Michael Knopf
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Rabbi Knopf has been our religious leader at Temple Beth El for just six months and Judaism is COOL! Inspiring sermons about Moses and Bruce Springsteen; reading the Megillah at a Purim party that featured dancing to 1980s music; the band Mensch performing live music at Friday night services; dress-down Shabbat services; toys in the sanctuary for the little ones to play with — Rabbi Knopf is working hard to expand our congregation and to make Judaism welcome to all. He will soon be officiating the first marriage of a same sex couple in our temple’s history. His number one priority is to make our temple most welcoming to interfaith couples, and has expanded what a non-Jewish partner may do in the sanctuary during their children’s b’nai mitzvah. He is the ultimate community leader. In just half a year, he has transformed Temple Beth El. We know the best is yet to come.
— Michael Edelstein + 21 other nominations
"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"
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