Spertus News & Events January-June 2019

Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership | spertus.edu

January–June 2019

News & Events

CRITICAL

CONVERSATIONS

IMMIGRATION Hear experts and advocates debate today’s most pressing issue | P6

Learning to Lead | P11 Jewish Community Networking Night | P13 Notorious RBG in Song | P29

The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt Graphic novel comes to life in the Ground Level Arts Lab | P27

Spertus selected for Hazon Seal of Sustainability

Spertus Institute by Kendall McCaugherty. Š Hedrich Blessing.

Spertus Institute is excited to announce our selection

by Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability, for their certification that celebrates the success and progress of leaders in the field of sustainability.

The program, which provides a roadmap to advance sustainability-related education, action, and advocacy in the Jewish community and beyond, works with organizations across the country. It provides a network of faith-based organizations committed to sustainability to learn with and from one another.

Green initiatives have been important to us at Spertus since we planned our current facility, designed by Krueck & Sexton Architects and opened in 2007.

Sustainable features and energy efficient operations were incorporated and the building was awarded a Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Along with our facility partner Venue Six10, we continue to improve our sustainability. We hope our efforts stand as an invitation for those who share these values to join us in protecting resources today and for future generations.

The Spertus facility is powered exclusively by renewable energy. Over 10 years, this saves approximately 21,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

Learning

Contents News Letter from Dr. Dean Phillip Bell, Spertus President and CEO | P5 Report from first Global Jewish Leadership Seminar | P8 Faculty News | P20 Spertus selected for Jewish Federation’s “Create a Jewish Legacy” program | P21 Irena Friedgan and Stephen Wolff welcomed to Spertus Board | P32 In Memoriam—Dr. Howard A. Sulkin | P33

Leadership

Brook Herszage welcomed to Spertus Staff | P20

Center for Jewish Leadership Learning to Lead: Degree and Certificate Programs | P11

Arts & Culture

Jewish Community Networking Night | P13 Small & Mighty Network | P14 Fundraisers Forum | P15 Alumna Marilyn Diamond, Honorary Consul General of Morocco | P16

Center for Jewish Studies Graduate Courses and Seminars | P19 Adult Jewish Learning Website and Conference | P23

News

Programs and Events Critical Conversations: Immigration | P6 Christianity Through Jewish Eyes | P25 Exhibition | Todros Geller: Strange Worlds | P25 Exhibition and Opening | The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt | P27 Notorious RBG in Song | P29

Resources

Sponsorship, Support, and Membership Community Partners | P24 New Member Benefits | P30 Membership | P31

Events

Connect with Spertus for updates, invites, and discounts.

3

Support Spertus

A partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community

Dr. Betsy Gidwitz, Dr. Dean P. Bell, and Margot Pritzker. Photo by Robert Kusel.

Dr. Dean Phillip Bell Inaugurated as Ninth President of Spertus Institute Dr. Betsy Gidwitz and Margot Pritzker receive Honorary Doctorate Degrees Dr. Dean Phillip Bell was inaugurated as Spertus Institute’s President and CEO in a heartwarming ceremony on October 21, 2018.

A leading voice for the advancement of Jewish higher education, Bell is a 24-year Spertus veteran who has served as Provost and Vice President.

An accomplished educator, author, and scholar, he also holds a faculty appointment as Professor of History. Bell received his BA from the University of Chicago and MA and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

He served as President of the Midwest Jewish Studies Association and on the Board of the Association for Jewish Studies.

The ceremony was led by Spertus Dean and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Keren E. Fraiman. It began with an invocation by Bell’s predecessor, Spertus Chancellor Dr. Hal M. Lewis, and an introduction by Peter Bensinger, Jr., Chairman of the Spertus Board.

In his address, Bell spoke with passion about Spertus Institute’s exceptional mission and values, its welcoming nature, nondenominational orientation, and the ways in which Spertus makes a difference in people’s lives.

Culminating the program, Honorary Doctorates were presented to Dr. Betsy Gidwitz, a specialist in Post-Soviet Jewish Affairs, and Margot Pritzker, Chairman of the Zohar Education Project.

Hundreds of Spertus students, alumni, faculty members, donors, and friends attended. They were joined by viewers around the world who watched on Facebook Live.

4

Learning

Looking Ahead To Our Second Century Letter from Dr. Dean P. Bell

Leadership

Spertus is an institution driven by values. We are committed to serious and applied academics, advancing Jewish communal leadership, the welcoming nature of our nondenominational orientation, and the ways in which we make a real difference in people’s lives.

Arts & Culture

At my inauguration in October, I shared stories of some of the many people associated with Spertus. These students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community leaders exemplify our work and inspire me and so many others through their commitment to lifelong learning, meaningful communal service, interfaith initiatives, and academic achievement. I spotlighted the academic excellence of our faculty, our thought leadership in core areas of contemporary Jewish concern, the many points of entry provided by our public and cultural offerings, and our commitment to providing open forums of conversations.

This is something especially on display in our important Critical Conversations series, this year focusing on the theme of immigration.

