Local Stories
Almost every campus in The Hillels of Illinois system had or has something special planned.
Bigdei Yisrael, which translates to “clothes of Israel,” was created as a way to connect with Israelis while performing chesed (kindness).
The 25 Jewish college students who took part in a historic spring break trip to Berlin overcame financial difficulties and personal fears to make the journey.
A profile of Michelle Friedman.
Specters of what’s to come
Good evening, and welcome to our community celebration of Israel’s 60th Independence Day. It is wonderful for me to stand here and see how Chicago’s Jewish community has come together
We gather to rejoice and reflect on the 60th anniversary of our beloved Israel.
Excerpts of Remarks by Event M.C. Jay Tcath:
Community Yom HaShoah Observance – May 4, 2008.
Students reflect on a unique advocacy experience.
Funds will support humanitarian, non-sectarian needs on the ground, where hundreds of thousands of cyclone survivors are without shelter and safe drinking water.
The Israel Solidarity Day rally, which kicked off the Walk With Israel, focused on passing the torch of championing Israel to new generations.
We are gathered here in great numbers for a great purpose: to honor the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel.
Theodor Herzl said, “If you will it, it is no dream.” Today, that dream is real.
The name Bob Costas is synonymous with commentating on professional sports and the Olympic Games.
As the editor in chief of a magazine known for its lists, Steve Forbes has quite the list of accomplishments of his own. The chairman and CEO of Forbes Inc.
An interview with Levitt and Dubner.
Actress, internationally recognized Jewish celebrity and women’s health advocate talks with JUF News about her background and the issues she will address May 19
In NPR broadcast Federation Judaic Scholar Rabbi Yehiel Poupko responds to calls to proselytize to Jews.
Years before “being green” was a widely known phrase, leaders at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston set out to replace their obsolete building with one that would be as environmentally friendly as possible.
Israel is a small country in the Middle East, about the size of New Jersey, so why should we stand up, raise our voices, and be activists for the state?
With almost two weeks of traveling, lecturing, hiking, learning, and discussing behind us, we shuffled into a cramped Petach-Tikvah community center.
When we drove up to it, it looked like a Stalinist prison placed unexpectedly on the outskirts of the desert city of Beer Sheva.
As a freshman I lived just a mile away from school. It seemed sensible to walk to school every day, and that’s what I did.
How or where this experience would happen I had no idea, but I was confident that sooner or later it would happen.
When 27 teenagers gather in one crowded room, you can expect some crazy things to happen.
AHA Write On for Israel students reflect on Israel Jamie Ehrenpreis When I first received the “Aha moment” assignment at the beginning of the Israel trip I was annoyed and frustrated.
I have the responsibility to advocate for my Jewish community, Israel, our world, and all of the world’s citizens. I recognize the true ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ that I possess.
This will not be my last time lobbying on Capital Hill, and I hope that my experience encouragers others to take the same initiative. It is important to get a head start tackling the world’s problems—before they are thrust into our laps.
Advocacy efforts have an impact on the course of politics and governmental decisions. Politicians listen to the people who come to speak with them; they take notice of their interests and concerns, and act on them.
Thirty lay leaders and staff of the Jewish Federation and its affiliate agencies traveled to Springfield April 9-10 for their annual state meeting with state legislators and constitutional officers.
Fifteen students participated in a one-day advocacy “fly-in” of JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) April 17.
Stories of the Holocaust live on through descendants of survivors.
After attending local park district camps summer after summer, Lisa Krasner’s now 6-year-old son kept asking her when he would be able to go to a “real camp.” This year, he is finally getting his wish.
If you stop and think about it, what most people really want is to matter. We want to know that we’ve made a mark during our fleeting time on earth, an idea central to Jewish tradition.
Israeli author Orly Castel-Bloom, spoke about “Writing Fiction in a Time of Terror” at the University of Chicago’s Newberger Hillel Center April 3
Winning design will be printed on adult and youth-sized T-shirts available at the Walk With Israel in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence.
