A 178-Year-Old Congregation on the South Side
KAM Isaiah Israel sits on the corner of Greenwood Avenue and 50th Street in Hyde Park, seven miles south of downtown Chicago and a short walk from the lakefront and the University of Chicago. With roots reaching back to 1847, the congregation is the oldest Jewish congregation in Illinois, and its current home, a striking 1924 Byzantine-style sanctuary designed by architect Alfred Alschuler, is a designated Chicago Landmark. After a multi-year, more than $5 million restoration, the sanctuary was rededicated on the first night of Hanukkah 2025 in a ceremony that filled the building with song and a renewed sense of purpose.
The community draws members from the greater South Side and southern suburbs as well as from neighborhoods downtown. Interfaith families, young children, empty nesters, mature adults, emerging adults, LGBTQ+ households, and Jews by choice all find a place within the congregation. As the leadership puts it, KAM Isaiah Israel is built around a simple idea: a transformative Reform Jewish community shaped by engaged worship, lifelong learning, and impactful social justice work.
The Sanctuary and Its Rededication
The building that houses KAM Isaiah Israel is itself a work of art. Designed by Alfred Alschuler and dedicated in 1924, the sanctuary features soaring ceilings, breathtaking acoustics, original Guastavino tiles, and six stained-glass windows whose values have guided the congregation for a century: truth, holiness, piety, love, justice, and peace. Seating up to 650, the sanctuary has hosted generations of weddings, b'nai mitzvah, concerts, and civic gatherings.
In December 2025, on the 25th of Kislev 5786, the community gathered to rededicate the sanctuary after a three-year restoration. The work included a complete revitalization of the interior, the painstaking restoration of the stained-glass windows (a project honored with a 2023 Preservation Excellence Award from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and supported by a $250,000 Adopt-a-Landmark grant from the City of Chicago), new roofing, stairs, plumbing, and the addition of a geothermal HVAC system donated by an anonymous supporter. The restoration was also buoyed by a $250,000 grant from the National Fund for Sacred Places.
The rededication ceremony opened with a moment of silence for the victims of a Hanukkah attack in Sydney, Australia, before the lighting of the menorah, the hanging of a mezuzah on the Stephen S. Wise portal, and the carrying of a Torah scroll into the ark. In his keynote address, Rabbi Daniel Kirzane proposed a seventh value to stand alongside the six inscribed in the windows: community. "Our synagogue is not just a building," he said. "It is also the congregation that suffuses it with life." A second phase of building work, focused on restrooms, electrical service, an accessible ramp to the bima, and expanded balcony seating, is now underway as part of the Mishpacha campaign.
Clergy, Staff, and Lay Leadership
KAM Isaiah Israel is served by Rabbi Daniel Kirzane and Cantor David Berger. Rabbi Kirzane began his tenure on July 1, 2024. Originally from Roanoke, Virginia, and raised in an interfaith home, he earned a degree in Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at the University of Virginia before attending Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where he also earned a master's in Jewish education. After ordination in 2014, he served pulpits in Mahwah, New Jersey, Overland Park, Kansas, and Oak Park, Illinois, and completed an MA in Religious Studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School, specializing in Hebrew Bible. He currently chairs the HUC Alumni Leadership Council, serves on HUC's Board of Governors, and is vice president of the Chicago Association of Reform Rabbis.
Cantor David Berger, a Chicago-area native, holds a BA in Religious Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, an MA in Philosophy from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a Masters of Sacred Music and cantorial ordination from the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at HUC. He has also earned a certificate in Jewish education from the Melton Centre for Jewish Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Known for his expertise in traditional Ashkenazic chazzanut and Jewish world music, Cantor Berger previously served as cantor of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in New York City and Congregation Tikvat Jacob Beth Torah in Manhattan Beach, California. He currently chairs Continuing Professional Development for the American Conference of Cantors.
Osnat Strulov Shlain serves as Executive Director, leading all aspects of synagogue life. Born and raised in Israel, she moved with her family to Berkeley in 2013 and to Chicago in 2019, bringing nonprofit management experience from the educational sector. Elisa Aranoff is the Director of Youth Education, with more than 20 years of experience in Jewish education and a background as Camp Director of Apachi Hyde Park JCC Day Camp. Kimberly Kent serves as Administrative Operations Coordinator, Eva Griffin-Stolbach as Program Assistant, and Deanna Neil supports special projects. The facilities team includes James Mackey Jr., Luis Garcia Vilchez, and John Sefner.
