Join Anshe Emet as we welcome Ha’aretz journalist Amir Tibon and Thair Abu Ras, an Israeli Arab, for a discussion of Israel after the ceasefire: Where are we now, where are we going?
Sunday, June 6
The situation in Israel these past couple of weeks has been scary and challenging on a number of levels. We at Anshe Emet have especially been hearing concerns about anti-Semitism—in schools, communities, on social media, and beyond. Join a conversation for parents and teenagers (middle schoolers and high schoolers) with Rabbi Michael Siegel, Lonnie Nasatir (President of the Jewish United Fund), Rabbi Russo, and Samantha Isenstein (Anshe Emet’s Director of Adolescent Education).
Tuesday, June 1
Join Rabbi Michael Siegel as he moderates a thoughtful and timely discussion relevant to the issues of police reform with four experts in the field: Adam Gross, Director of Police Accountability at Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI). Tamara Margolis has over 22 years of Law Enforcement experience and is serving her second term as President of the Shomrim Society of Illinois, an organization of Jewish First Responders. Desmon Yancy, Director of Community Organizing with the Inner-city Muslim Action Network, and Matthew Tobias, the Director of Security of Anshe Emet and Bernard Zell Day School. He is a retired Deputy Chief of the Chicago Police Department.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Daniel Aschheim, Ph.D, has served as Consul for Public Diplomacy at the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest since September 2020. His portfolio includes media, culture, academia, and Jewish communities in the Consulate’s 9-state Midwest region. Dr. Aschheim will discuss the Abraham Accords—the joint normalization agreement between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States—as well as other Israel current affairs. This program is part 2 of a 2-part series on Israel Then and Now, and is brought to us by the Anshe Emet Men’s Club.
Monday, May 24, 2021
Session Three: “Revelation: What God Demands of Us”
Join the clergy of Anshe Emet as they do a deep dive into one of the most important Jewish thinkers of the 20th Century. This three part class (once a month) will focus on themes found in Heschel’s book, God in Search of Man which articulates a belief in a personal God who sees humankind as partners in creation. Each session will be led by an AES rabbi as a discussion amongst the three of them for the first 20 minutes, followed by breakout sessions with each Rabbi leading a room for 20 minutes, and finishing together at the end for a summary that will give a functional application to daily life.
Thursday, May 20, 2021
An inspired food writer, independent scholar, culinary historian and TED speaker, Michael Twitty makes no bones about the complexity of his identity. Black, devoutly Jewish and openly gay, Twitty is a man with a mission on a journey to bring our diversity to the table and demonstrate how our food connects us. And, indeed, with his creative hybrid specialties like black-eyed pea hummus, mac ‘n’ cheese kugel and matzo ball gumbo, Twitty continues to carve a unique culinary niche that merges the elements of African American/Southern Antebellum and Jewish cuisine.
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
As we approach the festival of Shavuot and read the Megillah Ruth, we are thrilled to host a program that ties the beauty of tapestry with the biblical story of the season. Join fine art weaver, Berit Engen for an evening examining her linen yarn tapestry series, Inspired by M’gillat Rut: The Beauty of Biblical Minimalism.
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Join Rabbi Michael Siegel as he moderates a thoughtful and timely discussion relevant to the issues of police reform with two experts in the field: Adam Gross, Director of Police Accountability at Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI), a law and policy center focused on racial equity, urban poverty, and social justice. Desmon Yancy, born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, is Director of Community Organizing with the Inner-city Muslim Action Network, a community organization that fosters health, wellness, and healing by organizing for social change, cultivating the arts, and operating a holistic health center.
Thursday, May 6, 2021
Israel is going through a period of turmoil, with four election cycles in two years and an unprecedented sense of political instability. In a series of lectures about the ‘modern tribes’ that define Israeli society, award-winning Israeli journalist Amir Tibon will describe how Israel’s multi-cultural society is handling the challenges created by this reality.
Sessions Five: Personal Reflection: Life on the Gaza Border
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Session Three: American Jewry and a Divided Israel
Sunday, May 2, 2021
Sessions Two: Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel and Judea?
