While still at school Rabbi Jacobs developed a taste for the Rabbinate when at the age of 15 he led the entire Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services for the Newton Mearns Hebrew congregation.
At the age of 22 Rabbi Jacobs was invited to become temporary Minister to the Netherlee and Clarkston Hebrew congregation during their search for a new Rabbi, and for a time this made him the youngest serving Rabbi in the UK. To no one’s surprise he was offered the full time position, but turned it down and chose to go back to studying in the US.
This led to him meeting his wife Rachel; in 2004 they married in Los Angeles and set up home in New York whilst Rabbi Jacobs studied in Kollel (advanced Rabbinical Seminary). Upon receiving the call from Singers Hill in 2005 to become Assistant Minister, Rabbi and Rebbetzen Jacobs arrived and have been responsible for the revival of regular children services and Yomtov parties, educational programmes for all ages as well as hospitality and activities for the entire community.
Following the much lamented death of the late Rabbi Leonard Tann, who was very much his mentor, Rabbi Jacobs became in November 2007 the youngest Chief Minister ever appointed to Singers Hill. His dynamic leadership and energy has seen an increase in Shul membership and attendance. He is also the Rabbi and director of Jewish education to the King David School, a teacher in the BJEB Hebrew classes, a member of the Birmingham Faith Leaders Group representing the Orthodox Jewish community, and serves as chaplain to the Birmingham Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women and also the Fredrick Jacombs and Eva Bloom Lodge.
His regular lunch and learn and classes have become very popular and as well as tutoring pre and post Bar Mitzvah boys he also teaches in the Cheder. Perhaps his greatest achievement to date is the forming of the daily Minyan which now means the Shul is open for services 365 days a year.
Rebbetzen Rachel Jacobs who hails from Los Angeles has brought an enormous amount of warmth and enthusiasm to Singers Hill. Her Ladies Shiur is very popular and is attended by members of all the Birmingham Shuls. Her great cooking and hospitality is renowned and her talent with children has made her the Pied Piper of Birmingham. Rebbetzen Jacobs works for the Shul and assists her husband in many programmes as well as teaching in the Cheder where she is also creative educational director. Together they have launched four new programmes "Teen Scene" which is attracting teenagers from Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, and Nottingham. They have also set up "Youth Zone" for younger children and a "Mummy and Me" baby and toddler group for the youngest members of our community.
In October 2009 they formed "Purely Social" which is a group for Jewish singles from across the UK to come together and meet in a social setting. Before arriving in the UK, Rebbetzen Jacobs was educated at the Beth Chana High School and the Beth Rivka Seminary where she received a teaching diploma and certificate. She then taught English at the Beth Rivka High School and Jewish studies at the Retzad Elementary school. She has been the head leader and coordinator of Gan Israel Day camps in New Jersey, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Upstate New York. In 2003 she organised an international conference for teenagers worldwide which attracted 2000 people to New York.
In December 2007 Rabbi and Rebbetzen Jacobs were blessed with their first child Ari and in December 2009 they were blessed with their second Malky. They are both very much adored by the community (as well as their parents and grandparents!).
