Somewhere between 250,000-300,000 Jewish people live in the greater Chicagoland area. The early Jewish immigrants settled on the South Side, in Hyde Park and also on the West Side, around Roosevelt and Harlem. With economic gains, the Jewish community moved northward, first to Albany Park and then to Rogers Park. The migration continued north to Skokie and to what is known as the North Shore, stretching from Skokie up to Highland Park and Deerfield and West to Buffalo Grove.

Jews for Jesus opened the Chicago branch in 1975. In 1997, we purchased a building for our offices in Skokie, just ten blocks away from our previous location. Part of that building is a resource center/bookstore. We use it as a drop-in place, a place to shmooze with people who are curious about Jesus, as well as a place to equip believers in Jesus to share their faith with friends.

Since the Chicago branch is located near Moody Bible Institute, Wheaton College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, the branch has a student-mentoring program for Jewish believers who are studying Bible and theology.

Our main purpose is to meet with Jewish people who are interested in exploring whether Jesus might be the Messiah. We visit Jewish seekers of various ages who want to see what the Bible has to say about knowing God and about Jesus. While our office is in Skokie, we can meet with people as far north as Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin; as far south as Springfield, Illinois, as far as South Bend, Indiana, and as far west as Dekalb, Illinois. We have a regular Tuesday night Bible study in Skokie, at 7:30 pm, a noon Downtown Bible study in the Loop on Fridays and a women’s Bible study—please call for details.

We also have personal Bible studies with Jewish believers who are looking to deepen their biblical understanding. We hold special events for believers and seekers alike to come together and celebrate holidays like Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah and Purim.

Whether you are Jewish and want to know more about why we believe in Jesus, or whether you already believe and are looking for others who know what it means to be a Jew for Jesus, we hope you will copy the information to your right and look us up. Come study and celebrate with us from a Messianic perspective.*

For believers in Jesus: whether or not you are Jewish we would love to have you partner with us. We have a variety of opportunities available for volunteers, prayer partners and those who are otherwise interested in supporting our outreach to the Chicago area.

We also offer a variety of programs for local churches. Our branch representatives can provide professional quality messages that will help Christians communicate the gospel to Jewish friends and acquaintances with sensitivity. If you are interested in scheduling one of our programs at your church, contact our office and ask for the Chicago branch Itinerary Coordinator.

*We can help with liturgy for a messianic wedding, bris, naming ceremony, bar mitzvah, etc.