Rabbi Javier Cattapan, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Torah, was recently elected as president of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City. Rabbi Cattapan succeeds Rabbi Doug Alpert of Congregation Kol Ami. Elected to serve with Rabbi Cattapan is Rabbi Moshe Grussgott, Kehilath Israel Synagogue, who accepted the position of vice president, and Rabbi Sarah Smiley, The Temple Congregation B’nai Jehudah, is secretary-treasurer.
The Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City includes Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Conservative, Reform and non-denominational rabbis and serves as the rabbinic voice in and for the Jewish community and the larger Greater Kansas City community. It guides the community in making religious decisions for community events, supports the rabbis in their personal and professional growth and develops and nourishes collegial relationships within the association.
“I am honored to have been chosen to lead our local Jewish clergy organization,” said Rabbi Cattapan. “The Rabbinical Association is a group of women and men who have dedicated their lives to the service of the Jewish people in diverse and meaningful ways. I am looking forward to working with all of them and strengthening Judaism in the Metro.”
The Rabbinical Association was incorporated June 17, 2002. The association existed as an unincorporated, entirely voluntary group for about 25 years. The first regular gatherings date to the mid-1970s. Over the years, the rabbis in Greater Kansas City have established a pattern of community-wide collaboration and have been called upon to provide information, guidance and leadership on both Jewish and interfaith issues. Today, the rabbis meet monthly, functioning as a board of directors, dealing with issues brought to them by the community and issues and programs of their own initiative.
“Our rabbis set aside denominational differences and work in concord for the betterment of our Jewish community at large,” stated Rabbi Cattapan. “Each year, our association sponsors several community-wide religious and educational events, including holiday programs for Selichot, Tisha b’Av, Purim and a second night of Passover Seder. The Rabbinical Association offers a year-long community-wide course, Judaism for Conversion Candidates; a day-long program of Jewish learning, the community-wide Day of Discovery; and a community Professional Development Day for our Jewish educators.”
The Rabbinical Association has partnered with Jewish Family Services in creating the Community Mental Health Coalition and JFS Food Pantry and supports and participates in community programs such as Yom HaShoah, Yom HaAtzmaut and the Jewish Arts Festival.
In recent months, the Rabbinical Association initiated curbside Shabbat meals-to-go as a way to ensure the community had access to homemade prepared kosher meals at a time when going to the grocery store and eating out was a challenge for many. This service will be provided through the High Holy Days.
“During the last few months, I have valued the support and shared leadership of our members,” said Rabbi Cattapan. “The pandemic has brought out the best in all of us. In these difficult times, I hope we can continue to grow together as we lead the Jewish people through the pandemic and beyond.
“I have discovered that our Greater Kansas City Rabbinical Association makes great efforts at working cooperatively across denominational boundaries. Spiritual leaders showing chesed, compassion and care, for each other represents a much-needed guiding light for the Jewish community and our entire nation. I offer my thanks to Rabbi Alpert for an outstanding two years in leading the Rabbinical Association. I look forward to the honor of continuing that work, and always looking for opportunities for the Rabbinical Association to reflect positively on our Jewish community.”
Rabbi Cattapan is a native of Argentina. In Argentina, his education included the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano (Conservative) and the University of Buenos Aires, where he studied ancient and medieval philosophy and was a teaching assistant in general linguistics.
He came to the U.S in 1994 to attend Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. Rabbi Cattapan received his Master of Arts in Hebrew letters in 1997, and in 1998 was ordained as a rabbi at the HUC-JIR in Cincinnati. In 2004, Rabbi Cattapan earned his master’s degree in Hebraic and cognate studies. After ordination, he taught modern Hebrew at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Before coming to Beth Torah, Rabbi Cattapan served synagogues in Indiana and Ohio. In 2016 he became the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park.
He regularly participates in interfaith panel discussions and other outreach programs representing the Jewish point of view on a variety of issues. He enjoys singing, gardening, biking and hiking with his husband Kris D. Gray and their companions, Fado and Lucas, two Portuguese water dogs. He is a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and president of the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City.
To learn more about the Rabbinical Association, visit kcrabbi.org. For questions or additional information about the Rabbinical Association, contact Annette Fish, administrator/program director, or 913-327-4622.