:: Welcome to The Summa Group Children’s Foundation ::




		Site Map

	Rabbi Steven B.Jacobs (Biography)

	Action, commitment, service, spirituality, resistance, and story telling have characterized the sixty years of Rabbi Steven Jacobs' life. As a young child, he was influenced by two life-changing events. First, he witnessed a young Black boy being harassed. This sparked in him the intense emotions that have ever since fueled his pursuit of racial equality. Then, at age thirteen, a nine-year-old boy died in his arms as a result of a drowning accident. Although his faith in God was jolted as a result, he knew at this early age that he was to become a Rabbi. Motivated by a sense of the many injustices in the world, Rabbi Jacobs has actively pursued solutions to right the wrong. The issues for which he has the greatest passion include civil rights, Black and Jewish community relations, Muslim and Jewish relations, interfaith missions and religious pluralism. Dedicated to improving the status quo, he devotes his energy and time in ways that truly do make a difference. He is committed to his congregants, being available for their religious and spiritual needs at any time. Celebrating and grieving together has become a significant part of his daily life. Fairness for all and the idea of tikkun olam , healing the world, keeps Rabbi Jacobs busy. Outreach to non-Jews and a desire and sensitivity for social action continuously shapes his Rabbinate. For the past thirty-three years Rabbi Jacobs has served the San Fernando Valley community. Rabbi Steven Jacobs was part of the interfaith delegation to Yugoslavia with Rev. Jesse Jackson, which brought about the release of the captured American soldiers. The Rabbi actively participated with service union workers for wage reform, striving for a living wage for all and supported the janitor and health care union protests. During the post-election 2000 uncertainty, Rabbi Jacobs emerged as the prime force in the renewal of the Black-Jewish Coalition. He joined Kweisi Mfume of the NAACP, Ralph Neas of the People for the American Way , and the Rev. Jesse Jackson in speaking before Jewish and Black synagogues and churches on behalf of the disenfranchised Black, Jewish, Haitian and student voters in Florida . For these and other activities throughout his life, Rabbi Jacobs received the 2001 Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award. Shaping more than the community, Rabbi Jacobs also enjoys sculpting, an avocation that he has had for many years. He and his wife Linda also enjoy spending many spring and summer evenings at Dodger Stadium with any combination of their six children and their spouses and their three grandchildren.