1936-2024
Pronouns: He/Him
Rabbi Burt Jacobson was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1966. He was involved in the creation of both the Havurah and Jewish Renewal movements. In 1984 he founded Kehilla Community Synagogue in Berkeley (now in Piedmont).
Rabbi Burt was the Founding Rabbi of Kehilla. He was a student of the teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov for twenty-five years, and just before his death he completed a book that reconstructs the life and spiritual philosophy of the Ba’al Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism. Living in the Presence, published by Monkfish Press, is available beginning in November 2024. Rabbi Burt celebrated the 40th anniversary of his ordination as a rabbi in 2006. He was greatly influenced by the work of Martin Buber, the Baal Shem Tov, and Abraham Joshua Heschel.