Days of Our Lives Wayback: Remember Robin Jacobs

Although she was only on Days of Our Lives for two years – 1985 to 1987 – highly opinionated and deeply religious Robin Jacobs started a conversation about a topic rarely broached in soap opera history: interfaith relationships.

Introduction
Mike Horton fought a hard-won battle to have incompetent Dr. Edward Curry fired from University Hospital. But Mike’s reward for his due diligence came in the form Dr. Robin Jacobs, the new hard-nosed and straight-laced Chief of Surgery. The two locked horns almost immediately over Mike’s refusal to adhere to the strict rules and regulations of the hospital.

Sparks Fly
Mike and Robin’s relationship began to deepen when they worked to close the town’s local mine after a number of its workers became ill. When Robin was tending to one of the sick miners on the eve of a hospital gala, a fire accidentally broke out.

It was Mike who braved the flames to rescue her. All though it was painfully clear that they both wanted to take their relationship to the next level, Robin refused to do so on the grounds of religious differences.

She was an Orthodox Jew and Mike was a Christian, so Robin refused to initiate a romantic liaison between them and instead turned to Jewish pharmacist Mitch Kaufman. (In a bit of soap irony, Mike’s portrayer, Michael T. Weiss, was Jewish and Robin’s portrayer, Derya Ruggles, was not.)

History Lesson
Robin’s father Eli approved of her new beau but her uncle, Robert LeClair, had more pressing matters to worry about than who his niece was dating. In his heart of hearts, Robert was sure that Robin’s new colleague, Dr. Fred Miller, was in all actuality a former Nazi physician who had orchestrated the deaths of many Jewish persons imprisoned in concertation camps including Robin’s grandmother.

Mike and Robin worked together to uncover the truth about Miller, whom their research proved didn’t really exist. And thanks to an assist by Steve Johnson, they learned that he bore a scar in the exact same place where a distinct birthmark belonging to German-born Friedrich Kluger should have been.

After the truth was outed – and Robert was shot – Mike and Robin lobbied the state department to ensure that Kluger would be tried for war crimes and punished appropriately.

Third-Party Interference
Although the investigation had brought them even closer, the difference in their religion proved an insurmountable barrier and Robin accepted Mitch’s proposal. And even though she and Mike made love – after being trapped in a shed by a torrential downpour – Robin went through with her wedding. Mike, meanwhile, pursued Ivy Jannings.

Convert
Mitch – finally realizing that his wife’s heart belonged to another man – had the marriage dissolved but warned his love rival that Robin would still never consent to marry him because of his faith. After considering Mitch’s sentiment carefully, Mike concluded there was only one thing to do: convert to Judaism.

Mike made the pronouncement to his lady love – and even proposed marriage to her inside an operating room. Despite some misgivings, Robin was thrilled and Mike began the arduous task of converting. However, it would all be for naught.

Mike and Robin became involved with a mysterious floppy disk that was coveted by a multitude of interested parties – including government officials and criminals – and someone attempted to murder Robin while she made a copy of the disk. Mike prayed for Robin’s recovery, but his Christian prayers were overheard by his intended – who realized that he could never really turn his back on his religious upbringing.

Exit and Return
Robin made a hasty exit from Salem but she returned a year later with some stunning news for Mike. In the interim, she had given birth to his son, whom she named Jeremy. The exes tried to make a relationship work – for their child’s sake – but the problem of religious differences soon interfered.

Mike believed Jeremy should be raised Christian while Robin was adamant he practice the Jewish faith. In the end, Robin decided to relocate to Israel with Jeremy but extended an open-ended invitation to Mike for visitation. Days of Our Lives airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.