Rabbi, writer, journalist, social activist, founder and director of Tevel b'Tzedek 

“As a society, it’s essential that we know not who has to lead us, but where we want to get to in accordance with our moral vision”.

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Born in 1958 in Berkeley California, Micha Odenheimer has been a writer, journalist, Jewish teacher and social activist in Israel since making aliyah 31 years ago. 

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Micha was awarded a BA in Religion from Yale University Cum Laude in 1980, and was ordained as a Rabbi by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein of blessed memory in 1984. Micha was also a close student of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. 

Micha's life and interests include fields rarely seen in combination. He has reported from Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Nepal, India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Iraq, often during times of crisis. As a rabbi he has written dozens of essays on Judaism the Torah,  and social justice, and has reported on trends in Judaism and the Jewish world. Micha has a special interest in Jewish mysticism and Hasidism. 

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In 1994 Micha founded the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews, a watchdog and advocacy organization that aimed to change the way the Israeli government and other institutions absorbed Ethiopian Jews, particularly in the field of education, housing and employment. The Israel Association changed its name to Association of Ethiopian Jews in 2016. Micha is still a board member. 

 

In 2007, Micha founded Tevel b'Tzedek, whose goal is to  connect Israel and the Jewish people to the challenge of healing poverty and environmental destruction on a global level and in Israel as well.