News

As I mentioned in the last edition of Spertus News & Events, responsible institutions conduct regular and deep reflection and evaluation. This past fall we launched a strategic planning process intended to set the path for our next century, beginning on our 100th anniversary in 2024. I assure you that in its second century, Spertus will build on our core values and initiatives in exciting ways as we apply Jewish learning to the critical questions of contemporary life.

Resources

Best wishes,

Dr. Dean Phillip Bell President and CEO Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership

Events

Visit spertus.edu/news for more about the people and initiatives profiled in Dr. Bell’s inauguration address.

Support Spertus

5

CRITICAL

CONVERSATIONS

2019 Topic

Immigration Sunday, March 17 at 4 pm In a major program series, Spertus Institute brings together passionate speakers with opposing viewpoints for moderated debates inspired by Judaism’s embrace of civil discourse.

In these fractious and deeply partisan times, are we even capable of holding critical conversations on the challenges we face?

Tickets $36 | VIP tickets—$100 VIP price includes VIP seating and reception with the speakers. Purchase your tickets online at spertus.edu/conversation

Critical Conversations is generously funded by the late Eric Joss.

As Jews, we have been refugees and immigrants, as well as citizens, workers, employers, and legislators, making the multiple facets of this incredibly complex subject particularly relevant Spertus topic.

Bill Richardson was Governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2010.

A former diplomat, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Richardson, who was raised in Mexico, is a trustee of Refugees International.

Ana Navarro is a GOP strategist and political commentator on CNN, CNN en Español, and ABC’s The View. She is a sought-after adviser, particularly on the issues of immigration reform and Hispanic outreach.

Rick Santorum is a Senior Political Commentator for CNN. He was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 2012 and 2016 and a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007.

Spertus Institute is grateful for the support of our Community Partners.

Vicki & Tom Rivkin

Joan & John Gilchrist

Learning Leadership

“Immigration has risen to the top of the list when Americans are asked to name the most important problem facing the nation.”

—GALLUP, July 2018

“Migration is the defining human rights issue of our time.”

—UN General Assembly, August 2018

Arts & Culture News Resources Events Support Spertus

7

Kaplan Fellows with Carol and Ed Kaplan, Spertus Institute. Photo courtesy Aleya Cydney Photography.

Young leaders come to Chicago for first Global Jewish Leadership Seminar In October, Spertus Institute was thrilled to offer the Kaplan Leadership Initiative’s first Global Jewish Leadership Seminar in partnership with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).

This new training program—created through a founding gift from Chicagoans Carol and Ed Kaplan—provides tools and support to cultivate leadership among Jewish community professionals in Europe, Russia, the former Soviet Union, and Latin America.

The program encourages a deeper understanding of Jewish life and peoplehood and establishes platforms for building cross-community relationships. The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago is a coordinating partner.

The participants came together in Chicago from Jewish institutions in Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Serbia, the UK, and Ukraine. While here, they participated in workshops, presentations, and talks with community leaders, including a discussion with JUF President Dr. Steven Nasatir and a Leadership Symposium featuring Ruth Messinger of American Jewish World Service. Participants experienced innovative approaches to Jewish involvement through site visits across Chicago. With members of the Spertus faculty, they

8

Learning Leadership Arts & Culture News Resources

explored topics including power-sharing, situational leadership, and the importance of learning from failure.

According to participant Jon Zecharia, Manager of Events and Communications at London’s Westminster Synagogue “The most interesting aspect was getting to know about the global Jewish community, including what we can learn from one another.” Ekaterina Zhuravleva, PR and Missions Coordinator of the Maagal Volunteering Project in Moscow, said, “I am now part of a network of global Jewish leaders!”

Events

9

Support Spertus

Their observations exactly match the program’s goals, according to Spertus President and CEO Dr. Dean Phillip Bell. “When I welcomed them to Chicago,” he said, “I expressed our aim that they leave with enhanced knowledge of Judaism, Jewish history, and Jewish experiences, providing a platform for their Jewish communal work. With our colleagues at the JDC, we sought for the Kaplan Leadership Fellows to learn best practices, assess and improve their local projects, and, importantly, leave with a network through which to support each other going forward.”

Supported by a generous grant from the Crown Family

Rooted in the belief that great Jewish communities need great leaders, the mission of the Center for Jewish Leadership (CJL) is to transform Jewish life by cultivating innovative approaches to leadership and enhancing the abilities of Jewish professionals and lay leaders.

Programs dramatically strengthen the knowledge, effectiveness, creativity, and strategic agility of current and future Jewish leaders, magnifying the vibrancy of their communities and advancing the missions of the organizations they serve.

Find out more at spertus.edu/center

Learning

MA in Jewish Professional Studies For Jewish communal professionals with 5+ years of post-college work experience. More than 75% of students report a promotion or higher-level job change within one year of graduation.

Leadership

Accepting applications for: Mountain-Southwest Regional Cohort Begins June 2, 2019 Chicago-Area Cohort Begins August 19, 2019

Arts & Culture

Executive MA in Jewish Professional Studies For Jewish communal executives with 12+ years of professional experience. Open to applicants across North America. Can be completed in just one year because executive experience can count toward graduate credit.

News

Accepting applications for: Executive Cohort—Begins June 2, 2019 Fellowships available for qualified Executive and MAJPS students admitted by March 31, 2019.

