Current
September 1, 2010 - December 29, 2012
About the Exhibit
Uncovered & Rediscovered is an evolving eight-part exhibit that explores the Chicago Jewish experience. The exhibit will unfold over time in a series of changing chapters (each on display for 3 to 6 months), using archival materials, cultural and fine art objects, and audio-visual content from Spertus’ rich and varied holdings to reveal the stories of individuals, places, events, and particular moments from Chicago’s Jewish past.
Uncovered & Rediscovered is on display in the ground floor vestibule and of the award-winning Spertus building and will expand to other areas of the building as it progresses. It is augmented by an interactive media center on the 2nd floor, featuring clips of film and television recordings about Chicago Jewish life.
Hours and Admission
10 am- 5 pm Sunday-Thursday
(Spertus is closed on Fridays and Saturdays).
This exhibit is free to the public.
The Chicago Jewish History Memory Map
Uncovered & Rediscovered invites visitors (both on-site at Spertus and online through this website) to contribute their own personal stories of Chicago Jewish life to a custom interactive map of the Chicago area. This “memory map” is accessible online and at Spertus. To learn more, contribute your stories, and read stories submitted by others, click here.
Explore objects from the exhibit
Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Street Sign
Abraham Lincoln Marovitz was raised in Chicago’s Maxwell Street
neighborhood by Lithuanian immigrant parents who stressed Jewish values and ethics. In 1938, he was elected to the Illinois State Senate, becoming the state’s first Jewish senator. After serving in the Marine Corps in WWII, he became a judge and then Chief Justice of the Cook County Criminal Court. In 1963, he was named to the Federal Bench, where he served until his death at age 95. In September 1992, the City of Chicago designated Plymouth Court, from Jackson to Van Buren, Honorary Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Court.
The Romance of a People program and ticket stubs
On July 3rd, 1933, 125,000 people filled Soldier Field to watch an elaborate pageant
marking 100 years of Jewish history in Chicago. Called The Romance of a People, this
was the culminating event of Jewish Day at A Century of Progress, the 1933 World’s
Fair. The pageant featured 3,500 actors, singers, and dancers and was sponsored
by the Jewish Agency for Palestine, with Chaim Weizmann as a guest speaker. It was
perhaps the greatest Jewish spectacle ever staged in Chicago.
Exhibitions at Spertus are supported, in part, by a CityArts Program
Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, the Harry
and Sadie Lasky Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.