Congregation Mishkan Israel is delighted to close out our 175th Anniversary year as audaciously as it began. On Friday, December 4, the congregation welcomes URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs as guest speaker for Shabbat Evening Services, which begin at 7:30 p.m.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs is president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the congregational arm of the Reform Jewish Movement in North America.
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. He also founded and co-directed the first synagogue-based homeless shelter in Brooklyn Heights Synagogue.
Dedicated to global social justice issues, Rabbi Jacobs was part of delegations that assessed disaster response for Haiti and Darfur. He participated in an annual conference of Muslim and Christian leaders, held in Qatar, designed to build understanding between the West and the Muslim world.
The Service is open to the community. Congregation Mishkan Israel is a progressive Reform congregation, located at 785 Ridge Road in Hamden. CMI is the 14th oldest congregation in the United States, and the oldest continuously operating one in New England. For more information, call the synagogue office at (203) 288-3877.
Sponsor: Congregation Mishkan Israel