Family – Rabbi Micah Streiffer

The Power of Jewish Camp (or “Thoughts from a Looong Drive”)

NOTE: This essay was cross posted on the rabbinical blog of Temple Kol Ami. Sitting in traffic on Highway 400, I decide that my six-year-old son has stared long enough at his iPod screen, so I try to make conversation: “So, Yair, what are you looking forward to the most at camp?” We are onContinue reading “The Power of Jewish Camp (or “Thoughts from a Looong Drive”)”

Building an Inclusive Jewish Community

Both as a rabbi and as a parent, it is important to me that Judaism be inclusive of people with special needs. Today, more and more, young people who have Autism, Aspergers, Down’s Syndrome, and other similar challenges are being encouraged to participate to their full potential in Jewish life! Purely by coincidence, I’ve hadContinue reading “Building an Inclusive Jewish Community”

Books, Bullies, Beit Shemesh: A Sermon for Parashat Bo

My two older sons recently did something very strange and surprising: they started reading a lot! The reason is that they found a book – or actually a series of books – that they really like. It’s called Diary of a Wimpy Kid. It’s a fictional, first-person account of something most of us would ratherContinue reading “Books, Bullies, Beit Shemesh: A Sermon for Parashat Bo”

Kaddish for Jastrow

It was about a month ago that our dog Jastrow died. He was 3. He escaped from the yard and got hit by a car. Our kids were devastated. So were we. Jastrow’s name was the proof of my rabbi-nerdiness. (Only other rabbis realized that he was named for the Marcus Jastrow Dictionary of theContinue reading “Kaddish for Jastrow”