Resources

Certificate in Jewish Leadership For the staff and lay leaders of Jewish organizations across North America, presented by Spertus Institute in partnership with Northwestern University.

Events

Application period opens March 1 for cohort beginning in November 2019.

11

Support Spertus

Contact Director of Enrollment Anita Silvert at asilvert@spertus.edu or 312.322.1707

Supported by a generous grant from the Crown Family

Learning

Do you work for or with a Jewish organization?

This free event is for you!

Leadership

Jewish Community Networking Night Tuesday, April 2 at 5:30 pm Network with colleagues.

Celebrate successes.

Learn new ways to excel.

Advance reservations required by March 25.

Reserve online at spertus.edu/networking

Arts & Culture

Thanks to generous grants from the Crown Family and our Community Partners, there is no charge for this event and there will be no solicitation of funds.

The Language of Leaders News

This year’s presenter is executive coach Rae Ringel, who will provide insider tips on using language to lead.

Resources

She’ll share expert insights about listening, presenting, convening, and inspiring.

Events

Rae Ringel is founding President of the Ringel Group. She is a faculty member at Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership, founding director of Georgetown’s certificate program in the Art of Facilitation and Design, and a Wexner Graduate Fellow who holds a faculty position with the Wexner Foundation.

Innovation and Collaboration Awards will be presented, recognizing creative concepts that reach across institutions to serve the Jewish community.

13

Support Spertus

Thank you to Gould & Ratner LLP for their continued sponsorship of the Innovation and Collaboration Awards.

Supported by a generous grant from the Crown Family

Small & Mighty Network A professional development opportunity for the superheroes who serve small-sized Jewish nonprofits and regional offices of national organizations.

Brought to you by Sketchpad and Spertus Institute’s Center for Jewish Leadership.

This year’s theme is The Arc of Engagement.

Space is limited for this three-part series. $72 I $54 for Sketchpad members and Spertus students/alumni All sessions meet 12 pm – 1:30 pm and include kosher lunch.

Register online at spertus.edu/mighty

Sessions take place at Sketchpad 4700 N. Ravenswood, Chicago Session 1 | Wednesday, February 13 How Do We Engage Our Staff and Trustees?

Led by Amy Wishnick, Management and Strategy Consultant

Session 2 | Wednesday, March 13 How Do We Engage Our Constituents?

Led by Brenda Berman, Marketing and Communications Consultant

Session 3 | Wednesday, April 10 How Do We Evaluate Engagement and Use This Information to Grow?

Led by Dr. Keren Fraiman, Spertus Institute Dean and Chief Academic Officer

14

Learning

Fundraisers Forum

Leadership

This professional development and network-building series is for everyone involved in securing contributions for Chicago-area Jewish organizations. Hear experts on philanthropy and fundraising. Learn the latest trends. Network with your peers from other organizations.

Master new ways to raise funds for your organization.

Sessions are free but advance reservations are required.

Reserve at spertus.edu/fundraisers

Wednesday, February 6 Coffee and networking at 9 am | Program from 9:30-10:30 am Reservations required by January 30.

Resources

Get a Grip on Your Own Fundraising Frustrations Is being a fundraiser taxing you personally and professionally? Hear from fundraising guru Rachel Sternberg on how to survive and thrive.

News

Get a Handle on Tax Advantages We associate tax savings and charitable-giving plans with high-net-worth donors. In reality, these tools are for donors large and small and young and old. Learn from estate attorney Lindsey Paige Markus about tax concepts for your donors to ensure their giving is advantageous to their finances and the community. And discover how to engage givers through strategic philanthropy.

Arts & Culture

Is Fundraising Taxing You?

The Gift of Asking: Making Your Case in Every Case Tuesday, April 2, 4 pm–5:30 pm Followed by Jewish Community Networking Night (see page 13)

Events

Reservations required by March 25.

15

Support Spertus

Asking someone for a gift employs a full gamut of skills, including deep listening, relationship building, storytelling, and more. It is also an opportunity to make a meaningful connection, have a value-based conversation, and help someone participate in the gift of giving. Join executive coach Rae Ringel for a radical reframing of the process, founded on creating a productive mindset attuned to your values and organization. Within this new framework, develop skills to create a concise, compelling, honest, and persuasive pitch.

Alumni Profile Marilyn Diamond

Building Cross-Cultural Connections

Spertus Alumna Marilyn Diamond—who received her MA in Jewish Communal Service from Spertus in 1982—is the Honorary Consul General for Morocco in Illinois.

As if that isn’t impressive enough, she is on the board of the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, the Chicago Council of Global Affairs, and the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University, among others. She and her husband Terry have traveled the globe. Their adventures have included climbing mountains in Africa, Mexico, and Bhutan. Terry, a founding partner of Method Capital LLC, quips: “We are on a short list of Jewish-grandparent mountain climbers.”

Marilyn Diamond at Spertus Institute.

Photo by Barry Kafka.

Ellen: You have been a longtime Spertus Institute donor. Why should others follow your lead?

