Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest 🇮🇱 🇺🇸
Chicago, IL
Joined December 2009
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ChallahFest by FOODISH is coming to Chicago, bringing Jewish food and community to the Shabbat table! 🇮🇱🥖
On Friday, November 6, Luba and Bernard Friedman Base Loop will host a special dinner as part of the global ChallahFest, featuring a creative take on a Shabbat staple: challah on a stick.
Enjoy an evening of good food, conversation, games, and shared tradition.
📅 Friday, November 6 | 7:30 PM
📍 Luba and Bernard Friedman Base Loop
Details and tickets: foodishglobal.org/
Israeli healthcare ranks among the world’s best. 🇮🇱🩺
Sheba Medical Center has climbed to #7 in Newsweek and Statista’s 2026 World’s Best Hospitals ranking, its eighth consecutive year in the global top 10.
The ranking evaluates more than 2,500 hospitals across 32 countries. From patient care to medical research and innovation, Sheba is helping shape the future of healthcare in Israel and around the world. 🌏
A quantum leap for Israeli innovation! 🇮🇱⚛️
Intel is set to acquire Israeli quantum software startup Classiq for $2.3 billion. Classiq develops software that makes quantum computers easier to program, helping turn complex technology into practical possibilities.
Built in Israel. Shaping the future.
For the final stop of his Chicago visit, @peter_paltchik spent an evening with the BJBE community for an open conversation about ambition, setbacks, and what comes after an Olympic medal. 🇮🇱🥋
Speaking with Rabbi Adam Wright, Peter discussed the difficult beginnings of his career, handling disappointment, and finding the motivation to set new goals after achieving a lifelong dream. Questions from the audience brought another opportunity to hear his perspective firsthand.
The evening closed a busy three days that brought Peter into schools, community centers, and gatherings across Chicago. We’re grateful to everyone who made time to meet him and brought their own questions and experiences to the conversation.
Thank you to BJBE and Rabbi Adam Wright for hosting the evening, and to Yossi Melamed for helping make these three days possible.
Peter, it’s been a pleasure having you in Chicago. Thank you for the honest conversations and the enthusiasm you brought to every stop. 💙🇮🇱
Different perspectives. A voice for every voter. 🇮🇱🗳️
It’s Election Day in Israel! Across the country, citizens are heading to the polls to cast their ballots for the party lists they want to represent them in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
From first-time voters to those who have cast ballots for decades, each vote is a chance to have a say in the country’s future. Israeli democracy in action.
Israel is heading to the polls! But how does a ballot become a seat in the Knesset, and what happens next? 🇮🇱🗳️
This Election Day, take a closer look at Israel’s parliamentary democracy, from voting for party lists to forming a government.
Swipe through for a quick guide to how it works. ➡️
Last week, we had the honor of bringing @peter_paltchik together with Chicago’s Jewish LGBTQ+ community for an event with Ami Institute for Jewish Life to share his Olympic journey and the pride of competing for Israel. 🇮🇱🥋🏳️🌈
Peter spoke openly about the work behind his achievements, the disappointments along the way, and how he found the confidence to keep going. His experiences led to a conversation about believing in yourself and staying committed to something you care about, even when progress is difficult.
During the Q&A, attendees had the chance to ask about his life and career, hear more of his story, and learn more about what drives him. We’re grateful for opportunities like this to connect people in Chicago with Israeli voices and experiences.
Thank you to Adam Soleymani and Antonio Musillami at Ami Institute for Jewish Life for your ongoing partnership and for making everyone feel so welcome.
For many at @jccchicago, meeting @peter_paltchik was a chance to speak with someone they had cheered on from thousands of miles away. 🇮🇱🥋
Peter began the final day of his Chicago visit by sharing his story with members of the JCC community. Participants shared their own stories, too, telling him what it had meant to follow his journey and watch him win for Israel. Those personal conversations became a meaningful part of the visit, giving Peter a chance to hear how his achievements had resonated here in Chicago.
He also spoke about the fund he established to support promising athletes working toward the Olympics, and his efforts to help others get the opportunities they need to move forward in their sport.
Thank you to our partners at JCC Chicago for the warm welcome, for making these conversations possible, and for the work you do to keep our communities connected.
The medals tell one part of @peter_paltchik story. At Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School @BZAEDS, students had the chance to hear what it took to earn them. 🥋🇮🇱
In small-group conversations with sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders, Peter shared the story behind his Olympic journey: years of training, personal sacrifices, injuries, and the determination to keep going through setbacks. He also spoke about what it meant to compete for Israel in the aftermath of October 7.
