New Events
Upcoming Programs
Each year, we present four to six public programs, in-person or by video format.
The topics and presenters are appealing and diverse. Recent presenters have offered insights about community pioneers and early leaders; immigration patterns and neighborhood changes; the old synagogues of Chicago’s West and South Sides, along with newer ones of the North Side and suburbs; Jews and organized crime; Jewish accomplishments in art, music, literature, science, sports, and politics; and many more fascinating subjects.
Upcoming ProgramS
“Jewish Chicago 1833 to 1948 and Jewish Chicago 1948 and Beyond”
Journalist and producer Dan Protess will provide updates to his eponymous WTTW program, screen a segment from the original broadcast, and discuss recent developments in Chicago’s Jewish community.
Sunday, November 1, 2026, 2 p.m.
Place: Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Avenue, Evanston.
No registration necessary. Those planning to attend are encouraged to arrive by 1:45 p.m. There is ample metered parking, free on Sundays, on streets surrounding the library and at nearby garages.
Fee: Free
“A Virtual Tour of Jewish Rosehill Cemetery
with David Kalensky and Mike Karsen”
Co-presented by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois (JGSI), Roger Park/West Ridge Historical Society, and Chicago Jewish Historical Society
Rosehill Cemetery, the largest burial ground in Chicago city limits, contains more than 200,000 gravesites in a 350-acre garden setting, along with an exclusively Jewish section. Join Kalensky, a board member of the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, and Karsen, JGSI Past President, as they take us on a tour of some of the notable Chicago Jewish pioneers, business moguls, politicians, and other public figures interred there.
Thursday, December 17, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Virtual and hybrid programs, via Zoom, are free to all participants. In-person programs are free for members – another membership benefit. (Non-members pay an entrance fee for in-person programs, when specified.)
Our virtual and hybrid programs are recorded and archived for free viewing.