Editing Yisrael Jacobson

Rabbi Yi'''srael Jacobson''' (originally: '''Paretzkin''', [[3 Kislev]] [[1895|5656]] - [[17 Sivan]] [[1975|5735]]) was a prominent Chabad activist especialy in its early years in the [[United States]]. He chaired the organization [[Agudas Chasidei Chabad]] and is considered one of the founders of Chabad in the United States. He worked to rescue the [[Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe]] from occupied [[Poland]] during [[World War II]]. He served as a [[mashpia]] (spiritual mentor) at [[Hadar HaTorah]] yeshiva, which he established for American students who began their journey to Judaism and Chabad, and was a board member of the [[Central Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva]] in [[New York]].
==Biography==
Born in [[Russia]] on [[3 Kislev]] [[1895|5656]] in the city of [[Zhuravichi]], to his father Rabbi [[Yaakov Leib]] - from an established Chabad family, descendants of the [[SheLaH]]. He initially studied with a local teacher and later wanted to study in a yeshiva. His teacher recommended that he study at [[wikipedia:Yitzchak_Yaacov_Reines|Rabbi Reines]]'s yeshiva in the city of Lida, but on the way there, he and his father met an emissary from Rabbi Reines's yeshiva who instead recommended Tomchei Tmimim yeshiva<ref>In his memoirs he relates: "A tall man approached us, his beard trimmed evenly, and began to talk: 'You're surely traveling to the yeshiva?' 'Yes!' my father replied. And he began to speak about the yeshiva, and with great interest my father began to draw information from him.

He said he was a fundraiser for the yeshiva, and from his words we learned that it would be better for me to study in the narrow, not in the wall, because there the older students have secular books in their bags, and they might even smoke on the Sabbath... While we were sitting there, another man entered with a dignified appearance, white beard, and also asked where we were traveling, 'Surely to Lida,' and began to speak about Rabbi Reines. I don't remember the details, but his words were emotional, and he said: 'Will you entrust your son to a man who stood on a platform with a half-naked woman?' And he concluded: 'I am an opponent, if you want your son to remain an ehrlicher Yid (honest Jew), take him to Lubavitch.'".</ref> He went to take the entrance exam at [[Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva|Tomchei Tmimim]] in [[Lubavitch]], where he was accepted as a student in the [[cheder|chadarim]] and later to the main Yeshiva of[[Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva|Tomchei Tmimim]] in the town of [[Lubavitch]] where he remained until [[1916]], when the yeshiva relocated to the city of [[Kremenchug]] on the banks of the [[Dnieper]] River, and later he moved to the yeshiva branch in [[Kherson]]. Among others, he studied at the yeshivas: [[Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch]], [[Tomchei Tmimim Shchedrin]], [[Tomchei Tmimim Kremenchug]], and [[Tomchei Tmimim Kherson]] - during the years [[1907]]-[[1920]]. He lived in the city of [[Gomel]], Belarus, from [[1920]]-[[1925]].
In [[1926]], after a meeting among Chabad Hasidim where it was decided to promote emigration from Russia, he was chosen to be their representative in the United States and to work there to obtain visas for Hasidim interested in emigrating to the United States and later to help with their absorption there. During the period between his decision to emigrate and his actual emigration (about three months), he was appointed by [[Joseph Isaac Schneersohn|Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn]] as the [[mashpia]] of the Chabad community in Gomel, Russia.
Afterward, he immigrated to the United States, changed his name to Jacobson, and lived in the Brownsville neighborhood of [[Brooklyn]], New York. After some time, he was appointed as the rabbi of the [[synagogue]] in his neighborhood - [[Brownsville]].

