Rachel Jacoby
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When Rachel Jacoby spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia, she was astonished at how shy the girls in the school where she worked were. She immediately stepped in to improve their confidence in the classroom and beyond. Rachel started a female soccer team in one school, then a national soccer tournament that grew into a three-day National Women's Empowerment Summit in Kuala Lumpur for over 150 students from 10 states.
Back home, Rachel takes the same principles of tikkun olam and loving kindness and applies them to enrich Chicago's Jewish community. She is supporting Chicago during the COVID-19 crisis with her newly founded organization,
Feed the Front Line,
which helps essential workers and restaurants. She also serves on Motivote's Youth Advisory Board and volunteers with Books to Prisoners.
AGE:
23
PRIMARY GIG:
Finance Manager at Giffords, a gun violence prevention organization
ON THE SIDE:
Avid reader, foodie, outdoor lover, podcast-listener, traveler, political enthusiast, and runner. Co-founder of Feed the Front Line Chicago
RELATIONSHIP STATUS:
Single
CELEBRITY DOPPELGANGER:
Elsa from Frozen: not in looks, but because the cold never bothered me anyway!
A JEW WHO INSPIRES YOU:
My grandfather. He was born in Nazi Germany and fled to Shanghai with his family. After spending most of his childhood growing up in China under Japanese occupation, he immigrated to the United States and raised his family in Chicago. My grandfather’s perseverance, compassion, and resilience inspire me every day.
HOW YOU JEW IN CHICAGO:
Community! For me, being Jewish in Chicago is about finding my people, people with whom I can share meals, stories, laughs, hopes, and dreams.
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