The museum has published this description of the exhibit: “Discover the history of Jewish Chicago through personal stories illustrating the larger community’s experience and evolving identity. In the 1840s, German Jewish immigrants helped shape the young city. Decades later, thousands of Eastern European Jews arrived, flooding Maxwell Street and working in the city’s industries. Divided by class and culture, Chicago’s Jews overcame their differences to confront the worldwide conflicts of the twentieth century.”
Those interested in the exhibit may also be interested in the ChicagoAncestors.org Synagogue Collection, which maps over 275 Chicago synagogues. The sources consulted to create this collection include:
- Kraus, B., & Schwartz, N. D. A Walk to Shul. Allegan Forest, Mich: Priscilla Press, 2003. Call Number: F548. 9. J5 K73 2003.
- Cutler, I., Schwartz, N. D., & Sorkin, S. Synagogues of Chicago. Chicago, Ill: Chicago Jewish Historical Society, 1991. Call Number folio BM 225.C5 S9 1991.
- Cutler, I. The Jews of Chicago: From Shtetl to Suburb. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1996. Call Number Local History Ref F548.9 C87 1996 (2nd floor open shelf)
- Meites, H.L. History of the Jews of Chicago, Jewish Historical Society of Illinois, 1924. 1990 Facsimile edition published by Wellington Publishing and Chicago Jewish Historical Society, 1990. Call Number folio F548. 9 J5 H57 1990.
- Packer, R. Doors of Redemption: The Forgotten Synagogues of Chicago and other Communal Buildings. North Charleston, SC: BookSurge, LLC. Call Number F548. 9.J5 P23 2005.
A free registration on the ChicagoAncestors.org website will allow you to add synagogues not yet mapped as well as personal comments, historical facts, and reminiscences of locations already documented.