Bessie Green-Field Warshawsky Gallery and Green-Field Gallery

Closes September 2

The Museum’s first exhibition on the history of Jewish Chicago is part of an ongoing effort to tell a more inclusive and diverse history of the city to contemporary audiences.

Discover a rich array of personal stories that represent and illuminate the larger community’s experience. Each story illustrates how Jewish immigrants and their descendants adapted to modern American society while retaining an age-old religious and cultural identity. The exhibition also makes direct connections to Chicago history, illustrating that Jews have been an integral part of the city’s history and made many significant contributions to its growth and development.

Shalom Chicago features more than three hundred artifacts and images, compelling A/V programs, and engaging interactive experiences organized into three main sections.

The Early Community

Begin your journey by meeting several members of Chicago’s early German Jewish community who began arriving in the 1840s. Rare artifacts from pre-fire Chicago and first-person accounts help tell their inspiring stories to a new generation.

At Home in Chicago

Explore the German and Eastern European Jewish communities through personal stories related to city neighborhoods, business and labor, art and culture, and religion. Special attractions include a compelling A/V program about the 1910 garment workers’ strike, a kosher food interactive, and a rich array of ritual objects.

New Challenges and Opportunities

Meet Jewish Chicagoans who protested against Hitler and served in World War II. Encounter Polish freedom fighters and a more recent immigrant from Russia. Highlights include footage of a1933 anti-Nazi march and a concluding video that features members of today’s community.

Slideshow

> View a selection of images from Shalom Chicago on Flickr

See a list of Shalom Chicago events

> Explore Chicago's rich Jewish heritage at these upcoming programs

This exhibition is presented in collaboration with Spertus Institute.

Supported by DePaul University, Jo and Newt Minow, The Covenant Foundation, The Crown Family, The Jacob & Rosaline Cohn Foundation, The Steinfeld Foundation, Jack and Goldie Wolfe Miller Fund, Andi and Jim Gordon, The Edgewater Funds, Liz Stiffel, The Mayer and Morris Kaplan Family Foundation in memory of Morris Kaplan, A gift in memory of Pearl and Edward Gray, The Guild of the Chicago History Museum, and Nell Minow, Martha Minow, and Mary Minow in honor of Jo and Newt Minow.

The Chicago History Museum gratefully acknowledges the Chicago Park District’s generous support of all of the Museum’s activities.