At Emanuel Congregation we open our doors to all who seek richer, more meaningful lives. Together, our diverse community engages in prayer, lifelong learning and tikkun olam (repairing the world), empowering adults and children alike to apply Jewish values to our everyday lives and to be a collective force for good.
Emanuel Congregation, a Chicago Reform Jewish Synagogue, is led by Rabbi Craig Marantz a graduate of Stanford University with a long record of social justice, spiritual guidance, and life-long learning. Rabbi Marantz predecessor was Rabbi Michael R. Zedek, a nationally known scholar and speaker. Rabbi Zedek who now serves as Emanuel's Emeritus served for four years as the Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. Previously, he served for 26 years as the spiritual leader of Congregation B'nai Jehudah in Kansas City, Missouri. A recipient of the Danforth Graduate Fellowship for outstanding teaching and a Fulbright-Hays Grant for advanced study in the United Kingdom, Rabbi Zedek is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Hamilton College, New York. In addition to his professional activities, Rabbi Zedek is deeply involved in civic affairs, having served on a number of national and international boards. Rabbi Zedek serves as a host of the weekly radio program, “Religion on the Line.” Congregational Cantor Michelle D. Friedman leads music at services as well as teaches bar/bat mitzvah students. As an energetic, and patient teacher, Cantor Friedman is considered a chief asset of the congregation.
