Sinai Free Synagogue is thrilled to share some wonderful news: Rabbi Jacob Leizman has
returned to serve as our rabbi, coming full circle to the very community that raised him.
Long before he ever stood on our bimah as a rabbi, Jacob became bar mitzvah here, taught his
first Hebrew school class here, and delivered his first d’var Torah here. Those early moments
planted a seed that grew into a calling. Now he’s back, ready to share his rabbinate with the
community that helped shape it in the first place.
“I am thrilled to come home,” Rabbi Jacob said. “This congregation raised me as a Jew. To return
now as its rabbi is one of the great honors of my life.”
A native of nearby New Rochelle, Rabbi Jacob studied Political Science at CUNY Hunter
College before pursuing the rabbinate. He was ordained by Hebrew Union College–Jewish
Institute of Religion in May 2023, where he received honors for spirit, character, and strength of
heart, Midrash and Hebrew proficiency, and original music composition.
As a rabbinical student, he served communities from Manhattan to Aiken, South Carolina, and
trained as a Chaplain Intern at Bellevue Hospital — experiences spanning classroom, bimah, and
bedside that continue to shape how he leads today. Most recently, he served as Assistant Rabbi at
North Shore Congregation Israel in Glencoe, Illinois, where he built lasting relationships with
congregants of every age through teaching, preaching, pastoral care, lifecycle events, and social
action work.
There’s something especially meaningful about this homecoming: Rabbi Jacob succeeds Rabbi
Morris Barzilai, who has served SFS for 32 years, and who called Rabbi Jacob to the Torah for
his own bar mitzvah. Rabbi Barzilai will stay on in an administrative role through the coming
year to support a smooth transition.
“Rabbi Barzilai called me to the Torah as a thirteen-year-old, long before I ever imagined I’d
become a rabbi myself,” Rabbi Jacob said. “That his wisdom and steady hand continue to
accompany this community as we begin our next chapter together is a gift I don’t take lightly.
This is l’dor vador, from generation to generation, in the most literal sense I could ever hope to
experience.”
Rabbi Jacob joins us at a meaningful moment, as SFS continues to be the warm, welcoming,
intimate community it has always been while charting an exciting path forward, serving Jewish
and interfaith families across Westchester, the North Bronx and, virtually, throughout the country.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to walk alongside this community as we write its next chapter
together,” he said.
Rabbi Jacob lives in Stamford, CT with his wife, Rabbi Lily Goldstein, who recently joined
Temple Israel in Westport, CT as Associate Rabbi. The couple is expecting their first child in
September, a joy they’re grateful to celebrate surrounded by family and community.
When he’s not tending to rabbinic responsibilities, Rabbi Jacob can usually be found playing basketball,
picking up his guitar, or spending time with family and friends.
He can’t wait to meet you.
Email Rabbi Jacob at rabbijacob@sfsny.org