Cantor benjamin matis

Cantor Benjamin Matis was born in New York City and grew up in the suburbs of Long Island. He first began to sing at the age of fifteen after years of believing that he could not sing. He was also a terrible bar mitzvah student. As fate would have it, Cantor Matis was invited to sing at an interfaith Thanksgiving service in his junior year of college where he would hear the great dramatic tenor/cantor Mel Luterman. Blown away by what he heard, Cantor Matis decided then and there to dedicate himself to Jewish Music.

Cantor Matis was educated at the renowned Peabody Conservatory of Music on a full scholarship before attending Queens College of the City University of New York for an MA, trained privately with the world-famous Cantor Sol Zim before ultimately attending the Jewish Theological Seminary.

In addition to singing, the Cantor has published four articles on Polish Jewry and edited a volume of the well-respected journal POLIN with Dr. Antony Polonsky. His studies in Polish Jewry led him to perform with two major choirs (as soloist) in Poland including the choir of the Krakow Philharmonic.

As a spiritual leader, Cantor Matis served Agudas Achim Congregation in Altoona, PA for four years. As Cantor he has served congregations in NJ, NY, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Overland Park, Kansas. He is very happy to be returning to Kansas after several years back on the East Coast.  

A WORD OF WELCOME . . . 

Welcome to Congregation Emanu-El. The Wichita Jewish community - specifically Emanu-El - has a long and rich history and a promising future. Founded in 1885, we are the oldest Jewish Congregation in Kansas and we are the home of Reform Judaism in southeast Kansas. For more than 130 years we've welcomed Jews and the curious to participate in our services and community.

Today, we have more than 100 families active in our congregation and we range in age from nine months to 90+ years. We have diverse backgrounds and perspectives and we have all arrived at and participate in our faith in unique ways. I'm proud of our congregation and the special community we have built.

Our Adult Education and Worship committees examine our past and traditions and our Youth Group and Religious School assure our future and evolution. Our Sisterhood and Brotherhood groups are tireless in their efforts to ensure our sanctuary and campus are always filled with joy and a welcoming dynamic. We are collaborative in worship and social activities and in our discussions of where we are and where we are going.

Deeply rooted in Tikkun Olam (repairing our broken world) we understand our mandate to live by Jewish ideals including welcoming the stranger, doing unto others and you would have done unto you, and appreciating the world around us. 

I hope you'll join us for a service or class, to participate in our social events, or for a chat about your interests in our congregation and faith and how you might get involved. I am certain you'll find our congregation and community as welcome as my family and I have. 

President

Scott Wagner

Scott Wagner has been the president of Congregation Emanu-El since 2019.

Scott Wagner was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and attended the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill. He personally knew victims of the October 2019 massacre.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s AFROTC, he obtained his commission in the United States Air Force and attended pilot training in Columbus, Mississippi. After a twenty-year military career as pilot, instructor, commander, wing staff officer and commander he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel and went to work for The Boeing Company in Wichita, Kansas. As a technical writer, systems analyst, and business development professional he worked closely with the Boeing engineering team on preparing proposals and engineering technical documents for the USAF’s next-generation aerial refueling aircraft competitions.

After retiring from Boeing, he started his own proposal writing consultancy. He has a B.A. in English-Writing, an M.A. in Human Resources Development, and has served on the faculty of the Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College, the USAF’s mid-career leadership school for field grade officers. Scott has also served on the board of Big Brothers and Sisters of Sedgwick County, the board of The Independent School, is currently serving a second term as President of Congregation Emanu El, volunteers with the local International Rescue Committee, and helps the Read to Succeed program.

He is married to Tammy, a retired estate attorney, and has a daughter attending college. Their family has one beloved rescue dog and a crazy cat. His hobbies include fitness (“yeah, fit’ness pizza in my mouth”), reading history, automobilia, and gadgets.

WJCC Administrative Assistant
Hannah See

hannah.see@jsbwjcc.org
316-684-5148

WJCC Bookkeeper

Denise Bassett

Denise@jsbwjcc.org
316-684-5148