In the Community

Other events of Jewish interest in Hyde Park and Chicago 

Limmud Is Coming to Chicago!

Limmud is the Hebrew word for learning. It also is a cross-communal Jewish education happening that started in the United Kingdom in 1980 and is now being enjoyed by communities throughout the world. Some of our friends and members have gone to England to attend this exciting five-day festival of learning held on a university campus and attended by close to 2,500 people. It attracts some 350 presenters who lead more than 900 sessions on every conceivable topic of Jewish interest. It's taken a mere 30 years, but the first Limmud Chicago Conference will take place on Sunday, February 14, at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines. A little briefer, a little smaller than the original, but it's finally happening here and I urge you to consider participating in it. Participants are of all ages and represent all denominations of Judaism. They range from those who have been involved Jewishly their whole lives to those who are just beginning to explore what Jewish life means for them. They come together to explore all facets of Jewish life, identity, and culture. Session topics will include biblical poetry, Jewish motifs in science fictions, manuscripts of ancient texts, Israeli films, Bibliodrama, Jewish hip-hop, and much more. Children of all ages are welcome and may participate in age-appropriate programming. For more information, contact cochairs@limmudchicago.org or go to www.limmudchicago.org.

Building Jewish-Muslim Understanding

The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs is one of the sponsors of JMCBI, the Jewish Muslim Community Building Initiative. On Thursday, February 4, at 6:45 p.m., JMCBI is presenting 2020 Vision as part of its Cafe Finjan series. Performing artists will interact with the audience to explore both a common vision for the future and clarity of vision with regard to the challenges we face in creating greater uiderstanding between Jews and Muslims. It will take place at Mundelein Center Auditorium, 1020 W. Sheridan Road. A $5 donation is suggested. Please RSVP to jmcbi@jcua.org.

On Sunday, March 7, at 7:00 p.m., excerpts from the play Unveiled by Rohina Malik will be performed by the author. The play deals with her life as a Muslim woman in a society affected by stereotypes and racism. The performance will take place at Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation, 303 Dodge, Evanston. For more details, contact jmcbi@jcua.org.

Examining Jewish Art

On Sunday, February 7, at 2:00 p.m., Leora Auslander, U of C professor of modern European social history, will speak on Sexy Challahs, Pregnant Shabbat Candlesticks, and Women with Sidelocks: Anna Shteynshleyger's Embodied Judaism at Swift Hall, room 106, 1025 E. 58th Street, on the Main Quadrangle of the U of C. This lecture is in connection with an exhibition of Shteynshleyger's photographs which runs until February 14 at the Renaissance Society, 5811 S. Ellis Avenue, 4th floor.

At Our Neighboring Congregation

Our members are invited to an open meeting of the Rodfei Zedek Sisterhood on Monday, February 15, at 5200 S. Hyde Park Boulevard. Please come at 11:45 for a noon concert of chamber music featuring Elaine Smith, Lizbeth Bistro, Daniel Golden, and Van Bistrow. Enjoy music by Robert Schumann and some klezmer pieces, too. Refreshments follow.

Federation Offers Scholarships

February 15 is the application deadline for approximately $500,000 in scholarship funds available from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago for Jewish students in financial need for the 2010-2011 academic year. Eligibility requirements include full-time graduate enrollment, primarily in a helping profession; or vocational or undergraduate training in the helping sectors that require no postgraduate education for employment; or studies in the arts or sciences; or communications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; or law. To apply, go to www.jvschicago.org and click on Scholarship Services. For more information, call the Jewish Vocational Service scholarship secretary at 312.673.3444 or email jvsscholarship@jvschicago.org.

Offering a Jewish Recovery Program

On Sunday, February 21, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m, the Jewish Healing Network of Chicago is presenting The Sober Megillah. Join the Jewish Recovery community and explore the connections between Purim and Recovery. This program is open to people in Recovery and their family members aged 13 and up. It will take place at the Horwich JCC, 3003 W. Touhy Avenue. To pre-register or obtain further information, please contact Marcy Cohn at 847.745.5422 or JHNC@jcfs.org.

CJE Delivers Kosher Meals

The Council for Jewish Elderly SeniorLife is now offering Kosher to Go meals delivered to Hyde Park, as well as the North Side and various north and northwest suburbs. To obtain more information or to place an order, call 773.508.1000. Menus are available at www.cje.net.

This Month at Spertus

On Monday, February 8, from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m., Dr. Jonathan Sarna will lead a breakfast seminar on The Economic Downturn and the Future of the American Jewish Community. This leading Jewish historian will draw on lessons from history as he explores recent trends and difficult decisions that lie ahead. Tickets cost $20 and include a kosher continental breakfast.

On Sunday, February 14, at 2:00 p.m., David Lehman will discuss his new book, A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs, which takes a warm and witty look at the Jewish writers of the great American songbook. He shares some of his vast knowledge in the form of poems, anecdotes, a little history, a lot of enthusiasm, and a number of well-chosen musical illustrations, such as Rodgers and Hart's My Funny Valentine, and Jerome Kern's All the Things You Are. Tickets are $18, $10 for Spertuts members, $8 for students.

There will be two Family Fun Sundays this month. On February 14, there will be activities in the Gray Children's Center from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. At 1:30, Danielle Klinenberg will lead an arts workshop, Illustrate the Love in You Heart, presenting a Jewish alternative to Valentine’s Day. All ages welcome. Reservations recommended. Call 312.322.1773. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children, free for children under 5 and Spertus members. For tickets visit www.spertus.edu or call 312.322.1773.

On February 28, between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., there will again be activities in the Gray Children's Center. At 1:30, award-winning storyteller Susan Stone will delight young audiences with stories inspired by Jewish tradition. All ages welcome. Reservations recommended. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for children, free for children under 5 and Spertus members.

Spertus is offering Home and Identity, a mini-course that will meet from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Mondays, February 1, 8, 15, and 22. The search for home is as ancient as exile from Eden and as contemporary s the struggle to find home in Chicago, Shanghai, or Jerusalem. For Jewish women, history and the Holocaust have rendered this a struggle not only to define home—whether it is a geographical location or state of mind—but also to establish an authentic identity withinthat home. Through readings, discussions, and film, this mini-course explores the many natures and meanings of home and identity. This mini-course will be taught by Dr. Miriam Ben-Yoseph, co-editor with Deborah Nodler Rosen of Where We Find Ourselves: Jewish Women Around the World Write About Home. This book is assigned reading for the mini-course and a copy is included in the course price. The participation fee is $150, $125 for Spertus members. It includes a kosher lunch and a copy of the book.

For tickets for Spertus events, visit www.spertus.edu or call 312.322.1773. Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies is located at 610 S. Michigan Avenue.