As we approach the holidays of Passover and Shavuot that speak of our transition into a Community, we turn to you, the members of our Community with words of praise and thanks.
Study finds association between heavy cell phone use and tumors.
Taking a year off changed her life.
Office opens in Chicago after six-year hiatus; aims to increase visits by Jews and non-Jews.
High school students, you can make a difference in your Jewish community, Israel and the world.
Host families needed for Lewis summer interns.
The first individual in JUF’s history to succeed both his father and his mother in heading the JUF annual campaign.
JWF is dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls.
Celebrating a decade of creating change and opportunity for Jewish women and girls.
The 13th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Project, is sponsored by Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation Inc..
‘To have a prayer that singles us out as the object of conversion on the day of Good Friday is doubly painful.’
As part of a yearly project of learning about Partnership 2000 and its relationship with Chicago, each class culminates their studies with a special P2K day in the school.
Program provides seed money to new programs addressing unmet needs in Chicago’s Jewish community.
She always had an uncanny way with words
North Shore Jews concerned about the environment turned out in a big way to participate in a fledging Jewish environmental coalition’s inaugural event.
At the Shabbaton, participants can take time for introspection and learn about themselves through discussions with others.
Show you support for our brothers and sisters living under the constant threat of terror.
From the dorms to the social scene, the transformation of UIC from a commuter to residential campus is unfolding on a daily basis.
Israeli thinker Hillel Halkin speaks about post-Post Zionism
'We cannot know the suffering into which your sacred community of Torah scholars has now been plunged. We can however let you know that you are not alone.'
A special Israel Emergency Campaign grant will help the Yeshivah address the effects of the attack.
Professor Shlomo Shoham spoke at the inaugural event of UIC's new Visiting Israel Scholar Program on the UIC campus March 5.
“The American Jewish community should deliver a very, very solid message of solidarity with the [human rights] movement inside Iran.”
Expressing "shock" and "dismay" the JCPA called for the United Methodist Church to give serious consideration to retracting several troublesome publications that "demonize" Israel, distort facts, and threaten to "turn the clock
To encourage Jewish early childhood education, the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago is launching a pilot project that will give a gift of up to $1,000 per family for the first child to enter a Jewish preschool or daycare.
Key address, open to the public, to be delivered by Professor Shlomo Shoham Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., University of Illinois Chicago.
‘Eich naflu giborim—How the mighty have fallen’
Successful approach to Jewish day school funding has prompted a deadline extension to strengthen it even more.
Today the central target is the Jewish collective as constituted in the State of Israel.
Throughout more than half a century of Jewish community involvement and leadership, Robert M. Schrayer, made a tremendous impact in both words and deeds.
Robert M. Schrayer, one of the Jewish community’s most prominent and long-serving leaders, died Feb. 21.
With focus on relationships and her Jewish background, author of ‘Spinster Sisters’ says don’t wait for ‘the one’ to ‘live your best life now’
Retiring after 30 years as superintendent of Associated Talmud Torahs and nearly 20 years as spiritual leader of Congregation Or Torah of Skokie, Well has been a unifying voice for Jewish education in Chicago.
Fund supports programs with creative approaches to health issues in Chicago’s Jewish community
Steven Dishler, JCRC’s Director of International Affairs, briefed a U.S. State Dept. sponsored delegation of Muslim leaders from Azerbaijan at the Jewish Federation.
The shocking desecration of gravestones at Westlawn Jewish Cemetery with swastikas and neo-Nazi slogans offers a stark reminder of the power of hate symbols.
Leaders from Chicago’s Jewish and Polish communities lauded the apprehension of a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi arrested in connection with the anti-Semitic desecration of Westlawn Cemetery in early January.
“Reflections on Jewish-Catholic Relations: Past, Present and Future,”
Conference to take place in Chicago August 17-22, 2008
Called “I Lift My Eyes,” the work takes its name from the well-known opening passage in Psalm 121.
Two Chicago-area Hillels will receive grants from the Covenant Foundation to help fund innovative projects aimed at connecting with the newest generation of Jewish college students.
