Everything! Warm, accepting, very tight security, lovely people, an excellent education in Jewish…read moreculture and religion and most members are very involved in communities and charitable work. Services are excellent and the Rabbi and Cantor are outstanding.

My friend is very involved in this synagogue. Even though we are not members, I take my kids here…read morefor tot shabbat once per month. Its a great congregation. The members are incredible nice and everyone is welcoming. It definitely feels like the community you would expect from any house of worship. If we lived in the NW burbs, this would definitely be the place we'd belong. The Tot Shabbats have been a lot of fun and the kids have really enjoyed playing with the other kids.

Was here a few yrs ago it is a very inviting synagogue my family had been going there for yrs very…read morecomfortable atmosphere

Such a great synagogue! Had my conversion here, took Intro to Judaism, and currently taking a…read moreHebrew class. We love their Friday night service and go to the tot Shabbat programs with our toddler. Love how family friendly this place is; everyone is super kind and we feel right at home. Amazing clergy and staff.

A new year, a new rabbi: time for an update. Since I was on the search committee that found her,…read more(yes, a her!) I'm a little biased, but two months into her tenure, I'm quite pleased. Rabbi Robin (her last name is Damsky, but she likes to be called this) has injected new energy and excitement into our little suburban shul. She is great with kids of all ages, and gives exactly the kind of sermons I enjoy -- taking the lessons of the Torah and applying them to modern life. I expect we will see an uptick in social action and "green" projects as a way to build community and serve others.

Small, warm and welcoming of all They offer a variety of Services for Shabbat. Established 120…read moreyears ago in Aurora, IL, giving it a rich, historical history!

Wonderful welcoming with amazing clergy and terrific community…read more You will feel right at home

A welcoming and inclusive Jewish community. I am a member and an active volunteer here so please…read morecome by and say hello if you see me here. This community is diverse in its age appeal with a great Hebrew school and preschool program. If you are looking to connect with a Jewish community in the western suburbs, CBS is happy to have you!

What a wonderful organization, open to all! This is an amazing organization that is so welcoming,…read moreno matter your relationship to Judaism. I would call it "joyful Judaism." I was raised Conservative with some Orthodox. I have no regrets about my upbringing. But now that my parents and grandparents are no longer with us, Jewish Holidays became something I dreaded. I felt like I had no home. I am divorced, I do not have children and my partner is not Jewish. But Mishkan brought me back to Jewish High Holiday services with joy.

Mishkan Chicago is more than a synagogue. It is a loving and caring community…read more It offers more than just religious programming. We are social action oriented, while also offering social programming, and learning opportunities for students of all experience levels. One of my favorite activities is the music jam sessions that we have! A bunch of people get together and just sing. Those who have instruments and want to play can bring them and play them as accompaniment! It's an awesome experience! For me, though, I love the Friday night and Saturday morning services. They are musical and filled with both Keva and Kavana. There's always lively and participatory discussion about the Torah portion and how it relates to modern life. The aspect of services that I love most is the music and the beautiful melodies that fill whatever space we are in! There's a ruach (spirit) that arises when we are singing together as a community. The room becomes electric when we are all praying together on Shabbat. It's like no other service I have ever been to. In ancient times, the Mishkan was a traveling tent that essentially served as a reminder of the spiritual presence of God. Today, it is a community that truly enhances my life and makes it more meaningful every day!

I attended the Bat Mitzvah of the daughter of my best friend from the University of Iowa on this…read moreThanksgiving Day. This trip to stand with my friend for this key life cycle event was a mitzvah (good deed) I was happy to perform. Beth Judea is housed in a handsome building and seems to be an active and welcoming Conservative congregation. Many friends and family from near and far had come for this occasion, including all of the Bat Mitzvah girl's teenage buddies in the back corner. Norm's daughter was impressive in chanting her Torah portion (Toldot) and the entire Haftorah. Her drash (sermon) was pretty good too. I also thought that Rabbi Gamer and Cantor Weisberg were especially kind and helpful to the Bat Mitzvah girl and the other folks (including me) who come up for an honor. In my particular situation, I had the Hagbah honor. This consists of lifting up the Torah and turning it around so that the congregation can see the actual writing on the parchment. The Hagbah occurs after the Torah reading is completed and before the Haftorah takes place. This requires a certain amount of strength in the arms, as Torah scrolls are heavy and in this case disproportionately weighted on the left side. And despite that required strength and balancing act and the fear of actually dropping the Torah, this honor remains one of my favourites. Afterwards, another person dresses the Torah and I then sat with it on my shoulder as Norm's daughter read the Haftorah. It was great to witness her chanting and the congregation watching from this vantage point. And as the weight of the Torah rested on my shoulder, I thought of the ying and yang of my Jewish-related burdens and enrichment, especially as it related to my son. Gayle is right, it is time to do something positive about that. Afterall, this is Review #613 and maybe a few more mitzvot are in order.

I have been a member of Congregation Beth Judea since 1979…read more Keeping Conservative Judaism alive and flourishing in the NW suburbs of Chicago is of extreme importance to me and my family. Every friendship that we have made since our move from Philadelphia has been started at Beth Judea. Recently Beth Judea has employed New Clergy. Rabbi Zimbalist and Hazzan Ezring have made our Jewish Community even stronger. Not every thing we do at CBJ is religious oriented, our social, education, and youth programs are second to none. I strongly recommend you try us out. Arnie G

Friendly, welcoming congregation. Rabbi Jenny is a delight - beautiful voice, creatively interprets…read moreTorah to contemporary life and demonstrates extraordinary talent teaching in the religious school. We are currently enrolling students for the JJC religious school - pre-K to bar/bas mitzvah training. Check out our Shabbat services on LiveStreaming, www.Jolietjewishcongregation.com