Rabbi Michael Wolff

Maimonides Geriatric Centre

March 5, 2019

Rabbi Michael Wolff was born in Manhattan, NYC in 1956. He went to Stuyvesant High School and attended Lincoln Square Synagogue when it was still located in the Lincoln Square apartments complex. Rabbi Wolff went to James Striar School of Yeshiva University and studied Chumash Bereshit in Freshman A with Rabbi Moshe Besdin. He graduated Yeshiva College in 1977. He received his rabbinical ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 1981. He also received a Masters degree in Jewish Education from Ferkauf Graduate School in 1980 and a Masters degree in Social Work that he received from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work in 1987. Prior to coming to Montreal, Rabbi Wolff was the rabbi for the Tiferes Israel Synagogue in Moncton, New Brunswick, a city with a Jewish community of 120 families and one synagogue, from 1982-1990. In Montreal, Rabbi Wolff was the Coordinator of Chaplaincy Services for the Montreal Jewish community from 1990 - 2006. He has been the hospital chaplain for the Maimonides Geriatric Centre since 1998 and the hospital chaplain for the Jewish Eldercare Centre since 2007. He works 3 days a week for Maimonides and 2 days a week for the Jewish Eldercare. In addition to being a board certified chaplain of the Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains, Rabbi Wolff currently serves on its board of directors. In the course of his regular duties of running daily minyanim, counselling and bikur cholim, Rabbi Wolff has created and organized a weekly "Healing Service" for residents, an inter-denominational "Healing Circle" for staff, and an individualized "Chanukat Habayit" welcome ceremony for new residents. Rabbi Wolff is married to Odile. They have 3 children - Julie, Raphael and Benjamin and 3 grandchildren born to Raphael and his wife Rivka. Julie, her brother Raphael and his wife Rivka live in Israel.