5959 Chicago

02/14/2023

Time for this discussion again. This piece is a few years old, but it still holds up about the conflict some of us may feel around observing a popular day with roots in Christianity.

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The Hallmark holiday in which red roses and heart-shaped balloons leave many singles bitter, and overpriced prix fixe meals leave many couples…[ Read More ]

02/13/2023

Save the date! On Sat., March 25, 5959 Chicago will present a full day of literary programming at Emanuel Congregation to celebrate Chicago Jewish literature.

The one-day Chicago Jewish Book Festival event will feature panel discussions, book readings and author interviews, and conclude with an evening celebration. Join us to celebrate local (and local-ish) Jewish authors and writing. Stay tuned right here for more details about the lineup, and for ticketing information.

(If you organization or business is interested in becoming involved, please contact organizer Amy Guth at [email protected].)

02/13/2023

“Young writers” and “30 under 30” lists abound in every field. With the goal of combating ageism, Lilith Magazine has created "The New 40," a cohort of women 40 years old to 80+ who are mostly new to writing for publication.

“Young writers” and “30 under 30” lists abound in every field. Doesn’t it seem a little unfair? Lilith believes in nurturing talent at any age. So in that spirit we created an exciting opport…

02/13/2023

A heartwarming essay about finding a sense of Jewish connection all over the world

On one of my first days in Cardiff, Wales, I was feeling overwhelmed. I would be spending the next week housesitting two rambunctious but adorable dogs in a residential neighborhood, 15 minutes by bus from the center of the city. It was a great gig arranged through Trusted Housesitters that allowed

02/13/2023

The author of this piece explains that the high school librarian at her child's school district was forced to take down an Elie Wiesel quote from his door: “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented,” excerpting Wiesel’s 1986 Nobel Prize acceptance speech. Why was the quote taken down? It wasn’t considered fair and balanced.

This week, a high school librarian in my kids’ school district was forced to take down a quote from his door by revered Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel. “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented,” the quote incl...

02/13/2023

100% accurate. Phil is the best.

I want Phil Rosenthal to adopt me. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has this feeling after watching Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil,” whose sixth season just premiered on the streaming platform this week (along with a cookbook inspired by the show). For those of you who have never heard abo...

02/13/2023

Breaking news, obviously:

It’s nearly impossible to succinctly describe Barbra Streisand. Yes, she’s a Jewish actress, but she’s also a triple threat, the original “Funny Girl,” an EGOT winner, a director, a Brooklynite, and one of the best selling recording artists of all time. But now, she’s finally claiming th...

11/17/2022

Tonight's the night! Cozy up around the warm glow of your Zoom screen and join us as author Carol Japha reads from her book, "Mapping Eden," discusses the book and her writing in an interview with Amy Guth, followed by audience Q&A. Everyone registered will receive a recording of the event afterwards, so if you can't make it, you can always watch later. Tickets are donate-what-you-wish, but pre-registration is required. See you soon!

Author Carol Japha discusses her book "Mapping Eden"

07/26/2022

A list we can all get behind! https://www.heyalma.com/18-jewish-musicians-for-your-summer-playlist/

Music serves as a constant background to the activities of summer. Picture relaxing at the pool or beach, gathering around campfires for acoustic song sessions and frolicking across carnival or festival grounds. Whether you’re spending vacation time jet-setting across the world or kicking back at ...

07/20/2022

This short film reminds us there is no one way to be Jewish https://www.heyalma.com/this-short-film-reminds-us-there-is-no-one-way-to-be-jewish/

Like another famous Canadian export, the short film “Periphery” begins with a tree. The opening shot of the film shows a towering oak tree in High Park, in Toronto, on a bright sunny day. The camera glides over the tree’s serpentine branches and glistening green leaves as a voiceover describes...

07/15/2022

Now here's a useful guide: how to hora harder, better, faster, stronger... yes! https://www.heyalma.com/how-to-hora-harder-better-faster-stronger/

I don’t remember much about my brother’s wedding (thanks a lot, open bar), but I do remember the hora. It felt like it lasted for hours, around and around, circles on circles, reprise after reprise, a mess of sweaty joyous Jewish ecstasy. Eight years later and whenever it gets mentioned, someone...

