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Learn About Our Beit Echad Congregation

Founded in April 2024, Congregation Beit Echad in St. Joseph, MO, unites traditions of Reform and Conservative Judaism, creating a unique congregation. Rabbinic and lay leadership provide weekly Erev Shabbat as well as annual High Holy Day services. Beit Echad serves the local and extended Jewish communities in Northwest Missouri, Northeast Kansas, Southeast Nebraska, and Southwest Iowa. Join us in person or on Zoom as we celebrate our heritage and foster inclusivity in our spiritual journey together.

Stained glass of the Beit Echad ark is backlit with a blue ner tamid above.

"Beit Echad has brought our community closer together, blending traditions beautifully. "

- Bob Ott, President

" I was moved by the spirit of togetherness and deep desire by all involved with Beit Echad for connection — interpersonal, intrapersonal and with G-d. "

- Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick

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Rabbinic Leaders

Lay Leaders

Service Outlines

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Our Rabbinic Leaders

Those who have attended any of our three Saturday morning, Shabbat Shuvah, Shir l'Shabbat services during the HHDs, you met and experienced the leadership and musical talents of our Anna Jaffe and her musician accompanists from Kansas City.

Anna, who is currently studying to become a Rabbi, joins with Rabbi Rudnick in leading the monthly Shir l'Shabbat service in Prairie Village that is hosted by Beth Shalom. We're excited to have her join as member of our spiritual leadership.

In her other life, Anna is an award-winning reporter and producer. In 2004, she launched Curious Eye Productions with Mike Horine. She serves as Curious Eye’s executive producer, director of business development and production manager.

As part of Curious Eye, Anna’s had the privilege of working with a who’s who of network news organizations and businesses, including NBC, ABC, MSNBC, CBS, CNN, The Weather Channel, Associated Press Television, FOX Sports 1, NFL Network, CBS Sports, H&R Block, HCA Midwest, Siemens Corporation, L’Oreal USA, ADT and General Mills, among others. She has a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas.

Anna Jaffe, Cantor & Student Rabbi

Rabbi Beryl Padorr leads a blessing surrounded by congregants

Many of us have experienced the Friday night leadership and musical talents of our own member Brendan Howard who recently became a rabbi in December 2025. We look forward to Rabbi Howard being a regular part of our rabbinic leadership team.

Rabbi Brendan Howard is associated with the Rabbinical Association of Greater Kansas City, where he serves as a Conversion Class Hebrew Teacher and Community Conversion Class Coordinator.

Rabbi Howard describes himself as a "Rabbi in The Field," emphasizing meeting people where they are and allowing each encounter to shape the next step.

He emphasizes the importance of sincerity and personal truthfulness in performing commandments (mitzvot), believing that actions done for personal interest or conformity hold less weight.

Rabbi Howard presented this Dvar Torah the last time he lead Beit Echad services, and shares his Weekly Dvar Torah commentaries at his website https://rabbibrendan.substack.com/.

Rabbi Brendan Howard

Rabbi Beryl Padorr

Rabbi Yonatan (Jonathan) Rudnick

Since our initial Shabbat service and mezuzah dedication in September 2024, Rabbi Beryl Padorr has been our monthly Rabbi. In addition to bringing guitar and tambourines to our service, she has inspired the congregation with meaning and insight to Judaism and Torah.

In addition to leading the erev Shabbat service, she also leads discussion and study of various books broadening on the content with open discussion of the themes presented. Past discussions revolved around life after death and the Jewish concepts of Mussar.

In addition to serving as monthly leader at Beit Echad, Rabbi Padorr also serves as a visiting spiritual leader of United Hebrew Congregation in Joplin, Missouri. She previously served as rabbi of Congregations Ohev Sholom and Beth Shalom in Kansas City, and shared vision coordinator at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.

She served as a resident chaplain for two years at Research Medical Center, and as a chaplain at Children’s Mercy Hospital and taught a class for the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning. Rabbi Padorr served as the rabbi and religious school director for Temple B’nai Hayim in the Los Angeles area, and on the Board of Rabbis of Southern California. She served as rabbi for Tifereth Israel Synagogue in Des Moines, Iowa, where she was called upon to offer prayer for the House of Representatives at the State Capitol.

Starting in 2027, Rabbi Padorr will share leadership duties Rabbi Brendan Howard and Anna Jaffe, with each leading services once a month for a different month of the year. Rabbi Padorr will continue to hold a study and discussion session on the following Saturday along with a light lunch.