Events

Marilyn: I could not be doing what I’m doing without the skills I gained through Spertus. I don’t know of any other place that fills the space that Spertus does. This is an entire institution that exists to educate, support, serve, and advance Jewish causes and community.

Read the full interview at spertus.edu/profiles 17

Support Spertus

To fulfill my Spertus degree requirements, I did an internship at the Jewish Community Relations Council with the pioneering Jewish activist Peggy Norton. She was gifted in building coalitions and I learned so much from her. After graduating, I worked at the Jewish Federation under Joel Carp. These experiences concentrated my focus on Jews as

In fact, I was taken into the hearts and homes of the people of Morocco.

When you develop close ties—one on one—you find out that our commonalities are more important than our differences. It validates the concept of people-to-people diplomacy. In December of 2010, the government of Morocco approached me to represent them in Illinois.

Resources

Looking back, my interest in Jewish communal work was born even before my experience with Spertus. I was involved with the American Association for Ethiopian Jews. This started me on a path of working as a political activist for the Jewish community, something that was clearly in my blood.

Marilyn: I co-chaired the ChicagoCasablanca Sister City program, starting right after 9/11. New in that role, I traveled to Morocco, even though I had friends saying that at that political moment, with Islamophobia rising in the United States and antiAmerican sentiment escalating in the Muslim world, it wasn’t something I should do. Especially not as a Jew and as a woman.

News

Every faculty member was a giant in their field. I studied the Holocaust with Dr. Byron Sherwin (noted author, Director of Spertus Doctoral programs) and Jewish history with David Weinstein (Spertus President 1964-1980, later tapped by Elie Wiesel for DC’s U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum). Since I was studying Jewish Communal Service, one of my professors was my cousin, Dr. Steven Nasatir (President, Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago), an experience that was both weird and wonderful.

Ellen: What is your connection to Morocco?

Arts & Culture

Marilyn: I enrolled at Spertus in 1976 to study Hebrew. When I got here, I discovered an intellectual feast. The program offered the best critical thinking experience I had yet been exposed to!

Leadership

Ellen: Tell me about your experience at Spertus.

an interest group in the American political arena, which became my thesis when I went on to pursue a graduate degree in Political Science from Northeastern Illinois University, where I studied with the brilliant Dr. Ellen Cannon. I taught Political Science at Loyola and, as the result of my training at Spertus, I taught at the Dawn Shuman Institute as well.

Learning

Spertus Institute VP for External Relations Ellen Spira Hattenbach sat down with Marilyn to discuss her Spertus experience and remarkable career. This is an excerpt of their conversation.

From left: Dr. Murray S. Mizrachi, Rabbi Dr. David S. Bauman, Dr. Gabriela Rascovsky, Michale Wacks, and Randi Skurka. Photo by Dan Rest.

Among the students receiving graduate degrees at Spertus Institute’s December commencement ceremony, five impressive scholars received degrees in Jewish Studies.

Rabbi Dr. David Bauman, newly on faculty at Sager Solomon Schechter Day School in Northbrook, was awarded the prestigious Doctor of Hebrew Letters.

For the past seven years, Rabbi Dr. Bauman has served as a Chaplain for the Navy and Marine Corps, working locally at Illinois’ Great Lakes Naval Base as well as in Virginia and in Okinawa, Japan. For his doctoral thesis, he explored the literature of Navy and Marine military ethics, discovering ways to apply Jewish texts to the contemporary challenges those in the service face.

Murray Mizrachi and Gabriela Rascovsky each earned the degree of Doctor of Science in Jewish Studies. In his thesis, Dr. Mizrachi, Executive Director of the Brooklyn-based Sephardic Community Alliance, explored the contributions of Sephardic ideas to modern Zionist thinking. Dr. Rascovsky, Director of Education at Florida’s Beth Torah Benny Rok Campus, developed a method for evaluating the efficacy of supplementary schools. Through a close review of enrollment trends, learning outcomes, and family satisfaction, she sought ways to improve education at her own institution—and to provide an evaluative model to raise the bar of supplementary education more broadly.

Taught by skilled and distinguished faculty, Randi Skurka and Michale Wacks each earned the degree of MA in Jewish Jewish Studies courses take place at our Studies. Skurka is a pharmacist who serves on thedowntown Board of Governors Chicago campus at twice-yearly seminars, as well of Toronto’s Beth Sholom Synagogue. Wacks is a Chaplain Resident asAMITA through a variety onsiteCenter and online formats. at Alexian Brothersof Medical in Elk Grove Village.

Learning

Jewish Studies Advanced Scholarship Contemporary Approach

Leadership

For students who seek to explore the breadth of the Jewish experience through graduate scholarship At Spertus Institute, we believe passionately that the wisdom of Jewish thought and the richness of Jewish experiences inform Judaism and Jewish society today.

Arts & Culture

This belief is the underpinning of our graduate Jewish Studies programs. Through them, our students grapple with Jewish ideas in the service of their personal, professional, and communal advancement.

Taught by skilled and distinguished faculty, Spertus Jewish Studies courses take place at our downtown Chicago campus at twice-yearly seminars and through a variety of online formats.

Reasonable tuition encourages participation by students in a range of disciplines from around the world. In fact, Spertus Jewish Studies students hail from 26 U.S. states and 6 foreign countries.

