By: Rachel Bryan This past year my husband and I made a conscious effort to become more active in our community. To me, that meant more time spent at Mishkan, regularly attending services and becoming a member of the Love Team. I was in for quite a surprise when my husband, Matthew, said that to […]
By: Jennifer Kouba During the spring and summer of 2015 I experienced many transitions, personal challenges, and new opportunities. During this time I found myself seeking a spiritual space to help me find meaning in the more difficult and heartbreaking moments, ground me during the transitions, and guide me during the time of change. I […]
by: Karen Jacobs – Amirah Ruth תור הרימא June 5 2018 – 23 Sivan 5778 Almost thirty years ago, Andy Jacobs and I were married under a chuppah that I had created for our wedding day. It has hung every day since in our bedroom (except for the three times it was borrowed to bless […]
TAKING ACTION FOR A DREAM ACT IN DC By: Charlie Schuchat I visit Washington, DC quite often – I grew up there and much of my family lives there. But the trip I took on Jan 16, 2018 was different from any of my previous visits. Last week, I went DC to be part of an […]
By: Rachel Ellison On the day of Mishkan’s Revelation and Revolution pre-Shavu’ote learn-athon, I was in one-month-countdown-to-wedding-day-mode. The to-do list scrolling through my brain was full as it would be any day but more so. On that evening my nerves were humming as I was about to lead my very first workshop on art and […]
By: David Gottlieb When this photo was taken, I was well on my way to becoming a huge Mishkan groupie (a status I proudly maintain to this day). I had come back during a scheduled month out of town especially to lead a meditation session and take part in the other offerings at Mishkan’s Shavu’ote […]
By: Jen Kouba My very first Passover Seder was at Mishkan. I remember that I was feeling really, really tired and overwhelmed that day when I arrived. At the time, I was balancing a hefty workload for a project I was managing in addition to my full time job. As I walked into the space, […]
By: Rebecca Silverman I have been in Chicago for a decade, but when I look back on my first few years here, I was essentially a “wandering Jew” in search of a spiritual community. I had tried many of the local synagogues of various denominations, but never really felt at home. Fast-forward to 2017, and […]
By: Rosie Ruth Wagner Just to be clear, just because I converted, does not mean I think you should convert. You should do what makes sense to you. To be a non-Jew exploring a Jewish life is an exciting but also incredibly uncomfortable experience. I have run into many walls on this journey and have […]
Mishkanite Ben Halbig’s words on Isaiah @ Mishkan Yom Kippur. Good morning. I’m Ben. I grew up on the East Coast, but Chicago has been my adopted home for the better part of the past decade – first as an undergrad in Hyde Park, and now as a practicing lawyer living in the Gold Coast. […]