Congregation Beth Torah sits on a quiet stretch of West 127th Street in Overland Park, Kansas, between Nall and Lamar, and it has been a Reform Jewish home for more than three decades. Founded in the summer of 1988, the congregation has grown into a community of more than 300 households drawn from across the Kansas City metropolitan area, with a reputation for warm worship, strong music, and a congregation-wide commitment to tikkun olam, the repair of the world.
From a Living Room to a Sanctuary on 127th Street
Beth Torah began, as so many synagogues do, in someone's living room. On June 24, 1988, a couple dozen people gathered in the home of Dr. David and Cheryl Harris for an Erev Shabbat service. Less than a month later, on July 22, 1988, just over one hundred Jews prayed together at the temporary Jewish Community Center for the first official worship of Kansas City's newest synagogue. By September 6, 1988, the new congregation had signed its hundredth member family, and proposed first president Harold Sader called a meeting to pass bylaws and elect officers. That September 20, fewer than three months after that first living-room service, six hundred people packed the room for the inaugural Kol Nidre. As Carol Sader turned to the founding rabbi, Mark H. Levin, and said, "Poof, instant congregation," the future of Beth Torah was set.
For eight years the congregation worshipped in borrowed and rented spaces. On November 15 to 17, 1996, with more than 450 member families, Beth Torah dedicated its first permanent home: a synagogue with a sanctuary, classrooms, and offices. Rabbi Levin served as pulpit rabbi from the congregation's founding through June 2014, when he stepped into the role of Founding Rabbi and Rabbi Emeritus. After an interim period led by Rabbi Shapiro, Rabbi Javier Cattapan guided Beth Torah from 2016 through 2023. The congregation is currently in a year of transition that the staff describes as full of "exciting growth and potential."
Throughout its history, Beth Torah has been shaped by a long line of congregational presidents, including Hal Sader, Cheryl Harris, Eileen Garry, Larry Bigus, Larry Lerner, Dr. Michael Blum, Barry Katz, Steve Gerson, Phyllis Goldberg, Doug Polsky, Janice Schonwetter, John Spector, Michelle Cole, Linda Zappulla, Matt and Shanna Haun, Scott Franklin, and Larry Myer. The congregation is currently led by Co-Presidents Miccole Bowen and Zachary Zwibelman.
Rabbi Craig Lewis Comes Home to Beth Torah
The summer of 2026 marked the return of Rabbi Craig Lewis, who was confirmed at Congregation Beth Torah in 1991 and became the congregation's third senior rabbi. A graduate of Shawnee Mission East and the University of Kansas, where he studied business administration and French, Rabbi Lewis earned a fellowship that took him to Clermont-Ferrand in France, where he completed a degree in international business. The warm welcome he received from the Jewish community there, and holidays spent with a Tunisian Jewish family, helped inspire his later rabbinic studies.
After working in customer service and Jewish education in Orange County, California, Rabbi Lewis entered Hebrew Union College's rabbinical program with his wife Jennifer. He spent time in Jerusalem, four years at HUC in Cincinnati, and served congregations in Mattoon, Illinois, and Muncie, Indiana. After ordination in 2008, he served as an assistant rabbi in Irvine, California, and as senior rabbi in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. His rabbinic thesis explored French literature of North African Jewish communities as an homage to the families who had welcomed him years earlier. Rabbi Lewis and Jennifer have a son, Eden, who is studying drama in college, and a household of English bulldogs and rescue cats.
The rest of the professional team includes Lezlie Zucker, Director of Music and Worship Leader; Stephanie Kolb, Interim Weiner Religious School Coordinator; Sharon Altman, Administrative Assistant; and Alex Mead, Administrative Assistant. Rabbi Mark H. Levin continues in his role as Founding Rabbi and Rabbi Emeritus and writes religion columns for the Kansas City Star while serving on local boards.
Shabbat: Erev Shabbat, Sichat Shabbat, and Shabbat Morning
The rhythm of the week at Beth Torah is built around Shabbat. Friday nights begin at 6:30 p.m. with Erev Shabbat worship, a service offered multi-access so congregants can attend in person or online. Saturday mornings begin at 9:00 a.m. with Sichat Shabbat, an adult study session that explores the weekly Torah portion and other topics; it runs about seventy-five minutes and meets in the Beth Torah Library. Shabbat Morning Worship follows at 10:30 a.m., also offered multi-access. Services use Mishkan T'filah, with Mishkan HaLev used on Friday evenings during the Hebrew month of Elul.
When the Weiner Religious School is in session, Sunday mornings at Beth Torah include Family Worship at 9:30 a.m. and Mourner's Kaddish at 10:00 a.m. A weekday minyan that had offered daily Kaddish is currently on pause; congregants in need of daily Kaddish are asked to contact Rabbi Lewis directly.
