment just out of the blue,” Magariel said. “There are thousands of years of history leading up to this moment and The Klein Collection helps us understand that.”
The Michael Klein Collection spans thousands of years, including modern-day art and artifacts.
Magariel said while witnessing the destruction in Israel through social media videos and media reports, she is mourning the loss of more than the lives of the Israeli people.
“I think about the family heirlooms and the families, that their lives have been completely affected and damaged by these attacks. I think we lose so much in violence. It is tragic, losing these lives,” Magariel said. “It doesn’t compare to losing a life. Losing an object is losing an object, but it does mean we’ve lost a connection to our past.”
As the Israel-Hamas war has already claimed the lives of more than a thousand people, Magariel focused on items in the collection concerning death and memorial.
The collection includes pitchers and combs traditionally used to clean the bodies of the dead before wrapping them. Similar items will likely be used to eventually clean the bodies of Jewish people who’ve recently lost their lives in Israel.
Magariel said an item that could one day make its way into the collection could be the sole item a family is choosing to carry with them during the ongoing war.
“I think we will see objects from each of these events, from areas in Israel and Gaza,” she said. “Objects that people rescue, objects that people take with them, objects that people are holding when they are killed.”
Magariel said the urge to keep a meaningful item in times of crisis is “universally felt” by people throughout the world.
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