After 13 years as the pulpit rabbi of The New Reform Temple, Rabbi Alan Londy will retire at the end of May and assume the title of the synagogue’s first rabbi emeritus.
Rabbi Londy has spent more than 40 years in the rabbinate, serving congregations in New York, Florida and Maryland before moving to Kansas City with his family in 2011 to join The New Reform Temple.
“Serving congregants at The New Reform Temple has been the highlight of my professional career,” Rabbi Londy said. “It has been an honor to lead this vibrant, diverse congregation in the heart of Kansas City.”
Rabbi Londy has led The New Reform Temple through a period of growth, having implemented a new adult Torah study program, developed a virtual synagogue program and created an online individualized Hebrew language program for both children and adults.
Under his leadership, The New Reform Temple has nurtured inclusivity for members of the LGBTQ+ community and Jews by Choice. Last year, the synagogue completed a $3 million capital campaign, leading to a renovation of the temple’s building on Main and 71st Streets with an updated sanctuary, new classroom space and revitalized social hall.
“Thanks to the efforts of Rabbi Londy, The New Reform Temple is stronger and more vibrant than ever before,” said Joyce Hess, board president. “We have been so fortunate to have his passionate leadership for the past 13 years and wish him all the best as he enjoys his much-deserved retirement from the position of pulpit rabbi.”
Rabbi Londy received his BA in Near Eastern Studies from Cornell University in 1978 and his MA and rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1983, where he also participated in the Bernstein Institute for Pastoral Psychiatry and received an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies in 1981.
In 2009, he received a Doctor of Ministry in pastoral counseling from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York and The Postgraduate Center for Mental Health.
Before joining The New Reform Temple, Rabbi Londy’s rabbinic career spanned nearly three decades. He served as the rabbi and rabbi educator at Temple Israel of the City of New York, a large urban congregation on New York City’s Upper East Side; the rabbi of Temple Beth Sholom in Suffolk County, New York; the rabbi of Temple Israel of Orlando, Florida, serving a tri-county area; and the assistant rabbi of Beth El Congregation in Baltimore, Maryland.
Rabbi Londy currently provides pastoral care at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City. He is a member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, Rabbinical Association of Kansas City, Central Conference of American Rabbis, Rabbinic Circle of the World Union for Progressive Judaism and Rabbinic Cabinet of the Association of Reform Zionists of America.
The New Reform Temple will honor Rabbi Londy at a farewell Shabbat at 6 p.m. on May 31, with a celebratory Oneg Shabbat to follow. The community is invited to join; those interested can RSVP by emailing .
Donations in honor of Rabbi Londy can be made to Friends of the Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism (5630 Wisconsin Ave. Apt. 1601, Chevy Chase, MD 20815) or online at beit-daniel.org.il/en/support-us.