Students from campuses across the Chicagoland area were asked to combine their artistic talents and commitment to the environment through their participation in the Green Menorah Contest.
The conventional wisdom is indeed true: American Jews vote in significantly higher proportions than the general public.
Dr. Rachel Bronson, author of “Thicker than oil America’s Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia" spoke about U.S.-Saudi relations at the Jan. 8 JCRC meeting
I am deeply honored to be chosen 2008 General Campaign Chairman of Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago.
Biblical psychology Stefanie Pervos Staff Writer A new school of thought is on the brink of changing the world of psychotherapy and mental health, according to local psychologist Kalman J. Kaplan, Ph.D., and an educational program taught here in
Micky Cobrin might be the speediest person to make aliyah in a long time.
An inclusive camp with a family feeling.
Only the curious have something to find.
The transformative power of summer camp is its ability to provide us with a sense of place.
As December rolls around and the temperature drops, it becomes more and more difficult to imagine the long sunny days, blue skies, green fields and smiling faces of summer camp. Ironically, winter
Last part of series to air at 9 p.m. January 23.
Former White House press secretary tells JUF News how illness has intensified his love of life
Rabbinic Action Committee hears from JTS Chancellor Arnold Eisen and JUF President Steven B. Nasatir
West Rogers Park restaurateur offers freshness, expertise and expanding services
Professor Matthew Evans, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science at Northwestern University, spoke at the Dec. 4 JCRC meeting.
The only fully functioning mikvah in Chicago south of Devon Avenue recently opened -- the Adam R. Straus Memorial Mikvah.
Users can upload hilarious clips on JewishTVNetwork.com for prizes totaling $13,000
Sixty years after the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 181, senior diplomats from 18 countries gather in Chicago to commemorate the anniversary of this landmark event for the Jewish people.
Vanguard is one of the premiere kick-off events for the 2008 JUF Annual Campaign.
For classes in English as a Second Language (ESL)/Literacy program
The name change honors our past, but reflects a re-branding to help better communicate to current and future customers.
Carlin, a partner with the internationally known law firm of DrinkerBiddleGardnerCarton, served on CJE board for the past 10 years.
Ahmadinejad asserts “that certain researchers and scientists are still hiding the truth from the people.”
David Sherman Campaign Chairman Of all the symbols of the Jewish people, one of the oldest is the menorah. It was chosen for the seal of the State of Israel. There is
Unprecedented third consecutive national honor for 2006 Campaign.
Acting on resolutions submitted by the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, the United Jewish Communities’ (UJC) board of trustees passed motions on Israel and Iran during the General Assembly, meeting Nov. 11-13 in Nashville, Tenn.
Top lay and professional leaders of Chicago's Jewish community share their ideas about the big issues in Jewish life.
You can feel the energy pulsing through the new Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies building.
Cindy Sher
Managing Editor
Steve Lindsey
Chef Laura Frankel, Wolfgang Puck Catering, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies .
When most people think kosher food, visions of brisket, matzoh balls, and kugel usually come to mind.
But the new Spertus Café by Wolfgang Puck—serving up mode
At the end of three months, those receiving minocycline did four times better on the National Institutes of Health stroke scale, which measures vision, facial palsy, movement and speaking ability.
The following speech was prepared by Marcell Bar-On, a resident of Nir-Am, a small kibbutz community between Sderot and the Gaza Strip, for the 2008 Vanguard Dinner held November 7.
While still learning about Israel advocacy from the perspective of a young adult.
Sderot residents Rotem Yehudai and Avi Sulimany and neighboring Nir-Am resident Marcell Bar On, visited JUF/JF this week to speak at various events.
Participants look forward to attending the event each month.
Three Jewish scholars were awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Economic Science in October.
Academy Award-winner to speek for YLD’s 2008 Ben Gurion Society Main Event Nov. 15.
One is a physical hunger from lack of sustenance, a hunger of the body.
Merry Mitzvot 2007 runs from November 18-January 1.
When Zack Harris heard about the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan, he knew he had to take action.
The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Foundation will award a two-year visiting professorship at Brandeis University.
