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Read Rabbi Knopf’s Recent Posts
- A New Prayer for the United States of America July 15, 2020
- Statement of Moral Outrage at Police Violence and Systemic Racism July 9, 2020
- Justice Demands RISC June 15, 2020
- Message to the Class of 2020 June 14, 2020
- Richmond’s Wailing Wall June 12, 2020
Tag Archives: Israel
Shavuot and Collective Responsibility
It is telling that when Jewish faith is born, it is born in community. The revelation at Sinai, which we commemorate on the festival Shavuot (which begins this Thursday evening), is a national encounter with the Divine, a collective experience. … Continue reading
The Promises of Israel
Sermon from Kol Nidrei — October 8, 2019 It is striking that we initiate Yom Kippur with Kol Nidrei, a liturgical poem that both highlights the promises we make and alludes to the fact that we have an unfortunate … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged American Judaism, community, culture, current-events, faith, history, human-rights, Israel, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, justice, middle-east, peace, personal, philosophy, politics, religion, social justice, society, spirituality, terrorism
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A Non-Partisan Jewish Voting Guide
1. Anti-Semitism, racism, hate, and bigotry. Does the candidate stand up against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bigotry? Did s/he condemn the neo-Nazis and other white nationalists who marched with guns and torches in Charlottesville in 2017? Does s/he … Continue reading
Posted in Articles and Op-Eds, Reflections
Tagged community, culture, current-events, education, environment, faith, health, healthcare, history, human-rights, Israel, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, justice, medicine, middle-east, peace, politics, religion, science, security, social justice, society, theology
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The Power to Choose – Rosh Hashanah Day 2 5776/2015
There’s a line in the classic sci-fi popcorn film Terminator 2: Judgment Day that I’ve always found to be very powerful, and very challenging. John Connor, the leader of the human resistance against the machines, says: “The future is not … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged blame, free will, freedom, Israel, palestine, rawabi, repentance, responsibility, teshuvah
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Israel – The Fragile Miracle
The price of prosperity is humility, gratitude, and vigilance; the perpetual realization that one has more than he deserves, that abundance is not destiny, and, for those reasons, all can be lost with at least as much ease as it was attained. Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged history, Israel, Jewish People, jewish state, miracles, security
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Will Partisan Fight Over Iran Deal Permanently Polarize Jewish Americans?
I was on an AIPAC-sponsored trip to Israel on the day the world powers announced their deal with Iran over the latter’s nuclear program. With the American Israel Public Affairs Committee declaring its opposition to the deal early on, I, … Continue reading
Posted in Articles and Op-Eds
Tagged american jews, iran, iran deal, Israel, Jewish People
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Why Israel Matters (to me, at least) – Va-Et’hanan 5775
Today marks the second week of our sermon series about Israel. I wanted to spend some time together this month unpacking several takeaways from my recent trip to Israel and, in general, talking about our relationship to the Jewish State … Continue reading
Israel: The Agitator State – Parashat Devarim 2015
As most of you know, I just returned from nearly three weeks in Israel. The first two weeks were purely vacation, an opportunity to relax, refresh, and spend time with family in close friends in what is, aside from Richmond, … Continue reading
Blogging my AIPAC Rabbinic Mission – Day 3
As another incredibly intense, challenging day on my AIPAC mission comes to a close, I find myself struggling to meaningfully synthesize what I heard, saw, learned, and wrestled with today. Starting at 6:00 this morning, we spent almost half a … Continue reading
Blogging my AIPAC Rabbinic Mission – Day 2
On the eve of independence, the founders of the State of Israel enshrined their vision for the values that would underly the new state they were creating. “The State of Israel,” insists the Israeli Declaration of Independence, “will be open … Continue reading