07/13/2022

Worth your time to read: In June, NFTY North American Board members Daniella Abbott and Cameron Samuels joined HUC rabbinical student Kelly Whitehead to discuss how their trans and non-binary identities have influenced their attitude toward systems of oppressions in the wake of new legislation aimed at attacking q***r identities.

https://rac.org/blog/affirming-trans-non-binary-youth-our-jewish-communities

This Pride Month, NFTY North American Board members Daniella Abbott and Cameron Samuels joined HUC rabbinical student Kelly Whitehead to discuss how their trans and non-binary identities have influenced their attitude toward systems of oppressions in the wake of new legislation aimed at attacking qu...

06/14/2022

***UPDATE: we regret to announce this event has been postponed. Tickets will be valid for the new event, please look for a new date announcement shortly. Thank you - Team 5959 Chicago ***

Coming Thursday, author Carol Japha comes to 5959 Chicago to discuss her novel, "Mapping Eden," the story of a German-Jewish refugee family settling in Chicago. Book available now for pre-order and will be for sale during the event.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/authors-ideas-carol-japha-registration-300006285877

Author Carol Japha discusses her book Mapping Eden

06/14/2022

"Q***r Yiddishkeit challenges the notion that Yiddish and other Jewish practices and cultural signifiers are inherently heteronormative or conservative. Yiddish can be used in drag performances, in film dialogues between q***r characters, and so much more. While Q***r Yiddishkeit gained more prominence after the end of World War II, there has historically been a relationship between Yiddish and LGBTQ+ culture."

https://daily.jstor.org/how-q***r-jews-reclaimed-yiddish/

Q***r Yiddishkeit challenges the notion that Yiddish is inherently heteronormative or conservative.

06/12/2022

Coming up this week! Author Carol Japha discusses her novel, "Mapping Eden," loosely based on her family's experience moving to the U.S. from Germany and attending Emanuel Congregation in the 50s through 80s. Tickets and information here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/authors-ideas-carol-japha-registration-300006285877

Author Carol Japha discusses her book Mapping Eden

06/06/2022

Coming up later this month, a classical music concert reimagined! "Meet Me in a Moment" opens the door to the lives of four great Jewish composers, with each musical selection followed by a theatrical scene from the composer's life. Learn more and watch the trailer after the jump: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-me-in-a-moment-a-theatrical-concert-of-jewish-classical-music-tickets-347996425677

Classical music, reimagined.

05/27/2022

Just announced! A classical music concert reimagined, "Meet Me in a Moment" opens the door to the lives of four great Jewish composers, with each musical selection followed by a theatrical scene from the composer's life. Early bird tickets on sale now!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-me-in-a-moment-a-theatrical-concert-of-jewish-classical-music-tickets-347996425677

Classical music, reimagined.

05/23/2022

Author Carol Japha's family belonged to Emanuel Congregation from the 1950s to the 1980s. Her parents, refugees from Germany, lived in the neighborhood and later moved to Glencoe, but continued their membership and involvement.

Japha's novel, "Mapping Eden" tells the story of a German-Jewish refugee family, settling in Chicago, that is shattered by the mother's illness and death. Told from the point of view of six-year-old Julia, it traces this young girl's quest to make sense of the world and the event that transforms it. In the words of one reviewer, the family's "sense of displacement hauntingly echoes the child's longing for her lost mother." The landscape of Chicago is central to the book. From the North Side neighborhood as seen in a child's eyes, to Lake Michigan shaped by the Ice Age, to the Eden-like canopy of catalpas shading the street, the novel offers a unique, original lens on the city.

Japha will visit Emanuel Congregation on Thursday, June 16th to discuss her book as part of 5959's Authors & Ideas series. Reserve you ticket (and optionally pre-order a copy of the book at the same time!) and join us of a discussion about writing, nostalgia, a sense of place and more.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/authors-ideas-carol-japha-registration-300006285877

Author Carol Japha discusses her book Mapping Eden

05/20/2022

After collaborating with Diana Ross and Jon Batiste, the artist dishes about pulling herself up by the bootstraps and how she's paying it forward with The Songwriter Fund

05/01/2022

Here is but one of many incredible moments that .elmakias 🎹 and 🎷 brought us tonight with their amazing talents. (The lightning lighting up the windows behind them was pretty cool, too!)

