2020 was a rough year. Jewish Federation plans to put success stories in time capsule

What do you think you’ll remember about 2020 in 10 years? Certainly the big stuff will make its mark on your memory: quarantines, lockdowns and masks. But the small victories might get lost in the shuffle.

These are the success stories the Jewish Federation of Kansas City hopes to capture with its new time capsule project.

To capture what life was like in 2020 in the local Jewish community, the group is putting together a collection of people’s stories and photos. Participants don’t have to worry about dropping off any items: This time capsule is all digital.

“It’s such a different time. Everything’s now a virtual world,” said Mimsy Tallent, director of marketing and events for the federation. “We’re just inviting people to send us any sort of representation of that.”

Tallent said other Jewish communities throughout the country are doing similar projects.

“It’s a great idea. I feel like it’s kind of another way for the federation to be able to convene the community. We really do bring all the agencies and congregations together and make us one Jewish community and not just separate entities,” she said.

So far, she’s gotten a handful of submissions, but people can still send in their pieces until Jan. 31. So far, most of the entries have been from adults in their 40s through their 60s, but Tallent hopes people of all ages will contribute.

“People writing about what their thoughts were during this time, their experiences — it is a great way to really show history during this unprecedented time,” Tallent said. “This is totally new for all of us. We weren’t around in 1918 during the last pandemic.”

Submissions don’t have to conform to one format. Tallent has received mostly photos so far, but she’s hoping people will write down thoughts or even make videos.

Andrea Baran put in some photos and a description of her daughter Nina’s big achievement during the pandemic: earning the rank of Eagle Scout.

“In our family, we’ve put a lot of time into scouting. Nina was so excited about becoming an Eagle Scout, and I thought that would be a cool thing to put in there,” Baran said. “This fall was going to be the first time girls were going to become Eagle Scouts, and Nina was one of them. It’s not just cool for her as a girl but as a Jewish girl involved with Jewish scouting.”

She hopes that by the time people in the future see her note about Nina, “by then it will feel completely normal that girls will be on equal footing with boys in the Scouts BSA program,” she said.

For her family, having outdoor scouting activities available has been really important during the pandemic.

“The ones that went to (summer) camp felt like it was one of the most normal activities they’ve had,” Baran said.

Sending something in for the time capsule wasn’t a quick decision.

“I sort of hesitated to put anything in, because you don’t want to toot your own horn, (but) if this is a community undertaking, then everyone’s voices should be heard. I would encourage people to share something that they feel like, even if they’re not sure if it’s worthwhile. If it’s been their experience, it is worthwhile,” she said.

The plan is to open the digital time capsule in 2030 at the Jewish Federation’s annual meeting. To send in something for the time capsule, go to jewishkansascity.org/timecapsule.

This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "2020 was a rough year. Jewish Federation plans to put success stories in time capsule."