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Chicago Innovation Hub

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If you’re from the Chicago area and looking for anything Jewish and interfaith-related, you’ve come to the right place.

Learn about our Chicago Advisory Council and who’s on it.


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Jewish Communal Professionals Events & Resources



what to do in December questions

Inclusion eLearning Course

Deepen your understanding of the importance of communication when working with interfaith families with our free course, “The Language and Optics of Interfaith Inclusion.”

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Webinars for Professionals

Check out our collection of prerecorded webinars to learn best practices and principles in interfaith engagement. Topics include findings from the 2020 Pew study and interfaith families and anti-Black racism.

Joe and Ezra holding hands

How to Make Your Website Interfaith-Friendly

Your website is the welcome mat for your community. Here are some tips on making your website more interfaith friendly.

Molly and Evan wedding

Join our Clergy Referral Service

Interested in joining 18Doors’ list of recommended clergy who officiate at lifecycle ceremonies for interfaith couples & families?
You’ve come to the right place.

18Doors Interfaith Inclusion Project: B’Yachad

B’Yachad is a nine-month program designed to help Jewish institutions and organizations more fully embrace interfaith couples and families and expand their supportive policies and practices.

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Interfaith Inclusive Language: A Glossary and Discussion Guide

We encourage you to frequently consider to the language you choose to ensure that it communicates your organization’s values. 

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Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship

The Rukin Fellows are part of a unique community of practice that works together to hone skills working with interfaith couples and families. Fellows work across the Jewish communal landscape. Apply now!

    Couples and Families Events & Resources



    when is sukkot

    Jewish Holiday Email Series

    When you sign up for this year-round series, you’ll receive one or a few emails with our expertise and advice leading up to the High Holy Days and Sukkot, Hanukkah, Tu Bishvat, Purim, Passover and more.

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    Multicultural Recipes

    Browse through popular categories including recipes for date nights, Shabbat, kids and more. Try out new and surprising combinations that are rooted in Jewish tradition and steeped in many cultures.

    Order a FREE Mezuzah

    We have a special partnership with MyZuzah to bring interfaith couples and families a free mezuzah, a traditional object which some Jewish people hang outside their doors.

    Marni and Srijan

    Planning a Wedding?

    If you or a loved one from a Jewish background is planning a wedding, you probably have tons of questions. We’re here to help.

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    Interactive Shabbat Blessings

    Read and listen to the Shabbat blessings, including the blessing over the children.

    Grandpareting Advice

    It’s not always easy being a grandparent, especially if your family comes from multiple faiths. Get advice that’s tailored for you.
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    Jewish Holiday Greetings 101

    There can even be different ways that people pronounce the name of a holiday or greet people during a Jewish holiday.

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    Interfaith Dating Stories

    Check out our collection of essays that explore the joys and challenges of interfaith dating.

      Chicago Advisory Council

      About Us

      The Chicago Advisory Council provides support and thought leadership around building the community’s capacity to engage interfaith couples and families.  They assist the Chicago Director to provide professional expertise, forge community partnerships and increase the visibility of interfaith issues across the Chicago Jewish community. Our goal is for the Chicago Innovation Hub to become the community resource for supporting organizations in offering places of belonging for Jewish interfaith couples and families across the Chicagoland area.   

      The Council brings together some of the Chicago Jewish community’s brightest clergy, professionals and lay-leaders – either Jewish or Jewish adjacent. We aspire to have our team reflect the diversity of our world, and of interfaith couples and families. 18Doors is committed to diversifying our stakeholders and welcomes from those groups that have historically been underrepresented in our organization—people of color, people with disabilities and LGBTQ people.  

      Meet Our Advisory Council Members

      • Rabbi David Eber – Congregation Beth Shalom Naperville and 18Doors Rukin Rabbinic Fellow
      • Keren Eckstein – Senior Program Manager, Teen Philanthropy, Jewish United Fund
      • Leah Greenblum – Founder and Executive Director, Jewish Free Loan Chicago
      • Leora Hatchwell – Educator, Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation
      • Dylan Lingelbach – Senior Engineering Manager, PagerDuty
      • Kenneth Lyonswright – Senior Director of Liturgical Music and Pastoral Care at Congregation Sukkat Shalom 
      • Nikki Kothari  – Product Development Director
      • Steven Podolsky – Director for Life, Jewish Council for Youth Services
      • Alicia Rosauer – Co-Founder, Unison Home
      • Cantor Dara Rosenblatt – Am Yisrael Conservative Congregation
      • Midge Shafton – Current board member and Past Chair of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
      • Cindy Sher – Executive Editor, Jewish Chicago: The JUF Magazine

      Let's create belonging, together.