Rabbi Knopf's Blog

In the waning hours of the year, I find myself reflecting on the journey I have been on with my congregation over the past year, and over the past 3 years since I came to Richmond. I usually do a kind of "state of the shul" address on the 1st Day of Rosh Hashanah, but world affairs are calling me away from that tradition this year. There are other things that are demanding to be addressed.

Nevertheless, I can't help myself from sharing some of Temple Beth-El's incredible accomplishments from the past year:

1) We have made welcoming, embracing, and teaching non-Jewish seekers a cornerstone of Beth-El's work. We've brought Judaism into the public square with programs like "Pop Up Rabbi" and our Jewish New Year Celebration at the Richmond Folk Festival. And we are constantly focused on connecting people to Jewish wisdom in ways that are relevant and meaningful for people in today's world, holding classes, lectures, workshops, and opportunities to learn and grow on an almost daily basis.

2) We've restored Tikkun Olam and to the heart of Jewish communal purpose. We hosted dozens of Iraqi, Afghani, and Syrian refugees, as well as 100s of others from across the religious spectrum, for a truly unique Passover Seder, shining a light on the refugee crisis. We "adopted" and supported a newly arrived family of refugees from Iraq. We've partnered with the IRC and Reestablish Richmond in this sacred work. We've been organizing to provide assistance to local immigrants, regardless of documentation or status, and have been closely partnering with the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy to do so. We are involved in racial reconciliation and anti-racism work in partnership with Initiatives of Change, Cities of Hope, and Richmond Clergy Against Racism. Our involvement in the latter organization led to our congregation's participation in the "New Shoes for Back to School Ministry" in partnership with Third Street Bethel AME Church as well as a dozen other congregations, in which we helped give out new shoes to 4,000 children in need. We are participating in cross-cultural dialogue, understanding, and partnership. Partnering with the VCIC, we helped launch the "Standing Together" coalition and program series, which unites local faith communities in standing shoulder to shoulder against hatred, particularly Islamophobia, and I have striven especially to address and push back against Islamophobia in the Jewish community.

3) We are on the cutting edge of organizational and Jewish communal transformation. We've explored and developed creative new approaches to Jewish worship (like "Rosh Hashanah Live" which utilizes rock and pop music - played by Susan Greenbaum and Chris Parker - to make the themes of the holiday come alive for contemporary, Hebrew-averse, God-optional worshippers), and we continue to innovate in this space (see our recent creative Selichot ritual, which was wholly unique, bringing many to tears - in a good way). We've re-envisioned our approach to youth education, making it more like Jewish summer camp and less like "school," leading to incredible growth in our Religious School and youth programs for the first time in years. We overhauled our organizational structure, ratifying a new Temple constitution this past spring. We've also developed innovative ways to transform a congregation of dues-paying members into a true, deeply interconnected, community of relationships. We are particularly proud of The Havurah Project, in which hundreds of members of our congregation are gathering in each others' homes for monthly Shabbat dinners.

4) We are a leader in millennial engagement in the Richmond Jewish community. "The Bridge" is helping connect affiliation-averse millennials to the benefits of Jewish communal life in ways that make sense for them.

Of course, we will never rest on our laurels. There is still much to do. "The day is short, and the task is great, the reward bountiful, and the Master insistent!" as the Mishnah teaches. Nevertheless, we are marching inexorably forward in our mission to connect people with Judaism, nurture sacred community, and inspire tikkun olam. I am proud of where we've been and what we've accomplished, and I am excited to see where we will go together in the coming year.

L'shanah tovah!