Bet David
First to arrive was Rabbi Robert Jacobs, who began his stint as rabbi of Bet David at the beginning of August. He officiated at his first High Holy Day services last month and his first few months have been filled with festivals, simchas and other communal activities. Jacobs has been well-received by congregants and lay leaders alike.Jacobs, who has signed a three-year contract with Bet David, brings energy and enthusiasm to the position. He aims to work closely with the management team to strengthen Jewish communal life at the shul.
Jacobs was ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in New York in 1975. He read for his Masters in Hebrew Letters at the same institute and graduated with honours in 1973. In 2004, he received certification in Clinical Pastoral Counselling from the Post-graduate Centre for Mental Health as part of the course work toward a Doctorate degree at HUC.
Until his relocation to South Africa, Jacobs was the rabbinic leader at the Temple Adas Shalom-Harford Jewish Centre in Havre de Grace, Maryland.
Earlier in his career, he was executive director at the Leo Baeck Institute in New York, which is the centre for advanced research in the history and culture of German-speaking Jewry.
After completing six years as regional co-chair and member of the Union for Reform Judaism/ Central Conference of American Rabbis' (URJ/CCAR) Commission on Outreach and Synagogue Community, he was elected vice-president of the URJ's Mid-Atlantic Council. He has been a faculty member of the Union Progressiver Juden in Deutschland, Öesterreich und der Schweiz since 2000.
On visiting Bet David in February this year, Jacobs was particularly impressed with the fact that the sanctuary is in the shape of a rondavel.
"Not only does this remind us of the important African heritage of the land, but the sweep of windows and the many entrances also fit in with the ancient tabernacle, which was open from many directions," he said. "In addition, the surrounding gardens call us to aspire to the perfection of Eden.
"It is my hope we will be able to transform this open feeling into a place of welcome for all Jews, a place of acceptance for all people, and a place of inclusion for people drawn to the message of Judaism, the lessons of the prophets and the experiences of a Jewish past."
Bet Menorah
Rabbi Ann Folb, who hails from the United States, will join Bet Menorah in Pretoria at the end of October. She will be the first full-time rabbi at Bet Menorah since 2002.Folb decided to change careers after her husband, Howard, who was a rabbi for many years, passed away in 1998. Having worked as a social worker and therapist for more than 30 years, she felt that a career in the rabbinate would be an equally rewarding experience, and she had wanted to pursue this vocation for a number of years.
Folb graduated with a Master's in Hebrew Letters from, and was ordained at, Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, earlier this year. Although she hasn't held the position of rabbi yet, her experience as a student rabbi goes back to 2003, when she started working on a monthly basis and during the High Holy Days at Temple Anshe Emmet in Arkansas.
She conducted worship services, adult education classes and pastoral visits for a year before moving on to Temple B'nai Israel in Michigan, also for a year. During the summer of 2006, Folb worked in the CPE Intensive Care Unit at the VA Hospital in Cincinnati, serving in all units as needed, and thereafter, until she graduated, she worked as a student rabbi at Temple B'nai Israel in Mississippi.
During the past few years, Folb has taught grades 3 and 4 Hebrew, various religious school grades, and B'nei Mitzvah preparation classes. She also founded and led a women's study group.
In 1966, Folb read for a Bachelor's degree at the University of Cincinnati and Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1969, she graduated from Ohio State University School of Social Work with a Masters in Social Work.
Her professional experience in this field has been interesting and varied. She started out as a counsellor for mothers considering adoption at the Children's Home of Cincinnati, and then joined the Pee Dee Mental Health Centre in South Carolina as a clinical social worker in community mental health.
In Illinois, she was involved in the Truancy Alternative and Jackson County Community Mental Health Programmes, and took part in adult outpatient counselling. For nearly four years, she worked with the Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa Association in Ontario doing assessments, and individual, family and group therapy with clients suffering from eating disorders, before moving on to the Shenandoah Memorial Hospital in Virginia as a psychotherapist for the acute care unit.
Her last position before moving into the rabbinate was to help teach a class of trainable, mentally-challenged children, also in Virginia. "I am really looking forward to arriving in South Africa and to serving the Pretoria community," said Folb.
Temple Emanuel
Rabbi Dr Robert Ash will join Temple Emanuel within the next few months. The date of his arrival depends on when his work permit comes through, but he is looking forward to taking up his position as soon as possible.Ash embarked on a rabbinic career in his 40s. He began his rabbinic training at Leo Baeck College in London in 1997, where he read for a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Hebrew and Jewish Studies. He was ordained in 2002.
"After my ordination, I served as the full-time rabbi of Newcastle Reform Synagogue (a small community of under 200 adult members), and was there for five years until resigning to join Temple Emanuel.
"Prior to choosing the rabbinate, I had a pretty varied career. My first permanent position was with the UK Immigration Service at London Heathrow Airport, and for about the next six years, I worked at airports and seaports around the UK. I encountered people from almost every country of the world, and of most cultures, religions and languages," he said.
In 1979, he enrolled for a Bachelor's degree in Education and Religious Studies at London University and graduated in 1982. He then returned to the Immigration Service, working at the passenger seaport at Dover.
"Two years later, I was selected to study Turkish on a year-long, full-time course in London. "In early 1990, after almost 14 years of working for the government, I decided to resign in protest at its asylum policies."
The next three years were spent gaining experience in the private commercial sector. "I worked with a nationally-known freelance journalist who ran his own media marketing business, and I moved on to the large insurer, Norwich Union, providing finance and investment services to high net-worth clients.
"In 1993, I enrolled on a full-time, year-long course in Information Technology at Leicester University. The university offered me a scholarship for three years to do research leading to a Doctorate in the Sociology of Religion, which was the beginning of my preparation for the rabbinate. I worked on my thesis, published several articles on Jewish topics in journals and encyclopaedias, and was awarded the doctorate three years later."
Then it was off to Leo Baeck and the rest is history!
Rabbi Robert Jacobs of Bet David
Rabbi Ann Folb of Bet Menorah
Rabbi Robert Ash of Temple Emanuel