Rabbi Nati and Sarah Stern welcomed Ephraim Simcha into the world at 8:58 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Rabbi Stern, who is the Kansas City director of NCSY and JSU, said he’s “very excited” to have had the first Jewish baby in the greater Kansas City area in 2021.
Asked if Ephraim cries a lot or is pretty quiet, Rabbi Stern replied, “He’s been pretty good; he’s good natured. We’re happy with him.”
Ephraim weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and measured about 21 inches long. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
The name Ephraim Simcha in Hebrew means to be fruitful and happy. In Genesis it says Joseph named his son Ephraim saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Rabbi Stern explains that Ephraim comes from the word “pri” in Hebrew, meaning fruit.
“Every action we take, word we speak and even thought we think have so much potential within them to channel goodness and create more positivity, just like every fruit has the seeds to create more and more fruit,” the rabbi said.
The Ephraim in Genesis grew up in the toughest of times and in a harsh environment and yet maintained his Jewish identity, living his life as a proud Jew, Rabbi Stern said. “We need this blessing in our life today more than ever, the blessing of resilience.”
The Sterns, who have been married for 12 years, have four other children, ranging in age from 10 to 3. The couple moved here about three years ago. Rabbi Stern is originally from New York and Sarah is from New Jersey. They belong to Congregation BIAV.
