The Jewish commandment to repair the world is often played out in acts of lovingkindness. It began as a striving for personal betterment and starts and ends with repairing the world within.
Rabbi Abby Jacobson was born on a cattle ranch in central Florida, outside the small town of Davenport. At the last census, there were 1,200 people and 8,000 head of cattle in Davenport. She attended the George Washington University, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations (with a concentration in Middle Eastern Studies) in 2002.
Then, never having left the East Coast of the United States, she got a passport and moved to Jerusalem, Israel, to attend the Conservative Yeshiva for two years. A yeshiva is a traditional, non-degree Jewish learning center, and Rabbi Jacobson learned Jewish texts there for the pure love of Jewish learning.
She received her rabbinic ordination, along with a Master’s degree in Hebrew Letters, from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York City, in 2009.
Rabbi Jacobson has been the Rabbi of Emanuel Synagogue since August 1, 2009.
She is also the former president, and a long-time board member, of the Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma.