Summer ‘25/Fall ‘25

Am I a Faith Leader? (to some degree all leaders are…)

When I moved from Nashville to Florida to accept a role as Director of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, I was on a mission to try my hand at being a non-profit/activist leader.

Helping animals and those who loved them drove my first non-profit leadership steps. Hence, Big Dog Ranch. In that role, I’d sometimes be asked, “In running a dog-rescue, did I consider myself a faith leader?” The answer was always unequivocal. Yes. It takes faith to believe one organization can make a difference in the global fight to improve animal welfare. It takes faith to re-build the culture of an organization in a field with the highest burnout rate outside of social work and first responders. It takes even more faith to work with a team of animal caregivers, most of whom would describe themselves as being “broken or lost souls.” People who connect with animals far better than with fellow humans. Add to that equation that three-fourths of those amazing individuals were ex-convicts and/or in recovery from addiction of some sort or another. Anxiety, fear, and depression loom large in this field. But so does hopefulness, the kissing cousin to faithfulness.

Every stop since then required being a “Faith Leader.” Running “Face the Music Foundation,” being an Administrator at a “Mega-Synagogue,” founding “Redemption Song Rescue League” – a non-profit that combined animal rescue with recovery for young men, running a large animal refuge in the Panhandle…and now, yes, as Executive Director of Temple Beth El of Hollywood.

In none of these roles was I a member of the clergy. I could never make it through five years of rabbinical school! But in being an Executive Director of a non-profit, one takes on a mission. And “mission work” is intrinsically about faith at the end of the day. At Temple Beth El, I work to always keep faith front and center of my vision, and visualize it at the center of my heart so that it leads me through every aspect of the work we do here with an amazing team. I have faith in my team. Jackie, Donna, Barb Segal, Amy,

Lune, Barb Schultz, and Chelsea always work for the betterment of TBE. I have faith that our facilities team will always go the extra mile. I have faith that our security guards will protect us if the “chips are down.” I have faith that our teachers love teaching. I have faith that our Board members care deeply about our future and will do their best to help sustain us. I have faith in our Clergy to lead us spiritually. And I have faith that you, the reader, can and will be a vital part of our future as we continue to re-invent ourselves in order to stay relevant in such fast-changing times.

Co-leading our “2nd Saturday/Shabbatstock” services with JewGrass Revival most definitely helps me feel a bit more spiritual about my work here at TBE than I would if I were simply a traditional administrator. And for that I am so grateful, as it allows me to dedicate a different dimension of myself to the well-being of our ongoing work to be the best loved home for Jewish living, arts and culture here in Hollywood.

As we approach this year’s “holy season,” I have faith in the power of us – togetherness…empathy…kindness…love. Maybe kindness is the new punk rock! In other words…cool. All these things can change our little part of the world and create a butterfly effect. So yes…I’m a faith leader. I even have faith that if we run out of cookies at ONEG, we’ll get through it!

Blessings,

Jeff Jacob