URJ President Rick Jacobs on The Temple’s 175-year Legacy
URJ President Rick Jacobs shares his thoughts with current Temple President Matt Schwartz about The Temple’s 175-year legacy. They spoke from inside the Temple Archives about the Temple’s founding role within the Reform movement, the state of the movement as part of the world Jewish community and The Temple’s wonderful legacy and opportunity. Rabbi Jacobs was visiting The Temple to celebrate the 175 year anniversary, as we welcomed a large crowd to Friday night Shabbat service. Listen to his perspective on The Temple.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs is president of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the most powerful force in North American Jewish life. The URJ leads the largest and most diverse Jewish movement in North America, with almost 900 congregations reaching nearly 1.5 million people. Immediately after his nomination as URJ president, Newsweek placed him at number seven on their 2011 list of “America’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis,” describing him as “magnetic” and “known for prioritizing social justice … and rethinking worship to engage the disaffected.”
Under the dedicated and creative leadership of Rabbi Jacobs, the URJ is engaged in the ongoing implementation of the URJ’s strategic 2020 Vision, a bold and ambitious action plan for the future of Reform Judaism structured around three core priorities: Strengthening Congregations, Audacious Hospitality and Tikkun Olam (social justice). Deeply committed to the State of Israel, Rabbi Jacobs has studied for two decades at Jerusalem’s Shalom Hartman Institute, where he is now a senior rabbinic fellow.
