When you do meet Rabbi Andrew, he’ll probably give you his cell phone number. He believes that a Rabbi should be accessible for any reason. While he certainly enjoys meeting with people face to face, Rabbi Andrew appreciates that busy schedules make it challenging for many to connect with their Rabbi. “There are so many ways for folks to reach out and connect with me when needed,” says Rabbi Andrew. “I get many calls, emails, texts and social media messages from congregants every day,” he explains. “Some folks have a simple question, some are sharing good news and some need support as they struggle with life’s challenges.” Ramat Shalom’s teens and college students regularly connect with Rabbi Andrew using social media and texts – as do many adult members of our community. “While lots of folks feel too connected these days,” says Rabbi Andrew, “being accessible to my community allows me to be actively involved in their lives and this is a blessing.”
Rabbi Andrew is deeply committed to Jewish education. He’s actively involved in our Early Childhood Center, our Hebrew School and our iServe program. He believes strongly that Jews of all ages have the right to learn about their faith and puts a great deal of time and energy into building a vibrant adult education program at Ramat Shalom. Several years ago, before most people were thinking about it, he built ChatTech, an online Hebrew School that gave students the ability to learn wherever they are, whenever they had the time. Today, he has incorporated technology into our synagogue and classrooms in ways that make it easy to connect with Ramat Shalom wherever you are.
Our Rabbi was raised by Jewish parents, but had no real Jewish education growing up. His Jewish journey began when he was a student at Vassar College: “It was my freshman year in college. I was doing a research project on my family’s immigration to the U.S when I stumbled across a photo of my great-great grandfather. He was a rabbi. I remember looking at his photo and just feeling this incredible desire to reconnect with his culture…to my culture. That was the beginning of this amazing journey, a journey that thankfully continues today.”
Rabbi Andrew is proud of the fact that he became a bar mitzvah when he was 26 years old. As he tells us often, he knows firsthand what it feels like to have questions about Judaism and be too embarrassed to ask them. Rabbi Andrew reminds us that all questions are good questions, all questions can teach. He believes that no matter what your Jewish background is, you have the potential to teach others. “We’re all teachers and students,” is one of his favorite lines.
On a regular basis, Rabbi Andrew officiates at a Shabbat service during which one of our children becomes a bar or bat mitzvah. If you have not experienced one of these services, or one of our Kabbalat Shabbat services, we invite you to do so. The energy and warmth that Rabbi Andrew and our Cantor, Jodi Rozental, bring to each service is wonderful.
Rabbi Andrew was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College and a Masters of Arts in Jewish Art and Material Culture from the Jewish Theological Seminary in consortium with Columbia University and the Jewish Museum of New York. He has also studied at The American Jewish University in Los Angeles and The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. During his years of study, Rabbi Andrew was greatly influenced by Kabbalah which he says allowed him to discover his own sense of spirituality and a deep, powerful connection with God.
Rabbi Andrew has been our spiritual leader since 2002. Prior to coming to South Florida, he was the Assistant Rabbi at Bet Am Shalom Synagogue in White Plains, NY. For many years, he has been actively involved with many local and national Jewish organizations, including serving as a past President of the Broward County Board of Rabbis. He is currently the President of the Plantation Interfaith Association of Clergy and a leader of South Florida’s Ukrainian Refugee Resettlement Project. In 2016-2017 he had the opportunity to study at the University of Pennsylvania’s Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies as a LEAP Fellow. Since 2013, Rabbi Andrew has been a Rabbis Without Borders Fellow. He is a strong Zionist and loves to lead educational trips to Israel. Additionally, Rabbi Andrew is strong voice against antisemitism. Because of his leadership, in 2022, Ramat Shalom was the first congregation to affiliate with the Anti-Defamation League’s Southern Division Signature Synagogue Program which unites synagogues across the south as we fight antisemitism and hate.
Rabbi Andrew posts regularly on his blog. His work can also be found on The Wisdom Daily. He is active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. In 2010, he and his children, Abigail and Jonah, published God Looks Like A Hug, a wonderful story that captures a very spiritual conversation between a father and son.
Rabbi Andrew and his wife, Rabbi Cheryl Jacobs live in Plantation with their two dogs, Ella and Caroline, both Portuguese Water Dog. Rabbis Andrew and Cheryl are incredibly proud of their two children, both products of Ramat Shalom and currently away at college.
We hope that you’ll come and meet our Rabbi!
