Rabbi Bonnie Koppell

Rabbi Bonnie Koppell is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. A 1981 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC), she was the first female rabbi to serve in the U.S. Army. Chaplain (Col.) Koppell was deployed numerous times to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait during her 38-year career. She received two Legion of Merit medals, in addition to numerous other awards. She holds a master’s degree in religion from Temple University, a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College and a Doctor of Divinity from RRC. In 1994, she was named “Outstanding Young Leader” for the City of Mesa, Ariz., and in 2004, she was the “Woman of the Year.” The Forward honored her in 2010 as one of the “Sisterhood 50-America’s Influential Women Rabbis.” Koppell currently serves as the associate rabbi of Temple Chai in Phoenix, where she directs the Deutsch Family Shalom Center. She is a frequently requested speaker on military and spiritual themes. Married to Ron Kushner, she is the mother of Jessie Rubenstein and Dr. Sarah Wypiszynski. She adores being a bubbe to her growing family, including Helena, Michael, Charlie and Jake, Leon; and Lily, Lydia and Ethan.

Essays

A pile of brass-colored rifle cartridges closely packed together.

Serious Enforcement of Background Checks, Mandatory Training and a Restriction on Possession of Assault Weapons

September 2, 2024

I would err on the side of balancing the right to bear arms with the Jewish principle of piku’akh nefesh.

Rabbi Bonnie Koppell

Essays

Serious Enforcement of Background Checks, Mandatory Training and a Restriction on Possession of Assault Weapons

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