A pro-Israel march sponsored by a German anti-fascist group.
Anti-Defamation League strenuously fighting to get the organization to adopt a more unambiguous position on the Armenian genocide at a national commission meeting.
Thousands of Jewish leaders from around the world to attend UJC General Assembly
Sarah Bakst, a sophomore at University of Dayton, joined ROTC to serve her country--and get a free ride through college.
Dear Colleagues and Friends, In a nutshell, a short time ago the sheriff's department reported 346,000 homes evacuated and they expect that number to increase before the Santa Ana winds
Isaac Herzog, the son of the late Israeli President Chaim Herzog, spoke about the challenges facing Israel today and the legislative progress and advances that have been made to fight the social gap in Israel and the rise of the “new anti-Semitism” throughout the world at the Oct. 24 meeting of JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC).
Good afternoon. My name is Steve Dishler and I am the Director of International Affairs for the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and a member of
On Sunday, Oct. 21 the Chicago Coalition to Save Darfur, of which the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish United Fund is a founding member, held an Olympic torch relay, “Bring the Olympic Dream to Darfur.”
Springfield – Lt. Governor Pat Quinn welcomed Barukh Binah, Consul General of Israel to the Midwest, for a meeting in his office arranged by the Springfield Jewish Community Relations Council.
One thing is constant about life on an aircraft carrier: the noise, with one exception -- the voice of Capt. Herman "Herm" Shelanski..
Yishai, the head of Israel’s Shas Party and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, highlighted Israel’s strong, growing economy
Sue Fishkoff Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, executive director of the Jewish Outreach Institute (JOI), opens JOI's third annual conference with the theme of creating a "Big Tent Judaism." Rabbi Kerry Olitzky has
Controversial conference held.
A grab-and-go style café overlooking Grant Park.
On Nov. 2-4, an art exhibit of 135 Israeli and Palestinian painters, sculptors, designers, and photographers on the theme of reconciliation, will be displayed at Chicago’s Navy Pier.
Jews living in Europe today are facing a new wave of anti-Semitism
Held throughout North America each summer, the Games enable JCC and YM/YWHAs to reach teens.
MASA offers participants scholarships that enable Jewish youth to spend a semester or year in Israel.
Jay Tcath The proliferation of websites and email has revolutionized how information is transmitted and received. Today more information is available quicker to more people than ever before. Emails have profoundly
‘Fighting the Fires of Hate’ runs Saturday, Oct. 13 through Dec. 8.
We wish all our visitors a happy Simchat Torah holiday!
"A Reason to Remember: Roth, Germany 1933-1942"
Celebrating volunteerism and working toward peace
Remarks by Steven B. Nasatir at Annual Meeting
Cosponsor a Bipartisan Resolution Calling on the World Bank Board and the U.N. Security Council to End World Bank Disbursements to Iran
Statement by U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill) on the floor of the House shortly before passage of H.R. 1400, enhancing U.S. sanctions against Iran.
In New Jersey, observant Jews are harvesting a wetlands pest to cover their holiday sukkot.
A merged shul in Fair Lawn, NJ donates two Torahs to needy Masorti congregations in Israel and Brazil
Clinical trials expected in two years
A review of "Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life,"
Cosponsor the Bipartisan Iran Working Group Resolution Calling on Iran to Release Two Prominent Labor Rights Leaders
When challenged to write about “My Senior Hero,” about 60 students from Chicago-area Jewish day schools answered with essays suffused with love, caring, and grace.
Israel-based Shvoong.com has launched “Shvoong Homework,
Consists of interested individuals in their 20s, 30s, and early 40s who will volunteer their time, energy, and talent to help the Center with its mission
All dental care is completely free of charge, and the services offered by the clinic range from simple cleanings to complex orthodontic procedures.
For the past 20 years, HaRav Gedalia Dov Schwartz, shlit” has served as the Av Beth Din for the Chicago Rabbinical Council, which will honor him for his years of
Online assistance for families
A weeklong service-oriented day camp for Jewish teens entering grades eight through 10.
