Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Join thousands of readers who support our workBECOME A MEMBER
The Schmooze

Chicago Festival Conflicts With High Holidays, Again

Oaktoberfest, an annual fall festival in Chicago’s western Oak Park neighborhood, boasts seasonal food from local restaurants, specialty micro-brews and great wines.

But local Jews are forbidden from partaking — according to the calendar, at least. For the second year, organizing body Downtown Oak Park has scheduled Oaktoberfest on the High Holidays. And while last year’s fiesta fell on Rosh Hashanah, this year’s edition is adding insult to injury by taking place on the Day of Atonement.

Pat Zubak, Downtown Oak Park’s executive director, told the Chicago Tribune the scheduling was not intentional or personal. “We asked for the calendar to avoid having it fall on Rosh Hashana again, but it inadvertently fell on Yom Kippur,” Zubak said.

Oak Park’s Jewish residents are having none of it; Zubak’s we-forgot-to-check-the-calendar excuse found no takers. “It’s just embarrassing that in Oak Park, it needs to be constantly brought up,” resident Annabel Abraham told the paper. “They need to make sure we are respectful to all of our faiths,” said former village clerk Sandra Sokol.

“Everyone is encouraged to ride their bike to this event to reduce traffic, save gas and build up a hearty appetite,” the event’s official press release states. Well, almost everyone.

Zubak did not return the Forward’s request for comment.

Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:

  • Credit the Forward
  • Retain our pixel
  • Preserve our canonical link in Google search
  • Add a noindex tag in Google search

See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.