Rabbi Knopf's Blog

Dear friends,

Today is Yom Ha-Zikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, and tomorrow is Yom Ha-Atzma’ut, Israel’s 70th Independence Day celebration. In preparing to observe these sacred occasions, Israel’s past, present, and future has been on my mind quite a bit lately. Earlier this week, I had the privilege of attending the annual conference of the “pro-Israel, pro-peace” lobby J Street in Washington, DC.

This Saturday (April 21), I will be sponsoring Kiddush lunch after services. Please join me over lunch where I will share what I learned at the J Street conference. I will also be thrilled to answer any questions you may have about J Street, the conference, and my general perspective on Israel. Yom Shabbat services begin at 10am. Lunch will begin by 12:30pm (I will forgo a sermon to ensure we have plenty of time for conversation and Q+A over lunch).  Of course I encourage you to come for both services and lunch, but you are more than welcome just to come for lunch and conversation. Either way, I look forward to seeing you!

In keeping with the theme of learning about Israel, I hope you’ll join us for our Tikkun Leil Shavuot program on Saturday, May 19, beginning at 6pm at Grove Ave. The theme will be commemorating Israel’s 70th anniversary, and our keynote speaker is David Weinfeld, Professor of Jewish Studies at VCU, who will speak about the history of American Zionism from Brandeis to Birthright. Click here to register.

I also encourage you to attend Richmond's community Yom Ha-Zikaron observance, this evening at 5:30pm at the Weinstein JCC, as well as the  community-wide Yom Ha-Atzma’ut celebration on Sunday, May 6, from 3pm to 6pm (also at the Weinstein JCC).

I’m pleased to share with you some of my previous reflections about Israel, which you might find meaningful as you commemorate these sacred days. Click on titles below to read more.

For Yom Ha-Zikaron:

Israel: The Fragile Miracle

For Yom Ha-Atzma’ut:

Israel: The Agitator State – Parashat Devarim 2015

Why Israel Matters


Am Yisrael Chai! Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu v’al kulam! I look forward to seeing you soon!