Dear Members of the Spertus Family:

I have previously written about the challenges the economy has posed for Spertus in recent years. Despite daunting odds, we have made great progress towards fiscal sustainability. I am extremely proud to announce that we have recently taken another dramatic step toward securing our financial future.

Spertus is pleased to welcome two local educational institutions to our facility. Since August, students from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago now take some of their classes in our building. And in December we warmly welcome Meadville Lombard Theological School, formerly located in Hyde Park, as a tenant. Both of these organizations join our friends at the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, which has made its home at Spertus for many years.

With steadfast support from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, we have forged each of these partnerships because they allow us to continue, and expand, the sacred mission of our own institution as a center for adult Jewish learning and culture.

As you can see by our upcoming programs and events, Spertus programming — both in the Loop and in the Chicago suburbs — is growing every month. Spertus degree offerings, public programs, professional education opportunities, and our evolving exhibit on Chicago Jewish history all resonate with increasing numbers of people across North America. Further, Spertus’ online courses and lectures enable individuals across the globe to share in the riches of Jewish studies and culture.

The holiday of Hanukkah derives from a Hebrew root that is linked to words meaning both “dedication” and “education.” These most recent developments at Spertus enable us to rededicate ourselves to the work of Jewish education in all of its diversity and magnificence.

I invite you to join us. Warm wishes for a healthy 2012.

Dr. Hal M. Lewis is President and CEO
of Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies