OyChicago blog

Everyone here at Oy!Chicago would like to say mazel tov to Alyssa Latala and her husband, Joe Latala who are now proud parents of a healthy baby (and who guessed it?) boy! I guess the shamapoo-er at the salon was right on that one. Little Benjamin Cooper was born on August 7. We can’t wait to hear how they decided on a name. Congratulations Alyssa and Joe!

Last night’s vigil at Congregation Emanuel for the victims of the Tel Aviv tragedy was a quiet one. It was filled with peaceful poetry and prayers, including traditional memorial prayers and those for healing for the people who were killed and wounded in the awful shooting that took place just a week ago. The community came together very quickly to create a service organized by Rabbi Larry Edwards of Congregation Or Chadash and featured both Jewish and non-Jewish leaders from the area.

Participants in the service included: Rabbi Larry Edwards (Cong. Or Chadash), Hon. Orly Gil (Consul Gen. of Israel to the Midwest), Rabbi Michael Balinsky (Chicago Board of Rabbis), Rabbi Shoshanah Conover (Temple Sholom), Jeryl Levin (New Israel Fund), Rabbi Rebecca Lillian (Limmud Chicago), Rabbi Brant Rosen (Jewish Reconstruction Congregation, Evanston), Judith Golden (cantorial soloist, Cong. Or Chadash), Aaron Frankel (principal, Cong. Beth Israel, Munster, IN), Rev. Kevin L. Downer (Metropolitan Community Church), Bishop James Wilkowski (Evangelical Catholic Diocese NW), and Cantor David Reinwald (Temple Anshe Sholom, Olympia Fields).

The service was well-attended and there was an outpouring of support from the wider Jewish, LGBT, and other religious communities.

May the memory of those tragically murdered be for a blessing and we wish a refuah sh'leimah, a full recovery, to all of those injured in this brutal attack.

Sponsors of this Chicago program included Congregation Or Chadash, Emanuel Congregation, the New Israel Fund, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.