Last weekend, I attended a Sukkah Festival in North Lawndale—a celebration that beautifully bridged cultures, faiths, and history.
I didn’t expect what I felt there.
I felt loved, seen, and accepted.
Given the rise in anti-semitism around the world today, this was a very welcome surprise.
For those unfamiliar with the area, North Lawndale sits west of Chicago, and today is not a Jewish-populated neighborhood. Chicago has been one of the largest Jewish populations in America for the past century. The Jewish population in Chicago grew from just 10,000 in 1880 to nearly a quarter million by 1920, as immigrants fleeing persecution in Europe sought freedom and opportunity. Many of those families settled in neighborhoods like North Lawndale, which became one of the city’s most vibrant Jewish centers—so much so it was often called “Chicago’s Jerusalem.”
In 1925–26, Jewish immigrants from Romania built a striking brick-and-limestone synagogue at 3620 West Douglas Boulevard—the First Romanian Congregation Synagogue. In 1954, as Jewish families moved north, the building was purchased by Stone Temple Baptist Church, a congregation that would play a central role in the Civil Rights Movement and host Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. multiple times between 1959 and 1967.
A building that began as a place of worship for immigrants seeking freedom became a haven for another community fighting for equality.
Across the street sat a vacant lot that the church owned for years. Ideas came and went—parking lot, new construction—but none felt right. Then, just a few years ago, Stone Temple Baptist Church chose something extraordinary: to honor the building’s Jewish roots and their own mission of unity by launching the North Lawndale Sukkah Festival.
This year, five Sukkahs—temporary shelters used during the Jewish festival of Sukkot—filled the park. Built by artists, architects, and community members, they took on new forms: creative, modern, joyful. Soon, the Sukkahs will be reassembled throughout the neighborhood for people to gather, reflect, and connect, along with 15 previous Sukkahs from the previous years' festivals.
The festival pulsed with life—music, glass blowing, dancing, a live portal conversation with two young men in South Africa, and the unmistakable scent of jerk chicken drifting through the air.
And in the midst of it all, a simple truth: I felt welcomed as a Jew.
That feeling of belonging carried even deeper meaning as I realized the date.
Today marks two years since the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas—an unthinkable day that reignited pain, fear, and division around the world. Over 1200 men, women, children, and babies were brutally murdered that day, and 251 were taken into Gaza and held hostage.
48 hostages remain in Gaza as of today, and it is believed that about 20 of them are still alive. Families waiting for answers. A global Jewish community grieving, processing, and trying to hold hope in the face of heartbreak.
And in the months and years since, we’ve seen a painful rise in anti-Semitism—in schools, on social media, and in cities around the world.
Standing in a historically Jewish neighborhood, embraced by a Black Baptist church that honored both its past and its present, reminded me that humanity can still choose connection over separation.
That’s not naïve—it’s necessary.
When fear and propaganda try to divide, we need spaces that rebuild trust, remind us of shared values, and show that love and acceptance can still lead the way.
As I walked through the festival, with locals saying "Welcome!" I kept thinking: this is what real innovation looks like.
It’s not about abandoning the past or chasing what’s new. It’s about honoring what came before while creating something relevant for today.
Stone Temple Baptist Church didn’t erase the history of this building—they built upon it. In fact, they preserved many of the Jewish architectural details and traditional features of a synagogue - from a Star of David on a stair banister to the Torah Ark and other Jewish symbols in the interior, as well as the Ten Commandments and Stars of David in the stained glass seen on the exterior. They created a living, breathing example of what it means to honor legacy while reimagining connection.
Leadership, like this festival, is an act of connection.
When we lead with empathy, honor history, and build bridges between people and ideas, we create something lasting—something that moves communities forward.
And maybe, in moments like this, we remember that leadership isn’t just about business or progress—it’s about humanity.
Thank you, Stone Temple Baptist Church, for the reminder that love, creativity, and belonging are the foundations of progress.
#BusinessReflections #LeadershipLessons #CommunityBuilding #Innovation #Belonging #Humanity #MarketingMana
Mahalo to the City of Chicago for the history captured in the Landmark Designation Report of the Stone Temple Baptist Church Building. If you're interested in learning more about the history of this building, check out: https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/Stone_Temple_Baptist_Church_Bldg.pdf