Rabbi Knopf's Blog

Dear Congregants,
 
A month ago, hundreds of white supremacists marched on Charlottesville. Dozens were injured. Three were killed. Now, those same forces of darkness are threatening to descend upon our Richmond community. (Click here for more information)
 
We at Temple Beth-El have been following these developments closely, and have been involved in many community conversations (with partners across the ethnic, racial, cultural, and religious spectrum) about how to prepare for and respond to these unwelcome voices of hatred and bigotry.
 
First and foremost, we reject white supremacy and its concomitant evils of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, homophobia, and transphobia. We say with a loud voice: these evil ideologies have no place in our city, our Commonwealth, our country, our world. Our tradition affirms that every human being has equal value and infinite dignity, that diversity is both a moral good and a social benefit, that the vulnerable deserve protection and support, that justice should be the moral aim of every worthy society. We seek to advance the world of equality and peace envisioned by our prophets and rabbis.

Second, we have been in contact with local, state and national law enforcement agencies preparing for this weekend. At the moment, we have no reason to believe that there is any threat to our Temple, our school, or our congregants. However, the safety of our congregants is always a top priority and we will have an increased security presence this weekend for Shabbat services, for Saturday evening's Selichot program, and ongoing as needed. Again, there is no specific threat. This is a precaution so all our congregants and guests will feel safe attending shul.

In fact, we encourage all congregants to join us for worship this Shabbat and at our Selichot program this Saturday evening. The best way to counter hate is to show them that we are not intimidated, that nothing will prevent us from proudly displaying our Jewishness, celebrating the enduring vibrancy of our tradition, and strengthening our community. 

Indeed, we will even be welcoming a wonderful new Jew-by-Choice this Shabbat morning. Come and help us welcome her to our community, and show those who would hate us that we are thriving, growing, and not going away. Services, as usual, are at 6pm on Friday, 10am on Saturday at the shul. Selichot will take place at 8pmSaturday evening at Rabbi Knopf's home. We hope you will join us, and feel free to bring friends. 

Third, we recognize that some in our community might want to respond in a more active way. For that reason, we have helped organize and are co-sponsoring an event entitled "Building a Just Richmond" which takes place Saturday 1:00 – 4:30 pm at Huguenot High School. Click here for the Facebook event.   We are joining a diverse coalition of organizations, houses of worship, and individuals to stand together, learn, and take action. Following a plenary with speakers and a panel, attendees may choose from several facilitated workshops designed to build skills to advance a just Richmond.
 
Please note that Rabbi Knopf does not drive on Shabbat, so he will not be personally attending the event. Also, since we encourage you to embrace traditional Shabbat observance, please do not see our support of this event as a rabbinic license or invitation to violate Shabbat. Rather, we are co-sponsoring the event because we believe in its purpose and values, support our partners, stand in solidarity with the wider community, and want to reiterate our congregation's values of "fighting for human dignity, championing equality, and pursuing justice."
 
“Building a Just Richmond” is one of many opportunities this weekend, and all year long, to stand with one voice against hatred. However you decide to respond this weekend and in the future, we hope you will do so safely and peacefully.
 
We look forward to worshipping with you, learning with you, and working with you in the New Year to build a just, diverse, and inclusive city, Commonwealth, and country. May we achieve that vision speedily in our time.

Sincerely,

Michael Knopf, Rabbi
Benita Felmus, President