News

Degree Types Master of Arts in Jewish Studies (MAJS) Doctor of Science in Jewish Studies (DSJS) Doctor of Hebrew Letters (DHL)

Resources

Info at spertus.edu/learn To discuss which of these options is right for you, contact Director of Enrollment Anita Silvert at asilvert@spertus.edu or 312.322.1707

Considering a graduate degree in Jewish Studies?

Events

Jewish Studies Seminars at Spertus offer courses in Jewish history, thought, and culture, along with study of classical Jewish texts. At seminars, you meet and learn together with acclaimed faculty and fellow students, providing an ideal opportunity to begin your learning experience. The next onsite seminar takes place June 2–6. To be eligible, application and admission materials are due April 30, 2019.

Support Spertus

19

Kvell

Yiddish: to burst with pride

Photo by Colby Engelhart.

Spertus Chief Academic Officer Dr. Keren E. Fraiman interviewed Yossi Klein Halevi, author of the New York Times bestseller Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor at iCon, the largest gathering of Israel educators.

Held in Itasca, Illinois, iCON hosted participants from across North America and Israel. Among the topics Fraiman and Klein Halevi discussed: the importance of being able to hold multiple narratives when learning about Israel.

Spertus Institute Welcomes Brooke Herszage as Coordinator of Mentoring and Executive Coaching.

Brooke Herszage recently joined the Spertus team in a new position dedicated to a key component of our Center for Jewish Leadership degree and certificate programs. Participants in Spertus programs consistently cite the opportunity to work one-on-one with a mentor or coach as one of the most transformative parts of their learning experiences. Tal Rosen, Associate Dean and Director of the Center for Jewish Leadership, said, “Spertus has been a leader in mentoring and coaching for the last 12 years. I am thrilled that Brooke has joined us in a role critical to growing our initiatives and to fostering leadership in the Jewish community.�

Read more about this new position at spertus.edu/profiles

Learning

It is our pleasure to spotlight noteworthy achievements of our faculty, staff, and trustees.

Leadership

Spertus Institute is proud to have been selected for the Jewish Federation’s Create a Jewish Legacy program, designed to train and support local Jewish organizations in the area of legacy giving.

Arts & Culture

Supporters who participate through signing a Declaration of Intent become part of the Spertus Second Century Circle, our Legacy Circle, named in anticipation of Spertus Institute’s 100th anniversary in 2024.

I support Spertus Institute because we need a leading intellectual center in Chicago for Jewish education and for spirited debate on the issues of the day. It’s important to me that Spertus continue to thrive and provide comprehensive, inclusive, Jewish-oriented education.

News

— Phillip Gordon, Spertus Institute Trustee and Member of the Spertus Second Century Circle With a legacy gift, you ensure that Spertus Institute advances Jewish communities, organizations, and individuals through learning, for generations to come.

Resources

To remember Spertus in your will or through life insurance, retirement plans, charitable trusts, securities, annuities, and other ways, contact Ellen S. Hattenbach, Vice President for External Relations at 312.322.1262 or ehattenbach@spertus.edu

Events

21

Support Spertus

Congratulations to Spertus President and CEO Dr. Dean Phillip Bell on the publication of The Routledge Companion to Jewish History and Historiography. This important new resource provides an overview of Jewish history from biblical times to the present, placing Jewish history in conversation with methods, issues, and source materials that are key to scholars in the field.

Bringing our community together around the value of lifelong learning Jewish learning doesn’t stop at age 13. It doesn’t stop when you graduate from school, or get married, or even when your kids grow up and leave home.

Jewish learning is a lifelong quest—and we’re on a mission to ensure that it is meaningful, relevant, interesting, gratifying, high-quality, and easily available.

At Spertus Institute, Jewish learning is our business. It is our business today and has been for 95 years.

We believe it matters why, what, how, and certainly if, members of our community continue to learn about Judaism and topics of Jewish interest.

It matters to Jewish involvement, to the interests we instill in our children and grandchildren, to the strength of our organizations, and the health and vitality of Jewish life.

Spertus Institute is proud to be working with partner organizations to improve the caliber, value, and significance of opportunities for adults to embrace a lifetime of Jewish learning.

Learning

gpsforjewishlearning.org There are opportunities to nourish your knowledge of Judaism and the Jewish experience taking place across the Chicago area and online. A new website has launched to help you find them.

Arts & Culture

The site also includes curated content on a range of Jewish topics selected with input from educators and community members, so you can learn on your own terms and your own time.

Leadership

gpsforjewishlearning.org is a community-wide calendar that showcases quality Jewish educational programs and events from organizations across the greater Chicago area, all geared for adults. Presenting organizations of all types are invited to participate.

gpsforjewishlearning.org is a project of the Chicago Adult Jewish Learning Initiative, spearheaded by Spertus Institute with funding from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

News

Are you a program planner or educator who designs, implements, or presents Jewish educational programs for adults?

Creating Transformative Learning Experiences

Resources

2019 Adult Jewish Learning Resource Conference Wednesday, February 27, 2019 from 9 am to 4 pm Free. Reserve by February 20 at spertus.edu/Lifelong-Learning Learn program design and educational strategy from today’s leading voices. Network with colleagues from across the region.