Worship is intentionally welcoming. The congregation describes its community as open to LGBTQ+ individuals, interfaith partners, and those at the beginning of their Jewish journey, with members from a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and levels of observance. Modest and respectful attire is the suggested dress.
Music as a Pillar of Worship
If there is one thing members mention about Beth Torah again and again, it is the music. Director of Music and Worship Leader Lezlie Zucker has been part of the Beth Torah worship team for nearly a decade, working closely with the staff since shortly after she joined the congregation. She has served as worship leader back-up, choir director, and religious school substitute, and she created a new iteration of the Yom Kippur creative afternoon service after first leading it as a soloist. Outside Beth Torah, Lezlie has led music for Jewish Family Services' Gathering for Spiritual Peace and Wholeness and the Boogie-to-Broadway choral fundraiser. Her original music is produced by a local record label and published by Transcontinental Music Publications.
Congregants who want to bring their voices or instruments can join the High Holy Day choir and band, the Pride Shabbat choir and band, and special musical opportunities such as Shabbat Shirah. Choir and band rehearsals run for several weeks leading up to each event, and recordings of past musical worship services are available on the congregation's YouTube channel.
The Weiner Religious School and Lifelong Jewish Learning
The Weiner Religious School, or WRS, is the congregation's K through 12 educational home and is open to children of Jewish families from across the Kansas City area, not only to members. The school runs a Sunday morning program for kindergarten through fifth grade and a TAG (Torah, Avodah, G'milut Chasadim) class for sixth through tenth grade, with Confirmation in the upper years.
The faculty for the 2026-2027 year includes Leslie Liebenau (kindergarten and first grade), Elizabeth Lenz (TAG), Emma Bowen (second and third grade), Rabbi Craig Lewis and Zach Zwibelman (Confirmation), and Austin Klinock (fourth and fifth grade). Stephanie Kolb, the Interim WRS Coordinator, brings more than twenty-five years of experience as a pre-K and kindergarten teacher in Blue Valley Schools, Beth Shalom, and the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, along with years as a camper, counselor, and unit head at URJ GUCI summer camp.
Students who have become b'nei mitzvah can serve as Madrichim, classroom leaders who sit alongside younger learners and earn service hours or funds toward Jewish youth programs. The Temple Youth Group, TYG, is the congregation's extra-curricular youth programming umbrella and is being rebuilt around educational, social action, cultural, religious, and social activities.
The school also helps families access Jewish summer camp through scholarships and first-time camper grants for accredited Jewish overnight programs such as Camp Ramah, Camp Sabra, any URJ overnight camp, Herzl Camp, Ranch Camp from JCC Denver, Shwayder, and Camp Young Judaea Midwest. Forms are typically due in late winter.
Adult Education: From Sichat Shabbat to Foundations of Judaism
Adult learning at Beth Torah runs across the week. The core is Sichat Shabbat, the 9:00 a.m. Saturday Torah study, which runs through the weekly parashah and occasionally welcomes guest teachers. Monthly highlights include Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Lewis on the second Thursday of each month, held in the Beth Torah Library from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
An Adult B'nai Mitzvah class, led by Jill Maidhof, begins in the fall and meets on select Saturdays following worship. Members who complete the course can choose to lead a Shabbat service with classmates or simply deepen their appreciation of the Shabbat morning liturgy. Jewish Journeys with Jill Maidhof is a free, informal conversation group for women in the broader Jewish community, meeting on the second Thursday afternoon of each month to explore a yearly theme; the current theme is Topics in Jewish History in Israel and the U.S.
What Is...? Foundations of Judaism is Rabbi Lewis's survey course, taught with Jill Maidhof and Lezlie Zucker, that explores the foundations of Judaism from basic precepts and philosophies to the major celebrations in Jewish life. It meets on select Tuesday evenings in the Beth Torah Library, is free for Beth Torah members, and requires registration. Adult Education Committee Chair Jill Maidhof also recommends Aleph With Beth, a free online program for learning biblical Hebrew at the learner's own pace.
For those interested in conversion to Judaism, the rabbi invites direct contact to learn more about the conversion process.
Tikkun Olam: The Good Faith Network, Blood Drives, and Immigration Justice
Beth Torah has been affiliated with local social justice work for more than twenty years. The congregation's largest social action effort is its partnership with the Good Faith Network, a nonpartisan interfaith group of more than twenty congregations across Johnson County pursuing systemic change on community problems. Each fall, the network holds listening sessions in small groups; from those conversations, members vote on focus issues.
Beth Torah's involvement is led by Jennifer Savner Levinson, who sits on the Good Faith Network board of directors, co-chairs the Mental Health Research Committee, and was recognized as one of fourteen original team leaders who have served continuously since the network's first year. Beth Torah's 2025 GFN team leads were Jennifer Savner Levinson, Scott Franklin, Marcia Rittmaster, and Carol R Ducak. The congregation regularly sends a large delegation to the Nehemiah Action assembly and has received GFN awards for surpassing turnout goals. Focus areas in recent years have included mental health crisis stabilization, homelessness, and affordable housing in Johnson County.
