Resources for Interfaith Couples and Families
The Interfaith Union is a resource center providing educational support, mentoring, community and formation for interfaith and interchurch families, and the clergy and religious communities that serve them.
InterfaithFamily/Chicago is part of a national initiative to bring personal, local resources and services to Chicagoland interfaith couples and families exploring Jewish life.
jewish renewal organizations
ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal
Makom Shalom is a member of Aleph, Alliance for Jewish Renewal, the umbrella organization for the Jewish Renewal Movement.
Alliance for Jewish Renewal is a trans-denominational approach to revitalizing Judaism.
It combines the socially progressive values of egalitarianism, the joy of Hasidism, the informed do-it-yourself spirit of the havurah movement and the accumulated wisdom of centuries of tradition.
Elat Chayyim - Hazon: Renewing Jewish Spiritual Practices for Sustainable Futures
Elat Chayyim was founded in 1992 in Accord, NY, where spiritual seekers from the entire spectrum of Jewish practice participated in weekend and week-long retreats. Elat Chayyim programs encouraged intellectual and spiritual exploration and offered an amazing array of Jewish spiritual study.
Hazon’s vision for a healthier and more sustainable community in the Jewish world and beyond requires engagement with spiritual practices such as prayer, text study, yoga, meditation, social action, and deep ecumenism. The values of Elat Chayyim strengthen the connection between sustainability and spiritual practice, and help make our shared vision possible.
Jewish social action sites
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs
The mission of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs is to combat poverty, racism and anti-Semitism in partnership with Chicago’s diverse communities. Guided by prophetic Jewish principles, JCUA pursues social and economic justice for Chicago’s most vulnerable neighborhoods by promoting a vision of empowering communities from within.
This site provides in depth discussions of the Jewish perspective on many topics ranging from what form synagogue social actions should take to business ethics. The articles are often in depth with references to Torah, Talmud and learned commentaries. Many topics are followed by guided learning exercises and self tests.
SHALVA supports Jewish women experiencing and healing from domestic abuse, through counseling, supportive services, and community education. It is the oldest independent, Jewish domestic abuse agency in the United States and have been instrumental in facilitating national and international dialogues on the specific needs of Jewish families experiencing domestic violence.
Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago
Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago, Inc. assists needy members of the Greater Chicagoland Jewish community with Passover and High Holiday and other food related needs, so that they may observe the holidays and daily life in a traditional and dignified manner. The mission is also to provide a Tzedakah (charity) vehicle to unite all members of the Jewish Community.
OTHER SITES OF INTEREST
Institute for Jewish Spirituality
IJS is dedicated to enriching the spiritual dimension of Judaism. Programs of text study, meditation, prayer, yoga and spiritual direction are offered for rabbis, cantors, educators, lay leaders and Jews of all denominations.
The Awakened Heart Project for Contemplative Judaism
The mission of Awakened Heart Project is to promote the use of Jewish contemplative techniques that foster the development of a heart of wisdom and compassion. Cultivating an awakened heart leads to acting in the world with loving-kindness towards all beings recognizing them as manifestations of the Holy One of Being.
Tablet is a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture. Launched in June 2009, it’s a project of the not-for-profit Nextbook Inc., which also produces the Nextbook Press Jewish Encounters book series.