Fishel Jacobs
| Fishel Jacobs (Rabbi, Major ret.) | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 21, 1956 |
| Residence | Kfar Chabad, Israel |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Vermont |
| Occupation | Rabbi, author, speaker |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Website |
www |
Fishel Jacobs is an American-Israeli rabbi, martial artist,[1] ex-Israel Prison Service officer,[2] author,[3] and speaker.
Background
Rabbi Jacobs is a devout Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi and speaker. Jacobs has published ten non-fiction books, including works on difficult areas of practical Talmudic law. His interviews, articles and columns frequently appear in Jewish and mainstream media.[4][5][6] Rabbi Jacobs was born in 1956 in Brooklyn, raised in Vermont,[7] and has lived in Israel since 1979.
In 1974, Jacobs earned a black belt in karate from the International Tang Soo Do Association. After graduating from the University of Vermont and winning many regional heavyweight Black Belt tournaments, including the 1976 YMCA mid-Atlantic Heavyweight title, he immigrated to Israel to study in the rabbinical school in Kfar Chabad. He was presumably the first American to receive rabbinic ordination by Israel's head rabbis, holds a PhD degree (equivalency) from the Israel Department of Religion, and completed training as a Rabbinic attorney. In 2006, he was promoted to Eighth Degree Black Belt Master Instructor.[8]
After spending fourteen years studying in the rabbinical school, Tomchei Temimim, in Kfar Chabad, Israel, Jacobs went on to serve in a number of rabbinic positions. From 1988 to 2007, he served as emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneersohn, and the Chabad-Lubavitch Campus chaplain at Tel Aviv University. Concurrently, from 1992 until 2005 he served as a full-time chaplain, a staff-officer with the rank of Major, in the Israel Prison Service (IPS).[9] He retired from that position in 2005 and subsequently published the first book ever describing life within the IPS,[10] republished in 2016 under the title Coffee Melts Bars: My Israeli Prison Career.
Books
- Family Purity: A Guide to Family Purity, ISBN 978-0967348186, Campus Living and Learning (2000)[11]
- Israel Behind Bars: True Stories of Hope And Redemption, ISBN 978-0977673605, (2005)
- Blech Book - Complete & Illustrated Guide, ISBN 978-0967348179, Merkos Linyonei Chinuch (2007)
- Two Kings, ISBN 978-0967348148, Israel Bookshop Publications (2009).[12]
- Coffee Melts Bars: My Israeli Maximum Security Prison Life, ISBN 978-0986231902, Gefen Publishing (2016)
References
- ↑ "Rabbi at Karate Championship" COL Live. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ "Jerusalem - Rabbi Behind Bars: The Story Of Karate Master Israeli Prison Chaplin Rabbi Fishel Jacobs" Vos Is Neias. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ "Children's Book Rooted in Thousands Years-Old Parable" Chabad News. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ "Find Out What Life is Like in an Israeli Prison!" Israel National News. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ "Criminals Slammed for ‘Using’ Religion" Forward. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ "Mishpacha Magazine Profiles Rabbi Fishel Jacobs" Chabad News. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ "Rabbi Behind Bars" Mishpacha. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ "Rabbi Blesses Karate Team" Traditional Karate Federation of Israel. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ Cohen, David Elliot; Lee Liberman (1994). A Day in the Life of Israel. Diane Books Publishing Company (Originally Collins Pub San Francisco). ISBN 978-0-7881-5162-0.
- ↑ "Yom Kippur Behind Bars" Chabad News. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ "A Computer Program to Enhance Your Mikveh Experience" Forward. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ↑ "Two Kings" Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
External links
- Fishel Jacobs Official site