American Judaism in Israel

From Liberal Zionism to American Judaism and the state of Israel, Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses Reform Judaism’s strengths and challenges in grappling with today’s most pressing issues.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs is president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the most powerful force in North American Jewish life.

A longtime and devoted creative change agent, Rabbi Jacobs spent 20 years as a dynamic, visionary spiritual leader at Westchester Reform Temple (WRT) in Scarsdale, New York. During his tenure, he reshaped communal worship, transformed the congregation into a community of lifelong learners, and strengthened the synagogue’s commitment to vibrancy and inclusion. Under Rabbi Jacobs’ leadership, WRT completed a new “green” sanctuary, one of only a handful of Jewish houses of worship in the nation to carry this designation.

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