Rabbi Micah Streiffer grew up in South Louisiana and comes to Thornhill by way of Charlotte, North Carolina, where he served with distinction as Associate Rabbi at Temple Beth El. He was ordained a rabbi in 2007 at the Cincinnati campus of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute. He earned an M.A. in Hebrew letters from HUC-JIR, and received a Bachelors Degree in Judaic Studies and Music from the George Washington University.

Rabbi Streiffer is a corresponding member of the CCAR Responsa Committee, the group that deliberate on matters of Jewish law for the Reform movement. Before entering the Rabbinate, he spent time writing and editing at Torah Aura Productions, a leading publisher of Jewish educational materials. He has spent extensive time as an educator, songleader, and rabbinical faculty member at several Reform Jewish summer camps.

Rabbi Streiffer's rabbinate is guided by the principles of K'lal Yisrael (Jewish Peoplehood) and Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World). His passions include Israel, music, and Jewish learning. In addition to the bima, look for him at the driving range, the guitar store, the sushi bar, or at the playground with his kids. He is married to Shoshana Lipschultz Streiffer, and they have three sons: Rami, Noam, and Yair.

Dawn has been the Cantorial Soloist at Temple Kol Ami since 1994. A true product of the Reform Movement; its camps, youth groups and synagogues, Dawn's love for Jewish music was nurtured and developed while both a student and a teacher at many of the synagogue schools throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Her t'fillah and songleading skills were enhanced and enriched by many years as both a camper and a staff member at the URJ Goldman Union Camp Institute in Zionsville, Indiana, where she was a songleader for many summers. She was also a NFTY songleader.

Sharing and teaching music to students from nursery school through adults has been one of the great joys of her career. She has created and developed music programs for several Jewish nursery schools in the city, created Junior choir programs, formulated music curricula for a host of synagogue supplementary schools, acted as B'nai Mitzvah tutor and co-ordinator, taught cantillation and Torah reading to both young and older students, taught songleading workshops for future generations of Jewish music leaders, participated in synagogue and community choirs, and led Kol Ami in song and prayer for many years. She can also be heard on the children's recording, Channukah With a Twist by Eleanor, Dawn, and Dr. Dave.

A graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Judaic Studies and minoring in English literature, Dawn has always envisioned Jewish music as a facilitation of prayer, ritual, and education. It is her unwavering belief that Kol Ami's worship services should be prayerful, inclusive, musically-participatory and involving on all levels. Singing and music is the gateway to a more connected experience with all that Judaism has to offer.

Dawn loves all things Broadway, baseball, word games, and Jeopardy. She is married to Barry and is proud mother to Daniel and Kyle.

As Temple Kol Ami's Director of Education, Chari is committed to the engagement of our community in life long learning.

Chari is a product of the Jewish day school system, and earned her teaching certification from York University's Teacher Training program. She has been active in supplementary Jewish education in the Thornhill area for the past 28 years and has held positions as educator, department supervisor, principal and director.

She was appointed to UJA Federation Centre for Jewish Education as its Interim Director. For the supplementary school sector, Chari has coordinated conference days for supplementary school principals, directors of education, administrators and assisted with school compliance.

As a certified Family Educator, Chari holds accreditation from the University of Judaism, Whizin Institute of Family Education. She is a trainer in Reflective Education as well as professional teacher training. She has also developed and supervised a community based mentorship training program for veteran and apprentice teachers.

Chari represents Temple Kol Ami in the supplementary education community as Chair of: the Supplementary Principals'; the Administrators' and Principals'; and Reform Educators' Councils of Greater Toronto. She is dedicated to both formal and informal education in congregational life.

You will see Chari in her fuzzy slippers on retreats, in costume running special events and reguarly participating in many programs and activities around the temple and in our community.

Chari is mom to Cally, Marissa and Jessica and of course, best pal of Oreo.

Brenda Gottlieb is the helpful voice on the other end of the phone and has been our Temple Administrator since 2007. Brenda has been teaching in the Toronto reform community for over 20 years including in our own school. In addition to teaching, Brenda studied programming, ritual and chesed lay leadership at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute for Learning in Cinncinatti where she she completed the Para-Rabbinic Fellows program in 1998. Before working for Temple Kol Ami, Brenda worked with youth at Jewish Family and Child Services and Temple Har Zion as the Youth Programme leader.

Brenda is the proud mother of three children and 4 grandchildren.

We are fortunate to have Brenda taking care of our Temple community in every way.

Jenn and Aron have been working with TAKAY since 2009 and together have over 15 years combined experience in the workings and handling of youth group programming. Jenn grew up outside of Manchester, New Hampshire and was an active member in her temple youth group and in the NFTY-Northeast Region. While in university, Jenn was a youth group advisor in Champaign, Illinois. Aron has his youth group roots right here at Temple Kol Ami being actively involved in TAKAY and the NFTY-Northeast Lakes Region throughout his high school career.

As advisors for TAKAY, Jenn and Aron work with the youth executive on programme planning and leadership development, chaperone our youth at weekend events and retreats and they are always there as an open ear. Jenn and Aron are proud of the work TAKAY is doing in our temple community and the greater community at large and they are committed to the growth and development of all our youth members through the wonderful youth group experience.