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Rabbi Arthur P. Nemitoff  x111
Arthur P. Nemitoff is Senior Rabbi of The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, the largest Reform congregation in the area. Having grown up in the congregation, he returned in 2003 to assume the spiritual leadership of the synagogue. With expertise in the areas of Death and Dying, Liturgy, and Synagogue Transformation, Rabbi Nemitoff has dedicated his rabbinate to helping individuals discover their own Jewish paths. Dozens of his articles, poems, creative liturgies – and three books – have been published over his 30-year career. His hobbies include photography and poetry. After graduating from Southwest High School, in Kansas City, he attended Washington University, in St. Louis, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He was ordained from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (Cincinnati campus) in 1981. He has served congregations in Houston, TX; Philadelphia, PA; Boston, MA; and Columbus, OH before returning home to B’nai Jehudah. He has a passion for spreading the message of liberal Judaism throughout the world, having worked with Jewish communities in Serbia, Estonia, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, and Israel. He is married to his beautiful life-partner, Leslie. Together, they have two children, Elana and William.
Click here for CV. |
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Rabbi Sarah Smiley x220
Rabbi Sarah Smiley brings great experience as a rabbi. She began her rabbinic career as the campus rabbi at The Ohio State University Hillel. Before coming to The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, she spent 7 years serving at Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, New Jersey. In New Jersey, she had the opportunity to be a rabbi-educator, a director of youth engagement, an associate rabbi and more. She brings a well-rounded perspective to her vocation, having gained professional experience as leader in Jewish life both on a college campus and in congregational life.
Now she serves as sustaining rabbi, acting in the role of senior rabbi (beginning January 2021) and helping the congregation through its transition to a new senior rabbi in July 2021. Outside of the congregation, she is very active in our local community serving as an officer on the board of the Rabbinic Association of Greater Kansas City, participating in interfaith programs with Faith Always Wins and teaching our greater community about Judaism with other local organizations.
On a national level, she has served on the URJ youth engagement advisory council, participated in programs with Women’s Rabbinic Network and been known to help her colleagues across the country. She was awarded NFTY GER lifetime membership and received the Cora Kahn prize for best sermon delivery and oratory while at HUC-JIR.
Rabbi Smiley is passionate about building relationships with people and serving as a Jewish resource so people can best figure out how they want to live their personal Jewish lives.
She lives in Overland Park with her husband, Rabbi Josh Leighton, and their daughter Eliana.
Rabbi Smiley’s email address is rabbismiley@bnaijehudah.org. |
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Rabbi Joshua Leighton
Rabbi Joshua Leighton is excited to have joined the full-time staff at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah. For the last year Rabbi Josh has taught in our Sunday Morning and Kesher programs. Prior to moving to Kansas City with his wife, Rabbi Smiley, and their daughter, Eliana, Rabbi Leighton served for six years as the rabbi of the Jewish Congregation of Kinnelon in New Jersey where he helped build a culture of engagement that saw programming take place in congregants’ homes and out in the greater community. Rabbi Leighton also served in several other roles in various congregations and organizations in the New Jersey area including being an Assistant Rabbi at Temple Emeth in Teaneck, NJ, and teaching students of all ages at various congregations and organization. He served as faculty at URJ Camp Harlam and on the clergy team of NFTY’s Garden Empire Region. He was also active in the New Jersey Reform Rabbinic region, serving for two years as a regional officer.
Rabbi Leighton grew up in Rockland County, New York, a suburb of New York City and graduated from the University of Rochester with a Bachelor’s degree in Religion and as a Take-Five Scholar. Immediately following graduation Rabbi Leighton began his studies at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, receiving his Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters in 2010, and Rabbinic ordination in 2011.
At the heart of his rabbinate lies one common theme: forming personal relationships to build an authentic Jewish community. Rabbi Leighton truly cherishes the opportunity to work with our congregants of all ages, guiding them on their Jewish journeys as they develop confidence in their Jewish knowledge and identities and planting the seeds for a better future.
Rabbi Josh is excited to bring his experience and passions to the Temple as together we work to achieve our Big Holy Awesome Goal of engaging each individual in our community in their own unique ways.
Rabbi Leighton’s email address is rabbileighton@bnaijehudah.org. |
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Rabbi Michael R. Zedek
Rabbi Emeritus
In July of 2016, Rabbi Michael Zedek became Rabbi Emeritus of Emanuel Congregation in Chicago Illinois. At the same time, he accepted an appointment to serve as (part-time) Senior Advisor to the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The Rabbi began his tenure as Senior Rabbi of Emanuel in July 2004. For the previous four years, Rabbi Zedek was the Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati.
Prior to accepting that appointment, he served for 26 years as the spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Jehudah in Kansas City, Missouri, where he also holds the title of Rabbi Emeritus. At the time of his installation in 1976, he was the youngest rabbi in the United States to head a “giant” congregation. With over 1,900 families, B’nai Jehudah is the oldest and largest congregation in Kansas City. Ordained in June of 1974, Zedek was chosen to be alumnus-in-residence at the Cincinnati and Los Angeles campuses of Hebrew Union College (HUC-JIR). Rabbi Zedek is the youngest man to receive this honor.
Rabbi Zedek was the recipient of the Danforth Graduate Fellowship for outstanding teaching, a Fulbright-Hays Grant for advanced study in the United Kingdom and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Hamilton College, Clinton, New York.
In addition to his professional activities, Rabbi Zedek is deeply involved in civic affairs having served on a number of national and international boards.
He has also had numerous teaching and speaking appointments around the world on a wide range of topics, especially focusing on spirituality and folklore. He has taught and lectured in South Africa, Russia, China, the former Yugoslavia, Israel and in many other venues.
Rabbi Zedek is a regular presenter at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. He also serves as the host of a radio show, Religion on the Line, which is currently under consideration for national syndication.
Rabbi Zedek is married to Karen, and they have two daughters, Susan, who is married to Joseph Freudenberg, and Betsy, married to Jeremy Viola. They are also the proud grandparents of Samuel Freudenberg, Julia Rose Freudenberg and Max Viola. |