===Public Service===
As mentioned, already in Russia he was appointed by [[Joseph Isaac Schneersohn|Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn]] as the [[mashpia]] of the Chabad community in Gomel, Russia. After arriving in the United States, he was appointed to the board of [[Agudas Chasidei Chabad]] and after the death of the manager Chaim Kramer, he was appointed in his place as manager.
Under the directive of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, he established the '[[Agudas HaTmimim]]' with the following goals: a: Uniting Chabad Hasidim in the United States who until then were not organized as a community. b: Establishing classes in [[Hasidic philosophy]]. c: Advocacy for Chabad Hasidim who remained in Europe and needed assistance. d: Advocacy and fundraising for Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak and his institutions.
After Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's release from imprisonment, he assisted him in his efforts to leave Russia, mainly by sending him sums of money. In [[1932]], he established the "Achei Tmimim" [[yeshiva]] in New York for young Jews who were becoming close to Chabad at that time. In [[1939]], he traveled together with the yeshiva students to [[Poland]] to integrate them into the [[Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva]] in the city of Otwock. With the outbreak of [[World War II]], the yeshiva students fled back to the United States and later integrated into the Central Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva.
At that time, Jacobson helped Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, who remained in [[Poland]], to escape to the United States. Among other things, he helped him obtain an entry visa to [[Latvia]] (from there Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak flew to Sweden and from there sailed by ship to the United States). Upon Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's arrival in the United States, he established the [[Central Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva]] there and appointed Jacobson as a board member and [[mashpia]] in the yeshiva. In [[1941]], Jacobson assisted in obtaining entry visas to the United States for [[the Rebbe]] and [[Chaya Mushka Schneerson (wife of the Rebbe)|Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka]]. He also tried, unsuccessfully, to obtain entry visas for Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak's second daughter - [[Sheina Horenstein|Sheina]] and her husband [[Menachem Mendel Horenstein]]. In [[1944]], he established several branches of the central yeshiva in several cities, including Pittsburgh, New Haven, and the Bronx borough (where his son-in-law, Rabbi [[Mordechai Dober Altein]], served as the [[Rosh Yeshiva]]).
He worked extensively regarding the [[acceptance of leadership by the Rebbe]].
===Later Years===
[[File Israel Jacobson.jpg|thumb|Rabbi Israel Jacobson's tombstone in Montefiore Cemetery in Queens.]]
With the arrival of many Chabad Hasidim to the United States after the war, his public activity diminished, but he continued to give classes in Hasidic philosophy at Hadar HaTorah Yeshiva. He also served as the director of the [[Beis Rivkah (Crown Heights)|Beis Rivkah]] school, which was intended for Chabad girls.
Since his retirement and cessation of work as a shochet (ritual slaughterer), he dedicated all his free time to Torah study, and during these years he even held two elaborate celebrations for the [[completion of the Talmud]]{{efn|His daughter's testimony in the 'Nshei' insert of the Kfar Chabad weekly issue 1859 page 19.}}.
He died in [[New York]] at the age of 79 on [[17 Sivan]] [[1975]], and was buried in the Chabad section of the [[Montefiore Cemetery]] in the Queens borough of New York, near the [[Ohel of Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn]].
==Positions==

Chairman of [[Agudas Chasidei Chabad in the United States]].
Board member of [[Agudas HaTmimim]].
[[Mashpia]] at the [[Central Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva]].
Chairman and director of the [[Beis Rivkah (United States)|Beis Rivkah New York]] organization.
General gabai for the Chevra Kadisha.
[[Mashpia]] of the [[Tomchei Tmimim Newark]] department.
Founder and [[mashpia]] of [[Hadar HaTorah Yeshiva]] for newcomers.

==Family==

His wife, Mrs. Sheina.
His daughter, Mrs. Chaya Sarah, wife of Rabbi [[Shlomo Zalman Hecht]] - [[Chicago]].
His daughter, Mrs. Rachel Dvasha, wife of Rabbi [[Mordechai Dov Altein]] - emissaries in the Bronx, New York, and in their final days they returned to [[Crown Heights]].
His daughter, Mrs. Chava (Rosen in her first marriage), wife of Michael "Mike" Hartheimer - accountant - (in her second marriage), they have 2 children, [[Manhattan]], [[New York]].

==Further Reading==

'''[[Zikaron L'Bnei Yisrael]]''' Israel Jacobson's memoirs, [[Kehot]], 1996.
His memoirs in [[Di Yiddishe Heim]] issues 38-39.
'''[[History of Chabad in the United States]]''' - according to the index of names, in his entry.
'''[[History of Chabad in Soviet Russia]]''' chapter 118.
[[Igrot Kodesh]] of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak and the Rebbe according to the index of names. There are many letters to him and about him.
Yosef Ashkenazi, [[Otzar HaChassidim (book)|Otzar HaChassidim]] - The personalities and Hasidic teachings of Chabad mashpi'im in New York, published by [[Chazak (publishing house)|Chazak]], 2013

==External Links==

[https://chabadlibrary.org/books/arum/zikaron/index.htm '''Zikaron L'Bnei Yisrael'''] His memoir book on the Chabad Library website.
[https://anash.org/our-man-in-america/ Our Man in America], An article about R' Israel on the {{Anash}} website