04/29/2022

In 1986, Linda Badger was convicted of murdering her husband. “In Judaism, we are taught to take care of the stranger, the widow, the orphan, the hungry and those who are oppressed,” Badger said. “I am always seeking out additional projects or programs which will translate these Jewish ideals into action.”
https://jewishjournal.com/community/347160/ahavat-torah-is-teaching-torah-to-women-prisoners

During her time behind bars, Badger, who is Jewish, learned Torah with volunteers, including Rabbi Miriam Hamrell of Ahavat Torah Congregation.

04/28/2022

If keeping kosher is your thing, this summer, YeahThatsKosher.com has you covered with this giant list of Major League stadiums with kosher food offerings. You're welcome.
https://yeahthatskosher.com/2022/04/mlb-stadiums-with-kosher-food-2022-master-list

It’s that time of year again – the weather is getting warmer and days are getting longer. Of course this also means that Major League Baseball has just started up again for the 2022 season. Since multiple stadium kosher stands have closed in the past few years, including in Kansas City and DC, a...

04/27/2022

The Jewish history of... ma*****na? Actually, yes. In 2020, at an archaeological site in the Negev desert, archaeologists made a surprising discovery. Using new chemical analysis techniques, they examined burnt residues on a pair of limestone altars. The residue on one of the altars, it turns out, was none other than Mary Jane. The devil’s lettuce. Call it what you will; it was w**d.

https://www.heyalma.com/the-jewish-history-of-w**d/

The history of w**d is not Jewish. Since — well, since an incalculable always — Jews have been debating what it means to be us. In the Torah, in the Talmud, in synagogue pews and multilingual scrolls of poetry and nondescript cafeterias, we wonder what sets us apart, what renders us so Jewish. I...

04/25/2022

What could be better than a night of live music? A night of reimagined traditional Jewish songs and melodies performed by NY-based jazz duo of Joey Rosin and Moshe Elmakias, that's what! Join us as we transform our space into a jazz club for this special one-night-only event.

But, hurry! Tickets go up at the door, so be sure to reserve your tickets today and save.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/5959-jazz-night-tickets-302005294967

Join us for a special event as we transform our space into a jazz club and celebrate live music.

04/25/2022

Johnny and David Rose are not quite your average nebbishy Jewish men of TV.

https://www.heyalma.com/the-transgressive-jewish-masculinity-of-schitts-creek/

This essay contains some spoilers for “Schitt’s Creek,” but if you're reading this, you've probably already watched the series (at least once!). Though the final episode of “Schitt’s Creek” aired in April 2020, the heartwarming Canadian show continues to resonate with viewers, especially...

04/19/2022

We’re transforming our space into a cozy jazz club on Saturday, April 30 for a night of reimagined traditional Jewish songs and melodies from New York-based duo of baritone saxophonist Joey Rosin and pianist Moshe Elmakias.
✨🎵🎷✨🎹 🎶 ✨
Find tickets and info at 5959Chicago.org

04/06/2022

Music has a big role in Judaism, for sure, as does community. On April 30th, we'll transform our space into a jazz club and welcome New York duo of baritone saxophonist Joey Rosin and pianist Moshe Elmakias for a special one-night only performance of reimagined traditional Jewish songs and melodies. (Plus, they're funny and have good on-stage schtick.)

Festive cocktail attire is encouraged (though not required), there will be a donation-based bar and light snacks. But, be sure to book your tickets early: discount "early bird" tickets are only available through April 15th!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/5959-jazz-night-tickets-302005294967

Join us for a special event as we transform our space into a jazz club and celebrate live music.

03/29/2022

From klezmer to Ladino cantigas, these genres tell the story of our people. https://www.heyalma.com/a-brief-guide-to-jewish-folk-music/

Diving into the world of folk music is like finding a lost lover from another life. I first started listening to folk when I was introduced to the folk-punk-klezmer-polka eclectic extravaganza that is The Dreadnoughts. Suddenly, here were all the sounds I was missing in my life: crashing violins, ti

03/29/2022

"It’s not just for me that I do this, but for my daughters. I don’t want their names erased if they become mothers. With our names, we carry all the credit we take for our expertise, our education and our lives before we became parents. We may answer to “mom,” but we’re always, always more." https://buff.ly/3wHfeBd

The first time a medical professional called me “mom,” I was in labor with my older daughter. A team of nurses had just grabbed me under my arms and assertively moved me onto my left side in the hospital bed, strapping an oxygen mask to my face. Above my head, a disembodied voice started repeati...