Lay leadership is provided by an active board. Julie Volchenboum serves as president, with Paul Staniland as vice president, Tilly Davis as secretary, and Rich Lipman as treasurer. Gilbert Lichstein serves as officer at large, and Lenore Mass is the immediate past president.
Shabbat and the Rhythm of the Week
Worship at KAM Isaiah Israel is built around the rhythms of Shabbat, with services that use the contemporary Reform prayerbook Mishkan T'filah. Friday nights begin with a Family Shabbat Service at 5:45 PM, which is the core of the Shoresh Shabbat School and is open to all; it concludes with adult-oriented teaching and music. When Family Shabbat is not scheduled, an adult-oriented Shabbat Evening Service gathers at 7:30 PM, often following a community dinner. The congregation also leads Shabbat services at Montgomery Place at 4:45 PM on the second and fourth Fridays of each month.
Saturday mornings begin with clergy-led Torah Study at 9:00 AM, offered in a hybrid format, followed by a musical and engaging Shabbat and Festival Morning Service at 10:15 AM. Torah Study is also offered online on Fridays at 5:00 PM as part of Community Torah Study. The full schedule of weekly gatherings includes a Yiddish Reading Group on Mondays at 7:15 PM, Pilates on Tuesdays at 8:00 AM, a Hebrew Study Group on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, an Online Minyan on Wednesdays at 8:00 AM, and Yoga on Wednesdays at 9:00 AM.
Services are livestreamed, and the community maintains an active YouTube archive of sermons, holiday services, and educational recordings going back several years. Rabbi Kirzane writes a weekly d'var Torah that connects the week's Torah portion to current events, American history, and the moral questions of the day, and the archive is open to anyone who wants to follow along.
Music as a Living Tradition
Music has defined the congregation's spiritual life since its earliest days. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the music of German composers like Lewandowski and Sulzer filled the sanctuary, but for more than 50 years the sound of KAM Isaiah Israel was shaped by composer Max Janowski, the preeminent composer of Jewish liturgical music in 20th-century America and the congregation's music director. His compositions remain a centerpiece of the musical tradition, and the congregation recently published a collection of previously unpublished Janowski works to mark the 25th anniversary of his death.
Today, Cantor Berger directs a music program that ranges from ancient melodies said to have been handed down at Sinai to the works of Italian Renaissance composer Solomone Rossi, from contemporary songwriters like Josh Nelson and Debbie Friedman to Sephardic folk songs, Chasidic niggunim, and the newest spiritual sounds from Israel. Pianists, the Community Chorale, and a Klezmer band all take part in worship throughout the year, alongside guest musicians, visiting ensembles, and the voices of the congregation. Beyond worship, KAM Isaiah Israel regularly produces concerts, recitals, and premieres of new compositions, and is recognized as a center for great Jewish music in Chicago and around the country.
Learning for Every Age
Learning is a core value at KAM Isaiah Israel, and the congregation offers a layered program of study for children, teens, and adults. At the heart of children's education is Shoresh Shabbat School, a play on the Hebrew word for "root." Shoresh is an inclusive, project-based, Friday-afternoon program for learners from kindergarten through 10th grade, with most K-7 classes meeting from 4:00 to 6:30 PM about three times a month. The session culminates in the 5:45 PM Family Shabbat Service, including community candle lighting at 5:40 PM, prayers and stories from 5:45 to 6:25 PM, and kiddush and motzi at 6:25 PM. The program welcomes interfaith families, Jews of color, Jews by choice, and LGBTQ+ families. Hebrew@Home pairs learners in grades 2 through 6 with tutors for one-on-one Hebrew reading sessions, building the prayer fluency they will need for b'nai mitzvah and beyond.
Tot Shabbat, offered monthly on Saturday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 AM, is designed for children from birth through age 5 with a caregiver and includes songs, prayers, stories, dancing, and Shabbat-friendly activities. The B'nai Mitzvah Program is a multi-year experience that combines regular Shoresh attendance, Hebrew@Home study, one-on-one tutoring, regular meetings with the rabbi and cantor, and a mitzvah project supported in partnership with Tzedek America.
