Julia Knobloch

 I'm giving this dvar about comings and goings tomorrow at the Library Minyan at Temple Beth Am.

I'm honored that my poem 5780 is included in a list of " 18 exquisite Rosh Hashanah poems ", alongside luminaries such as Eleazar Ben Kalir, E.E. Cummings, Mary Oliver, and Lucille Clifton. The poem was originally published on ritualwell.org

An early dvar for this week , albeit a recycled one. The original I gave at the Brooklyn-based minyan and havura Shir Hamaalot two years ago.

I will be teaching a three-part series on "Seeking Forgiveness in the the Month of Elul" for Shomrei Torah Synagogue , starting this Thursday at 7:30pm on Zoom. The first session explores what it means to "fall on our face" (Nefilat Apaim), and the other two are about "The Desert and Forgiveness: What Makes Empty Spaces Sacred?" (August 26) and "Why We Forgive: Choose Life" (September 2) Click here to register !

I recently passed through Mannheim Station and remembered a conversation I had not long ago about this railroad hub as well as the many times I arrived or passed through this station, and I wrote about it here .

A bit delayed, here's a poem inspired by a recent visit to Heidelberg and the parsha last week .  Heidelberg is framed by two mountains, the Heiligenberg (Holy Mountain) and the Koenigsstuhl (King's Seat) - and Parshat Re'eh talks about potential curses and blessings to be pronounced by the Israelite tribes on two opposite mountains, Mount Ebal (curses) and Mount Gerizim (blessings). Most traditions place an altar built by the Israelite leader/conquerer Yehoshua on Mount Ebal, some say it was actually built on Mount Gerizim.