Rabbi Yonatan Rudnick has been our guest Rabbi for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur since the opening of Beit Echad in 2024. Faced with Rabbi Padorr being committed to her Joplin congregation, we were fortunate to find Rabbi Rudnick available and familiar with the Reform machzor we would be using. Working with our lay leaders to integrate a new, meaningful experience to our combined Reform/Conservative congregation, he brought not only meaning but both traditional and and alternative styles of worship and learning during the High Holy Days. Each year since, Rabbi Rudnick and our lay leaders have built upon the previous year soliciting more input for meaning and value in his messages and services.

Throughout the rest of the year, Rabbi Rudnick leads a monthly Shir l'Shabbat service alongside Anna Jaffe and volunteer musicians. The musical service, hosted by Congregation Beth Shalom, is held at a central location in Prairie Village, KS, typically the second Shabbat of each month.

Professionally, Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick serves as the Community Chaplain for Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Greater Kansas City. His background in Jewish communal work and pastoral care, specifically chaplaincy, prepared him for this role. He was ordained by The Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and became interested in the field of chaplaincy outside of Israel, aiming to explore its potential within Israeli healthcare, where it was not widely established.

Rabbi Rudnick integrates his passion for music and song into his work as a spiritual caregiver, facilitating healing prayer services. He has received mentorship from Rabbi Simkha Weintraub of the National Center for Jewish Healing in New York, where he learned about spiritual support group models, and from Reverend James Harper III of Research Medical Center in Kansas City.ts (mitzvot), believing that actions done for personal interest or conformity hold less weight.

Our Lay Religious Leaders

Dr. Steven Rosenak, O.D., Lay Cantor

Bob Ott, Lay Cantor

Dr. Rosenak, in addition to serving as one of our two regular cantors, has been the leader of the Religious Committee. Steve has developed special activities for religious holidays and, with Bob, works with Rabbi Rudnick developing our High Holy Day services. He continues to be the liaison between Beit Echad and our Rabbis. In addition to alternating Cantor duties with Bob, Steve also leads Erev Shabbat services on occasion.

Steve was elected in April 2026 to serve as Beit Echad's second President after previously serving as a Director on the board. He continues to work with Bob on our Ritual Committee developing religious and holiday programs.

Professionally, Dr. Rosenak is the senior optometrist and owner of Dr. Rosenak's Optical Options in St. Joseph.

Bob Ott is one of our two lay cantors and has developed the regular Shabbat service outline used for the various Erev Shabbat services using each of our siddurim, Mishkan T'filah and Likrat Shabbat. Along with Steve, he has worked with Rabbi Rudnick developing our congregation-friendly High Holy Day Services. In addition to alternating Cantor duties with Steve, Bob also leads Erev Shabbat services on occasion.

Bob served as the charter President, elected in 2024 and re-elected in 2025, and as of April 2026 currently serves as Treasurer. Bob continues to work with Steve on the Ritual Committee. He also maintains Beit Echad's website and newsletter.

Professionally, Bob is retired from a 50-year career in electronic equipment service.

Dr Steven Rosenak smiling in front of stained galss of ark doors

Our Shabbat Service Lay Leaders

Members of our Beit Echad congregation rotate as leaders for the Erev Shabbat service on those weeks that our Rabbinical leadership is not visiting. Steve Rosenak and Bob Ott alternate and share Cantor duties as available.

Standard scripts are provided for the convenience of our lay leaders. The various scripts outline the pages, prayers, and congregation participation cues for different styles of service and prayer books. Whether you use the Reform siddur (Mishkan T’filah) or the Conservative siddur (Likrat Shabbat), prefer our standard service layout or one offering more flexibility, or need a shortened version for special events, each option can be downloaded and reviewed on this page. Printed copies are also prepared in advance and available on the bimah so leaders can lead the service comfortably.

Regardless of which prayerbook is used (as Reform or Conservative), we have found that the similarities outweigh the differences, and the choice is a matter of familiarity, layout, or additional prayers offered. For consistency, most leaders now choose to use Mishkan T'filah, but both books are offered.

We've created an alternate cantor/digital cantor (AC/DC) option as a last resort to provide the musical lead for Friday night services when our regular cantors are not available.

A mix of tunes are offered for our common prayers, from traditional to Craig Taubman to Debbie Friedman and whatever we learn along the way.