Oct. 13, 2026

Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann on Founding Mishkan Chicago and Building a Radically Inclusive Jewish Community

Show Notes

At 29, Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann was living in Los Angeles when the idea of building the synagogue she actually wanted to go to pulled her back to Chicago.

Host Ashley talks with Rabbi Lizzi, Senior Rabbi and Founder of Mishkan Chicago, about growing up in Hyde Park, the South Side synagogue that shaped her, and why she set out to build a community for young adults who said, "Why would we go to synagogue?"

She shares how Mishkan went from a Honda Civic full of speakers to a 19-person staff, a religious school, and a teen program, with services that wander from Jefferson Park's Copernicus Center to Wicker Park.

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* ‘Contact Chai’ podcast: https://contactchai.buzzsprout.com

* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MishkanChicago/?fref=ts

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Notes from Chicago is a weekly interview show hosted by Ashley Phillips, centering the voices, stories, and neighborhoods that make up the real Chicago.

Host: Ashley Phillips

Producer & Editor: Tanisha Blakely, https://www.tanishablakely.com/