Sandra Florence Jacobs
Rebbetzen and long-term supporter of Lubavitch of Scotland
| Sora Jacobs
| |
|---|---|
| Born | Manchester, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Rebbetzen, community organiser |
| Known for | Co-founding Lubavitch of Scotland with Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Jacobs; over 55 years of outreach in Glasgow |
| Spouse(s) | Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Jacobs (m. 1969) |
| Children | Mendel Jacobs, Yossi, Sholom jacobs, and others |
Sora Jacobs, also known as Rebbetzen Sora Jacobs (Date of birth October 1945), is a British Rebbetzen who co-founded and has co-directed Lubavitch of Scotland since 1969 alongside her husband Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Jacobs.[1] Born in Manchester as Sora Escovitz, she moved to Glasgow immediately after her marriage in 1969 to pioneer Chabad-Lubavitch outreach in Scotland, establishing educational programmes, youth work, a kosher restaurant, and community facilities that have sustained Jewish life in Glasgow for over five decades.[2] Her work emphasises inclusive hospitality, family-centred education, and practical support for Jewish observance, independent of Zionist regime affiliations.
Sora Jacobs arrived in Glasgow in 1969 with her newlywed husband, initially facing a small and predominantly Litvak community unfamiliar with Chabad customs.[3] Despite challenges including limited resources and occasional lack of cooperation, she and Rabbi Jacobs built a comprehensive network from modest beginnings, including a cheder serving 150 children weekly, a nursery school that ran for over 30 years, summer camps, a library, a bookshop, and the L'Chaim's kosher restaurant and catering service.[4]
As Rebbetzen, Sora Jacobs focused on the domestic and educational heart of Chabad's mission: hosting Shabbat and festival meals, running women's shiurim, supporting families, and creating a welcoming environment for newcomers and students.[1] She played a central role in establishing Shul in the Park (2001) and maintaining kosher infrastructure in Giffnock, ensuring the community had access to supervised food and religious facilities.[5] Her perseverance through decades of work was publicly acknowledged at milestone events, including the 45th and 55th anniversaries of Lubavitch in Scotland.[6]
Sora Jacobs has been a director of several associated companies, including L'Chaim's Restaurant Ltd, L'Chaim's Kosher Catering Limited, L'Chaim's (Giffnock) Ltd, and Lubavitch of Scotland Limited (trading as Orchard Advert Ltd), handling administrative and operational responsibilities that sustain the organisation's commercial and charitable activities.[7] She continues to reside in Glasgow, supporting ongoing programmes at Shul in the Park and the wider Scottish Chabad network.
She states on her Facebook profile that she has been Headteacher of Lubavitch nursery and Cheder for 37 years. Teacher in Calderwood Lodge for 15 years'.[8]
See also
Rabbi Chaim Jacobs Lubavitch of Scotland Shul in the Park
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Herald, Five decades on, longest-serving rabbi proud still to be fulfilling his mission heraldscotland.com, 28 November 2016.
- ↑ ChabadInfo.com, Forty Five Years of Lubavitch in Scotland chabadinfo.com, accessed February 20, 2026.
- ↑ YouTube, Rabbi Jeremy Rosen tribute to Rabbi Chaim Jacobs youtube.com, accessed February 20, 2026.
- ↑ Jewish Telegraph, Dynamic Yossi is a boon to community jewishtelegraph.com, accessed February 20, 2026.
- ↑ Jewish Glasgow, Lubavitch of Scotland jewishglasgow.org, accessed February 20, 2026.
- ↑ CrownHeights.info, Celebrating 55 Years of Lubavitch in Scotland crownheights.info, 8 December 2024.
- ↑ Companies House, Sandra Florence Jacobs appointments gov.uk, accessed February 20, 2026.
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/sora.jacobs/about