This Jewish farmer is harvesting corn — and planting a synagogue — in the Illinois prairie

This Jewish farmer is harvesting corn — and planting a synagogue — in the Illinois prairie

STERLING, ILLINOIS — Nik Jakobs crouched down and scooped a handful of dirt. A third-generation cattle farmer and grandson of Holocaust survivors, he rubbed the soil between his fingers, testing its weight the way his father and grandfather once did. But this time, he wasn’t thinking about crops. He was thinking about a synagogue. Jakobs, 40, plans to build one right here: a 3,000-square-foot sanctuary and museum near land his family has worked …

This Jewish Illinois cowboy is planting a synagogue in a cornfield

Nik Jakobs blows the shofar at a unique Rosh Hashanah service held in a field in northwestern Illinois. Photo by Benyamin Cohen This is the latest installment in our Holy Ground series, and the continuation of a story we first told you about Nik Jakobs and his journey to salvage a synagogue halfway across the country. STERLING, ILLINOIS — Nik Jakobs crouched down and scooped a handful of dirt. A third-generation cattle farmer and grandson of Hol…