Walk away with inspirational new tools to advance lifelong Jewish learning.

Events

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. John M. Dirkx, author of a forthcoming book on the transformative dimensions of learning.

A lunchtime talk on informal and experiential education will be presented by Dr. Barry Chazan, Founding Director of Spertus Institute’s MA in Jewish Professional Studies Program and Founding International Director of Education of Birthright Israel. Breakout sessions and hands-on workshops will provide methods for applying theory to practice.

23

Support Spertus

Presented by the Chicago Adult Jewish Learning Initiative, spearheaded by Spertus Institute with funding from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

Spertus Institute’s

Community Partnership Program supports our impressive yearlong slate of programs and events

In November, an audience of 200+ local food lovers joined us to hear Chicago’s own Ina Pinkney interview Chef Michael Solomonov and Restaurateur Steven Cook on the Spertus stage. The event celebrated the release of their new cookbook, Israeli Soul, named a year’s best by Eater and The New York Times. Presented in partnership with Lincoln Park’s Read It & Eat bookstore, the program provided delicious insight into cultural diversity in Israel, the importance of teamwork, and how to prepare amazing hummus. Photo by Dan Rest.

Join our growing list of community, corporate, and family partners: Administrative & Consulting Solutions, Inc.

Chicago Jewish Funerals

Personal History Interviews

The Clare

Quarles & Brady, LLP

AllianceBernstein

Gould + Ratner LLP

ROTI

Associated Agencies

Krueck + Sexton Architects

RSM

Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP

Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC

Scharf Banks Marmor LLC

Brookdale Senior Living Solutions

Sheryl & Michael Markman

Shalom Memorial

Mesirow Financial

Strategic Wealth Partners

Central Building & Preservation LP

Monica & Steven Perlman

Caryn & Larry strauss

Much Shelist, PC

The Wilkow Family

Chapman and Cutler LLP

Navigant

Zelda’s Catering

Oppenheimer & Co.

To add your support, contact Vice President for External Relations Ellen Hattenbach at ehattenbach@spertus.edu or 312.322.1262.

Learning Leadership

Closes February 17, 2019

Todros Geller: Strange Worlds Todros Geller: Strange Worlds is supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation as part of Art Design Chicago.

Arts & Culture

This is your last chance to view 30 rarely exhibited works by WPA-era artist Todros Geller in Spertus Institute’s Ground Level Arts Lab.

News

The 2019 Bernardin Jerusalem Lecture The annual Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Jerusalem Lecture commemorates the late Cardinal Bernadin’s 1995 visit to Israel. It continues the conversation he started between Chicago’s Catholics and Jews.

Resources

Christianity Through Jewish Eyes Monday, March 11 at 7 pm Takes place at DePaul University’s Lincoln Park Student Center 2250 N. Sheffield Ave, Chicago Free. Reservations requested. Reserve online at archchicago.org

Events

This year’s lecture will be presented by Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich, the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

25

Support Spertus

This program is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago, the American Jewish Committee, the AntiDefamation League, The Chicago Board of Rabbis, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, and Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership.

Ground Level Arts Lab Exhibition Hours | Admission is free Sunday 10 am – 5 pm | Monday – Wednesday 9 am – 5 pm Thursday 9 am – 6 pm | Friday 9 am–3 pm Closed Saturdays and Jewish and secular holidays.

Exhibitions at Spertus Institute are also made possible through the generous support of the Harry and Sadie Lasky and Charles & M.R. Shapiro Foundations.

Learning

“The astounding life of a 20th-century original told by a skillful cartoonist frolicking in long form”—Kirkus (Starred Review) “Depicts Arendt in a way no other book has—makes us feel the passion of her thinking”—The Forward “Remarkable”—The Chicago Reader

Leadership

The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt On view in the Ground Level Arts Lab March 14 – June 23, 2019

See original illustrations, sketches, and artwork from Ken Krimstein’s The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt (Bloomsbury 2018). Eavesdrop on the freewheeling conversations of Jewish intellectual life in pre-WWII Europe, populated with the artists, writers, and thinkers Arendt encounters—including Marc Chagall, Marlene Dietrich, Walter Benjamin, Albert Einstein, and Sigmund Freud. Then explore Krimstein’s portrayal of Arendt’s complicated and courageous choices during some of history’s darkest days.

News

By unconventionally using graphic non-fiction to illustrate a world of ideas, Krimstein brings urgency to Arendt’s struggle to find meaning.

Consistent with the goals of Spertus Institute’s Ground Level Arts Lab, The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt creatively introduces a key chapter of the Jewish experience and shines a spotlight on its relevance for today.

Arts & Culture

Step into cartoonist Ken Krimstein’s page-turning graphic biography of Hannah Arendt, one of the greats of twentieth-century philosophy.

Resources

Opening Reception Thursday, March 14 from 5:30 to 8 pm Free. Reservations appreciated at spertus.edu

For information on additional programs as confirmed, sign up at spertus.edu 27

Support Spertus

Ken Krimstein is a cartoonist, writer, educator, and creative director whose cartoons have been published in The New Yorker, Barron’s, Harvard Business Review, The National Lampoon, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, and three of S. Gross’s cartoon anthologies. The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt is his second book. His first was a compendium of his Jewish-themed cartoons called Kvetch as Kvetch Can. He teaches at DePaul University.

