RACHAEL JACKSON

12148 Chesterdale Rd, Cincinnati OH 45246 (513) 301-9605 Rachael.jackson49@gmail.com

EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ____________

2015 Candidate for Rabbinic Ordination
Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, OH
2014 Masters in Hebrew Letters
Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, OH
Rabbinic Thesis: Relationship of Judaism and Science in Childhood Education
2013 Clinical Pastoral Education, Level 1
Intensive Care Unit & Telemetry floor, Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati OH
2010 Rabbinical Seminar Participant
Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem, IL
2002 Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
Northern Arizona University (NAU), Flagstaff, AZ

RABBINIC EXPERIENCE _____________________________

2011-present: Portsmouth, OH; Marion, OH; Columbus, IN; Fairbanks, AK
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Created and led artistic Shabbat Outdoor services

Initiated Shabbat at Home kit: Shabbat service booklet with CD & Shabbat
materials
Created and conducted original Tu BShvat seder
Wrote unique service for Purim Shabbat
Introduced Tashlich service
Devised participatory Yom Kippur service
Taught adult education classes including Modern Hebrew, The Ten Plagues and
Ten Sefirot,, Jewish Minorities in Israel, Back to the Sources: Introduction to
Rabbinic Texts, Challah history and baking, Lotsa Latke
Designed, organized, directed original week-long kids camp for 15 kids (aged 6-13)
Guided multiple people through the conversion process, performed mikvah in
Alaskan river, beit din conducted in wilderness
Created and led life-cycle ceremonies: baby naming, bat mitzvah, funeral; co-led
conversion and wedding ceremonies.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE _________________________

2012-2014 Fellow of The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati
HUC-JIR & Mayerson Jewish Community Center
Created and taught biweekly Experiments with a Message in JCC Early
Childhood Center, combining Jewish values and science experiments, geared for
pre-school aged children
Assisted with Tot Shabbat, senior Shabbat lunches, festival celebrations at JCC
Year-long Israel at 65 staff member: coordinated calendar with 45 agencies,
communicated events, worked on advertising, etc. Integral member of Relive
the vote inaugural event.

 Community Leadership and Involvement

o 2011-2015 Student Pulpit Committee, HUC-JIR; Peer-elected Member and secretary
o Revised student pulpit placement handbook for students and congregations to
follow; Assigned pulpits to incoming second year class
o 2010-2011 Student Coordinator for Former Soviet Union Pesach Project
o Coordinated between students, HUC staff, and WUPJ staff: 14 students, 15 cities
(in 3 countries), 6 days, $45,000.
o 2011-2014 Led Passover seders in Jewish and interfaith venues:
o Mayerson JCC, Wright State Hillel, Clermont Senior Center, St. Marks Church
o 2012-2014
o Wrote and led innovative Shabbat, Passover, Sukkot, and General Judaism
programs for Clermont Senior Services, OH day-center for people with dementia
Religious school teacher and tutor
2008-present: Wise Temple (OH), Shaarie Shalom (IN), Congregation Har
HaShem (CO), Temple Israel (OH), The Valley Temple (OH)
o Led group discussions, directed art projects, and dramatic performances
o Created original lessons plans including alef-bet, recipe book, and paper shofar
o Private religious school tutoring for ages 6, 9, 11; Taught torah chanting

CONGREGATIONAL LAY LEADERSHIP ___________________

Har HaShem (Boulder, CO)
2007-2010 Created and lay-led new 20s/30s group Kulam
o Grew membership to over 30 participants; cultivated leadership growth in the group
o Developed and organized events and activities: shabbat dinners, HHD open house,
snowshoeing, hip-hop guest artist, Vodka-Latke Chanukkah party, Sushi in the
Sukkah
2007-2010 Secretary and Trustee, Board of Trustees, Chair of Personnel Committee
o Oversaw negotiation of executive staff (rabbinic) contracts, including new contract
with Cantorial Soloist
2005-2009 Active member of assistant rabbi search, membership, fiscal, and site
committees

PUBLICATIONS AND AWARDS _________________________

2014 Researched, compiled, and edited They Help Grow Rabbis
o Book of memories from rabbis and congregations about their student
congregational experience
2013 Presented at Early Childhood Jewish Education Conference 2013, Needham, MA:
Experiments with a Message: An Interactive Science Experience.
2013 Community as a Value Avodat Hakodesh July 2013 (online journal)

OTHER __________________________________________
2002-2010 Analytical Chemist: Gevo Inc, Veolia Environmental, Array BioPharma
References provided upon request