The conversations gave students a chance to ask about his experiences on and off the mat, while student reporters sat down with Peter for an interview for The Eagle, the school’s newsletter. Throughout the visit, Peter encouraged students to pursue their own goals with courage and dedication, sharing how the lessons he learned through judo have shaped his life beyond competition.
Thank you to the Bernard Zell faculty and staff for putting so much care into the visit, and to the students for their thoughtful questions and enthusiasm!
Hillel Torah turned Peter Paltchik’s visit into a celebration! 🇮🇱🥋 Students lined the hallways waving Israeli flags, singing “Am Yisrael Chai,” and dancing as they welcomed the Olympic medalist.
Peter @peter_paltchik shared his story and the training, perseverance, and challenges behind his Olympic journey. Students watched highlights of his matches, asked questions, and a couple even joined him to try a few judo moves themselves. The school also came together to sing Hatikvah with Peter.
Thank you to Hillel Torah’s students, educators, and leadership for such an enthusiastic welcome, and to Lior Kakon for helping bring the visit together!
Israel in Chicago retweeted
Today, as we mark 31 years since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, we remember a man who devoted his life to Israel: as a soldier, IDF Chief of Staff, diplomat and prime minister. His service helped shape our country, its security and its pursuit of peace.
I was a teenager when he was murdered. I went to the square during the shiva, returned for the thirty-day memorial, and attended every anniversary rally in the years that followed. Those gatherings are part of how I grew up, and how I came to understand how much our country means to me.
I think about the future we imagined then, and the one we still want to build. I understand more today than I did as a teenager how difficult peace is to achieve, and how much Israel’s security demands of us. But the difficulties cannot be a reason to stop trying. A strong, secure Israel, living in peace with its neighbors, remains a future worth working for.
“Seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalms 34:14)
Israel in Chicago retweeted
Apparently, at the Chicago Teachers Union, free speech depends on who is speaking.
CTU canceled a screening of Screams Before Silence, Sheryl Sandberg’s documentary about Hamas’s sexual violence on October 7, followed by a panel I was scheduled to join. Their stated reason? The organizers supposedly failed to disclose my participation. The organizers say they informed CTU on September 28 and were told there was no problem.
My presence was grounds for cancellation. Yet just months earlier, the same venue accommodated a conference where speakers praised October 7 and supported Iran’s “axis of resistance.”
That is a disgrace.
I am the son of a kindergarten teacher and the brother of a school principal. My mother chaired the local teachers’ union in my hometown. I grew up understanding why unions matter and why public education matters. Teachers deserve representation. Students deserve an education that encourages questions and open discussion. CTU’s political activism serves neither.
I spend my days trying to build dialogue in Chicago, including with people who strongly disagree with Israel. Criticism of Israel is legitimate. I am willing to have difficult conversations. Canceling an event because an Israeli voice will be in the room shuts those conversations down before they can happen.
And this screening was about giving a voice to victims of sexual violence. At a time when Hamas’s sexual crimes are denied and dismissed, CTU chose to cancel an opportunity to hear their testimony. What happened to believing survivors? Does that principle disappear when the victims are Israeli?
Excluding Israeli voices and silencing testimony about atrocities against Jews deserves to be called out for what it is: discrimination and antisemitism.
CTU owes an explanation to Chicago’s teachers and students, and to the victims whose voices it chose to silence.
Peter Paltchik @peter_paltchik grew up watching Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. During his visit to Chicago, we surprised him with a visit to the United Center and the Advocate Center, the Bulls’ practice facility. 🥋🏀
“Batman” runner Yoel Levy @jewfitnesscoach joined us for an afternoon that brought together athletes from very different sports over a shared love of the game.
Thank you to the Chicago Bulls for welcoming us!
Welcome to Chicago, Peter Paltchik! 🇮🇱🥋
We’re so happy to welcome Israeli judoka, two-time Olympic medalist, and European champion Peter Paltchik for three days of events with our local community.
Many of us have cheered Peter on from afar. Now, we have the chance to hear his story in his own words, from the dedication behind his achievements to the challenges and experiences that have shaped him on and off the mat.
We look forward to the conversations ahead and the chance to give Peter a warm Chicago welcome.
Israel in Chicago retweeted
An Olympic medal, a quick judo lesson, and a reminder that I should probably stick to sailing. 🥋⛵️
Great to welcome Israel’s two-time Olympic medalist @peter_paltchik to Chicago! 🥉🥉 We have three packed days of meetings and events ahead, connecting with communities across the city and sharing his story of representing Israel on the world stage.
Peter is ready. Chicago, are you? 🇮🇱🇺🇸