Events

Meet author Ken Krimstein at the exhibition’s opening reception. At 6:30 pm, Krimstein will be interviewed by Alexandra Salomon, editor of WBEZ’s Curious City, followed by a book signing. Copies of The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt will be for sale.

Detail: CD cover art by Tom Bachtell.

Learning Leadership Arts & Culture

Patrice Michaels and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Photo by Karli Cading.

Notorious RBG in Song Sunday, May 19 at 2 pm

News

$18 | $10 for Spertus members | $8 for students and Spertus alumni Buy tickets online at spertus.edu Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has served on the high court for 25 years. A skillful and passionate advocate for equal rights, Justice Ginsburg has become a pop-culture icon known to fans as Notorious RBG, a wry nod to fellow Brooklynite, rapper Biggie Smalls, the Notorious B.I.G.

Resources

Justice Ginsburg’s life and work are celebrated in this one-act dramatic concert featuring soprano/composer Patrice Michaels (called “a formidable interpretative talent” by The New Yorker) with her collaborative pianist Huang-Hao Huang and their guests, soprano Michelle Areyzaga, tenor Matthew Dean, and baritone Evan Bravos.

For Justice Ginsburg, this concert and the accompanying CD are personal. These songs about her life are presented (and in many cases, written) by her daughter-in-law (Michaels) and produced by her son, Cedille Records founder James Ginsburg.

Events

James Ginsburg will join us at Spertus for a post-show Q & A. The accompanying CD will be for sale.

Support Spertus

29

New for Members Catch a film online at Kanopy, the streaming video service now available to Spertus students, faculty and members. Called “a garden of cinematic delights” by the New York Times, Kanopy offers a rich mix of over 250 films that explore the Jewish experience in all its variety.

View art house hits (such as The Women’s Balcony and Menashe) along with films that are enticing (Sturgeon Queens), spiritual (Kabbalah Me), swinging (Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy), compelling (A Film Unfinished: Exposing Cinematic Manipulation During World War II), and up-to-the minute (Unorthodox: Rebellion and Orthodox Jewish Teens).

Made possible by a generous gift from Howard Zar. Asher Library Hours Sunday 12–4 pm Monday 10 am–6 pm Wednesday 10 am–4 pm Spertus students, alumni, faculty, and members receive borrowing privileges and online access to a treasure trove of Jewish resources through the Asher Library.

For info, visit spertus.edu/online-resources

SIX10 To Go Spertus is pleased to announce the opening of SIX10 To Go, a new coffee kiosk located right inside our front doors! Enjoy kosher snacks, teas, and coffee (including delicious cold brew).

Open Monday–Friday 8 am–3 pm and for select public programs.

Learning Leadership

Become a Member The 2017 Center for Jewish Leadership Symposium

Arts & Culture

Benefits Your membership fees directly support extraordinary programs, resources, and opportunities that foster a dynamic and enduring Jewish future.

Associate $100 All benefits of Household Membership plus online recognition SpertusNet $50 Library borrowing privileges and online access to the Feinberg eCollection (Included with all levels)

Resources

Select discounts from Spertus partners including SIX10 To Go

Household $75 and Senior $50 (age 65+) All benefits of Individual Membership, but for two people (Includes a second member card)

News

Individual $60 Discounts on performances, films, lectures, author events, master classes and workshops Asher Library borrowing privileges and access to online resources Discount subscription to Moment, North America’s premier Jewish magazine 10% discount at JUDAICA.COM

Join or Renew Today Memberships are for one year and are 100% tax deductible.

Donate online at donate.spertus.edu or call 312.322.1777

Text to Give Text S

per to 5651 tus and fol 2 the pro low mpts!

31

Support Spertus

Support Spertus

Events

To join or renew online, click the Join link at spertus.edu or contact Regina Rivers at membership@spertus.edu or 312.322.1777

Spertus Institute proudly welcomes Stephen Wolff and Irena Friedgan to its Board of Trustees Irena Friedgan’s introduction to Spertus Institute marks a first for the 95-year-old organization. As with many nonprofit organizations, most Spertus Trustees have been longtime supporters or learned of the organization’s work through friends or colleagues.

Friedgan was introduced to Spertus through the University of Chicago’s Rustandy Center of Social Sector Innovation’s Alumni Board Connect, a program that matches U of C alumni with nonprofit organizations. Her first exposure to Spertus was a lunch with Spertus VP for External Relations Ellen S. Hattenbach, who refers to their meeting as a “blind date that resulted in a perfect match.”

Friedgan, who was born in the Former Soviet Union, immigrated to Chicago as a child and was raised in a home dedicated to lifelong learning. She earned her CPA at age 21, after receiving a BS in Finance and Accounting from DePaul University. She received her MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2008. Today Friedgan is the Director of Finance at divvyDose, a start-up pharmaceutical company. This position follows time spent working for United Airlines, Abbott, and Bank of America. Friedgan lives with her husband and two children in Glenview.