For older youth, Community Adventures brings 8th through 10th graders together for Sunday-morning sessions exploring different local religious communities. Confirmation, a 10th-grade program, includes monthly meetings with the rabbi, a L'Taken trip to Washington, D.C., and a culminating confirmation service in the spring. Madrichim in Training, for grades 8 through 12, and the paid Madrichim program, for grades 9 through 12, allow teens to work in Shoresh while building leadership skills.
Adult learning offerings include weekly Torah Study, an Adult B'nai Mitzvah program that combines Shabbat morning study with Hebrew instruction, Hebrew Reading 101 on Tuesday evenings, and the KAM Isaiah Israel Scholars Series, which brings distinguished Jewish Studies professors to teach and speak across Friday night services, Saturday morning Torah Study, and Lunch and Learn sessions. The Scholars Series is sponsored by the Rabbinic Heritage Committee. Lunch and Learn sessions during the year have featured programs on the Middle Meets dialogue initiative, the Heritage Words Podcast with Professor Sarah Bunin Benor, and a wide range of Jewish cultural and intellectual topics.
Tikkun Olam: Food Justice, Social Justice, and Caring for One Another
KAM Isaiah Israel traces its commitment to social justice to Rabbi Jacob Weinstein, who served from 1939 to 1967 and was a hero of the labor movement. That tradition continues today through the Social Justice Committee and a nationally recognized Food Justice and Sustainability program founded in 2009 by Robert Nevel z"l. Volunteers transform unproductive lawns on the synagogue campus into urban farms, food forests, and pollinator gardens, and the food they grow is delivered weekly from June through October to partner soup kitchens, food pantries, and senior centers on the South Side. Over the program's 15-plus years, more than 20,000 pounds of fresh produce has been donated, and the congregation has helped other synagogues convert their own lawns into food-producing spaces. The High Holy Day Fresh Food Initiative extends the work into the lean winter months by purchasing storage crops for the same partners.
Beyond the gardens, the Social Justice Committee coordinates educational, advocacy, and volunteer activities. KAM Isaiah Israel is a founding member of the synagogue partnership of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, the Jewish voice for social justice in Chicago, and is connected to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Rabbi Kirzane's sermons regularly engage current events, from reproductive freedom and immigration justice to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and the rabbi has been an active participant in the Middle Meets dialogue initiative that brings Jewish and Palestinian students together across lines of difference.
The Caring Community program embodies the value of re'ut, friendship and fellowship. Chesed Meal Volunteers organize, prepare, and deliver meals to members who are sick or recovering from surgery, while Shiva Volunteers help set up, run, and attend shiva gatherings in the homes of mourners. The Clergy are available throughout every stage of life to be present with families as they face decisions about hospice care, funeral arrangements, and the days, weeks, and months of mourning that follow.
High Holy Days and the Festival Year
The High Holy Days at KAM Isaiah Israel are designed to welcome everyone, members and visitors alike. S'lichot opens the season with study at 8:00 PM, a dessert reception at 9:00 PM, and a S'lichot Service with Choir at 9:30 PM. Erev Rosh Hashanah brings a 6:00 PM family service and a 7:30 PM service, followed the next morning by a 9:00 AM Tot Service for ages 0 to 5 with a grown-up, Shoresh Chag programming for grades K through 5 from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM, childcare for ages 0 to 5 during the same hours, the main Rosh Hashanah Morning Service at 10:00 AM, and an apples and honey reception afterward. A Second Day Morning Service is held on the Sunday of Rosh Hashanah at 10:00 AM, followed by Tashlich, a shofar blast, and a picnic in Jackson Park.
Yom Kippur opens with a 6:00 PM Family Kol Nidre Service and a 7:30 PM Kol Nidre Service. The Yom Kippur morning includes a 9:00 AM Tot Service, Shoresh Chag, and childcare, followed by the Yom Kippur Morning Service at 10:00 AM, a 1:00 PM study session with the rabbi, a 2:00 PM reflection with the Wellness Group, a 3:00 PM session on immigration justice, the 4:00 PM Yizkor Memorial and N'ilah Concluding Service, and a light break-the-fast at 6:30 PM. Members of URJ-affiliated congregations in good standing are warmly welcomed as reciprocal visitors.
