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WHEREAS, Dr. Rabbi Walter Jacob was born in 1930 into a rabbinic family lineage stretching back 400 years; and,
WHEREAS, his family fled their native Augsburg, Germany during the rise of the Nazi Party and settled in Springfield, Missouri where Dr. Jacob graduated from Drury College. Then, he was ordained by the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in 1955 and went on to earn a Doctor of Hebrew Letters; and,
WHEREAS, upon ordination, Rabbi Jacob became the seventeenth generation in his family to hold the title of Rabbi; and,
WHEREAS, following four decades as a pulpit rabbi at Rodef Shalom Congregation, Dr. Jacob earned the title of Rabbi Emeritus and Senior Scholar. Next, he returned to his native country, ordained the first rabbis in Germany since the end of World War II, and founded the Abraham Geiger College, the first rabbinical seminary opened in Europe after the Holocaust; and,
WHEREAS, Dr. Jacob’s community involvement transcended beyond Rodef Shalom Congregation and his internationally renowned Jewish scholarship. Locally, he has also taught at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, the University of Pittsburgh, and Chatham University; and,
WHEREAS, both avid gardeners, Rabbi Jacob and his wife Irene created the Rodef Shalom Biblical Botanical Garden, the first of its kind in the country, to educate visitors of shared biblical history and to promote mutual understanding among different faiths; and,
WHEREAS, inspired by their daughter Claire, who was born with a range of developmental disabilities, Dr. and Mrs. Jacob established Horizon Homes, the first group home for adults with differing abilities in Western Pennsylvania; and,
WHEREAS, Eric Lidji tells the story of Rabbi Dr. Walter Jacob’s rich accomplishments, Jewish scholarship, and rabbinic lineage in the new book “The Seventeenth Generation: The Lifework of Rabbi Walter Jacob;” and,
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend and celebrate Dr. Rabbi Walter Jacob for his tireless work for peace, understanding, and improving the lives of those around him and celebrates the launch of “The Seventeenth Generation: The Lifework of Rabbi Dr. Walter Jacob” by Eric Lidji; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare July 10, 2018 to be “Seventeenth Generation: The Lifework of Rabbi Dr. Walter Jacob Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.