Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois, Chicago Jewish Historical Society joint hybrid event

“From the Basement of the Shul to
the Basement of City Hall: Uncovering the Hidden Records of Oak Park’s Jewish
Community” is
the title of a hybrid lecture to be co-hosted by the Jewish Genealogical
Society of Illinois and the Chicago Jewish Historical Society on Sunday, Aug.
30, 2026.

Michael Zmora will guide
us through his research process with a focus on his hometown of Oak Park,
Illinois. He will be speaking in person at Temple Beth-El, 3610 Dundee Road,
Northbrook, Illinois, and online via Zoom.

Temple Beth-El will open
at 12:30 p.m. CDT for sign-ins. Please join us for snacks and a social
hour at 1 p.m. CDT before the lecture begins at 2 p.m. CDT.

Please register/RSVP at https://jgsi.org/event-6624495

Jews have
been an integral part of Oak Park and River Forest since before these suburbs
had their names. These early Jewish pioneers of the western suburbs helped pave
the way for an organized community that established itself in the early decades
of the 20th century. Beginning in the 1930s, Jews in both Oak Park and River
Forest faced community antisemitism and institutional discrimination from the
governing bodies of the two villages on their way to establishing two
synagogues in the mid-20th century.

Michael
Zmora will present this compelling story while explaining how he uncovered
documents from unlikely sources, ranging from synagogue correspondence files to
real estate board minutes to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds’ archives, in
order to reveal this hidden history.

After two years of
extensive research, Michael Zmora wrote two articles
for Chicago Jewish History (the quarterly journal of the Chicago
Jewish Historical Society), on the Jewish communities of Oak Park and River
Forest. An attorney by profession, Michael has lived in Oak Park with his wife
and two children for the past eight years. 

For more information
about JGSI, visit our website www.jgsi.org.
To learn about the Chicago Jewish Historical Society, visit www.chicagojewishhistory.org.