October 06, 2025 | 14 Tishri 5786
Rabbi Manfred Swarsensky (z”l) survived the Holocaust and immigrated to Madison, becoming the first rabbi of Temple Beth El. When he accepted the position in 1940, the synagogue had 12 members, which grew to over 400 families during his 36 years of tenure. He is a beloved figure of Madison’s history; in 2024, Temple Beth […]
The electric toy train, which millions of Americans enjoy at Christmas, needed a Jewish family to popularize it. I explore this theme and the influence of Lionel trains on American life in my new book: “Lights, Camera, Lionel Trains! A Photo History of an American Icon,” which features 250 photographs and 100 essays. The cultural […]
I thought I was going to Israel to learn about politics. What I found instead was the stories of people and their fears, hopes, and resilience. I’m Liz Geier, a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a political science and journalism major, and a leader at Madison Hillel. This August, I traveled with 16 other […]
Some may ask: “What is the value of becoming a b’nei mitzvah – a ceremony signifying your passage into Jewish adulthood – well past the typical age of 13?” For Laurie Schwartz, of Waukesha, becoming a bat mitzvah in 2021 allowed her to connect more to Judaism, and her community at Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha. […]
Marcy Hotz celebrated her Bat Mitzvah in 2021, when she was 73 years old. “I was 60 years late,” she told the Chronicle in an interview. She was born and raised in Milwaukee in the 1960s, attending Garfinkel’s New Method Hebrew School at 53rd and Center. While she attended Hebrew school, she did not have […]
People typically celebrate their bar or bat mitzvah at 12 or 13. Adrian Richfield marked that occasion at 78. In August 2021, standing alongside a group of peers at Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha, Richfield finally chanted the Torah portion she had been “carrying around in [her] purse for two years.” The journey to that day […]
For Jaclyn Skalecki Orozco, choosing Judaism wasn’t a moment – it was a journey. On June 21, she marked a powerful milestone in that journey by celebrating her adult bat mitzvah at Congregation Shalom in Milwaukee. A member of the congregation for more than eight years and a convert since 2019, Orozco’s decision to step […]
Ashley Boros-Rupp finally found what she was looking for. She said she’s long had a relationship with God. Boros-Rupp was raised in a family that could be described as agnostic yet attended church, she said. She felt she could maintain her relationship with a higher power independent of organized religion. That changed when Boros-Rupp, who […]
When James Wiley stepped up to the bimah for his adult bar mitzvah, he sent a clear message to his children: belonging is yours, if you choose to embrace it. “I wanted to relay to my kids that belonging is for you, and it’s something that you can have faith in…The land of milk and […]
When Ellen Eckman’s grandson expressed interest in a bar mitzvah, she made a pledge to him: If he pursued his, she’d pursue hers. Ellen didn’t have a bat mitzvah growing up. Although she was raised Jewish and had three brothers who celebrated bar mitzvahs with full ceremonies and parties, there was less opportunity for girls […]
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