Yes, I believe you either need to do this, or alter the jstree.js file itself to change references to jQuery to just use global (as in, don't require jQuery at all)
@HolyPhoenix Thanks for catching that typo (I edited my comment, just now). I had correctly tried @psychobunny 's approach without luck but then typed it incorrectly.
Off the top of my head, I think it's doable with the current hooks available. That said, it would be quite a big plugin. If you want to attempt building it I'll be happy to point you in the right direction if you get stuck.
Alternatively contact us at [email protected] and maybe we can build that for you 🙂