‘Honorary ways celebrate Jewish leaders, artists, and cultural icons

This Streeterville honorary way was named for the famed film critic duo Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, who was Jewish. (Photo courtesy of Honorary Chicago.)

Take a walk in Chicago, and you may notice some streets have double signs: a green sign marking the official street name—and a brown sign designating an “honorary way.” These are named for people who have had an impact on Chicago and far beyond. As we celebrate our nation’s 250^th anniversary, it’s important to note how Chicago’s Jews have left their imprint on American history. 

Our very own JUF sits at 30 South Wells St., also designated “Ben Gurion Way” in honor of Israel’s first prime minister. David Ben-Gurion is just one of many influential Jews to have an honorary way. From rabbis to writers, here’s a sampling of famous (and not so famous) Jewish names gracing the streets of this great city.   

Rabbi Moses Mescheloff Street 

This honorary way is located in West Rogers Park, right outside Congregation K.I.N.S., a synagogue Rabbi Moses Mescheloff led and grew beginning in the 1950s, following a prominent career in Miami Beach. Mescheloff’s leadership extended beyond his pulpit into multiple organizations throughout Chicago, including the Chicago Board of Mayors.  

He was inducted into the Chicago Senior Citizens Hall of Fame in 1989. Mescheloff died in 2008 at the age of 98, survived by his wife, three children, 16 grandchildren, and 58 great-grandchildren.  

Siskel and Ebert Way  

This Streeterville honorary way was named for the famed film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, who was Jewish. A graduate of Yale University and lover of film since childhood, Siskel’s first job as a reporter came on the neighborhood beat for the Chicago Tribune. When the newspaper’s film critic position opened up, Siskel convinced the editor-in-chief to give him the role, despite his lack of experience.  

Thus began a decades’ long career in film reviewing, eventually leading to his television partnership with Ebert. Together, they became the most influential film critics of their time, rising to national fame with their signature “thumbs up” (or down) critiques. In 2000, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s theater was renamed The Gene Siskel Film Center in his honor. 

Ann “Eppie” Landers Way 

In 2002, the Chicago City Council named the corner where the Chicago Tribune Tower stands in honor of the renowned advice columnist. Ann Landers, a.k.a. Esther “Eppie” Friedman Lederer, based her syndicated column at the Chicago Tribune from 1987 until 2002, when her last column was published posthumously. She took over the “Ann Landers” column in 1955 after winning a contest with the Chicago Sun-Times. By 1993, she had become the world’s most widely syndicated columnist, with 90 million readers. Landers often used her column to advocate for causes important to her, including the fights against sexism, racism, and antisemitism.  

Judge I. Landesman Parkway  

On the far North Side, at the corner of Kedzie and Touhy Avenues, you’ll find the honorary way for esteemed jurist Irving Landesman. Landesman served on the Cook County Circuit Court, and was assistant corporation counsel for the city from 1942 to 1957. He grew up in Humboldt Park, the youngest of ten children, and the first to go to college and beyond, receiving his law degree from the University of Illinois Chicago in 1940.  

Landesman died in 1988 at the age of 76, at the time survived by his wife and two daughters.   

Honorary Shel Silverstein Way 

Legendary author, poet, songwriter, and illustrator Shel Silverstein, known for such classics as The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends, is now immortalized with an honorary way in Albany Park, where he was born to Jewish immigrants. The sign sits near Theodore Roosevelt High School, his alma mater. In 1957, Silverstein became a lead cartoonist for Playboy magazine, where he continued to publish through the mid-1970s. His first children’s book, Lafcadio: The Lion Who Shot Back, came out in 1963.  

The breadth of Silverstein’s work includes stories, songs, poems, plays, and screenplays. These include the 1988 film Things Change, which he co-wrote with fellow former Chicagoan, David Mamet, who also is Jewish.  

So, next time you’re strolling through the city, keep your eyes out for more honorary ways. You never know whose name you might recognize, or what new person you could learn about.  

Thanks to Dr. Edward Mazur and Rachelle Gold of the Chicago Jewish Historical Society for helping identify all the many Jewish honorary ways.  

Mimi Sager Yoskowitz is a writer and former CNN producer who’s working on her first novel. She’s a current trustee of the Jewish Women’s Foundation and former Young Women’s Board member. She lives on the North Shore with her husband and four children. Connect with her on Instagram, @mimisy6.