Sunday, April 25, 2021
Sessions One: Israel’s Unprecedented Fourth Election:
Sunday, April 18, 2021
Session Two: Join the clergy of Anshe Emet as they do a deep dive into one of the most important Jewish thinkers of the 20th Century. This three part class (once a month) will focus on themes found in Heschel’s book, God in Search of Man which articulates a belief in a personal God who sees humankind as partners in creation. Each session will be led by an AES rabbi as a discussion amongst the three of them for the first 20 minutes, followed by breakout sessions with each Rabbi leading a room for 20 minutes, and finishing together at the end for a summary that will give a functional application to daily life.
Thursday, April 29, 2021
Sigal Samuel and Vali Mintzi’s warm and respectful picture book Osnat and Her Dove: The True Story of the World’s First Female Rabbi reveals the training and influence of a 17th-century woman who defied convention. At a time when women were expected to tend only to domestic duties, Osnat Barzani instead embraced the secrets of the Torah.
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Medicare is boring, bureaucratic, and confusing. That’s exactly why Anshe Emet invited Ari Parker to host a seminar on key deadlines, how to save money, and the top 5 Medicare mistakes to avoid. Ari is an Anshe Emet congregant and Stanford Law alum.
Monday, April 12, 2021
Leah Mosak survived the ghetto, 2 1/2 years in the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the death march, and 2 additional camps. She fought to see better days, rebuilding a life in spite of unimaginable trauma and profound sadness. Her strength and courage were just a part of her many inspiring qualities. by Presented by Doris Lazarus, 2nd Generation Speaker.
Thursday, April 8, 2021
As Pesach draws closer, join Josh Hartuv and Rabbi David Russo and visit the site where Jews for 1,000 years from all over the world would come together to celebrate the holiday. On this Temple Mount virtual tour, we will explore each of the sites on the Temple Mount as well as exploring each layer of history dating back to the times of the Temples that once stood there.
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Rabbi Michael Siegel and Pastor Chris Harris will lead a robust, interactive and far reaching conversation that will engage participants from both places of worship. Our goal is to delve into an ancient text in order to deepen our understanding of different perspectives in a spirit of openness and respect, continuing the march toward freedom and equality together. Participants are from both congregations Bright Star Church and Anshe Emet Synagogue.
Monday, March 15, 2021
Join our special guest, Amir Tibon, a journalist at Ha’aretz and until recently the paper’s correspondent in Washington D.C., to discuss the reasons behind Israel’s never-ending cycle of elections, the chances for finally establishing a stable government in Jerusalem, and how this election could impact Israel’s ties with the American Jewish community.
Sunday, March 14, 2021
Rabbi Michael Siegel and Pastor Chris Harris lead a robust, interactive and far reaching conversation that will engage participants from both places of worship. Our goal is to delve into an ancient text in order to deepen our understanding of different perspectives in a spirit of openness and respect, continuing the march toward freedom and equality together. Participants are from both congregations Bright Star Church and Anshe Emet Synagogue.
Monday, March 8, 2021
Session One: Join the clergy of Anshe Emet as they do a deep dive into one of the most important Jewish thinkers of the 20th Century. This three part class (once a month) will focus on themes found in Heschel’s book, God in Search of Man which articulates a belief in a personal God who sees humankind as partners in creation. Each session will be led by an AES rabbi as a discussion amongst the three of them for the first 20 minutes, followed by breakout sessions with each Rabbi leading a room for 20 minutes, and finishing together at the end for a summary that will give a functional application to daily life.
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Rabbi Michael Siegel and Pastor Chris Harris lead a robust, interactive and far reaching conversation that will engage participants from both places of worship. Our goal is to delve into an ancient text in order to deepen our understanding of different perspectives in a spirit of openness and respect, continuing the march toward freedom and equality together. Participants are from both congregations Bright Star Church and Anshe Emet Synagogue.
Monday, March 1, 2021
An Anshe Emet Synagogue program. Part of our Stand Up to Hate Series.
Thursday, February 18, 2021
With guests: Noam Bentov, Johns Hopkins University; Erez Cohen, University of Illinois; Rabbi Aaron Lerner, UCLA; Tilly Shemer, University of Michigan; Aaron Weil, University of Central Florida.
Tuesday, February 9
A discussion moderated by Rabbi Michael Siegel, with guests, Blake Flayton, of George Washington University and Rose Ritch of University of Southern California.
