Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin was born on January 27, 1947, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Raised in Squirrel Hill, a Jewish community, Rabbi Yitz’s grandparents became a significant part in his social justice upbringing. His religious interests grew from his time attending synagogue as a child which was located directly in front of his family home—however, he was unable to gain a private religious education. While attending public school, Rabbi Yitz was only child wearing a tsitsit as he wanted to assure a continuous connection to his Jewish identity. Moreover, this was also a means to cope with his father’s schizophrenia. By the 1960s, Rabbi Yitz moved to an urban commune and participated in the Civil Rights movement in the local area during his teens and as he moved on to college.

In 1971, he would move to Eugene, Oregon, for a job opportunity orchestrated by a new friend of his, Robert Trotter, the Dean of the Music Department at the University of Oregon. Trotter encouraged Rabbi Yitz to further explore his Jewish roots through music. He would go on to create an album and numerous YouTube videos. By 1977, he married his wife, Shonna, and the couple had two daughters. Rabbi Yitz came to fall in love with Eugene and settle in the town. As he became a rabbi, he was a predominate figure of Eugene’s Reconstructionist Movement which attempted to reform Jewish religious teachings. Through supporting the involvement of women in services and the core values of “Tikkun Olam” (repairing the world). He was also a significant figure in aiding Jews to reconnected with their Jewish identities. He offered Hebrew lessons at his home for youngsters getting ready for their Bar Mitzvah.