Rabbi Lawrence “Larry” Karol, leader of Topeka’s Temple Beth Sholom for more than two decades, died on July 5 at age 70.
Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, he was an active member at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah. After graduating from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, he was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio, and served as an assistant rabbi at a synagogue in Dayton, Ohio.
In 1984, he began his 22-year tenure at Temple Beth Sholom, the only synagogue in Topeka. He led the synagogue as the sole full-time clergy member — when he left the synagogue in 2006, a congregant told The Chronicle that he was the only rabbi many of the congregants had ever known.
“Rabbi Karol served our congregation with dedication, wisdom and song,” said Rabbi Sam Stern, Beth Sholom’s current rabbi. “His leadership shaped the spiritual life of Temple Beth Sholom and Topeka for over two decades, and his legacy continues to live in the prayers we sing, the values we uphold and the community he helped nurture from inside our synagogue and far outside our walls as well.”
Rabbi Karol also reassured his congregation after protests from Topeka’s Westboro Baptist Church, which in 1994 picketed Beth Sholom with a sign that called him a homophobic slur and put a black swastika by his name. Shrugging it off, he told The Chronicle that “The swastika said nothing about me, but rather it reflected the boundless hatred of those who put the swastika on the sign.”
After leaving Beth Sholom, Rabbi Karol served as a rabbi in New Hampshire and then New Mexico before retiring in 2020 and moving back to the Kansas City area in 2021. He had since been active at B’nai Jehudah, teaching at its religious school and providing music and education to congregants.
“After his long, successful career in the rabbinate, serving many Jewish communities with grace, compassion and dedication, we were fortunate to have Rabbi Karol return to our community in his retirement,” a B’nai Jehudah email statement read. “...A treasured presence in our B'nai Jehudah family, his loss will be felt by so very many.”
“More than his deep well of Torah, his beautiful compositions and his soulful melodies, Rabbi Karol was the menschiest mensch — always eager to connect, always full of heart. It has been a true blessing to have him at B’nai Jehudah since his retirement. We are all mourning together,” B’nai Jehudah’s Rabbi Stephanie Kramer said.
In addition to leading congregations, Rabbi Karol was known for his musicianship. He released three albums of Jewish music — “Two are Better Than One” (2003), “A New Beginning” (2005) and “The Road Ahead” (2014) — as well as an original songbook, “One Light Above: The Larry Karol Songbook.”
He told the Dover (New Hampshire) Community News in 2006 that songwriting and singing have “really given me extra avenue of expression… My music is about hope, faith, community and creating understanding between religious groups.” The Las Cruces (New Mexico) Sun-News said that Rabbi Karol’s work garnered comparisons to Paul McCartney, Elton John and Cat Stevens. His music is available on streaming services and on his website, larrykarol.com.
Rabbi Karol is survived by his wife, Rhonda; son and daughter-in-law, Adam and Rabbi Julie Karol; grandchildren, Joshua and Eva Karol; and brother, Rabbi Stephen Karol.
Funeral services will be held at B’nai Jehudah on Wednesday, July 9, followed by burial at Rose Hill Cemetery. Shiva will be held the same day at 6 p.m. at B’nai Jehudah. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Temple, Congregation B'nai Jehudah.
