Oren Jacobson

Background

About Oren Jacobson

Oren Jacobson is a civic entrepreneur, organizer, and thought leader focused on helping communities and organizations build the strength and capacity necessary to improve people's lives. Oren founded and now leads two national organizations addressing major issues in the United States. In 2015, Oren launched Men4Choice, a multi-state advocacy organization activating, educating, and mobilizing male allies into the fight to protect and expand reproductive freedom. In 2020, Oren launched Project Shema, a training and support organization working to address contemporary antisemitism with an emphasis on how Jewish ideas manifest in discourse around Israel and Palestine. Oren’s grandfather was among the few Polish Jews to survive WWII, making his life a statistical improbability. This truth guides and motivates Oren to live a life worthy of the Jewish lives lost for the crime of being a Jew, dedicated to supporting, strengthening, and protecting all who are attacked for the crime of being who they are. In professional and personal practice, deep pride in his Jewish identity instills in him a sense of duty to disrupt the unjust imbalances of our world. ​Guided by a mission to deepen understanding, build capacity, and drive tangible progress that creates systemic level improvement in people’s lives, his work is dedicated to creating an American reality that matches the American ideal of justice and liberty for all.Oren is known for showing up consistently as an ally and organizing to help build power and change policy, including major victories in the fights for reproductive freedom and criminal justice reform. His civic advocacy spans local to international engagement. He holds a Master’s in International Relations from the University of Chicago, a Master's in Economics and Policy Analysis from DePaul University, and an MBA from Regis University.​Oren lives near Chicago with his wife Betsy, an ER Doctor who served on the front lines of the COVID pandemic, their son Noah Lincoln, and their dogs, who are named after great champions for justice, Eleanor Roosevelt and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.