Rabbi Knopf's Blog

Dear friends,

One of the central messages of the Torah is “tzedek tzedek tirdof / justice, justice you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). That’s why a major component of Temple Beth-El’s purpose is working to build a more compassionate, just, and peaceful world. Additionally, a passion for human dignity, equality, and justice is central to our congregation’s values. We are proud to serve a congregation that shares and exemplifies these commitments. (Read our full mission statement here.)

Yet we are aware that one congregation cannot solve every one of our world’s problems, and also that we won’t be able to meaningfully address any issue without the energy and dedication of our congregants. We are further cognizant of the fact that ours is a beautifully diverse congregation, filled with individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, which means that we will not always agree 100% on how our synagogue will fulfill its purpose and live out its values.

With that in mind, this summer, we are embarking on what is known in the community organizing world as a “One-to-One” campaign. Essentially, it consists of each of us meeting with congregants one-on-one for coffee/beer/froyo and conversation, getting to know each person better and learning about their interests and their dreams for a more compassionate, just, and peaceful world.

Doing this will enable us to know the issues about which our congregation is most passionate, to identify causes in which to involve the congregation as well as the causes we should stop pursuing, to connect individuals with initiatives already in place (like RISC), to cultivate leadership for existing initiatives and for emerging initiatives, to find points of connection between congregants based on their interests, and to expand our knowledge of congregants who want to be involved in this (and other) area(s) of congregational life.

As we meet with congregants and compile the information gathered from those meetings, we hope to discern which few issues most prominently emerge. We will then convene small group meetings to workshop, brainstorm, and build leadership for engaging in those issues. Every member of the congregation will be invited to participate in those organizational meetings, so please stay tuned.

If you would like to make sure your voice is heard and participate in a one-on-one meeting during the summer months, please reply to this email and let us know. One way or the other, we plan on ensuring as many congregants as possible are integral in the process of determining the ways we move forward as a congregation.

Please let us know if you have any thoughts or questions. Thank you so much in advance. We look forward to seeing you soon!

L’shalom,
Rabbi Knopf, Cantor Rosenblatt, and the SATO Committee