The first of its kind – offers the field a comprehensive profile of Jewish day school principals.
Wishing all our visitors a healthy, peaceful, and sweet New Year.
A Jew cannot flourish in isolation, and the synagogue provides that connection to other people in the community.
CJHS plans to hold a community-wide celebration on Sunday, Sept. 30, in honor of the school’s grand opening.
Project connects volunteer tutors with students face-to-face or online via the Internet.
Midge Perlman Shafton is the new chairman of JUF’s Jewish Community Relations Council.
Jewish United Fund at the forefront advocating for awareness of the many benefits of climate change awareness and energy efficiency.
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago is lauding Illinois’ newly expanded ban on insurance discrimination based on foreign travel.
JCRC international affairs expert offers reflections from a recent visit
Volunteers throughout the community have opportunities to roll up their sleeves and take part in tikun olam (repair completion of the world). Happy 10th birthday, TOV The Jewish United Fund’s
A college campus is designed to foster a constant exchange of information and ideas, both within and outside the classroom.
Keynote speaker talks with JUF News about issues of peace process, Jewish-Muslim relations, threats to Israel
The meeting was held Thursday, Sept. 20 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
Last month’s tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis, where I was born and raised, has gotten me thinking about heroes lately.
In recognition of decades of leadership, generosity and service to the Jewish community.
Based on Travel to Israel and Other Countries
Teaching Israel's story to young campers.
A growing number of Jewish communities have started to address the issue of preparedness because a terrorist threat to both America and the Jewish community is real. Our response as American Jews must be to promote greater security and resilience for both our community and our country
It’s been almost four months since the deadliest school shooting in modern U.S. history claimed 32 people—including a heroic Holocaust survivor/engineering professor—wounded 25 more people, and forever changed the lives of every person on the Virginia Tech college campus in Blacksburg, Va.
Three of the agencies JUF supports help people climb their own mountains, conquer their obstacles and achieve the peaks in their reach.
After over 60 years of service, the HIAS Nortown Service League has closed.
We view with increasing concern the phenomenon of trade unions in a number of countries, including, most recently, the United Kingdom, issuing resolutions that either directly or indirectly call for divestment from and boycotts of Israel.
U.S. labor leaders are denouncing British union support for a boycott of Israel. Their response comes in the wake of a decision by several unions, including the UK Transport and General Workers Union, to back economic, cultural and academic boycotts of Israel in protest against “the treatment of the Palestinian people.”
Throughout the school year, JUF’s JCRC/Hillel Israel Initiative is busy on college campuses and in high schools across Illinois, working to educate and empower students to be confident advocates for Israel on campus and beyond. But come summer, the Initiative goes to camp – Camp Ramah in Conover, WI and JCC’s Camp CHI in Lake Delton, WI.
Young Hebrew University researcher develops novel drug that mimics feeling of ‘fullness’
Rabbi Peter S. Knobel, spiritual leader of Beth Emet, The Free Synagogue in Evanston, is known internationally as a deep thinker in the Reform Movement.
In September 2007, Spertus College will launch the Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Studies (MAJPS), its first new master’s degree in 18 years, to meet the needs of those working in organizations that serve and inform the Jewish community.
Ten University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students, three Northwestern students, and one Depaul Student just returned from an alternative spring break spent helping to rebuild the Gulfport, Mississippi area that was heavily devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Along with 150 other Hillel students from universities around the country, students were part of a 3-week relief effort organized by Hillel International’s Tzedek Program. Students spent the week working on homes in need of new roofs and various other work including one home that was built and completed from foundation in one week! Thanks to these students, seventeen families are now able to begin moving back into their homes and rebuilding their lives. Hillel worked with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to begin fulfilling the needs of this community in need. PDA provided Hillel with a “tent city" to live for a week where students and staff created a community based on providing social justice to those in need. Following an 8-hour work day, students participated in Jewish learning that dealt with tzedek and other relevant texts. Students also heard from FEMA representatives and local community volunteers.
A grant from the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago helps immigrants assimilate and establish careers and lives in Israel.
