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Rabbi Bonnie Koppell is the Associate Rabbi of Temple Chai in Phoenix, AZ, where she also directs the Deutsch Family Shalom Center.

Rabbi Koppell was one of the first female Rabbis in the United States and holds the distinct honor of having been the first female Rabbi in the U.S. Military.  She served in the US Army Reserve for 38 years and retired in 2016 with the rank of Colonel.

Rabbi Koppell’s writings have been published in numerous books and journals. She is a frequent newspaper columnist and a much sought after speaker.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Rabbi’s Struggle With Faith

           This is probably an odd confession for a rabbi- I struggle with a sense of faith. As someone who is too often in the human tragedy business, I just can’t reconcile so much suffering as “God’s will.” I am not comforted by a thought that “Everything happens for a reason,” and I cringe when …

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B’Har and Social Responsibility

         Parshat B’har speaks of fundamental issues of justice and equality.  “And you shall proclaim liberty to all the inhabitants of the land, to all who dwell upon her,” the verse which adorns the Liberty Bell, has its source in this chapter.  The text is concerned with distribution of resources, stressing the fundamental equality of …

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KonMari Your Passover

         Spring cleaning has always been a Jewish thing.  Except we call it Passover cleaning.  It’s a good thing, at least occasionally, to take the cushions off the couch and vacuum up the crumbs, wipe off the shelves in the pantry, and empty out our pockets.  As is the case with so much of Jewish …

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Purim and Anti-Semitism

This year at Purim, one verse of the Megillah especially resonated with me. In Chapter Three, Verse 8, Haman seeks permission from Achashverosh to destroy the Jewish people, denouncing us with these words, “There is a certain people, scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all of the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws …

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