From a Jew-by-Choice student (גרות, Gerut):
“When I began the conversion process, I thought Gerut would be a series of classes, things I needed to learn, requirements I needed to meet, and Jewish boxes I needed to check. Studying with Rabbi Jackson was nothing like what I expected.
He took the time to know me as a person and created a process that was deeply personal to who I was and what I needed. He never handed me a list of answers or told me exactly what my Jewish life should look like. Instead, he gave me questions to wrestle with, challenged me to dig deeper, and gently guided me toward finding my own answers.
Perhaps the most meaningful thing he taught me is that there is no single ‘right’ way to be Jewish. Judaism asks us to belong, to a community, a family, and Am Yisrael, while still making room for each of us to find meaning in different traditions, practices, and expressions of Jewish life. I did not have to become someone else in order to become Jewish. I had to discover what living an authentic Jewish life meant for me.
I began Gerut expecting to learn how to be Jewish. Instead, Rabbi Jackson taught me how to wrestle, question, learn, and build a Jewish life that is genuinely my own, and gave me the confidence to know that I belong within our beautifully diverse Jewish community. Gerut became less about completing a process and more about beginning a lifelong journey of Jewish learning.”
–C.L.S, יעל בת אברהם ושרה
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From a Private and Unaffiliated Bar-Mitzvah Family (מעגל החיים, Life-Cycle):
“We met Jonathan when I was looking for a Jewish teacher for my son, Jude, to help him prepare for his bar mitzvah. We are not part of a synagogue or any formal Jewish groups, so we were embarking on a DIY Jewish journey.
I always wanted my boys to grow up with a Jewish identity. They were born into a secular, non-religious culturally Jewish household. So when we started talking about Jude becoming a bar mitzvah, I knew that I wanted him to learn about the Jewish religion and history, first, and then it was up to him to see where his interests led. The journey that Jonathan and Jude took was everything I had hoped for.
Jonathan was a flexible, compassionate, humorous, skilled guide. He helped Jude explore traditional prayers, and their meaning, taught him how to read Hebrew, and ultimately helped to create a meaningful bar mitzvah that was spiritual, student-led, and beautiful. Jonathan is honest, funny, down-to-earth, incredibly smart and equally comfortable with adults and youth alike. I felt very lucky to have found him as Jude’s teacher and to have his support and guidance during this very special moment for our family, and especially for Jude.”
–Beth Vogel and Family
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From and Interfaith (Jewish-Catholic) Wedding Couple, Chicago, IL and Hingham, MA (מעגל החיים-חתונה):
Rabbi Jonathan Jackson recently married my wife and I in a beautiful ceremony in Illinois, and working with him was truly a pleasure from start to finish.
Our interfaith ceremony required a thoughtful balance of two different faiths, customs, and traditions, and Rabbi Jackson handled it with incredible care and respect. He played an important role in making sure both faiths felt genuinely honored while still preserving what made each tradition unique. In the days after our wedding, several of our Catholic friends and family members went out of their way to tell us how beautiful and meaningful they found the ceremony. I think that speaks volumes about Rabbi Jackson’s ability to bring people together while respecting the traditions that matter to them.
Our experience with Rabbi Jackson also went well beyond planning the ceremony itself. In the months leading up to our wedding, we met with him regularly to talk about marriage, communication, and how to navigate conflict with someone you love. He even gave us some “marriage homework,” including a few chapters from a book on marriage and conflict that we would read and then discuss together. Those conversations were thoughtful, practical, and often gave us a new perspective on situations that can be difficult for any couple to navigate.
Most importantly, working with Rabbi Jackson, or Jonathan, as we came to know him, simply made planning our wedding easier and less stressful. He was always willing to step in, take responsibility, and lighten our load wherever he could. By the time our wedding arrived, it didn’t feel like we just had an officiant standing beside us. It felt like we had a real friend in our corner.
I would unequivocally recommend Rabbi Jonathan Jackson to any couple, regardless of faith or background. He is thoughtful, warm, dependable, and sincerely a wonderful person. We feel very fortunate that he was such an important part of our wedding and the beginning of our marriage.
-Caleb Brodie