Other regular social action efforts include:
- Quarterly blood drives with the Community Blood Center.
- The BackSnack Program with Harvesters Food Network, in which volunteer drivers deliver nutritious, child-friendly food to Pawnee Elementary School each Thursday so that food-insecure students have something to take home on Fridays.
- Tikkun-KC, which renovates blighted houses and landscapes in the urban core and sells them affordably to low-income families.
- Voter to Voter, a nonpartisan civic engagement effort led by Marcia Rittmaster.
- An ongoing Immigration Justice sermon series that explores Jewish values around welcoming the stranger, with speakers from HIAS, the ACLU of Kansas, Jewish Vocational Service, and other partner organizations.
- CAPABLE, an effort supported by Marcia Rittmaster.
- Interfaith Conversations, led by Emily Albano, that build relationships across faith lines.
Small Groups, JULIETs, and the Life of the Community
Beth Torah's small groups program is one of the most visible ways newcomers build friendships. Each small group is led by a member and gathers roughly once a month. Current offerings include a BBQ and Chinese Food dinner group, Beth Torah Bakers (who bake treats for Friday night Onegs), Mah Jongg in both afternoon and evening sessions, Books I've Never Read on Zoom, Coffee Across KC (which traverses the metro exploring new coffee shops), Dungeons and Dragons with Richard Bellotti, a walking group called Movers and Schmoozers, a book group studying Leonard Zeskind's Blood and Politics, a Museums and More group, and a Virtual Movie Group.
JULIETs is the congregation's women's group, named for the parents of founding members and gathering monthly for programs, socializing, and service. Tot Shabbat brings the youngest families into the sanctuary for a Shabbat experience designed for little ones; RSVPs are preferred and walk-ins are welcome.
The congregation's annual calendar also includes a Congregational Seder (typically held the second night of Passover, with haggadot, ritual items, and optional kosher-for-Passover meals from Jewish Experiences), a Chocolate Seder, Casino Night (the Bet on Beth Torah fundraiser, complete with raffle packages donated by local businesses), the BBQ Bash at the close of the religious school year, the Storah Troupe storytelling program, and a year-round schedule of Havdalah gatherings that have included poolside evenings, BBQs, and benefit nights at the Golden Scoop in support of winter relief.
High Holy Days at Beth Torah
The High Holy Days are a major community effort at Beth Torah. The 5787 cycle opened with S'lichot on a Saturday evening in early September and continued with Rosh Hashanah services on Friday evening and the following Saturday morning, a Family T'filah at 9:30 a.m., Tashlich at Tomahawk Creek Park, and the annual congregational luncheon. Yom Kippur began with Kol Nidre on Sunday evening and ran through the full day Monday with a morning service, Yizkor, study sessions on Judaism Is About Love and the work of Leonard Zeskind, a creative afternoon service, N'ilah, and Break Fast.
Members and non-members are both welcome at services. The Azkara Book of Remembrance is used during Yom Kippur Yizkor to recall loved ones; submissions are typically due in mid-August. The Rosh Hashanah Card and the High Holy Day Food Drive for Jewish Family Services are annual traditions, and the entire Rosh Hashanah mailing is delivered by volunteers to every member household. The congregation also partners with B'nai Jehudah for the Simchat Torah / Sh'mini Atzeret morning service with Yizkor.
Parking during the High Holy Days is in designated spaces only, with limited handicapped parking, drop-off permitted in the circle in front of the building, and detailed guidance for those parking in adjoining neighborhoods.
Visiting, Joining, and Staying Connected
First-time visitors are welcome at all services and at Tot Shabbat, and adult education classes are open to non-members, with possible fees for some offerings. The Weiner Religious School is open to children of Jewish families from across the Kansas City area, not only to members. Membership brings access to the religious school at member rates, the cemetery and memorial plaque programs, voting rights, and inclusion in the membership directory.
Those interested in joining the volunteer life of the congregation can sign up for the Shalom Squad of ushers and greeters, lead or read Torah, join the choir or band, mentor a small group, drive for BackSnack, donate blood, or join a social action team. The office is open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; the office is closed on Mondays. Donations and member account payments can be made online through Subsplash, and the Beth Torah app puts the calendar, directory, and announcements in members' pockets.
For pastoral emergencies, the pastoral line is 913-498-8313. For livestream questions, the Technical Assistance Line is 913-303-1134. The synagogue's fax line is 913-498-1071.
Beth Torah is, in the words of its own history, a place that was constructed as a family home, "a place to play and pray, a place to rejoice and rejuvenate, and a place to love and learn." More than three decades after that first living-room Erev Shabbat, that vision continues to shape every service, every class, and every act of tikkun olam.