Embassy of Israel, Washington, D.C.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago welcomed the July 11, 2007 sentencing of Muhammad Salah in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
37-acre site will also feature year-round JCC Early Childhood Programs
Romanticizing terror hurts peacemakers
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago has taken a great leap forward in supporting Jewish day-school education with a $1 million increase in funding going to 15 cash-strapped local schools.
Regrettably, the cover of the July issue of JUF News prominently features two Hebrew words, both of which are misspelled. The error is an editor’s worst nightmare come true on several counts.
Jewish Agency holds olim farewell receptions across the country; 300 expected at reception in New York City
Chicago-area ophthalmologists connect with patients in need—and their own sense of Jewish giving—in Ukraine
“It is a race to save and reconnect as many [former Soviet Union] Jews as we can,” Mark Levin said at the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) meeting in June at JUF/Federation headquarters, where JCRC delegates were treated to three distinguished guest speakers.
Oshri and Shirel. A man and a woman. They were not related, but they have three things in common.
Keeping pace with Chicago’s continually evolving Jewish needs, the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF/JF) has focused and re-evaluated its allocation process to better target the shifting needs of the community.
Steve Dishler, JCRC’s Senior Program Director, Israel and Overseas, has received the prestigious Bernard Nath Award from the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Greater Chicago/Upper Midwest Region.
State-Foreign Operations Bill orders Secretary of State to report to Congress on cost and feasibility of restricting gasoline to Iran
Legislators and experts give update on Iran as part of JCRC conference call series
Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council praised the unanimous passage of a bill by the state Senate last Thursday requiring state pension funds to divest their holdings in foreign companies doing business with Iran's energy industry, the key financing source of Iran's nuclear weapons program.
The award-winning rooftop garden at the Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital serves as both a personal tribute and an inspiration of the City of Chicago in its efforts to “green” the city.
DePaul University confirmed Friday that assistant professor Norman Finkelstein was denied tenure, a decision largely welcomed by the university’s Hillel students, the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF/JF) and others throughout the Jewish community.
Sometimes smart people let their personal prejudices mar their better judgment.
In making this decision, DePaul in our view has properly differentiated between the right to freedom of speech and the granting of tenure – a permanent appointment to the faculty that cuts to the core of a university’s values.
By refusing tenure to an individual who has drastically and repeatedly distorted the facts in his treatment of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism and Israel, while vilifying people with whom he disagrees on such matters, DePaul has adhered to academic standards and to those values on which it was founded and has long upheld.
“In the Family,” a film supported by a grant from Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, explores the hard choices that come with genetic knowledge
A partnership of community organizations and churches are co-hosting a performance of The Afro-Semitic Experience, a jazz ensemble from the East Coast, in a community-wide celebration of the diversity of the South Suburbs, initiated by the Cooperative Jewish Council
What people don’t tell you about going to Israel for the first time is how completely wiped out you’ll be when you get home.
Senator Jeff Schoenberg (left) and Asst. House Majority Leader Rep. Lou Lang (right), co sponsors of a bill that requires $68 billion in Illinois' state pension funds to divest their
The Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF/JF) marked the official opening of its new headquarters this month, with a celebration attended by nearly 325 people. Located on the northwest corner of Monroe and Wells streets, the new facility allows both JUF/JF volunteers and professionals to more effectively continue the organization’s 107-year tradition of serving the Jewish community of the Chicago area, Israel and throughout the world.
We Jews are often referred to as “the People of the Book.” It is a book we have treasured, and have been honored to share with the world.
Even as a Jewish child growing up in Cairo, Joseph Abdel Wahed says he understood that Jews were treated as second-class citizens.
Participating in long-term Israel experience programs turns two locals into leaders
Advocate in person for Jewish community needs and learn legislators’ funding and policy priorities
Rachel Metter Club Israel provided high school students with subsidized tickets including bus transportation from the suburbs to the Idan Raichel concert on Tuesday, January 30th at the House of Blues in Chicago.