Joining the Spertus Board with Friedgan is Stephen Wolff, Partner and President of NKS, a Des Plaines-based precision stainless steel supplier he founded in 1991. An expert in strategic planning, Wolff has worked in manufacturing and industrial distribution for most of his career, including as an engineer at Westinghouse Corporation and as a patent attorney specializing in mechanical patents and trademarks.

Wolff was introduced to Spertus by his friend Michael Markman, with whom he will now serve on the Spertus Board. As with Friedgan, Wolff’s success demonstrated the strength of continuing education.

He holds a BS in Engineering from the University of Illinois, a JD from John Marshall Law School, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

He and his wife, cardiologist Dr. Marla Mendelson, live in Chicago.

32

Learning Leadership Arts & Culture

Howard Sulkin at the grand opening of the Spertus Institute building. Photo by Dan Rest.

In Memorium

Dr. Howard A. Sulkin

| 1941–2018

News

The Spertus Institute community mourns the loss of Dr. Howard A. Sulkin, the Institute’s President and CEO from 1984 to 2009.

Dr. Sulkin was a specialist in organization theory and adult education who received his MBA and Doctorate from the University of Chicago.

During his presidency, Spertus Institute greatly expanded its offerings to foster learning through both traditional means and through arts and culture.

Resources

In 2007, Sulkin realized the dream of opening a magnificent new building for Spertus Institute, designed to serve the growing needs of students, participants, and visitors. This building has been recognized with an array of architectural awards. Architect Mark Sexton called Sulkin a great client.

“He started with the big idea that the building was a gift to everyone in Chicago. That’s a profound way of thinking.”

Events

Sulkin was passionate about forging partnerships in the Jewish world, the arts and academic communities, and with those pursuing interfaith understanding. He served as Board Chair of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, was on the planning committee for the 1993 Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, and traveled throughout the world on the Parliament’s behalf.

Prior to his tenure at Spertus, Sulkin was a Vice President and founding Dean of the School for New Learning (SNL) at DePaul University.

33

Support Spertus

To his dear wife Connie, his children, grandson, friends, and colleagues, our deepest condolences. Y’hi zikhrono livraha. May his memory be for a blessing.

HAVE YOUR EVENT IN AN ARCHITECTURAL GEM!

ARE YOU CELEBRATING THIS YEAR? Events at Spertus are managed by VenueSIX10, named one of Chicago’s best

by Crain’s Chicago Business. Choice of select caterers, including kosher options.

Visit VenueSIX10.com to find out more.

VENUESIX10.COM | 312.322.1725 610 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE | CHICAGO

Discount Parking Discount parking is available for $8 at Grant Park South Garage, 325 S. Michigan Avenue.

The discount is good for 12 hours with Spertus validation.

Accessibility Spertus welcomes all visitors and is committed to making its facilities and programs accessible.

Elevator access is available to all areas of the building. Please let us know of any special needs or requests when you purchase program tickets, or call 312.322.1773.

Learning

Calendar

January–June 2019

January

13– 17 | Sunday–Thursday

20– 23 | Sunday–Wednesday Inaugural Seminar Certificate in Jewish Leadership for Educators

February Fundraisers Forum Is Fundraising Taxing You? P15

13 | Wednesday 12 pm Small & Mighty Network Session 1: How Do We Engage Our Staff and Trustees? P14 Exhibition Final Day Todros Geller: Strange Worlds P25

27 | Wednesday 9 am Creating Transformative Learning Experiences P23

11 | Monday 7 pm Bernardin Jerusalem Lecture Christianity Through Jewish Eyes P25

13 | Wednesday 12 pm

14 | Thursday 5 pm Exhibition Opening The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt P27

Small & Mighty Network Session 3: How Do We Evaluate Engagement? P14

19 | Friday 3 pm Spertus closes early Passover begins at sunset

21 | Sunday Spertus closed for Passover

25 | Thursday 3 pm Spertus closes early for final days of Passover

26 | Friday Spertus closed for Passover

May

19 |

Sunday 2 pm Concert Notorious RBG in Song P29

26 | Sunday Asher Library Closed

27 | Monday Spertus closed for Memorial Day

June

2– 6 | Sunday–Thursday Graduate Seminar Jewish Studies/Jewish Professionals Studies

9–10 | Sunday–Monday Spertus closed for Shavuot

Critical Conversations Immigration P6

Printed on 30% post-consumer recycled paper.

35

Support Spertus

17 | Sunday 4 pm

10 | Wednesday 12 pm

Events

Small & Mighty Network Session 2: How Do We Engage Our Constituents? P14

Jewish Community Networking Night P13

Resources

March

2 | Tuesday 5:30 pm

News

17 | Sunday 10 am–5 pm

Fundraisers Forum The Gift of Asking P15

Arts & Culture

6 | Wednesday 9 am

2 | Tuesday 4 pm Leadership

Graduate Seminar Jewish Studies/Jewish Professional Studies

April

See page 27

Step into cartoonist Ken Krimstein’s page-turning graphic biography of Hannah Arendt

Permit No. 7320 Chicago, Illinois

PAID

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage