Our Rabbi

We welcomed Rabbi Rachael Jackson to Agudas Israel Congregation on July 1, 2015

Rabbi Rachael Jackson was ordained in 2015 and was thrilled to become a part of this community which prides itself on being engaging and welcoming. With a passion for teaching, learning, pastoral care, and social justice, Rabbi Jackson knows that Agudas Israel is a great shidduch (match).

She understands the importance of all aspects of synagogue life and the role of lay leadership, for prior to rabbinical school, Rabbi Jackson worked for biopharmaceutical, biofuel, and hazardous waste companies in Colorado as an analytical chemist. During this time, she also volunteered at Congregation Har HaShem in Boulder, CO where she sat on the Board and Executive Committee, led services, founded the 20s/30s group, and taught Torah study. It was at Har HaShem that she truly fell in love with Judaism and the beauty of congregational life, which inspired her to change careers and enter rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR).

Rabbi Rachael Jackson family photoWhile at HUC-JIR, Rabbi Jackson served student congregations in Portsmouth OH, Marion OH, Columbus IN, and Fairbanks AK. In addition to experience gained in these congregations, she was also a Fellow at the Cincinnati Jewish Community Center. While there, one of the programs she created and spearheaded was “Experiments with a Message,” directed to preschoolers, using science experiments as a way to teach Jewish values. An important facet of Rabbi Jackson’s rabbinate is to seamlessly meld Judaism and modernity, to integrate natural law and Jewish living.

Rabbi Jackson is married to Danyul, and they are excited to be at Agudas Israel along with their young son Adrian.

Click here to contact Rabbi Jackson

Join Rabbi Jackson and friends each week on Podcast

Exploring the strange and fascinating relationship between science and religion

https://www.facebook.com/downthewormholepodcast/

https://twitter.com/downwormhole

Zoom Service Links during COVID-19

Shavuot on May 28: Rabbis and Congregations from around the country will be participating in an all night study session. Over the course of 17hrs, over 29 different sessions will be offered. Please sign up by clicking here and filling out the form. You will then be emailed a spreadsheet with all the different options available via zoom. Rabbi Jackson will be presenting at 7pm (est) on “What does it mean to give?”. Please use this opportunity to experience learning in a way never done before!
Weekly Shabbat Service Links
May 22, 2020
Important Information
Shabbat Shalom
Please click here for the recorded service this week. Click here for the accompanying handout. Kaddish names are read aloud.
Rabbi Jackson has been taking some time this week to rejuvenate and therefore there is no drash this week, nor will there be Torah study on Saturday.
Please join us next week as we resume our regular programs and stay tuned for new activities and ways to be involved and connected. As always, please feel free to contact Rabbi Jackson or our board leadership with something you might need.
Wishing you all a peaceful and calming Shabbat.
Membership
If you want more information about membership at Agudas Israel Congregation please call the office at 828-693-9838
Like us on Facebook
If you are on Facebook and have not discovered our page yet, please stop by and like our page!

April 29 – 30, 2020

Shabbat Shalom Agudas Israel!
I hope this week has been kind to you.
Thank you to Cya Ashley for singing with us this week. If you click here so you can watch and participate. Names for kaddish are read aloud.
You can find the handout for the Hebrew prayers by clicking here.
And finally, if you would prefer to read the drash, click here.
Feel free to join us for Torah study on Saturday May 2 as we discuss Achrei-Mot and Kedoshim in the Book of Leviticus.. Here is the zoom link again. [ID is 604-982-978]
As always, feel free to contact Rabbi Jackson [agudasrabbi@gmail.com] or any of our board leadership if you have any questions or just want to talk.
May you have a peaceful shabbat.
April 24, 2020
Please see this link for this week’s shabbat service. Thank you to Debbie Lavine for singing this week. Kaddish names are read aloud.
We continue to have Torah study at 10:30a on Saturdays and you are welcome to join by clicking here and entering id: 604-982-978
Know that each of you is in my thoughts and prayers. And if you would like to talk, please reach to myself or our board leadership.
Shabbat Shalom
♦ Click HERE for Shabbat Service with Rabbi Jackson and Penny White – March 28, 2020
♦ Click HERE for Shabbat Service with Rabbi Jackson – March 20, 2020
♦ Click HERE for a beautiful article on enduring the coronavirus from reformjudaism.org
♦ Click HERE for special video message from Rabbi Jackson ♦
♦ Click HERE for Mi Shebeirach lead by Rabbi Jackson ♦

Even though we have closed the physical building, we are still working hard to bring you the things that you enjoy via the Internet so that we can maintain community:

LUNCH N LEARN is on…but with Zoom. Here is the link, the meeting ID: 232-869-325

FRIDAY NIGHT SERVICES will be recorded and live-streamed. You will get a link on Friday to view or participate.

SATURDAY TORAH STUDY will be on Zoom. Here is the link, the meeting ID: 604-982-978

5780 High Holy Day’s Sermon’s

Click Here for Audio Erev Rosh Hashanah Service

Click Here for PDF Erev Rosh Hashanah Service

Click Here for Audio Rosh Hashanah Morning Service

Click Here for PDF Rosh Hashanah Morning Service

Click Here for PDF Yom Kippur Kol Nidre Service

Click Here for PDF Yom Kippur Morning Service

5779 High Holy Day’s Sermon’s

RH Erev Sermon Audio (on PC only) Click HERE

RH Erev Sermon PDF Click HERE

RH Morning Sermon Audio (on PC only) Click HERE

RH Morning Sermon PDF Click HERE

Kol Nidre Sermon PDF Click HERE

YK Morning Sermon PDF Click HERE

5778 High Holy Day’s Sermon’s

Erev Rosh Hashanah sermon
Rosh Hashanah morning
Erev Yom Kippur sermon
Yom Kippur morning sermon