Sarah Sechan In late February I had the opportunity to wake up at the crack of dawn and participate in a jam packed daylong JUF “Fly In" to
China Davis One pointed black heel steps onto the patterned carpet of Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. with an eager and curious air. The second follows shortly, assertive and decisive, followed
U.S. and Israeli high school students join forces, sharing each other’s worlds and experience
NEW YORK – The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), the community relations arm of the organized American Jewish community, and a leader in the effort to combat the genocide in Darfur,
Historic vote comes days after IAEA report on Iran's nuclear program
UJC/the Federations of North America have approved more than $1.8 million in Israel Emergency Campaign humanitarian support for the city of Sderot and the surrounding area, which remains under missile fire from the nearby Gaza Strip.
We traveled to Waveland, Miss., to assist residents in the area hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina, our nation’s worst natural disaster ever.
11:30 A.M. SUNDAY, MAY 20, ABC7-CHANNEL 7
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago's innovative effort to support Jewish day schools has topped $20 million in gifts and pledges just a year after the breakthrough funding initiative was launched.
Teens find valuable lessons and inspiration as post-Katrina volunteers in Mississippi
Documentary film chronicles one family’s rescue by a non-Jewish German family, teaches the German public about the Holocaust
Stefanie Pervos Staff Writer The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee Israel (JDC Israel) won the State of Israel’s most prestigious award—the Israel Prize—at a special ceremony in April. The Israel Prize for
Jesse Greenberg On April 22nd the United States celebrated the 37th annual Earth Day. Today, our country—like what has grown to include more than 175 countries around the world—observes and recognizes the centrality
Cindy Sher Associate Managing Editor For Jan and Kelly Caplan, Christmas isn’t just an excuse to see a movie and eat Chinese food. Rather, Christmas Day is the time when this mother
Calling all 8th-10th-grade Jewish teens: What will you do to make a difference this summer? Sign up for Camp TOV, where you’ll learn how volunteering and service can be part of your life. You’ll participate in hands-on volunteer opportunities and fun activities, and you’ll learn about the needs in your Chicago community. Camp TOV wil run for two one-week sessions in August.
Illinois federations and state of Illinois co-sponsor annual Holocaust Observance
The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago is a key player in a major new national initiative to aid embattled residents in and around Sderot, the southern
Walk With Israel to feature the design May 6
One thousand volunteers are needed at seven event sites
My trip to Washington, D.C., as part of the advocacy mission of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish United Fund, began with a harsh—and unexpected—lesson in the art of advocacy. I had stopped for lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl, a landmark that my college buddy insisted we visi
Internationally renowned cultural and intellectual historian of modern Europe Professor Peter Gay will deliver the 2007 Philip M. and Ethel Klutznick Lecture in Jewish Civilization on Tuesday, April 17, 7:30 p.m. Professor Gay's topic is "Gunter Grass & My German Question Again. Gay is w
Aaron B. Cohen Executive Editor Rabbis from across the Jewish spectrum join JUF's fifth Rabbinic Mission Budapest and Israel were the destinations for February's fifth Rabbinic Mission, sponsored by the Rabbinic Action Committee of the Jewish United Fund. With 28 congregational rabbis r
Hillel director honored for 30 years of service
Washington, D.C. – More than 30 prominent leaders in the American Jewish community sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to pass fair and workable immigration reform, and to conduct the debate in a respectful and civil manner that will counter anti-immigrant bigotry. The letter,
Funding supports innovative approaches to serving at-risk Jews and enhancing Jewish continuity
The Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation has awarded its 2007 Fund for Innovation in Health grants, totaling $300,720, to eight local programs. Jewish Federation's Fund for Innovation in Health (FIH) grants support programs that take new approaches to addressing a variety of heal
"In the Family," a film supported by a grant from Jewish Women's Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, explores the hard choices that come with genetic knowledge
Chicago, IL, March 14, 2007 – Anti-Semitic incidents in Illinois nearly doubled in 2006 but declined nationally for a second consecutive year, according to newly issues statistics from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which tracks incidents against Jewish individuals, synagogues and community in
Eve Samborn
Nothing I advocated for recently in Washington, as part of my trip with JUF's Jewish Community Relations Council, was particularly controversial.