Sukkot and Simchat Torah are celebrated with a sukkah build, a back-to-shul dinner, Sukkot morning services, a Lunch and Learn on end-of-life conversations with Rabbi Kirzane, a Simchat Torah celebration and dinner, and a Simchat Torah morning service that includes Yizkor. The sanctuary is often filled with congregants of every age and background, and the holiday programming has been featured in the congregation's online video archive.
Lifecycle Events: From Birth to B'nai Mitzvah to Wedding and Beyond
KAM Isaiah Israel's clergy walk alongside families through every milestone. Birth rituals include b'rit milah in partnership with several local mohalim and baby naming ceremonies, both of which can be customized to honor relatives and friends regardless of religious background. Consecration, one of the most delightful ceremonies on the calendar, marks a kindergarten-aged child's entrance into formal Jewish education and includes the singing of the Shema, a blessing, and the gift of a miniature Torah scroll.
B'nai mitzvah ceremonies typically take place on Saturday morning as part of regular Shabbat worship. Each student works with a personal tutor, the cantor, and the rabbi, and may choose to express their Judaism through music, visual art, or theater in addition to the traditional Torah reading. The full b'nai mitzvah fee of $1,800 supports weekly lessons with an educator, regular clergy meetings, and special cohort events. Financial need is never a barrier to participation.
Weddings at KAM Isaiah Israel are coordinated through the clergy and the synagogue office. The Sanctuary seats up to 650 guests and is paired with the Main Hall, Garden Patio, and Chapel for receptions and celebrations. The full-venue packages, including the Sanctuary plus Main Hall and the Sanctuary plus Garden Celebration, are designed to make planning simple for lifecycle events. Funerals are conducted by the clergy for members of the congregation, and the congregation organizes shiva minyans in the homes of mourners, supported by a dedicated group of shiva volunteers.
Visiting KAM Isaiah Israel
Visitors are warmly welcomed at every service and program. The synagogue's address is 5039 S. Greenwood Avenue in Chicago, with the entrance and parking lot just to the south of the main building. From Lake Shore Drive, visitors take the 47th Street/Kenwood exit, continue straight under the Metra overpass onto East 47th Street, turn left onto South Greenwood Avenue at the stop sign, and continue south to the intersection at 50th Street. A jersey barrier with "Presidential Parking Only" signs stands in front of the lot, but visitors are welcome to drive through; the parking lot is one block down to the left, and entry is by buzzing under the covered awning. The phone number for assistance is 773-924-1234.
The building is family-friendly and ADA accessible, with hearing assistance, large-print prayer books, and a welcoming spirit for anyone who might benefit from accommodations. Name tags, seating arrangements, mobility support, dietary needs, and other accommodations can be requested in advance of any visit. The main floor and the building's facilities are designed to make every guest feel at home.
Membership, Giving, and the Brit Kehilah
Membership at KAM Isaiah Israel is structured around the Brit Kehilah, a covenant of community rather than a simple dues payment. The Brit Kehilah has four pledge tiers, Yesod, Amud, Tomech, and Boneh, that work as guideposts rather than rankings. The Yesod tier is open to any amount, and the community asks only that members give thoughtfully and affirm the congregation's shared values and Code of Ethics. Members gain access to clergy, family programming, youth education, and the full life of the congregation, including High Holy Days seating that is always reserved.
Beyond the Brit Kehilah, members sustain the community through time, presence, connection, and expertise. Additional giving supports the Mishpacha: Our Family, Our Future. campaign, which has now exceeded its original $5 million goal, and the second phase of work, A Building for Our Community. Donations can be made online, by check, by Zelle, or through a Donor Advised Fund. The congregation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Six Values, A Century and Counting
Six values, written in stone and glass in the sanctuary, have shaped KAM Isaiah Israel for a century: truth, holiness, piety, love, justice, and peace. In 2025, the congregation added a seventh: community. The Mishpacha campaign, the Shoresh Shabbat School, the urban farms, the caring community, the music, the scholarship, and the prayer all flow from this shared commitment.
From the Kohn brothers' successful campaign in 1847 to convert a Jewish burial society into a congregation that could hire a shochet, to the construction of the landmark 1924 sanctuary, to the rededication of that sanctuary a century later, KAM Isaiah Israel has been a place where Jewish life on the South Side of Chicago gathers, learns, sings, mourns, and grows. The doors are open, the Torah is in the ark, and the community is ready to welcome all who wish to join.