Tuesday, February 2
Join Rabbi Josh Warshawsky “backstage” as we discuss the stories behind the music, deepen our understanding of the wisdom of our tradition, and sing out with a newfound understanding of the words we bring into the world.
Wednesday, January 27
In the early 1900s, businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald uses his considerable wealth to build more than 5,000 schools to help African-Americans in the South. Panelists include: Rabbi Michael Siegel, Sr. Rabbi of Anshe Emet Synagogue; Pastor Chris Harris, Bright Star Community Outreach; Aviva Kempner, Director of the film, Rosenwald; Barbara Bowman, Early Childhood Education Advocate; Peter Ascoli, Grandson of Julius Rosenwald.
Tuesday, January 26
Hear special guest, Laurence Bolotin, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee.
Thursday, January 21
See our Thursday, January 21, cooking class with Amy Zitelman.
Looking to the oil lamps that lit the Holy Temple Menorah, we’ll ask: What is a kli – a holy vessel? What does it mean that all people are created in G*d’s image? Are we still holy when our bodies break down?” For 30 years, Tracie Bernstein has worked in the US and Israel to help people access meaningful Jewish experiences. Her NTS Virtual Workshops provide adults Jewish spiritual conversation and context relevant to our lives.
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Learn how to make Sephardic Chanukah Honey Balls with Chef and Anshe Emet member, Stephanie Goldfarb.
Wednesday, December 16 , 2020
Thursday, December 10, 2020
See our latest Israel Tour with Josh Hartuv and Rabbi Russo. The battles and miracles of the Maccabean warriors led to the Hasmonean Dynasty, the last period of independent Jewish rule in Israel for over 2,000 years. Using songs, interactive games, and stories, this experience explores the personalities, sites, and battles that make the heroes of Chanukah so important and interesting to this day.
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Israel continues to be a leader at the cutting edge of global cancer research. The bulk of the work that ICRF supports is in basic research; that is, research to uncover the molecular biological events that lead to cancer in order to prevent or reverse the process. Join Dr. Gary Grad, Oncologist and board member of the ICRF of Chicago and the international ICRF board for the last two years as we learn about breakthroughs by Israeli scientists. This program is brought to AES by the Israel Cancer Research Fund.
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Join the renowned Yale historian, Jon Butler, as he traces the flourishing of organized religion in Manhattan between the 1880s and the 1960s, revealing how faith adapted and thrived in the supposed capital of American secularism. In Gilded Age Manhattan, Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant leaders agonized over the fate of traditional religious practice amidst massive immigration, the anonymity of urban life, and modernity’s rationalism, bureaucratization, and professionalization.
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Avi Jorisch is the author of Thou Shalt Innovate: Stories of Israeli Innovation and Inspiration, which profiles wondrous Israeli innovations that are collectively changing the lives of billions of people around the world and explores why Israeli innovators of all faiths feel compelled to make the world better. This is the story of how Israelis are helping to feed the hungry, cure the sick, protect the defenseless, and make the desert bloom. Israel is playing a disproportionate role in helping solve some of the world’s biggest challenges by tapping into the nation’s soul: the spirit of tikkun olam – the Jewish concept of repairing the world. From Thursday, October 29, 2020.
Join Rabbi Siegel and Hazzan Berke as they introduce Hoshanot and its meaning as well as learning the tunes used for the special Hoshanot. From Friday, October 9, 2020.
The Anshe Emet Sisterhood explores the evolving tradition of head coverings from headbands, falls, snoods, mitpachat, berets, hats, tichels and sheitels with Rabbi Marianne Novak.
This tour, led by Josh Hartuv, looks at everything from the most ancient evidence found of practicing Sukkot and the Tanakh’s description of the holiday to the colorful and diverse customs of Sukkot today in Israel and around the Jewish world.
Hazzan Elizabeth Berke is joined by special musical guest, Joey Weisenberg, Founder and Co-Director of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute. This program is part of our Pillars of Conversation Series for Elul. From Wednesday, September 2, 2020.
See the spouses of the AES Rabbis will share their favorite Holiday traditions and special recipes. Featuring Janet Siegel, Rebecca Russo and Cantor David Berger. From Thursday, August 27, 2020. View all three recipes here.
