Hold on to your huts, friends: As Jews around the world prepared for the festival of Sukkot this weekend, two Jews got married under a shelter of peace — guided by none other than Michelle Obama. The former first lady led a young Jewish couple in a recitation of their wedding vows in the heart…
This article originally appeared in the Yiddish Forverts. It can be tough to find a Yiddish class irl (in real life) if you aren’t a college student or a New York resident. But now it’s easier for Chicago folks to learn Yiddish: the Chicago YIVO has announced a new series of courses to be launched…
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Tuesday that he will no longer seek a third term in office, the Chicago Tribune reported. “I’ve decided not to seek re-election,” Emanuel said. “This has been the job of a lifetime, but it is not a job for a lifetime.” Emanuel originally announced plans to run; he already raised…
Chi-town? More like Chai-town. On August 23, Chicago’s WBEZ 91.5 devoted an episode of their program “Curious City” to the history of Jews in the Windy City. The program began with a question from listener Elias Saltz: “Where were the largest Jewish neighborhoods in Chicago, and what were they like and where did they go?”…
On August 25, 1918, as World War I barreled further into its final phase and a play called “Lightnin’” prepared for the next-day open of what would be a Broadway run of record-breaking length, a baby was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts with the name of Leonard Bernstein. Over the rest of the 20th century, Bernstein’s…
Chicago is a city renowned for its public art, from Anish Kapoor’s Instagram-omnipresent “Cloud Gate,” better known as the Bean, to Marc Chagall’s mosaic “Four Seasons” at the Chase Tower Plaza. Now, a piece of public art situated nearby both of those works, Yaacov Agam’s “Communication X9,” has been removed from the Michigan Avenue address…
Aretha Franklin was the heartbeat of American music, an unmatchable talent with an unmatchable presence. Thursday’s news of her death from pancreatic cancer at age 76 was met by testaments to her greatness from everyone from Barack and Michelle Obama to Barbra Streisand. For the Forward, Benjamin Ivry wrote a meditation on Franklin’s lasting Jewish…
I spent last Saturday at a truly raucous wedding, so my plans for the forthcoming weekend are heavy on sleep and light on, well, everything else. If you, unlike me, are planning to be out and about this weekend, read on for the best weekend events in New York City, Washington D.C., Chicago and Los…
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