Making the impossible actually possible is the essence of Jacob Green. As a freshman at UC Berkeley, he was smashed in the head when he heroically attempted to stop a burglary. He had to drop out of college due to the resulting brain injury and spent over two years in full-time rehabilitation. Jacob returned to college, earned an undergraduate and master’s degree and worked for nearly twenty years in local government leadership. In 2019, he combined his rehab experience with his insights from his career and wrote a book “See Change Clearly”. The book became an Amazon New Release bestseller, kicked off a national book signing and speaking tour, and led Jacob to start his own consulting firm to help public and private entities in leadership development, public safety, and emergency management. His deep understanding of organizations, appreciation for team building, ability to solve problems and overcome obstacles prepared him for his role as President of CBI. During his two year term, CBI’s new clergy settled in, membership grew significantly, resilience flourished, new social groups were formed, and the synagogue hosted several community-wide events, in addition to ongoing inspirational services, a robust religious school and vibrant youth programs. His success in helping to bring many of the synagogue’s goals to reality reflects another “Mission: Possible.”
Jacob coined the term “CBI Village” and made it a cornerstone of his presidency to further develop the close-knit family culture at the synagogue. He was raised in a very Jewish home and attributes valuing a tight community feeling from his grandfather, Walter Newman, who was expelled from Germany at the age of 16 for being Jewish, escaped to the United States, and served in the US Army during WWII, landing on Normandy Beach on D-Day. Jacob spent many Shabbat weekends with his grandparents and watched his grandfather develop their Jewish community when serving as synagogue president for a number of terms.
The “CBI Village” was also a natural development as Jacob has a unique relationship with CBI’s Rabbi Adam Greenwald. When Jacob was growing up, Rabbi Adam’s family was one of the founders of a synagogue in Los Alamitos and their mothers were both social workers. Through this connection, Jacob was offered a job, first as a madrichim and then as a B’nai Mitzvah tutor. Jacob’s first student was Adam! Jacob recalls, “He was an amazing kid, phenomenal student, always looking out for others and already making an impact on those around him.” Rabbi Greenwald reminisces “Jacob was my hero. He was my Bar Mitzvah tutor when he was a senior in high school. My mom wanted to expose me to a ‘cool, Jewish guy’ as a role model. I adored him and our relationship helped pave the path for my own lifelong Jewish journey.” Their bond was revived at CBI and they have had a special partnership as Rabbi and President working together.
Jacob and his wife Nicole, the Director of Professional Development and Coaching Services at their consulting business, first visited and joined CBI shorty after they were married. They attended services on and off but didn’t feel fully at home. However, when Jacob was in the hospital following a major surgery, Rabbi Elie Spitz called. “He knew exactly what to say and I credit him with significantly altering the course of a difficult recovery and will always be grateful,” Jacob recalls. In later years at CBI, Nicole and Jacob became more active, especially as their four children entered the religious school. Their daughter Leah, 17, is on the regional USY board, Orange County Interfaith Youth Alliance board, and her high school ASB board. Clara, 14, is the family artist and movie and book aficionado; Ella, 12, is a soccer star who loves baby-sitting CBI families and Noah, 9, plays soccer and enjoys robotics and reading. But with all their activities, seeing the whole family at services is a common sight in the synagogue. “We feel there is no place in the world more important to all six of us than CBI. This was long before I even joined the Board. It is a Village of hope, support, inspiration, growth, and love,” commented Jacob.
Congregation B’nai Israel will be honoring and thanking Jacob for his outstanding leadership as the synagogue’s president for the past two years at the annual gala and major fundraiser on Sunday, March 9. With the theme Mission: Possible, the evening will include appetizers, dinner, signature cocktails, entertainment, and a silent and live auction. The event is open to the entire community; reservations are required and space is limited. Go to cbi18.org for more information and to make a reservation.