Starting in January, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies brings diverse Jewish learning opportunities to locations on Chicago’s northside and in the Chicago suburbs. This “Spertus in Your Neighborhood” initiative begins with a partnership between Spertus and North Suburban Synagogue Beth El. Select Spertus programs—all open to the public—will be offered at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, 1175 Sheridan Road in Highland Park, in addition to the ongoing program schedule offered at the award-winning Spertus facility at 610 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago’s South Loop. This new setting for Spertus programs comes as a direct result of feedback from people who live or work outside of Chicago’s downtown area and desire the quality Jewish educational and cultural programming Spertus offers, but at locations more convenient for them.
Kicking off this initiative, on Sunday, January 31, award-winning professor and scholar Dr. Gary Zola gives two lectures about American Jewry and Abraham Lincoln. At 2 pm at Spertus, Dr. Zola gives a talk entitled In Behalf of the Israelites: Abraham Lincoln’s Jewish Controversies about Jewish community issues on which President Lincoln was asked to mediate during his term. At 7:30 pm at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Dr. Zola gives a talked entitled He Was Like One of Us: American Jewry and the Idealization of Abraham Lincoln. This lecture focuses on the remarkable history linking American Jewry and President Lincoln. Tickets for each lecture are $18 for the public, $10 for Spertus and North Suburban Synagogue Beth El members, and $8 for students. Tickets are available online at www.spertus.edu, by phone at 312.322.1773, and at the door. Dr. Gary Zola is Executive Director of The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives and Professor of the American Jewish Experience at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. A native of the Chicago area and an expert on American Jewish history, he serves on the 15-member national Advisory Committee of the congressionally recognized Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
On Tuesday, February 9, Laura Frankel, Executive Chef for Spertus Kosher Catering, offers one of her Secrets from a Kosher Chef demonstrations at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El at 6:30 pm. The topic is Chocolate. Chef Laura, following in the footsteps of Jewish traders who introduced chocolate to France, will give participants a chance to learn about—and taste—some of the world’s best chocolates and chocolate recipes. Tickets are $35 for the public and $30 for Spertus and North Suburban Synagogue Beth El members. Reservations are requested by February 2 at 312.322.1773. Spertus Kosher Catering features the cuisine of Wolfgang Puck and is certified by the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc).
