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Read Rabbi Knopf’s Recent Posts
- Shabbat for Shabbat’s Sake: Parashat Sh’lakh Lekha 5782 June 25, 2022
- Embrace the Wilderness: Parashat Beha’alotekha 5782 June 21, 2022
- Message to the Class of 2022 June 20, 2022
- Punk’s Not Dead, It’s Jewish: Shavuot 5782 June 7, 2022
- ‘Earn This’: Last Day of Passover 5782 April 24, 2022
Tag Archives: Religion and Politics
Star Wars, Hanukkah, and the ‘Banality of Evil’
As I celebrate Hanukkah while watching the second season of The Mandalorian on Disney+ and anxiously following the news of the president’s and his allies’ attempts to subvert democracy, I find myself once again reflecting on the many connections to … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
Tagged current-events, justice, Liberation, mandalorian, politics, Religion and Politics, social justice, star wars
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Help Elect me to J Street Board!
The past four years have been extremely difficult for those of us who cherish democracy and human rights: injustice has spread and authoritarianism has risen at home and abroad. This dark period also saw too many in the American Jewish … Continue reading
A Prayer for Election Day Eve: November 2, 2020
Adon olam, sovereign of space and time, look with favor upon all who serve our country, along with all who pursue justice and peace in Your world.We go to the polls in a time of unprecedented upheaval, with a plague … Continue reading
Posted in Prayers, Public Statements, Reflections
Tagged Democracy, politics, Religion and Politics, social justice
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Judges Are People, Too.
Judges are not legal decision-making machines, nor do we want them to be. Former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes taught that the fact that the language of legal decision-making is the language of logic only creates the illusion that … Continue reading
The Jewish Urgency of this Moment
Pictured: Rabbi Michael Knopf giving the introduction at Jewish Americans for Biden Event in Richmond on October 1, 2020, featuring Mr. Doug Emhoff, former Governor Terry McAuliffe, and Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (photo credit: Kristin Gorin) Good morning. It is good … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged American Judaism, Democracy, Judaism, justice, politics, racism, Religion and Politics, social justice, tikkun olam, Trump
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Mad World: Kol Nidrei/Yom Kippur 5781
Once upon a time, there was a king who possessed the unique ability to read the stars and discern the future. One night, while gazing at the stars, the king learned a shocking piece of news: all of the produce … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged fake news, God, justice, nature of god, politics, propaganda, Religion and Politics, social justice, social media, Torah, truth
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Statement of Moral Outrage at Police Violence and Systemic Racism
On June 30, 2020, a group of about 60 Richmond-area clergy representing many faiths, now known as Clergy Action RVA, gathered at Marcus David Peters Circle (formerly known as the Robert E. Lee Monument) to demand an end to police … Continue reading
Posted in Public Statements
Tagged current-events, faith, justice, politics, race, racism, religion, Religion and Politics, social justice, society
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Inner and Outer Work
This speech was originally given at the Spring Keynote event for the Chrysalis Institute (now The Innerwork Center) on May 2, 2019. Within a six week span in late 2016, two things happened that changed my life: The first was … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged current-events, justice, personal, politics, religion, Religion and Politics, social justice, spiritual transformation, spirituality
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Haspel nomination reignites torture debate
On 9/11, I was a brand-new college student living in New York City for the first time. In the aftermath of that day’s tragic events, I, like other Americans, was consumed with fear and anger. But then, as the War … Continue reading
Posted in Articles and Op-Eds
Tagged current-events, faith, history, human-rights, justice, peace, philosophy, politics, religion, Religion and Politics, security, social justice, society, terrorism, Torture
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The Idolatry of Gun Rights and Gun Control
When the Children of Israel safely crossed the Sea of Reeds and witnessed Pharaoh’s armies washed up dead on the shore, they burst out singing, “This is my God, whom I will exalt!” These words reflect the propensity many of … Continue reading
Posted in Articles and Op-Eds
Tagged ethics, God, Gun Control, Guns, Judaism, Newtown, Newtown Elementary School Shooting, religion, Religion and Politics, Religion News, Second Amendment, Torah
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