Chicago's Forgotten Synagogues (Images of America: Illinois)

The disappearing history of ChicagoÂ’s Jewish past can be found in the religious architecture of its stately synagogues and communal buildings. Whether modest or majestic, wood or stone, the buildings reflected their membersÂ’ views on faith and their commitment to the neighborhoods where they lived in a time when individuals and the community were inseparable from their neighborhood synagogues, temples, and shuls. From ChicagoÂ’s oldest Jewish congregation, Kehilath Anshe Maariv Temple (Pilgrim Baptist), to Ohave Sholom (St. Basils Greek Orthodox), to Kehilath Anshe MaarivÂ’s last independent building (Operation Push), come and explore ChicagoÂ’s forgotten synagogues and communal buildings. Nearly 150 years of Chicago history unfolds in ChicagoÂ’s Forgotten Synagogues as the photographs and accompanying stories tell of the synagoguesÂ’ past greatness and their present and uncertain future.