Our Staff

Originally hired as our Community Engagement Associate thanks to a generous grant from the D. Dan & Betty Kahn Foundation, Jake has served T'chiyah as a full-time staffer since Spring 2018. A native of Long Island, New York, Jake has been a resident of Detroit and its environs since 2015. He holds a bachelors degree in comparative religion from Hampshire College and a masters degree in interpersonal social work and Certificate in Jewish Communal Leadership from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. As T'chiyah's sole staffer besides Rabbi Alana, Jake wears many hats. His primary responsibilities include: connecting with T'chiyahniks and prospective members in one-on-one meetings to learn about who they are and what they bring to our co-created community; supporting congregational teams like our Levites (Musical Daveners), neighborhood mutual aid groups, and LGBTQ+ Task Force; and designing edifying educational/social/spiritual programs to keep our congregants well-connected and meaningfully engaged with Jewish tradition. He draws on his social work training to assist Rabbi Alana in providing pastoral care to congregants, and offers his experience as a songleader to enliven T'chiyah's Shabbat and holiday services with participatory music and song. He also manages much of T'chiyah's administrative business, including social media, communications and database management. Jake is passionate about nourishing a creative, do-it-yourself ethos to religious practice, and enjoys studying revolutionary political movements, singing folksongs, and gardening with his family.