A month of holidays—and more

October is, of course, a month notably rich in Jewish holidays. At the same time, there is a great deal of artistic activity going on in the fields of theater, dance, and music throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. These superb arts operations thrive on the generous financial support of those who love the performing arts. And many of these people happen to be Jewish.

Meet the Tatars

One exemplary couple who have done just that for decades is Dr. Arnold and Marina Tatar, who are among the all-important backers of both Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Now in his early 90s, and sharp as a tack, Arnold Tater grew up in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, earned his M.D. from the University of Illinois with high honors, and began his career at the Michael Reese Hospital. When Reese closed, he moved on to Northwestern Hospital, and to the Feinberg School of Medicine, where he was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine starting in 1990.

Marina came to Chicago from Europe at the age of 12 (her father had joined the University of Chicago’s mathematics faculty, becoming a world leader in math education). She graduated from the University of Chicago and went on to teach and serve as the College Counselor at Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire. The Tatars have three daughters.

Great Scott!

Scott Speck is the outstanding conductor who leads the orchestra for Joffrey Ballet’s productions, serves as the Artistic Director of the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, and is a guest conductor for a slew of symphony orchestras throughout the U.S., as well as in France, China, Romania, and elsewhere. Boston-born, Speck is a cum laude graduate of Yale; and a Fulbright Scholar, he speaks five languages. He has co-authored the bestsellers Classical Music for Dummies, Ballet for Dummies, and Opera for Dummies.

‘Growing Hope’

On the evening of Sept. 7, JCC Chicago and the Chicago Cubs hosted its 3rd Annual Growing Hope Concert; the first was in 2023. A free, all-ages concert at Gallagher Way (the outdoor area adjacent to Wrigley Field), it was designed to serve as “a celebration of community that would bring people together around a shared vision for a kinder and more hopeful world.” This JCC Chicago initiative attracted an immense audience, drawn to its messages of acceptance, kindness, and inclusion.

Headlining the concert was Chicago’s own Jewish Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy, Wilco’s founding member and frontman. Among the evening’s other performers were Growing Hope Youth Ambassadors, all young women recognized through a program launched in 2024 for using their artistic voices to create a kinder, more connected community. They included Grey Morgan, a 17-year-old Lane Tech student and rising indie-rock artist who performed an original song, and Mary Grace Junkins, musical theater performer and 16-year-old student at St. Ignatius College Prep, who performed with background vocals by Lisa Rock and friends.

Sylvia Pine, a teen musical prodigy, performed an original composition, alongside a trio from the Chicago Philharmonic, on a violin from Violins of Hope-a powerful exhibit of 70 restored string instruments once played by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust, showcasing music’s ability to carry memory, resilience, and hope across generations.

To learn more about Growing Hope programs, visit jccchicago.org/growing-hope.

Come from Away comes back

Last, but by no means least, there is a current grand-scale production of the superb musical, Come from Away that draws from September 11.

In the wake of the 2001 attacks on that date, the pilots of 38 planes that had been scheduled to land in New York were ordered to fly to safety at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland, in the far east of Canada. This compelling, award-winning musical deftly depicts how the people of that country welcomed these altogether unexpected travelers.

Written and scored by Irene Sankoff and David Hein-a married couple who are both Canadian- born and Jewish-this award-winning musical opened on Broadway in 2017 and has been staged often in the years since then.

And, if you’ve happened to have missed this deeply moving show, I would advise you to head to the Paramount Theatre at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora, for a production that is playing now and runs through Oct. 12.

For tickets, visit paramountaurora.com or call 630-896-6666.

Hedy Weiss, a longtime Chicago arts critic, was the Theater and Dance Critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1984 to 2018, and currently writes for WTTW-TV’s website and contributes to the Chicago Tonight program.