Julie Jacobs has served as clergy for Beth David Congregation for 13 years. She maintains a dual role as both Rabbi and Cantor bringing together her strengths in Jewish leadership and musicianship.

After receiving a Bachelor Degree in Music in Vocal Performance from the prestigious Indiana University School of Music in 1996, Jacobs received her Diploma of Hazzan and Master of Sacred Music from the Jewish Theological Seminary. In 2003, Jacobs received her certificate of Hazzan-Minister from the Cantors Assembly. Her Rabbinic ordination came as a result of Beth David leadership’s request for her to serve as Rabbi.

Rabbi Jacobs was recently appointed to serve on the Executive Board of the Cantors Assembly. She has also served on the Miami Board of Autism Speaks, and has raised over $100,000 for the non-profit over the past 10 years. Her desire to help others inspired her to create the Tikvah Center at Beth David Gordon School – Miami’s first Jewish Day School program for children on the Autism Spectrum.

Rabbi Jacobs is dedicated to community visioning. Her attention to the needs of the Jewish community at large and her deep love and understanding of peoplehood sparked the concept of the Center for Jewish Life Miami – a new 501c3 dedicated to serving the Central Miami Jewish Community. She is currently spearheading this crucial capital campaign.

In her spare time, Jacobs enjoys spending time with her family. Her husband, Orin and their 4 children, Zev, Reya, Eitan and Caleb are all very involved with Beth David and the Jewish Community. Orin is an active member of the Brotherhood and serves as chair of the Tikvah Center Committee. Zev frequently leads services and plays drums in the Shabbat Pasion Band. Reya is a Diller Teen Fellow. Caleb and Eitan are students in the Gordon School. Rabbi Jacobs looks forward to serving this blessed community for many years to come.

Rabbi Joe hails from Portland, Oregon, where he grew up attending Congregation Neveh Shalom. He spent his first summer at Ramah in California in 1995 as a Moreh (teacher) and social justice coordinator. He remained part of the Ramah family during the 90’s serving as Rosh Edah, Rosh Kvutzah for Seminar in Israel and Founding Director of the Meytiv Program, a Ramah based social justice program for high school students. Rabbi Joe received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993 and attended the Pardes Instititute for Jewish Studies from 1993-1994. Rabbi Joe obtained a Master of Hebrew Letters degree from the University of Judaism in Los Angeles in 1996 and received his Rabbinic Ordination and a Master of Arts degree (with a concentration in Jewish Education) in 2000 from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York .

From 2000 – 2006, Rabbi Joe served as the Hillel Director at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore , Maryland. During his tenure, Hopkins Hillel opened a home for Jewish life, The Smokler Center for Jewish Life, Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building. He was awarded Hillel’s Richard M. Joel, Exemplar of Excellence Award in 2004. From 2006 until 2010, Rabbi Joe has served as an Associate Rabbi at Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas, Texas.

During one of those amazing “Ramah Summers,” Joe met Deborah Musher. Deborah and Joe were married in her hometown of Houston in 2002. Deborah is a special educator with a long history at Camp Ramah and focuses her work and research on students with autism. Together Joe and Deborah have three beautiful children, Molly, Gabriel, and Samuel.