TBI is a wonderful community of warm, friendly and interesting people. I'm happy to be an active…read moremember for 15 years.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the Music Director of Temple Beth Israel. TBI is our…read morehome away from home, our family and our community. We are a down-to-earth, hamishe congregation. We have world-class adult education and family programming thanks to Lori Sagarin, our Director of Congregational Learning. Rabbi Michael Weinberg is our spiritual leader, gently guiding our congregation with wisdom, kindness, and humor. Music is infused in everything we do, and we are very serious about having fun.

One of my parents died and I called them after hours and the woman who answered chewed me out for…read moredisturbing her after hours. I could not quite state my grief all i heard was her shrill defensive sounds.

I joined Beth Emet almost one year ago and have been inspired by congregants and leadership who are…read moredeeply engaged in social justice work. The soup kitchen that Beth emet runs has the most amazing volunteers to help create a beautiful experience for the guests, complete with flowers on the table and live music. It has been exciting to create new and creative service experiences, with a real willingness by congregants to come sing and share their leadership. Our new Soul Spark Shabbat, a monthly offering of beautiful, participatory music and contemplative prayer and meditation, has a growing ensemble of talented congregants who elevate the service with their musical contributions. The openness of the community to try new things is amazing. So grateful to have found my new spiritual home here.

There is an amazing group of leadership, the congregants are welcoming and the sermons always tie…read moreinto something relevant and current.

Rabbi Ari Moffic, of Sukkat Shalom, is officiating at my wedding. Since my fiance and I aren't…read moremembers of a temple, she let us know that we could get tickets to Sukkat Shalom's high holy day services by contacting the executive director. Since they don't sell their tickets, like most temples, they do ask for a donation in exchange for the tickets. But, giving what you can seems much more reasonable than being asked to pay a set price. (I don't even want to get started at why temples sell tickets for services on the holiest holidays . . .seems so . . . not right). Anyhoo, we went to their Rosh Hashanah service this past Saturday and over all we had a positive experience. For some reason, I was expecting it to be more of a diverse congregation and so I was really disappointed to see that my fiance was the only nonwhite person in the room. In terms of looking for a congregation to join, that is a major issue for us. But, I guess they are diverse in that they are very accepting of interfaith families. I guess it just depends what sort of diversity is most important to you. But, over all, the service was very nice. The rabbi gave an interesting sermon on biblical and modern parent child relationships. He used the example of Paul in Chorus Line. While he didn't come right out and argue for gay rights, there was definitely a message that parents should accept their children no matter their sexual orientation. I definitely appreciated that. There was lots of music and the shofar blower was awesome.

This has been my temple all my life. I had my bar mitzvah…read morehere, went to religious and sunday school here, shabbat services, confirmation, all the high holidays, and so much more. The current rabbi, Rabbi Zedek is a great rabbi and person. He is knowledgeable, funny, understanding, and a great speaker. He loves to help out and be socially active. The congregation has many mitzvah opportunities from food for the homeless to holiday packages, to cleaning the chicago river. There's something for everyone and it's very easy to get involved. If you are looking for a temple on the far north side feel free to drop in on a friday night for shabbat services or sunday around noon for sunday services.

We are an interfaith family and were seeking a congregation which would welcome us…read more Despite having let the staff know that we were coming to the Friday night service and giving our names, no one expected us. After the service, there was a community gathering with round tables and food being served (we spent the prior day making cupcakes to bring) and as we went to each table to ask if we could sit down, we were informed, by no fewer than 6 tables that those seats were taken. No one made the slightest attempt to acknowledge or welcome us. We were disappointed. Perhaps this is a warm and supportive place for long-time members, but as potential members we were ignored.

I came for a religious ceremony this morning. The building is absolutely stunning both inside and…read moreout. Staff working at the event were polite and friendly. Parking lot is behind the building and can be accessed via Keystone Avenue. There are plenty of street parking along Keystone as well.

I've visited a synagogue or two in my time. I've always ended up disappointed…read more Without naming names, I will say that I've left reform congregations because: they were judgmental of my conservadox upbringing; they were not gay friendly; they told me I didn't "look Jewish"; they couldn't remember my name after I'd been a member for a year; they talked about baseball for the entirety of Yom Kippur services; they didn't see my vegetarianism as a legitimate path of keeping Kosher; they were boring. So, maybe I'm a little picky. But now I've found Mishkan. It's far away from me (I live on the Southside), but I'm willing to take public transit for over an hour to be at Friday services. The rabbis are kind, caring, and interesting. There's a ton of lesbians who attend services, so I never feel out-of-place. The food is often vegetarian-friendly! The Jews who attend service are diverse, and no one has ever told me I don't "look Jewish." Even if the rabbis were not the smart, funny women they are, I'd probably keep attending for the great people I've met in the congregation.

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.

Very progressive Conservative Congregation with…read moreaward-winning youth program. Members of all ages, new and sincere female rabbi, and daily services. Great cantor. Offers catering and facilities for special events. Suggest coming as a guest to experience services especially on Holidays.

Rabbi Annie Tucker and Rabbi Michael Cohen do a phenomenal job of leading this progressive…read morecongregation. People of all ages and demographics are welcome and encouraged to join. They go above and beyond other local congregations inspire families to come together to foster community. The talented Cantor Roytman has brought a new music program to the school for all ages to enjoy/participate. We feel very fortunate to be members of this synagogue. They are a breath a fresh air!

I have been coming here for a few years. Friendly crowd.read more

lakeshore Drive is a very friendly synagogue. It's traditional yet at the same times people are…read moreinterested in you. They want to connect and share their experiences. How often I've been invited for Shabbat dinner and created a real connection. They've been around since 1980 hidden away off of Lakeshore Drive in a very residential area. We just have to say give it a try.

Very friendly and warm membership. We like the children's religious school b/c the kids get…read morepersonalized instruction rather than classes of 20+. The new Rabbi has young (3) kids of his own and is very approachable and personable. They make going to shul fun rather than drab.