What now? The protests following the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd have been infused with hope and fraught with danger. They could result in increased justice, or more injustice. Craig Futterman and Adam Gross, two lawyers in Chicago’s Jewish community, are trying to tip the balance toward the brighter side as they tackle the…
(JTA) — About a dozen windows were smashed last week at a synagogue in Peoria, Illinois. The damage to Congregation Anshai Emeth, a Reform synagogue, took place between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, local CBS affiliate WMBD reported. Many of the smashed windows were in the part of the building that houses the Peoria Hebrew…
For the last year, one of Dr. Michael Bukstein’s duties as synagogue president for B’nai Sholom Temple, the oldest synagogue in the state of Illinois, has been trying to sell its beautiful and unique building. Located in the small city of Quincy, the building is in a neo-Byzantine style of architecture, with detailed brickwork and…
The upside of tough times is that you learn on whom you can count, sometimes in unanticipated ways. Those who already knew Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois may have not been surprised by his decisive, compassionate leadership during the coronavirus crisis, or by his willingness to take on President Donald Trump while seeking vital supplies,…
JTA — The Illinois Republican Party is ramping up efforts to make voters aware that a man who identifies as a neo-Nazi is running for a Chicago-area congressional seat. Arthur Jones, a former leader of the American Nazi Party, ran for the same seat in 2018. He was the Republican nominee after running unopposed in…
(JTA) — An Orthodox rabbi was appointed to serve in the Illinois State Legislature. Rabbi Yehiel Kalish was sworn in to the Illinois House of Representatives on Sunday night. Kalish, 43, is the first rabbi to serve as an Illinois state representative. “I may be the first rabbi in any state legislature. And that’s very exciting,”…
The Illinois state body that sets investment policy gave Airbnb 90 days to explain why it will not list properties in West Bank settlements. At the request of Gov. Bruce Rauner, the outgoing Republican governor, the Illinois Investment Policy Board on Wednesday unanimously voted to notify Airbnb it is in violation of state law that…
Illinois congressional nominee Bill Fawell has lost support from the Republican Party after promoting a variety of conspiracy theories, including that Israel was one of the “masterminds” of 9/11, Media Matters reports. Fawell, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary in Illinois’ 17th district, has peddled conspiracy theories on his “Elect Fawell” Facebook page. Posts…
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