World peace did not hinge on my ability to communicate effectively with members of Congress. I was told repeatedly that what I said d
Former "refusenik" speaks out in Chicago
Community-wide initiatives reach out to educate and engage new generation
After touring Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, special education teacher Rose Sharon, of Skokie, knew that the 17 kids on birthright israel's first-ever trip for participants with Asperger's syndrome would need extra time
Group created by and for men promotes shalom bayit, peace at home, as responsibility of everyone, not just women's issue
Group meets representatives in nation's capital
BZAEDS celebrates 60 years as independent Jewish day school
Bill Rubin may not be a household name in Chicago's Jewish community, but as the executive director of the Community Foundation for Jewish Education (CFJE), the programs that he directs are. The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, the Dawn R. Schuman Institute, Ta'am Yisrael and Hebrew Ulpan for adults are just a few of the agency's best-known programs.
25 diplomats gather at Jewish Federation to hear from Schakowsky, Kirk
Mohammad Salah For the last three-and-a-half months, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) has worked with a dedicated group of volunteers who devoted much time traveling to and from the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in downtown Chicago. Their purpose: witnessing the mos
More than just a cake, Edible Gems are dessert, centerpiece and even entertainment at a simcha
David Sherman, chairman of the Chicago-based real estate firm of Benj. E. Sherman & Sons, has been named chairman of the 2007 Jewish United Fund-Israel Emergency Fund Annual Campaign.
A terrorist attack. A lone gunman. A massive snowstorm. A major fire. Devastation half a continent, or half a world, away. Crises take many forms and often come with little warning, but Chicago's Jewish community now has a coordinated and resource-rich response. J-CERT, the
A major innovation in funding Chicago's cash-strapped Jewish day schools has been extended through the end of 2007. Early last year, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago crafted a plan targeting the schools' greatest financial dilemma: how to create a long-term source of
Split verdicts of not guilty of racketeering conspiracy but guilty of lesser charges were announced Feb. 1 in the Federal Court trial of former Chicago-area grocer Muhammad Salah and Abdelhaleem Ashqar, a former assistant business professor at Washington's Howard University, acc
Aaron B. Cohen Executive Editor Jerusalem, April 14, 2002 The start of a journey to Israel always excites me, exhilerates me. The land, the people, beckon with a unique allure. Part
Cindy Sher Associate Managing Editor Young people at the Jewish People’s Institute complete a map of North Lawndale, circa 1950. Courtesy of Chicago History Museum. "I used to come here JPI
Cindy Sher Associate Managing Editor Robert Kusel The scene in Chicago’s Federal Plaza on the gloomy afternoon of Monday, May 1, was a far cry from the evening two years ago, when only 100
Cindy Sher Associate Managing Editor What follows is a profile on Chasnoff, that has been updated, but originally appeared in JUF News in 2004. Right before Jewish comedian Joel Chasnoff stepped onto
Cindy Sher Associate Managing Editor Legendary comedian actress Lily Tomlin pulled out her bag of characters at the 2005 JUF Vanguard Dinner When Lily Tomlin was first breaking into showbiz, auditioning
Cindy Sher Staff Writer There’s been a lot of talk about heroes lately. At the Yankee Stadium memorial service in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, a
Split verdicts of not guilty of racketeering conspiracy but guilty of lesser charges were announced this afternoon in the Federal Court trial of former Chicago-area resident Muhammad Salah and Abdelhaleem Ashqar, a former assistant business professor at Washington's Howard University, accused of funneling thousands of dollars through American bank accounts in the early 1990s to Hamas terrorists on the West Bank and Gaza strip seeking to destroy the State of Israel.
In a year wracked by war in Israel and growing social need in Chicago and Jewish communities around the world, the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago raised a record-breaking $118 million. That total includes $77,052,525 raised through JUF's 2006 Annual Campaign and more than $41 million raised through the Israel Emergency Campaign, a supplemental humanitarian effort launched during last summer's conflict.
25 diplomats gather at