Welcome to the Front Lines

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the Chicago Jewish Alliance.

You didn’t just sign up. You chose a side. You joined a movement of proud, fearless Jews who are standing up and showing up when it matters most.

CJA is Chicago’s grassroots response to a crisis. Not a press release. A mobilization. We go wherever antisemitism shows its face. School board meetings. College campuses. City council chambers. Cultural venues. We confront it. We expose it. And we do not stop.

Since October 7, we have held dozens of public events across the city. Rallies. Vigils. Powerful forums featuring survivors, eyewitnesses, and families of the victims. We have hosted concerts, film screenings, book talks, and speaker panels that others tried to silence. When venues canceled pro-Israel artists or Jewish voices, we didn’t fold. We rebuilt the events ourselves. Again and again. Packed houses. Standing ovations. No apologies.

We have brought in comedians, musicians, authors, thinkers, educators. We have created spaces for hard truth and deep pride. Events that didn’t just fight antisemitism. They celebrated Jewish life.

And when we’re not holding the mic, we’re holding the line. Clearing encampments. Showing up in courtrooms. Pushing back on antisemitic curriculum. Defending students who are under siege for wearing a Star of David.

That is what you just joined.

This is not a legacy institution. This membership exists because parents, small business owners, nurses, lawyers, students — regular people — decided that if the Jewish future in Chicago was going to survive, someone had to fight for it. So we did. And now you are part of that.

Here’s what you’ll receive in the coming weeks:

• Invitations to CJA town halls, briefings, and organizing calls

• Access to uncensored op-eds, interviews, and frontline reports

• Early or discounted access to upcoming events

• Digital tools to help you take action in your own community

This is not about optics. It is about outcomes. Jewish safety. Jewish pride. Jewish continuity. Because when the world tries to erase us, we don’t retreat. We rise.

Thank you for stepping into the fight. Thank you for refusing to sit this out. We are proud to have you with us.

The Jewish future depends on what we do next. And we are just getting started.

With strength and solidarity,

Daniel Schwartz

President, Chicago Jewish Alliance