The Cook County Board recently made history by adopting an ordinance that keeps taxpayers from picking up the tab for federal immigration enforcement. Now, however, the board’s action is under attack. Read More »

By Emily Zucker Burns JCUA Director of Organizing There’s a lot of activity to report about the proposal to build a large immigrant detention center in the village of Crete, about a one-hour drive south of Chicago’s Loop. On Monday, Jan. Read More »

Irene Lehrer Sandalow Irene Lehrer Sandalow, director of special initiatives at JCUA, recently accepted a new position as Program Manager of the Jewish Education Project. Among Irene’s many contributions to JCUA have been her d’var Torah presentations (words of Torah) at our staff meetings. Read More »

By JCUA’s 2011-2012 Intern From Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (Germany) Our first Jewish-Muslim text study of 2012 was new and refreshing in a number of exciting ways. First, it was the first text study facilitated by a female Muslim chaplain. Read More »

Emily Isaacson wrote this reflection based on her experience at Or Tzedek’s first annual Winter Leadership Retreat. Providing the Tools for Change: Or Tzedek’s Winter Leadership Retreat By Emily Isaacson Or Tzedek participant, Winter 2011 Leadership Retreat participants Meirav (from left), Emily and Rachel hanging out in the city. Read More »

Doug Lavey participated in Or Tzedek’s first program in the summer of 2007. In his first post for Or Tzedek, Doug reflects on how his Or Tzedek experience fostered a commitment to social justice and led him to take advantage of other opportunities. Doug currently studies Political Science and Economics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Read More »

Alyse Shields By Alyse Shields JCUA Intern, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago Emotions remain high in the south suburban village of Crete, the site of a proposed federal detention center. Another 100 people attended at the latest Crete Village Board meeting held Jan. 23. Read More »

By Pamela Klier-Weidner Director of Development and Communications, JCUA The executive suite at Dunkin’ Brands is looking into a blatant example of racism I wrote about earlier this month on JCUA’s newsblog. In that post, I described taking my daughters to a Chicago area Dunkin’ Donuts store last October. Read More »

On Tuesday January 17, 2012, JCUA submitted a testimony to Mayor Rahm Emanuel regarding its proposed ordinance for tightening protest regulations. JEWISH COUNCIL ON URBAN AFFAIRS January 17, 2012 Testimony by Jane Ramsey on Mayor Emanuel proposed changes to the city’s parade ordinance governing protests and marches. Read More »

Imam Ousmane Drame of Masjid Al-Farooq (from left), Rabbi Asher Lopatin of Anshe Sholom Bnai Israel Congregation and Karen Danielson of the Mosque Foundation. Read More »

In commemoration of Martin Luther King Day and in solidarity with the American Muslim community, on Sunday, Jan. 15 JCUA’s Jane Ramsey spoke at an interfaith town hall meeting concerning Lowe’s anti-Muslim actions last month. The town hall meeting took place at the Prayer Center of Orland Park. See media coverage of the event . Read More »

Saturday Racism with my Kids By Pamela Klier-Weidner Director of Development and Communications, JCUA “Would you like a little racism with your sandwich?” No Dunkin’ Donuts employee ever said anything like that. Read More »

Last week, 15 amazing high school and college students came together as a community to visit community partner organizations, learn leadership and organizing skills, explore Chicago, and take action. Read More »

Inspired by her experience as an intern at JCUA, Audrey Hutnick created and managed a campaign to call attention to abandoned homes in Peoria, where she is a student at Bradley University. Click to view slideshow. Read More »

Inspired by her experience as an intern at JCUA, Audrey Hutnick created and managed a campaign to call attention to abandoned homes in Peoria, where she is a student at Bradley University. Click to view slideshow. Read More »

The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs condemns the attacks against the Islamic cultural center and the three other locations in Queens, New York on Sunday January 1. We denounce the attempts to bring fear and intimidation to the Muslim community. Read More »

We are seeking work that explores the theme “New Roots Chicago: Digging our past and branching into our future.” The experiences of nurturing a home, and tensions between uprooting and rerooting in the Chicagoland area will be the key issue for our 2012 annual Jewish/Muslim performing arts event. Read More »

Note: The next Discussion over Coffee will take place Wednesday, January 18th. Topic: Women in Judaism and Islam. Stay tuned for details. In the comfortable and warm Bourgeois Pig Cafe, Jews and Muslims gathered on a cold but sunny December afternoon. Read More »

Dec. 15, 2011 marked the 220th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. On this day Asaf Bar-Tura represented the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs at an interfaith press conference opposing the provisions allowing indefinite detention in the National Defense Authorization Act. Read More »

JCUA Statement Click the picture to sign a petition protesting companies’ decisions to pull advertising from “All-American Muslim.” The treatment of American Muslims by the media has reached a new low. Read More »