Central Illinois Jewish Federation. Jewish Community Journal, 1973-1974 and 1979-1981 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

This collection consists of issues of Jewish Community Journal, a periodical published by the Central Illinois Jewish Federation from 1968 to 1991. Under the tagline, "Serving Central Illinois," the Journal updated its readers on local and international events, commented on social issues, and highlighted notable Jewish persons in contemporary scholarship and media.

The Central Illinois Jewish Federation (CIJF) was established in 1967 as a consortium of regional Jewish federations in central Illinois. The CIJF sought to organize the efforts of these smaller organizations, which worked to serve, promote, and advance their local Jewish communities. Included were federations in Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Danville, Decatur, Galesburg, Peoria, and Springfield. Due to the decline of Jewish residents in many of these areas toward the end of the 20th century, the CIJF made the decision to disband in 1990. The federations in Champaign-Urbana, Peoria, and Springfield, however, remain active.

Jewish Community Journal was published by the Central Illinois Jewish Federation in Springfield, Illinois, from 1968-1991. It was printed in 23 volumes, each with a variable number of near-monthly or bimonthly issues. This collection consists of issues printed in March 1973 and January 1974, as well as those from March 1979 to December 1981 (excluding vol. 11, no. 3 and vol. 12, no. 8). The periodicals include information about local, national, and international events, political organizations and social issues, religious perspectives, and Jewish persons in popular culture.

The bulk of this collection was transferred from the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Illinois, in summer 2022. Two issues of the Journal, as well as a partial third issue, were donated by Sybil Mervis in spring 2022 (indicated by an asterisk on the finding aid). Additional issues from 1973 and 1976 can be found among other CIJF materials in the Sybil Mervis Collection on Central Illinois Jewish Communities (MS 1109).