Meet the Rabbis
Rabbi Loren Jacobs
Rabbi Loren is the senior rabbi and founder of Congregation Shema Yisrael, a community of Messianic Jews and kosher-hearted Christians that started in 1986 when Rabbi Loren and his wife Martha moved to Michigan to proclaim the Good News about the Messiah to the 70,000 – 80,000 Jewish people in the metro Detroit area.
Rabbi Loren grew up in the Chicago area and became a Messianic Jew in 1975. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute’s Jewish Studies program in 1979 and received a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Literature from Northeastern Bible College in New Jersey in 1986. Martha is a fifth-generation Messianic Jew – which is quite unusual. They have two adult children and two grandchildren
For more of Rabbi Loren’s story, click below.
Rabbi Glenn Harris
I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16
Rabbi Glenn is an administrator, Bible teacher and worship director for Congregation Shema Yisrael. Rabbi Glenn was born and raised in a traditional Jewish family in Los Angeles, California. Like most Jewish boys, he attended Hebrew School and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at age 13. Yet, neither traditional Judaism nor his exploration of New Age philosophies satisfied his need for concrete answers to the big questions of life – especially the question of what to expect on the other side of death.
In March of 1981, at the invitation of a respected co-worker to come to a
church presentation, Glenn finally got the answers he had been searching for, and dedicated his life to follow Messiah Yeshua. From 1986 to 1997 he served with the ministry of Jews for Jesus. In May of 1997, he joined the Shema staff and has been with us ever since.
Rabbi Glenn holds his Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Literature from Northeastern Bible College (now Kings College, NY) and Master of Divinity from Moody Theological Seminary – Michigan. He and his wife
Alexandra have three grown children and four grandchildren. Glenn is a
respected Bible teacher, occasional talk-radio host, outspoken pro-life
advocate, cancer survivor, musician, and avid motorcyclist. In addition to his ministry at Shema, Rabbi Glenn is also the National President of Lion of
Judah Motorcycle Ministry. The Bible verse that has been his theme is Psalm 34:8: O taste and see that the Lord is Good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Rabbi Jerry Weinstein
“So Adonai blessed the seventh day and made it Holy, because on it Adonai rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”
Genesis 2:3
I was raised in a Jewish home in Metro Detroit. My mother was a Messianic Jew and my father was a secular Jew. As a child, I attended both Temple Israel’s Hebrew School (Reform Judaism) and Congregation Shema Yisrael. For all my life I believed that Yeshua is the Messiah. I have early memories of answering questions in Temple Israel’s Hebrew School and mentioning Yeshua as the Messiah – to some incredulous looks.
Growing up, I celebrated most of the Jewish holidays either with family or at Shema. Every year we would get together with my father’s side of the family for huge Passover seders and break-the-fast meals. I celebrated both Chanukkah and Christmas and didn’t realize how different this was from the experience of most Jewish people.
Because of persecution in high school, I became more serious about my faith. By the time I was a senior, I was well-known for being that Messianic Jewish kid and that I would stand up for what I believed.
I received a degree in accounting from Walsh College and became a member of Shema. At Shema, I became involved in running our video equipment and managing our website, and social media and I also began to give commentaries on the weekly Torah portion. I also presented Passover seders in area churches, explaining how Passover connects to the ultimate Passover Lamb, Messiah Yeshua.
It became clear that the Lord was leading me into full-time ministry. After prayer and careful consideration, I attended Moody Theological Seminary where I received my Master of Divinity in Pastoral Studies.
One year later, I was ordained by the leaders of Shema.
Logically, historically, and factually, the case for Yeshua is airtight. But more important than the historical reality of Yeshua is how He has personally impacted my life through the Holy Spirit. If you are reading this and wondering if Yeshua is the Messiah, then I encourage you to explore our website and discover this for yourself. I pray that you are willing to seek out the truth no matter where it leads you. If you pray and open your heart to the Lord, then you too can experience peace and joy beyond life in this world.
What is Messianic Judaism?
Messianic Judaism is a movement of Jewish people and kosher-hearted Gentiles who believe that Yeshua (Jesus’ original name in Hebrew) is the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world.
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