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History Dynamic Anshe Emet Synagogue, the largest Conservative congregation in Chicago, was founded by eight Jewish immigrant families in 1873. It moved to its current location at 3751 North Broadway, at the corner of North Pine Grove Avenue and West Grace Street, in 1926. The building, formerly occupied by the North Chicago Hebrew Congregation (now Temple Shalom on North Lake Shore Drive), was constructed in 1911. Alfred Alschuler, who also designed KAM Isaiah Israel on the South Side, was the architect.  Affiliations Today, the Synagogue serves over 1,200 households in the heart of one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods. Under the banner of “for all the days of your life,” its mission is to encourage involvement and create a special sense of belonging for every person, of every age, who walks through its doors—whether religiously, spiritually, educationally, socially or culturally. In keeping with the teachings of Judaism, the spirit of Klal Yisrael (Peoplehood) and Tikkun Olam (Healing the Planet), Anshe Emet recognizes its responsibility to serve the Jewish community, the wider community and the State of Israel on an ever-evolving basis. The Synagogue is affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) and the Lakeview Action Coalition.

Clergy Led by world-renowned clergy Senior Rabbi Michael Siegel and Hazzan Alberto Mizrahi, Rabbis Matthew Futterman and Daniel Cotzin Burg and Ritual Director Debby Lewis, Anshe Emet offers daily group prayer, including a morning minyan and a variety of meaningful Shabbat services on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings: main services in Hebrew and English in the historic Sanctuary and Malkov Chapel; the Rose Crown Minyan (peer-led egalitarian, participatory), Tot Shabbat (for young families), Kesher, a family service in-the-round on the second Friday evening of every month, and, on the third Friday of every month, the community-wide Anshe Emet Live! featuring Rabbi Siegel, Hazzan Mizrahi and an ensemble of exceptionally talented musicians playing global-beat music to which participants are encouraged to sing and dance. The High Holy Days, Festivals (Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot), Simchat Torah, Purim and other holidays are also marked with appropriate services and traditions. Pastoral care and counseling, teaching, and officiating at Jewish lifecycle events—brit milim, baby namings, b’nai mitzvot weddings and funerals round out the breadth of responsibilities fulfilled by Anshe Emet clergy.

Education The Joseph and Belle Braun Religious School at Anshe Emet provides students with a strong foundation of Jewish history, prayer, practice, ritual, ethical concepts and the study of Israel in an effort to develop a positive Jewish identity and shared responsibility for the future of the Jewish people—at home, in Israel and throughout the world. The Anshe Emet Bar and Bat Mitzvah Institute (BBMI) is a comprehensive two-year program that brings Religious School students together with their counterparts in the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School (BZAEDS, an independently-run institution with which Anshe Emet shares space) to prepare for their special day.

The Chicago Board of Jewish Education (CBJE) holds Communiteen classes on Anshe Emet premises for 9th and 10th graders of all Jewish backgrounds so that they are engaged intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and socially throughout their high school years. Involved teens can openly share concerns in an atmosphere where questions are welcomed. Anshe Emet’s College Connection Program, founded by parents of entering freshman in 1998, seeks to prepare high school seniors for the challenges to Jewish identity in college and to maintain a link with them (via e-mail updates and holiday packages) even as they take the next exciting steps in their lives.

A wide variety of semester-long adult education classes, from Jewish Heritage to Holiday Cooking are offered each Fall and Spring through the Raymond Arbetman Center for Adult Jewish Learning. The Lakeview Consortium of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, under the auspices of the Community Foundation for Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago (CFJE) offers a comprehensive two-year day and evening program at Anshe Emet, integrating Jewish history, religion, ritual, language, ethics, philosophy, literature, theology and contemporary Jewish life. CFJE also holds its Hebrew Ulpan for all levels of study. Additional Hebrew classes are also offered on an ongoing basis, as are Torah study groups held every Shabbat. Family missions to Israel, sponsored by the JUF, are a semi-annual event. Open to the entire community, Anshe Emet’s Jews by Choice program prepares those who desire to formally embrace Conservative Judaism. Weekly Jewish Heritage and Hebrew classes are complemented by Shabbat experiences and a mentoring program with JBC graduates. Offered free of charge, the Molly Dubin English for Russians Program meets most Sunday mornings throughout the year and is designed to teach functional English literacy to Chicago’s community of Jews from the former Soviet Union.

Social Activities Through the Arthur and Perle Malkin Center for Jewish Life at Anshe Emet Synagogue, members of all ages are able to participate in ongoing social activities and educational endeavors. Groups include SHMUSY (for teens), YAD (Young Adult Division for singles in their 20’s and 30’s), Young Families, Couples Club, GLBT, Bridge Sisterhood, Men’s Club, Na’aseh (community-wide social action), Chesed (acts of loving kindness—visiting the sick, cooking for families with newborns and much more), Boomereem (for Baby Boomers in their 50’s and 60’s) and HaZak for seniors. Noted speakers, such as Elie Wiesel, are regularly invited to share their thoughts with Anshe Emet audiences. The Annual Dr. Arnold H. Kaplan Concert featuring Hazzan Mizrahi and special guests such as Theodore Bikel and the Afro-Semitic Experience delight all. Upcoming events can be viewed at www.ansheemet.org

Gift Shop The Synagogue also has a Gift Shop, operated by its Bridge Sisterhood. The shop features Judaica—ritual objects, clothing—as well as books, jewelry and baby gifts.

Green Initiatives A weekly e-bulletin, Shabbat Today, and a monthly electronic newsletter, available by e-mail and on the Synagogue’s website http://www.ansheemet.org, are rapidly replacing paper-based means of communication, as is the electronic bulletin board of daily activities positioned near the main entrance to the building. Tuv Ha’aretz, the first sustainable Jewish CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) cooperative in North America, gives Anshe Emet members the opportunity to pre-purchase a share of organic farmers’ produce at competitive prices, helps preserve local farmland and provides a platform for exploring the relationship between Jewish tradition and contemporary food issues. Deliveries arrive once a week throughout the growing season. ]]