1. Emphasis on community – As we live in an area where few of us have extended family or the rootedness of having “grown up here,” Micah serves as a kind of communal home. We want to find friends here that cross generational lines, where the older meet the younger, where we have a sense of “village,” a place where we know we belong and can fully participate.

2. Torah-centered study is central – Intellectual inquiry into the nature of our religion is fundamental to who we are. We care about learning and teaching for everyone.

3. Religious experience is valued – We want Micah to be a place where we can deepen our spiritual selves through religious experiences of prayer, ritual, music and art that touch our souls and add beauty to our lives. We seek to make the pursuit of religious experience accessible and vital to everyone.

4. Acts of love and kindness – The pursuit of social justice as a Jewish obligation is seen as a primary expression of a religious life. The ethical mandate of Judaism is both a communal and individual responsibility. We seek to make acts of love and kindness real in our daily lives.

5. We are inclusive – Young, old, gay, straight, married (including mixed marriages and families), single, those with disabilities, different races and ethnicities, firmly rooted Jewishly or new seeker: Micah is a home for you.

6. L’Dor Va Dor – Educating our young is a communal responsibility.  Including them in our community activities is pervasive and ongoing. We are a community where different generations care for each other.

7. Support – Supporting each other in the crisis moments of life, death, illness and other painful times is a simple part of what we do because each member of our community matters.

8. Israel is a guidepost – Israel is part of our religious consciousness as Jews, providing an integral reflection of the Torah. It serves as a fundamental connection to our Jewish identity.

9. Humility – We value modesty as a community as well as self-reflection and humor and laughter. We seek to be unpretentious, open-minded and non-dogmatic in all that we embrace and do.