"Most important were the
connections she made on a
personal level. She connected
with the world."
— Gilda Jacobs, Rachel's mother
Rachel Jacobs with her son, Jacob
college, she lived in a dung hut, dodging
rats and taking rainwater showers. She
spent time in Israel studying the Bedouins.
While working in Kyrgyzstan, she
immersed herself in the Russian language
and culture and was involved in developing
a micro-finance company.
Eventually, she found her way into the
education arena, serving as vice presi-
dent of business development for Ascend
Learning, a provider of technology-based
education products, before becoming CEO
of ApprenNet.
"What was so magical about Rachel was
her ability to not only awe-inspire with her
intellect, but to also make everyone around
her feel as if they could share their deep-
est secrets," Emily Foote Williams, COO
and co-founder of ApprenNet, wrote in an
email. "Her obvious brilliance never made
her unapproachable:'
Detroit Nation
According to close friend and native
Detroiter Erin Einhorn, the idea for Detroit
Nation was conceived by a group of NFTY
alumni attending a Passover seder at
Einhorn's home in New York.
"Rachel took an idea and turned it into
something, turned it into a network and
an organization and made something hap-
pen," said Einhorn, who lived near Rachel
in New York and moved back to Detroit last
fall. She recalled how Rachel would always
find the time to be there for the people and
things she cared about, despite her busy
schedule. "She just had this amazing ability
to connect, to be there"
Her mother, Gilda, said Rachel always
aspired to be a leader, and it was her innate
ability to lead a team and inspire those
around her that contributed to the success
of Detroit Nation.
"Several years ago, when we started talk-
ing about a vibrant Jewish future in Detroit
and retaining talent here, people thought
we were nuts," said Scott Kaufman, CEO
of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit. "Rachel was an early thought leader
— and she did the work"
Last fall, Rachel was one of a group
of successful native Detroiters invited to
attend Crain's Detroit Business' "Detroit
Homecoming," an event featuring an
impressive lineup of speakers that included
Warren Buffett, designed to inspire expatri-
ates to re-invest in Detroit. The event fit
perfectly with the Detroit Nation mission,
and Rachel was enthusiastic about the pos-
sibilities.
"I would consider Rachel a mentor in
terms of how to create an organizational
culture, how to build something, and how
to do that with integrity and values in an
inclusive manner," said West Bloomfield
native Perry Teicher, 30, current president
of Detroit Nation. "She, through her vision
and doing the work, was able to bring
together a diverse group of people — who
otherwise wouldn't work together — to
focus on something they had a shared pas-
sion for and create meaningful projects"
Rachel was in Kenya with her sister at the
same time, and the two spent most of their
time texting each other despite the beautiful
scenery in their respective locations, result-
ing in merciless teasing from their travel
companions.
Rachel's friend Noha Waibsnaider, who
also attended the party where Rachel and
Todd met, said she knew right away some-
thing special had begun.
"It was so obvious they were meant to be
together," Waibsnaider said.
Rachel and Todd were married in
Cleveland in 2009 and, after a month-long
honeymoon in New Zealand, they began
their married life in Manhattan, where
each had been living when they met. Todd
shared Rachel's love of travel; and they
traveled locally and throughout the world,
to places such as Australia, Machu Picchu
(Peru), Argentina, Iceland, France, London,
Singapore, Vietnam and Mexico, where
they hiked, toured, and visited friends and
family. Eventually their family expanded
to include their son, Jacob Kody Waldman,
now 21/2.
After Jacob was born, they made time for
regular "date nights," going to concerts, din-
ing out and spending time with their many
friends. They enjoyed hosting Shabbat din-
ners and other holiday celebrations.
A Perfect Match
When Todd Waldman met Rachel Jacobs at
a Brooklyn party hosted by a mutual friend,
he knew it was no ordinary encounter.
They discovered they had several friends in
common; many were Detroiters Todd had
met while studying at Hebrew University in
Israel. Rachel had all the traits Todd consid-
ered important in a potential spouse as well
as some similar idiosyncrasies. To maintain
his foreign language skills, Todd had been
reading the Harry Potter series in German
and Spanish.
"The first time I went to her apartment,
she had a copy of Harry Potter in Russian,"
Todd said. They were both passionate about
running and participated in half-marathons
together. "It was like dating my best friend
from day one:'
Todd, a director at Navigant, a Chicago-
based consulting firm, said he knew from
his first date with Rachel — dinner at an
Italian restaurant — that the two would
eventually be married. He recalls a trip
to Croatia with his mother and brother
only weeks after the couple started dating.
Profound Impact on page 74
A
At her wedding, Rachel Jacobs poses with some
close friends.
Great friends: Noha Waibsnaider, Anne Yurasek and Rachel Jacobs
Obituaries
_
Rachel Jacobs and her sister, Jessie, cel-
ebrate at Rachel's 30th birthday party.
May 28 • 2015
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