Next date: Thursday, August 27, 2026 | 06:30 PM to 07:30 PM
August Bondi (1833–1907) is best known as a Jewish associate of John Brown during the 1856 Battle of Black Jack in Kansas. Bondi’s association with Brown has been retold many times and is often framed as part of a broader life narrative–from his early years in Vienna and participation in the 1848 uprisings, to Bleeding Kansas and his opposition to the expansion of slavery, to his service in the 5th Kansas Cavalry in the Union Army, and finally to his later role as a political figure in Salina. This talk revisits Bondi’s life by foregrounding the often‑overlooked Jewish dimensions of his experience and by drawing on original research into his life as a religious Jew on the nineteenth‑century Kansas frontier. Through Bondi’s story, this presentation offers a lens onto Jewish life in Kansas more broadly and highlights the diversity that has shaped the state from its earliest days.
Presented by Andrea Weis who earned her PhD in American Studies from the University of Kansas. Together with Professor David M. Katzman (Emeritus), she has been working on a book project examining Jewish life in Kansas from the 1850s to the 1950s. This collaborative research has also informed her independent book project on the Life and Legacy of August Bondi.
Ages 18 and up.
Grab a drink or bite to eat at the Lenexa Public Market and join us upstairs in the Community Forum at City Hall.
Hear stories that will inspire and spark conversation as you learn new insights and strengthen your community. Lenexa’s History Happy Hour series will help you become an informed citizen and learn about the unique topics and current events that impact our state. This series is supported by Legler Barn Museum & Depot and Lenexa Historical Society.
Takes place in the Community Forum.
Lenexa City Hall, 17101 W. 87th St. Pkwy, Lenexa, KS, 66219, View Map
17101 W. 87th St. Pkwy , Lenexa, KS 66219
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