Tag Archives: Conservative Judaism

Judaism for the Wise and Wicked: Passover 5782

Posted on April 20, 2022 by mjknopf

Questions are perhaps the defining feature of the Seder. The ceremony, with its unusual rites and symbols, appears to have been specifically designed to arouse questions, particularly from children.  To all these questions, let me add one that I want … Continue reading →

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Renewing our Vows: A New Approach to Intermarriage

Posted on March 20, 2019 by mjknopf

Recently, my congregation’s lay leadership voted to permit its clergy to officiate at marriages between a Jewish individual and a partner from another background (with some important conditions), if and when the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly and the Cantorial Assembly … Continue reading →

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One Community, One Campus: Rosh Hashanah Day 1, 5777

Posted on October 5, 2016 by mjknopf

Of all the enemies our ancestors faced in antiquity, perhaps none were more fearsome than the Assyrians. Around 900 BCE, Assyria began to conquer much of what was at the time the known world. The empire Assyria built stretched from … Continue reading →

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Where They Are – Rosh Hashanah Day 1 5776/2015

Posted on September 16, 2015 by mjknopf

What would it look like for synagogues to truly meet people where they are? Lessons from God and Wall Drug. Continue reading →

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L’Dor Va-Dor: Making Bar/Bat Mitzvah Meaningful for a New Generation

Posted on March 8, 2015 by mjknopf

This winter, the leadership of my dynamic congregation, Temple Beth-El, took the bold step of reconceptualizing everything about Bar/Bat Mitzvah. What follows is a description of what we’re doing differently, and why… Why reconceptualize Bar/Bat Mitzvah? We all know that … Continue reading →

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Why I’m Still a Conservative Jew

Posted on January 14, 2015 by mjknopf

My name is Michael Knopf. I grew up at a Conservative synagogue; I spent my summers at Camp Ramah in New England, a Conservative movement camp; as a teen, I was president of my Atlanta chapter of United Synagogue Youth, … Continue reading →

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The Legal Responsibility of Jewish Hotel Patrons

Posted on December 4, 2014 by mjknopf

Over the past few years, I had been trying to pass a teshuvah (Jewish legal opinion) in the Conservative Movement’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards arguing that Jewish law insists we must not patronize businesses that abuse their workers. The paper … Continue reading →

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Recipe for a Renaissance – Kol Nidrei 5774

Posted on October 5, 2014 by mjknopf

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can … Continue reading →

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X-Mensch: Coming to a synagogue near you?

Posted on June 29, 2014 by mjknopf

          Summer is upon us again, and with it movie season. This year, as with recent years, the multiplexes are being dominated by films on superheroes – from sequels to “Captain America,” “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” to … Continue reading →

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Why Synagogues Matter

Posted on May 7, 2014 by mjknopf

Passover, which began last Monday and continues until Monday night in Israel and Tuesday night in the Diaspora, is a holiday that invites questions. This year, a year in the shadow of the Pew study, which showed only 1/3 of … Continue reading →

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