See how has Israel responded to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic? Joseph Gitler is the Founder and Chairman of Leket Israel, the National Food Bank in Israel. From Monday, August 24, 2020.
See this engaging discussion on the topic, The Big Sorry: Reflections on Forgiveness, led by Rabbi Michael Siegel and Dr. Erica Brown.
See our Sunday, August 23 program with Anshe Emet’s very own beekeeper, Leonard Rau, as he shows us his amazing collection of hives and discusses the process of making honey, as we enter the sweetness of the Elul season.
See our virtual tour, from Tuesday, August 18. What began as the region’s first start-up, the Jaffa Orange set the ancient city on the path toward modernity. This tour explores the idea of the “First Hebrew City” and examines the reality of how Tel Aviv accomplished its mission.
AES member Barbara Gressel moderates this important discussion with Anshe Emet’s Rabbis, Siegel, Chankin-Gould and Russo about Anshe Emet’s plans for Elul and the High Holy Days. From Thursday, August 23.
See our event from Tuesday, August 11 with Debra Gittler, Founder and Executive Director of ConTextos, as she discusses how her Jewish values inform her work with young people affected by street violence, poverty and trauma in Chicago, in schools, reentry, workforce development and Cook County Jail. Debra, joined by her colleagues Johnny Page and Darrius McCarty, talks with Rabbi Michael Siegel about the potential of writing and storytelling to promote healing amongst writers, and the power of story to build bridges and complicate prevailing assumptions.
See our recent virtual tour with Josh Hartuv and Rabbi David Russo. The story of Jerusalem is that of a city of glorious periods of prominence and fame combined with infamous violent destructions. From King David to Rome, this tour will look at the waves of this pattern over the city’s first millennium.
See our recent Sisterhood program and learn how to make a delicious Cheesecake and other great eats!
See our discussion from Tuesday, July 7, featuring Rabbi Siegel, Lisa Sharon Harper (Speaker, Writer, Activist, Artist), Pastor Chris Harris (Bright Star Church in Bronzeville), and Rev. Rob W. Lee IV (Author, Activist, Commentator, Professor and Preacher) on the topic of monuments in our current cultural climate.
See our discussion from Thursday, June 25, featuring Rabbi Siegel and special guests, Jane Shapiro, Director of Orot Center for New Jewish Learning, and Rabbi Karyn Kedar of B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim, on spirituality in our current state of being.
See our discussion from Thursday, June 18, featuring Dr. Curtis Weiss, a pulmonary and critical care physician working on the front-lines with COVID-19 patients, and Dani Lazar, Executive Director of Research and Evaluation at Access Community Health Network. Dani is also a part of the Anshe Emet Re-Opening Committee. Topic: In Our Current State of The COVID-19 Pandemic: What Should We Expect Next?
See our discussion from Thursday, June 11, featuring Rabbi Michael Siegel and Lonnie Nasatir, President of the Jewish United Fund, on the topic, The future of the Jewish United Fund and the Chicago Jewish Community.
See Rabbi Michael Siegel join Pastor James T. Meeks from Salem Baptist Church, Pastor Chris Harris from Bright Star Church Chicago, and Rabbi Ari Hart from Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob Synagogue, for the Salem Baptist Church event, Faith in Crisis, from Wednesday, June 10.
See our discussion from Thursday, June 4, featuring Rabbi Michael Siegel and Howard Tullman on the topic, The future of technology and how it will apply to the synagogue.
See our program from Wednesday, May 20, featuring Rabbi Siegel and special guest and scholar, Dr. Ron Wolfson:
See our program from Tuesday, May 19, featuring Hazzan Mizrahi, Cantor Elizabeth Berke and Naomi Wiess-Weil:
See our program from Tuesday, May 19 with Rabbi David Russo and his brother, and professional Israeli tour guide, Josh Hartuv:
See our program from Thursday, April 30 with Rabbi D’ror Chankin-Gould and Dr. Avi Rose:
See our program from Wednesday, April 29 with Yossi Alhadif from La Shuk Street Food, a local Middle Eastern restaurant:
See our program from Wednesday, April 29:
See our virtual tour of significant sites for Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut, from Tuesday, April 28, led by Rabbi Russo and his brother, Israeli tour guide Josh Hartuv.
